Use Year for teachers

[Maryrachel713]

I'm trying to understand the best choice for a Use Year. I'm a teacher, so unable to visit in the fall. I could potentially go winter break (if dates line up), spring break and then would be most likely to go in early June. But I can't say that's when we'd always go, so it seems like a June use year isn't the best choice. I'm trying to wrap my head around banking deadlines etc but would love some advice.

 

[DisneyRegulars]

I became a teacher AFTER buying DVC. I can say my August use year is not so good. I plan a lot of summer trips, and if they get cancelled, especially July trips there’s really no chance to use the points before they expire. I have run into far fewer issues with my April use year contract, but I’m not sure it’s best, just definitely better than August!

 

[ZeroDelta]

I believe you would want a UY that begins after you intend to vacation ~ such as September, etc. You will want the most flexibility in booking to get the room you want in the resort you want (assuming you buy where you intend to stay). This will give you an 11 month window to book.

The resorts are getting harder and harder to book each year and you will want as much time as you can get to book what you want.

 

[Maryrachel713]

I believe you would want a UY that begins after you intend to vacation ~ such as September, etc. You will want the most flexibility in booking to get the room you want in the resort you want (assuming you buy where you intend to stay). This will give you an 11 month window to book.

The resorts are getting harder and harder to book each year and you will want as much time as you can get to book what you want.

I thought you just needed the points to be available at the time of the trip to book; the use year is just when they actually load into the account. I think its if I have to cancel and need to reschedule when I run into an issue.

 

[cdobert]

Teacher here. I have a February use year. We go in early June each year.

 

[ZeroDelta]

Correct. Points will refresh each UY and you can book anytime if you have them available. It’s just that your UY at your home resort will give you an 11 month window to book. I believe you have up to 30 days to cancel without penalty.

The biggest issue I have had was trying to find availability at our home resort or other resorts the closer it gets to when to want t0 be there.

 

[PrinceRaki]

I think a december UY will work best for you, if youre not traveling in the fall. For december UY the banking deadline is july 31, so you will still be flexible to book a summer trip.

@ZeroDelta it is better to have an use year that begins BEFORE your time of travel, so you have plenty of time to bank your points if you need to cancel. You can always travel the last 4 months of your use year but if plans change you are not going to be able to bank those points within the last 4 months of that use year.

Use year has nothing to do with priority booking, you can always book 11 months out even for the next use year. The use year determines when you can travel and not when you can book

 

[badeacon]

I believe you would want a UY that begins after you intend to vacation ~ such as September, etc. You will want the most flexibility in booking to get the room you want in the resort you want (assuming you buy where you intend to stay). This will give you an 11 month window to book.

The resorts are getting harder and harder to book each year and you will want as much time as you can get to book what you want.

I think you want a use year that begins before you intend to vacation the most as that gives you the most flexibility to bank if have to cancel. As above from PrinceRaki also concerning booking priority

 

[lovethesun12]

December covers christmas, spring, and summer. All the breaks.

 

[StoweFoSho]

I'm in education and we chose a December Use Year, but we've used it pretty much at any time. It works for Christmas, Spring Break, Summer, etc. We also have been doing Thanksgiving in the Fall, but now that APs are blocked out, may not do that anymore.

As someone else mentioned, December has the latest banking deadline in the year, so if you decide not to take a trip by the end of summer, you can bank into the next year.

I also really like that December contracts seemed to be readily available on the resale market for several different resorts, so adding on points has been easy as well.

 

[Future_WorldPhonencian]

+1 For a December use year. I am a school administrator, and that pretty much covers all the traditional school breaks. I wouldn't let another use year stop you if it what you are looking for a particular rare resort. Use year is less of a factor for banking/ borrowing more if you have to cancel a trip last minute.

 

[Stargazer65]

I believe you would want a UY that begins after you intend to vacation

No, actually you want the opposite. Your UY should begin before you intend to vacation so you have the longest window to book. September UY is best for fall vacations, worst for summer vacations.

I think you want a use year that begins before you intend to vacation the most as that gives you the most flexibility to bank if have to cancel.

Yes, I agree.

I would tend to lean towards December as some have said. That gives you the best flexibility for WInter through Summer vacations.

 

[Sandisw]

Correct. Points will refresh each UY and you can book anytime if you have them available. It’s just that your UY at your home resort will give you an 11 month window to book. I believe you have up to 30 days to cancel without penalty.

The biggest issue I have had was trying to find availability at our home resort or other resorts the closer it gets to when to want t0 be there.

UY plays no role in when you can book. Just determines which points are eligible for the trip.

If I wanted to travel in April 2023, I could have booked that in May 2022, no matter the UY because it’s all based on points needed when you travel and not book

So, if I had a Feb UY, that trip can be booked using banked 2022, 2023, and borrowed 2024 since the trip is in the 2023 UY.

If I had an Oct UY, then I can use banked 2021, 2022, and borrow 2023 points since that trip is in the 2022 UY.

Best is to have a UY that has the bulk of your travel in the first 8 months so you can still bank your points or at least have time ti reschedule.

 

[Sandisw]

I’d recommend Dec UY as it covers all the times you may want to go.

I was a teacher and it’s how we ended up with both June and Dec UYs as we first only went in summer and then I wanted to go Memorial Day which was horrible for our June UY

 

[hhisc16]

I'm trying to understand the best choice for a Use Year. I'm a teacher, so unable to visit in the fall. I could potentially go winter break (if dates line up), spring break and then would be most likely to go in early June. But I can't say that's when we'd always go, so it seems like a June use year isn't the best choice. I'm trying to wrap my head around banking deadlines etc but would love some advice.

Dw and I are both teachers. We have oct and dec uy. We prefer the dec uy since the banking deadline is july 31, right before our schools start.

We travel throughout the year to hhi and wdw though on winter/fall/summer/spring breaks.

 

[RamblinWreck]

My wife is a teacher, and we love our April use year.

I think it’s a pretty good balance. If you’d never travel in April or may, a June UY might be better. It would make winter holiday trips a little safer.

 

[wilkydelts]

Administrator here, we went with March UY cause that get us at our main breaks of spring and summer. It also covers us in case we have to cancel fall break since banking deadline is Oct. 21. We did not worry about Christmas because we know when we plan a Christmas trip it would take a massive situation to cancel it.

 

[softballmom3]

School Librarian here. We did a Feb UY because it was the points I wanted and a good price. However.....if I had to do it again, I would do March or April. We have Fall break also and that's when we have tended to travel the most.

 

[Maryrachel713]

I think a december UY will work best for you, if youre not traveling in the fall. For december UY the banking deadline is july 31, so you will still be flexible to book a summer trip.

@ZeroDelta it is better to have an use year that begins BEFORE your time of travel, so you have plenty of time to bank your points if you need to cancel. You can always travel the last 4 months of your use year but if plans change you are not going to be able to bank those points within the last 4 months of that use year.

Use year has nothing to do with priority booking, you can always book 11 months out even for the next use year. The use year determines when you can travel and not when you can book

Thank you! That is what I was thinking but I wanted to make sure I was understanding right!

My wife is a teacher, and we love our April use year.

I think it’s a pretty good balance. If you’d never travel in April or may, a June UY might be better. It would make winter holiday trips a little safer.

Thanks--my kids are a different district so of the options, spring break is the least likely.

 

[Maryrachel713]

Administrator here, we went with March UY cause that get us at our main breaks of spring and summer. It also covers us in case we have to cancel fall break since banking deadline is Oct. 21. We did not worry about Christmas because we know when we plan a Christmas trip it would take a massive situation to cancel it.

This is a good point. Hadn't totally thought about that.