Boardwalk Availability at 11 months

[MDLeimer]

Can anyone share their experiences recently for booking BW at 11 months during peak times? Right at 8am? Especially for the lock offs or Grand Villas?

 

[aceshigh73]

Can anyone share their experiences recently for booking BW at 11 months during peak times? Right at 8am? Especially for the lock offs or Grand Villas?

Standard view studios when they are 9pts (September) are walked/gobbled up right when the window opens. Other rooms were available usually (don’t have much info) but standard view goes first. Could be pro renters.

 

[CarolynFH]

Standard view studios go first, very quickly, and BW view follow. P/G view are available longer because there are a lot more of them. 2BR are the same as studios, because they’re all lockoffs. 1BR fill more slowly, but standard view still goes quickly, then BW view, then P/G.

Peak times for DVC, for benefit of those not familiar, are the first two weeks of December and the week of Christmas to New Year’s, followed by the end of September through Marathon Weekend in January, with early November being especially difficult due to Jersey Week, the Wine & Dine half marathon, and Veterans’ Day. From mid-January to early September it’s not too bad, although Spring Break, as ill-defined as it is, can cause challenges, although not as difficult as Fall Frenzy.

 

[CarolMN]

Pool/Garden category not a problem for late October, but I couldn't get standard view or Boardwalk view 2 bedroom due to all those walking studios for early November, Thanksgiving & December. I was able to get the SV 2b by waiting a day or so until the walkers moved on.

All 2 b at BWV are lock offs. There are some.dedicated studios and some.dedicated 1 b, though. All categories for 1 b were available when I was looking for the 2b sv.

 

[Skywalker3]

We have only tried to get 2 bedrooms a few times. For a standard view in May/June, we walked it. The other 2 times, we were not looking right at 11 months, for dates in October, and all standard 2 bedrooms gone. Pool/garden view was still available. I would not count on standard studios (which also means standard 2 bedrooms,) being easily available, even at 11 months, at busy times.
We haven't done a grand villa since 2013, but we didn't have an issue getting it at 11 months. No idea now.
We LOVE Boardwalk, but never book studios, almost always 1 bedroom, and have no issues getting those, or pool/garden views. I wish SO, SO much the 2 bedrooms were not all lockoffs. we'd much rather stay in a 2 bedroom.

 

[drusba]

Absent abnormal factors, the usual process is that standard view studios/2BR book full right at 8 a.m. at 11-months out year round. Boardwalk view studios and 2BRs do the same during the high demand fall season, late Sep to marathon weekend in Jan, but are otherwise usually open at 11-months out the rest of the year Pool/garden view studios/2BRs are always open long enough once the 11-month opens for any
BWV member to have time to book, except they sometimes disappear right at 8 a.m. at times during the first two weeks of December and around NYE. One bedrooms in all three categories are usually open at 11-months out although standard views can at some times disappear right at 8 a.m. during that high demand season. Grand Villas have the 11-month issue in the high demand season but not all the time, and usuallyare open right at 11-months much of the rest of the year but a risk otherwise for some random times.

I mention absent abnormal factors because there has been an abnormal situation starting in Fall 2023 and 2024. Before 11-months out from Sep 2023, DVC announced that all the boardwalk view rooms (which includes all 7GVs) would be out-of-service for mid-Sep to late-Nov, and later announced all standard view rooms would be out of service Jan and Feb. The result was that even pool/garden view studios and 2BRs started to have the 11-month problem where rooms were disappearing right at 8 a.m. at 11-months out in fall 2023 and first part of 2024, and even 1BRs had the issue at times. Grand villas were gone at 11-months out during the entire fall season and at a number of times during the first two months of 2024. Moreover, even for reservations beginning March 1, 2004, there has been a hangover time, where rooms have been filling quicker than they usually do for time in 2024 since March 1, partly due to members who would have usually reserved for time from Sep to March but had to wait until later.

 

[gharter]

We have reserved mainly a 1BR, sometimes a 2BR and rarely a studio. Studios have sometimes been challenging if not booking right at 11 months. The others have rarely been a problem, but we still book right at 11 months to be sure.

 

[Cyberc1978]

Boardwalk studio standard view always book 100% when the booking windows opens at 8am.

I have never had an issue booking at 8am and have always managed to get the studio standard view I tried to book.

U just need to be prepared to book as soon as the window opens. Dont use a phone, use a wired laptop or as minimum a laptop with very good wifi connection. Dont think your wifi is good, KNOW it.

A good wifi is not just known as a wifi with the fastest download speed. Among others you need excellent signal strength preferably -50dBm or higher. You also need low latency.

In normal day-to-day usage low latency and excellent signal strength doesn't matter that much. but when you compete with ie 1,000 or more other Boardwalk owners who tries to book a specific day then you need all the advantages you can get.

 

[disneygolfer1985]

I just booked a 2BR lockoff during thanksgiving week next year. I could tell people were walking reservations as a boardwalk view was not even available and the studio went right at opening. I’m fine with the garden/pool view due to being to be closer to the lobby due to walking issues in my party. I didn’t realize that the 2BR boardwalk views were so far down the boardwalk(most are over big river towards jelly rolls). The last 2 times I didn’t have an issue booking a boardwalk view 2BR, but I feel more people are walking reservations now. In the future we will be able to get 1BR once my parents stop going with us. Then we can get whatever room we want since 1BR are the last to go.

 

[Sandisw]

I just booked a 2BR lockoff during thanksgiving week next year. I could tell people were walking reservations as a boardwalk view was not even available and the studio went right at opening. I’m fine with the garden/pool view due to being to be closer to the lobby due to walking issues in my party. I didn’t realize that the 2BR boardwalk views were so far down the boardwalk(most are over big river towards jelly rolls). The last 2 times I didn’t have an issue booking a boardwalk view 2BR, but I feel more people are walking reservations now. In the future we will be able to get 1BR once my parents stop going with us. Then we can get whatever room we want since 1BR are the last to go.

The fact that the 2 bedrooms are all lock offs definitely makes it hard to get during popular times since, as you mention, when a studio gets booked, it takes out the 2 bedroom option as well.

 

[paults]

It will be tough