staroption usage question

Hi,
I just bought into the program and want to make sure I know how it works. I know I can request home resort in 12 and others at 8. I know I can borrow from next year and also use or lose this yr.
My questions are:
1) let's say I have 81000 staroptions (VV). I would like to try and go to Harborside or somewhere else next July(07). If I understand it correctly, I can't try to trade into another SVN resort until Dec 06. But if my season already passed(all but wk51+52), how/when do I get my staroptions? Was I suppose to reserve a week at my home resort during my season but 12 mths out(07 wk) or call during my season and give them my week this yr(06)?

2) same as above, but let's say I own a 2nd week in a different season or covering different wks. This time I want ST John in the Dec? I can use my options from the first one(VV) but the season for the second hasn't arrived, do/can I borrow from the second? Do i just call and get them all on Jan 2nd ?

3) if i can only request an external trade within the system eight months out and let's say in question 1 above I was willing to take any week in July or August would I have to call every week in Dec and Jan until I get my request or do I just call the first week available in Dec and get in line?

Thanks

To stay in Harborside in '07 you have to use '07 StarOptions. Your '06 StarOptions need to be used in '06. If you need more StarOptions than you have for '07, you borrow from your '08 StarOptions by paying your '08 maintenance fees.

Starting eight months out from when you want to arrive at your non-home resort you start trying to make a reservation, even if it is still '06 when this window starts. You are using your '07 StarOptions, though.

The season you own doesn't matter, only the number of StarOptions you have. Again, this year's *Options don't matter. It is what you own the year you will use them. If you want to go to St. John in Dec., you can make reservations in April (8 months before arrival) and all that matters is how many *Options you have available that year. You can only make reservations 12 months out at your home resort.

I'm not 100% sure about your third question, but I think you can only make a request for 8 months out to the day so you'd have to call every week during the 8th month before you arrive.

Harborside and St. John are both more difficult trades because they are in very high demand. If you can go during the off-season, you would have a lot more luck. The Christmas holidays are going to be impossible, and July will be tough too. Early December will be easier. For the best chance at success you need to call EXACTLY at 8 mos. out and keep calling, if necessary. You can wait list, but I think daily calls are more effective.

As a back up, we reserve our home resort at 12 mos. out, then if we don't get the Staroptions Exchange that we want at 8 mos., we still have our home resort already reserved for the week we want. You can't wait list if you have a Resv. at your home resort, unless you are a multiple week (Elite) owner.