Booking BLT if We're Non-DVC Owners

[SRUAlmn]

Deb & Bill and Lynne,

Thank you both so much for helping me to understand the process. It is making me lose hope, but it's good to see how it all works. I will just have to keep an eye on things. Would checking WDW.com be the best way to do it, or can you only book 2 bedroom villas over the phone? (I know at other resorts there are certain categories that can only be booked over the phone.)

 

[RapunzelsGoodMom]

I booked a cash resize
Ast year in May for September. Definitely not as busy as full summer but no problem and got the AP discount too. Lots of choice when we were looking for May as well but we wanted AKL that trip so we did that instead. Both hotels are amazing.

 

[Lil' Grumpy]

your welcome....i still think it has merit ( meaning that what we
be doing for blt if we 're not owners. ). the reason why is
because we booked 2 weeks/2 bd room over christmas in
case we were unable to trade for aulani.....so i know we gave
up 2 rooms after we booked aulani. the reason we held onto
it, because we know others would try for it @ 7mos.

do you work @ dvc lynne? that is, trying to determine how
likely that is true....i don't think dvc is accurate with all info
they're telling members. and some times i seen where they
tweak their rules making it very un~predictable how they
manage inventory.....i have read others confirmed what you are
saying but then read different results some are posting.

not questioning your own resources...just trying to see how
you figure dvc resorts assigned their rooms. even though
we have been members prior to blt opening...we didn't stay
there until christmas 2110. though there were no rooms
when we called 11mos- {as soon as ms opened}, yet during
our stay, we met some who were not members that
were staying there. then there were some locals staying
day here /there during our stay & there was another room
that was occupied with wdw workers partying.

based on those factors you mentioned, would indicate a certain
inventory they could offer on a regular time schedules for
cash? and i would think the 7mos booking period & the day
after, would be when dvc would release rooms for cash
because they would know almost all the available rooms?

i also think 10% of all blt rooms would give them a consistently
inventory? which makes rap.gdmom 's input the norm?

 

[SRUAlmn]

So, basically, I should check every day starting at 11 months? Even possibly at 12 months because of the 10% ? This is frustrating, but I'm not giving up hope!

 

[Marionnette]

So, basically, I should check every day starting at 11 months? Even possibly at 12 months because of the 10% ? This is frustrating, but I'm not giving up hope!

If you have decided that you want to do a cash reservation and a BLT 2-bdrm TPV is a must, then you should begin looking as soon as it is possible to book for your dates. You can actually book a cash reservation (room-only) 500 days in advance! The catch is that the rate will not be guaranteed until Disney sets their rates for 2014.

If nothing is available, keep checking back on a regular basis. This is one instance when having a Disney TA could really be a benefit. A good one will do the checking for you and they will book it as soon as it becomes available.

 

[SRUAlmn]

Thanks so much! They are releasing the 2014 dates and rates on Wednesday, so I will start checking then. Trust me, no TA will ever work as hard to get this as I will. They have many clients, I only have one!

 

[Lynne M]

do you work @ dvc lynne? that is, trying to determine how
likely that is true....i don't think dvc is accurate with all info
they're telling members. and some times i seen where they
tweak their rules making it very un~predictable how they
manage inventory.....i have read others confirmed what you are
saying but then read different results some are posting.

No, I don't work for DVC or Disney, never have. All I know about DVC operations is solely from being a member for 12 years, and reading the DVC boards here on the DIS daily for 12 years.

not questioning your own resources...just trying to see how
you figure dvc resorts assigned their rooms. even though
we have been members prior to blt opening...we didn't stay
there until christmas 2110. though there were no rooms
when we called 11mos- {as soon as ms opened}, yet during
our stay, we met some who were not members that
were staying there. then there were some locals staying
day here /there during our stay & there was another room
that was occupied with wdw workers partying.

I edited my post above to mention developer inventory, which explains what you saw at Christmas 2010.

When a new DVC resort first becomes available for sale, 0% of the room inventory belongs to the members - because no members have bought any of it yet. 100% of the inventory belongs to the developer, Disney Vacation Development. As shares of the resort are slowly sold off, that percentage begins to shift towards the members, until the resort is sold out, and Disney ends up with that <10% remaining inventory, with members owning the rest.

In 2010, DVD still owned a great deal of the room inventory at BLT. Probably more than 50%, I'd guess. Those rooms were Disney's to do with as they wished. Rent them out for cash to non-members, give them away to employees so they can have a party.

