Cash nights at DVC on weekends

[JerJan]

OK...I know this has been asked...but I can't find the answer. So if you "EXPERTS" could please help me I'd really appreciate it.

Let's say I want to book a 2 bedroom at OKW on 12/16 & 12/17/05 Friday and Saturday nights. The points required are 56 points each night, total for 2 nights a whooping 112 points! If I rent these points for $10.00 per point ($1120.00) and pay cash instead won't I make out a HECK of a lot better?

Now say I do rent the points and I have this at a cash rate and I'm on a waitlist for the one night prior and the 2 nights after for the same 2 bedroom at the same resort and the waitlist doesn't come through can I cancel the cash ressie and get a full refund or am I "OUT OF LUCK" and stuck with the room that I paid cash for?

Also does anyone have any idea of roughly what a 2 bedroom villa at OKW goes for on a weekend in December for cash?

Can you use some points and some cash for the same night ?

Thanks!

 

[DebbieB]

You can cancel a cash reservation up to 6 days before. If you book through member services, they do not charge a deposit, they just take your credit card # as a guarantee. If you cancel 5 days or less, they charge one night. The member discount would be 25% off, subject to availability. Looks like the regular rate is $490 plus tax (11.5%), so take that x .75. You cannot combine cash and points for the same night.

 

[Cruelladeville]

OKW in December goes for about $560 a night, but that price can be higher or lower, depending upon when in December you are asking about. I gave you the member discounted price, but that isn't always available. There is also an AP rate, also not always available, which costs about $370 per night. Usually, you would reserve all your nights on pts at the 11 month window, and then begin calling about the weekend nights to see when the member discount comes thru. AP rates only become availale in the fall. Obviously, once you cancel the weekend, you get your pts back. Then you keep calling to see which rates are the lowest.

I have often used my pts in the manner you mentioned. If the difference is significant, I will always use cash for the weekends, and pts for the weekdays. sometimes there is no availability at your resort. To get the best deal, you may need cash at one of the other hotels. I got concierge level at AKL at $401 per night this summer, when the pts were 56 pts at OKW, so I was ok with moving for the last two nights of my stay.

 

[Mary Anne]

Ok Let me see if I understand this.

I can book a room For a Saturday night using cash, they will not charge me for this till I actually check in or unless I cancel with less then 5 days? Up to that point I can cancel and not have to put the $$ up front.

Now my question is, if I'm doing this during the holiday season, I'm going to be calling day by day to book so I know I'll have Dec 24 - 29th, Sun to Thurs night on points. When do I book the Sat Dec 23, up front the first day when I make day 1 of reservation, or wait till I have all my DVC nights booked (I'm thinking of 2006 fyi)?

Also if I then change my DVC hotel from say from BWV to VWL at the 7 month mark (assuming I can get VWL then) will I still be able to get the Sat night with a DVC 25% Member Discount paying cash? I'm not 100% sure I even want to change just thinking out loud.

 

[Deb & Bill]

You can only get the Member discount when it is available. It is not always available. It's only available if they don't think the room can be gotten on points first. Busy times will be difficult to get cash nights on DVC member discount.

 

[Mary Anne]

I've found that out today, I had two friends trying to get a member discount one in December and one in February, both busy holiday weeks. Neither one of them could get it. I'm thinking I'm not going to have an easy time trying to get the 23rd of December in 2006 either.

Do you think it's a possibilty that as you get closer to the time that the cash discount rooms will open up or it's pretty much decided from the get go if they are going to be cash discounted.

 

[CarolMN]

I've found that out today, I had two friends trying to get a member discount one in December and one in February, both busy holiday weeks. Neither one of them could get it. I'm thinking I'm not going to have an easy time trying to get the 23rd of December in 2006 either.

Do you think it's a possibilty that as you get closer to the time that the cash discount rooms will open up or it's pretty much decided from the get go if they are going to be cash discounted.

It's possible, but not likely. To expand on what Deb & Bill alrady posted -

The cash rooms booked through MS (even if not with a member discount) come from the points inventory. MS will only allow that if it is determined that not all of the rooms available (in that size, category and for the date) will not be booked for points. No one here knows what "formula" they use to make th edtermination, but I'd guess it has soemthing to do with historical data and trends.

Anyway, sometimes they know quite a ways ahead of time and sometimes they must wait and see. They may also choose to send those nights to CRO (as a result of member trades). The general public wants the weekend nights more than the weekday nights.

So do you have a chance later? Sure. Is it a good one? Don't know, but if it were me, I'd have a back up plan if I needed lodgin for that night.

Best wishe s-