How often do you stay at your home resort?

[Judique]

We own at BLT and since we bought in, we have taken 5 trips. Not one of them was at BLT. We are planning on going next June and finally staying at our home resort. Now, if we look at 7 months and VGF is available, I think my wife is going to force me to switch.

Once we experience all the other resorts we want to check out (and our son is born) we'll be staying at BLT more often.

I own at 4 resorts and usually book all of them. When I've had to cancel, I've been lucky enough to stay at BLT. I may just have to make it my 5th resort and I thought I was immune to addonitis!

I've also stayed at all the other WDW DVC resorts and have enjoyed all, but I prefer a few just a bit more.

 

[DenLo]

We have stayed at our home resorts AKV, BLT and Aulani. And we return to them regularly. We have tried out many of the other resorts and plan to stay at VGC in October 2013 and VB or VGF in May 2014. Some day we hope to stay at BCV.

Both DH and I agree that of all the resorts we have stayed at we prefer our home resorts and SSR. We are looking forward to staying at SSR again. It it still remains to be seen how we will feel about VGF.

 

[dbs1228]

We have stayed at our home resorts SSR (THV's) and BLT. We are in the process of buying BWV for the 11 month window BW view and GV. I have also stayed at AKV and OKW. Been to VWL every trip to visit but have not had the urge to stay there but I am sure one day I will since I want to stay at them all! We have done a split stay 4 ni THV then 6 ni BLT GV for NYE. I like the feeling of 2 vacations in one IF we are going for at least 10 nights. I also like to move in to "my home away from home" so not sure how often we will do split stays if we had enough points for 10 ni in the GV thats where we would have been for the 10 nights.

 

[bakerworld]

We generally like to stay at BCV which is not one of our Homes however we've had good success at the 7-month mark.

The only DVC venue we've preferred as a 'hotel' guest has been VWL and since one of our Homes is BLT we usually stay there if we can't get in either BCV or BWV - neither of which we own.

Our other home is AKL which has the cheapest studio plus concierge and room service. I can see us using these items as we age but currently we'd rather drink/stay closer to Epcot and ESPN.

 

[abner1776]

I guess I must be the contrarian on these boards cause we own at VWL but have never stayed there. We bought at VWL after staying at the WL but now we tend to enjoy visiting the other resorts. I am sure some day we will rest our heads at VWL but for the time being BWV and OKW are our preferred resort and now we have VGF to plan for.

 

[rlovew]

We generally do short stays since we live nearby and the ones I set up ahead of time for our birthdays and Christmas decorations I book at BLT and plan to stay there for them. We just bought VGF points for use at our anniversary and plan to use those points soley for VGF stays. When we first bought our points we stayed at AKV and OKW a number of times since the points per night were cheaper and DH had classes in Orlando that we would use our stays for but since those have ended we normally use a majority of points at our home resort and then stay wherever is open when we have a quick trip to take suddenly- we did a Vero/SSR stay a month ago that I booked 2 weeks out so we could be out of the house for our floors to be redone.

 

[WDWLODGE]

I think you got a lot of really good responses here, and all these people are super helpful and know the system inside and out. We are still learning, so I don't have much to offer. I just wanted to say HI NEIGHBOR!

Hello! What part of Pittsburgh are you from?

We split because we like walking to 3 of the 4 parks and staying at BLT and BWV allows this. I even take a taxi to AK to avoid the buses...worth it to me!!!

I try to make the change day our DTD day and go for lunch and shopping so it doesn't feel like a wasted day. I also pack in such a way that I unload only one suitcase and refill as we use things so packing up to move is pretty non stressful. It's not for everyone but I like being at two different places, even for those 5 to 7 night trips.

DH and I are even doing it next December for a 4 night one...

And I thought I wasn't a big fan of the buses. Depending on which resort we stay at we will use the buses. We usually drive from PA so we have our vehicle at our diposal.

Wow, I am overwhelmed by all the responses, Thanks everyone! You guys really answered my questions and helped me make a decision. As you may be able to tell from my username we are big fans of The Wilderness Lodge, it feels like home to us. Good news is I just got a call yesterday from a broker and a listing for the Wilderness Lodge just came available because the buyer backed out. I made an off and I am just waiting to hear back and praying for good news. It's going to be a long weekend.

