Do you "take what you can get" past the 7 month mark point? Or keep trying & waitlist

[BLTLDZ]

Just curious as to the responses.

I recently reserved two BLT (our home resort ) SV studios for Dec 2nd-9th....We had a change of plans, and cancelled , and then tried to add on to our 4 night BWV reservation that we got at 7 months for october..
our new dates are 10/16-10/24.

The first four nights are at SSR, which was all we could get, then the last 4 at BWV. We are waitlisted for the first four nights for BWV as well.

I called MS twice to see if anything else was available other than SSR. Since then, I of course have started palanning ADR's & such, to which the first few nights will include DTD events .

Of course, I keep ping-ponging with all of the hypothetical scenarios! "What about AK, that might be cool" BUT "the thought of SSR again sounds cool too " then "but now I am basing ressies off of location" ARGH...I am making myself crazy as usual! HOw do you all handle this, or am I the only nut??

So, my question is: Do you accept the way it is, or keep trying to switch?? I guess I overthink it all too much....

 

[vicki_c]

If there's somewhere I really want to stay, I put in the waitlist and keep it going until 30 days out. I have had probably 4 trips with waitlists involved and I think they have all come through.

It does make it tough for planning though - I did juggle some dining reservations around after a waitlist came through last trip because our new location made them less convenient.

Last trip, we called late and it was for Easter, so we took what we could get the most days for - although even for that we had to waitlist a day in the middle (which came through). I didn't want to book 3 days one place, waitlist in the middle, 3 days different place with another waitlist - it just was going to be too complicated.

We have enjoyed every DVC we have stayed in - and that is all except OKW and BLT, and I plan on trying them someday too.

 

[Mjkre]

I am currenlty wondering the same thing about myself, so I can totally relate! We have a 5 night reservation for AKV in late November, followed by a 3 night stay at SSR. We have stayed at SSR and loved it. We have never stayed at AKV and I am having mixed emotions. I am currenlty waitlisted for the last 3 nights to stay the whole time at AKV.

But will I like at AKV? As much as I hate to unpack/pack/unpack/pack senario, I wonder if we are better off having that "out" at the end of our stay where we know at least we will be ending our stay at a resort we like with food options and a pool we like near DDT which we like! Should I just leave well enough alone and forget trying the waitlist?

Then I think, maybe I should just stop obsessing and focus on some slightly more important issues in life...

 

[Sandisw]

So far, we have been lucky and gotten what we wanted--of course, we have only done 3 DVC stays so far!

But, I would probably keep trying since I am pretty particular in where I want to be and if it wasn't available, I would want to give it as much time as possible.

Good luck!

 

[DisneyOHFan]

We always book, get wait listed and hold our breath and it has always paid off. Even at Christmas.

 

[JWG]

I'm a wait lister...
Just made a reservation today for 10/15 at OKW as we decided to add a day on to the start of our stay (originally 10/16). We're waitlisted for BWV SV (as it's the same points) and will hope it comes through. I'd rather change rooms at the same resort then have to change resorts.

We also have a SV Studio at BLT on 10/23 and 10/24 but are waitlisted for a 1BR lake view. We just added on, so had a few extra points available to use for our trip as it came loaded with banked points that would otherwise expire.

 

[crisi]

I'm not a waitlister. We seldom even switch at seven months. We make our reservations at home eleven months out. When we DO switch, we make a list of what we'd rather switch to other than home. If its available we switch, if not, we stay home.

The one time we booked less than seven months out, we took the first room on our "priority list" that was available.

I want to know where I'm staying for sure. Its less anxiety. I can put all those "what ifs" to rest and just make my ADRs and plans around where I know I'll be. And since we love our home resort, getting "stuck" there is fine.

 

[rentayenta]

We've only done 3 DVC stays too: GCV, AKV, and OKW; all obtained at the 7 month mark. I did try to put in for GCV for last November but only about 30 days prior and it never came through comepletely. We asked for 3 nights and got the first and last but never the middle so we bagged it.

 

[bobbiwoz]

Usually I book what I want at the 11 month mark. However, this year we bought HH points with banked points and no time to get there for this UY and so, we've been booking quite a few stays at 7 months. For October, I booked SSR 2 bedroom and waitlisted for the THV and that came through. At 7 months for September, I had to book standard at Jambo, waitlisted for value and that came through. I have some January booking to do, and I'm hoping for BLT 2 bedroom dedicated. We don't own at BLT, so we couldn't book at 11 months anyway. So, I waitlist and hope. Soon I'll be booking primarily our homes and this 7 month booking will be behind me.

Bobbi

 

[TisBit]

I do both...if I want to try something else, I will waitlist it just for kicks. My ADR's are seldom based on my resort (they are usually at a resort I don't mind traveling to or at a park anway).

