Newbie - Bay Lake Tower 2 BR in Fall - Get Now or Wait?

[christylynn99]

Hi to all! I am new to these boards. We are planning our first Disney trip with the kids, and thinking about inviting grandma and grandpa along as well. We have chosen the Bay Lake Tower 2 bedroom b/c it meets our needs on so many levels. But it is also pricey and I like to get the best deal that I can. Do these fill up fast? Should I book it now? We do have AAA, can I get a discount on this room through them? Is there a good chance of finding a deal on this later? If we book now and then find a deal later will they give us that? Or can we cancel and re-book? What is their cancellation policy?

I'm sorry for all of the questions, but I am so new to this! Thanks so very much for any help!

-Christy

 

[Niki in NJ]

I would book it now! You don't have to pay the full amount until you are 45 days out. You will want to make sure you have your reservation set before then. If you decide that you want to down size or switch hotels you can easily do so before you pay the remaining balance. If a new discount comes out, you can also add and apply that to your reservation.

 

[Magic3forme]

Is Bay Lake even available for those dates? this is our home resort for DVC, and I normally have to call at the 11 mos mark to get a reservation.

Normally the best way to get Bay Lake is to rent the points from someone in DVC, rather than booking with Disney.

 

[christylynn99]

Is Bay Lake even available for those dates? this is our home resort for DVC, and I normally have to call at the 11 mos mark to get a reservation.

Normally the best way to get Bay Lake is to rent the points from someone in DVC, rather than booking with Disney.

Oh, I don't even know if it is available! I am so new to this, I hadn't even considered that! Do you mind explaining how what you mean by renting points from someone? TIA!

 

[beebeeryan]

Just go online to the Disney website and check and see if it's available for your dates. Many times if you get a good discount code, it's cheaper to book direct with Disney than going through renting points from a DVC member which gets complicated and means trusting your vacation and control of it to a stranger.

 

[hannahdrewmom]

99% of the time disney deals do not include 2 bedrooms at BLT. And very few 1bdrms will be available under a discount. I'd book now and then switch AS SOON AS the discount comes out. I mean the morning of first thing!

 

[CR Resort Fan 4 Life]

Personally I would reserve it now.

 

[Greysword]

You may also want to use a travel agent, since a Disney certified agent can help you on a LOT of levels.

 

[Lynne M]

Oh, I don't even know if it is available! I am so new to this, I hadn't even considered that! Do you mind explaining how what you mean by renting points from someone? TIA!

BLT is a part of the Disney Vacation Club, Disney's timeshare program. Most of the room inventory at the resort is owned by the members, so what you'd find available for cash reservations is inventory that DVC hasn't sold yet, or villas that are being rented to cover a member's exchange to a resort outside of the DVC system. It's a limited number of villas, so if you see something available, grab it now. If a discount comes up, you can always apply it later.

"Renting points" is a little bit of a misnomer. Some members, when they can't use their allotment of points, will make a reservation at a DVC resort for someone else, and then charge that person for the value of the points used to make a reservation.

On our DVC Rent/Trade board, you'll find members advertising when they've got points they can't use. If you think you'd like to rent a reservation from a member, check out the stickies at the top of that board to see how the process works, and how it's different from booking through Disney. In some ways, it's like renting someone's beach house - a private transaction between two individuals. It can be much less expensive than renting through Disney, but there's less flexibility and you'd usually not be able to change or cancel the reservation once it's made.

 

[ElizabethB]

If you want to book through Disney, rather than by renting points, you should book now at rack rate and hope for a discount.

Having said that, I think it is going to be difficult to nab a discount on a 2-bedroom at BLT.

BLT is probably the most popular of the DVC properties at this point. To nab a one-bedroom, you will have to act quickly if and when discounts are announced.

I often see two bedroom villas available on discounts at Old Key West, Saratoga Springs and Animal Kingdom Kidani. I even see them sometimes at BCV. But, I don't recall seeing any at BLT.

So, book now and hope for a discount but be prepared to pay rack rate. Or, as others have suggested, try to rent points from a DVC member, although it may already be difficult for a DVC member to book BLT at this point.

 

[jnfr2424]

If you want to book through Disney, rather than by renting points, you should book now at rack rate and hope for a discount.

Having said that, I think it is going to be difficult to nab a discount on a 2-bedroom at BLT.

BLT is probably the most popular of the DVC properties at this point. To nab a one-bedroom, you will have to act quickly if and when discounts are announced.I often see two bedroom villas available on discounts at Old Key West, Saratoga Springs and Animal Kingdom Kidani. I even see them sometimes at BCV. But, I don't recall seeing any at BLT.So, book now and hope for a discount but be prepared to pay rack rate. Or, as others have suggested, try to rent points from a DVC member, although it may already be difficult for a DVC member to book BLT at this point.

I was able to nab a 2 bedroom MK view at BLT for a week August with a pin code back in February. By the time a friend of mine tried to use her pin code the rooms were gone!

 

[DisGirl819]

I'd find out if its available and book NOW! I booked a 1 br BLT back in January for September. I was just calling for prices and the agent said it was the only room available at BLT...so I took it, even though I hadn't planned on booking that day. I figured they are hard to get and I got lucky. Good luck!