I think many here have noted that for awhile after a new DVC resort comes online, there are plentiful rooms available for cash reservations, and that number dwindles as more and more of the resort is sold to members. It never goes away entirely, for the reasons mentioned in my earlier post.

But - even leaving developer inventory out of the picture, you will ALWAYS find non-members staying at DVC resorts. Every single day. Whether they're locals staying on a cash reservation, people renting a reservation from a member, friends and relatives of members, even employees. .

based on those factors you mentioned, would indicate a certain
inventory they could offer on a regular time schedules for
cash? and i would think the 7mos booking period & the day
after, would be when dvc would release rooms for cash
because they would know almost all the available rooms?

Booking by members doesn't end at the 7 month window, members continue to book (and availability changes) right up till the check-in date. It's possible to book a room on points the day you'll be checking in, if you can find one available.

i also think 10% of all blt rooms would give them a consistently
inventory? which makes rap.gdmom 's input the norm?

It's not 10%, it's some number less than that. And part of the reason they maintain that small bit of inventory is in case they need to pull rooms out of service to be refurbished, or to have maintenance work done. They can swap in some of that <10%. And I don't believe there's a consistently predictable date when they know they won't need that set of inventory and can release it for cash reservations.

Since we're now straying into territory that's more appropriate for the DVC boards than the Resorts board, I'd suggest that if you have further questions about how DVC handles member inventory, you post on the DVC Member Services or DVC Mousecellaneous boards.

 

[twodogs]

Booked a cash reservation online at 7.5 months out for late April of this year in September 2012. It was a 2 bedroom lake view and I got a 20% AAA discount! All views were available at that time in 2 bedroom with the AAA discount (didn't check standard view) , even TPV. Good luck with your booking!

Also booked a 1 bedroom LV in January 2012 for May 2012 as cash reservation. The dates were pretty limited in availability but I also waited fairly late to decide that year.

 

[TigrLvsPooh]

I just checked the passholder site and entered a random set of dates for this month and I can book a 2 bedroom villa at BLT. $869 for lake view and $959 for TPV.

 

[Cobern]

I just checked the passholder site and entered a random set of dates for this month and I can book a 2 bedroom villa at BLT. $869 for lake view and $959 for TPV.

Ok so we are debating getting seasonal passes for Disney. We are planning on going in January 2014. Can anyone tell me what the discount is for blt for that time frame (historically is fine). We are looking at a 2 bedroom and trying to crunch the numbers if it is cheaper than 2 rooms at the poly. Thanks!

 

[SRUAlmn]

I just checked the passholder site and entered a random set of dates for this month and I can book a 2 bedroom villa at BLT. $869 for lake view and $959 for TPV.

Do you mean for this month we're currently in, or "this month" meaning the month I was discussing in the OP? (July 2014)

 

[MinnieGirl33]

We will also be using the Passholder discount, but we can book (if available) before that and then call and apply the AP discount once it's released, right?

It depends... there has to be AP inventory available at that time.

Whenever AP rates are released there are only a specific number of rooms in each room category available. And, sometimes only certain resorts are included. For example, POR will be included but not POFQ.

If when you call, there is AP availability you will be able to make the adjustment but just because you have a room on hold, if there is no inventory left at the time you call, they can't simply change your rate.

 

[SRUAlmn]

Ok so we are debating getting seasonal passes for Disney. We are planning on going in January 2014. Can anyone tell me what the discount is for blt for that time frame (historically is fine). We are looking at a 2 bedroom and trying to crunch the numbers if it is cheaper than 2 rooms at the poly. Thanks!

Historically, AP discounts are normally around 30%, but depending on the time of year it can sometimes vary anywhere from 20% - 35%. It looks like last year the AP discounts for your dates were released on November 15. Here's a great place to look at historical data on Mousesavers! http://www.mousesavers.com/historical-information-on-walt-disney-world-resort-discounts/#2013

 

[SRUAlmn]

It depends... there has to be AP inventory available at that time.

Whenever AP rates are released there are only a specific number of rooms in each room category available. And, sometimes only certain resorts are included. For example, POR will be included but not POFQ.

If when you call, there is AP availability you will be able to make the adjustment but just because you have a room on hold, if there is no inventory left at the time you call, they can't simply change your rate.

