I am considering a DVC purchase - Question

[jkpatrick]

I am considering a DVC purchase, probably through resale, since the price is a lot cheaper and I wouldn't care too much about the loss of those benefits (like DCL and trading points for a WDW hotel stay).

A studio would suit us just fine, no need for a kitchen as well. If we travel with friends, they would book their own rooms. If we travel with family, we can always bank points before, or borrow points from the next year for the other room types. 4 in a studio room would be enough space for all of us anyways.

So 95% of the time, we would book a studio room at DVC. And 75% of the time we would travel in the 1st two weeks of December. So after Thanksgiving but before the X-mas rush.

However, I have a few questions about availability as it seems like there are quite a few threads about people booking or walking their reservations just to get the room they want, 11 months out. There are also less studio rooms as well.

1. Is it really that difficult to book a studio room at your home resort? As in are they in high demand for DVC members?

2. Is there a specific home resort I should buy in to always give me a chance at at studio?

I'm not really sure how that can be answered, but any help would be appreciated.

[chalee94]

Originally Posted by jkpatrick

So 95% of the time, we would book a studio room at DVC. And 75% of the time we would travel in the 1st two weeks of December. So after Thanksgiving but before the X-mas rush.

this is a super-busy time for DVC bookings, however. low point costs and great decorations means high demand and booking at 10-11 months out is advisable.

here is a useful thread for more detailed info:

http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=2919467

However, I have a few questions about availability as it seems like there are quite a few threads about people booking or walking their reservations just to get the room they want, 11 months out. There are also less studio rooms as well.

1. Is it really that difficult to book a studio room at your home resort? As in are they in high demand for DVC members?

2. Is there a specific home resort I should buy in to always give me a chance at at studio?

1. no. not generally if you are booking at 10-11 months out.

there are a VERY limited number of concierge and value villas at AKV-jambo house...but tons of studios (savanna view/standard view) in general at AKV between kidani and jambo house. if you need a concierge studio in early december, then you might need to walk it...otherwise, no.

(there are relatively fewer BWV-standard studios and BLT-standard studios, so those can be tougher to get at 7 months out.)

2. studios are more in demand than 1BRs since both accommodate the same occupancy (more or less) but 1BRs are more expensive. and studios tend to book up earlier than 2BRs, IIRC. but if you aren't picky as to view and can book fairly early, just go with whatever home resort you prefer.

[DougEMG]

Booking a studio at your home resort at the 11 month window should never ever be a problem. The only ones that could potentially be hard to get are rooms like AKV value or conciege were there are only a couple of rooms of that category.

SSR has 432 studios,
AKV 296 studios,
BWV 246 studios,
OKW 230 studios,
BLT 133 studios,
BCV 110 studios,
VWL 65 studios.

Some of those studios are from 2 bedroom lockoffs.

If you don't care which resort you stay at or can't book earlier than 7 months in advance, buy SSR as it is the best value on the resale market.

If you are very particular about where you want to stay and can take advantage of the home resort booking advantage, buy the resort you want to stay at.

[luckyman_apd]

Originally Posted by DougEMG

Booking a studio at your home resort at the 11 month window should never ever be a problem. The only ones that could potentially be hard to get are rooms like AKV value or conciege were there are only a couple of rooms of that category.

SSR has 432 studios,
AKV 296 studios,
BWV 246 studios,
OKW 230 studios,
BLT 133 studios,
BCV 110 studios,
VWL 65 studios.

Some of those studios are from 2 bedroom lockoffs.

If you don't care which resort you stay at or can't book earlier than 7 months in advance, buy SSR as it is the best value on the resale market.

If you are very particular about where you want to stay and can take advantage of the home resort booking advantage, buy the resort you want to stay at.

So, many studio's are part of 2 bedroom lock offs. Does anyone know how they are reserved as 2br or as 1br and studio? For instance, if there is a high demand for studios, do they just fill them all and then leave the rest to be booked as 1 br, or will they hold a bunch back to keep for 2 br? Always curious as to how they decide this for BLT at busy times.

[DougEMG]

Originally Posted by luckyman_apd

So, many studio's are part of 2 bedroom lock offs. Does anyone know how they are reserved as 2br or as 1br and studio? For instance, if there is a high demand for studios, do they just fill them all and then leave the rest to be booked as 1 br, or will they hold a bunch back to keep for 2 br? Always curious as to how they decide this for BLT at busy times.

It is first come, first serve.

The most popular rooms are studios and 2 bedrooms. The big problem with 1 bedrooms is that they are double the point cost of a studio but sleep the same number of people normally. AKV,BLT and OKW have a sleeper chair in the 1 bedroom so can sleep 5 instead of the normal 4.

[Dean]

Originally Posted by DougEMG

It is first come, first serve.

The most popular rooms are studios and 2 bedrooms. The big problem with 1 bedrooms is that they are double the point cost of a studio but sleep the same number of people normally. AKV,BLT and OKW have a sleeper chair in the 1 bedroom so can sleep 5 instead of the normal 4.

