First Time/DVC-Curious

[Sean81995]

If you travel in December, I think most would recommend that you have a UY just before your preferred travel period. For December travel, I personally would opt for an October UY just to open up the Halloween and Thanksgiving holidays, and in case you ever want to walk a December reservation beginning in November.

Nothing inherently wrong with a December UY, it's just that most of your UY occurs in the subsequent calendar year, which is confusing for me. I have a Feb UY which is of course the best, lol

Would I need to walk a one or two bedroom in Jambo house from before December if I want to travel around the December holidays? I really would hope not. (thinking of buying at Animal Kingdom if that wasn't clear). I live on the West Coast and although my infant wakes me up early, I normally don't wake up at 5 AM so hope that wouldn't be the case.

 

[tx911]

Would I need to walk a one or two bedroom in Jambo house from before December if I want to travel around the December holidays? I really would hope not. (thinking of buying at Animal Kingdom if that wasn't clear). I live on the West Coast and although my infant wakes me up early, I normally don't wake up at 5 AM so hope that wouldn't be the case.

I'm not much of a proponent of walking myself, but I would hope you wouldn't have to.
If you ever think you might want to come over Halloween or Thanksgiving, an October UY would open those up and still give you a pretty good situation for December too.

 

[intamin]

I think this is what I need (I hope)! So essentially, points are good to use for just less than 24 months from when they are administered, correct?

Assuming you bank them in time, yes.

 

[intamin]

Would I need to walk a one or two bedroom in Jambo house from before December if I want to travel around the December holidays? I really would hope not. (thinking of buying at Animal Kingdom if that wasn't clear). I live on the West Coast and although my infant wakes me up early, I normally don't wake up at 5 AM so hope that wouldn't be the case.

If you have a December use year and you're trying to travel in December you're pretty much not going to be able to walk it. At least not for a prolonged period of time anyways.

You can't start walking until you are 11 months out from the start of your use year. Meaning you wouldn't be able to start it until January of that year. I own a March use year at AKV, meaning I could technically start walking 9 months before you and take those rooms for early December/Christmas. Now do I think you need to do it for Jambo House at AKV? No. There is a lot of inventory at AKV. You should be able to get it 11 months out without walking.

Now if we were talking about booking a standard studio at say Boardwalk if I owned there where the room is actually competitive, then I absolutely would have an advantage over someone with a December UY when trying to book early December and would walk it the whole 9 months if I needed to to ensure I get the room.

 

[MerlinandtheMouse]

I think this is what I need (I hope)! So essentially, points are good to use for just less than 24 months from when they are administered, correct?

Technically, points have a usability window of nearly 36mos if you consider banking and borrowing abilities. But yes, I’d say the true window is about 24mos.

Would I need to walk a one or two bedroom in Jambo house from before December if I want to travel around the December holidays? I really would hope not. (thinking of buying at Animal Kingdom if that wasn't clear). I live on the West Coast and although my infant wakes me up early, I normally don't wake up at 5 AM so hope that wouldn't be the case.

If you’re planning your trip in the first 2 weeks of December, you might have to walk just because it’s such a popular time for DVC folk and AKV Jambo in particular is beloved around Christmas, but I agree with others that you’re probably fine. 1bdrms should still be ok at 11mos (but even that will mostly book up before 7mos during that time period) and 2bdrms also likely ok at 11mos but those will definitely go much faster than 1bdrms. If you’re going the last 2 weeks of December, I think your chances are a little better just because it’s when the Sorcerer pass is blocked and also it’s starts getting pretty point rich for those dates so it fills a little slower.

 

[boba_balla]

Sorry still pretty new to DVC lingo. What does it mean to “walk”?

 

[Chili327]

Sorry still pretty new to DVC lingo. What does it mean to “walk”?

It’s booking dates way ahead of your trip, and every morning adding a day to the end and removing a day from the beginning until you get to your desired dates. Because you can book a week in advance you get ahead of everyone trying to book the actual date.
Someone will probably explain it better. lol

 

[VGCgroupie]

Sorry still pretty new to DVC lingo. What does it mean to “walk”?

