Help me pick the best UY & resort for our family of 5!

[Sandisw]

Our goal with DVC is to pick a place we actually want to visit and hang out at without needing to always be in a park. We will most likely only buy APs every other year b/c it gets expensive for 5. On off years we may choose to bank those points, or just do a couple of short stays as an easy getaway and bank the rest. So I want to make sure we buy somewhere that we actually want to be. We don’t spend an excessive amount of time at MK so buying within walking distance isn’t high on my list. Now if BLT had amazing theming and aesthetics we’d probably be all over that, but so would a lot of other people snd it wouldn’t be affordable for us.

We understand the sleeping at CCV. We own a small travel trailer, so we’re used to being in a much smaller space all together. And I get the difficulty in getting studios. We are only considering it for the hard to book times, which are never going to be our main vacation times, so shorter stays. If SSR is always available, then I’m finding it hard to want to buy there when the cost over the life of the contract is equitable to CCV.

Value is a huge concern, I thought CCV had a points chart comparable to a 2042/2054 resort, which is what makes it such a good value. Maybe I’m wrong there.

The CCV chart is aligned with BRV. So the cost per night will be lower.

But, with a family of 5, doing two studios are likely to split you up, assuming you can even get them during times when it’s busy, like fall.

And, getting close together is a request. We have done travel with and have been on different floors. And there was no way to move either party.

Honestly, if it were me and CCV was a place during fall and holidays, I’d plan a two bedroom for those trips!

 

[jolynne28]

The CCV chart is aligned with BRV. So the cost per night will be lower.

But, with a family of 5, doing two studios are likely to split you up, assuming you can even get them during times when it’s busy, like fall.

And, getting close together is a request. We have done travel with and have been on different floors. And there was no way to move either party.

Honestly, if it were me and CCV was a place during fall and holidays, I’d plan a two bedroom for those trips!

We probably will do that. DVC is partly SAP and partly stay where you love for us. Summer trip is something that I'd like to try as many DVCs as possible (with obvious resale limitations on new resorts). If we do short holiday stays I would love to be at CCV, that resort can't be beat IMO for theming during that time of year. SSR is still not out of consideration, but knowing how much we love WL makes it hard to pass up CCV. I don't think we're really considering anywhere else right now.
Now, if I can get nearly double the amount of points at SSR than I can at CCV (ROFR shows someone got 200 pts for close to $16,500 at SSR, someone else got 110 for near $16,000 at CCV), that might sway us. It still has 30 years on it, my oldest will be 40 by then and I'll be 75, so 30 years of more points (which I know is more MFs) will get us some really nice stays over that time period.

 

[mamaofsix]

We probably will do that. DVC is partly SAP and partly stay where you love for us. Summer trip is something that I'd like to try as many DVCs as possible (with obvious resale limitations on new resorts). If we do short holiday stays I would love to be at CCV, that resort can't be beat IMO for theming during that time of year. SSR is still not out of consideration, but knowing how much we love WL makes it hard to pass up CCV. I don't think we're really considering anywhere else right now.
Now, if I can get nearly double the amount of points at SSR than I can at CCV (ROFR shows someone got 200 pts for close to $16,500 at SSR, someone else got 110 for near $16,000 at CCV), that might sway us. It still has 30 years on it, my oldest will be 40 by then and I'll be 75, so 30 years of more points (which I know is more MFs) will get us some really nice stays over that time period.

CCV is a great choice. Go with your gut You can stay in a 2 bedroom while your kids are young...and in the future when they're older and may not be traveling with you - you can always stay in a studio or 1 bedroom.

 

[Chili327]

Our goal with DVC is to pick a place we actually want to visit and hang out at without needing to always be in a park. We will most likely only buy APs every other year b/c it gets expensive for 5. On off years we may choose to bank those points, or just do a couple of short stays as an easy getaway and bank the rest. So I want to make sure we buy somewhere that we actually want to be. We don’t spend an excessive amount of time at MK so buying within walking distance isn’t high on my list. Now if BLT had amazing theming and aesthetics we’d probably be all over that, but so would a lot of other people snd it wouldn’t be affordable for us.

