7 month Availability

[cbyrne1174]

I'm considering buying DVC resale since I live right next to WDW and would like to stay a few Saturday nights every year. I own Wyndham resale and can trade into Saratoga, Old Key West, Holiday Inn Orange Lake and all the Hiltons for a week with my RCI weeks account no problem, but I'd have to stay 7 nights at a time, which is silly since I live less than an hour away.

I also prefer Bonnet Creek over WDW if I need a 1-2 bedroom since its less than half the price of DVC resorts and has better amenities than any of the DVC properties (2 lazy rivers, 5 pools, a dozen hot tubs, 2 water slides, a spa, a bunch of bars/restaurants, mini-golf, playgrounds, kids center, and a view of the fireworks), but Wyndham charges insane cleaning fees for multiple short stays.

I am just wondering if anyone would have any insight on availability for single Saturday night Studio stays at the 7 month window at all the resorts? It would be during non peak times except for the cold months where it's too cold for locals to swim (below 75 degrees). I know this sounds crazy, but I don't care to go to the parks, I've been to each park at least 100 times in my life. I will have an annual pass for the parks maybe once every 3 years.

I will never stay at the contemporary since it looks like an overpriced Hilton, and you can stay at a Hilton for less than half the price. Polynesian is also overrated to me because the main area makes you feel like you're being transported back to 1975, but I'd still like it once in a while. I have been every resort a million times as well and love beach club, wilderness lodge, boardwalk, saratoga, GF and animal kingdom.

From what I've read, 7 months usually just has saratoga, old key west and animal kingdom left over, but those are people trying to book an entire week. I just want 1-2 nights (fri-sat, sat only, or sat-sun)

I was gonna pick up either 100 saratoga points (lowest maintenance) or 100 Animal Kingdom points (concierge and value studios) once I save up $10,000-$12,000.

Any insight?

 

[miTnosnhoJ]

See this post. THere is a lot of good information there.
https://www.disboards.com/threads/p...-studios-1-bedrooms-june-2018-update.3689931/

 

[_auroraborealis_]

It is also worth noting that DVC busy season is not during Disney peak season. The first two weeks of December are the highest demand of the year. Race weekends are nuts.

You also will never get AKV Club or Value outside of 11 months, and often not even then.

 

[cbyrne1174]

I'm mostly just looking at swimming season March-Oct any Saturday night in general. I'd want to use it as a weekend treat for a family of 4, a few times a year. I'd stay Saturday, do something in Orlando Sunday, then go home because I have work the next morning. Only being able to book studios at AKV, SS or OKW makes it so it makes more financial sense to rent the points from people that have contracts at the other resorts.

Booking 1 and 2 bedroom DVC villas make no financial sense to me when Wyndham resale contracts are essentially free, because Bonnet Creek is more bang for your buck by a long shot. However, they don't have studio units. 1 bedroom units for a week during prime season costs less than $1,000 in maintenance fees with no buy-in cost. Prime season on Disney property is about $2,000 for an entire week with a $20,000 buy-in cost. Staying in a 1 bedroom DVC vs a 1 bedroom Wyndham is not worth the $1,000 difference in maintenance fees.

However, it is worth buying into DVC if you can book 1 night during weekends because the maintenance fees cost of a DVC studio is the same as a 1 bedroom Wyndham.

I'm thinking that the best vacation ownership combo for Floridians is Wyndham/DVC. Wyndham is better for 3 nights or more and they have a resort in EVERY major vacation destination in the country, but DVC doesn't charge cleaning fees if you book a ton of 1 night stays.

 

[supersnoop]

As a local, will you be able to consistently plan 7-months in advance? DVC doesn’t work well for the last-minute “let’s see what’s available” planner.

