Do I have to stay at home resort?

[disneybound2]

If I buy into 1 resort, do I always have to stay at that resort or can I stay at different ones each trip?

 

[ToddyLu]

The resort that you buy is called you "home resort". DVC owners book the trips they want at their home resort 11 months out. If they want to stay at another resort then you wait until your 7 months out to book at any of the other resorts. You home resort gives you a 4 month advantage over other owners. Some rooms are very hard to get, like AKV club level and BW at the Food and Wine festival time. Usually you can always get a roon a SSR since it has the most rooms and AKV is easier due to the amount of rooms. Beach Club is harder to get at 7 months because it is smaller and has Storm a Long Bay swimming pool. We own 210 points at AKV....at 7 months we can book elsewhere, if nothing is available we can go on a waitlist but we always have a choice at AKV. So you want to purchase DVC at a resort that you love just in case you do not get your 7 month wish.

 

[Donald is #1]

No you do not have to stay at your home resort. However, you do get a booking advantage at your home resort. You can book your home resort at 11 months prior to the trip and you can book the other resorts at 7 months. So, if you want to try a different resort, then I recommend booking your home resort at 11 months and then switch it to another resort at 7 months. That way you will have a reservation if the other resort isn't available.

Also, please be aware that there are times of the year where booking at 7 months can be extremely difficult and it may be impossible for some of the resorts. For example, the begining of December is extremely hard to book at 7 months because it is so popular.

 

[J and R's mom]

We bought into DVC in 2003 at SSR. So far we have stayed at BCV (2 times), BWV (4 times) and VWL (1 time) using our points. We have not stayed at our home resort--SSR--yet (but might on one of our future trips).

 

[Sandisw]

That is one of the great things about DVC. You have the flexibility of trying out all the DVC resorts.

If you have one that you think you want to stay at the most, then that is where you should consider buying your points to make it your "home resort", especially if you want to travel during peak DVC times (Dec, Oct for Food & Wine).

As others have said, you get a booking advantage to book rooms at your home resort over other DVC owners who own elsewhere. There are some rooms that are difficult to book at the 7 month window, like Boardwalk and Standard View at BWV, VWL at Christmas, AKV concierge. If any of these are of interest to you, consider that in your decision to pick a home resort.

DVC works best for those that plan well in advance. If you can't book trips before the 7 month window, when all resorts are open for reservations to all owners, then where you own your points is less important as you will be subject to what is available.

Good luck!!

 

[Jason@dvcstore]

We bought into DVC in 2003 at SSR. So far we have stayed at BCV (2 times), BWV (4 times) and VWL (1 time) using our points. We have not stayed at our home resort--SSR--yet (but might on one of our future trips).

Would you mind sharing how far in advance you typically make your reservations. I think it might help those that are thinking they need to buy where they want to stay.

Jason

 

[bwvBound]

Would you mind sharing how far in advance you typically make your reservations. I think it might help those that are thinking they need to buy where they want to stay.

Jason

Our story is similar that of J and R's Mom: We purchased SSR in May 2004 and haven't yet stayed at our home resort. Our DVC stays include:

• Vero Beach studio for 2 nights near Labor Day, 2004. We booked "same day" while vacationing in Pompano Beach on an RCI Bonus Week.
• Boardwalk Villas 1BR for stays in January 2006, 2007, 2008 and 2009. Each stay was booked 7 months out. Most stays were 7-10 nights in a Boardwalk View unit. One or two reservations were shorter stays added to II exchanges into BWV Preferred view units.
• Old Key West studio for 2 nights in January 2007. These two nights were added behind our BWV stay and booked ~5 months prior to travel when we discovered the need to bridge time between BWV and a cruise from Miami.
• Animal Kingdom Lodge 1BR Concierge for 2 nights in January 2008. These two nights were added behind our BWV stay and booked the first day non-AKV owners were permitted and able to book AKV. (Specifically they were booked on the second day the window opened as the computers had crashed on the first day.)
• Grand California Hotel, hotel unit for 3 nights over Memorial Day weekend 2008. This was booked somewhere between 30 - 45 days prior to travel. (I think I phoned sometime April 2008 for travel in May 2008 after learning of a special DVC Member event planned for Memorial Day weekend.)
• Wilderness Lodge studio for 2 nights in January 2010. These two nights are added just before our annual conference stay at BWV and were booked 7 months out.

While I've booked and rented a few SSR reservations to friends and family, I am looking forward to my first ever stay at SSR this coming December with 7 nights in a Treehouse Villa. Hoping for an 8th night if the waitlist succeeds! Our Treehouse was booked within 30 minutes of the first day Treehouse reservations were opened for SSR owners.

 

[Anthony1971]

Although I doubt (and hope) this will ever be enforced and maybe where the this question comes from: as per the DVC contracts you are guaranteed to able to stay at your home resort only in other words DVC does not have to include any future resorts in the program and it could at some point only allow you to stay at the resort from which you own the timeshare.

 

[SpoiledDisFam]

We have never stayed at our home resort (SSR) either but then we have only used it at WDW once, OKW and the rest at the DLH.

 

[J and R's mom]

We bought into DVC in 2003 at SSR. So far we have stayed at BCV (2 times), BWV (4 times) and VWL (1 time) using our points. We have not stayed at our home resort--SSR--yet (but might on one of our future trips).

Would you mind sharing how far in advance you typically make your reservations. I think it might help those that are thinking they need to buy where they want to stay.

Jason

Sure thing.

1st visit as DVC members--BCV(2br)--12/4/05 (5 nights)--Waitlisted for a dedicated 2br with queen beds at 7 months out--came through 1 month later

2nd visit--BWV (Boardwalk view-studio)--2/2/2006 (3 nights)--booked 3 weeks out from our arrival date

3rd visit--BWV (Boardwalk view-1br)--5/12/2006 (3 nights)--booked 2 months out from arrival date

4th visit--BWV (Boardwalk view-2br)--11/19/2006 (5 nights)--booked 7 months out--can't remember if I had to waitlist or not

5th visit--BWV (Standard view-2br)--12/9/2007 (5 nights)--waitlisted 7 months out--came through 2 months later

6th visit--VWL(1br)--3/22/2009 (6 nights)--booked six months out from arrival date--available when I called--no waitlist

7th visit--BCV(studio)--3/21/2010 (6 nights)--booked 7 months out--available when I called--no waitlist