# DVC II question - Deposit vs Request First



## ljmiii (Jan 6, 2022)

So...the II DVC Buyer's Guide says, "1. DVC Members trading with the Exchange Program based on the relinquishment of DVC Points utilize an exchange method, referred to as Request First, whereby they do not give up their DVC Points until an exchange has been confirmed."

But when I go through DVC to the II/DVC portal I land on "My Units" which is empty and states, "Please contact Disney Vacation Club Member Services and request to have your Reservation Points deposited with Interval International. Once deposited, they will appear here for you to start planning your exchange."

Has anyone yet tried to deposit DVC points with II?


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## chriskre (Apr 10, 2022)

Just curious if you had to deposit first to do an exchange?  
I'm looking at the site right now and I don't see much to exchange into especially Orlando seems blocked.  Ugggh.


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## cbyrne1174 (Apr 10, 2022)

Exchanging in II is a terrible use of DVC points and should only be last resort. The best membership for II in my opinion is a 2 bedroom lock off Marriott week. The 1 bedroom portion exchanges into OKW and SSR for about 1350/week in a 1 bedroom, then you can use the studio portion to exchange for another week.


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## Swans5 (Apr 10, 2022)

cbyrne1174 said:


> Exchanging in II is a terrible use of DVC points and should only be last resort. The best membership for II in my opinion is a 2 bedroom lock off Marriott week. The 1 bedroom portion exchanges into OKW and SSR for about 1350/week in a 1 bedroom, then you can use the studio portion to exchange for another week.


I know nada about Marriott weeks. Are they sold as points or weeks? Are Marriott TS's tied to specific properties? If so, does it make a difference where you own if you want a strong II trader? (It seems like the other dedicated DVC/II thread would imply so?) Thanks for any educating you can provide!


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## mdurette (Apr 11, 2022)

cbyrne1174 said:


> Exchanging in II is a terrible use of DVC points and should only be last resort. The best membership for II in my opinion is a 2 bedroom lock off Marriott week. The 1 bedroom portion exchanges into OKW and SSR for about 1350/week in a 1 bedroom, then you can use the studio portion to exchange for another week.



I agree that you can use/purchase a more cost effective trader for II.   But, if a DVC owner just wants to go someplace different every now and then, the purchase of an entire new TS probably isn't a great option.  (Not saying this is what the OP desires, just an example).     

Yes, a DVC owner can rent out their points at decent profit and take the money to do whatever with.   But, there are high value exchanges that can be had in II and I think there is value for a DVC owner to utilize it.     The answer I don't know is what kind of trade power is II giving to DVC owners.   I can only assume it is on the higher scale.


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## Dean (Apr 11, 2022)

ljmiii said:


> So...the II DVC Buyer's Guide says, "1. DVC Members trading with the Exchange Program based on the relinquishment of DVC Points utilize an exchange method, referred to as Request First, whereby they do not give up their DVC Points until an exchange has been confirmed."
> 
> But when I go through DVC to the II/DVC portal I land on "My Units" which is empty and states, "Please contact Disney Vacation Club Member Services and request to have your Reservation Points deposited with Interval International. Once deposited, they will appear here for you to start planning your exchange."
> 
> Has anyone yet tried to deposit DVC points with II?


You can deposit points with II.  It can be a way to extend the life of points you wouldn't use but I would only do so as a last resort.  For most situations exchanging DVC in general is a poor choice but that's not always so, esp for someone who doesn't have other timeshare options for exchanging.  Just pay attention to what you're looking for and agree to aiming for high demand resorts during peak seasons.


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## TheHolleys87 (Apr 11, 2022)

chriskre said:


> I don't see much to exchange into especially Orlando seems blocked.


When trading in RCI, DVC had a regional block on Orlando-area resorts - I think I read something like any resort within a 30 or maybe 50 mile radius from WDW. I’m expecting them to have the same in II, especially since IIRC the number of DVC points needed for an exchange in II is less than what’s needed for the same size villa at a WDW resort.


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## Dean (Apr 11, 2022)

TheHolleys87 said:


> When trading in RCI, DVC had a regional block on Orlando-area resorts - I think I read something like any resort within a 30 or maybe 50 mile radius from WDW. I’m expecting them to have the same in II, especially since IIRC the number of DVC points needed for an exchange in II is less than what’s needed for the same size villa at a WDW resort.


It was 30 miles in RCI, 45 when with II before.  They have already indicated this would be the same or similar with II this time but it's not working out that way in function.  I too expect it will change at some point and since I know historically they have cancelled some exchanges that made it through when they shouldn't have, I think pending exchanges have a small risk as well, esp if a ways out in the future.  Time will tell.


