Fall/Early Winter Booking

[MollyMcDaniel]

We've been a DVC member for about 12 years now. We've only traveled during spring break and summer. We thought about surprising our daughter with a long October weekend. Nothing available, so Im assuming it's due to F&W festival. Should we take a chance and waitlist somewhere (BWV is our home resort) or forget about it? We would be flying so that's taking a big risk. Also, I checked another weekend in November....the one just prior to the election and everything is booked as well. Any chance of a long weekend at all in October or November? Thanks!

 

[com_op_2000]

Sorry, at this point in time - not much.
From mid-Sept till mid-Jan is DVC's heaviest book period. With F&W, MNSSHP, cooler weather, Columbus Week off in the northern states, and other new items that Disney keeps adding it is getting very hard to book anything at less than 7 months out.

 

[LisaS]

If you haven't spotted it already, you might want to look at the "October Waitlist Support Group" thread: http://www.disboards.com/threads/october-waitlist-support-group.3497699/

 

[KAT4DISNEY]

I'd waitlist but wouldn't buy the airline tickets until something comes thru. And check the availability tool periodically. People do cancel. If you get your waitlist then you can check airfare and see if you still want to do it. Another option is to rent out your points and take the cash and book a room thru CRO.

 

[Brian Noble]

hould we take a chance and waitlist somewhere (BWV is our home resort) or forget about it? We would be flying so that's taking a big risk.

Get on the waitlist, but don't buy airfare just yet. You've got a lot of time, and can wait as late as August for most airlines to still get decent prices.

 

[bobbiwoz]

I would also get on a waitlist. I wouldn't give up in April for an Early November trip! Best wishes!

 

[3 Hobbits 2 Disney]

Or try a non-home resort.

 

[_auroraborealis_]

October and November have been brutal this year.

 

[rocketriter]

...Should we take a chance and waitlist somewhere (BWV is our home resort) or forget about it?...

If you have any flexibility, DVC member services should be able to help. Booking online for late October, I hit one roadblock after another--days missing, resorts we'd rather not stay at etc. But the live human on the phone was able to scan forward in the calendar and find exactly what I wanted.

 

[lolakat]

The fall is getting so tough. My friends who are not DVC wanted to take a week long trip in late OCT and could not get into any hotel on the monorail or BC/YC/BW. My dining reservation window opened Saturday and many popular options were already booked up at midnight by folks staying the full week. I go every year at this time and the crowds have grown exponentially over the last 3-5 years.

 

[drusba]

This is not anything new. The period from late Sep to marathon weekend in Jan is DVC's high to extremely high demand quarter of the year. At 7 months out and seeking a studio for a weekend, you can usually get SSR (except for that weekend just before the election), sometimes AKV or OKW, but not others. You might try getting on two waitlists if you want a near-park resort, likely one for BWV pool/garden view or BLT lake view, both having a lot of rooms and thus a higher chance than a number of others of coming through. Do not buy flights until you have a reservation.

As to choosing which weekends in Oct or Nov, be aware that the Nov weekend that is just before the election, which weekend has the Wine & Dine half marathon, is the highest DVC demand weekend of the year, one in which even SSR studios can disappear before 7 months out. Close behind in weekend demand is Columbus Day weekend and the weekend immediately after Columbus Day, and the one that begins with Veterans Day which is also the last weekend of Food & Wine. The other weekends in Oct and Nov have demand somewhat behind those but still strong.