If you want to stay someone other than your home resort...

3littlecuties · Feb 10, 2016

Do you go ahead and book your home resort at 11 months just in case and then try to get into the other resort at 7 months? Does this create any problems with "tying up your points"? Sorry if this is a silly question. We are researching buying into DVC and this is something that I was wondering about.

KAT4DISNEY · Feb 10, 2016

It's usually recommended but more necessary at certain times of the year than others. It does tie up your points but you would then cancel your home resort reservation and book the other resort if available at 7 months. It does leave you open to losing the reservation if it's limited availability though.

disneynutz · Feb 10, 2016

You need to buy the home resort that you love more than other resorts especially if it's difficult to book the category during the time that you want to vacation.

Your other choice is to buy cheap and take your chances.

:earsboy:

Bill

3littlecuties · Feb 10, 2016

disneynutz said:
You need to buy the home resort that you love more than other resorts especially if it's difficult to book the category during the time that you want to vacation.

Your other choice is to buy cheap and take your chances.

Bill

We plan to buy somewhere that we would be happy with staying every visit but we would also like the option of trying out the other resorts when they are available.

hakepb · Feb 10, 2016

There are a couple of high demand DVC times (like THE peak DVC time, early December) that I'd consider booking at 11.
For the past several years, I've waited till 7mo to book summer. I'm still in the overall "trying every resort phase" and generally book with a plan A, B, and C. That way I'm not disapointed if A is not fully available.

disneynutz · Feb 10, 2016

3littlecuties said:
We plan to buy somewhere that we would be happy with staying every visit but we would also like the option of trying out the other resorts when they are available.

Until you stay at all of the resorts I don't know how you can pick a resort that will make you happy. We bought BLT before staying there and it has turned out to be our least favorite.

:earsboy:

Bill

rlk · Feb 10, 2016

disneynutz said:
Until you stay at all of the resorts I don't know how you can pick a resort that will make you happy. We bought BLT before staying there and it has turned out to be our least favorite.

Bill
[/QUOTE

We are in the same boat! Wish we stayed at BLT before we became owners.

KAT4DISNEY · Feb 10, 2016

disneynutz said:
Until you stay at all of the resorts I don't know how you can pick a resort that will make you happy. We bought BLT before staying there and it has turned out to be our least favorite.

Bill

Or, they might be like us. We find positives to all the resorts and also will book things at 7 months depending on what is open. We are rarely, if ever, tied to having to stay any particular location.

DisDadDVC · Feb 10, 2016

3littlecuties said:
Do you go ahead and book your home resort at 11 months just in case and then try to get into the other resort at 7 months? Does this create any problems with "tying up your points"? Sorry if this is a silly question. We are researching buying into DVC and this is something that I was wondering about.

It does "tie up your points" when you try to book a different resort at 7 months. If you did not have enough points to temporarily double book, you would have to cancel the 11 month reservation, and make the 7 month one as quick as you can before it is taken.

cruisin5 · Feb 10, 2016

I know lots of people say "buy where you want to stay". However, we've been owners at HHI since 2001 and have successfully booked on-site properties at non-peak times annually.

We are always open to resort and a split stay option. Booked PVB (lake view studio)/VGF (1 bedroom standard) in January for a May visit.

Only 1 visit was at SSR and have never stayed at OKW.

I've yet to find my "ideal" resort but love all of them!

DisDadDVC · Feb 10, 2016

cruisin5 said:
I know lots of people say "buy where you want to stay". However, we've been owners at HHI since 2001 and have successfully booked on-site properties at non-peak times annually.

We are always open to resort and a split stay option. Booked PVB (lake view studio)/VGF (1 bedroom standard) in January for a May visit.

Only 1 visit was at SSR and have never stayed at OKW.

I've yet to find my "ideal" resort but love all of them!

I would say "buy where you don't mind staying" (assuming it is cheaper). We have stayed at just about every resort with our SSR points. I have never used them at SSR. For us, AKV is always the "fallback" instead of SSR and it is one of our favorite resorts.

Canadian Disney Mom · Feb 10, 2016

I am another on the buy where you don't mind staying train. We own at SSR but have only stayed there twice - once on our first DVC stay and the second over Xmas in 2009 when AKV was not available for the entire time in a 2 bedroom. We have travelled in non-peak and peak times and have stayed at every resort except Beach Club & OKW. I will say I work really hard to make some of my reservations, stalking the availability multiple times a day and waitlisting. We also enjoy split stays so that makes it easier.

