How often do you not stay at your home resort

[JimC]

We regularly stay at the resorts we own plus two others -- VWL and VB. We have stayed at all of the DVC properties however and have enjoyed them all.

 

[eva]

We own at 4 resorts, so we rarely stay at a non-home resort. Usually the only time that we do stay at another resort is when we are making a last minute reservation and have to pretty much take what ever is available. We've only done that three times in the last 11 years. The first two times we ended up at BWV. This year we made our reservation about 7 weeks out and SSR was the only resort open. But normally we make our reservations at one of our home resorts in the 7-11 month window.

 

[Mickey'sApprentice]

We've stayed at our home BWV twice now, but took our 1st trip to HHI. We love both resorts for different reasons, and will return to both many times. I'm sure that we will eventually try out all or most of the other resorts.

I highly suggest that everyone [even DVC Mike] go to HH at least once. We were a bit apprehensive because DH and I don't fish, golf, play tennis, hang out on the beach, or even bicycle. Why go? We absolutely loved everything that Savannah had to offer. Now we want to go back, and spend more time at the resort, check out HH, go back to the beach, and yes, I must say...go back to Savannah.

 

[bobbiwoz]

I think it's very nice that you accomodate your DF! Did you manage to move all 3 rooms to BWV or BCV, or are you somehow splitting up the reservation? If you did get either of those during the F&W, I think you did very well, and if you are still waiting to get all in the same resort, I hope you'll be lucky and get it!

So, far, my whole family has always gotten into a single resort for a trip. Sometimes I don't even try until the 7 month mark because I know some people can't plan ahead as far as we do, and frankly, I do "hoard" my BCV points, and so, I may be trying to get 1-2 relatives into BCV, in a studio in November with BWV points. It'll be between F&W and Thanksgiving, so I'm hopeful. I still need a committment from the DCuz, I do have a 2 bedroom and a studio booked for the 9 who are coming for sure.

Bobbi

 

[BiddleDD]

We've owned at SSR since 2005. Since that time, we've stayed at SSR once, BWV once and Vero Beach twice. We've also exchanged with II for a week in Big Sky, MT and a week in Aruba. Never had a problem in making reservations, although I extended the search for Aruba for a two-year period.

When considering our purchase, we drove around WDW and visted all of the on-site DVC resorts. We were so impressed that we decided then and there to try and stay at all of the resorts at least once. Still to go...BCV, WLV, OKW and AKL.

Joel

 

[Alexander]

We have stayed (on our own points) at OKW 3 times, SSR 3 times, BCV 2 times, BWV 1 time, and VWL 2 times. We have reservations for AKV and SSR on the books. We own SSR and it looks like we have stayed there about 23%of the time. Although that doesn't look like much, we have not focused our stays at any one resort more than the others.

Before we owned, we rented points and stayed at VWL, BCV, and OKW a few times each. This was prior to SSR being announced, and was our deciding factor for buying. We absolutely loved DVC. We bought SSR site-unseen. Made a phone call, and just bought in.

 

[crisi]

After six years of ownership our next trip will involve a one night stay at somewhere that isn't our BWV home - we added a day to our trip when we booked flights long after the BW Boardwalk View rooms for Food and Wine were booked up - and as long as we were going to be switching rooms, decided to go back to WL and try the Villas there. We took our first trip to Disney with kids and stayed there six years ago before buying DVC.

I don't LOVE Boardwalk - I do LOVE some things about BW (mainly being that close to Epcot) and don't really see much to tempt me into getting off my lazy rear end and calling at seven months for any of the other resorts.

 

[the who #3]

3 or 4 yrs ago it was easy to get a 7 month at most resorts. or reserve at your home at 11 months and get on a wait list for the one you want at 7 mo.
now it is hard to get an 11 mo res. at your home at christmas and spring brk or thanksgiving.

what happens when you can not get your home at 11 mo??? isn't that the reason for having a home resort?

the last three times i have wait listed with hopes of getting in the resort we wanted, and one was our home, we never got in.

each of those times the buildings were almost empty. we saw one person in the hallway one time. i understand about the swap off of pts for people traveling outside the disney resorts but to leave buildings empty do not look good either.

 

[DVC Mike]

I highly suggest that everyone [even DVC Mike] go to HH at least once.

I'll get there! I've been thinking of (gasp!) leaving WDW one day early on one trip and spending 1 night at HHI to split up the drive home. It always seems to take much longer to drive back home then it did to drive down to WDW.

 

[BroganMc]

I'd switch resorts just for myself but if I was bringing a large group with multiple rooms, I'd balk at the idea. It's just too much work for me.

When I first purchased I figured DVC availability would be like my other Marriott timeshare in the area. Plenty of rooms as long as I wasn't booking major holidays.

My first experience was a rude awakening. I tried to get a studio at VWL during the first two weeks of December. I needed an accessible room. All they had on property anywhere was a HA 1bedroom at SSR. Lesson learned for that one.

Since then I've learned what the various demand periods are like for the resorts. I also fell in love with SSR and found many things there I couldn't get elsewhere. So when I try other resorts it is as an add-on to a bigger SSR vacation. That way I can explore, even if I have to settle for a not so perfect ressie, and still get to enjoy my home resort.