We understand the sleeping at CCV. We own a small travel trailer, so we’re used to being in a much smaller space all together. And I get the difficulty in getting studios. We are only considering it for the hard to book times, which are never going to be our main vacation times, so shorter stays. If SSR is always available, then I’m finding it hard to want to buy there when the cost over the life of the contract is equitable to CCV.

Value is a huge concern, I thought CCV had a points chart comparable to a 2042/2054 resort, which is what makes it such a good value. Maybe I’m wrong there.

It's not just about tight space, you can't have 5 people in the room, period. Unless you're going to sneak them in, & not buy them any food or tickets. (not sure how tight they are, but I wouldn't want to risk it)

CCV is a great choice. Go with your gut You can stay in a 2 bedroom while your kids are young...and in the future when they're older and may not be traveling with you - you can always stay in a studio or 1 bedroom.

And you can stay longer, & more often.

 

[AstroBlasters]

If you love CCV, then it is also a great deal on resale right now! Get enough points for a 2Bd and you should be very happy!

 

[SpicyMcHaggis]

Regarding use year, are there specific use years which usually fetch a premium on the resale market? I'm wondering because we're researching/preparing to purchase our first contract via resale once we get this year's tax refund. We're looking to start with a pretty small contract, enough for a week or so in a studio, then adding from there over time. I think I've settled on September being the best use year for us as summer trips are unlikely for us and AKV as the home resort because we've stayed there and loved the theming and would like a shot at the value and club level rooms. The price per point and point charts also seem favorable. However, September use year contracts seem to be selling for more than others, and I don't know if that's just a quirk of the contracts available at this moment or if that's generally the case.

 

[CarolynFH]

Regarding use year, are there specific use years which usually fetch a premium on the resale market? I'm wondering because we're researching/preparing to purchase our first contract via resale once we get this year's tax refund. We're looking to start with a pretty small contract, enough for a week or so in a studio, then adding from there over time. I think I've settled on September being the best use year for us as summer trips are unlikely for us and AKV as the home resort because we've stayed there and loved the theming and would like a shot at the value and club level rooms. The price per point and point charts also seem favorable. However, September use year contracts seem to be selling for more than others, and I don't know if that's just a quirk of the contracts available at this moment or if that's generally the case.

DVD did not spread UY evenly for any of the resorts, and some UY are more common than others. The less-common UY can get a higher price on resale simply due to reduced supply. So if it’s your first contract, you might consider two or even three UY that will fit your (anticipated) travel pattern and buy the first one that fits in other respects like number of points.

This article regarding UY distribution dates back to 2018, so not all resorts are represented, but it’s the most recent I’m aware of. https://dvcnews.com/?view=article&i...bution-charts-updated-february-2018&catid=166

 

[SpicyMcHaggis]

DVD did not spread UY evenly for any of the resorts, and some UY are more common than others. The less-common UY can get a higher price on resale simply due to reduced supply. So if it’s your first contract, you might consider two or even three UY that will fit your (anticipated) travel pattern and buy the first one that fits in other respects like number of points.

Thanks - that's very helpful - looks like September is one of the least available months for AKV as well as many other resorts and may point to a need to reconsider going with September as our use year. December is the most available by a huge margin at AKV, but would put our desire for fall travel at the very tail end of our use year.

 

[jolynne28]

Thanks - that's very helpful - looks like September is one of the least available months for AKV as well as many other resorts and may point to a need to reconsider going with September as our use year. December is the most available by a huge margin at AKV, but would put our desire for fall travel at the very tail end of our use year.

I think you should consider October UY, unless by fall you mean traveling mainly in September. Someone will correct me if I'm wrong, but UY has nothing to do with when you can travel, but mainly when you can bank points and when they have to be used by. So the banking deadline for Oct. is May 31st.
I referenced this site for best UYs based on travel dates, it was helpful.
https://www.dvcfieldguide.com/blog/what-is-a-dvc-use-year-and-which-one-is-the-best

 

[CarolynFH]

Thanks - that's very helpful - looks like September is one of the least available months for AKV as well as many other resorts and may point to a need to reconsider going with September as our use year. December is the most available by a huge margin at AKV, but would put our desire for fall travel at the very tail end of our use year.

