drusba
I went to Iowa once, and it was closed.
- Joined
- Aug 19, 1999
We are now 7 months out for reserving the week before Easter (Sat March 23 to Sat March 30). This is the first time on-line reserving has been available for that time of the year at 7 months out. Prior beliefs are being shattered as to availbility at seven months: Want a GV? Open at all resorts that have them except BWV. VWL? Take your choice everything is available. BLT standard is mostly gone but everything else is open at BLT. BWV standard and boardwalk view have only some nights open but pool/garden is fine and 1BR boardwalk view is still open. BCV has a day or two missing for both studios and 2BRs but 1BRs are open. AKV as usual is mostly gone for concierge and value but everything else is open. SSR, including the treehouses, is open. At OKW, GVs and studios near hospitality house have days missing, but everything else is open.
UPDATE FOR EASTER WEEK: It is Aug 30 and you can now reserve Easter week, March 30 to April 6. Gone except for a night here or there are usual suspects AKV value and concierge, BWV standard and boardwalk view (except 1BR for both views is still open all week) , and BLT standard. Trouble also for BCV studio or 2BR, and BWV GV, each of which are missing the first night that you would be seeking if you tried to reserve on Aug 30 (but leaves possiblilities if you try early tomorrow to begin trip on Easter Sunday) and also for BLT Theme Park view studio which is missing two nights. OKW GVs are missing at least two nights (and all nights for hospitality house GVs). That ends anything with trouble. Open are GVs everywhere except BWV and OKW, everything including treehouses at SSR, everything except GVs at OKW and that includes studios, 1Brs and 2BRs in Hospitality House area being open, everything at VWL, 1BRs at BCV, pool/garden view at BWV, everything at AKV except value and concierge and everything at BLT except standard view rooms and TPV studios. From what I have seen for other times: the Easter weeks (and thus far spring break weeks) are much easier to get what you may want 7 months out than any weeks in last three months of the year (except third week of Nov and third week of Dec which are also easy).
End Easter week update
Just some additonal observations since I have been following the 7 month window off and on: getting Mid-January through March 2013 has actually been fairly easy at 7 months out with only the usual suspects -- value and concierge at AKV, boardwalk and standard view at BWV, GVs at BWV, and standard at BLT being issues at times although BLT standard, value at AKV and BWV standard and boardwalk were open for full weeks at times first part of Feb and last part of Feb to mid-March. Spring break weeks thus far have not turned out to be difficult. Treehouses are taking on a whole new experience with higher points because they have also been open every week at 7 months out for mid-Jan to end of March. BCV (except last week of March) and VWL were also open during that period. Only issues at OKW have been Hospitality House GVs and studios although even those were mostly open some weeks. Even GVs at BWV were available end of Feb through mid-March. The only thing that has been consistently gone the entire time except some days here and there are AKV concierge rooms.
The period I have not been able to observe yet at 7 months out is April through mid-Aug. Getting mid-Aug through Sep 28 this year at 7 months out was about as easy as it can possibly get and Labor Day made no difference. Everything except AKV concierge, BWV GVs, BLT standard (and Treehouses but it was still 2012) was open at 7 months out for that time. A month past the 7 month window you could still get theme park view at BLT and GVs anywhere except BWV.
For time beginning the end of Sep through marathon weekend time in Jan the world changed. The near park resorts, BCV, VWL, BLT and BWV had difficulties throughout Oct (treehouses were also gone most of the month). Time around Columbus day and end of month was very difficult. Other times you could possibly get BWV pool/garden, BLT lake view, and 1BRs at BCV and VWL but even then a day or two could be missing if looking for a full week and you had to reserve fairly quickly or things could disappear. First two weeks of Nov were similar. Third week of Nov through Monday of Thanksgiving week was actually fairly easy with BCV, VWL, BWV pool/garden and BLT lake view easy to get. Tuesday through Sunday of Thanksgiving was difficult but not impossible as BWV pool/garden, BLT lake/view were open.
Then came December. Myth: Christmas is the highest demand week of the year. It is only second. The first week of Dec takes the prize and at 7 months out it was near impossible for anything except SSR (sans treehouses) and OKW 1 and 2BRs (sans anything at hospitality house and any GVs or studios). Even AKV savanna and standard had days missing. For Christmas week you could still get AKV standard and savanna, and studios through 2BRs at OKW non-hospitality house. The second week of December came in as the third highest demand week being close to Christmas week in difficulty. However, the third week of Dec was an easy week with everything open except the usual supects (BLT standard, BWV boardwalk and standard, AKV concierge and value, and treehouses at the time with 2012 points). Jan 1 to 3 was difficult for many things although you could get VWL, AKV standard and savanna, BLT lake view and BWV pool/garden. From there until the Thursday before marathon weekend, things were fairly open similar to third week of December but marathon weekend, which if you are reserving actually consists of five nights, Thurs through Mon, was difficult as even BLT lake view and BWV pool/garden had nights missing. After that, everything became fairly easy and as noted above time around MLK day was actually fairly open except for the usual suspects.
