If you Couldn't Get a DVC Resort for a Popular Time...

[DVCLiz]

If you couldn't get a DVC reservation for a time you really wanted to go to WDW, would you just pay cash for a regular resort, or would you cancel the trip??

I wonder how people manage this dilemma, or if it happens often. If, for example, you really wanted to stay at BCV and use Stormalong Bay during the summer, would you give up on that idea if BCV was booked, or would you book a room at the Beach Club? If BWV were booked for Food & Wine, and you really wanted to attend, would you stay on cash somewhere else, or just skip F&W?

Just curious how DVC ownership affects your planning - obviously, we all want to use our points to have the vacations we want, but if you're out of points or a reservation isn't available, would you change your plans???

 

[Granny]

If we are planning a WDW trip and our first choice DVC resort were not available, we'd book at another DVC resort at WDW and waitlist for the "target" resort.

Of course, if you buy where you want to stay the most, you don't have to deal with that kind of thing.

If we didn't have points, we wouldn't go to WDW. Doesn't make much sense for us to pay cash for rooms when we purchased DVC for the express reason of avoiding just that!

 

[byoung]

One reason I bought at BWV to stay there during F&W and christmas season.

 

[Dean]

There seems to be a predictable change toward more planning by the members. What seems to be happening is that people are realizing they have to plan ahead and act on those plans by making a reservation. As members see that something they want will be difficult, they will reserve earlier. More and more people seem to be reserving at or around the 11 month window and more seem to be calling day by day at the 7 & 11 month windows. However, there are still those that won't or can't plan that far ahead. Their risk of missing out is increasing it appears.

Booking at 11 months and changing over at 7 months is the best strategy, wait listing if needed. Then there's the decision HOW to handle wait list which can be quite complicated.

 

[Dopey Sharon]

I would still go, but stay at a value resort. We are doing just that. My November DVC trip has been booked since the 11 month mark. We just decided, last week, to go down next month. I didn't even bother checking DVC availability because I didn't have the points and didn't want to borrow (we're staying Friday-Tuesday...weekend points...forget it!). We booked two rooms at POP (our DD is paying for her room). I got a AAA discount, so the room is only costing us $372 for our stay.

It's going to be real hard staying in a "regular" room, after staying in 1BR's at DVC resorts, but it's just the two of us in our room, and it's only for four nights...I think we'll survive! And, we can't wait to eat in a food court again...we really miss them and wish DVC resorts had them.

 

[cobbler]

Do you mean if I couldn't get any reservation at all or just in the hotel I wanted?

If I couldn't get any reservation at all, then I would pay cash to stay somewhere else and bank the points or something.

If I couldn't get the hotel I wanted I would just go with any avail hotel and still go.

 

[DVCLiz]

Do you mean if I couldn't get any reservation at all or just in the hotel I wanted?

If I couldn't get any reservation at all, then I would pay cash to stay somewhere else and bank the points or something.

If I couldn't get the hotel I wanted I would just go with any avail hotel and still go.

I meant any reservation at all at a DVC resort.

I was just curious how different people felt about it, and from the responses above I can see some different points of view. Personally, I wouldn't let a sold-out resort keep me from a trip if I really wanted to go, so I would (and have) paid for a cash reservation before. As one person said, that would mostly be for a last-minute (at least "last-minute" in the DVC sense!) trip that came up suddenly. I think others would agree with the poster who said they bought DVC so they never had to pay with cash again.

Just curious!!!

 

[JimMIA]

I meant any reservation at all at a DVC resort.

Except for a very few times, or trying to book VERY late, I doubt if you'd find no room at ANY DVC resort. I would take what I could get, which would probably be OKW (my first choice anyway) or SSR (which would be fine with me, and way preferable to paying out of pocket).