Christmas at SSR? No Availability Really??

[Cmbar]

OK, my husband has a co worker who is a DVC SSR owner. They were discussing the 11 month booking rules and this guy said that he called at 11 months to get the week of Christmas at SSR and could not get it. Now I do not know if he called on day 1 of his SSR window, but he said 11 months. IS this really possible. Wouldn't this mean that every SSR owner would have booked Christmas week for there to be nothing available since no one else can book? Not sure if he was looking for a Studio or 1 bedroom, but really is this possible? My DH thinks if you can't get into SSR which is HUGE for Christmas week as a DVC owner at SSR then you aren't going to have much luck in the other resorts either. Do they sell out on the first day? I just can fathom this being a possibility!

Do you think this is the norm?

 

[paults]

that's hard to believe

 

[vicki_c]

I agree it seems suspect. Any chance he was trying for a Grand Villa? That's the only way I could see that possibly happening. Especially if he was trying to arrive on Christmas or the day after -- only thinking about people coming in before the holiday itself that might have already booked a whole week.

But again, for anything other than a GV, that seems very unlikely, IMO.

And just to add -- we booked 8 nights in a Beach Club Villas 1 BR at 7 months out last year for the dates December 21-29, without issue.

 

[Starr W.]

I had absolutely no problem booking a Grand Villa at SSR for Thanksgiving. But I was on the phone right at 11 months at 9am!

I know Tomandrobin go to SSR every yr for NYE and never have had a problem booking.

 

[castleri]

BOOKED A 2br for 12/27-1/1 on 1/27 so there were rooms available then which was the 11 month window. Am on the waitlist for a treehouse for the same dates as I forgot to call on the day those reservations opened. hoping some more of them will be declared into inventory before too long so maybe some of the waitlists will be filled.

 

[PamOKW]

It's possible that the day he called exactly what he wanted wasn't available. It's also possible he could call tomorrow and get what he wanted. Many people do go year after year for Christmas and book right away. But plans change over the course of time and things free up well before Christmas. It is usually trickiest to get 12/31 as folks within driving distance may come for just that night

 

[nunzia]

OK, my husband has a co worker who is a DVC SSR owner. They were discussing the 11 month booking rules and this guy said that he called at 11 months to get the week of Christmas at SSR and could not get it. Now I do not know if he called on day 1 of his SSR window, but he said 11 months. IS this really possible. Wouldn't this mean that every SSR owner would have booked Christmas week for there to be nothing available since no one else can book? Not sure if he was looking for a Studio or 1 bedroom, but really is this possible? My DH thinks if you can't get into SSR which is HUGE for Christmas week as a DVC owner at SSR then you aren't going to have much luck in the other resorts either. Do they sell out on the first day? I just can fathom this being a possibility!

Do you think this is the norm?

I am trying to understand the statement highlighted. If the OP thinks that EVERY SSR owner would need to book to sell out, she may not understand how DVC works..so..if that's the case, not EVERY SSR owner, just enough owners to fill every room. Since DVC sells enough points for the whole year of use (not a specific week like other timeshares) all SSR owners could be competing for rooms for a specific high visit week.

 

[Cmbar]

I am trying to understand the statement highlighted. If the OP thinks that EVERY SSR owner would need to book to sell out, she may not understand how DVC works..so..if that's the case, not EVERY SSR owner, just enough owners to fill every room. Since DVC sells enough points for the whole year of use (not a specific week like other timeshares) all SSR owners could be competing for rooms for a specific high visit week.

Yep thats the part I don't understand. I don't understand how many points are sold at a resort based on the resorts occupancy. So knowing that SSR has a very large volume of rooms, I was confused as to how many SSR members would have been able to book that week. But now thinking about it, it seems that SSR owners would be competing with a larger NUMBER of owners for the same week, since there is so many SSR owners. SO does that mean that BCV with a small ownership (and small resort) would have a better or worse chance of getting Christmas week at their home resort than a SSR owner would?? Just confused on this.. sorry!

