Is it possible that we will not find a place to stay?

[Twende]

We are brand new owners. Our points hit the account today.
We are wanting a 1 bedroom and a 2 bedroom at our home resort BCV from 12/7-12/12/08.

Right now we are wait listed. Of course the 7 month window is not up for us to pick another DVC.

What is the possibility that by that 7 month window we will not be able to find what we need?

My other question is if there is availability which should we pick, OKW or SSR?
We were leaning toward BWV as our second choice but from what I understand they are full too.

Can we wait list more than one DVC?

Are there other DVC's that we should consider?

 

[Connears]

It is possible to get your waitlist, but BCV, WVL and BWV are smaller than OKW, SSR thus it is easier to get the larger resorts, but early Dec is very popular time and most make their plans @ 11 months out. I have been a member at OKW since 1994 and have spent the last 4 xmas weeks there. 3 times I made them at 11 months and once I got 2bdroom at OKW at 8 months out. December is very popular at all dvc resorts, but OKW and SSR are the best bets at 7 months...also remember that people do change plans and waitlist do come thru!

Connears

 

[Twende]

Thanks for the response. That gives me hope that we will get in somewhere!

I changed my ticker tonight to try to be optimistic! LOL!

OKW floor plans look very nice. I am thinking that if we get the choice at the 7 month mark that we may try for their instead of SSR.

 

[CarolA]

I would think you will get something at 7 months. If not just waitlist for everything. I haven't booked my early Dec yet and I am not really worried that I will be left out LOL!

As to which is better between OKW and SSR, depends. How many of you are there and what size. I think for two adults in a studio I perfer SSR. For a big group OKW hands down. Just flat out HUGE villas! (Heck the 2 bedroom may be bigger then my condo, I KNOW the living room is bigger then the one I am sitting in, I can't do a sleeper sofa in here!) I would go with OKW for your group just for the size... but you might like the location of SSR better....Both are great!

 

[Twende]

We are going to have my brother and his wife, one of their married daughters, her husband, baby and young son in a 1 bedroom.

Then my parents, my DH and I, two of our adult DD's and one of their "hubby's to be" in a 2 bedroom.

So I can wait list more than one DCV? I wasn't sure if I could do that. I suppose I have to wait list my non-home DVC's after the 7 month time line?

I am just so excited to be doing this that I really just want the reservation in black and white!

I really want the BCV to open up. That is my father's favorite resort. He is just comfortable there and knows his way around.

My parents are well over 90 and love everything Disney. Ther wanted to have a big family GTG right before Christmas and really celebrate. They still ride the coaster and will do the parks from opening to closing if we let them! They won't or should I say I won't let them ride Mission Space but they do everything else!

 

[Deb & Bill]

We are going to have my brother and his wife, one of their married daughters, her husband, baby and young son in a 1 bedroom.

Then my parents, my DH and I, two of our adult DD's and one of their "hubby's to be" in a 2 bedroom.

So I can wait list more than one DCV? I wasn't sure if I could do that. I suppose I have to wait list my non-home DVC's after the 7 month time line?

I am just so excited to be doing this that I really just want the reservation in black and white!

I really want the BCV to open up. That is my father's favorite resort. He is just comfortable there and knows his way around.

My parents are well over 90 and love everything Disney. Ther wanted to have a big family GTG right before Christmas and really celebrate. They still ride the coaster and will do the parks from opening to closing if we let them! They won't or should I say I won't let them ride Mission Space but they do everything else!

You can't have six in a one bedroom. You have five plus one under three. That's one too many. Technically, a one bedroom only sleeps four plus one. They will allow a fifth person, but not a sixth. You will have to furnish your own towels and bedding for the fifth person.

If you are waitlisting for both of these rooms, you may not be so lucky. Could you change your trip to 2009 sometime when everyone could go and you could be assured the villas you need?