I had to search you tube to learn exactly how to do it and why its done, reading about it made my head spin. I like Pixie Dust PHD and The Magic in the Music. Both are no fluff and informational.

 

[boba_balla]

It’s booking dates way ahead of your trip, and every morning adding a day to the end and removing a day from the beginning until you get to your desired dates. Because you can book a week in advance you get ahead of everyone trying to book the actual date.
Someone will probably explain it better. lol

Oh wow didn’t realize people do that. Thanks for explaining that. Think I get the gist of it but will look up some examples on YouTube like VGCgroupie did.

 

[Sandisw]

Technically, points have a usability window of nearly 36mos if you consider banking and borrowing abilities. But yes, I’d say the true window is about 24mos.

If you’re planning your trip in the first 2 weeks of December, you might have to walk just because it’s such a popular time for DVC folk and AKV Jambo in particular is beloved around Christmas, but I agree with others that you’re probably fine. 1bdrms should still be ok at 11mos (but even that will mostly book up before 7mos during that time period) and 2bdrms also likely ok at 11mos but those will definitely go much faster than 1bdrms. If you’re going the last 2 weeks of December, I think your chances are a little better just because it’s when the Sorcerer pass is blocked and also it’s starts getting pretty point rich for those dates so it fills a little slower.

Points themselves do not have 36 months of use, While you can use banking snd borrowing to travel every three years, the individual sets of points csn never be used for more than 24 months.

Points csn br used during their UY and banked to give them an additional use UY of life.

Borrowing points actually shortens their use as you are moving them forward and once done, can’t br moved back.

 

[MerlinandtheMouse]

Points themselves do not have 36 months of use, While you can use banking snd borrowing to travel every three years, the individual sets of points csn never be used for more than 24 months.

Points csn br used during their UY and banked to give them an additional use UY of life.

Borrowing points actually shortens their use as you are moving them forward and once done, can’t br moved back.

Yeah you’re right, I guess what I meant was that you have 36mos worth of points you can technically use for use for 1 trip but that wasn’t the point of the OP’s question.

 

[Sean81995]

Thanks all. Next matter/hypothetical:

What happens if your air conditioner (or fridge, etc.) doesn't work midway through the trip? I know housekeeping only comes every few days, but does the staff relocate you to another room if they can't fix the problem right away? And what if there are no similar rooms available? Since this is a timeshare, I assume there are no hotel credits to be given, but are there theme park credits? Has anyone ever encountered a similar scenario?

 

[J&J]

Hi all, nice to e-meet everyone...

I'm looking into potentially purchasing a Disney Vacation Club contract. I've done a bunch of research, but am honestly not sure if it's right for me and would love some guidance. A bit about my situation: I have gone to Disney World several times when I was a kid (loved it) and am hoping to share similar experiences with my son, who's just an infant. My wife and I stayed at Animal Kingdom Lodge right after we got married 6 and a half years ago and loved it. I'm almost 40 and she's in her mid-30s. We live driving distance from Disneyland and would love to take some long weekend trips there, but the main reason I'm looking into purchasing is for WDW and the fact that our family is on the East Coast and would love to do some larger trips there in the coming years. Over the past 15 or so years, our work vacation windows have really been around the December holidays... and I imagine the kid will have that time off from school too. We hope to have another child if we're lucky, and one of the appeals of DVC from what I can see is the ability to stay in accommodations with multiple rooms/beds/bathrooms. Would really target 1- or 2-bedrooms for our stays.

As much as we love Disney, we don't want that to be our only type of vacation. Would think of doing a WDW trip every other year or every third year once the boy is 2 or 3 (clearly planning early here) and a short Disneyland trip perhaps in the years we don't go to WDW. Also maybe Aulani, which my wife and I have been to but prefer other Hawaiian vacations to. I also might want to sell the contract if the kids "grow out" of Disney/Marvel/Star Wars (a possibility, even though I never really did). In terms of preferred hotels at WDW, we love Animal Kingdom Lodge but also would love to try Grand Floridian and Wilderness Lodge. Would love to try Grand Californian as well (which I heard is tough to get into if you don't own directly there) and Disneyland Hotel out here.