You might consider August, September and October, if you’ll be traveling in the fall or winter most of the time. We lucked into being assigned September, which has been perfect for us, but August would have been fine too and even October, because September can be hotter and more humid than we like to deal with so we rarely visit then.

 

[SpicyMcHaggis]

I think you should consider October UY, unless by fall you mean traveling mainly in September. Someone will correct me if I'm wrong, but UY has nothing to do with when you can travel, but mainly when you can bank points and when they have to be used by. So the banking deadline for Oct. is May 31st.
I referenced this site for best UYs based on travel dates, it was helpful.

We were looking for September primarily to be able to hit Food and Wine and the lower points costs for that month, with the option for October or December once every few years for the holiday festivities. Then, a second trip in early February to get away from the cold and coincide with our anniversary (we're in a northern state.)

For that scenario, June seems like it would be an OK alternative since any canceled February trip would be within the banking deadline, with the down side being that any reserve points would probably be pretty difficult to use with the spring break/president's day craziness.

 

[intamin]

We were looking for September primarily to be able to hit Food and Wine and the lower points costs for that month, with the option for October or December once every few years for the holiday festivities. Then, a second trip in early February to get away from the cold and coincide with our anniversary (we're in a northern state.)

For that scenario, June seems like it would be an OK alternative since any canceled February trip would be within the banking deadline, with the down side being that any reserve points would probably be pretty difficult to use with the spring break/president's day craziness.

Why not August? An August use year would ensure should you decide to go in late Aug/ early September you won't have to worry about it crossing your use year and would cover everything except for summer basically.

 

[jolynne28]

We were looking for September primarily to be able to hit Food and Wine and the lower points costs for that month, with the option for October or December once every few years for the holiday festivities. Then, a second trip in early February to get away from the cold and coincide with our anniversary (we're in a northern state.)

For that scenario, June seems like it would be an OK alternative since any canceled February trip would be within the banking deadline, with the down side being that any reserve points would probably be pretty difficult to use with the spring break/president's day craziness.

We’ve done 4 September trips over the years, so I get it. It’s arguably the least busy time of the year and more affordable. There aren’t usually any extended hours, and it’s still very hot, so keep that in mind. Now that our kids are all in school it’s harder to pull them for trips, so we we will shoot for early June.

 

[KAT4DISNEY]

We were looking for September primarily to be able to hit Food and Wine and the lower points costs for that month, with the option for October or December once every few years for the holiday festivities. Then, a second trip in early February to get away from the cold and coincide with our anniversary (we're in a northern state.)

For that scenario, June seems like it would be an OK alternative since any canceled February trip would be within the banking deadline, with the down side being that any reserve points would probably be pretty difficult to use with the spring break/president's day craziness.

June, Aug or Sept would seemingly all work as good UY's for those travel times.
FWIW I don't think there's a lot of pricing premium depending on UY's. Sometimes it's just about when you are looking and what is available at that time.

 

[Jlo85]

Maybe a hot take but I think the use year talk is all overblown. At least in my experience:

1. Travel plans change. We originally thought we’d always travel in November. Now we tend to do the summer to save on summer camp
2. Mid-year use years always confuse people. I see so many posts on FB about people not understanding how many points they have because they have a mid-year UY and don’t know which year’s points they’re using.
3. Cancellations should be rare for something you really need to book 11-7 months in advance regardless. And if you have a last minute cancellation, which I think is the most likely scenario, you get screwed anyways by holding.

I instead would recommend just picking a use year for a month that you definitely will never travel in. Because the real pain are trips that carry over into your use year month. Otherwise, just pick the cheapest contract (disregarding UY).

 

[jolynne28]

Maybe a hot take but I think the use year talk is all overblown. At least in my experience:

1. Travel plans change. We originally thought we’d always travel in November. Now we tend to do the summer to save on summer camp
2. Mid-year use years always confuse people. I see so many posts on FB about people not understanding how many points they have because they have a mid-year UY and don’t know which year’s points they’re using.
3. Cancellations should be rare for something you really need to book 11-7 months in advance regardless. And if you have a last minute cancellation, which I think is the most likely scenario, you get screwed anyways by holding.

