X-mas vacation 2006 - your X-mas ressie experiences please

[SCCaguioa]

Hi all!


My family of 4 are planning for what I believe is the most challenging time to DVC book: X-mas!

With our BCV points, we intend to stay from Dec 20 (or 21) to Jan 1 (or 2) in a BVC 1 bedroom (I'm not picky about everything else...as long as I'm there). I plan to man the phone at my 11-month window in the hopes to reserve the entire vacation with one call. However I am concerned other ressies may have the luxury to book prior to the 20th (Which is very cool BTW) and I am also concerned that cash-only ressies may already pre-occupy BVC - filling up BCV and keeping me out of my 'home'

So my questions:
- Does the 'home resort' rules still protect my ability to reserve before 'non-home resort' rules and cash-only ressies? I'm concerned that DVC may make exceptions due to X-mas demand.
- Can I expect to get my ressie with one-call or or do I need to plan for a 'day-by-day' ressie system? If so, I can use your suggestions as I have never done this before.


Thanks in advance for your replies
Steve

 

[luvindisneyworld]

Hi all!


My family of 4 are planning for what I believe is the most challenging time to DVC book: X-mas!

With our BCV points, we intend to stay from Dec 20 (or 21) to Jan 1 (or 2) in a BVC 1 bedroom (I'm not picky about everything else...as long as I'm there). I plan to man the phone at my 11-month window in the hopes to reserve the entire vacation with one call. However I am concerned other ressies may have the luxury to book prior to the 20th (Which is very cool BTW) and I am also concerned that cash-only ressies may already pre-occupy BVC - filling up BCV and keeping me out of my 'home'

So my questions:
- Does the 'home resort' rules still protect my ability to reserve before 'non-home resort' rules and cash-only ressies? I'm concerned that DVC may make exceptions due to X-mas demand.
- Can I expect to get my ressie with one-call or or do I need to plan for a 'day-by-day' ressie system? If so, I can use your suggestions as I have never done this before.


Thanks in advance for your replies
Steve

Yes you are protected,you get first choice.
I would definetly do day by day.I would be on the phone at 9:00AM ET everyday if it were me.

I have the dates I am needing doing day by day at VWL.I can finish my ressie Monday.

Good luck.
Misty

 

[AFMom]

No - you'll be the first to get the rooms - the 11 month window for the actual DVC units is only open to BCV owners at that time(popular time of year or not!). The cash ressies - well - for DVC units I don't think those open up until a lot (we're talking like 60 days before) closer to the days.
As far as booking day by day or all at once...... I really can't say there. I think since you are booking 11 months out - you'd be fine all at once - but I'd hate to say that and then have you not get what you want!
I'm making an SSR ressie for the 3rd of Dec - the 8th of Dec and doing it all at once - but it's SSR, very different!!!!!
Have fun and good luck!

 

[CarolMN]

Hi all!


My family of 4 are planning for what I believe is the most challenging time to DVC book: X-mas!

With our BCV points, we intend to stay from Dec 20 (or 21) to Jan 1 (or 2) in a BVC 1 bedroom (I'm not picky about everything else...as long as I'm there). I plan to man the phone at my 11-month window in the hopes to reserve the entire vacation with one call. However I am concerned other ressies may have the luxury to book prior to the 20th (Which is very cool BTW) and I am also concerned that cash-only ressies may already pre-occupy BVC - filling up BCV and keeping me out of my 'home'

So my questions:
- Does the 'home resort' rules still protect my ability to reserve before 'non-home resort' rules and cash-only ressies? I'm concerned that DVC may make exceptions due to X-mas demand.

No DVC member can book BCV rooms until 7 months prior to arrival unless he/she owns BCV points. The inventory of rooms available for cash at the BCV is completely separate from the inventory of rooms available for points. Without going into a very long explanation of how rooms get into the cash inventory, you can be sure that as a BCV owner, you don't have to worry about competiton from the general public at your 11 month window.

- Can I expect to get my ressie with one-call or or do I need to plan for a 'day-by-day' ressie system? If so, I can use your suggestions as I have never done this before.


Thanks in advance for your replies
Steve

Probably - it's safer to do it day by day, but if you don't mind using the waitlist for any of the days that may not be available when you make your call, I'm reasonably certain (99%) that you will get your dates. FWIW, studios and 2 bedroom units seem to be more popular than the 1 bedroom units. Also the night of 12/31 is probably the toughest day to get and because you plan to check out on the first, you won't be at a disadvantage to those BCV owners who call day by day (Because the soonest anyone can call for 12/31 is February 1)

Good luck!