One of our home resorts is SSR and the other BLT. I haven't stayed at BLT yet or VWL...those are the last two that I really want to try (OKW isn't high on my list, since it is similar to SSR). For me SSR is just fine, I like the proximity to DTD, etc. I have waitlisted for both BLT and VWL for our upcoming trip, but if it hasn't come through by July, I will just cancel the waitlist and stay put.

 

[Breyean]

Our last big trip to DW was for the marathon in 2010. OKW is our home resort (since 1993) and we booked that for 9 nights at the 11 month window.

Then at 7 months, I waitlisted the AKV and the BLT, each for a few nights after the race weekend.

We wound up getting both - SV and MK view, each a 1 bedroom, for 3 nights at AKV and 2 at BLT.

So we KNEW we had our place to stay if we were "forced" to remain at OKW, but this way we got to try out some other resorts if we got lucky, which we did.

It was fun. Packing up (well, maybe not that part) and leaving one resort in am, spending the day in the parks, then getting on a bus to a whole new adventure, the new resort, in the pm.

 

[childsplay]

I just call, see what is available at the time and lock down our reservations. I've never even considered using the waitlist, and I don't really even know why, it's not like I'm "anti-waitlist", I guess its more that I've never been "stuck" with something that I felt I needed to try and waitlist out of, if that makes sense.

 

[Terri O]

We have never wait listed. If we book more than 7 months out, we will book at our home resort. If we want to go someplace else, I will call back at the 7 month mark to see what is available and then cancel the first reservations and rebook. AS for scheduling dining, we never schedule based on our resorts, we plan that based on the places we like and what parks we plan to be in that day.

 

[ppjluvsdvc]

When we first joined I never wait listed and made my reservations at the eleven month mark. Now we don't always know that far in advance and so we now do the wait list. I book for where I can get and wait list for where I really want to be. So far we have had great luck getting what we want. Good luck!

 

[missycj96]

I do both. I book what I can get for dvc and also waitlist and call. twice on last minute trips I have booked a room a pop, waitlisted and also called each day. Both of those times I ended up in an AKV studio (value and standard Jambo) and cancelled pop.

 

[CarolMN]

I only switched at 7 months once - to try out BLT I had to waitlist & was lucky to get it, since I was waiting for a standard view. Even so, BLT Standard View cost more than the BWV Preferred Views!

I usually book a standard view at BWV at 11 months and keep it. It's very hard for me to pay more points to give up that great location. I'm glad we tried BLT, but have no desire to do it again.

Since the reallocation, even OKW is more points for a 1 bedroom for the times we prefer to visit. That surprised me. But it's convinced me more than ever that the SV villas at BWV are a great bargain!

 

[notaclue]

Don't mean to hijack your thread but I have a question.....can I make a ressie at say SSR and be waitlisted for the same dates at BCV? I can't ever manage to get BCV cause it's not my home resort. TIA

 

[TisBit]

Don't mean to hijack your thread but I have a question.....can I make a ressie at say SSR and be waitlisted for the same dates at BCV? I can't ever manage to get BCV cause it's not my home resort. TIA

That is actually the most common reason for a waitlist, to try a different resort at the 7 month mark. If your waitlist comes through, they cancel your first reservation and book the new resort.

 

[DenLo]

. . . . .

So, my question is: Do you accept the way it is, or keep trying to switch?? I guess I overthink it all too much....

I see no harm in continuing to do a WL. Maybe you'll luck out.

I only switched at 7 months once - to try out BLT I had to waitlist & was lucky to get it, since I was waiting for a standard view. Even so, BLT Standard View cost more than the BWV Preferred Views!

I'm surprised to hear that Carol, because when I look the 2011 and 2012 points charts, a BLT standard view studio is always cheaper than a Preferred view at BWV. And a standard view 1 BR is cheaper at BLT for all seasons except for the Magic Season. However, you are correct that 2BRs are always higher. You can definitely spend more points at BLT overall. Maybe the point difference has improved for some of the villas with the point reallocations.

 

[CarolMN]

.......(snip).....I'm surprised to hear that Carol, because when I look the 2011 and 2012 points charts, a BLT standard view studio is always cheaper than a Preferred view at BWV. And a standard view 1 BR is cheaper at BLT for all seasons except for the Magic Season. However, you are correct that 2BRs are always higher. You can definitely spend more points at BLT overall. Maybe the point difference has improved for some of the villas with the point reallocations.

I was surprised, too.

Stayed the week after Thanksgiving in 2009. At that time, a week in Adventure season at BLT in a SV cost 202 points. A PV at BWV cost 200. Choice season was 216 (BLT SV 1B) and 214 (BWV PV 1 B).

It's not true now, but it was then. Now a week in Adventure season at BLT SV 1B is 194 and for a PV 1B at BWV, it's 202. So a little more than a point per night extra for a Boardwalk view.