If I know we are travelling more than 7 months out, I do make a reservation as SSR just in case. I love SSR and would stay there is a heartbeat if required.

bwvBound · Feb 11, 2016

I don't bother booking my home resort at 11 months. Instead, I make sure to book my intended non-home resort straight up at 7 months. FWIW, I've been very fortunate using the waitlist when needed.

3littlecuties · Feb 11, 2016

KAT4DISNEY said:
Or, they might be like us. We find positives to all the resorts and also will book things at 7 months depending on what is open. We are rarely, if ever, tied to having to stay any particular location.

This describes us. We are going to choose a place that we don't mind staying. Then we can visit other places when possible but we would be perfectly happy staying at our home resort. I don't think trying to stay each place before buying is practical for us. We looked at DVC about 5 years ago and decided against it. Now we are wishing we had done it then. We haven't stayed at all the resorts but we have walked around every DVC property at Disney World except for SSR and OKW. At this point, we are targeting BWV or BCV.

bumbershoot · Feb 11, 2016

bwvBound said:
I don't bother booking my home resort at 11 months. Instead, I make sure to book my intended non-home resort straight up at 7 months. FWIW, I've been very fortunate using the waitlist when needed.

Same, but without the wait list. If I don't get what I want I just book a normal hotel. We are generally over at Universal for a decent amount of time anyway so we can also just focus the hotel part there, too. We don't book air until much later than many, so we have nothing non refundable hanging over us.

We generally have family with us for part of our stay so we are staying at the bigger OKW etc, not at the expensive Bay Lake where we own. We wouldn't stay there for the family stays so there's no point booking it.

com_op_2000 · Feb 11, 2016

KAT4DISNEY said:
Or, they might be like us. We find positives to all the resorts and also will book things at 7 months depending on what is open. We are rarely, if ever, tied to having to stay any particular location.

Ditto
We have found something to like at all the resorts. We have yet to be able to book something we are not happy with in over 140+ vacations.

TinkFan74 · Feb 11, 2016

DisDadDVC said:
I would say "buy where you don't mind staying" (assuming it is cheaper). We have stayed at just about every resort with our SSR points. I have never used them at SSR. For us, AKV is always the "fallback" instead of SSR and it is one of our favorite resorts.

I am also an owner at SSR but have never stayed there. I bought for the cheaper points as that was all I could afford.

maburke · Feb 12, 2016

I don't think you need to stay at all resorts before choosing one, but I do think that, if you can, stay at the resort before you buy it. We bought BCV in the pre-sale stage and I'll never forget the look on DH's face when we walked into it for our first stay: "Seriously? This is all?" I was devastated. He had really got used to the space at OKW, where BIL owns.

Anal Annie · Feb 14, 2016

We own at SSR and love to resort hop from trip to trip so that each trip is different from the last. We'd only book at 11 months out for times like spring break week / Easter or the Christmas / NYE holidays so tying up our points isn't usually a factor. We've been able to try ALL of the DVC resorts (incl. Aulani & VGC) now using our SSR points. The exception so far is for VGF (which we haven't tried to book yet & which isn't super high on our list to try because it's a points hog & not really "our style"). I DO almost always try to book online promtly at 8:00 on the dot at our 7 month window. We usually go with a Plan A & a Plan B. Have never really had a problem tho not getting Plan A (so far). We also like SSR just fine and if that's all that's available we're OK with staying there (had a couple of trips where we didn't book until late & if a choice between SSR & OKW would ALWAYS choose SSR). We have probably stayed at AKV the most often because the std. view points there are so reasonable AND we really enjoy the resort. We have found our SSR points to be a terrific value and we're happy to own there and stay there from time to time. OKW would always be our last resort choice if given limited availability.

disneynutz · Feb 14, 2016

Buying a timeshare that costs as much as a car without knowing which one to buy or staying there first is not the best use of money. But you can always sell and start over. We here often make it seem that this is a final decision and you can't sell. Will it cost you some money, sure but who wants to own a timeshare that they don't like to stay in and why own hoping to book the one you love at 7 months.

You can either buy SSR a less expensive choice and use it to stay at all of the resorts booking at 7 months. If you later decide which resort is your must do favorite and you have trouble booking, sell SSR and buy your favorite.

OR

Take you best guess now on your favorite, buy there and hope that you don't change your mind.

We own 6 resorts, 3 are our favorites so you have a 50% chance of getting it right the first time.

:earsboy:

Bill

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