 

[k3chantal]

Hello,

We just started looking at resales and we are finding that our preferred resort(VWL) is a hard one to get. Our vacation style is to go to WDW one a year. We like to start planning our next trip before we take the currently booked trip. We would plan on staying at the VWL every other year or every 3 years. The other years we would like to try the other resorts. We usually travel in May or Sept. through Early December, avoiding any busy holidays. I've read that October and early December are busy DVC times.

1. Are there any other times of the year other than October and Early December that are busy for DVC?
2. Are there any resorts that are hard to book 7 months out regardless of the time of the year?
3. How often do you stay at resorts other than your home resort?

Thanks,
Bill

In six years of owning our points, we have been to our home resort (AKL) twice each for a 7 night stay. We have also been to Vero Beach, OKW, VWL, VGC, traded our points for a 7 night stay through RCI in Kauai, Hawaii, taken one 7 night Mexican Riviera cruise on the Disney Wonder and are now booked for a 7 night Western Caribbean sailing on the Disney Fantasy.

We ended up at OKW because we couldn't get VWL for a second stay (love that resort) and that was in July '09 (7 months out we tried making the reservation) so it does happen that you may not get what you want at other times of the year. We stayed in a studio at VGC because there were no 1 bedrooms left in May '10 (not a surprise with only 48 units available there).

Flexibility is a key element in being happy with a timeshare. We have been extremely happy with all of our point taken vacations so far. Our least favorite was OKW (too much walking to the bus stop) and our favorite WDW trip was a split stay that went VWL (4 nights), Vero beach 3 nights, and then back to VWL for 3 nights. Our favorite trip using points of all time so far was our Disney Wonder cruise. So do buy where you think you will be the most happy. We have enjoyed AKL but probably should have purchased VGC or VWL since the architecture appeals to us the most. If we buy resale in the future, these are the two resorts we will consider purchasing.

 

[NoleFan]

We really like our home resorts- BCV & BWV. We live only 1.5 hours away and do short stays (under 3 nights). For swim seasons, we love our home resorts. For winter, we are looking forward to our stay @ VWL. We would also consider BLT or VGF during Winter when we would not do any or limited pool time. Staying @ AKL this summer for the 1st time. Think I would also put SSR in the category of time when we would not do as much pool time & perhaps enjoy DTD. I guess pool time seems to be our driving force. However, overall we simply love the Boardwalk area- it just makes me smile! We are open to staying elsewhere but our hearts are at the Boardwalk. That's what is so wonderful about DVC- there is something for everyone & you can change it up, too!

 

[Dis_Yoda]

Our VGF points will only be used for VGF. We won't have our first trip there using those points until October 2014 though.

Our AKV points have been used at BLT, OKW, SSR, BLT, whereever I'm going to be able to get in November 1-3rd, and then finally on 6th use, we'll use it for AKV-CL. I can see us using those points for Club Level stays or Value Rooms depending on the goal of a trip or using the points other places depending on how long of a trip it is.

 

[ludari]

I've been a DVC member not very long (February 2011) and I've only stayed at my home (BLT) resort twice. I've been staying at other resorts to experience as many as I can. So far I've stayed at AKV, OKW, Beach Club, Boardwalk, Grand California and Aulani.

 

[msd1776]

We became Dvc members in December 2012 and I have stayed at AKL - Jambo (AK is our home resort) and SSR, and VWL. We stayed in different locations much to my husbands chagrin but I booked late, by DVC standards, and I wanted to experience different resorts. In Oct we be at VWL, currently our March trip is AKL but I am hoping to get an Epcot resort or BLT. My goal is to try them all....

 

[bobbiwoz]

This upcoming January Marathon will be our first all family, multi villa, 5 night stay in a resort we do not own. We're staying at OKW because the family has decided to try it! I could not get a GV and would have liked to try one, but we're happy with the 2 bedroom & studio.