 

[crisi]

Yep thats the part I don't understand. I don't understand how many points are sold at a resort based on the resorts occupancy. So knowing that SSR has a very large volume of rooms, I was confused as to how many SSR members would have been able to book that week. But now thinking about it, it seems that SSR owners would be competing with a larger NUMBER of owners for the same week, since there is so many SSR owners. SO does that mean that BCV with a small ownership (and small resort) would have a better or worse chance of getting Christmas week at their home resort than a SSR owner would?? Just confused on this.. sorry!

If you look at it very generally, ignorning variation in point values at times of year and that some people own LOTS of points.

There are 52 weeks in a year. DVC sold enough points to fill the resort every day of the year (a little less, but this is really general), if everyone owned a weeks worth of points and all weeks were of equal value 1/52 - or about 2% -of the owners would fill any given week.

It isn't inconcievable that 5% of the owners want Christmas week - leaving 3% unhappy. Its even more reasonable that the rooms would be completed booked when you start talking about Grand Villas which are a small proportion of the rooms, but have pretty high demand for those holiday weeks.

 

[kaelarad]

I just booked our home resort (BWV) yesterday for Christmas week with no problem. Friends who going with us are SSR owners and were able to the same yesterday. Now we both booked studios, but I find it hard to believe that SSR has no availablility. I would also be curious to know what they tried to book.

 

[Cmbar]

If you look at it very generally, ignorning variation in point values at times of year and that some people own LOTS of points.

There are 52 weeks in a year. DVC sold enough points to fill the resort every day of the year (a little less, but this is really general), if everyone owned a weeks worth of points and all weeks were of equal value 1/52 - or about 2% -of the owners would fill any given week.

It isn't inconcievable that 5% of the owners want Christmas week - leaving 3% unhappy. Its even more reasonable that the rooms would be completed booked when you start talking about Grand Villas which are a small proportion of the rooms, but have pretty high demand for those holiday weeks.

Thank you. That makes perfect sense!! So now the question is.... Does DVC LIMIT when you can travel. If I want to go Christmas each year it sounds like I would have a better chance going and booking directly with Disney at lets say the BC resort. Of course the price would be higher if I did that every year. One more thing to think about!

 

[castleri]

Thank you. That makes perfect sense!! So now the question is.... Does DVC LIMIT when you can travel. If I want to go Christmas each year it sounds like I would have a better chance going and booking directly with Disney at lets say the BC resort. Of course the price would be higher if I did that every year. One more thing to think about!

If you know you want to go every year at the same time you would be able to book at exactly the 11 month window and should be assured of getting a villa at your home resort.

 

[Caskbill]

Was your friend trying to book THV's at SSR? They are brand new, opening June 1st this year, and are very popular right now. According to the unofficial Resort Reservation Availability board here on the DIS, the THV's have been booked pretty heavy for Christmas already, but there are no reports at all of any of the other SSR villa categories having no availability.

 

[crisi]

Thank you. That makes perfect sense!! So now the question is.... Does DVC LIMIT when you can travel. If I want to go Christmas each year it sounds like I would have a better chance going and booking directly with Disney at lets say the BC resort. Of course the price would be higher if I did that every year. One more thing to think about!

No, DVC does not limit when you can travel. Christmas is a pretty expensive time points wise, and that discourages a lot of people. Rooms book fast over Christmas, but booking completely full right at eleven months would be unusual. If you can plan eleven months ahead, you can almost always get what you want - though there have been circumstances where you can't (New Years Eve at the Boardwalk with a Boardwalk View usually books by noon eleven months out).

 

[disneyelaine]

My experience was boardwalk view on NYE actually SOLD OUT by 9 20 am!!
This was last year, with the calling day by day rule.

 

[ldo]

I booked 2 studios at VWL (the smallest and one of the most popular DVC at Christmas) for the week prior to and including Christmas at 11 months with no problem. I also booked a studio at SSR for the week after Christmas, including NYE with no problem. I think you are pretty safe at the 8-11 month time frame for most of SSR.

 

[tjkraz]

There are something like 30,000 - 40,000 owners of Saratoga Springs but only about 400 Studio villas. So it would only take a tiny fraction of the membership booking at 11 months to fill up one particular unit size.

Still I find it hard to believe that even a single room class was full 11 months out.

Could be he called 11 months from the check OUT date as per the old booking policy. That would have put him a week or so behind others getting reservations. Or perhaps he was trying to book the Treehouses as others suggested.