Less than 4 months out?

[MarieLightning]

Hey all! I'm pretty new to this whole deal, seeing as DW and I are just starting out our process of becoming DVC members! (Which is taking a while... you'd think they'd be a bit more speedy to get back to you when you're willing to throw that much money their way, but I digress)

So, hopefully, everything will be settled by the time this week is over, and we'll be able to look into using our points!

Now here's the hiccup. We're traveling September 20-28th. The good about this is that it's a quieter time of year - the bad is that all resorts will have been open for booking for months now!

Anyone has insight of how likely it is we might be able to get in anywhere at all? We're really not picky at this point, we just want to get something

 

[supersnoop]

That is not a quiet time for dvc. That's the first week of the food and wine festival. You should be able to get a one bedroom at Saratoga, or maybe a studio if you're lucky.

 

[MarieLightning]

Oops, well, in general (for non DVC) it is a quiet time so that's how I figured, and like I said we're new to DVC, but that's definitely good to know

Hopefully we'll be able to get something then, otherwise we'll just bank for next year

 

[boiseflyfisher]

Oops, well, in general (for non DVC) it is a quiet time so that's how I figured, and like I said we're new to DVC, but that's definitely good to know

Hopefully we'll be able to get something then, otherwise we'll just bank for next year

If you get your points in the next couple of weeks, you should be able to put something together. SSR is showing availability for the entire time in a 1br and studio. If you are open to a split stay, you have even a better chance. VWL had quite a few of your nights available in a 1br.

For DVC, you will have to change your mindset about busy times. Low points equals high bookings.

 

[MarieLightning]

If you get your points in the next couple of weeks, you should be able to put something together. SSR is showing availability for the entire time in a 1br and studio. If you are open to a split stay, you have even a better chance. VWL had quite a few of your nights available in a 1br.

For DVC, you will have to change your mindset about busy times. Low points equals high bookings.

That does make a lot of sense. Thankfully for future years, booking in advance shouldn't be too much of a problem - we just came back from a trip in May, during which we did the tour, and we pretty much just gave in! Luckily we didn't have our hotel booked for September yet, so that's why we're hoping to get something. We are definitely open to split stays, so we'll have to see what our points can get us

Thanks for the info though!

 

[paults]

Hey all! I'm pretty new to this whole deal, seeing as DW and I are just starting out our process of becoming DVC members! (Which is taking a while... you'd think they'd be a bit more speedy to get back to you when you're willing to throw that much money their way, but I digress)

So, hopefully, everything will be settled by the time this week is over, and we'll be able to look into using our points!

Now here's the hiccup. We're traveling September 20-28th. The good about this is that it's a quieter time of year - the bad is that all resorts will have been open for booking for months now!

Anyone has insight of how likely it is we might be able to get in anywhere at all? We're really not picky at this point, we just want to get something

where are you looking to buy and are you buying direct?
Don't forget about resales through the timeshare store, will save you a lot of money.

 

[Raenstoirm]

If you play around on the buying thread, someone posted an excel spreadsheet of availability for a studio in Sept. It was done a few days ago, so the availability probably has changed. I think the thread was just titled "availability" and it was from the 21st or so.

 

[MarieLightning]

where are you looking to buy and are you buying direct?
Don't forget about resales through the timeshare store, will save you a lot of money.

We are buying direct at this time, we're still a bit unfamiliar with the whole process so that's admittedly how we feel the most comfortable doing things, especially with financing and such. And then, there's an incentive that gives us bonus points that we can use this year (otherwise our first set of points would only kick in in January 2015) which is really one of the reasons we chose to do this now, rather than wait for maybe the Poly to open up for sale. We've heard about resales though, and when we look into adding more points (by which time we'll probably be a bit more familiar with the product and such!), we'd most likely do it that way

If you play around on the buying thread, someone posted an excel spreadsheet of availability for a studio in Sept. It was done a few days ago, so the availability probably has changed. I think the thread was just titled "availability" and it was from the 21st or so.

I'll definitely have a look at that, thanks! Even if not entirely accurate anymore, it'll give us a better idea still

 

[Chuck S]

Tell your salesperson/guide what dates and size of unit you want...often they can find something for a first time user buying direct. Not be much choice of resort though.

 

[nalajms]

(otherwise our first set of points would only kick in in January 2015)

There's no Jan UY so you wouldn't have points kicking in Jan 2015. Make sure you understand what you've purchased.

