Most Difficult Resorts to Book at 7 Months Out?

[DonMacGregor]

BWV is the bomb. BCV is also very difficult

I will say, I managed to get a 2BR at BCV for the second week in July at the 7 month mark.

 

[DonMacGregor]

@matt and beth I think a lot has to do with room type. When I did my search last month to move our reservation from BRV to someplace else, I was surprised that I had a 2BR option at I think 4 out of 5 potential resorts. BRV/CCV were out because I was obviously switching FROM WL. PVB doesn't have 2 bedroom villas, and we also own at SSR, so that resort was out. AKL is not really high on our list of favorites, and I don't like the isolated location, so that left 5 resorts: VGF, RR (we have direct points we can use), BWV, BLT, and BCV. If memory serves me, BWV was the only resort with no 2BR availability.

 

[mike314]

I've just been checking around and for me it seems RIV is almost always Waitlisted regardless of what I select

 

[Sandisw]

I've just been checking around and for me it seems RIV is almost always Waitlisted regardless of what I select

Its pretty popular and the tower and SV studios go fast, even in the home resort period.

Getting PV is easier at 7 months, but even that can be gone, or books right at 8 am,

1 bedrooms are definitely easier at 7 months.

 

[npatellye]

Looking at a tool that shows predictability hardest resort seems to be HHI, BWV, and BC.

I managed to get 7 consecutive nights in a 1 bedroom at BCV (overlapping Marathon weekend 2022) at the 7 month mark. That may have been due to people worried about illness. I also didn’t log on right at 8 am. I logged on in the afternoon and just got lucky as someone was walking towards a different date and I picked up 3 days first, then the rest individually and had MS merge my reservations into one. I think a lot of people walk BCV and being patient and behind the walkers probably helped me.

I also originally had a 1 bedroom boardwalk view for 10 nights spanning Thanksgiving 2022 well past the 7 month mark (we ended up changing our plans so it was just 7 nights that we kept). When I looked to switch after the 7 month mark, there were a lot of 1 bedroom options spanning Thanksgiving available and very limited studio options.

I also just booked 8 nights in a 1 bedroom at HHI for July 2023 and that was a week after the 7 month mark. I randomly logged on around dinner time to book it and it was just sitting there. I still see a 2 bedroom available for my dates and I’m tempted to change to that; I’d prefer to let my kids have their own room instead of pulling out the sofa bed in the living space.

Maybe it’s just dumb luck. Maybe it’s because I’m just not feeling that 8 am mad dash. Who knows?

 

[zavandor]

If memory serves me, BWV was the only resort with no 2BR availability.

That's because BWV only has lockoff 2BR, so when studios are gone, 2BR are gone too.

 

[crisi]

Its pretty popular and the tower and SV studios go fast, even in the home resort period.

Getting PV is easier at 7 months, but even that can be gone, or books right at 8 am,

1 bedrooms are definitely easier at 7 months.

Its also still the newest resort, so there are a lot of members who still need to "try" it. Whether it stays an in demand seven month resort over time will remain to be seen, but the newest resort is always difficult to book at seven months for a few years - then it can go either way and be the Poly, which usually has seven month availability (its a large resort with only studios) or BCV, which remained high demand with low capacity.

Bigger resorts are more likely to free up than the little tiny resorts, but BRV is pretty small and after a few years where it was hard to get into at seven months, became one of the easier resorts - except at certain times of year when everything gets tight. We love it, but it obviously isn't everyone's cup of tea.

Value units (any unit that's less points than other similarly configured units at a resort - sometimes called value, sometimes standard view) tend to go fast at all resorts and are seldom available anywhere they exist at seven months. If they are available, its usually because an owner grabbed them and then released the reservation after the seven month window (maybe cancelling their trip, maybe moving to a different resort once the seven month window opened). Since people do book home and then switch at seven months, strange things can be available for moments and you can get lucky - but its important to recognize that you probably got lucky and that BWV standard view studio you were able to get at seven months was only there for a few minutes - and you were the lucky person that was there to make the reservation, rather than expecting those units to be available.

 

[DonMacGregor]

That's because BWV only has lockoff 2BR, so when studios are gone, 2BR are gone too.

Correct. I should probably have lumped those in with Poly, as sort of a hybrid "no 2BR" resort due to the lack of dedicated 2BR's (and off the list because we don't really like lock-offs).

 

[_auroraborealis_]

One Bedrooms are hard to get in December as well. Sorry

https://www.dvcfieldguide.com/availability-tables

To expand on this, because so many home resort owners get blocked from studios at 11 months (demand + dedicated units + walkers) many end up booking 1BRs fo shorter stays because they know they ain't getting a studio at 7 months neither, and the 1BR point chart is okay and puts them in the Lodge (compared to other prospects at 7 months in December, which is mostly 1Br at Saratoga.)

 

[Simba's Mom]

I was going to try for a studio at BRV or CC-walk in shower for January 2024, but now I'm discouraged. Not the greatest odds!

 

[crisi]

To expand on this, because so many home resort owners get blocked from studios at 11 months (demand + dedicated units + walkers) many end up booking 1BRs fo shorter stays because they know they ain't getting a studio at 7 months neither, and the 1BR point chart is okay and puts them in the Lodge (compared to other prospects at 7 months in December, which is mostly 1Br at Saratoga.)

I also suspect a lot of 2042 resort owners are now empty nesters who used to book two bedrooms and now actually want the one bedroom. Its part of the aging of the original owners. We used to be two bedroom people, but our last trips have all been just us - we don't want to give up the kitchen and washer dryer for a studio, but we don't need the second bedroom.

 

[PatMcDuck]

BR is a great option if you want CC, especially with the refurb finsihing up. I got a 6 night BCV studio Waitlist come thru in April 2022. I was shocked, I forgot I even had it running. 6 nights! I set it up at maybe 5 months out, and it came thru a few weeks later. Meanwhile I need a one night at BLT studio park view to come thru for one night in February (the last night of a stay, we have the lake view booked as a backup for that one night) and nothing yet.

 

[MinnieProtease]

April has seemed hot and cold with availability.

 

[MickeyMike87]

Beach Club seems to be the hardest for us. Never been able to snag something. Ended up buying a unicorn contract just to give us some guaranteed days there.

Aside from that AKL Value and Club Level are basically impossible at 7 months (maybe a scattered day) and I would not count on it at 11 months even as an owner.

CC and VGF which are also difficult to book (even in Home Resort window) but I have found random openings and waitlists have been kind to us.