 

[Dean]

The two BR will be pretty dicey as well with 7 adults but only two couples. I'd do OKW for this group and I'd get two 2 BR units. I don't see a lockoff 2 BR at SSR or BCV even being workable since the lockoff has a queen and pull out full size in the second BR. You can likely make two 2 BR anywhere work but if you do try to squeeze into a 1 BR and a 2 BR, I'd only request for a dedicated 2 BR everywhere but BWV. For BCV, I'd only request the room with 2 queen beds and not the ones with a pull out in the second (2/3 of the dedicated 2 BR at BCV also have a pull out queen plus a reg queen bed instead of two regular queens).

To answer your first question, I could see you not getting anything at all that will work for that time in Dec.

 

[Chuck S]

This thread is bordering on an occupancy discussion. A remider that all discussion regarding DVC Occupancy is limited to this thread: DVC Occupancy Thread

Thanks

 

[rcchello]

With that size group OKW is your best bet no matter what size units you get. They have the biggest units on the property. I also doubt a one bedroom would work since there really are not enough beds.

 

[Twende]

Well thanks for all the ideas.

I had no idea that the 2 wee ones were going to be a problem in a 1 bedroom. We will have to check that out better. Thanks for the heads up. The 2 bedroom will fit the rest of us fine. We frequently camp as a family and sleep in much tighter quarters without any problem.


My real concern is that we at least get some place!

I doubt very much that we can delay this. In fact I wish my DF would plan it sooner instead of later. My parents just had their 69th wedding anniversary and they did not get married young! I doubt that this event will happen in Dec 2009 because after all humans only live so long!

Can we wait list more than one type of room set up for the BCV? Like right now we have it wait listed as a 1 bdr and a 2 bdr. Could we also wait list it as say 2 studios and a 1 bdr? Or some configuration that would fit us all?

I guess right now most of my questions revolve around the rules of wait listing. Can you wait list more than one DVC after the 7 month mark if we still have no reservation and can we wait list for more than one set of villas at the BCV now?

Also sorry to bring up the occupancy thing. I had no idea that I was really doing that or that it was a problem in this thread. Newbies, like me, need to try and learn the rules around here quicker!

 

[CarolMN]

Call me an optimist - I think you will get something for your dates at the 7 month mark. OKW is large and SSR is very large. I cannot believe that all the SSR 2 bedrooms and 1 bedrooms will be gone before the 7 month window opens. Even if they are, I'd be willing to bet the waitlist will work very quickly for you.

My advice is to call day by day for the reservations - because you need two units. I would call the day before your 7 month window opens (late in the day if possible because the phone lines are going to be very busy and you want to avoid the morning "rush" if at all possible. Ask the CM whether OKW or SSR looks better for availability going forward for your dates. (I'd forget about all the other resorts for this trip because there will be so many people trying to get into them - it's just not worth the aggravation and waitlisting stress for a large group. JMHO, YMMV).

Choose either OKW or SSR based on what the CM tells you. Then proceed with your day by day calling. I predict you will not have to waitlist and will be all set after you call for that last night, especially if you select SSR. FWIW, there will be many SSR owners trying to get OKW at 7 months - the units are larger and cost less points.

Good luck!

 

[JimMIA]

I would think you will get something at 7 months. If not just waitlist for everything.

If you decide to do multiple waitlists, keep in mind that waitlists are now filled automatically without even notifying you. You might have more than one come through, and that could lead to borrowing points for a ressie you're not going to use -- which of course would mean that you couldn't put the points back in their original UY. Or they might use your current points for a 2nd-3rd choice, and then borrow if your first choice comes through.

There have been a lot of issues with the automatic filling of waitlists. I'd keep it as simple as you can.

 

[Dean]

If you decide to do multiple waitlists, keep in mind that waitlists are now filled automatically without even notifying you. You might have more than one come through, and that could lead to borrowing points for a ressie you're not going to use -- which of course would mean that you couldn't put the points back in their original UY. Or they might use your current points for a 2nd-3rd choice, and then borrow if your first choice comes through.

There have been a lot of issues with the automatic filling of waitlists. I'd keep it as simple as you can.

You can control the borrowing risk and give additional instructions if you match one, to modify the other, but it is possible to match different resorts at one time.

