How far in advance do I need to buy points

[PGHDisneyfan]

We are thinking about book a fall trip- sept/oct of 08 how are in advance do I need to start hunting for points if we are thinking about buying them of a DVC member?

Also, If a DVC members primary location is, lets say SSR and we want to book at AKV how does that effect who and how we buy points?

Thanks

Brent

 

[I'mNoPrince]

it never hurts to start looking now that it's past the 11 month booking window if you can find someone with AKV points.

If your looking into just general and having them book AKV for you then the 7 months mark will work best.

Sept/Oct is F&W fest at Epcot and a very busy time for DVC so the earlier the better to get it done.

The BCV/BWV are hard to get at that time but I think the others should be no problem.

 

[JimMIA]

First of all, just a terminology clarification. You can't buy points from an owner for a one-time stay, and if you could, you wouldn't be able to use them. What you are talking about is renting a reservation which the owner makes for you.

We are thinking about book a fall trip- sept/oct of 08 how are in advance do I need to start hunting for points if we are thinking about buying them of a DVC member?

You can start looking as soon as you have your dates firmly set. If you want to stay at AKV in Sept/Oct '08, AKV owners are already within their 11-month window to make ressies for that period.

One of the critical things you need to understand about renting a DVC ressie, however, is that you can't just change plans. The best mindset with a DVC rental is that it is 100% non-changeable, non-refundable. If your plans change, the owner you rented from may not be able to help you at all.

For an example of the issues I'm talking about, read this thread: http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=1638295

Also, If a DVC members primary location is, lets say SSR and we want to book at AKV how does that effect who and how we buy points?

As mentioned above, we can make ressies 11 months prior to the checkOUT date at our home resorts, and 7 months prior at non-home resorts. If you know for sure that you want to stay at a particular resort, and your vacation dates are firmly set and not subject to change, you can make rental arrangements up to 11 months in advance.

 

[Deb & Bill]

Other things to consider when renting a reservation from a DVC member:

The member controls the reservation until the moment you check in. You can't call Member Services for any reason. They won't talk to you if you don't own the points. So if you want to make a request or add the Dining Plan or add Magical Express, the member will need to do it for you.

The member sets the rules for payment. Some require full payment as soon as they make the reservation. Some only accept cash/check. Some prefer Paypal. It's all up to the member.

And, like Jim says, if you need to change or cancel the reservation you may be out of luck.

Finally, if you look on the Disney website for availability, that is only the availability using cash directly through Disney. As a non-member, you cannot check out availability for points reservations. Points by members and cash through CRO are two different sets of inventory.

So if you want to rent a reservation from a member for Sept/Oct 08, you need to narrow down your dates pretty quickly. You'll need a member with AKV points if that is where you want to stay.