Another DVC December Question, Sorry.... :(

[Maleficent Dragon]

Some of you may recall that I posted something in relation to this a few weeks ago....

I am booked for 8 nights at my home resort (AKV-K) a start date of 11/30. I would REALLY REALLY like to stay at The Villas at G-Flo. My window to wait-list opens 4/30. If I call in the morning on 4/30 and wait-list for G-Flo, what is the likelihood it will happen? Also, I considered doing a split request of 11/30 - 12/3 and another of 12/4 - 12/8. Is there a better chance of getting the Villas at G-Flo if I wait-list for only a portion of the stay like that? I personally do not think I will be able to get the G-flo at all (and I am usually optimistic), but I am hopeful that people will move over to the Polynesian Villas and perhaps that will make a little room for little ol' me.

 

[cbnsoul]

You are trying to get a reservation during THE busiest week of the DVC year at a very small and popular resort. You are much more likely for the wait list to come through if you do a split stay but, even then, there are most certainly several VGF owners wait listed ahead of you. If you want a 1 bedroom, your chances are probably a bit better than if you want a studio or 2 bedroom but not very good either way.

 

[disneynutz]

I wouldn't rely completely on waitlists, checking availability yourself will improve your chances for success.

Another suggestion would be to rent from a VGF owner and rent out your AKV points to help offset the cost.

Bill

 

[KAT4DISNEY]

Shorter waitlists will always have a better chance since it all has to be open to fill.

As to odds - it's not great but it's 100% you won't get it if you don't put in a waitlist.

 

[rlovew]

Odds are low- I think that even owners at GFV are having to waitlist that time now and you would certainly be behind any of them even if a couple of people cancel trips. I would suggest planning a trip during a lower occupancy time if you want to stay at GFV at some point. I haven't checked on availability but I do know that owners were complaining about being locked out at 11 months themselves. If you are looking for a 1 bedroom you have a bit more of a chance but I still find it highly unlikely.

 

[Pirate Granny]

Last year we wanted GFV for two nights in a two bedroom lock-off. Although we didn't need the space, we needed to have ten people on the reservation. I started checking a month before the 7 month window opened. Everyday twice a day, no way, there was NEVER any lock offs available, but I still checked. At 7 months and two days, a lake view lock off was available for two nights. After much discussion, I booked it, and decided we would take a chance and walk it. Well, we were successful...but it was a pretty stressful four days... This was mid-June Thursday and Friday nights.

 

[drusba]

If you want a studio at VGF, your chances even via a waitlist are going to be very low. If you want a 2BR, they will be much better particularly via a waitlist. If you want a 1BR you will have a little better chance than a studio but much less than a 2BR. For early Dec 2015, studios and 1BRs actually filled for nights before 11 months out, i.e., those with earlier start dates got that early Dec time before others could reserve it.. VGF is not like other resorts where 1BRs go last; instead its studios go first, 1BRs next and dedicated 2BRs and GVs are often open well after those two are gone, and, in fact, the extremely high cost GVs, of which there are only six, are very often the last to go.

 

[Maleficent Dragon]

Odds are low- I think that even owners at GFV are having to waitlist that time now and you would certainly be behind any of them even if a couple of people cancel trips. I would suggest planning a trip during a lower occupancy time if you want to stay at GFV at some point. I haven't checked on availability but I do know that owners were complaining about being locked out at 11 months themselves. If you are looking for a 1 bedroom you have a bit more of a chance but I still find it highly unlikely.

So did Disney sell too many contracts or is it just because as DVC members we know we get more for our points in December so everybody is just using them then? Back when I did my tour, years ago, the Tour Guide told me that at no point would there ever be an issue for a member to book their home resort at that 10/11 month mark out and that there should not really be any issues booking a non-home resort at 7 months. Either she gave me a line, somebody messed up somewhere or things have really changed.

 

[rlovew]

So did Disney sell too many contracts or is it just because as DVC members we know we get more for our points in December so everybody is just using them then? Back when I did my tour, years ago, the Tour Guide told me that at no point would there ever be an issue for a member to book their home resort at that 10/11 month mark out and that there should not really be any issues booking a non-home resort at 7 months. Either she gave me a line, somebody messed up somewhere or things have really changed.

It is that DVC members prefer staying in early Dec to get the holidays and less points combined. While if everyone wanted different nights the points sold will always allow home resort owners to book a room- sometimes more members want a night than there are available rooms for that given night. Also a lot of points at GFV are tied up in the Grand Villas which are seldom booked out far in advance meaning some owners have to be losing points if no one is staying there any given time.

