December 16-24, 2017

[disneychik21]

Hello! We are starting the early planning process for our next big family trip. There are 6 adults, 1 adult child (10), and 3 children 7, 4, 2. We are are DVC members with our home resort being at Animal Kingdom Lodge. I know there will be no problem booking that at the 11 month window. However, our favorite resort in Boardwalk. We stay in a Grand Villa.

We just returned from our last all family trip. It was during Spring Break week in the middle of Flower and Garden. We were able to switch our resort from AKL to BWV at the 7 month window with no problem (this was with 4 of the grand villas being closed for refurbishment.

What do you think is the likelihood of us getting to switch to Boardwalk at the 7 month window. I tried to use the resort availability tool to look what the availability is for this Christmas is now and nothing is available, but that is at basically 5 months not 7. I feel like a lot can change within 2 months.

 

[disneynutz]

A BWV GV at 7 months will be a real challenge. Hope for the best but plan for the worse.

Bill

 

[drusba]

Probability extremely low to none for that high demand time of the year. For 2016, all the nights you want were gone for a BWV GV long before 7 months out (and all 6 GV's were available to reserve for that time period). Spring break times are low DVC demand times.

 

[crisi]

I think you were incredibly lucky last time, and likely snagged someone else's seven month cancellation. We own at BWV and booked a GV for August. I called a little late - like a week, managed to get the last villa for ten and a half months later tied up in my own browser session and unable to book it, and ended up calling member services and waiting for the session to clear.

 

[disneychik21]

I think you were incredibly lucky last time, and likely snagged someone else's seven month cancellation. We own at BWV and booked a GV for August. I called a little late - like a week, managed to get the last villa for ten and a half months later tied up in my own browser session and unable to book it, and ended up calling member services and waiting for the session to clear.

Actually, from watching the resort availability tool, it was open the entire time from 11 months to 7 months. I literally logged in and watched daily. Then in switch day, I was on the phone as soon as guest services opened (I even skipped breakfast duty at my school so I could call). Now, it didn't last throughout that day, but we got it right away in the morning. I was pretty obsessive about it.

What we've decided to do is book AKL at 11 months in a 2 br and a studio concierge level. That way if we don't get to switch, we still have something. I'm not saying that we aren't lucky and thankful to stay there and be at WDW, but we stay there every trip we go as a huge family and we are trying to spread out a little.

Our 1st choice is BWV. 2nd choice is BLT. 3rd choice is BCV (2 BR and a studio), 4th choice is WL (2 BR and a studio). We will try for all of them.

I really wish I could just buy more points at BWV. I own 3/4 of my points at AKL and 1/4 at BLT.

 

[monique5]

Good luck with that week for that resort.