Thank you for the thoughtful response. If you were to recommend a home resort to someone focusing on the middle point between actually being able to book something and bang for the buck what would you suggest?
Also curious what you mean about the first week in December comparing it to easter. Is it busy or dead?
DVC has two distinct demand seasons. The high to extremely high demand time from late Sep to marathon weekend in Jan and the rest of the year which is more moderate and even the holidays between mid-Jan and mid-Sep, though busy, do not have the room demand levels that exist in that high demand season.
The highest DVC demand week of the year is first week of Dec, Christmas week is second, and second week of Dec is third. fourth is a tie between the Tuesday through Fri of Thanksgiving week and the Thurs through Sunday of the Wine and Dine race weekend In the early part of November, marathon weekend in Jan is fifth, followed by the Thurs before Columbus Day through the weekend after Columbus Day. During that high demand season, finding anything at 7-months out at any near park resort is usually difficult, except for an occasional 1BR. Often during that time, the only things with openings for five days to a week are Kidani savanna view, OKW rooms (other than GVs) that are not in the near Hospitality House booking category, SSR rooms, and sometimes 1BRs at other resorts. Also, even those rooms can be gone before 7-months out during the extremely high demand times.
During that mid-Jan to late Sep time, the highest demand time is the Princess half-marathon weekend (Thurs to Sun) in late Feb and time around July 4 is the highest holiday demand time during that season, and neither of those times has the same demand level as anytime during late Sep to marathon weekend in Jan. Example: Poly studios are very often open at 7-months out during the moderate demand season other than race weekends and a risk otherwise for some holiday times but seldom open at 7-months out during any of the high demand season.
The lowest demand time of the year is Feb 1 to the Thurs before Presidents' Day, second lowest is July 7 to 31, followed by a tie for third between the Monday after the Princess race weekend to about March 10 and the last week of April. It is during those times when chances can be a little better than other times to get rooms for five consecutive days that otherwise are seldom open at 7-months out, such as BWV boardwalk view studios and VGF studios.
If I were purchasing for the first time today and buying resale:
1. I would avoid CCV because of its 11-month problem for being unable to reserve studios many times of year. I would also avoid BRV, BCV and BWV. All are excellent resorts (BWV is actually my lead resort). BWV has the 11-month issue. BCV and BRV do not. But my real concern purchasing any of those three now is contract life. They end in Jan 2042, meaning there are only about 20 years left, which I believe would be far too short a period for anyone under 55 (and even that age for purchasing is questionable). Note the same reluctance would apply to OKW for contracts still having the 2042 expiration date (much of OKW now has a 2057 expiration date). Moreover, though all three have fairly high resale prices now, in ten years their resale value has a high risk of being quite low when you consider only ten years will be left.
2. AKV (expires 2057) is actually ideal as long as you enter with the idea of usually getting standard or savanna view and and not purchasing to get value or club level. The rooms have low point cost and the price is low in comparison to any MK resort or Riviera (and I would definitely avoid Riviera since resale cannot use any other resort). The AKV resort creates the feeling of being far away from civilization on a savanna, you get to see all the animals, the pools and restaurants are very good, good daily activities for children and adults, and unbeknownst to many, a little more than half the standard view rooms at Jambo have savanna view, e.g., if you want a savanna view with a standard view reservation, make a request for a room along the Kudo Trail side of the building (the left side when facing the front); if you get that request the room will have savanna view since all standards on that side of the building have savanna view.
3. The MK resorts are expensive, although BLT is a little better. Otherwise, BLT would be fine as long as you are not purchasing to usually get standard view. Poly is very nice resort but I have no desire to own there because of the lack of 1BRs and 2BRs.VGF has some 11-month issues, is very expensive, and there is now a big unknown -- DVC is adding a lot more studios by converting one of the GF buildings, and no one knows what the point cost per night will be for those studios. If it is higher than the existing studios, a real possibility since those hotel rooms being converted have more square feet, an even worse 11-month studio problem than now could develop because many new purchasers of the new studios will be trying for the cheaper point-cost original studios at 11-months out.
4. Thus, outside of AKV, and possibly BLT, that basically leaves SSR and OKW. SSR (2054 end date) has many detractors, principally due to location. Personal view is that there is no location problem. The buses get you to any park fairly quickly. It is very close to Disney Springs, an experience in itself. It has a golf course on site. Though it is very spread out, the grounds are beautiful for walking around and just looking. There are two good themed pools. Its recent refurbishment greatly improved the rooms, including having the queen-sized Murphy bed that pulls down over the couches. Price is very reasonable, as are point costs per night, and you have the opportunity to possibly get rooms elsewhere at 7-months out. If it were between the two, I would probably choose SSR over OKW, but OKW (as long as you get 2057 end date) has the lowest point costs of any resort while also having larger rooms than many others. You also have the possibility of getting rooms elsewhere at 7-months out.