Thanks. I did know that it was based on availability, but I just wanted to make sure that villas weren't blacked out. I went through the historical data on Mousesavers, and it looks like villas are normally included (but suites often aren't.) Hopefully there will be a 2 bedroom villa available for us to have on hold before the AP rate comes out! I'm cracking up at my poll because it's just re-confirming my fears that it really could be ANY time and there's no rhyme or reason!

 

[TigrLvsPooh]

Do you mean for this month we're currently in, or "this month" meaning the month I was discussing in the OP? (July 2014)

This month. July 2013. The current ap discount only runs into mid August. I was just trying to give the OP an idea of what the ap discount was for a 2 bedroom at Blt. Obviously the price won't be the same a year from now but it will probably be similar.

Sent from my iPhone using DISBoards

 

[OurBigTrip]

Thanks. I did know that it was based on availability, but I just wanted to make sure that villas weren't blacked out. I went through the historical data on Mousesavers, and it looks like villas are normally included (but suites often aren't.) Hopefully there will be a 2 bedroom villa available for us to have on hold before the AP rate comes out! I'm cracking up at my poll because it's just re-confirming my fears that it really could be ANY time and there's no rhyme or reason!

Seeing as you and I are in this thing together, trying to get the same villa type at basically the same time LOL, I just checked the Disney site, and there are 2BR Villas available at BLT for June 2014 (11 month mark).

It isn't the same season we're going, but prices did go up for regular season...$42/night for Theme Park View, and $38/night for Lake View.

So, I'm going to start checking at the 11 month mark!

 

[SRUAlmn]

Yes! Me too!! I checked this morning too, but I didn't try June (smart idea!) I called too, just in case, and she said to check in November. Um... Thanks very much, but I will be checking much sooner than that! Ha! Do you think we can check at the 11 month mark from July 1, or do you think it would be the 11 month mark from our check in date?

 

[ses1230]

There are 3 ways that DVC villas become available for cash reservations by non-members:

1) Disney retains ownership of a very small percentage (< 10%) of the room inventory at each DVC resort. You'll see these available for cash reservations. I'm not sure exactly when these become available, I'd guess sometime between 7-11 months out. When a new DVC resort is in the sales process, there's also a lot of developer inventory in DVC's possession - the percentage of the resort's room inventory that has not been sold to members. A good bit of this is also often available for cash reservations.

2) If members trade out of the DVC system, for instance to stay at DLP, or a non-DVC resort at DL or WDW, or take an ABD trip, or a DCL cruise, a villa of roughly equal 'value' is sent from the member inventory to be rented for cash to cover the cost of the trade. These don't appear in any particular time frame, just whenever a member trades out.

(The seven month window referred to by a PP is not really relevant in this situation. When a BLT member uses their points to stay at another DVC resort, like Aulani, a BLT villa does not go into the cash inventory. That's only when members stay at NON-DVC resorts.)

3) At 60 days out, any DVC villas not reserved by members go into the cash inventory to recover breakage income for that resort's owners. The difference with this example is, if a member then comes along and wants to rent one of these with their points, it gets pulled back out of the cash inventory and goes back to member inventory.

OP, the upshot of all this is that you just have to keep watching for BLT villas to appear in the cash inventory. There's really no hard and fast rule for when you'll see one appear.

I hope the OP doesn't mind a tag along question here.

So Lynne, based on the above, you are saying that that there is very little DVC inventory available at CRO until 11 months out (when the owners book something else)?

I want to book BLT for October 2014, I would be able to book through CRO November 2013? (in other words, don't stalk the disneyworld website yet)

Just out of curiosity, is it a one-for-one trade? i.e., BLT owner books a 2-br at another resort, so a 2-br at BLT becomes available?

 

[OurBigTrip]

Yes! Me too!! I checked this morning too, but I didn't try June (smart idea!) I called too, just in case, and she said to check in November. Um... Thanks very much, but I will be checking much sooner than that! Ha! Do you think we can check at the 11 month mark from July 1, or do you think it would be the 11 month mark from our check in date?

I'm going to start checking on 1 Aug, 11 months out from 1 Jul.

 

[SRUAlmn]

I hope the OP doesn't mind a tag along question here.

So Lynne, based on the above, you are saying that that there is very little DVC inventory available at CRO until 11 months out (when the owners book something else)?

I want to book BLT for October 2014, I would be able to book through CRO November 2013? (in other words, don't stalk the disneyworld website yet)

Just out of curiosity, is it a one-for-one trade? i.e., BLT owner books a 2-br at another resort, so a 2-br at BLT becomes available?

I don't mind at all bc those are great questions