 

[delilah]

We have points at both AKV, Jambo and Kidani, and at SSR. We stayed at SSR twice, both before AKV opened, last time in 2006. We have gone most usually twice a year, either sometime in the summer when school is out and sometimes either at fall, Christmas or spring break. We stayed at Jambo before Kidani opened, but, now, we usually stay at Kidani. We sometimes stay elsewhere, usually with the SSR points, but, sometimes we stay at Kidani with SSR points. I like the rooms better at Kidani. We have stayed at BCV and BLT, both twice. Usually, we stay at a 1 BR, because I like having the washer inside the room, and don't like spending an evening in the laundry room on vacation. SSR has a much nicer guest laundry than AKV, though. The bath room in a BLT studio absolutely drove me crazy, didn't like it at all, so, wouldn't stay there again. The rooms at Kidani are dark, but, we don't spend that much time, usually, in the room, and usually, when we are in the room, we are sleeping, so, the darkness doesn't bother us

 

[ML_LovesDisney]

Hello,

We just started looking at resales and we are finding that our preferred resort(VWL) is a hard one to get. Our vacation style is to go to WDW one a year. We like to start planning our next trip before we take the currently booked trip. We would plan on staying at the VWL every other year or every 3 years. The other years we would like to try the other resorts. We usually travel in May or Sept. through Early December, avoiding any busy holidays. I've read that October and early December are busy DVC times.

1. Are there any other times of the year other than October and Early December that are busy for DVC?
2. Are there any resorts that are hard to book 7 months out regardless of the time of the year?
3. How often do you stay at resorts other than your home resort?

Thanks,
Bill

I can only answer question #3 as I mainly stay at my home resorts because I am an uber planner and I don't like waiting until the 7 mth. mark to book. The first year we bought in, we purchased in Feb and went in late August (not a busy time) and stayed at BWV and BCV. The reason we stayed at BWV was because at the 7 mth window, all my nights I wanted weren't available at BCV. The following year, we did another split stay with BCV and BLT to save points (BLT is higher point cost). People on the DIS always say, buy where you want to stay. But, if you are flexible, you should be able to find a resort open at 7 mths, maybe just not your preferred resort.

 

[bwvBound]

Wow, I am overwhelmed by all the responses, Thanks everyone! You guys really answered my questions and helped me make a decision. As you may be able to tell from my username we are big fans of The Wilderness Lodge, it feels like home to us. Good news is I just got a call yesterday from a broker and a listing for the Wilderness Lodge just came available because the buyer backed out. I made an off and I am just waiting to hear back and praying for good news. It's going to be a long weekend.

Best wishes on the offer!

 

[rusafee1183]

Hello! What part of Pittsburgh are you from?
.

We live in the south hills, about 10 minutes outside of the city in Castle Shannon

Sent from my iPhone using DISBoards

 

[Disney Dreams]

We own at AKV. Every time we book we say, "Let's stay somewhere else this trip and check out another great DVC resort."

We agree on which one to book.

Then we book AKV. Every time.

We just can't not. There's animals outside our studio!!! Where else can I spend a week staring at giraffes and gazelle and zebra and....?

Someday we'll stay somewhere else. Maybe.

- Dreams

 

[Werevrimayroam]

I've had mixed success with the Animal Kingdom Villas, but I know that the newest resorts are always the hardest to book in my experience. November (except the week of Thanksgiving), the first two weeks of December, and January/February seem to be the best for booking in my experience, and definitely the best for park lines.

 

[SpaceMountain77]

We own at AKV. Every time we book we say, "Let's stay somewhere else this trip and check out another great DVC resort."

We agree on which one to book.

Then we book AKV. Every time.

We just can't not. There's animals outside our studio!!! Where else can I spend a week staring at giraffes and gazelle and zebra and....?

Someday we'll stay somewhere else. Maybe.

- Dreams

I am the same way!

Of my 9 DVC vacations, 7 have been at AKV - Jambo House. On the other two occasions, I booked short stays at BCV and BWV just to see what they are like. During both trips, it felt strange not going "home" to the lodge. Actually, as I am writing this post, I can hear the music that plays on the bus as you are riding back to the lodge! Even at the 7 month mark, I'll check availability at other resorts, then keep my AKV reservation.