Direct relationship between DVC occupancy and park crowds?

[otterpop]

I was just curious...

I have a reservation for BWV next week (2/25 to 3/4) and I have been going online everyday for the last two weeks to see if there are any other rooms available. It looks like BWV is completely filled for those dates.

Does this mean that the parks will be crowded as well? The two crowd calendars that I have seen, have the parks around a 4 for most of next week....

Thanks!

 

[rmcildw2m]

If DVC resorts are full ,then be ready for some long lines . I don't think there are any slow times at disney any more unless its bad wheather out.

 

[zavandor]

I've read that the occupancy rate of DVC resorts is 95%. It means that smaller resorts like the Epcot resorts should be full or nearly full every day in the year. People have points to use, so they'll go during slow period as well, to stretch points due to low points charts, or just because they could not book their favorite period and must use points or loose them.
So, while DVC is always nearly full booked, parks can be more or less crowded. www.easywdw.com has a useful and free crowd calendar you can look at to see what to expect for parks crowds. It will also tell you which park is better to visit each day, to meet less crowds.

 

[disneynutz]

I agree, the DVC resorts will be full all year long by design. The crowd calendars are more accurate at indicating park crowds.

Bill

 

[drusba]

Other than SSR, DVC will usually fill or come close to it almost any time of year. There are lighter as opposed to heavier DVC demand times but the difference is usually in how long it takes for a resort to fill not whether it will. For example, December (all month) is a high demand time and by 7 months out much can be gone except SSR. Whereas for September (including labor day) which is a low demand time except for last couple days, you can find a lot still open at 7 and fewer months out including some things that are at other times very difficult to get at 7 months out (BLT MK view, Boardwalk standard and boardwalk view, AKV value). However, as you get closer and closer to a date the resorts will get fuller and fuller even for those slow times except that SSR (other than treehouses) seems to always be available (example, you can still get anything other than treehouses there for the high demand Easter weeks that are only 6 weeks away).

Also, DVC high demand time does not necessarily equate with WDW high demand time. Example is the first two weeks of Dec when DVC has one of its highest demand times of the year (lowest possible points but all Christmas decorations are up), and WDW itself has moderate to average demand. On the other end, mid-July to mid-Aug is a high WDW demand time with very large park crowds but one of the lower DVC demand times.

 

[supersuperwendy]

When we went last January DVC villas were totally sold out except for SSR...I called daily to try to switch and nothing was available.

But..the parks were dead!!! So I'm assuming DVC doesn't relate to park crowds.

 

[DebbieB]

I don't think WDW hotel occupancy always has a direct relationship to park crowds. Park crowds consist of WDW hotel guests, offsite hotel guests, people who live local. So even if the WDW hotels are close to full, there may not be many people staying offsite or people who live local coming. I think more people stay offsite during peak times, as well as locals coming to the parks.

 

[zavandor]

When we went last January DVC villas were totally sold out except for SSR...I called daily to try to switch and nothing was available.

How far in advance was you trying to change resort? Late January will be one of my preferred period to go to WDW and I would like to try different resorts, switching at 7 months. Would it be difficult?

 

[otterpop]

Thanks for all the responses. I was a little worried as this coming week has generally been a decent time to visit the parks (right after Presidents week and right before most of the Spring/Winter breaks hit). This is our second trip "home" and I'm still trying to understand how everything works.

It will be interesting to see what effect the "One More Disney Day" has on the crowds for next Wed/Thr.

Thanks again,

Evan

 

[Brian Noble]

Crowds have nothing to do with DVC occupancy, and very little to do with WDW Resort occupancy. The WDW resorts are more or less full no matter what time of year. The DVC resorts are even more likely to be fully occupied, no matter the season.

The real "swing factor" is how busy the *offsite* resorts are.

 

[KAT4DISNEY]

How far in advance was you trying to change resort? Late January will be one of my preferred period to go to WDW and I would like to try different resorts, switching at 7 months. Would it be difficult?

I went late January a couple of years ago and had a few options for resorts. That is generally not a difficult time to get a reservation at 7 months. The worst time in January is during the marathon weekend which is in the early part of the month. Last year I tried to go last minute but finally gave up on the weekend and went to Vero beach for a couple of nights instead. But that was trying at 30 days out - not 7 months.