MK/EP/HS Area 2 Bedroom Villa Questions

[Little E]

Hi Disfriends!

I originally posted this on the Resort board, and the awesome folks there recommended that I post my questions here. In advance, thanks so much for your help!

I booked a hospitality suite at the CR yesterday for June of 2022, and while I'm very excited about this, I'm really hoping I can transition my cash booking to a two bedroom villa between now and June 2022. I know they are not available to book right now, which is why I booked the hospitality suite, but I'm hoping I might be able to snag one before June of 2022. My DH, DS (20 at time of trip) and DS (18 at time of trip), and I are looking for a kitchen, two full bathrooms, laundry in the room, and three sleep surfaces. Now that our boys are getting older (and taller) the pull down bunks/daybeds/sleep chairs/sofas won't be as comfy as a queen sized bed. So, the hospitality suite meets all of the requirements except a separate queen bed for each boy and laundry facilities in the room. Hence, the desire to transition to a two bedroom. I want to stick with a cash booking and not rent points, as I want the greater flexibility to cancel that cash bookings provide.

My family wants to stay either in the MK area or at a resort that is walkable to both EP and HS. We also want a dedicated two bedroom, not a lock off option, because we want the queen sized beds instead of a queen and a pullout couch. A Poly bungalow is out of our budget, so I'm thinking our options for a dedicated two bedroom villa for cash are: GF, BLT, WL, or BC, correct?

With that being said, is a dedicated two bedroom villa for cash a booking category, or is it simply a request? If it isn't a cash booking category, what is the likelihood that I get a dedicated two bedroom with a request on my reservation? Is it more likely at one of the resorts lists above more than another? To that end, what is the likelihood that I can even get one these two bedroom villas for a cash booking, and what should my timing be to potentially snag one? Anything I ought to know about any of these different two bedroom villas that I'm not thinking of? Any advice anyone has would be fantastic! Thank you so much!

 

[_auroraborealis_]

There is no such thing as a dedicated 2BR at BWV so any cash booking for a 2BR there is by necessity a lock off.

 

[The Jackal]

Like posted above all 2 bedrooms at BWV are lock offs and are a 1 bedroom and a studio. So MK DVC resorts that can meet your needs are VGF and BLT also close by is BRV and CCV at Wilderness Lodge. Near Epcot BCV is the only one. RIV is a short Skyliner ride away.

 

[Marionnette]

Hi Disfriends!

I originally posted this on the Resort board, and the awesome folks there recommended that I post my questions here. In advance, thanks so much for your help!

I booked a hospitality suite at the CR yesterday for June of 2022, and while I'm very excited about this, I'm really hoping I can transition my cash booking to a two bedroom villa between now and June 2022. I know they are not available to book right now, which is why I booked the hospitality suite, but I'm hoping I might be able to snag one before June of 2022. My DH, DS (20 at time of trip) and DS (18 at time of trip), and I are looking for a kitchen, two full bathrooms, laundry in the room, and three sleep surfaces. Now that our boys are getting older (and taller) the pull down bunks/daybeds/sleep chairs/sofas won't be as comfy as a queen sized bed. So, the hospitality suite meets all of the requirements except a separate queen bed for each boy and laundry facilities in the room. Hence, the desire to transition to a two bedroom. I want to stick with a cash booking and not rent points, as I want the greater flexibility to cancel that cash bookings provide.

My family wants to stay either in the MK area or at a resort that is walkable to both EP and HS. We also want a dedicated two bedroom, not a lock off option, because we want the queen sized beds instead of a queen and a pullout couch. A Poly bungalow is out of our budget, so I'm thinking our options for a dedicated two bedroom villa for cash are: GF, BLT, WL, or BC, correct?

With that being said, is a dedicated two bedroom villa for cash a booking category, or is it simply a request? If it isn't a cash booking category, what is the likelihood that I get a dedicated two bedroom with a request on my reservation? Is it more likely at one of the resorts lists above more than another? To that end, what is the likelihood that I can even get one these two bedroom villas for a cash booking, and what should my timing be to potentially snag one? Anything I ought to know about any of these different two bedroom villas that I'm not thinking of? Any advice anyone has would be fantastic! Thank you so much!

There aren't many DVC resorts that do not have dedicated 2BR villas. BWV is one. AKV-Jambo is the other. Avoid those two and you have a shot at a dedicated 2BR.

AFAIK, booking a "dedicated" 2BR villa is not a booking category for cash guests. It is for DVC members when we reserve a villa. However, cash guests can always request a dedicated unit and will most likely get one unless owners have already booked them up.

 

[mamaofsix]

When do DVC rooms generally open up for cash bookings? The 6 months mark?