 

[cbyrne1174]

If anything 7 months out is more predictable for a local because I know the weather patterns and crowd patterns. I can honestly say I can probably navigate Disney property than 95% of owners already. I haven't had to use a map since I got my drivers license at 17. When I was a teenager going with my boyfriend at the time, I used to park at resorts and act like I was staying there and just take the bus to avoid the $20 parking, which is how I know what every resort looks like. I was a poor college student at the time and $20 was a lot (don't judge). I also have been to the magic kingdom resorts a billion times in the last 10 years because I watch the fireworks from them. Everyone packs like sardines at the park and poly is almost always empty behind the bungalows and only a 2 min walk to the trams. I have a 3-year old and we do visit WDW on a bimonthly basis, but I alternate my annual passes every 3 years (WDW, universal, BG/Seaworld). I just wouldn't use the ownership to go to Disney parks, as I have been to them just about every year since I was 5 (I'm 29). It's a waste of money (for me) to book a room and barely use it because I'm at the parks.


I've never actually paid to stay at a deluxe in my life, because it didn't feel like it was worth $300+ a night. I've only actually paid to stay on Disney property 1 night in my entire life (Caribbean Beach). I usually just booked 4 star priceline unpublished for $70 a night. I've stayed at just about every 4 star resort in Orlando that way, except for DVC. But as I'm getting older and realizing Disney deluxes are now affordable to me, I'm realizing that DVC isn't for super rich people (like I previously thought).
Wyndham is the same, you have to do your booking 10 months out and Christmas week (week 51) is always booked by then. I avoid WDW like the plague during Christmas week.

 

[NewbieMom]

If anything 7 months out is more predictable for a local because I know the weather patterns and crowd patterns. I can honestly say I can probably navigate Disney property than 95% of owners already. I haven't had to use a map since I got my drivers license at 17. When I was a teenager going with my boyfriend at the time, I used to park at resorts and act like I was staying there and just take the bus to avoid the $20 parking, which is how I know what every resort looks like. I was a poor college student at the time and $20 was a lot (don't judge). I also have been to the magic kingdom resorts a billion times in the last 10 years because I watch the fireworks from them. Everyone packs like sardines at the park and poly is almost always empty behind the bungalows and only a 2 min walk to the trams. I have a 3-year old and we do visit WDW on a bimonthly basis, but I alternate my annual passes every 3 years (WDW, universal, BG/Seaworld). I just wouldn't use the ownership to go to Disney parks, as I have been to them just about every year since I was 5 (I'm 29). It's a waste of money (for me) to book a room and barely use it because I'm at the parks.


I've never actually paid to stay at a deluxe in my life, because it didn't feel like it was worth $300+ a night. I've only actually paid to stay on Disney property 1 night in my entire life (Caribbean Beach). I usually just booked 4 star priceline unpublished for $70 a night. I've stayed at just about every 4 star resort in Orlando that way, except for DVC. But as I'm getting older and realizing Disney deluxes are now affordable to me, I'm realizing that DVC isn't for super rich people (like I previously thought).
Wyndham is the same, you have to do your booking 10 months out and Christmas week (week 51) is always booked by then. I avoid WDW like the plague during Christmas week.

Just my opinion, but I feel you have more flexibility being local to just book at the last minute whatever's available if you're not super picky on the resort and you don't have to go a particular weekend.

We live in CA within driving distance to DL, and considered buying at VGC for our home resort. But the buy-in was so high, we don't need to stay a full week, and have the flexibility to just go when I see a night available, that we decided to buy WDW resort as home to get priority on the trips where we need to plan ahead for flights and the kid's school schedules.

 

[_auroraborealis_]

The more last-minute you plan, the more likely you will have to book 1BR or nothing at all. Even at 7 months, fall is tight.

This is what last minute availability looks like right now: https://disneyvacationclub.disney.go.com/vacation-planning/resort-availability-stays/
It says "sampling," but what they really mean is that they take this picture once a week and it's usually less by the time you call.

It is somewhat better in some seasons, but the reality is that DVC is designed and sold to work at full occupancy.

 

[cbyrne1174]

How hard is it to find beach club/boardwalk/grandfloridian owners willing to rent out for $14.50 a point if I'm willing to pay in full via Paypal upon reservation confirmation and only want to rent 10-15 points 11 months out? That seems like it might be a better route since SS/OKW/AKV owners have issues booking at those resorts.