Given all this information, I'd love advice on the following:

1. Does my situation sound like a match for DVC?
2. If so, and if I plan to stay late December, what resort might be a good buy given my preferences? Resale/direct, etc.?
3. How do banking and borrowing points work and how much flexibility is there with that? I imagine I'd do it a bunch if I bought in.
4. What tools are there that I can use to measure what kind of purchase can be a good buy for me?
5. I understand there is a 7-month booking window for hotels that aren't the home resort. Are there folks on here who know if 1- and 2-bedrooms are easy or hard to get at Animal Kingdom Lodge (Savannah view/ideally Jambo House), Wilderness Lodge (either section), Grand Floridian, Grand Californian, and Disneyland Hotel around the holidays?

Would appreciate any and all advice on this. Thank you!

We are owner of BW would i buy again no. Reason if you do not book as soon as the window opens then you have trouble,have we gotten our money worth yes. But must book first day of your 11 month window. We have booked at other DVC but 7 month out you go on a wait list. If you are flying that can be a problem. Pick your favorite park then choice your DVC hotel, you will not be sorry.

 

[2010dvcfan]

Someone who lives driving distance from Disneyland is not going to use DVC only once every 3 years.

Especially if they already enjoy Disney, have a small child, and plan to have another child in the future.

Staying on Disney property is such a vastly different experience from driving to Disneyland as a day trip.

All of the Walt Disney World stuff is just a fringe benefit.

My thoughts exactly reading thru this thread this morning. If you truly only want to go once every 3 years, don't buy DVC, LOL.

Your going to experience a shift in both your vacation mind set and vacation habits as most DVC owners do. It's a positive experience in my opinion and one you will enjoy.

I bought my first contract in 2010 planning to only come down once a year for an annual trip, since them I've added on multiple times, and this year alone I've been 3 times already and have Sept and Dec booked for Halloween and Christmas parties.

I say start with direct VDH contract and AKL resale, enjoy 11 month booking window at two of your favorite resorts.

 

[sndral]

Would I need to walk a one or two bedroom in Jambo house from before December if I want to travel around the December holidays? I really would hope not. (thinking of buying at Animal Kingdom if that wasn't clear). I live on the West Coast and although my infant wakes me up early, I normally don't wake up at 5 AM so hope that wouldn't be the case.

I live on the west coast & have owned AKV for several years. We often visit WDW in early Dec. usually for 10+ days. We stay at AKV Jambo every other year & started out in 1 br.s & these days book 2 br.s at Jambo. I book at 11 months & I do set my alarm to wake up early exactly 11 months out, then I fall back asleep. I doubt that I need to do so, but I like to be 100% sure .
I also do the early morning wake up for ADRs & will likely do it if we buy LLs. Here’s a site that compiles availability info. for DVC bookings https://www.dvcfieldguide.com/availability-tables

Thanks all. Next matter/hypothetical:

What happens if your air conditioner (or fridge, etc.) doesn't work midway through the trip? I know housekeeping only comes every few days, but does the staff relocate you to another room if they can't fix the problem right away? And what if there are no similar rooms available? Since this is a timeshare, I assume there are no hotel credits to be given, but are there theme park credits? Has anyone ever encountered a similar scenario?

It’s very rare that something would arise that cannot be fixed, & because DVC runs at near 100% occupancy there are limited places to move you to. Realize your MFs are paying for any ‘goodwill’ the resort offers DVC guests. I’ve never heard of guests being offered theme park credits (maybe back in the free FP days a couple of free FPs) occasionally I’ve read of guests waiting for their villa beyond check in time being offered dinning credits.
Edited to add: here’s a thread posted today describing what happened when the villa the poster was assigned had an issue https://www.disboards.com/threads/received-excellent-accommodation-upon-arrival.3951970/

 

[Chili327]

Thanks all. Next matter/hypothetical:

What happens if your air conditioner (or fridge, etc.) doesn't work midway through the trip? I know housekeeping only comes every few days, but does the staff relocate you to another room if they can't fix the problem right away? And what if there are no similar rooms available? Since this is a timeshare, I assume there are no hotel credits to be given, but are there theme park credits? Has anyone ever encountered a similar scenario?

