About to pull the trigger, or not?

[SAXMAN88]

i have been close to diving into dvc for some time. we love the boardwalk and stay there almost every time we go, which is about once a year on average. everyone says buy where you want to stay but, my issue is that i have looked at my vacation history over the last 8 years or so and every trip i book is no more than 12 weeks out mostly closer than that. so i am here wondering if dvc is really for us? i like bay lake and think it is the best place to buy right now with incentives, but with the way we book our trips??? is there availability if i call a month or two out? and if there is will it be where i may want to stay? i would appreciate opinions!!

thank you!!

 

[lovedonaldduck]

I don't have an answer, but I have basically the same question. We are on the fence with DVC and never book our vacations more than a few months in advance. I was considering buying SSR so we could afford more points knowing I will almost never book at the 11 month or most likely even the 7 month window. I am interested to see the feedback you get from the DVC pros, maybe it will help me decide too.

 

[Ramsfan28]

I don't have an answer, but I have basically the same question. We are on the fence with DVC and never book our vacations more than a few months in advance. I was considering buying SSR so we could afford more points knowing I will almost never book at the 11 month or most likely even the 7 month window. I am interested to see the feedback you get from the DVC pros, maybe it will help me decide too.

I am far from a pro as I just closed on my BLT purchase but what I have heard from others that own and from some of the sales folks at DVC that I have dealt with is that on average people book at about the 6 month mark. I wouldn't want to book inside of that as you may risk getting not what you want or nothing at all.

I would say that if you wanted to go during a peak time (X-mas, spring break) you would have to book at the 11 month window to get what you want. Again, folks that typically travel during these peak times could probably tell you when they booked...

I just booked my first BLT stay for next February, but I am a total planner and have no issue booking my vacations well in advance.

Hope that helps.

 

[arthur06]

If it were me, I would say that it is probably not for you. And if it is you would probably be encountering many split stay. 2 nights at OKW, 1 night at AKL, 2 nights at SSR, then waitlisting for a non split stay.

It is also, not for you if you travel at peak times. Summer, spring break, holidays as you will lose all your booking advantages at only 3 months out. If you only occasionally traveled like this, you could make it work. But, if you are always doing it like this, it would add a lot of stress to your planning. Others might tell you different, but if you can't plan far enough out, probably not for you.

 

[lah3hh]

As you probably already know through reading these threads, I think most of DVC members plan their trips well out in advance (we want to make sure we never lose a single point!!!). But having that said, there are many times when availability can be granted in a much shorter planning window than the 11 month or 7 month timeframes.

I would say depends on when you go, how flexible you can be with your exact dates, type of room preference and resort flexibility you can probably get in. I know for a fact if you go during the busy 'DVC' times your luck will not be so good.

Got to remember once you are less than 7 months out your points can be used at any resort which really opens up your possibilities of meeting your request. However, if you are more rigid on dates, only wanting one resort and room type your difficulties may be more often.

Good luck and hope you make the best decision for you and yours!!!! DVC is the best...

 

[7thton]

Unless you *must* stay at one particular resort I don't think you'll have too much of a problem getting a room at the 2 month mark *somewhere*, be it SSR, AKV, etc....unless it's during a mega peak time like Xmas and spring break.

 

[dznymom1]

I've been around for awhile and I am probably not the typical DvC owner. I usually plan my F&W trip right at the 11 month mark to ensure I get Boardwalk. My other 2 - 3 trips a year are probably booked 1 to 4 months or so out, and occasionally even a night or 2 out. I am usually looking for 4 - 5 days, I want one continuous reservation and I like all the resorts. The vast majority of the time I am offered SSV or OKW, and sometimes one of the other resorts. That's how I found out that I love SSV However, there have been a few times that I have been out of luck when I tried inside of 2 months.

So, if you aren't looking to book peak times like holidays, early December or midsummer, you will usually be able to get something at around 4 months. If you will always be booking at less than 7 months, I suggest the most points for the price rather than a specific resort. Remember though, over the years your vacation patterns will likely change - Mine sure did! If you are flexible, DVC can work for you.

 

[SAXMAN88]

well i see everyone's points and thank you. another issue i have is that my kids are young right now. i almost don't mind pulling them out of school a bit but in a few years i'm not sure i will want to do that so i may be looking for the same weeks as everyone else. but, i also may be planning trips a bit more in advance also. very torn.

 

[thelionqueen]

Here are my thoughts..
If we had bought when we first considered buying DVC, we would have paid for all of our DVC points instead of applying them to cash ressies

Since you have small children, your travel habits will probably change as they grow (ours sure did)! We took our kids out of school for several years to take advantage of the Free dining promos, but now I don't feel comfortable taking them out for more than a day or two.

I feel confident in saying that most DVC owners plan far in advance (that's what we do ) so we are able to use every point and get exactly what we want. Although you do not do that right now, maybe after buying DVC you would. Also, when planning around the kids and school in the future, you may actually NEED to plan more in advance (we absolutely did)

My bottom line advice is to buy DVC so that your vacation dollars will be better spent. I read over and over on the DIS (when we first considered purchasing) that members wish they had bought sooner. Since I was waiting specifically for BLT that is not a regret of mine, but if I could have applied my vacation dollars in 3 years towards my DVC, I would not be making payments right now..just my .02

Good luck with whatever you decide!