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## rickandcindy23 (Apr 11, 2022)

What a surprise to see these 1 bedrooms just sitting online at Saratoga in II.  They are easy exchanges.  I am unsure if Disney will ever give II bigger units, but Saratoga has been very popular with owners after the updates.  They do sleep five comfortably.  

We love OKW, but Saratoga is really beautiful.


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## cbyrne1174 (Apr 11, 2022)

mdurette said:


> I agree that you can use/purchase a more cost effective trader for II.   But, if a DVC owner just wants to go someplace different every now and then, the purchase of an entire new TS probably isn't a great option.  (Not saying this is what the OP desires, just an example).
> 
> Yes, a DVC owner can rent out their points at decent profit and take the money to do whatever with.   But, there are high value exchanges that can be had in II and I think there is value for a DVC owner to utilize it.     The answer I don't know is what kind of trade power is II giving to DVC owners.   I can only assume it is on the higher scale.



The issue with II isn't trade power, it's trading priority. Most of the good resorts in II are Marriotts, so non Marriott owners only get the leftovers. 

I disagree with your assessment about buying a resale Marriott as a good DVC alternative. Marriott deeds always at least have some resale value. I have 2 DVC trips this summer: 2 nights in a AKV value studio and 7 nights at OKW in a 1 bedroom. This is why I only care to own 50 DVC points. Cheap OKW/SSR stays are always easy to come by. I'm okay with doing  mostly SSR/OKW for 7 nights and just using my DVC points for the other properties. It's a much cheaper option.  Also, Marriott is the better ownership long term anyways. You aren't tied to vacationing in the same location every...single...year...


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## noreenkate (Apr 12, 2022)

mdurette said:


> I agree that you can use/purchase a more cost effective trader for II.   But, if a DVC owner just wants to go someplace different every now and then, the purchase of an entire new TS probably isn't a great option.  (Not saying this is what the OP desires, just an example).
> 
> Yes, a DVC owner can rent out their points at decent profit and take the money to do whatever with.   But, there are high value exchanges that can be had in II and I think there is value for a DVC owner to utilize it.     The answer I don't know is what kind of trade power is II giving to DVC owners.   I can only assume it is on the higher scale.



agree completely - 

the way I read the original post the owner is asking about can they request first without depositing, not the the group consensus on if its a good use of DVC points…If the owner for example wants to go somewhere different this year than a one time exchange maybe be a better option than permanently taking on another unit. To be honest blanket statements like ”terrible use” is ridiculous the OP doesnt say anythng about needing to do an exchange on a regular basis so suggesting picking up another trader without more information is IMO nuts…There are a million and one reasons why a one time exchange may be a good option for DVC owners.

The Op asked a simple question answer -

*Has anyone yet tried to deposit DVC points with II?*


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## ljmiii (Apr 14, 2022)

noreenkate said:


> the way I read the original post the owner is asking about can they request first without depositing, not the the group consensus on if its a good use of DVC points…There are a million and one reasons why a one time exchange may be a good option for DVC owners.
> 
> The Op asked a simple question answer -
> 
> *Has anyone yet tried to deposit DVC points with II?*


Indeed. I was actually trying to help another DVC owner in another forum and discovered the II/DVC docs were clear as mud. I tried emailing the DVC Member Satisfaction Team - dvcmembersatisfactionteam@disneyvacationclub.com - and they basically said, 'Way above our pay grade...you'll have to call.'  Which I eventually did...the results of which follow below. That said, I still don't know of anyone who has actually put their DVC points into II so don't know anything for certain.

-----

I finally got around to calling about booking Interval International from DVC. After a little over an hour's wait I got some answers...though things are still hazy around the edges. Note that what follows is just what the CM knew to the best of her knowledge.

First off and despite the verbage in the II DVC Buyer's Guide, you can make Deposits into II using DVC points.

Second as it currently stands, the online DVC/II Portal only really works if you have one membership at one resort. Even though it asks which membership you want to use if you have more than one, you have no control over which resort the portal pulls points from.

However, if you call you can choose which resorts and memberships to use for a "Deposit", "Vacation Exchange", or "Place a Request".

There is a bit of trickyness about use years. If you make a "Deposit" you pull from the current use year only (and can bank and borrow subject to the 50% limit). But if you do a "Vacation Exchange" into a vacation in a later use year you have to pull from that use year's points.

Note that the Portal has an additional glaring deficiency in that it requires you to accept trades up to 4BRs when you "Place a Request". The only way to avoid being on the hook for large numbers of points is to only select resorts that have villas with the number of BRs you desire and none larger.

