Most Desirable VGF Fixed Weeks

[SpaceMountain77]

Aside from weeks 49 through 52 (i.e., December), which other weeks do you believe are the most desirable?

 

[lovin'fl]

Aside from weeks 49 through 52 (i.e., December), which other weeks do you believe are the most desirable?

Maybe Thanksgiving, Easter/spring break and July 4th. I wonder if F&W time is also?...that's what I would buy (week 43...last week of Oct).

 

[OKW Lover]

Not sure why any fixed week would be desirable. Why would you lock into a particular week? What if your circumstances change?

 

[dbs1228]

Not sure why any fixed week would be desirable. Why would you lock into a particular week? What if your circumstances change?

If you wanted to go every year for NYE and locked into week 52 - say 2 bedroom you would have a 2 bedroom every year week 52 without worrying about 11 month booking! If you knew you would not use that week then you let Disney know you will not be using your fixed week that year and the POINTS go into your account for you to use as you normally would as a dvc owner. You are required to buy 10% more points with a fixed week but if you do not use that week you will get the full allotment including the 10% of points to use! I love the idea - hoping they will build a DVC at Ft Wilderness down the line and offer this option I think for sure I would be in especially since I will be getting closer to DH retirement age.

 

[nyck]

Not sure why any fixed week would be desirable. Why would you lock into a particular week? What if your circumstances change?

You just tell them you are not going to go that week this year and the points drop into the regular use year and you use them like everyone else. The fixed week is just a GUARENTEED week and room size every year, but if you don't want to go then you just let them know

 

[WebmasterDoc]

If you wanted to go every year for NYE and locked into week 52 - say 2 bedroom you would have a 2 bedroom every year week 52 without worrying about 11 month booking! If you knew you would not use that week then you let Disney know you will not be using your fixed week that year and the POINTS go into your account for you to use as you normally would as a dvc owner. You are required to buy 10% more points with a fixed week but if you do not use that week you will get the full allotment including the 10% of points to use! I love the idea - hoping they will build a DVC at Ft Wilderness down the line and offer this option I think for sure I would be in especially since I will be getting closer to DH retirement age.

NYE won't fall on week 52 every year though - some years there will be a week 53. Thanksgiving week changes, July 4 changes based on the specific week purchased. Since the fixed week can be converted into points, those owners may still be able to get a specific week each year, but they will be competing with other VGF owners at 11 months to do so.

I'm not sure if DVC uses a Saturday or Sunday start date for the fixed weeks, but basically, the first Saturday (or Sunday) in January will be week 1. Sometimes that will be January 1 and some years that will be January 7. All other weeks are based on the date of the first Date in January and can thus fluxuate by those 7 days each year so even exact date Holidays (Jan.1, July 4, Dec. 25) will be affected just as Easter, Spring Break, Memorial Day, Labor Day and Thanksgiving do now for travel planning.

 

[SpaceMountain77]

Aside from December, is the general consensus that Easter, July 4th, and Thanksgiving are the most popular DVC booking weeks?

I realize there is individual resort variability (e.g., Food & Wine), but I am curious about general booking.

 

[lovin'fl]

NYE won't fall on week 52 every year though - some years there will be a week 53. Thanksgiving week changes, July 4 changes based on the specific week purchased. Since the fixed week can be converted into points, those owners may still be able to get a specific week each year, but they will be competing with other VGF owners at 11 months to do so.

I'm not sure if DVC uses a Saturday or Sunday start date for the fixed weeks, but basically, the first Saturday (or Sunday) in January will be week 1. Sometimes that will be January 1 and some years that will be January 7. All other weeks are based on the date of the first Date in January and can thus fluxuate by those 7 days each year so even exact date Holidays (Jan.1, July 4, Dec. 25) will be affected just as Easter, Spring Break, Memorial Day, Labor Day and Thanksgiving do now for travel planning.

They do Sun to Sun.

 

[dbs1228]

NYE won't fall on week 52 every year though - some years there will be a week 53. Thanksgiving week changes, July 4 changes based on the specific week purchased. Since the fixed week can be converted into points, those owners may still be able to get a specific week each year, but they will be competing with other VGF owners at 11 months to do so.

Yes I did know that I was just trying to point out that that would be a good reason to buy a fixed week! Thank you for mentioning it though I am sure many would not know that.

 

[disneynutz]

Yes I did know that I was just trying to point out that that would be a good reason to buy a fixed week! Thank you for mentioning it though I am sure many would not know that.

A fixed week guarantees you a room size and view category every year without you making a reservation.

No worrying about getting what you want.

Bill

 

[lovin'fl]

Aside from December, is the general consensus that Easter, July 4th, and Thanksgiving are the most popular DVC booking weeks?

I realize there is individual resort variability (e.g., Food & Wine), but I am curious about general booking.

Well, that's getting to be tougher and tougher to answer as Disney seems to always be busy anymore (in fact, in looking at Undercover Tourist crowd calendar I noticed only 1 day the entire year, from this month to next May, that is listed as a green 1 (out of 10...red 10 is most crowded)...only 1 day...crazy. That's the week that I'd get as a fixed week (with that 1 day as it's the least crowded week for parks and it's F&W) if I could get any VGF (which DH said NO WAY).

But DVC tends to follow different busy times than WDW itself. Basically, Thanksgiving through New Year's is busy...Food and Wine (end of Sept through beginning of Nov), all the marathon weekends (2 in Jan, 1 in Feb, 1 in May, 1 around Labor Day, 1 in Oct and 1 in Nov), now Flower and Garden is big since they added food/drink booths....and any time the kids are off school will still be busy too. Not sure if the Star Wars weekend is busy for DVC (it's end of spring sometime) or Jersey week (1st week in Nov?)? The beach DVC places are busy during the warmer months and Thanksgiving and Christmas (maybe Easter too???).