 

[Little E]

It's good to know that the lockoff vs dedicated are not booking categories when making a cash ressie; I'll have to make a request. I assume my guesstimate of GF, BLT, WL, and BC all have some dedicated 2 bedroom villas for cash? Like @mamaofsix asked above, when do I have a potential shot at snagging a 2 bedroom villa for cash? The dream would be a GF villa, but I would love BLT, WL, or BC too.

 

[Marionnette]

When do DVC rooms generally open up for cash bookings? The 6 months mark?

They can be released at various times. When members trade our their points for ABD, DCL or a Disney hotel room, those points immediately go back to DVC to use to release a room for cash. The cash is then used to pay for the trade.

DVD (the developer) also owns about 2% of the points at each resort. Those points can be used to reserve villas at the home resort at 11 months and can be turned over to CRO for cash bookings.

The remainder of the villas must be held for DVC members to book until ar least 60 days out. Those villas can be released by DVC for cash reservations at any point after that. This is referred to as breakage. The money paid by the cash guest goes back to DVC and is used (up to a maximum amount) to offset annual dues.

 

[Brian Noble]

Near Epcot BCV is the only one.

Once upon a time, even some dedicated 2BRs at BCV had a queen and a pull out in the 2nd bedroom. Is this no longer true?

OP: I suspect very strongly that if you book at a resort that *has* dedicated 2BRs that you will get one. Studios are generally the most popular category booked within DVC, so lockoffs are very likely to be split to meet Member demand. Alternatively, OKW has two queens in all studios---and therefore two queens in the 2nd bedroom of both dedicated and lockoff 2BRs. That doesn't meet your walk-able requirement but having stayed at all of OKW and BLT, BWV, and BCV---you can't be close to everything, and even the walks that are possible aren't particularly short.

 

[Little E]

@Marionnette thanks for explaining the cash process as it relates to DVC; I had no idea that's how things worked! If villas can be released at various times, what timeframe do you recommend I start looking, if we're looking to go June 19-26, 2022? The dream would be to snag a GF 2 BR, followed by BLT, WL, and BC.

@Brian Noble thanks for the info regarding dedicated 2 BRs. It totally makes sense that lockoffs would be more likely to be used as studios. We stayed in a dedicated 2BR at OKW for cash back in 2014, and we really liked the resort, and we loved the layout of the villa. It worked well for us, as we had my folks with us on that trip. We ordered groceries to eat in the villa, my folks took the master bedroom, and the 4 of us had the second bedroom; it was a great setup and a great trip. However, since our March/April 2020 trip got cancelled due to the pandemic, we're looking to splurge to make up for it with something either close to MK or to something walkable to EP/HS this time.

 

[Marionnette]

@Marionnette thanks for explaining the cash process as it relates to DVC; I had no idea that's how things worked! If villas can be released at various times, what timeframe do you recommend I start looking, if we're looking to go June 19-26, 2022? The dream would be to snag a GF 2 BR, followed by BLT, WL, and BC.

There's no real sweet spot when booking with cash. No DVC villas can be released for cash prior to the 11-month booking window that all owners, including Disney, must adhere to. So for you, July 19 of this year would be the absolute earliest. But after that, it really depends on what owners are doing with their points.

With ABD and DCL currently not operating you won't see owners trading their points out for them unless some drastic policy changes are made in the countries they visit. That will eliminate any inventory being released via that method. So, I would not expect too many villas being released right at 11 months.

You might want to contact a Disney travel agent like dreamsunlimited.com to monitor cash availability for you. Otherwise, you're going to have to stalk the Disney website regularly in the hopes that something will materialize.

 

[Jen0107c]

It's good to know that the lockoff vs dedicated are not booking categories when making a cash ressie; I'll have to make a request. I assume my guesstimate of GF, BLT, WL, and BC all have some dedicated 2 bedroom villas for cash? Like @mamaofsix asked above, when do I have a potential shot at snagging a 2 bedroom villa for cash? The dream would be a GF villa, but I would love BLT, WL, or BC too.

I would say the chance at getting a 2 bedroom at gf villas is low due to how small the villa building is. Even as an owner at gf it can be hard to secure on the Dvc side. I see blt come up frequently though on the cash side.

 

[Little E]

Thank you all so much! @Marionnette I will put July 19 on my calendar as the time frame to start looking; this is really helpful. I have a great TA, so we'll work together to see what we can find. @Jen0107c I kind of wondered if a 2 BR at GFV is a unicorn for cash; thanks for confirming that. This will help manage my expectations so I won't be totally crushed if one doesn't materialize. I'm grateful for the knowledge of Disboard folks!