Is booking 11 & 7 months a crazy re-dial sniping nightmare?

[Roveer]

Just wondering if we buy BCV or BWV whether you have to be one of those super efficient first on the phone, dialing at 7am types to get a reservation around easter week school vacations, late june through july, Thanksgiving and possibly Christmas holiday?

My wife has had to do that for dining reservations and I was wondering if it was similar for DVC. Just how hard is it to get ressies at these places? I haven't seen rack rate availability in over a year so I'm guessing these places are booked tight?

I plan on giving my guide a little test when we visit next week. I'm going to ask if there is availability at 7 months from now and 11 months from now and see just how bad this looks.

Would be interested in anyone's opinion.

Pretty sure we will buy at the resort we plan to stay for 11 month booking, but don't want regrets after our purchase to find out that booking is difficult at 11 months.

 

[toniosmom]

You may want to check out the DVC - Resort Reservation Availability thread for additional info.

 

[Roveer]

I just spent 30 minutes at the availability thread and all I was able to glean from it is the resorts we are considering are the most popular and the 2 bedroom villa are the most popular as well. As far as "how fast" that really can't be told.

I know when I was considering renting points that it was impossible at 7 months or less. I know that Disney controls total points sold at each resort, but with new resorts coming available, there is basically no control that a single resort can become to popular. The 11 month, 7 month rule is the only thing. But at 7 months everyone can overwhelm a resort and assure no availability and that does seem to happen at BCV. This does not sound good for us.

 

[disneydiz]

We have owned at BWV since 1997 and go every Easter. I call at the exact 11-month mark because we usually book a std view room. In past years, I use to call daily to add on each addition day. If you want to try a different resort that week, call at exactly 7-months. We have been able to get different resorts -- but only if I called at exactly 7-months -- and I usually had to call day by day to add days. This only pertains to Easter Week.
NOTE: One year I forgot to call and add a day onto my reservation, and all the standard-view rooms were gone for that night. We had to get on the waiting list for several months.

 

[CarolMN]

If you call when the 11 month winodw opens, you will get your 2 bedroom reservation.

If you want to reserve a Boardwalk view or a standard view, you do have to own BWV.

If you want a 2 bedroom at BCV with two queen beds in the second bedroom, youneed to own at BCV and call at 11 months.

Depending on the time of the year, getting into one of the smaller DVC resorts can be difficult. You should not have a problem getting your homw resort at 11 months.

 

[toniosmom]

I know when I was considering renting points that it was impossible at 7 months or less.

I think you've answered your own question. If you want a 2BR at a specific time of the year and you know for a fact that the resort you desire is ALWAYS booked at the 7 month mark, then that's the resort you should buy into so that you can book at 11 months. There are other resorts that can be booked at 7 months more easily (SSR, to name one), so there is really no benefit to owning at that resort if you are looking for the 11 month booking advantage.

My advice is to buy into a resort where you wouldn't mind spending every vacation, if you cannot get into another resort at 7 months. I own at AKV and I know that if I can never get into any other resort, I am still happy vacationing at AKV and I have bought enough points to guarantee myself a savannah view every time. IMO, that's the question you need to ask yourself.

Good luck with your decision. It can be quite overwhelming when you want to make sure that you are making the best choice.

 

[5forDiz]

Popular vacation times you've mentioned; booking at 11 mos always your best option & jmho I would not take the chance waiting for 7 mos to open for holiday times and would not weigh in too heavily any guide's opinion on success of obtaining reservations.

 

[DMKEDM]

We go every T-giving (even before DVC!)...for the last two years, we've gone during spring break, too. We also go in May, June, August, January and/or February most years...

At T-giving, I book at 11 months...

Both spring break trips were last minute. (one at 10 days out; one at 6 weeks out).

The only time I've ever called MS and gotten a busy signal was the day they took the first bookings for AKV (I forgot about that when I called)...

I've never had any trouble w/11-month bookings, and rarely w/7-month bookings. The last minute trips took some effort...using waitlists, calling back, being flexible as to place and villa size (one-bedrooms do seem easier to get than studios; surprisingly, OKW seems easier to get than SSR (at least it was for us, both times)...but last March, we managed to get a one-bedroom for 5 nights at BCV using W/Ls and daily calls to MS...I did and do consider that somewhat miraculous! It started w/Waitlists, which came thru first for OKW and then for BCV...at one point we would have done a split stay...at another point, I called and got a night I'd been waitlisted for (came thru on the call, not via the waitlist)...I also wanted to add a studio at either BCV or BWV for that week, and that never happened (got my extra space via a room at the Dolphin...I wound up taking 5 college kids, so needed the extra room...tried also for a two-bedroom which also never came through)...

So, while it's certainly true that the further in advance you plan, the better your chances, it's not been our experience (in 3 years of ownership, w/about 5 trips per year, at both high-popularity and lower-use times) that you have to make repeated phones calls to get through or jump through lots of hoops to make your booking happen (unless you're last minute).

One last "interesting note:" It seems easier to get something (w/some effort put in) at 6 weeks or less out than it is 3-4 months out (maybe due to cancellations?)...

Good luck!

 

[jekjones1558]

The one time that I think you could have a problem at 11 months is the first week of December. This week has become extremely popular with DVCers. One year I called one day after the 11 month window opened for a 1 bedroom BW view. Some of the days were already not available. I was shocked because 1 bedrooms are the easiest to book, although I realize that BW view rooms are always harder to get. I waitlisted but all of the days never came through. This may have been some freak occurrence but I don't take chances any more. For that particular week I call right away when the 11 month window opens.
P.S. This year I called a few weeks into the 11 month window to try to book a BW view studio for my DGF during the first week of December. I am still waitlisted for 3 of the days.