Just a mini rant and request for advice

[BecBennett]

I had gone back to the idea of renting DVC for our trip in February, and I've found 2 owners who are able to rent to us. Then I had the idea of changing our WDW stay from Feb 25th - March 7th, to Feb 22nd - March 2nd, and adding San Fran on to the end of the trip. However this would depend on flight prices.

So I had a look and MCO to SFO costs almost double as MCO to LAX, but the current cost of MCO-LAX is really quite expensive, and I know if I wait a couple of months then chances are a better price will come up, and I guess that's the same with SFO

However changing dates through DVC is not as easy as changing dates for a Disney package so I sort of need to decide now - stick with the original WDW dates and just book DVC, or book something that is easier to change around (which would probably be offsite so we can afford a 1 bedroom unit), and wait until flights are cheaper to finalise our plans...

What would you do?

Also, don't get me started with the fact that 2015 WDW packages have not been released! I'd really like to compare prices...

 

[PrincessInOz]

Bec - DVC will be the least flexible of all the moving parts. If the price and location is right, I would pick the dates that best suits you. Your dates are outside of school holidays in Australia. Chances of you picking up a cheap international long haul flight is pretty good. If you are flexible with departure dates, you're probably going to be fine on the international flight component.

As to getting internal flights. That's a waiting game as well. I'm not planning anything so I haven't kept up with where the dates are in terms of available for booking by the US carriers and whether they are coming up for sale or not. If you haven't already done so, you might need to sign up to their websites for their alerts.

I tend to look at SWA and AA these days. I do know that flights on a Tuesday through SWA have historically been cheaper. It might be useful to you if you're looking to align your DVC dates.

For what it's worth. On my last trip, I had my WDW accommodation locked in first. Then it became a waiting game for airfares. In the end, I changed my travel plans from a 3 week trip to a 4 week trip in order to claim a cheaper international flight. The internal flights were only locked in about 5 months before we left.

 

[BecBennett]

I've already booked the international flights, so it's the internal ones I'm waiting for. If it was just international it would be easy enough to book the WDW accommodation and just rearrange San Fran to suit, but because we need to leave the US on March 7th, everything has to squish in before then.

 

[PrincessInOz]

Have internal flights in February opened up?

With the little one, I would recommend leaving SF to the end.

 

[WanderlustNZ]

I had DVC booked well before my domestic flights. There is so much competition in the US, I felt confident I would find something that suited my needs. Even if there had been cheaper flights on other days, I felt happy knowing that I'd saved thousands on my WDW accommodation.

I understand your reservations, but If it was me, I would go the DVC route again in a heartbeat. Our accommodation was a big factor in what made the trip so wonderful.

In saying that, renting points privately would make me kind of nervous. Unless I knew the poster, or could tell something about their character through a high thread count on the DIS, I would pay the bit extra to get contracts signed up by a broker.