Dvc Christmas possible?

[NvDizz]

So assuming all goes well and we close by the middle of July will be able to find a 2br villa 12/21 to 12/26? Prefer animal kingdom because the lower point amounts. Any ideas would be extremely helpful.

 

[tjkraz]

Anything is possible but Saratoga Springs is the most likely destination.

If by low points you're referring to AKV Value, that will never happen. AKV Standard View is also a longshot.

Booking on short notice best approach is just to take whatever you can get. You will have several more decades to plan trips more carefully.

 

[NvDizz]

Really need a 2bed so I'll keep my fingers crossed and see what happens in July.

 

[DizDays]

As TJKraz said, take whatever resort you can (as long as they have the 2 bedroom you need), but know that you can wait list for what you want if you can't get it immediately.

 

[Deb & Bill]

And if you decide to waitlist another resort (if you get anything at all for those dates once you close), waitlist the most probable villa. Like SSR two bedroom. Or OKW non-Hospitality House Area two bedroom. Or maybe AKV Savanna two bedroom. You will only be able to waitlist two villas, so you want to make that waitlist the most likely villa to come through. Especially for the dates you want and the length of stay you want. Short stays (one or two days) are often easier to get than five te seven nights.

You are gambling that someone will cancel a reservation that is the same dates you need, the size villa you need in the resort you want. So improve your odds the best you can.

Otherwise, just wait for another Christmas time to book those dates when you can get that 11 month timeframe for booking.

 

[lugnut33]

I'm just going to throw this out there because it's what we are doing, and we are DVC members. We are spending Christmas at WDW this year (Dec. 22-30), but are renting a 3 bedroom town home that is a 5 minute drive from Animal Kingdom Lodge and it's only costing us $201 per night (total with taxes and everything). We did it 2 years ago and it was fabulous, plus it saves us from using our DVC points during the highest point season.

It's just an idea. I'll mention All Star Vacation Homes since they are a sponsor on the Dis, but we went through a different company that was a bit cheaper. Though 2 years ago we used All Star VH and the service was good.

 

[drusba]

The problem you will face is that the time you will be seeking is a very high DVC demand time and you will not be reserving until more than a month after the 7 month window opens when usually anything that might be left at most resorts goes quickly for that time of year. You will a good chance for SSR (other than treehouses) because that seems to be always open even as late as two months out (as it was for Easter time another high demand time). You might also be able to find OKW or AKV savanna or standard. There is really no chance for the lower point cost AKV value rooms which even during many slow times are gone before the 7 month window opens. And the chances at any of the near park resorts are slim to none.

 

[NvDizz]

The offer we made we receive around 300 pts to be used in 2012, some of which we'll bank into 2013 and the rest I wanted to use for a christmas trip. Does anyone know if I can reserve the room through regular booking and then change it to DVC after I close?

and thanks for all the help already

 

[Sammie]

The offer we made we receive around 300 pts to be used in 2012, some of which we'll bank into 2013 and the rest I wanted to use for a christmas trip. Does anyone know if I can reserve the room through regular booking and then change it to DVC after I close?

and thanks for all the help already

No you can't. Completely different inventory of rooms.

 

[tjkraz]

And also note that rooms available for cash bookings are typically not available to DVC members. As Sammie said, it's a separate inventory created by points that Disney itself owns or points that members have traded for Disney Cruises and other non-DVC destinations.

The fact that you see a room available to a cash guest has zero bearing on what members can book using points.

 

[lugnut33]

The offer we made we receive around 300 pts to be used in 2012, some of which we'll bank into 2013 and the rest I wanted to use for a christmas trip. Does anyone know if I can reserve the room through regular booking and then change it to DVC after I close?

and thanks for all the help already

Do the points have a Dec. use year? Remember, the points year runs from the use year month.

Also, I just did a quick check and a 2br at SSR is 227 (281 at BLT) points for the time you want to go. A general rule of thumb is $10 per point which would mean $2270 is what you're spending. As I indicated, your money is going to go much much farther at an off-site rental. We are doing 8 nights for $1608 total and it's 3 bedrooms. You can save those points for a longer vacation at a non peak time. Again, just an idea.

 

[NvDizz]

September issue, we usually will be traveling april-may and september so off peak for sure. We decided with receiving the extra points we'd use them to go for Christmas this year otherwise we wouldn't be going.

 

[Deb & Bill]

September issue, we usually will be traveling april-may and september so off peak for sure. We decided with receiving the extra points we'd use them to go for Christmas this year otherwise we wouldn't be going.

If you are purchasing a Sept Use Year contract, you are currently in your 2011 UY. The points you get on Sept 1 will be your 2012 UY. If you plan to use any 2011 UY points after August 31, 2012, you must bank them into the 2012 UY no later than April 30, 2012 (which you just passed). So any 2011 UY points must be used no later than Aug 31, 2012 or they will be lost.

 

[tjkraz]

If you are purchasing a Sept Use Year contract, you are currently in your 2011 UY. The points you get on Sept 1 will be your 2012 UY. If you plan to use any 2011 UY points after August 31, 2012, you must bank them into the 2012 UY no later than April 30, 2012 (which you just passed). So any 2011 UY points must be used no later than Aug 31, 2012 or they will be lost.

Agree.

If these "extra" points are from the 2011 (current) Use Year, they expire on 8/31/11 and can no longer be banked. They cannot be used for a December '12 trip.

If the points are for the 2012 Use Year, they are valid for stays between 9/1/12 and 8/31/13, and can also be banked forward to the next Use Year.

 

[NvDizz]

Already taken care of, they weren't banked, but the seller called and was able to bank them after the 4/30 deadline. Disney will let you bank points late ONE TIME and only one time, and yes I made sure it was in writing.