Can Someone Explain This to Me?

[Tinkerbell10403]

Hello everyone!

So yesterday we called to try and book a stay for our NYE trip...12/28 to 1/3. Called member services and was told there was no availability at any DVC resort for the 30/31 window. So I'm pretty bummed about this, but decided to wake up this morning and check to see if my wait list had come through (I'm hopeful haha) and am thinking that instead of staying at DVC resorts this time, we may have to stay somewhere else if nothing becomes available...like the Disney Collection. So I go on to WDW's website and go in to see what would be available for our dates, and I see they have a place to select the Deluxe Villas (DVC resorts). So I click on Bay Lake Tower, put in my dates, ticket options, etc, and it is telling me that there is indeed avalibility for those dates. It even led me to the page where I could enter in my credit card info., etc. Now can someone tell me why membership services is claiming there is no avalibility anywhere....but yet there is according to WDW's site. Do they put aside a portion of these room for the general public?

 

[Claire L]

Yes there is a small percentage of inventory that has no DVC contract attached to it hence it can be sold to cash paying members of public.

Claire

 

[DeeCee735]

Were you looking at cash reservations availability? Or were you on DVCMEMBER.com looking at point availability? I do believe a certain percentage of DVC rooms are retained by DVD for cash reservations, which is why you'll see availability under cash ressies, while MS may have nothing available.

 

[PatMcDuck]

We are going to WDW Dec 30-Jan 3. Because we did not plan this in advance, I think we will end up with the first 2 nights on cash, 2nd two nights on DVC points.

 

[Tinkerbell10403]

How does this cash reservation work?

 

[vicki_c]

And DVC rooms also become available for cash bookings when a member trades out or uses their points for a cruise or something. Those rooms are then no longer in DVC's pool because they have already been "booked" using points and can't be booked on points again. Therefore, they become rooms that are turned over to Disney for cash bookings.

So it's 2 different pools of DVC rooms - availability in the cash pool doesn't equal availability in the points pool, or vice-versa.

 

[Claire L]

How does this cash reservation work?

If booked through MS then the reservations can be linked and you should not have to move room, but if booked through CRO as it appears that is who have the rooms then it cannot be linked and you may have to move rooms.

Claire

 

[SFLTIGGER]

When MS told you there was no availability anywhere, was that for a particular size (ie. Studio, 1BR, etc) or flat out nothing available?

 

[Tinkerbell10403]

Flat out nothing avalable

 

[wdrl]

In a resort, DVC owns a certain percentage of the units, and DVD (the Disney Vacation Developer) retains ownership of the remaining units. The percentage of units owned by DVC is dependent upon the number of points owned by the DVC membership. In a "mature" resort, such as BWV or BCV, DVC owns over 95% and DVD owns the remainder.

In a new resort such as BLT, DVCers are slowly buying up the points to assume ownership of 95+% of the resort. But, as of March 2009, DVC had ownership of only 58 units and DVD owned the remaining 230 or so units. I'm sure that as of today, DVC's ownership has increased, but it is no where near the 95+% of a mature resort.

As DVC members, we have access to the number of units that are under DVC control. The remaining units are DVD's units, and they can rent them to cash customers.

So, it is very possible that DVC has no units available at a specific time, even though DVD has units that it is renting to the general public.

 

[disprincessatheart]

I don't know how far you might be down a waitlist, but DH and I will be cancelling our NYE reservation at BLT in the next week. Seems I have a stow away who will be making an appearance right around then.

 

[vicki_c]

I don't know how far you might be down a waitlist, but DH and I will be cancelling our NYE reservation at BLT in the next week. Seems I have a stow away who will be making an appearance right around then.

Congratulations!

 

[Tinkerbell10403]

Aww congratulations!!!

 

[Lindabelle]

Wow! Congratulations. What a great reason to cancel for!

 

[Sandisw]

I don't know how far you might be down a waitlist, but DH and I will be cancelling our NYE reservation at BLT in the next week. Seems I have a stow away who will be making an appearance right around then.

Congratulations!!! If you have to cancel a NYE stay at BLT, I would say that is one of the best and most exciting reasons to have to do so!!!!