 

[Liljam]

Could you work your points to try to book a GV for 12 plus baby? Maybe you'd have a better chance at trying for that at the 7 month mark at OKW or SSR!
It'd be 215 points for a GV at OKW those dates = that's 2 points less per day than booking a 1 br and a 2 br. I realize you really want BCV, but if it's booked and you can get in at OKW, this seems like the best option anyway! It looks like you'd be using 52 points per day to book these rooms at BCV so you could even consider the GV at SSR for 67 points per night at the time you're going! Just another option for you to consider. I'm not sure how fast GVs fill up since they are higher points but I wish you luck in getting what you want anyway!

ETA - I just used the points calculator and I was wrong with my above calculations of points, but it looks like you could consider a GV for those dates if you don't get BCV - this gives you another option for rooms available!

 

[Dean]

Could you work your points to try to book a GV for 12 plus baby? Maybe you'd have a better chance at trying for that at the 7 month mark at OKV or SSR!
It'd be 215 points for a GV at OKV those dates = that's 2 points less per day than booking a 1 br and a 2 br. I realize you really want BCV, but if it's booked and you can get in at OKV, this seems like the best option anyway! It looks like you'd be using 52 points per day to book these rooms at BCV so you could even consider the GV at SSR for 67 points per night at the time you're going! Just another option for you to consider. I'm not sure how fast GVs fill up since they are higher points but I wish you luck in getting what you want anyway!

A GV is roughly equivalent to a 2 BR plus a studio. They could get a 2 BR plus 2 studios for basically the same number of points.

 

[Liljam]

A GV is roughly equivalent to a 2 BR plus a studio. They could get a 2 BR plus 2 studios for basically the same number of points.

Cool, thanks! I went to use the points calculator and wondered why I don't try for an OKV GV for the same dates though myself! that's cheap at 180 points!

The reason I bring up the GV is because I thought maybe it would be easier to get in to one of those rather than trying to get the 2 br. and a 1 br. but after looking at the points usage for that time frame, it seems like it'd be luck to get what you want after the 11 month spot... At least adding that in as an option might help get the OP in to something during that time frame!

 

[Dean]

Cool, thanks! I went to use the points calculator and wondered why I don't try for an OKV GV for the same dates though myself! that's cheap at 180 points!

The reason I bring up the GV is because I thought maybe it would be easier to get in to one of those rather than trying to get the 2 br. and a 1 br. but after looking at the points usage for that time frame, it seems like it'd be luck to get what you want after the 11 month spot... At least adding that in as an option might help get the OP in to something during that time frame!

actually the 2 BR and a 1 BR (or any combo with studios) will be much easier to get than the 3 BR GV. Getting the smaller units also gives you more options to change and cancel if need be.

 

[Deb & Bill]

A GV at OKW for early Dec is going to be next to impossible. Since this is a very popular time, they probably are already booked and probably already have a wait list. The OP needs to try for either two two bedrooms at OKW or One two bedroom and two studios. She has the best chance of getting OKW or SSR, but she needs to call exactly at 7 months and call day by day.

If I were the OP, I would waitlist for OKW only. By waitlisting multiple resorts, she might get one two bedroom at OKW and one studio at SSR and one studio at BCV.

 

[Twende]

Wow thanks for all the great advice.

Right now of course we are only wait listed at BCV.

I plan on being on the phone 5 minutes before they open on my 7 month out date to try for at this point OKW.I

I talked to my father about getting more studios and perhaps not the 1 bedroom and that sounded good to him as long as someone in the family got accommodation with a full kitchen. He wants to have one big meal all together.


I think a 2 bedroom and 2 studios would be the best alternative at this point. If we go with a 1 bedroom and 3 studios, DH and I most likely are going to end up on the pull out couch in the 1 bedroom and that does not sound like a fun place for "she who is doing all the planning"! We thought about the 3 bdr Grand Villa and for the life of me I can not remember why we had decided against that.

When we finally get our Pin number, by mail, and I get the online account set up; what can be done on line?

Can I see if the wait list comes through before a snail mail would arrive? What else can be done on line?