I'm sure they would get it fixed, & if they couldn't fix it or move you... well they could definitely move you somewhere, but if they couldn't move you in the same resort, I'm thinking they would give you some sort of credit. I got $100, just from a late check in, so something like that would certainly be taken care of one way or another.

Pick your favorite park then choice your DVC

Good basic advice... but sometimes the resort has priority over park.

 

[Sean81995]

My thoughts exactly reading thru this thread this morning. If you truly only want to go once every 3 years, don't buy DVC, LOL.

Your going to experience a shift in both your vacation mind set and vacation habits as most DVC owners do. It's a positive experience in my opinion and one you will enjoy.

I bought my first contract in 2010 planning to only come down once a year for an annual trip, since them I've added on multiple times, and this year alone I've been 3 times already and have Sept and Dec booked for Halloween and Christmas parties.

I say start with direct VDH contract and AKL resale, enjoy 11 month booking window at two of your favorite resorts.

you're the second person who suggested this split. I'm not huge on Disneyland Hotel, but I do like it. Also don't love how high the dues/taxes are. Is there something I'm missing? Currently looking at Animal Kingdom Lodge with the incentives and if I want to add on at Disneyland (assuming I buy at all in the first place), I'd maybe look at Grand Californian.

The other concern about buying at DL: We like the holiday overlay at DL, but it rains much more in December, and we only would go for a few days. So locking into a 3 day period 11 months in advance without the flexibility to change it due to bad weather when we could easily drive down on another day would be frustrating.

 

[Sprinkles&Sprints]

Thanks all. Next matter/hypothetical:

What happens if your air conditioner (or fridge, etc.) doesn't work midway through the trip? I know housekeeping only comes every few days, but does the staff relocate you to another room if they can't fix the problem right away? And what if there are no similar rooms available? Since this is a timeshare, I assume there are no hotel credits to be given, but are there theme park credits? Has anyone ever encountered a similar scenario?

I'm still new to all of this as an owner, but have rented twice in the past and had a pretty awful stay at AKL last March. We were only there for two nights but knew immediately that our room was too close to the elevator bank and we'd hear it all night long. Unfortunately, by the time I could verify this, it was too late to move with a young kiddo. I flagged the issue to the front desk the next AM - they were sympathetic but didn't have another room to move us to (Spring Break). They did bring in a fan in an attempt to drown out the elevator...no such luck. When I updated them upon checkout, they offered me $100. Not sleeping for two nights was pretty disruptive...but at the same time I wasn't really expecting anything and appreciated the gesture.

 

[Sean81995]

I'm still new to all of this as an owner, but have rented twice in the past and had a pretty awful stay at AKL last March. We were only there for two nights but knew immediately that our room was too close to the elevator bank and we'd hear it all night long. Unfortunately, by the time I could verify this, it was too late to move with a young kiddo. I flagged the issue to the front desk the next AM - they were sympathetic but didn't have another room to move us to (Spring Break). They did bring in a fan in an attempt to drown out the elevator...no such luck. When I updated them upon checkout, they offered me $100. Not sleeping for two nights was pretty disruptive...but at the same time I wasn't really expecting anything and appreciated the gesture.

oy that sucks. Sorry to hear that. Can I ask what kind of room it was?

 

[Sprinkles&Sprints]

oy that sucks. Sorry to hear that. Can I ask what kind of room it was?

Sure - it was a savanna-view studio @ Jambo House. (PS - it was a huge hit w/ my DD - stunning resort, incredible views, yummy s'mores - who cares if mom doesn't sleep?! )