Unanswered questions. 
What happens if you "Place a Request" with multiple dates that span multiple use years?
And I forgot to ask, If you call to make a request can you choose a maximum villa size less than 4BRs?


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## Dean (Apr 14, 2022)

ljmiii said:


> Indeed. I was actually trying to help another DVC owner in another forum and discovered the II/DVC docs were clear as mud. I tried emailing the DVC Member Satisfaction Team - dvcmembersatisfactionteam@disneyvacationclub.com - and they basically said, 'Way above our pay grade...you'll have to call.'  Which I eventually did...the results of which follow below. That said, I still don't know of anyone who has actually put their DVC points into II so don't know anything for certain.
> 
> -----
> 
> ...


Did you discuss the 4 BR glitch with them?  I would think they could fix it on their end until the website is changed.  Limiting the number of points used for the exchange should also control this issue by default.  The UY limitations you describe have always been in place, it's the UY at the time of the action (now for deposit first, date of exchange for exchanges).  For exchanges over multiple UY it does mean you have uncertainty for which points will be used.  It also means you have to pay attention to banking deadlines and either take a change by not banking or bank and take a chance on missing an exchange that comes in later in some cases.  Historically DVC has been very flexible such as unbanning in this situation but I wouldn't count on this type of flexibility going forward.  IMO ultimately nothing has changed.  DVC is a horrible product for exchanging, there are other reasons I feel this way beyond what has been discussed here.  But for specific situations it can still add value such as for very high end options during peak times and to extend the life of points in some cases.  For most who want to exchange routinely, simply buying a non DVC exchanger is the best option.


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## ljmiii (Apr 14, 2022)

Dean said:


> Did you discuss the 4 BR glitch with them?...


Yes and no, we talked about the 4BR portal issue but her answer on the 4BR was part of a larger one of her expressing the viewpoint that the portal is a 'work in progress' and that future improvements and refinements would be added over time.


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## TheHolleys87 (Apr 14, 2022)

@ljmiii, thank you for this information! I’m not anticipating an II exchange via my DVC membership, but I’m happy to have this knowledge, at least, and I appreciate the time you took to obtain it.


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## Lisa P (Apr 14, 2022)

ljmiii said:


> If you make a "Deposit" you pull from the current use year only (and can bank and borrow subject to the 50% limit). But if you do a "Vacation Exchange" into a vacation in a later use year you have to pull from that use year's points.





Dean said:


> The UY limitations you describe have always been in place, it's the UY at the time of the action (now for deposit first, date of exchange for exchanges).


Perhaps this explains why RCI continues to have DVC inventory deposited in the current calendar year. DVC has made RCI exchanges and drawn from DVCers' 2022 use year points to secure them.


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## Lisa P (Apr 14, 2022)

ljmiii said:


> Note that the Portal has an additional glaring deficiency in that it requires you to accept trades up to 4BRs when you "Place a Request".





Dean said:


> Limiting the number of points used for the exchange should also control this issue by default.


Seems like a reasonable IT fix. Is that up to DVC or II?



Dean said:


> But for specific situations it can still add value such as for very high end options during peak times and to extend the life of points in some cases.


If the DVC member must use travel date points, how could they extend their points' expiration date?


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## Dean (Apr 14, 2022)

Lisa P said:


> Seems like a reasonable IT fix. Is that up to DVC or II?


I would assume it'd be on II's end, it always has been.  Back when DVC was with II before, some DVC CM had direct internal access to II's system just like the II reps did.  This included internal rating information.  I'm sure DVD will be directly involved in the decision making but the actual implementation I'd assume is up to II.]



> If the DVC member must use travel date points, how could they extend their points' expiration date?


Deposit first then they'd have 2 plus years to use the exchange.[/QUOTE]


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## frytard (May 24, 2022)

cbyrne1174 said:


> Exchanging in II is a terrible use of DVC points and should only be last resort. The best membership for II in my opinion is a 2 bedroom lock off Marriott week. The 1 bedroom portion exchanges into OKW and SSR for about 1350/week in a 1 bedroom, then you can use the studio portion to exchange for another week.




Lol new to timesharing and this is what I have given to me by my mom. Woohoo! I may buy DVC timeshare when I have the chance. Have you seen anything except SSR though in the II?


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## rickandcindy23 (May 24, 2022)

frytard said:


> Lol new to timesharing and this is what I have given to me by my mom. Woohoo! I may buy DVC timeshare when I have the chance. Have you seen anything except SSR though in the II?


