Any Military DVC Members?

[BlissfulMama09]

My husband and I are seriously considering DVC membership but are a little hesitant due to the fact he's in the Army. The 11 month out booking frame wouldn't really apply much to us seeing as leave isn't blocked out by then. We just got back from WDW and only booked 2 months before we left. Is anyone on here in the military or have some experience with this?
Thanks!
Niki

 

[JimMIA]

Well, I know Army BRAT doesn't count, so I can't count as military -- but there are some military DVC families, and I'm sure they'll come on and offer some great advice.

With the 11-month window, though, understand that that window runs from 11 months from your arrival until 7 months from your arrival. During that period, only owners can book at our home resorts. So, if you know your leave dates 8 months out, you'd still have an advantage over non-home resort owners.

For certain time periods, certain kinds of accommodations, etc, you almost have to book right at 11 months exactly. Some folks call 11 months to the day - but call in the afternoon - and there is no availability for what they are looking for.

However, if you are traveling in many time periods, home resort may not be a big deal. We can book our vacations at 11 months, but rarely do. We typically book (even at our home resorts) at 5-6 months. But we're usually traveling in May or November, which are slower periods for DVC. If we want to travel any time in December, we would call 11 months to the day, and right when MS opens.

Welcome to the DIS -- and from all of us on this July 4th weekend, THANK YOU FOR YOUR SERVICE!

 

[TagsMissy]

Yup.

 

[Eeyore's Pal]

We are not military, but I don't know if we've ever booked more than six months in advance. Sometimes we had to waitlist to get our optimal reservation, but those usually come through.

We may have been lucky because we rarely travel at the really high peak times, but we have done some of those times too. I know the only waitlist we tried that never came through was for NYE, about four years ago. Luckily we had a back-up reservation at All Stars.

Good luck with whatever you choose.

 

[LouisianaDisneyFan]

Given your situation with not being able to book far enough out, I'd recommend that you purchase an inexpensive small contract via resale. Any resort would do as you wouldn't be able to take advantage of the 11-month booking window anyway. Then, see if DVC works for you. If you haven't invested a fortune in it, then you can see how you like it and go from there. If it doesn't work out, you can resell the contract after your first stay... with basically zero loss. Even with closing costs factored in, the difference between what you would have paid for the same stay without DVC and what you paid with DVC would make it worth a try.

 

[BlissfulMama09]

Thanks for all the great input everyone. I think we're going to look into purchasing a resale!

 

[Lil' Grumpy]

hello !

first things first, thank you for supporting your husband , that
makes it possible for him to do his job.

[ i am ex-military, naval officer. ]

whatever you decide, i would suggest doing what you "feel" is best
for your family.

just wanted to added, did you read "the families magazine" 's spring/
summer issues, by ameriforce publishing? [ it has gary sinise picture
& an exclusive interview] . also can you visit @ www.americforce.net.]



while i am not trying to changed your mind, just wanted to make
sure you are aware that travel opportunities for military families.
including shade of green. & disney world offers major discounts
on park hopper & water parks. all in which , i think may be a
better option.



and talk about trade value, my wife saw a lil'spiel about iceland &
would love to go! ( she said it is very beautiful)

happy sailing [ they talk about cruises too!] , & thanks again to the
service to our country.

just had another buddy , an army officer , & he just return from
afghanistan.

 

[Jynohn]

We are military, and completely understand how unpredictable vacation schedules can be. We very rarely book at 11 months out, and I don't think we've ever had a problem booking a villa on fairly short notice. We don't always get our first choice, but the waitlist has come through for us almost every time. We usually avoid holidays and school vacations though, so that may have some impact on availability depending on when you like to travel. As long as you don't have your heart set on staying at particular resort every time, I think DVC can still work well for military families.

When we were deciding whether or not to buy DVC, our greatest sticking point was the fact that we are eligible to stay at Shades of Green for such a great price. We eventually decided that DVC was worth it to us, but we still stay at Shades of Green occasionally when we're running low on points.

 

[bearpele]

As a military family who owns at 3 resorts - we book whenver the mood(job requirement) allows us to visit Disney. We go currently 3-4 times a year. We book as little as one month out - never at peak holiday time (Thanksgiving/Christmas/New Years or Easter) and we have always gotten room. Like the other poster stated - we still have Shades of Green to fall back on if needed. We have been members since 2003 - and we have always gotten a room.

Hope is assists in your decision,
Heather

 

[edk35]

As a military family who owns at 3 resorts - we book whenver the mood(job requirement) allows us to visit Disney. We go currently 3-4 times a year. We book as little as one month out - never at peak holiday time (Thanksgiving/Christmas/New Years or Easter) and we have always gotten room. Like the other poster stated - we still have Shades of Green to fall back on if needed. We have been members since 2003 - and we have always gotten a room.

Hope is assists in your decision,
Heather

We too are DVC members and also use SOG from time to time. We wanted to stay longer at WDW so we are booked at SOG on Monday the 12th for 2 nights before staying at SSR for 7 nights and then moving on to Vero for 4 nights. My husband is now retired from the military but he works for the Gov't and travels a lot and out of the country but we still manage to book DVC trips within months of trips. I say to the OP GO FOR IT.

 

[sleepydog25]

Retired AF here, and I'll mostly echo what a few others have said--start with a small contract via resale to see how you like it and to see if it works for you. If so, you can add more points later. As far as the short-notice booking, there are some dates that will be tough, if not nearly impossible, to get but in my experience, there is usually some DVC property open and available as long as I'm fairly flexible. One of the things I've enjoyed is being able to have the DVC and enjoy the military perks, too, such as the park hopper tickets, etc. I feel as though I get the best of both worlds. Oh, and it doesn't hurt that SOG has a Starbucks counter, too!