How busy is DVC the first week in January?

[ready123go]

We are considering an annual vacation during the (approximately) two weeks following Christmas. Running from the 26th-ish until the first or second Saturday following January 1. We would do alternate years, DVC and Wyndham.

I know Christmas week would require I book at my home resort at the 10 month mark. But what about the week following NYE? If I had two home resorts, could I expect to book the tail end of the stay at the 7 month mark with my other home resort points? Or would I need to plan on purchasing enough points to book at a home resort at 10 months out because the week is high-demand for DVC? Looking to avoid split-stays. Would be using AKL and SSR.

Also, how necessary is it to 'walk' a reservation in to the week between Christmas and NY? Normally, can I just book 10 months out at my home resort, without all the fuss and muss of 'walking'? Or is 'walking' recommended?

TIA

 

[dianeschlicht]

Well, for the 26-January 1st, you had better be booking right at 9 AM on January 26th! For the first week of January, I would follow the same tactic, since part of that time will still be in vacation time for many folks. We usually see the crowds at WDW pull back after the weekend past January 1st, but because it is low points time for DVC, it is still very important to make early reservations. Once you get past the marathon weekend (the following weekend in most years), things open up a bit.

 

[newyorkmike]

OP, just to be clear, your home resort booking priority is 11 months, not 10. If you wait until 10 months for Christmas week, you may be out of luck altogether.

 

[ready123go]

OP, just to be clear, your home resort booking priority is 11 months, not 10. If you wait until 10 months for Christmas week, you may be out of luck altogether.

Yep, sorry. 11.

 

[DenLo]

I think it depends on the day of the week New Years Eve falls on. Many people depart on January 2nd but if it's a Friday they might hang around until Sunday.

Since the DVC at WDW (Aulani has the option of fixed weeks) is based on points not one week's stay people change their planned vacations to fit the occasion.

 

[drusba]

As we have been that time many times:

Christmas week: huge crowds (think 3 1/2 to 4 hour stand by line for Soarin)

Jan 1,2,3: huge crowds, almost as bad as Christmas week. Some start leaving the 3d but not quite enough to make a large difference.

Jan 4: crowds start to become more mangeable but still somewhat large

Crowds then usually decrease to manageable levels but you really don't go down to moderate or light crowds until after Marathon Weekend which is usually the second weekend in January.

At 7 months out you can face problems for the first 3 to 4 days of January. Thereafter not much but still might be some Marathon Weekend. Always best to reserve whatever you can 11 months out (even if you have to reserve two resorts to get all the days because you have two home resorts) and then try to change.

I have found that walking is not necessary for what I get during Christmas week (2BR, either boardwalk view or AKV savanna view). Walking is necessary if you want AKV concierge or any Grand Villa.

If you have not been that time of year be prepared for variable weather. Example, first two weeks of January 2010 was about as could as it can get for the entire time (most days in upper 40s and nights in 20s). You can get those kinds of days any January but that string of more than 2 consecutive weeks in 2010 was about the worse there ever was in January. In 2011, the same period saw mostly 70s days and only a couple cold ones.

 

[RNBelle]

We've stayed January 3-10th, 2010 and were so surprised by how DEAD the parks and resorts seemed to be. We got in later on the 3rd, but it was very much open. We didn't book right at 11 months, either. We had a bay lake studio lake view at 8 months out!

 

[Deb & Bill]

It gets a little tougher for Marathon time. Usually the second week/weekend in January.

 

[ready123go]

Thanks for all the input.

 

[cvjw]

I just modified my reservation yesterday for Jan 3-9, and got the villa I wanted with no problems at VWL. I also added a couple of days during the week between Christmas and New Years, and all of my 4 home resorts still had 1 bedrooms available.

 

[rlovew]

If you are planning to stay at AKV and SSR you can probably book something for the beginning of January at 7 months there but if you mean to use those points to stay at other resorts you may have a problem depending on where you want to stay.

 

[DonnaL]

We have vacationed the first week of January for the past 10 years due to college vacation schedules. It truly depends on what day of the week New Years Day falls. We have arrived when New Years falls on the weekend and everything is dead effective that Sunday of the weekend and then again, we have arrived when New Years is during the week and it may be the 3rd or 4th before things calm down and then it's Marathon Weekend.....so you really need to the look at the calendar to determine how your week will go.

 

[moredisneyplease]

agreed..........the first few days of Jan will be busy and then that rolls in to marathon weekend, which has crowds but nothing like new years/holiday crowds.

 

[paminpa]

We went 1/1/11-1/8/11, for the first time- I was expecting very low crowds, especially compared to the summer when we usually go. I was surprised about how busy the parks were and then as marathon time got closer it was worse. But at least it wasn't hot