Beginning to think I dodged the DVC bullet :(

[crisi]

Secured two nights in middle July and two at the end of September. Ive been stalking the reservation tool and have seen 3-4 night stretches pop up over summer.

You can get strange things stalking, but anyone planning on buying should be aware that some of the things some people get by stalking you aren't going to get without effort and flexibility. With stalking, the more often you check, the better your luck is. The more flexibility you have to grab something, the better your luck is. For someone who can't be refreshing the availability screen a few times a day - or doesn't want to - or can't jump on availability - and those are both issues with a lot of people - their computer access is restricted at work and they have set vacation times - that sort of availability is as good as no availability at all.

DVC availability is a balancing act. If what you want to do is book once and get a room - you are best if you buy where you want to stay and can plan eleven months out. If what you want to do is look twice and get a room, you are best off if you buy where you don't mind ending up and can still plan in advance. If you don't mind split stays, stalking, aren't a "I want to stay where I want to stay when I want to stay there" person, can switch your travel dates around, can book a one bedroom when a studio isn't available, then the availability issues that someone who only wants to call once, always wants to stay at BCV during the Summer in a studio but doesn't own there don't seem to exist - and you can post here truthfully that over your decades of ownership you've been able to stay at every DVC resort - even gotten a BWV standard view room over Food and Wine after seven months and a VGF room in early December. But it isn't great to paint that sort of flexibility picture to someone thinking of buying - for two reasons - one, they may not have the flexibility you do to either expend the effort or when crafting a vacation - and two, the more people entering the system willing to stalk, split stay, and do the other contortions getting a value room at seven months entails, the less they will be available for you - and to them as more people enter who work the system.

The other problem with planning on being able to stalk to get availability is that a DVC system + policy change regarding waitlist could make stalking much less successful. If DVC releases rooms into a "holding" category - then checks the waitlist - and allows more than two waitlists like they used to - the availability found via stalking could dry up fast. In my own twenty years of ownership, system and policy changes have had a huge effect on how and what people can book. I don't think the next twenty years will be any more stable.

 

[TikiRob]

You can get strange things stalking, but anyone planning on buying should be aware that some of the things some people get by stalking you aren't going to get without effort and flexibility. With stalking, the more often you check, the better your luck is. The more flexibility you have to grab something, the better your luck is. For someone who can't be refreshing the availability screen a few times a day - or doesn't want to - or can't jump on availability - and those are both issues with a lot of people - their computer access is restricted at work and they have set vacation times - that sort of availability is as good as no availability at all.

DVC availability is a balancing act. If what you want to do is book once and get a room - you are best if you buy where you want to stay and can plan eleven months out. If what you want to do is look twice and get a room, you are best off if you buy where you don't mind ending up and can still plan in advance. If you don't mind split stays, stalking, aren't a "I want to stay where I want to stay when I want to stay there" person, can switch your travel dates around, can book a one bedroom when a studio isn't available, then the availability issues that someone who only wants to call once, always wants to stay at BCV during the Summer in a studio but doesn't own there don't seem to exist - and you can post here truthfully that over your decades of ownership you've been able to stay at every DVC resort - even gotten a BWV standard view room over Food and Wine after seven months and a VGF room in early December. But it isn't great to paint that sort of flexibility picture to someone thinking of buying - for two reasons - one, they may not have the flexibility you do to either expend the effort or when crafting a vacation - and two, the more people entering the system willing to stalk, split stay, and do the other contortions getting a value room at seven months entails, the less they will be available for you - and to them as more people enter who work the system.

The other problem with planning on being able to stalk to get availability is that a DVC system + policy change regarding waitlist could make stalking much less successful. If DVC releases rooms into a "holding" category - then checks the waitlist - and allows more than two waitlists like they used to - the availability found via stalking could dry up fast. In my own twenty years of ownership, system and policy changes have had a huge effect on how and what people can book. I don't think the next twenty years will be any more stable.

Great points. As I mentioned in my previous post, I didn’t join the club expecting to have access to high demand rooms after 11 months. If I did, it’s pixie dust!

 

[crisi]

Great points. As I mentioned in my previous post, I didn’t join the club expecting to have access to high demand rooms after 11 months. If I did, it’s pixie dust!

Which is great for you, but remember that people reading these posts looking to buy aren't keeping who said what in their brains....without that context - or the context of experience within the system - you've made what happened sound both easier than it is, and much more probable. That could lead to someone not dodging a bullet - because DVC can be a bullet if you expect to be able to get that VAKL concierge room every year and are not happy when it doesn't happen.

 

[TikiRob]

Which is great for you, but remember that people reading these posts looking to buy aren't keeping who said what in their brains....without that context - or the context of experience within the system - you've made what happened sound both easier than it is, and much more probable. That could lead to someone not dodging a bullet - because DVC can be a bullet if you expect to be able to get that VAKL concierge room every year and are not happy when it doesn't happen.

The context is below for what I said about my value booking, not concierge. It actually agrees with everything you are saying, but also offers a counter perspective to the OP. And to clarify for the folks at home–I took what was available and not my preferred dates.

I hope nobody bought DVC because I was able to book a few nights in AKL value studios!

I've been an owner for about a month and feel fortunate to have decades of deluxe accommodations ahead for our family. I've already booked two trips including a few nights in AKV value studio at both 5 and 8 months out. But the key is that I didn't expect for it to be available. Expecting certain DVC availability would be like platinum annual passholders expecting there to be no lines on popular attractions whenever they want to go.

 

[crisi]

I know you didn't say concierge, that is just another example. And people do buy for value or concierge and then are disappointed. Plenty of people bought small BWV contracts for F&W standard view studios - not enough points to get their stay in preferred view and are now disappointed because what they want isn't always available at eleven months - they are needing to walk into those rooms - and sometimes that isn't working. A different perspective is well and good, but when someone is looking at putting thousands of dollars into DVC, its probably best to set expectations low and delight them, then set them high and have them disappointed.