Multiple Home Resorts????

[bsbrady]

If I purchase thru resale, lets say, 50 points from BWV, 50 Points from BCV and 50 Points from OKW. Would my home resort be all three or do I have to pick one. And if its all 3, can I use all 150 points the full 11 months to make a booking.

 

[PSC]

You would have home resort booking privledges at all 3, but only for 50 points for each per year. You could use borrowing and banking to gain a 150 point home resort for each one every 3 years (but it would take a while to set it up).

 

[bsbrady]

Thanks. That sounds like too much work

 

[Deb & Bill]

Thanks. That sounds like too much work

If you think that's too much work, maybe the whole DVC might be too much work. You have to make reservations at 11 months out. You may have to bank your points if you don't use them all. There is a bit of work to being a DVC member. If you aren't careful, you can lose your points.

Do a bit more reading on DVC (these boards are great for that) and see if you really want to spend the money for the program.

 

[bsbrady]

Now, Im confused. I didnt know you have to make a reservation 11 months in advance, I just thought that if you made a reservation at your home resort you can do it at most 11 months out. According to what you are saying, If I wanted to take a spur of the moment trip, I couldn't. Is that true?

 

[lowepg]

Now, Im confused. I didnt know you have to make a reservation 11 months in advance, I just thought that if you made a reservation at your home resort you can do it at most 11 months out. According to what you are saying, If I wanted to take a spur of the moment trip, I couldn't. Is that true?

No- you're right.

You have the ADVANTAGE of booking 11 months out for your home location.... a 4 month headstart vs. those booking with other points.

I think the point was, for high demand locations/views/times of year - booking 11 months out might be the only sure way of getting what you want.

 

[chalee94]

According to what you are saying, If I wanted to take a spur of the moment trip, I couldn't. Is that true?

sometimes you can, more often (probably) you can't. timeshare ownership isn't really geared to last minute vacations...but if there's availability, it can still work out.

 

[Deb & Bill]

Now, Im confused. I didnt know you have to make a reservation 11 months in advance, I just thought that if you made a reservation at your home resort you can do it at most 11 months out. According to what you are saying, If I wanted to take a spur of the moment trip, I couldn't. Is that true?

If you don't mind where you stay and for how long, you can do it. Your home resort may be fully booked and only one or another resort might be available. They might not have a studio, but might have a one bedroom (twice the points). They might have a studio here for two nights and another studio there for two nights and a third studio at a third resort for two nights. The longer you wait to make a reservation, the more likely you will not get what you actually wanted. And sometimes nothing will be available. For example, there are very few vacancies for the entire time period from October 08 thru mid-Jan 09. You might find something available, but you would have to go on a waitlist and it still might not come through for you at the last minute. Then you'd be without a reservation.

Spur of the moment and DVC do not go together.

 

[bsbrady]

Maybe this is a little off topic, but how often do DVC members get shut out. I generally go at off times, ie first or second week in december, or April, but not during spring break.

 

[SuzanneSLO]

Maybe this is a little off topic, but how often do DVC members get shut out. I generally go at off times, ie first or second week in december, or April, but not during spring break.

For DVC the first and second week of Dec are possibly the most busy non-holiday times of the year. In the past, many members called for each day of their stay during these times to assure they could book their home resort. From reading posts about waitlist requested for this time, there was some availability at some resorts at 7 months out (esp for 1 BR), but it was fairly spotty. In particular, Sunday, Dec 7, seemed to have booked up very quickly. -- Suzanne

 

[jimmacmn]

Maybe this is a little off topic, but how often do DVC members get shut out. I generally go at off times, ie first or second week in december, or April, but not during spring break.

Your chances of getting shut out are probably the highest in the first couple of weeks of December. It is a low time for park attendance and a low points time at DVC, so it is very attractive to DVC owners to go at that time. I think at the 11 month window your chances are pretty good at your home resort at that time, but at 7 months for another resort it starts to get rather iffy. A couple of years ago DW and I went in early December and booked at the 11 month window. No problems. I played golf on that trip with a member couple who had waited to book and there was nothing available at any of the resorts.

 

[chalee94]

before you call the first 2 weeks of december an "off time", be sure to read through all 27+ pages of the Dec 08 waitlist thread...

 

[crisi]

Getting "shut out" completely depends on a number of variables - the biggest being how far in advance you make the call.

Think of DVC as living in a town with five restaurants. If you want to go out to dinner on a Tuesday night and the least popular restaurant, you can probably walk right in to any restaurant. If you want to go out to dinner on Valentines Day at 7:00, you are going to need to call for reservations probably several months in advance. For a Friday or Saturday night, the restaurant you want may book quickly, but if you call on Thursday, you can probably find something. How often do you get shut out - well, five days a week - Sunday through Thursday - almost never at the least popular restaurant. Friday and Saturday night for a seven o'clock reservation at Bobby Flay's hot restaurant - better plan ahead.

The monkey wrench in DVC is that the times you expect to be dead often aren't - for some reason in THIS town, Wednesday nights is particularly busy.

(Or to continue the restaurant analogy in a WDW style - want Le Cellier at 6:00 pm - better be on the phone at 180 days - want Bongo's in DTD at 4:00 in the afternoon - not likely to be an issue except maybe Thanksgiving Day.

 

[bsbrady]

One other question, Is the 11 month on a day basis, ie if I want to book lets say December 1 to the 8th, do I have to call 11 months in advance for each night or is it 11 months from the check-in date

 

[bsbrady]

before you call the first 2 weeks of december an "off time", be sure to read through all 27+ pages of the Dec 08 waitlist thread...

I read thru the Dec 08 Waitlist thread, and it seems that you get waitlisted at 11 months, but after the 7 month mark, rooms seem to free up. Do DVC members find this to be the case?

 

[WKSumner]

One other question, Is the 11 month on a day basis, ie if I want to book lets say December 1 to the 8th, do I have to call 11 months in advance for each night or is it 11 months from the check-in date

New rule states you can book 11 months at home resort prior to check-in date. 7 months all other DVC Resorts.

 

[chalee94]

I read thru the Dec 08 Waitlist thread, and it seems that you get waitlisted at 11 months, but after the 7 month mark, rooms seem to free up. Do DVC members find this to be the case?

let's say VWL is your home resort and it books up quickly in december, so that you call to book a room at 10 months and 2 weeks but that room type is booked up. you can waitlist and wait for 2 things to happen: 1) people cancel their reservations because they can't go which moves you up the waitlist and 2) at 7 months, people may cancel their reservation at VWL to move to another resort, like BCV, which would move you up the waitlist.

so there is more activity around 7 months, but a lot of it is still dependent on people canceling because they can't go...which frees up rooms that allow the VWL guy to switch to BCV and cancel his VWL reservation, then the OKW guy on the waitlist at VWL gets a room and frees up a room at OKW...which is great for the SSR guy waiting for a room at OKW...