Accommodations on short notice?

[Vichele]

On how short notice can we expect to be successful in getting accommodations? If we're not terribly picky about where we stay, but would most likely just need a studio or 1 bedroom?

I'm looking at some resale blocks, we'd like to go to DW next year...the two I found have points available in March or April and we're thinking about going in May. Is that totally unrealistic??

thanks!

 

[delmar411]

you can get ressie for May right now, just fine. And yes short notice during less crowded times should be do-able. The shortest notice we've used so far is 1day notice and it wasn't an issue.

 

[TammyAlphabet]

May should be fine. I called last week for five nights over a weekend in October, and it was no dice. A few days here and there but that was all. Food and Wine Festival is very popular with DVCers. I have gone the last two years during the same time and had no problem getting a reservation. Guess I waited a little too late. LOL.

 

[Vichele]

getting accommodations on 30 or 60 days notice?

The resales we're looking at don't have points available till March or April of 09.

1 day notice! WOW - spontaneous!

 

[delmar411]

getting accommodations on 30 or 60 days notice?

The resales we're looking at don't have points available till March or April of 09.

you can still make reservations even if the points aren't available yet. Once you close and are in the system you call to make a May (or whenever ressie) using those points. Since they will be available by the time you take your vacation you don't need to borrow any points.

1 day notice! WOW - spontaneous!

well we were already there and wanted to stay longer. LOL

 

[chalee94]

you can make reservations 11 months in advance at your home resort and 7 months in advance at other DVC resorts.

your "use year" (UY) determines when your pts "reload" and are available for use - mar/apr in your case. UY has nothing to do with when you can book. (for example, even if you weren't getting any pts until march of 2010, you could borrow those right now to book may 2009 at your home resort.)

that being said, if you really can't plan more than a few months in advance, DVC is probably not for you. it can work on short notice on occasion, but that's not the way it's designed to work. IMO you'll find DVC to be more frustrating than it's worth.

 

[Vichele]

I thought you had to have the points available before reserving so that's why we'd be reserving on such short notice. I think we could plan better in the future

 

[Chuck S]

I thought you had to have the points available before reserving so that's why we'd be reserving on such short notice. I think we could plan better in the future

No, as long as the points will be available in your account at the time of travel, you can book at 11 months out.

 

[Dean]

While it's often possible to get SOMETHING short notice during slower times, it's become increasingly harder to do so overall. IMO, buying DVC knowing you plan to book short notice (anything less than 7 months out) is a poor choice and simply too large a risk.

 

[CarolA]

I am a pro at "last minute booking"

I have been locked out once lately, but then again I went a few weeks ago and got three nights in a 1 Bedroom at SSR.

So.... my thoughts if you want do to this.

1. Be willing to BURN points. Yes, I only needed a studio but a 1 bedroom was the only option

2. Be flexible on resorts. If you will ONLY stay at BCV, BWV etc this isn't going to work. I have gotten BW and BC ONCE each on late booking. I get a lot of SSR and OKW (actually more SSR which I think is due to the lower points at OKW)

3. Be willing to waitlist. For example if I was doing an Oct visit now and knew I wanted it I would waitlist a 1 BR and studio EVERYWHERE! My experience has been that things clear. I recently got a 1 BR for two nights in Oct at BW.

Now I realize this is not the way most folks advise using DVC and in truth it's not the most 'efficient' and is risky. In my case if I don't clear waitlist I am willing to stay offsite. (In the past I would book a moderate using points but when they went with the $95 charge I decided that's the price of a night at the local Marriotts and I get points to use for future free stays!)

 

[DebbieB]

I thought you had to have the points available before reserving so that's why we'd be reserving on such short notice. I think we could plan better in the future

That's a big misconception with new members. They picture points being "deposited" when the use year starts, like a paycheck. That is not the case. Points are in your account for the current use year and the 3 following use years. Right now my online account shows balances up to the April 2011 use year. All points use is based on date of stay. You look at the date of stay and the use year that date falls into. You use that use year as current year, banked points from the use year before and borrowed points from the following year.

Example - April use year, June 2009 stay. That stay would be in your 2009 use year, so you could use banked 2008, current 2009, borrowed 2010. You could book that stay at 11 months for your home resort using those points. So right now you could book that stay using up to 2010 use year points.

 

[kristenrice]

Quick question and a little off topic...

We're planning on making an offer this week on a resale with a Feb UY and all 2008 points available. We will stipulate that the seller will bank those points prior to the deadline of Sept. 30. Now, we are unable to take a trip in 2009 before those banked points expire and we'll be banking all of 2009's also. I have a friend who has offered to rent the 2008 points from me, but he wants a studio for one night and a 1BR for 4 nights (all weekdays) at OKW for the first week of March 2009. If I am in the system by November 1, 2008, what are the chances of getting OKW in March 2009?