Only Saratoga Springs.


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## cbyrne1174 (May 24, 2022)

frytard said:


> Lol new to timesharing and this is what I have given to me by my mom. Woohoo! I may buy DVC timeshare when I have the chance. Have you seen anything except SSR though in the II?


Only SSR. Honestly DVC is the worst value of all the major brands (resale). That's why it's my smallest ownership. If you do go that route, I would honestly just get a small amount of points and use it once every 2/3 years. Wyndham/Marriott have some pretty awesome Orlando resorts.


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## frytard (May 24, 2022)

cbyrne1174 said:


> Only SSR. Honestly DVC is the worst value of all the major brands (resale). That's why it's my smallest ownership. If you do go that route, I would honestly just get a small amount of points and use it once every 2/3 years. Wyndham/Marriott have some pretty awesome Orlando resorts.





rickandcindy23 said:


> Only Saratoga Springs.



Yep I would get a small one for Disney trips to be in the park. Definitely not a lot of value but you “pay for the Disney experience” I guess


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## frank808 (May 25, 2022)

cbyrne1174 said:


> Only SSR. Honestly DVC is the worst value of all the major brands (resale). That's why it's my smallest ownership. If you do go that route, I would honestly just get a small amount of points and use it once every 2/3 years. Wyndham/Marriott have some pretty awesome Orlando resorts.


Depends how you define value .

If it is percentage of recovering the money you spent for resale, DVC holds the best value. Actually even people buying retail a few years ago could sell at resale prices for their purchase.

Now past performance doesn't guarantee future performance. But DVC has held resale value pretty good for the past 20 years. 

Sent from my SM-N975U using Tapatalk


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## ljmiii (May 25, 2022)

frytard said:


> Yep I would get a small one for Disney trips to be in the park. Definitely not a lot of value but you “pay for the Disney experience” I guess


It really depends on your circumstances. If you are restricted to visiting WDW during school vacations then Disney makes staying 'on property' completely worth it. The rules for visiting the parks have changed over time, but seemingly with each change Disney (unsurprisingly) increases the value of DVC. If you want to ride the in-demand rides without a wait (e.g. Flight of Passage or Rise of the Resistance) or make advance dining reservations at the 'hottest' new restaurants (e.g. Space 220) during Easter or Presidents or Christmas week then you need to stay on property. If you are free to visit when the crowds are smaller it is less essential (though still useful).

Meanwhile, I would never suggest buying DVC for financial gain and as @frank808 said, past performance is no guarantee of future results. But all of our DVC purchases have been quite profitable and I just calculated that I'm getting a little over 8% return renting out my AKV points through a no effort, DVC rental website.


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## frytard (May 25, 2022)

ljmiii said:


> It really depends on your circumstances. If you are restricted to visiting WDW during school vacations then Disney makes staying 'on property' completely worth it. The rules for visiting the parks have changed over time, but seemingly with each change Disney (unsurprisingly) increases the value of DVC. If you want to ride the in-demand rides without a wait (e.g. Flight of Passage or Rise of the Resistance) or make advance dining reservations at the 'hottest' new restaurants (e.g. Space 220) during Easter or Presidents or Christmas week then you need to stay on property. If you are free to visit when the crowds are smaller it is less essential (though still useful).
> 
> Meanwhile, I would never suggest buying DVC for financial gain and as @frank808 said, past performance is no guarantee of future results. But all of our DVC purchases have been quite profitable and I just calculated that I'm getting a little over 8% return renting out my AKV points through a no effort, DVC rental website.


I was super close purchasing DVC pre pandemic and even did calculations of each resort MF fees per point. Aulani was the perfect fit actually as we go to Hawaii every year except 2020. 

I was looking for a unsubsidized resale at the time but we never got around to it. That or I think it was Boardwalk or Saratoga which were pretty close. One thing I like about DVC is that it really isn’t a deed like other TS but leasing. Also Disney has a reputation to keep so they will always keep their properties updated in my opinion. Obviously I would have to buy cash as financing any timeshare is loss of value. 

Just a consideration but as I have done more research on timeshares when my mom basically gave me her pre 2010 MVC I am finding that there may be value in other timeshares and just rent DVC once in awhile like we previously have with Aulani.

If you have recommendations I am definitely open ears as I am still in the Research phase of everything.

Just had a kid who’s six months me and wife have about 5 weeks off a year or so so definitely trying to take advantage of travel savings as that is our favorite thing to do.


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## amycurl (May 25, 2022)

Well, today, there was a 2 bedroom at Animal Kingdom, and Old Key West, and Hilton Head and Jansen Beach all spotted in II.