Don't know yet what April through Mid-Aug will show except this year when I looked in late Jan, BLT lake view and theme park view and BWV pool/garden view, and GVs other than BWV were still open for mid-July to mid-Aug so I suspect much will be open for that period of the year at 7 months out.
UPDATE FOR EASTER WEEK: It is Aug 30 and you can now reserve Easter week, March 30 to April 6. Gone except for a night here or there are usual suspects AKV value and concierge, BWV standard and boardwalk view (except 1BR for both views is still open all week) , and BLT standard. Trouble also for BCV studio or 2BR, and BWV GV, each of which are missing the first night that you would be seeking if you tried to reserve on Aug 30 (but leaves possiblilities if you try early tomorrow to begin trip on Easter Sunday) and also for BLT Theme Park view studio which is missing two nights. OKW GVs are missing at least two nights (and all nights for hospitality house GVs). That ends anything with trouble. Open are GVs everywhere except BWV and OKW, everything including treehouses at SSR, everything except GVs at OKW and that includes studios, 1Brs and 2BRs in Hospitality House area being open, everything at VWL, 1BRs at BCV, pool/garden view at BWV, everything at AKV except value and concierge and everything at BLT except standard view rooms and TPV studios. From what I have seen for other times: the Easter weeks (and thus far spring break weeks) are much easier to get what you may want 7 months out than any weeks in last three months of the year (except third week of Nov and third week of Dec which are also easy).
End Easter week update
Just some additonal observations since I have been following the 7 month window off and on: getting Mid-January through March 2013 has actually been fairly easy at 7 months out with only the usual suspects -- value and concierge at AKV, boardwalk and standard view at BWV, GVs at BWV, and standard at BLT being issues at times although BLT standard, value at AKV and BWV standard and boardwalk were open for full weeks at times first part of Feb and last part of Feb to mid-March. Spring break weeks thus far have not turned out to be difficult. Treehouses are taking on a whole new experience with higher points because they have also been open every week at 7 months out for mid-Jan to end of March. BCV (except last week of March) and VWL were also open during that period. Only issues at OKW have been Hospitality House GVs and studios although even those were mostly open some weeks. Even GVs at BWV were available end of Feb through mid-March. The only thing that has been consistently gone the entire time except some days here and there are AKV concierge rooms.
The period I have not been able to observe yet at 7 months out is April through mid-Aug. Getting mid-Aug through Sep 28 this year at 7 months out was about as easy as it can possibly get and Labor Day made no difference. Everything except AKV concierge, BWV GVs, BLT standard (and Treehouses but it was still 2012) was open at 7 months out for that time. A month past the 7 month window you could still get theme park view at BLT and GVs anywhere except BWV.
For time beginning the end of Sep through marathon weekend time in Jan the world changed. The near park resorts, BCV, VWL, BLT and BWV had difficulties throughout Oct (treehouses were also gone most of the month). Time around Columbus day and end of month was very difficult. Other times you could possibly get BWV pool/garden, BLT lake view, and 1BRs at BCV and VWL but even then a day or two could be missing if looking for a full week and you had to reserve fairly quickly or things could disappear. First two weeks of Nov were similar. Third week of Nov through Monday of Thanksgiving week was actually fairly easy with BCV, VWL, BWV pool/garden and BLT lake view easy to get. Tuesday through Sunday of Thanksgiving was difficult but not impossible as BWV pool/garden, BLT lake/view were open.
Then came December. Myth: Christmas is the highest demand week of the year. It is only second. The first week of Dec takes the prize and at 7 months out it was near impossible for anything except SSR (sans treehouses) and OKW 1 and 2BRs (sans anything at hospitality house and any GVs or studios). Even AKV savanna and standard had days missing. For Christmas week you could still get AKV standard and savanna, and studios through 2BRs at OKW non-hospitality house. The second week of December came in as the third highest demand week being close to Christmas week in difficulty. However, the third week of Dec was an easy week with everything open except the usual supects (BLT standard, BWV boardwalk and standard, AKV concierge and value, and treehouses at the time with 2012 points). Jan 1 to 3 was difficult for many things although you could get VWL, AKV standard and savanna, BLT lake view and BWV pool/garden. From there until the Thursday before marathon weekend, things were fairly open similar to third week of December but marathon weekend, which if you are reserving actually consists of five nights, Thurs through Mon, was difficult as even BLT lake view and BWV pool/garden had nights missing. After that, everything became fairly easy and as noted above time around MLK day was actually fairly open except for the usual suspects.
Don't know yet what April through Mid-Aug will show except this year when I looked in late Jan, BLT lake view and theme park view and BWV pool/garden view, and GVs other than BWV were still open for mid-July to mid-Aug so I suspect much will be open for that period of the year at 7 months out.
I hope my #$%^& ROFR answer comes back soon so I can be checking for myself in a few weeks!