 

[_auroraborealis_]

How hard is it to find beach club/boardwalk/grandfloridian owners willing to rent out for $14.50 a point if I'm willing to pay in full via Paypal upon reservation confirmation and only want to rent 10-15 points 11 months out? That seems like it might be a better route since SS/OKW/AKV owners have issues booking at those resorts.

Given that they can get $16-20 for the points doing it themselves, they would have to like you personally.

 

[ScubaCat]

I actually think if you're looking for just one night, it probably won't be too bad 7 months out. Even if you have to waitlist occasionally, a single night is pretty likely to come available.

 

[Deb & Bill]

How hard is it to find beach club/boardwalk/grandfloridian owners willing to rent out for $14.50 a point if I'm willing to pay in full via Paypal upon reservation confirmation and only want to rent 10-15 points 11 months out? That seems like it might be a better route since SS/OKW/AKV owners have issues booking at those resorts.

That few points might be very hard to book. Most owners want to rent out most of their points at 11 months out. Your price is really low, especially for GFV.

 

[CraigInPA]

How hard is it to find beach club/boardwalk/grandfloridian owners willing to rent out for $14.50 a point if I'm willing to pay in full via Paypal upon reservation confirmation and only want to rent 10-15 points 11 months out? That seems like it might be a better route since SS/OKW/AKV owners have issues booking at those resorts.

Very Difficult. You're offering less than the $15-16 going rate, and you're basically asking for one night's rental. Too much work for too little gain, IMO.

 

[Networth]

Yeah I would not rent my VGF points for that price. For $14 I could just have rental company do all the work and rent them for me. If you want a private owner for the VGF, except to pay $17+ (that’s what I ask for atleast).

 

[Sandisw]

I definitely think that needing only 1 night at 7 months out should allow you to have good luck with finding something at the other resorts, beside AKV, SSR, or OKW. Especially given the use of wait list. Nothing is ever impossible and if you are flexible in terms of what resort you get, then I think it might be okay!

 

[cbyrne1174]

Thank you guys for all of your input. I ended up calling DVC and speaking to someone and they actually will let you buy 75 SSR points direct from them for $151 ppt and get all of the direct purchase benefits. small SSR contracts sell at like $130 ppt, so I'm thinking I might as well spend the extra $1500 buying direct and getting all the additional benefits.

 

[cbyrne1174]

They also said as someone who only books single night studio stays, you could do a bunch of 25 pt add ons at the resorts that are harder to book. If I truly can never find a GF, BC or BW studio at 7 months out, there's always that option. They said that when you buy these add ons direct in cash that they will match the use year with your original points.

 

[DougEMG]

How hard is it to find beach club/boardwalk/grandfloridian owners willing to rent out for $14.50 a point if I'm willing to pay in full via Paypal upon reservation confirmation and only want to rent 10-15 points 11 months out? That seems like it might be a better route since SS/OKW/AKV owners have issues booking at those resorts.

I think you have a slim chance and that is only if you find an owner who doesn't know what their points are worth. As an owner at BWV that rents out points, I would never take a booking like you are suggesting.

 

[bobbiwoz]

If you decide to buy direct, or buy resale, you will have control of the reservation, and I think you could be successful getting into one of the resorts you really want at 7 months.

 

[KAT4DISNEY]

They also said as someone who only books single night studio stays, you could do a bunch of 25 pt add ons at the resorts that are harder to book. If I truly can never find a GF, BC or BW studio at 7 months out, there's always that option. They said that when you buy these add ons direct in cash that they will match the use year with your original points.

Just in case you're unaware those 25 point add ons at more difficult to book resorts would be the only points you could use during the 11 month window. Ie, you couldn't then combine with your SSR points at 11 months to use all the points then. You'd still have to wait to 7 months to use any SSR points at any resort other than SSR. You may be aware of that but just making certain.

How you pay for it doesn't matter what points you are given but it does take a purchase of 50 points to finance. DVC always sells contracts that start with current year points and yes, they want to match to your existing UY. And it's always not just a phone call away to add on points. Most of those resorts have waitlists or they may not even be willing to put you on a waitlist such as VGF or BCV.