I instead would recommend just picking a use year for a month that you definitely will never travel in. Because the real pain are trips that carry over into your use year month. Otherwise, just pick the cheapest contract (disregarding UY).

Thanks for this. Could you explain the last paragraph?

Because the real pain are trips that carry over into your use year month.

What do you mean carry over? We currently plan on traveling the first week of June, and were thinking of getting a June UY. That way, should we need to cancel within 31 days (which we have unfortunately had to do before), we have basically an entire year to try and fit something in to the 60 day rebooking window, including the summer, which seems to have a bit more availability.

 

[Mikey15]

Thanks for this. Could you explain the last paragraph?

What do you mean carry over? We currently plan on traveling the first week of June, and were thinking of getting a June UY. That way, should we need to cancel within 31 days (which we have unfortunately had to do before), we have basically an entire year to try and fit something in to the 60 day rebooking window, including the summer, which seems to have a bit more availability.

I think they mean if for some reason you booked your “first week of June” stay but your check-in day was, say, Friday May 30, 2025. You don’t want to have to wait until Sunday June 1, 2025 to check in, just because of how the days of the week work out, but then you have to make sure you have 2024 UY points saved for those two nights in May.

But then, maybe you find a good flight deal for the Sunday and want to fly in for June 1 and cancel the May 30-31 nights. Even if this is a few months out, if you borrowed into ‘24UY or are already past your banking deadline, those points would have to be used or rented out sometime before May 31 if you had a June UY.

It’s a hypothetical inconvenience anyway. Realistically you could just stick with the original dates if that happened, instead of taking a different flight, even if it’s cheaper.

 

[MyDogTink]

Keep in mind that when you cancel, you need to do this one day prior to check-in. In that case, points go into holding. If you cancel the day of check-in, you lose everything.

If you are going to travel in June, I wouldn't pick a June UY for the reason mentioned above. If you want to start that June trip the end of May, then you are across 2 UYs. I think an April UY would be ok for June travel.

Also, as others have said, your travel patterns may change and throw the whole "picking the perfect UY" now out the window. It did for me. If you ever start to travel multiple times throughout the year and during school breaks (Nov, Dec, Feb, Easter, Summer), there probably is no ideal UY.

 

[sndral]

Thanks for this. Could you explain the last paragraph?

What do you mean carry over? We currently plan on traveling the first week of June, and were thinking of getting a June UY. That way, should we need to cancel within 31 days (which we have unfortunately had to do before), we have basically an entire year to try and fit something in to the 60 day rebooking window, including the summer, which seems to have a bit more availability.

I have a December use year which worked fine for our annual December trips until the last couple of years when we started arriving in late November and staying into December. Because we were booking across our use year we had to call MS to complete the booking. It’s also complicated because you’re dealing w/ different sets of points. It’s worked out, but a bit of a hassle & if we’d needed to cancel we’d have likely lost the points used for the November portion of the stay.

Thanks - that's very helpful - looks like September is one of the least available months for AKV as well as many other resorts and may point to a need to reconsider going with September as our use year. December is the most available by a huge margin at AKV, but would put our desire for fall travel at the very tail end of our use year.

Be aware that w/ a Sept. use year you likely won’t be able to walk a club or value AKV villa for a fall stay.

 

[jolynne28]

I have a December use year which worked fine for our annual December trips until the last couple of years when we started arriving in late November and staying into December. Because we were booking across our use year we had to call MS to complete the booking. It’s also complicated because you’re dealing w/ different sets of points. It’s worked out, but a bit of a hassle & if we’d needed to cancel we’d have likely lost the points used for the November portion of the stay.

Be aware that w/ a Sept. use year you likely won’t be able to walk a club or value AKV villa for a fall stay.

Good points. I keep reading 'walk' a reservation. Does that mean that you just piece it together if nothing is available? I think I don't exactly understand how that works either.
If our primary vacation month, for now, will be June, with a short stay during the holidays(Nov/Dec), which use year would you pick? I had thought October, but then switched to June, but I see what you're saying too.