We have been thinking about DVC for more years than I want to admit! 
We are now in the position of jumping aboard, but I did want your thoughts on a couple of things.
I guess I'm very unusual in that my first choice of home resorts still remains OKW. I love the look and feel of a free standing unit rather than a hotel or high rise condo. I love the size of the units at OKW and the location. (not *that* far into the World). A couple of weeks ago, my dh and I stayed in a 1 bedroom at OKW just for a couple of days (our son is currently working at the Disney College Program so there were great discounts). It was heaven! We also stayed at SSR in a studio a couple of years ago. It was lovely....but I still like OKW the best!
Now I understand that OKW is available from resales, but somewhere I read that if you *insist* to your guide that you are only interested in a particular resort, then it may be available directly from Disney. Is that true? We would be looking for something like 300 points. I love the idea of buying directly through Disney if possible.
Another question I have is about how far in advance do OKW members book their reservations. Now, of course, I understand that incredibly peak times like Christmas, Easter, etc. would mean calling at the 11 month date beforehand. But I'm wondering if given the age and the size of OKW would mean that there is sometimes a chance of "last-minute" booking during a less busy time of the year. It was great that I was able to make a paid reservation on a 1 bedroom directly from Disney at the last minute. Does this opportunity ever happen for DVC members - having an opportunity to go to WDW come up at short notice and still being able to use points? (We would certainly never mind where we would stay at the last minute).
Thanks for your help!
Rootee
We are now in the position of jumping aboard, but I did want your thoughts on a couple of things.
I guess I'm very unusual in that my first choice of home resorts still remains OKW. I love the look and feel of a free standing unit rather than a hotel or high rise condo. I love the size of the units at OKW and the location. (not *that* far into the World). A couple of weeks ago, my dh and I stayed in a 1 bedroom at OKW just for a couple of days (our son is currently working at the Disney College Program so there were great discounts). It was heaven! We also stayed at SSR in a studio a couple of years ago. It was lovely....but I still like OKW the best!
Now I understand that OKW is available from resales, but somewhere I read that if you *insist* to your guide that you are only interested in a particular resort, then it may be available directly from Disney. Is that true? We would be looking for something like 300 points. I love the idea of buying directly through Disney if possible.
Another question I have is about how far in advance do OKW members book their reservations. Now, of course, I understand that incredibly peak times like Christmas, Easter, etc. would mean calling at the 11 month date beforehand. But I'm wondering if given the age and the size of OKW would mean that there is sometimes a chance of "last-minute" booking during a less busy time of the year. It was great that I was able to make a paid reservation on a 1 bedroom directly from Disney at the last minute. Does this opportunity ever happen for DVC members - having an opportunity to go to WDW come up at short notice and still being able to use points? (We would certainly never mind where we would stay at the last minute).
Thanks for your help!
Rootee