As far as your salesperson telling you what they did they were talking in general terms- if you don't want a high volume time of the year or a low supply room you should be able to get it during home resort advantage and you can book something other than your home resort at 7 months most all of the year- it is SSR, AKV, and OKW- the other resorts are more hit and miss during the last quarter of the year especially. So while your guide did not all out lie to you- they also didn't really explain the full meaning of the statement.

 

[chalee94]

So did Disney sell too many contracts or is it just because as DVC members we know we get more for our points in December so everybody is just using them then? Back when I did my tour, years ago, the Tour Guide told me that at no point would there ever be an issue for a member to book their home resort at that 10/11 month mark out and that there should not really be any issues booking a non-home resort at 7 months. Either she gave me a line, somebody messed up somewhere or things have really changed.

she gave you a line.

to simplify, imagine if DVC has 1 villa and sold 12 people enough pts to stay 1 month each. as long as everyone wants a different month, things are easy...but if 4 of the 12 want to go in December for the holiday period and no one wants to go in February, then you will have issues. this is just one of the issues that comes from owning a points-based timeshare...

 

[cvjw]

Also keep in mind that lots and lots of VGF owners just bought enough points for studio stays - not enough to stay in the larger 1 or 2 bedroom villas. When you combine the low points of December, the Christmas decorations and too many people wanting studios, some VGF owners will be left without early December reservations.

It isn't just VGF owners that have booking issues. I wanted to reserve a standard view 2 bedroom at BWV for December 18th-22nd of 2015. On the first day that I could book, the first day was already gone. I managed to grab it a few days later, but that whole time of December was booked solid within days.

Lots of BWV owners, low points for standard views and a popular time of year equals not enough villas to go around for everyone that wants one.

 

[rlduvall]

I own at AKV and BLT; went last year in early December. I kept changing my mind about where to stay, but on multiple occasions I was able to book GFV - LV - Studio for several nights at the front and back end of my stay. I eventually choose a split stay with 2 nights at the beginning of my trip and really enjoyed it. Waitlist, but definitely stalk the website. Only once did I get any of those nights with a WL.

 

[Minniesgal]

So did Disney sell too many contracts or is it just because as DVC members we know we get more for our points in December so everybody is just using them then? Back when I did my tour, years ago, the Tour Guide told me that at no point would there ever be an issue for a member to book their home resort at that 10/11 month mark out and that there should not really be any issues booking a non-home resort at 7 months. Either she gave me a line, somebody messed up somewhere or things have really changed.

She gave you the standard DVC sales line. December is a time for home resort in my opinion.

I think your chances of getting into VGF are almost none existent. We have just had to add on our points there to book 1 bedrooms as the studios are way overbooked by owners.

I think most VGF owners bought points to stay there we certainly did. If owners don't trade out then there are limited rooms to trade into.

 

[Deb & Bill]

Just wait until everyone who bought PVB want to stay there the first week in a studio. And no one can afford to use points for the Bungalows.

 

[drusba]

First two weeks of Dec are, respectively, the first and third highest DVC demand weeks of the year at WDW and that definitely impacts your chances at getting something like VGF.

Also, though it was mentioned above that you could get VGF studios at 7 months out for many of the days during early Dec in 2014, that will no longer be true this year and in the future. There was a lot availability at 7 month out for Dec 2014 simply because in May 2014, when those reservations were being made, there were a lot more rooms available than owner points that could chase them since VGF was only about 50% sold out while a huge amount of the resort (80%) had already been dedicated to DVC.

For 2015, the time in that two week period for studios at VGF disappeared on or before the 11 month window opened. VGF studios have now become one of those reservations that can even be difficult at 11 months out during a number of times in the last quarter of the year. What is happening here is caused by two factors. First, VGF has only 47 studios, all of which are part of 2BR lock-offs and thus can also be reserved by those looking for a 2BR if the studio is not yet gone. Second, VGF represents the "modern" DVC resort where Disney has managed to set the combination of price and point requirements so high that most of its usual target audience of timeshare buyers can afford to purchase only enough points to get a studio annually. (Those who have owned for a while will remember that the way Disney got new purchasers to believe that the initial $150 new purchaser price at VGF was reasonable was by raising the price of BLT by more than 40% over less than a two year period to $165 a point, which raises occurred after BLT was already mostly sold out). However, Disney gets to sell all the points applicable to studios, 1BRs, 2BRs and the GVs to anyone who purchases including all those purchasing to get a studio. The result is that the studios have been extremely, but legally, oversold at VGF. The same process is occurring at Poly where you need to be in the upper 1% to possibly be able to afford enough points to get a 2BR bungalow for a week but all those bungalow points can be sold to those wanting studios. Perhaps Disney believes it has corrected its problem of pricing itself out of its usual market and making studios near impossible to reserve by making almost all rooms studios at Poly, but I am guessing those may eventually be a problem sometimes at 11 months out, such as during those first two weeks in Dec.