For those of you with VGC as home resort....

[vacay77]

Have you always been able to book a stay at 11 months out? Or is it still difficult at 11 mo out to book a stay?

 

[erionm]

VGC is TINY compared to all other DVC Resorts. There are 23 2-bedroom lock-offs (studio & 1-bedroom w/interior connecting door) and 2 grand villas (3-bedrooms). Depending on how those lock-offs are reserved, there can be a minimum of 48 rooms or a max of 71 rooms available.

 

[vacay77]

Interesting. I didn’t even think about the lock-offs. So it sounds like it’s not always a guarantee to even book at 11 months out.

 

[pirate33]

My general experience is the that the rooms are mostly wide open during 7-11 month window, though obviously not all of them. I haven’t tried booking for particular highly popular dates, like perhaps July 4, so there might be a crunch for those. So in general the benefit of owning VGC is obvious in my experience. Also I am generally looking for 1 or two bedrooms, not studios, and studios are likely to be more booked.

 

[CarolMN]

FWIW, I don't recall any reports of someone not being able to get VGC if they book at 11 months. All of the reports I remember are talking about using the 7 month window.

 

[taaren]

I've owned VGC since '08, book there several times a year every other year (when we have APs).

There have been a few special times when I haven't been able to get what I want at 11 months. One was a birthday weekend in February that happened to be a marathon weekend. I think we ended up booking the following weekend instead.

Once was my son's birthday which fell on a weekend that year; it happens to be a minor holiday that everyone has off. We just wait listed and it came through before the 7 month mark.

Both of those times it happened to be studios that we wanted. I have never been not able to get a 1 or 2 bedroom at 11 months, which we book larger rooms for about half of our stays.

Studios on weekends, particularly holiday weekends go the fastest. Although one year we booked a studio for the week between Xmas and New Year's for a milestone birthday (otherwise we try to avoid that crazy week) and I woke up to book online at 6a. The studios were still available for several weeks, probably due to high point cost. I could have slept in if I'd watched previous year patterns.

Since my April/May and now July trips have gotten cancelled I've been trying to watch availability for the replacement trips we want in the late winter and spring when we normally would have been on our AP year off (by the time the pandemic hit Sept/Oct/early Nov availability was gone, our APs were supposed to expire after Labor Day weekend). In late March, about 8 months out I was able to snag one night in a one bedroom in November, wait listed a second night that came through so now I have a Thanksgiving week trip (studios for most of November and early Dec were gone, 1 bedrooms were spotty). I booked Feb and April but they didn't seem to be moving quickly; I'm glad I didn't want to grab MLK weekend in a studio since those were gone pretty close to 11 months.

That being said availability is pretty good in the 8-11 month range for non-holiday/marathon weekends.

 

[vacay77]

I've owned VGC since '08, book there several times a year every other year (when we have APs).

There have been a few special times when I haven't been able to get what I want at 11 months. One was a birthday weekend in February that happened to be a marathon weekend. I think we ended up booking the following weekend instead.

Once was my son's birthday which fell on a weekend that year; it happens to be a minor holiday that everyone has off. We just wait listed and it came through before the 7 month mark.

Both of those times it happened to be studios that we wanted. I have never been not able to get a 1 or 2 bedroom at 11 months, which we book larger rooms for about half of our stays.

Studios on weekends, particularly holiday weekends go the fastest. Although one year we booked a studio for the week between Xmas and New Year's for a milestone birthday (otherwise we try to avoid that crazy week) and I woke up to book online at 6a. The studios were still available for several weeks, probably due to high point cost. I could have slept in if I'd watched previous year patterns.

Since my April/May and now July trips have gotten cancelled I've been trying to watch availability for the replacement trips we want in the late winter and spring when we normally would have been on our AP year off (by the time the pandemic hit Sept/Oct/early Nov availability was gone, our APs were supposed to expire after Labor Day weekend). In late March, about 8 months out I was able to snag one night in a one bedroom in November, wait listed a second night that came through so now I have a Thanksgiving week trip (studios for most of November and early Dec were gone, 1 bedrooms were spotty). I booked Feb and April but they didn't seem to be moving quickly; I'm glad I didn't want to grab MLK weekend in a studio since those were gone pretty close to 11 months.

That being said availability is pretty good in the 8-11 month range for non-holiday/marathon weekends.

Thank you for sharing your experiences! Very detailed, which I greatly appreciate.

 

[JimC]

Never had a problem booking at VGC. We go in the Spring, avoiding Easter weeks.

edited to add that we usually book 1 bedroom villas which are in least demand.

 

[past_or]

We've never had an issue, but generally travel May/June, and I book at 11 months out to the day.

 

[_auroraborealis_]

The only times you can expect real issues are runDisney and D23, and maybe if you absolutely must have a studio rather than a 1BR/2BR.

 

[zakdavid]

The only times you can expect real issues are runDisney and D23, and maybe if you absolutely must have a studio rather than a 1BR/2BR.

If they ever bring RunDisney back to DLR. That would be awesome

 

[_auroraborealis_]

If they ever bring RunDisney back to DLR. That would be awesome

Well, yeah. And if they do, 11 months will be a riot.

 

[CaliAdventurer]

I've had zero issue even with a studio over new years but I haven't tried to book all over the year. I gave up and bought in- owning there is a whole different [non]stress level.

 

[vacay77]

I've had zero issue even with a studio over new years but I haven't tried to book all over the year. I gave up and bought in- owning there is a whole different [non]stress level.

Can you expand on owning there is whole different level? Interested to hear more, since we are considering buying a resale contract.

 

[shaunacb]

11 months is no problem at VGC. Between 10 and 7 months, studios book up. At busy times, 1 bedrooms book up before 7 months, but mostly 1 bedrooms are fairly open until exactly 7 months, then they book up super fast that morning. You should be fine booking at 11 months, definitely for 1 and 2 bedroom, and 95% of the time for a studio.

 

[LilyJC]

We own VGC and have found the following dates/events to disappear immediately in studios and potentially rough in larger villas:

Moonlight Magic
Candlelight Processional
D23
Disneyland’s birthday
runDisney (permanent hiatus?)

If you’re looking to book “regular” dates, you should be fine at 11 months!

 

[LAX]

VGC is TINY compared to all other DVC Resorts. There are 23 2-bedroom lock-offs (studio & 1-bedroom w/interior connecting door) and 2 grand villas (3-bedrooms). Depending on how those lock-offs are reserved, there can be a minimum of 48 rooms or a max of 71 rooms available.

Maybe I am misunderstanding this, but if all 23 2-bedroom lock-offs are booked as 2-bedrooms, how can one get a minimum of 48 rooms if there are only 2 grand villas to add to the total?

LAX

 

[limace]

There are dedicated 2 bedrooms.

 

[KAT4DISNEY]

Have you always been able to book a stay at 11 months out? Or is it still difficult at 11 mo out to book a stay?

Yes. And less than 11 months. There's a few dates in the year where 11 months is important such as for the Candlelight Processional in Dec but for most dates it's no issue. Owned since it opened. Actually before it opened.

 

[KAT4DISNEY]

Maybe I am misunderstanding this, but if all 23 2-bedroom lock-offs are booked as 2-bedrooms, how can one get a minimum of 48 rooms if there are only 2 grand villas to add to the total?

LAX

There's also the 23 Dedicated 2BR's + the 23 lockoffs & 2 GV's listed to equal the possible 71 total mentioned. The total was correct and I believe Michael just missed typing the dedicated 2BR's number.