Help with points strategy? BWV, BLT and GFV

[suebeelin]

Any help most appreciated!!

We are planning a trip in late 2016. Will need to use our banked points from 2015 (9 for BWV and 179 for BLT). We have 200 points for each resort, Feb use year. Been wracking my brain how to do this.

We are not going this next year, thus the banked points.

We are a family of 4...2 kids under 5. We may invite my siblings family and thus, get a 2bd

We plan on going during adventure season. Split stay and a 7 day vacation. We want to we walk to the parks, thus our two resorts.

The only way not to lose points is to stay in a 2bd std at GFV for 4 nights (using 17 of our BLT 2016 pts). Then staying at BWV in a 2bd std for 3 nights using 86 of our BWV 2016pts.

Is grand Floridian 2bd std hard to get? Is it that much nicer than BLT? We only want standard rooms bc space is more impt than view for us. We bought BLT and BWV just for the std rooms, home resort advantage and walking access to the parks.

We are trying to save as much of our 2016 points as possible. We need a lot of our points in 2018 for a huge family trip, possibly at aulani....

So our remaining 2016pta would be used for winter 2017.

 

[nalajms]

Is grand Floridian 2bd std hard to get?

Depends what time. First 2w in December? Yes. If you're looking specifically for a 2bedroom Lock off, it is hard for even owners.

Is it that much nicer than BLT?

Yes! I am biased since I own there. The standard views are the best! My kids LOVE watching the monorail.

We are trying to save as much of our 2016 points as possible.

If you're trying to save, why wouldn't you book BLT Lake or Standard view?

 

[suebeelin]

Depends what time. First 2w in December? Yes. If you're looking specifically for a 2bedroom Lock off, it is hard for even owners.

Yes! I am biased since I own there. The standard views are the best! My kids LOVE watching the monorail.

If you're trying to save, why wouldn't you book BLT Lake or Standard view?

The 2 bd BLT std is 155pts for 4 days. We would lose 24 pts (179 banked -155 pts).

Going with GFV, we borrow only a few points (17pts) vs losing 24 points.

Maybe we will go in January instead? Is it easier to get 2bd lockoffs at GFV then?

 

[Pirate Granny]

Lock offs can be harder if owners book the studios. We were lucky for two nights in June Thursday and Friday night at 7 months...more of a fluke as we were watching for a month out...nothing...and then it popped up....

 

[Anal Annie]

The 2 bd BLT std is 155pts for 4 days. We would lose 24 pts (179 banked -155 pts).

Going with GFV, we borrow only a few points (17pts) vs losing 24 points.

Maybe we will go in January instead? Is it easier to get 2bd lockoffs at GFV then?

You could go a day or 2 earlier than the rest of your party and book a studio at BLT for a night or 2 and use up the 24 pts that way rather than lose them. Then switch over to the 2-bedroom when they arrive. (I would probably rather book my home resort prior to the 7 mo window to be sure I had the ressie all squared away if I was planning a trip with others.)

 

[nalajms]

Maybe we will go in January instead? Is it easier to get 2bd lockoffs at GFV then?

You'd have a better chance of getting the 2 bedroom LO at VGF in late Jan (after MLK) than first 2 weeks of Dec.

 

[suebeelin]

Ok thx . Maybe I can find a someone who wants a small rental from BLT.... So I don't lose points, And book my home resort.

I know it's 2 yrs away but I'm jonesing for Disney. Very upset I'm missing my yearly trip next year!!

 

[drusba]

Adventure season in Dec is the first two weeks, and it is all of Jan. The problem you will have is that it will be very difficult to get anything at a near park resort at 7 months out for those times in Dec in 2016, the first couple days of Jan 2017, or the Wed through Sat of marathon weekend in Jan. Those are extremely high DVC demand times and though you may get lucky you should not assume you will be able to get anything at a near park resort 7 months out for those times. Moreover, the 2BR lock-off at VGF is also likely to be gone most if not all of January. All such lock-offs contain the studios at VGF and those studios are what are usually gone much of the year at 7 months out (and as a result the 2BR lock-off is also gone). However, if you want a 2BR dedicated at VGF that should be avaialble at 7 months out in Jan for times other than early Jan and marathon eweekend. Also note, that if you are going to try to go first half of Dec, first two days of Jan, or marathon weekend in Jan, and your intent is to get BWV standard view or BLT standard view, you better be onine at exactly 8 a.m. 11 months out to make the reservation. In fact, you should consider "walking" the reservation

 

[suebeelin]

Thx. We have decided on a last minute trip to DW without hubby (but with brothers family! Kids are similar age).

Doing poly for 6 nights end of January 2016. Currently using ALL my remaining 2015 points (mostly BLT points) to book 2 sets of poly std rooms for 6 nights (darn it, I rented alot of my 2015 BWV points prematurely 6 months ago for someone's October F&W trip).

Brother's still waiting for his international sellers to sign and notarized his SSR resale. Ugh. Hoping poly will still be open when/if his points get loaded up. Otherwise, I offered to charge him $150/night otherwise ($7.8-$9.3 per point). I think that's fair, no?

Thanks for all your advice!! I will be online at 8am on the dot (or walking the ressie) at the 11mo mark for BWV and BLT std 2bds for the first two weeks of December 2016!! Woohoo!!