 

[drusba]

Aside from December, is the general consensus that Easter, July 4th, and Thanksgiving are the most popular DVC booking weeks?

I realize there is individual resort variability (e.g., Food & Wine), but I am curious about general booking.

DVC is a different animal from Disney in general. Easter time is actually not a high demand time for DVC at WDW, nor is July 4. October and first part of November are much higher DVC demand times than either Easter or July 4 (some reasons: Food & Wine, Halloween party, low point cost, not overwhelmingly crowded like Easter and July 4).

I am not sure the decision to buy a fixed week will depend on just time of year someone wants. Many may look at it as getting kind of room they want. There will be only 47 possible studios, probably about half of which will be standard view, and all could be part of 2BR lock-offs. I have a suspicion that anyone who wants a lower cost standard studio with October to mid-November time, Thanksgiving, first half of December time, and even other times of the year, may give serious consideration to buying a guaranteed week to get it because there is a risk that using the 11 month window won't always result in getting the room needed at those times.

 

[SpaceMountain77]

DVC is a different animal from Disney in general. Easter time is actually not a high demand time for DVC at WDW, nor is July 4. October and first part of November are much higher DVC demand times than either Easter or July 4 (some reasons: Food & Wine, Halloween party, low point cost, not overwhelmingly crowded like Easter and July 4).

I am not sure the decision to buy a fixed week will depend on just time of year someone wants. Many may look at it as getting kind of room they want. There will be only 47 possible studios, probably about half of which will be standard view, and all could be part of 2BR lock-offs. I have a suspicion that anyone who wants a lower cost standard studio with October to mid-November time, Thanksgiving, first half of December time, and even other times of the year, may give serious consideration to buying a guaranteed week to get it because there is a risk that using the 11 month window won't always result in getting the room needed at those times.

I purchased a VGF fixed-week back in May, during the member presale. My decision to purchase a fixed-week was driven by time, villa type and view. I wanted the assurance of knowing that I could always stay at VGF during holiday time in a studio with a lake view.

There will be 47 studios, 30 standard view and 17 lake view, all of which are part of 2-bedroom lock-offs; there are no dedicated studios or 1-bedrooms.

Based on my member experience, I knew which fixed-week I wanted to secure. Now, I am thinking about adding-on a second fixed-week and have a few ideas in mind, but wanted to inquire about thoughts from the board.

 

[lovin'fl]

DVC is a different animal from Disney in general. Easter time is actually not a high demand time for DVC at WDW, nor is July 4. October and first part of November are much higher DVC demand times than either Easter or July 4 (some reasons: Food & Wine, Halloween party, low point cost, not overwhelmingly crowded like Easter and July 4).

I am not sure the decision to buy a fixed week will depend on just time of year someone wants. Many may look at it as getting kind of room they want. There will be only 47 possible studios, probably about half of which will be standard view, and all could be part of 2BR lock-offs. I have a suspicion that anyone who wants a lower cost standard studio with October to mid-November time, Thanksgiving, first half of December time, and even other times of the year, may give serious consideration to buying a guaranteed week to get it because there is a risk that using the 11 month window won't always result in getting the room needed at those times.

But I think there's also a difference between DVC busy time and VGF popular fixed weeks, because if you are going to buy a fixed week you want to be sure you can use it every year. So, I think the popular fixed weeks will be more in line with busy WDW park times and holidays where folks have off work and school and know they can use their week each year.

 

[twinsouvenirs]

Are the fixed weeks just available for current members and/or GFV? I have never heard of the fixed weeks.

 

[CarolMN]

Are the fixed weeks just available for current members and/or GFV? I have never heard of the fixed weeks.

Anyone can purchase a fixed week. They are only available at VGF and Aulani.

Fixed weeks do not appeal to me. We try to get at least 2 trips out of our annual passes by going one week earlier than we did the previous year. Then we buy new APs for the next trip. Couldn't do that with a fixed week.

 

[Allformykid]

I think week 52 is the most desirable on an economical standpoint because of its true point values (based on current point charts) on some years where you can actually gain free points for that year above the points you purchased for the fixed week. Aparently, by the time California was registered for sales this week was supposedly already sold out. I ended up buying week 51 which would be the second most desirable and was available for the same reasons; however, I would gain less free points on some years than week 52 would give.

It looks as though these two weeks are the only exceptions where the rest of the fixed weeks in a year you will actually always use more points for opting to use your fixed week because there is no or little variance in its true point values (the actual yearly point cost for the week remains the same or close to it). This would make the rest of the weeks more of an emotional/tactical choice rather the best economical choice. Week 51 and 52 have low and high actual point values outside of its original purchased point cost on different years because the dates in their weeks vary yearly between the lowest and highest cost seasons. All anyone would have to do is opt out on the lower valued years and get the full value of the points you originally paid for on those years.

Since its obvious these two weeks are popular, I find myself questioning how many really did buy these weeks with intent to go every year or to take advantage of the above or even if they were aware that on some years they could be paying up to almost 40% more points on some years at its extreme lower valued years.

Potential seasonal point reallocation is one factor that I think has made the earlier weeks in December desirable as well as those purchased week would gain the same advantages on a more consistent yearly bases if the true value of these weeks were ever to increase which is only speculation at this point. My hope is that they reallocate earlier dates in week 51 to the primere season which would then make week 51 better than week 52. Again, only hopeful speculation; However, since Grand Californian's primere season starts earlier it is not too far fetched and want to believe that DVC may do the same at the WDW resorts.