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## rickandcindy23 (May 25, 2022)

And here I am on Kauai, four hours earlier than home, sleeping in.  I got up at 6 AM.  

Not that I would grab those dates.  Too hot.


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## ljmiii (May 25, 2022)

frytard said:


> If you have recommendations I am definitely open ears as I am still in the Research phase of everything.


I only have experience with MVC, HGV, and DVC. My 'in general' advice is that timeshares are not for everyone and in particular you have to be willing and able to plan and reserve vacations long in advance when the ability to book opens - 12 and 9 months with HGV, 13/12 with MVC, and 11/7 with DVC. And that MVC resale weeks are the least expensive, HGV is the easiest to use as long as you are happy with their primary destinations and not their affiliates, and DVC is for staying at DVC resorts.

I don't know where you like to vacation other than Hawaii. On O'ahu, MVC's Ko Olina and Aulani are right next to each other. If you had older kids, my advice would be to stay at Ko Olina and walk over to Aulani for the eats and entertainment. But Aunty's Beach House is supposed to be amazing for the 5-12 set. HGV has many resorts at Hilton Hawaiian Village in Waikiki (and has the Penguin Club for 5-12s), we own at and love the Lagoon Tower.

On the Big Island, both HGV and MVC are in Waikoloa with HGV having a much greater variety of accommodations (and the MVC location is points only). On Maui, HGV's new resort suffers from being across a major highway from the beach while MVC's Maui Ocean Club is quite nice. Lastly, on Kauai only MVC has resorts and Waiohai is our favorite Hawaiian MVC resort. Kauai Beach Club is quite nice with great views and a huge pool complex, but Kauai Lagoons has suffered because of an ownership change on the hotel side of KBC - guests are no longer welcome to use KBC's pool and beach.


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## frytard (May 25, 2022)

ljmiii said:


> I only have experience with MVC, HGV, and DVC. My 'in general' advice is that timeshares are not for everyone and in particular you have to be willing and able to plan and reserve vacations long in advance when the ability to book opens - 12 and 9 months with HGV, 13/12 with MVC, and 11/7 with DVC. And that MVC resale weeks are the least expensive, HGV is the easiest to use as long as you are happy with their primary destinations and not their affiliates, and DVC is for staying at DVC resorts.
> 
> I don't know where you like to vacation other than Hawaii. On O'ahu, MVC's Ko Olina and Aulani are right next to each other. If you had older kids, my advice would be to stay at Ko Olina and walk over to Aulani for the eats and entertainment. But Aunty's Beach House is supposed to be amazing for the 5-12 set. HGV has many resorts at Hilton Hawaiian Village in Waikiki (and has the Penguin Club for 5-12s), we own at and love the Lagoon Tower.
> 
> On the Big Island, both HGV and MVC are in Waikoloa with HGV having a much greater variety of accommodations (and the MVC location is points only). On Maui, HGV's new resort suffers from being across a major highway from the beach while MVC's Maui Ocean Club is quite nice. Lastly, on Kauai only MVC has resorts and Waiohai is our favorite Hawaiian MVC resort. Kauai Beach Club is quite nice with great views and a huge pool complex, but Kauai Lagoons has suffered because of an ownership change on the hotel side of KBC - guests are no longer welcome to use KBC's pool and beach.



Do you find it advantageous TJ be a part of both RCI and II? The three you own is the jones I was looking into. Hyatt looked cool too but pricier than others.


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## Dean (May 25, 2022)

frytard said:


> Yep I would get a small one for Disney trips to be in the park. Definitely not a lot of value but you “pay for the Disney experience” I guess


The reality is that while technically DVC owners are timeshare owners, they are not a traditional timeshare owner in some aspects.  For many, likely most, DVC is simply a prepaid hotel room for DVC.  Those of us here on TUG are not the usual for DVC even more so than for most timeshares.  Thus the comparison for many is to a hotel room on property on cash and for that it can be a very good deal though not always.  They value staying on property.  Personally we prefer it but also we're happy staying off property as well.


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## ljmiii (May 25, 2022)

frytard said:


> Do you find it advantageous to be a part of both RCI and II?...


To me, RCI and II are what happens when the plan fails. When I first bought at Waiohai it came with a week I couldn't use and when COVID hit I had to trade through II to get some value out of our 2020 weeks. Since we are limited by the school vacation calendar our trade attempts were not a pleasant experience (though I did manage to get something rather than nothing).

That said, I have read of others who not only manage to make useful trades but enjoy the whole 'box of chocolates' experience of snagging great weeks through II.


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