To add to this. Lockoff 2 BR units (studio and 1 BR combined) are not booked first come in all situations as I understand it. From what I'm told they first designate how many will be reserved as a 2 BR and how many as smaller units. So once the smaller units are booked up, there may still be 2 BR lockoff's available and vice versa. I'm not sure what the numbers are, when they designate them or if they re-evaluate the % along the way but this is the way it's been explained to me.

[Deb & Bill]

Originally Posted by luckyman_apd

So, many studio's are part of 2 bedroom lock offs. Does anyone know how they are reserved as 2br or as 1br and studio? For instance, if there is a high demand for studios, do they just fill them all and then leave the rest to be booked as 1 br, or will they hold a bunch back to keep for 2 br? Always curious as to how they decide this for BLT at busy times.

Dedicated two bedrooms are booked first by MS unless the member specifically requests a lock off. I know that is what they do at OKW because we specifically asked for a lockoff once and they told us they usually book the dedicated first.

[Sandisw]

Originally Posted by DougEMG

Booking a studio at your home resort at the 11 month window should never ever be a problem. The only ones that could potentially be hard to get are rooms like AKV value or conciege were there are only a couple of rooms of that category.

SSR has 432 studios,
AKV 296 studios,
BWV 246 studios,
OKW 230 studios,
BLT 133 studios,
BCV 110 studios,
VWL 65 studios.

Some of those studios are from 2 bedroom lockoffs.

If you don't care which resort you stay at or can't book earlier than 7 months in advance, buy SSR as it is the best value on the resale market.

If you are very particular about where you want to stay and can take advantage of the home resort booking advantage, buy the resort you want to stay at.

Just want to add that I could not get a BLT SV studio for 2 nights in early December just 5 days into the 11 month booking window. The wait list did come through about a week after the 7 month window opened which I assumed was due to people changing and the fact that I got on the wait list pretty early in the process.

So, if someone really wants BLT and wants at least the opportunity to do SV, then owning there, especially for that time of year, is probably important.

[jkpatrick]

So do you get on the waitlist automatically if what you want is not available? Then I guess it's FIFO? Do they provide a count on what place you are in line? Then I can decide to bank points, cancel, etc...

If the studio DVCs are the same/similar to hotel studio rooms, will DVC ever let you book into the normal hotel studios? Cause non-DVC reservations sometimes get a DVC room, based on availability, right?

[Deb & Bill]

Originally Posted by jkpatrick

So do you get on the waitlist automatically if what you want is not available? Then I guess it's FIFO? Do they provide a count on what place you are in line? Then I can decide to bank points, cancel, etc...

If the studio DVCs are the same/similar to hotel studio rooms, will DVC ever let you book into the normal hotel studios? Cause non-DVC reservations sometimes get a DVC room, based on availability, right?

They will not tell you how many people are ahead of you. Some might be waiting for two nights, some for seven nights. Too complicated.

Studios are not the same as hotel rooms. Not the same. The only studios are DVC. There are no hotel studios.

You have to book a studio. You aren't given a studio if you book a hotel room. Unless they have to move you to another location for an emergency of sorts. Or they have overbooked - then they will ask if you want to move.

[jkpatrick]

Thanks for all the replies so far it's been very helpful.

[chalee94]

Originally Posted by jkpatrick

Cause non-DVC reservations sometimes get a DVC room, based on availability, right?

not sure what you are thinking of here.

you can call disney's main reservation number and book DVC rooms for cash, but that is because DVC owns points (for a number of reasons) that it can rent out for cash. people book a DVC stay (not a hotel stay) for cash and that is what they get.

on a few occasions, people have booked hotel rooms and disney has used points that they own to upgrade the hotel bookings to DVC (probably with an eye to using the stay as a sales promotional tool.) that is extremely rare.

but 99%+ of the time, a wdw hotel booking is for a wdw hotel and only that.

[jkpatrick]

Originally Posted by chalee94

on a few occasions, people have booked hotel rooms and disney has used points that they own to upgrade the hotel bookings to DVC (probably with an eye to using the stay as a sales promotional tool.) that is extremely rare.

That's probably what I am thinking. I recall reading a thread about a year ago, someone saying that they booked a BW standard hotel room and upon checking in, they found out that they had a kitchenette and was wondering what had happened. Other posters said that the OP was given a DVC room for some reason or another.

[abdgeek]

I always book studios when I go to WDW and have never had a problem getting one. Even at 7 months out, there is usually always availability at SSR. If you decide to do BLT, remember that 60% of their rooms are Lake View. Standard View and Theme Park view are 20% each and are usually the first to go when the booking window opens.

[gray52]

I've not yet had a problem with getting a reservation at 7-month window.... And that includes BLT in December (had to settle for a LV). Last year I book a BLT studio for half our stay in January at around 5-months. I think if you're flexible, things should work out.