DVC Hotels Availability

[rob191186]

Hi All,

Looking at DVC 100 point contact for AK. From the UK and we go to Disney once every 2 years (September or May) for between 2-3 weeks. Are any hotels better options for this length of stay? Really want to buy resale at AK but worried that when i go to book our 2-3 weeks stay, the availability may not be there for such a long holiday. I have read on these forums that SSR and OKW are always showing rooms at the 11 month window for this size of booking, but do all the others?

Thank you.

Rob

 

[i<3riviera]

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[davidl81]

Rob,
You can make DVC work in your case but it would be a little tricky. At 11 months out you can book 7 nights in a row. So in your case you book 7 nights in a row right at 11 months, then one week later you would make s separate reservation for another 7 nights in a row (now you have 14 nights), and repeat the process if you need more than 14 nights. After you have all of your reservations made just call DVC member services and have them combine them into one big stay.

You could likely get three weeks in a row if you waited and booked them all at once, but there could be a risk of a day or two not being there at AKV.

 

[poofyo101]

With AKV you will be fine.

 

[The Jackal]

The three largest resorts SSR, OKW and AKV/L have similar availability. Studios go the fastest, but if you own there it should not be a problem if you book 11-8 months out. Check out SkierPete’s thread here on availability. It’s not a guarantee, but a good idea what’s available.
https://www.disboards.com/threads/p...-bd-charts-september-2019-2-bd-added.3689931/

 

[RoseGold]

Big contracts have an advantage in DVC, because you can book a large reservation and walk it. I mean, they could change this tomorrow, but that's the current system.

Right now, the 11 month cutoff is Jul 27-Aug 2. Even the AK value studio is not booked for all of that. If you have a contract that can do this whole period and then walk it, you can do most anything at your home resort.

I would probably want to move resorts every week anyway, to change it up, and also because housekeeping is so infrequent in DVC.

September can be tight in DVC because it has a low point chart and is less crowded. For DVC, we call this fall frenzy.

Edit: Walking would be even easier from the UK because it isn't ridiculously early when reservations open!

 

[Marionnette]

Rob,
You can make DVC work in your case but it would be a little tricky. At 11 months out you can book 7 nights in a row. So in your case you book 7 nights in a row right at 11 months, then one week later you would make s separate reservation for another 7 nights in a row (now you have 14 nights), and repeat the process if you need more than 14 nights. After you have all of your reservations made just call DVC member services and have them combine them into one big stay.

You could likely get three weeks in a row if you waited and booked them all at once, but there could be a risk of a day or two not being there at AKV.

Actually, the OP can book 7 nights at 11 months out and the modify that reservation to add more nights in upcoming days.

For example:
Let's say he booked 7 nights for exactly 11 months from today (07/27 - 08/03).
On Sept 2, he could modify that reservation to cover 07/27 - 08/09.
On Sept 8, modify the reservation again to 07/27 - 08/15.
Finally, modify the reservation one last time on Sept. 10 to 07/27 - 08/17.
He now has three full weeks under one reservation and no need to call Member Services to merge them.

 

[crisi]

Also, he could just wait. Rooms at VAKL (except for those club and value rooms) are going to still be open at ten months.

Rob, almost all rooms are open at eleven months - and stay open for a few months - there are a few room types and/or times of year when that doesn't hold true - for instance, those VAKL club rooms are always hard to get, even at eleven months, year round. A BWV Standard View studio or two bedroom is hard to get at eleven months during Food and Wine, but you can usually book it ten months out for July.

DVC is designed to work at capacity, so by the time your trip happens, nearly every room in every resort will be booked. There might be a few rooms here and there. How fast that happens is a factor of room type, resort, and time of year - with that VAKL club room being gone at eleven months year round (unless you get lucky) and an SSR one bedroom in February often being available to book for a truly last minute trip. At seven months, when people can book their non home resorts, there is usually a rush of bookings - particularly at higher demand resorts. But, unless you are constantly looking for one of those few high demand rooms, if you can book eleven months out, you'll be fine with any choice.

 

[JETSDAD]

Big contracts have an advantage in DVC, because you can book a large reservation and walk it. I mean, they could change this tomorrow, but that's the current system.

Right now, the 11 month cutoff is Jul 27-Aug 2. Even the AK value studio is not booked for all of that. If you have a contract that can do this whole period and then walk it, you can do most anything at your home resort.

I would probably want to move resorts every week anyway, to change it up, and also because housekeeping is so infrequent in DVC.

September can be tight in DVC because it has a low point chart and is less crowded. For DVC, we call this fall frenzy.

Edit: Walking would be even easier from the UK because it isn't ridiculously early when reservations open!

Having a large contract doesn't give an advantage to walking. Anyone who can book 2 days has the same ability to walk a reservation. The only difference is how often they have to modify but the maximum number of dates that you can wait before modifying is going to be 6 regardless so again the large contract won't help. The problem isn't having the ability to book a lot of days, it's getting the first day. The value studio may be available for a few days beyond the 11 month period but the first date is not available so the size of the contract is meaningless. Also, outside of getting the first reservation booked, time of day won't matter for walking.

 

[drusba]

Do not even think of buying AKV if your desire is to usually get AKV "value" or "club level," as those rooms have a risk of booking full within nanoseconds after the 11-month reservation window opens at 8:00 a.m. eastern. As to standard and savanna view rooms, those, like OKW and SSR, have all been open year round even when reserving somewhat past the 11-month window.

 

[RoseGold]

Having a large contract doesn't give an advantage to walking.

Walking a two day reservation is nothing like walking a 7. These rules could change, but them’s the current rules.

 

[JETSDAD]

Walking a two day reservation is nothing like walking a 7. These rules could change, but them’s the current rules.

It's exactly the same. Either way you have a room blocked off that nobody can book beyond. You then gradually move it to the dates you want.

 

[RoseGold]

It's exactly the same. Either way you have a room blocked off that nobody can book beyond. You then gradually move it to the dates you want.

It's not exactly the same. With a small contract, if you miss a day monkeying around at 8:02, it's game over. A big contract can keep adding a day or two until you get the full week spread. Big contract is much easier.

 

[Marionnette]

It's not exactly the same. With a small contract, if you miss a day monkeying around at 8:02, it's game over. A big contract can keep adding a day or two until you get the full week spread. Big contract is much easier.

I don’t think you understand walking. There’s no need to be online at exactly 8:00 AM to move your reservation forward. You have the entire day to do it.

 

[RoseGold]

There’s no need to be online at exactly 8:00 AM to move your reservation forward. You have the entire day to do it.

Please notify my VGC booking I tragically lost...

 

[Marionnette]

Please notify my VGC booking I tragically lost...

Do you own at VGC?

 

[RoseGold]

I did not make the current walking rules, and I can see them changing.

 

[Marionnette]

I did not make the current walking rules, and I can see them changing.

They haven’t changed after years of member complaints.

But you haven’t answered my question. Do you own at VGC? If not, then anyone who owns at VGC could have disrupted your walk. Walking at 7 months always carries that risk.

 

[JETSDAD]

Walking at 11 months doesn't require being online at 8AM. If you're talking about walking at 7 months then that can be interrupted by an owner whether you have 7 nights booked or 2. Neither can be stopped by a non-owner and both can be stopped at any point by owners. At 11 months it doesn't matter if someone has 1000 points and I only have enough points to book 2 nights. If I can get my foot in the door before them then I can keep walking and they can't stop me.