 

[magicaldisney]

And then, there's an incentive that gives us bonus points that we can use this year

A lot of times they make it seem like you are getting bonus points, but really they are the points you are entitled to with the UY purchase. Make sure it's not a sales tactic. I'm not sure what UY you are looking at. As already stated, you shouldn't be getting points in January.

 

[Minniesgal]

There's no Jan UY so you wouldn't have points kicking in Jan 2015. Make sure you understand what you've purchased.

Probably a February UY getting points at the end of January but I'd check.

 

[disneynutz]

Try to buy a UY that works well with your typical travel dates, Disney will sell you a UY that works best for them but not necessarily for you.

If you feel that you need time to learn more about the product, you can always push off the purchase.

Bill

 

[MarieLightning]

A lot of times they make it seem like you are getting bonus points, but really they are the points you are entitled to with the UY purchase. Make sure it's not a sales tactic. I'm not sure what UY you are looking at. As already stated, you shouldn't be getting points in January.

Probably a February UY getting points at the end of January but I'd check.

It may be February, I'm a bit rusty on the details as we met with him over a week ago now. But it was 100 points to be usable this year, by the end of 2014, on top of points for 2015, whether they kick in in February or whanot. He mentioned our dues for 2015 would be due by late January, if that helps determine when the points themselves kick in for that period of time. We don't need to use our 2015 points until August anyhow.

Try to buy a UY that works well with your typical travel dates, Disney will sell you a UY that works best for them but not necessarily for you.

If you feel that you need time to learn more about the product, you can always push off the purchase.

Bill

We don't really have typical travel dates per say. I can't go in January or October - those months are blocked off at my job, so I can't take time off during that time. We went last year in October, but that was because I was on a leave of absence from work during my DW's cancer treatments. We went in November 2012, and just went now in May. We're going back late September, and next year we're doing either late August/early September. We would love to do early December someday, and we'd like to try one of the February marathons at some point in our lives as well. We're a bit all over the place Though I do have a preference for the Fall months

We're pretty comfortable with the product itself, it's more the resales that we're not familiar enough with to consider taking over something rather than starting off buying direct

 

[MarieLightning]

Tell your salesperson/guide what dates and size of unit you want...often they can find something for a first time user buying direct. Not be much choice of resort though.

That's a good tip, thanks We're pretty flexible with the resort choice - we knew what will be our home resort (GFV) would for sure not be available around that time, and we figured with F&W, anything in the Epcot area was bound to be gone too. We're ready to do some exploring, and we've only ever stayed at values and moderates, so any resort would be great for us

 

[drusba]

Personlly if you are intent on going forward with a direct purchase from Disney rather than resale. I would phrase the request to your sales rep as one that says you really need a room (whichever size you want) at the resort you are buying for Sep 20-28 and that if you cannot be assured of gettting that you will have to rethink whether to go through with the sale.

The points you are getting for this year are no gift or incentive. Disney is usually selling for a completed resort a use year that begins 3 to 5 months before you purchase so that you have points to use in this use year. That is likely what is being offered to you and for the sales rep to act like it is a big deal is simply puffing up of the usual deal. Points are good for a trip within your use year. Thus if you have a Feb use year they are good from Feb 1 of this year to Jan 31 of the next (and could be banked into your Feb 2015 use year). There is no use year that ends on Dec 31 because there is no Jan use year. Dues , however, are based on the calendar year and come due in Jan for the calendar year.

If you are wondering about availability on an annual basis at WDW for DVC rresorts, see my recent post at http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?p=51506136#post51506136.

 

[ToddyLu]

DH and I purchased direct in 2009. To secure the sale (so it seemed)our guide made sure we got two studios at AKV our home resort for a trip in October, we purchased in June.

I wish you luck...you need to read, read, read. We did our purchase over the phone and I knew only a minimal amount about DVC....really only knew for sure that DH and I would be traveling to WDW yearly.

Everything I learned about DVC, I learned here. You really need to understand the "rules" and ins and outs to make the most of your purchase.

If you are buying direct---MAKE SURE HE GIVES YOU A RESERVATION or you won't sign the dotted line.

Realize too that when purchasing direct ALL resorts are for sale as well as most UYs...of course they do not tell you this...sometimes there is a waitlist but if you aren't jazzed about the home resort I would go with the one I wanted or wait for Poly.

 

[com_op_2000]

Just for future booking purposes:
DVC high use times - mid-Sept to mid-Jan
DVC less high use times - mid-Jan to mid-Sept except around holidays
DVC is designed to be 98% booked at all times. DVC holds onto 2% of all resorts for maintenance/updating.