Do most DVC members know their exact dates or go based on availability?

[disprincess2213]

Was just wondering if most DVC members know the exact dates they will be going each year in order to book at the 11 month window, or do you go based on what is available?

We bought into DVC knowing we would rarely ever book at 11 months out and are happy doing split stays and staying at any of the resorts multiple times a year. Are we in the minority of people who don't plan at 11 months and will go based on what is available for what we want?

 

[VrBchJ]

I go to Food and Wine every Oct. I make my BWV std view studio reservations at exactly 11 months. I go either the first or second week of Dec. and usually do a split stay between BWV and BLT. I make those reservations at exactly 11 months so I get std views at both. For Flower and Garden I'm more flexible and I'm not so concerned with booking at 11 months. Everyone has different priorities. I want to stay where I want to stay and that's my priority.

 

[magicaldisney]

We are still in the non flexible stage due to school schedules so we know are exact dates and book accordingly. However, I don't think you are the minority. I think many members are flexible with their dates.

 

[Tinkerdreams]

Definitely depends on the time of year. For the first 2 weeks of December, I book at 11 months. If we are going for F&W fest, I'll book at 7 months.

I've yet to do a spontaneous trip. I would like to do one of those when the airlines offers their special $59/each way fare and then see if I can get a ressie.

 

[com_op_2000]

We have been every year since '93 the 2nd week of Dec and make that reservation at 11 months out. Then "see" if we want to change at 7 months.
We have booked at 11 months for special trips anniversaries, DGS birthdays, family get-togthers, etc.
Most other times are more go with what is available and booking after the 7 months window.
Even late minute reservations (IE: at DTD for the day-call and book that night).

 

[zavandor]

I'd say half and half.
Next year I'll go from 1/2 to 1/14 for the marathon week end, but I also wanted to catch a bit of the holiday season to watch the Osborne lights and Christmas decorations at the MK, so the start date of the vacation was set in stone in advance to be there during the first week end of January.
When I went last year in September, I was more flexible with dates, so I could be able to get AKV Value.

 

[chalee94]

historically, i've made reservations at 10-11 months out looking for specific dates.

this year, i've switched a little and am using pts to add extra days to offsite trips (or the occasional short trip to HHI in the shoulder season.)

 

[DizBub]

We are about 70/30%. Most trips are planned right at 11/7 months depending on the resort.

But sometimes stuff happens and we have to rearrange or cancel outright and we have to try to squeeze a trip in relatively last minute. We have had some luck picking up confirmed reservations on the rent/trade board because there was no availability to use our own points. I love when that happens.

 

[bwvBound]

We do both "fixed date" and "flexible date" with our various timeshares. I'd guess the usage ratio is about 40% fixed / 60% flexible. Our fixed dates are tied to annual conferences, specific holidays with the family or the occasional 'RunDisney' event.

FWIW, I love combing through online inventory (DVC, Worldmark, RCI, II) and have often booked something just because it was sitting there. I guess the deal-shopping works both ways for me: sometimes I book air first and other times I book the timeshare first. It all depends.

 

[Simba's Mom]

For the F&W, we're running into that problem right now. We really want BCV, so we know that we need to book 11 months out. However, we're not sure year what week we'll be able to go next year. To further complicate things, we don't know yet who's going-me solo would mean a studio, but if DH goes we'll want a 1 BR (as they say, once you try a 1 BR, you'll never go back. Boy, that's so true for us!) So we just don't know what/when to reserve.

 

[seelyt2]

We book at either 11 months out for our home resort, or hope and pray at our 7 month window if we want to stay "away from home." Plus we book at the very moment our window opens, too, at 9 a.m. We always go the same time every year since we have teenagers in school and we try to miss as little of time as possible.

 

[DebbieB]

I know the dates I want and have been fortunate to always get what I wanted at either 11 months or 7 months. Next year I'm planning August 9 to 13 at VGC, that isn't flexible because it is before D23. A friend already booked PPH for the entire week so we have a backup if I can't get VGC for the first 4 nights. Then I plan Dec 5 to 11 at BWV.

 

[jstarcze]

I tend to go every May and November so I book at 11 months. But for a few of my stays I have rebooked at 7 months to stay at another non-home resort. My line of work forces me to plan into the future otherwise I might have scheduled something when I would have rather went to WDW.

 

[chainkid]

Most of the time I book exactly at 11 months out at BWV . If I want to try a new hard to get resort like VGF I check the tool and find when they have availability and book then. I have been able to try every DVC by using flexiblility but I always want BWV for my large trips and would never be happy staying anywhere else so book at exactly 11 months. You can't get standard view boardwalk view or grand villas if you wait till 7 months out during the popular DVC times and that is when i travel.

 

[bobbiwoz]

I usually book 10-11 months out, but not knowing when our move to FL will be has made this difficult. We thought for sure our Ohio house would have sold by now, so we planned this December accordingly. Well, we have to make 2 pretty expensive trips down to FL this year in December. I just do not know what to plan for next year.

 

[dianeschlicht]

We have been members for 17+ years and have always planned at least 11 months out. That's not to say we don't occasionally do "last minute" plans, but for us, "last minute " plans means less than 7 months ahead.

I'm one who prefers to stay at my two home resorts, but because I have far more points at one than i do the other one, I do occasionally book one at 11 months and change it to the other one at 7 months so I can use the same points.

 

[DougEMG]

Up until now we've always had to book around school holidays (summer and xmas) which meant we knew when we could go and booked those dates around 11 months out.

Next year we won't have a school schedule to have to worry about, but instead want to make sure we are there over Halloween, but are still going to book 11 months out.

 

[crisi]

Like others, we book our trips 11 months out. We've been known to switch resorts at seven, but its rare, we like our home (BWV).

 

[keishashadow]

My DH often doesn't know 'for sure' what weeks of vacation he will get until the end of March into April. Glad our UYs work out.

After getting shut out twice at @ BWI for F&W, have learned to 'guess' (same weeks in October & May) and pick non-popular weeks (early December & January) & book at 11 month window.

Last year we needed two weeks in May to cover a cruise and had to cancel our original DVC reservation in March when the right vacation weeks didn't come through. Luckily a WL came thru @ AK a month prior or we'd have been offsite and banking points.

We have been able to find accommodations in the summer for spur-of-the moment mini trips of a few days several times by being flexible.

 

[lovin'fl]

We do some of both. We know that August is the best time for family trips...just booked next Aug right at 11 month window to get AKV club level and BWV BW view. DH and I go next week for F&W and we booked that at 5.5 months out as we needed to make sure he could take time off work and we had someone to stay with our kids. We have been DVC since 2006 and have booked all of our trips 5-11 months out (probably an average of 7-8 months out) and we've used the waitlist 3 times (2 successful and 1 not but that one was made 2 weeks out from our trip next week) and have another WL going right now for Nov 21-22. We do hop around at all the resorts, do split stays and make resort changes often.