Booking Question

[rillsung]

We're not members yet, but we mailed our check and contract in today. Hopefully we pass ROFR but we'll see!

At the DVC resorts, is priority given to members? I see on the Dis that there is no availability for many days around say Christmas and New Years this year, but if I try to go to the regular reservations system, I can book our entire trip for cash (whoa that's a chunk of change)! So I'm confused by this!

Thanks!

 

[Sammie]

Two different inventories. The rooms available to book paying cash and booking with Disney Reservation Center are not the same as the inventory that is available to members booking with points.

There are many times that the cash inventory will be available when the points inventory is not. Unless you are planning to pay cash, best not even check it.

 

[mousefan1972]

All DVC resorts have 2 separate inventories: rooms that can be booked paying cash through CRO and rooms that can be booked using vacation points. So it is very common to see a DVC resort have room availability for cash bookings but not for DVC members using their points. The 2 are not interchangeable. Hope this helps and good luck with ROFR.

 

[rillsung]

Yep it does help. Thanks I was under the impression that DVC resorts were for DVC members first. I can't believe anyone pays that amount of money to actually stay there! Geesh!

 

[Mtnman44]

For further clarification : points owned by DVC members, which have not been used or traded out of the system, comprise the total availabilty at the resort for points booking.

DVC also owns points, either by unsold points, un declared points, transferred points (a member has traded points for a cruise, etc), ROFR'ed points. The availabilty represented by these points is used by DVC to rent to cash paying guests, as via the CRO system.

 

[charight]

This however can be adventageous when say you are booked for a few nights at a DVC resort using your points and at the last minute you decide you want to add on an extra night or two. There may not be any availability through DVC especially during the high season so its always nice to know that you can pay cash and Member Services can link the reservation so you won;t have to switch rooms.

 

[Brandis]

Also, if rooms are not booked 60 days out, they are transferred to CRO as well. Also a certain amount of rooms is kept out of the DVC inventory for renovations / maintenance, if a particular room is not in need of maintenance, they can also rent it out for money.

 

[Chuck S]

And anytime a a DVC Member trades outside the DVC system, to stay elsewhere (except for RCI) those ponts translate into cash rooms to offset the cost of the trade. THose rooms also can not be reclaimed for DVC Point reservations.

It is similar to a DVC owner were booking a DVC room onpoints, then renting the room for cash and then using that cash to travel somewhere else.