First time purchase advice

[No_strings]

Our family is considering purchasing our first DVC contract (re-sale) and wanted to get some advice. We expect to be between a studio and 1 bedroom at least over the next few years, however we could outgrow studio sooner than we think, and typically visit 2x a year staying mainly at the Grand Floridian and Boardwalk. Here's my question. Which of these two villas should we choose on the basis of getting the most availability? We don't typically travel during Xmas / New Years.

We would consider other resorts long-term such as Poly and AK and generally prefer the deluxe resorts. Thanks all!

Is availability in general such a big deal and do you generally have to book 11 months out (pre-COVID)?

 

[ToddyLu]

Well you have covered a lot in that paragraph you wrote. The trick to DVC is reading on the DIS and reading and reading and reading. Studios tend to go quickly becasue the points are lower. Once you stay in a one bedroom it will be difficult to go back to a studio I think. We stayed in a 2 bedroom last year for first time. I have another booked for this fall...next year I scored a 10 night reservation in a value studio at AKV, where we own. It doesn't matter where you purchase it is still WDW, really.

There are certain rooms that go very quickly. AKV value and conceriege are booked almost instantly at 11 months and you really need to own there. Another exapmle is a studio at Grand Floridian. There are not very many and folks also purchased fixed weeks. You really need to own there to get a studio. The Epcot resorts are popular in fall becasue of F&W ( pre-COVID). Covid reserving patterns may change these, but these are a couple to think about. Poly only has studios. So there are certain room types where you need to own and have home resort advantage booking. If that really isn't improtant....then purchase at Saratoga, book a room at 11 months for insurance and then at 7 months see what is available at other resorts. If you are flexible it will work. You just have to research and know what you are getting.

I sat next to a lady at the pool one day....she had booked a svannah room and said there were so many rooms gone she was surprised. I told her about my value studio and she was stunned. She didn't know those were even available. How can you make this expensive purchase and not know? With current travel patterns the busy times for DVC are the fall and Holidays. So if you want Oct-Dec wherever you own you have to book the morning of your 11 months opening...maybe not right first thing, but pretty close. You are in the right place. Look around here and just read over the next couple fo months. It isn't going anywhere.

You need to understand Use Year and how it affects your booking and cancellation. You need to understanding what putting your points into Holding means. You will not get daily housekeeping unless you pay for it. THE ONLY THING YOUR PURCHASE ENSURES IS A ROOM BASED ON AVAILIBILTY AT YOUR HOME RESORT.

Becasue I am OCD...I start checking the availibility tool a couple of weeks before I book just to see how fast things are moving. You also get two waitlists at a time which help to build a reservation.

 

[No_strings]

Thanks for the reply. Very helpful. If I break up two resale purchases between two resorts, is that a good strategy to ensure availability we want at favorite resorts and then can combine points to get the rooms we want for each trip (ie 100 points GF, 100 points BVW, etc?)

 

[_Iowa_]

Thanks for the reply. Very helpful. If I break up two resale purchases between two resorts, is that a good strategy to ensure availability we want at favorite resorts and then can combine points to get the rooms we want for each trip (ie 100 points GF, 100 points BVW, etc?)

The trouble I see there is that 100 probably isn't going to do it for you so you're always borrowing to cover your stay at GF even when you have current use year AKL points available. I'm far from an expert, but that's why I wanted a healthy amount at one resort. If I had 600 points or something I suppose I'd consider splitting.

Here's a question for more seasoned people - can you book with one resorts points (say your 2020 and 2021 GF points) and then at the 7 month mark if your room Is still available, cancel and rebook just with 2020 GF/AKL points and send the 2021 GF Points back to their use year?

I suppose if that's possible I'd consider it, but otherwise I'd buy whichever one I liked better or, if equal, take what you're willing to spend and get more points at AKL vs fewer at GF

 

[No_strings]

Or maybe asked a different way, is your 11-month advance reservation limited to the specific number of points owned for your home resort, not your collective total?

 

[Lorana]

The trouble I see there is that 100 probably isn't going to do it for you so you're always borrowing to cover your stay at GF even when you have current use year AKL points available. I'm far from an expert, but that's why I wanted a healthy amount at one resort. If I had 600 points or something I suppose I'd consider splitting.

Here's a question for more seasoned people - can you book with one resorts points (say your 2020 and 2021 GF points) and then at the 7 month mark if your room Is still available, cancel and rebook just with 2020 GF/AKL points and send the 2021 GF Points back to their use year?

I suppose if that's possible I'd consider it, but otherwise I'd buy whichever one I liked better or, if equal, take what you're willing to spend and get more points at AKL vs fewer at GF

Right now, yes (because of special rules in place due to Covid-19), but normally, no. Once you borrow from a UY, you cannot return the points to that UY. You could book a split stay, and then try to switch one at 7 months to get a full stay at the first resort.

But if you had 100 points in 2 resorts, and you were going once a year, it would work to switch resorts every other year: one year in GF and one year in AKL, and that way you're always either banking forward or borrowing back one year to give you 200 points for the resort in a single year.

 

[striker1064]

Thanks for the reply. Very helpful. If I break up two resale purchases between two resorts, is that a good strategy to ensure availability we want at favorite resorts and then can combine points to get the rooms we want for each trip (ie 100 points GF, 100 points BVW, etc?)

You can only combine at the 7 month mark. At 11 months, points retain their home resort priority. In your example, you cannot use all 200 points to book VGF or BWV at 11 months. You could book a split stay at 100 points each at 11 months and modify your booking at one resort at 7 months if there is availability.

The trouble I see there is that 100 probably isn't going to do it for you so you're always borrowing to cover your stay at GF even when you have current use year AKL points available. I'm far from an expert, but that's why I wanted a healthy amount at one resort. If I had 600 points or something I suppose I'd consider splitting.

Here's a question for more seasoned people - can you book with one resorts points (say your 2020 and 2021 GF points) and then at the 7 month mark if your room Is still available, cancel and rebook just with 2020 GF/AKL points and send the 2021 GF Points back to their use year?

I suppose if that's possible I'd consider it, but otherwise I'd buy whichever one I liked better or, if equal, take what you're willing to spend and get more points at AKL vs fewer at GF

No, if you are using 2021 VGF points at 11 months, that means you borrowed. Banking and borrowing are final transactions and they cannot be reversed (or sent back to their use year).

At 7 months you can combine, but only if the room you want is still available outside of your existing reservation. You cannot, for example, swap your AKV points to cover an existing VGF reservation at the 7 month mark, because that would be circumventing the home resort rule. You CAN make a new reservation at 7 months with your AKV points if there is availability at VGF.

 

[_Iowa_]

Good to know. I don't know. I'm a complete rookie but we just went for one contract. I guess it helps me that I have liked every DVC resort for different reasons, and the only one I don't think I'd look to stay at is Poly. Our plan is always to book 11 months out at SSR and then see what's available at 7.

 

[No_strings]

Right now, yes (because of special rules in place due to Covid-19), but normally, no. Once you borrow from a UY, you cannot return the points to that UY. You could book a split stay, and then try to switch one at 7 months to get a full stay at the first resort.

But if you had 100 points in 2 resorts, and you were going once a year, it would work to switch resorts every other year: one year in GF and one year in AKL, and that way you're always either banking forward or borrowing back one year to give you 200 points for the resort in a single year.

Interesting. Good to know.