 

[rayzke]

Do you think we can safely get away with booking a week during the 1st or 2nd week in December @ SSR all at once or should we do it day by day?

Also, is there a way to find out if there is an event; i.e. Pop Warner or the like, going on during one of those two weeks. I don't mind the crowds but if I can avoid 'em what the heck...why not...

 

[bobbiwoz]

Do you think we can safely get away with booking a week during the 1st or 2nd week in December @ SSR all at once or should we do it day by day?

Also, is there a way to find out if there is an event; i.e. Pop Warner or the like, going on during one of those two weeks. I don't mind the crowds but if I can avoid 'em what the heck...why not...

I think that you can wait to book a week at SSR all at once. Maybe not if you want a GV, do you? I was booking 3 studios for VWL, 3-4 weeknight night stays during this December, and at first I only had enough points to book them all for 2-3 nights our resale papers didn't come through until we were about 10 months away. With all of the talk about how small and how hard it was to get VWL in December, I was very surprised that we never had to go on a wait list for the other nights once the points were in the account.

On the Theme Park and Strategies board, there are threads about Pop Warner and I think that the week of December 3-9 is the week they will be there this year. I do think that that week is still one of the lesser busy weeks at WDW.

Bobbi

 

[rayzke]

Thanks! I will go look for the "Theme Park and Strategies board" next.

No Grand Villa for us...this time....just a two bedroom vacation home. Bringing my mom with this time. The boys will love it and we will get a night out alone....yeaaaaaaaaa

 

[dsneygirl]

Do you think we can safely get away with booking a week during the 1st or 2nd week in December @ SSR all at once or should we do it day by day?

Also, is there a way to find out if there is an event; i.e. Pop Warner or the like, going on during one of those two weeks. I don't mind the crowds but if I can avoid 'em what the heck...why not...

I am wondering this too but for VWL. I have to start calling on Tuesday for day by day. I think I'm going to do it. DH would be heartbroken if we didn't get it. First Chrismtas with the new baby and we're bringing the grandparents

 

[travelbug]

Hi all!

Can I expect to get my ressie with one-call or or do I need to plan for a 'day-by-day' ressie system? If so, I can use your suggestions as I have never done this before.

Steve

For Christmas week at BCV (a small and popular DVC resort), I'd definitely call day by day. For Christmas '03, I called day by day at 9 AM sharp to book a standard 2BR at BWV. On the day I could book NYE, I couldn't get through on the phone until about 9:15 or 9:20. By then all the standards were already booked. I booked a preferred, and waitlisted for a standard. Unfortunately it NEVER came through even with me checking every day after we actually arrived. So we were stuck moving from a standard into a preferred and then back into a standard in the middle of our stay.

Granted, I was unlucky even though I called day by day at 9 AM. And I was going for a standard 2 BR, which limited the availability. But the point is that rooms get snapped up very quickly for that time, especially for NYE. In your shoes, I'd do everything possible to make sure I got my room for the whole stay, by calling day by day. Better to do that and be sure, than to wait to make a single phone call and be disappointed if you have to waitlist for one or more of the nights.

JMHO. Best wishes!

 

[CarolMN]

I am wondering this too but for VWL. I have to start calling on Tuesday for day by day. I think I'm going to do it. DH would be heartbroken if we didn't get it. First Chrismtas with the new baby and we're bringing the grandparents

For VWL, my advice is to call day by day. It's much smaller than SSR and arguably the most popular DVC resort form Thanksgiving to New Year's Day.

Best wishes -

 

[dsneygirl]

I'm going to call day by day for sure. I'm home in the mornings and don't want to chance it. Except what about Sat morning? Isn't MS closed?

 

[mom2alix]

I'm going to call day by day for sure. I'm home in the mornings and don't want to chance it. Except what about Sat morning? Isn't MS closed?

MS is closed on the weekends, you can call the following Monday to finish your reservation.

FYI - I just finished booking our early Dec ressies at VWL this morning (called day by day abd added last 3 nights this morning). Monday seems to be the worst day to have to call. I got a busy signal and had to redial for several minutes before I could get through and then had a 15 minute wait. MS is definitely BUSY right now, especially when they first open in the morning.

Good news is I had no problem getting the room we want. Good luck everybody!

 

[dsneygirl]

Had no problem calling the first 3 mornings. I started dialing about 2 minutes before 9 and by the time I got through the automated menu there was no wait. Have to call on Tues to get the last 2 nights because of the holiday.