But bringing my entire family down or a trip that requires multiple rooms will always be at my home resort.

 

[Tinkerbellcrafter]

In 9 days we will be staying for the first time in our home resort because we never seem to plan our trips ahead enough and end up getting what we can take. We did however, book at the 11 month window for December and are hoping we can switch to VWL or AKV for the 2nd week of December at the 7 month mark. Ok, I know there are some of you probaby laughing at us right now, we have our fingers crossed. My DH's treo is set to remind him to call in May!

 

[Tinkerbellcrafter]

We have stayed (on our own points) at OKW 3 times, SSR 3 times, BCV 2 times, BWV 1 time, and VWL 2 times. We have reservations for AKV and SSR on the books. We own SSR and it looks like we have stayed there about 23%of the time. Although that doesn't look like much, we have not focused our stays at any one resort more than the others.

Before we owned, we rented points and stayed at VWL, BCV, and OKW a few times each. This was prior to SSR being announced, and was our deciding factor for buying. We absolutely loved DVC. We bought SSR site-unseen. Made a phone call, and just bought in.

We also bought site unseen. Called for information and then purchased in January of 2006. Finally did a tour last summer to see the resort!

 

[CandleontheWater]

I think it's very nice that you accomodate your DF! Did you manage to move all 3 rooms to BWV or BCV, or are you somehow splitting up the reservation? If you did get either of those during the F&W, I think you did very well, and if you are still waiting to get all in the same resort, I hope you'll be lucky and get it!

Yes I did manage to move all 3 rooms to the BWV, and I know I'm really lucky! I called right at 9am, for each night of the reservation, which was half the stressful part. The other stressful part was that by day 3 I was feeling really invested in this reservation and by 8:30 am I'd be a wreck, worried about availability! I knew that if I couldn't get the entire family in for the whole week on the first try (DF would not have taken a waitlist well), that I would have to cancel everything and rebook everyone back at SSR! I do consider it a minor miracle it all worked out!

 

[Buckeye Fan]

While others will have a favorite resort, I truly love all of them for different reasons! We've seen or stayed at all of the WDW resorts, with the exception of AKV. For me, it's all about what type of vacation experience I want for a given vacation. Do I want to relax, hang out by the pool and escape? Or...do I want to be in the mix of everything and do the parks? I book accordingly.

With that said, we own at SSR and are THISCLOSE to closing on a VB contract!!! Just purchased that one sight unseen!!! That's so unusual for me, but from what I've read and pics, it looks beautiful and we LOVE beach vacations. Anyway...we've stayed at SSR, OKW and BWV. This summer, we're staying at either AKV or VWL. We have ressies at VWL, but on a wait-list for AKV. You know...have to see what I haven't seen, right??? I want to stay at all of the resorts. While I may rule one out because we just prefer the others, I really do enjoy staying at them all and can see us continuing to rotate for the next several years. With your scenario, though, I can see why making ressies at the 7 month window would be quite stressful!!!

 

[bobbiwoz]

Yes I did manage to move all 3 rooms to the BWV, and I know I'm really lucky! I called right at 9am, for each night of the reservation, which was half the stressful part. The other stressful part was that by day 3 I was feeling really invested in this reservation and by 8:30 am I'd be a wreck, worried about availability! I knew that if I couldn't get the entire family in for the whole week on the first try (DF would not have taken a waitlist well), that I would have to cancel everything and rebook everyone back at SSR! I do consider it a minor miracle it all worked out!

I do understand. We bought in '03 for a birthday party celebration for DM in December '04. We needed 1 2-bedroom and 4 studios for 4 nights, and we could only "do it" if we got all standard view at BWV. I called every day at the 11 month mark, and it did all work out, but I had nightmares about the different scenerios that were possible.

Enjoy the BWV, I'm happy for you!!!

Bobbi

 

[bpmorley]

We stay at our home resort about half the time. But it will be more once we try all the resorts. We're very happy with SSR, but just want to see what the others have to offer. After we use up our AP's at the end of the year we'll probably try VB & HHI

 

[starbox]

We wanted to stay everywhere and, after this July, we will have. I've had no problem at all switching at 7 months.

After buying DVC, we've done 4 trips a year. One has always been at our home resort (SSR) and one has always been at Vero. We've done every other resort once (actually - we did HHI twice).

I'll have three trips in a row at AKV (which is also a home resort now) and that will be the most times I've consecutively stayed in the same resort. We've had no real problems with the 7 month window.

 

[daisyduck123]

May 2007: stayed at SSR (our home resort) for 9 days

Summer 2007: BCV for 8 days

Christmas 2007: AKV for a week

Summer 2008: BCV for a week

Thanksgiving 2008: SSR

**We've never had any problems switching at 7 months.

 

[disissue]

I tend to stay at the home resort I own in BWV and VB if it is holiday or high volume season because of the 11 month window, when I take spur of the moment trips which are now getting to be the norm I just write them all down for first choice down to my last choice the only thing I stay true to is the type of accomodations I would like. I booked this year on 1/4 for a trip I took on 2/5 for 5 nights the only thing available at the time was SSR I wanted a 2BR, I waitlisted at BWV and got it 2 weeks later so you really just never know!

 

[bpmorley]

**We've never had any problems switching at 7 months.

I must be doing something wrong.