Booking window and possibly changing hotels

[Ndusmama]

okay so I have had dvc for 10 years but I have always gone to Disneyland. I recently went to Florida for the first time ever. Someone else paid for the whole thing and it was not dvc. We stayed at port Orleans riverside. It was nice I liked the hotel and the room. I liked the ferry to Disney springs. I hated the wait times and travel times to and from all the parks though.
I have decided that with Disneyland turning into Star Wars and marvelland that I miss the mouse that started it all. I liked how WDW kind of kept it all separate. So that brings me to my question. I plan on going to WDW September or October of 2018. My home resort is Saratoga springs. I don't really want to stay there. I would like to be at a resort that has more options for getting to and from the parks. I was thinking either Grand Floridan or Bay Lake. I might even consider Boardwalk. Of those 3 which one is better for a first dvc trip. I will have an almost (within a month) 4 year old and an 8 year old. Would it be better to book them at the 7 month window or book Saratoga at 11 and then try to switch at the 7 month day? I also plan on going for closer to 10-12 days including the 2 travel days from west coast. So would switching to a second resort for second half be a good or bad idea? I want to be able to not stress and take my time doing the parks. Having gone the first time with a 13 month and 5 year old I felt like I didn't get to see as much as I would have liked.

 

[_auroraborealis_]

You may experience significant issues booking at 7 months for VGF, BLT or BWV for an October trip, especially for w studio. You should book your home resort at 11 months and try to change at 7 months, knowing you may not be able to do so.

 

[bumbershoot]

FWIW, a rental car is a terrific way to erase the worry of annoying waits for transportation.

 

[drusba]

You mention September or October. Which one is very important because the two are like day and night when it comes to availability of near park resorts at WDW. Sep, until late Sep, is the tail end of DVC's low to moderate demand season at WDW which runs from mid-Jan to late Sep. If you make the trip in Sep and you are looking for a studio, you will be able to get BLT lake view, BWV pool/garden view, Poly, VWL and potentially BCV at 7 months out. VGF is unlikely because its studios are often booked before 7 months out much of the year even during slower times.

Oct is part of the high to extremely high DVC demand season at WDW which runs from late Sep to marathon weekend in January. If you make the trip in Oct, your chances of getting a studio at any near park resort at 7 months out are low, particularly when looking for a lengthy stay of 6 nights or more in any one resort.

Why the difference in demand between the two months? Food & Wine at Epcot is the main reason even though it has been starting by the last week of Sep lately. There is also the Halloween Party at MK a few nights per week but it also usually starts by mid-Sep. A principal reason is likely weather. September is the tail end of the hot summer season (including hot at night), often has a lot of rain often in the form of some intense, daily thunderstorms, and it has the love bug risk -- little creatures that come out in droves and fly around solely to find a mate, They are harmless except they can eat the paint off a car after challenging one to a game of chicken. They are typically around only a short period, usually more than a week but less than two. In a bad year, they can be everywhere and you can look at the sky and it is dark with their swarms. There has not been a real bad year at WDW for some time now.

When Oct comes the weather changes and it is not a real slow change, Days remain hot for a while but the humidity decreases and the nights start to become pleasant. The rain usually becomes quite less than Sep. Nevertheless, Sep is less crowded and getting rooms you want at 7 months out is much easier, and with a 4 and 8 year old, you may even want to skip Food & Wine which can have some rowdy crowd issues.

As to which near park resort, BLT has the MK advantage in that you can walk to MK. However, it also has smaller studios than other DVC resorts. VGF is likely out but Poly could be a choice including because, by the time you will be going, the construction should be over. BWV has the ideal location in that you have two parks that you can walk to or take a boat, and reasonable access to over two dozen restaurants in the two parks and the Epcot resort area. However, if MK is the park of most interest with the kids, BLT or Poly would be the choice. VWL could also be a choice but it is a boat away from MK.

It is always advised to book your home resort and then try to change at 7 months out. That eliminates any risk of not getting a room. Moreover SSR goes to a standard and preferred room point division starting next year and if you want lower point cost standard rooms you probably want to get those in the 11 month window. In your case, since you may be considering a 12 night split stay, it would be wise to make two separate reservations at SSR, each for the period that you would stay at any one resort. Moreover, since you are considering 12 nights, you definitely want to split your SSR reservation into two reservations (which you can always link together after 7 months out if need be) with neither having more than 7 nights since at exactly 7 months out you will not be able to book more than 7 nights initially at a near park resort if you can switch.

 

[Ndusmama]

Thank you all for responding. The car rental is a great idea. Maybe uber would work to and save on car rental. Something to consider. I don't care if I go during food and wine festival or not. I know ca changes the decorations though in September so there are a couple weeks the haunted mansion is closed for its switch. I don't want to go all the way to Florida and have a lot closed. I wouldn't mind doing the Halloween trick or treating there to see how it compares to ca. That's why sept/October. I could possibly even push to early November. I like the idea of separate bookings or splitting bookings. So if say I book 11 months out for Saratoga, make it 2 reservations. Would a 4-5 day split work? I am thinking maybe I can get to close to Epcot for one week and maybe MK for other half.

 

[drusba]

Sep is not a usual shut down for decorations or repair time at WDW. Not aware of how decorations are done in California, but at WDW rides are generally not closed for any particular time when they are put up. Rides or other attractions you will find down in Sep will typically be things that are down for extended periods that could also include time after Sep.

The after-regular-park-hours Halloween Party at MK has traditionally started the Tuesday that is eight days after Labor Day although some years Disney adds one during Labor Day weekend.

A 4-5 day split of the SSR reservation would be fine to make the later attempt at a change. Again, being able to get an MK or Epcot resort at 7 months out can be difficult in Oct and Nov. An example of how extreme the difference is between Sep and after Sep is BWV boardwalk view. You can sometimes get lucky in Sep and find a boarwalk view studio available for four nights in a row at 7 months out. In Oct, they are very often gone within moments after 8 a.m. at exactly 11 months out.

 

[Ndusmama]

Thank you