2 bedroom Villa at BCV in early December

[Dis13]

I'm looking into DVC and have a question (one of many!)...
How difficult is it to get a 2 bedroom villa at BCV in early December? Is it easier if it's your home resort? Any idea how difficult it would be if we bought into SSR and wanted to stay at BCV/BWV in December? Thanks!

 

[CarolMN]

Early December is probably the most difficult time to get a reservation for a WDW DVC resort at the 7 month mark. It's not tough at the 11 month mark unless you want a standard view or a guaranteed Boardwalk at the BWV or any Grand Villa. (I call day by day for my early December SV reservation at the BWV as soon as my 11 month window opens. I do that to make sure I get the dates and room size I prefer. One year I forgot to call until later in the afternoon and had to use the waitlist. Yck! I don't do well with waitlists, LOL).

If you want to stay at one of the smaller DVC resorts (VWL, BCV or BWV) anytime in December, you'll need to call day by day for your reservation as soon as the 7 month window opens. My advice is to call as close to 9 AM Eastern (when MS opens for the day) as you can.

IMHO, there will always be some availability at the 7 month mark for the smaller DVC resorts. But the competiton for that availability will continue to grow as DVC membership increases. If you wouldn't be happy staying at SSR when you couldn't get in elsewhere, then buy where you prefer to stay. IMHO, the 11 month window is worth it.

If you can't plan more than 7 months in advance, it doesn't matter where you buy. At 7 months prior to arrival, a point is a point is a point!

Best wishes -

 

[Dis13]

Is there a website where you can check availability, or do you have to call?

 

[LisaS]

You have to call unfortunately. They have made lots of improvements to the members' website but at this time you cannot check availability online. Maybe some day...

 

[CarolMN]

Is there a website where you can check availability, or do you have to call?

You need to call Member Services.

Checking for availability online is one of the future enhancements being considered for the Members' website. We do not have any dates indicating when that feature might be implemented, though.

Best wishes -

 

[Dis13]

Early December is probably the most difficult time to get a reservation for a WDW DVC resort at the 7 month mark. It's not tough at the 11 month mark unless you want a standard view or a guaranteed Boardwalk at the BWV or any Grand Villa. (I call day by day for my early December SV reservation at the BWV as soon as my 11 month window opens. I do that to make sure I get the dates and room size I prefer. One year I forgot to call until later in the afternoon and had to use the waitlist. Yck! I don't do well with waitlists, LOL). -

When you say you call day by day, is this how it works? Can't you just call and make a reservation for 4 days at once? How is the 11-month window calculated?

 

[CarolMN]

When you say you call day by day, is this how it works? Can't you just call and make a reservation for 4 days at once? How is the 11-month window calculated?

Yes - you can call 11 months prior to your final check out day and make the reservation all at once if you want to do it that way. Most of the time, making one call works just fine.

However, for some times of the year and some room types, making one call could mean you don't get what you want because others have already booked.

For example, let's say you own at the BWV and want a standard view studio. You want to check in on 12/3/2006 and out on 12/8/2006.

If you want to make one call, the earliest you could make that entire reservariton would be January 9, 2006. 11 months prior to your check out is actually January 8, but that is a Sunday and MS isn't open then. So you'd have to call on Monday, January 9.

Let's say other people also want that same vacation (SV studios at BWV in early December are a hot commodity, LOL). They call day by day. On 1/4/06 they call and reserve the first night, 12/3/06. They tell MS they'll be calling back each day until they get all the days and MS holds the confirmation letter until the last night of their vacation is reserved.

OK, so for 12/4/06, they call on 1/5/06 and for 12/5/06, they call on 1/6/06. Then they can't call again until Monday, 1/9/06 and on that day they get the last 3 nights of 12/6, 12/7 & 12/8.

ONo one can reserve 12/6, 12/7 & 12/8 before Monday, 1/9/06, so you have a good chance of getting those nights, depending on when you call that day.

However, it is very possible that you might not get 12/3 - 12/5 and have to use the waitlist, because the day by day people reserved all the SV studios for those nights, so none is available when you call.

Again, you probably don't have to call day by day unless you are after things in very limited supply. To me, those would be:

Standard view and guaranteed Boardwalk view most of the year, but especially October - December.

Grand Villas - at OKW & BWV, HHI & VB

Dedicated 2 bedroom units with 2 queens at BCV.

There might be a few others as well.

If you want a unit of any size at the smaller WDW DVC resorts at the 7 month window, you probably need to call day by day. Any DVC member can book a room at the 7 month mark.

There will be limited availability at the smaller resorts at 7 months and what is available will go to the "early birds" who are willing to call day by day. As membership increases, so will the competition for rooms at the smaller resorts and so will the number of members willing to call day by day to get what they want.

HTH.

Best wishes -

 

[Mary Ellen]

MS suggested I call day-by-day at the 11 mo. point for std. view BWV in early December. One never knows, but I sure wouldn't be holding my breath for a ressie at the 7 mo point. It may happen, but don't count on it. This is one of the main reasons people suggest to buy where you want to stay most of the time. As Carol pointed out, more and more SSR members (and other future resorts) will be competing for BWV and BCV at 7 mos.

Good luck -

 

[CarolMN]

I agree that the OP doesn't have much of a chance of getting a standard view or a guaranteed Boardwalk view at 7 months, but I think she has a reasonably good chance of getting a Pool & Garden view at the BWV. There will be some available at the 7 month mark, so if she calls day by day when her window opens, she could be one of those who get a BWV room.

If she prefers BCV or VWL, I think she has a good shot at getting those two as well - the key is to call at 7 months day by day and to use the waitlist for any of the days that aren't available when she calls the first time.

Best wishes -