My Christmas DVC dilemma

[Pig Pen]

Not really a dilemma, I guess I am just obsessing a bit. We are planning to go Dec 14 to 21 - our first holiday time trip to WDW. Our home resort is VB so I am waiting until the 7 mo window to see if I can get a studio onsite. Our preferences for this trip are, in order:

1. BWV (any view)
2. VWL
3. BCV
4. SSR
5. OKW

Does anyone really believe I will get one of my top 3 choices at the 7 mo window? If we stay at SSR or OKW we will probably go ahead and rent a car. OKW without a car was challenging during our last trip...I got TIRED!

 

[cruise-o-matic]

It might be tough to get a VWL studio at 7 months, but we were able to get a BCV studio last December. I would book day by day though. Your last night may be iffy, depending on when schols get out. BWV may be available, except for Standard or BoarWalk views.

 

[bobbiwoz]

I think that you will get the BWV! Here's some pixie dust for you!!!

We'll be there 17th to the 20th!

Bobbi

 

[byoung]

I think that you will get the BWV! Here's some pixie dust for you!!!

We'll be there 17th to the 20th!

Bobbi

I agree, good luck.

 

[FlyingfreeWDW]

This is just a guess, but your choice will likely be SSR. There is an outside chance of OKW as well. I've heard reports all ready of people not being able to get certain room types around Christmas at 8-11 months out. Good luck and at the very least book day by day.

 

[PamOKW]

When you call right at 7 months, you may not get your first choice -- you might be lucky to get all your days at the same resort. If that happens, you still have 7 months for the wait list to come through. Take what you can get, hope that it's your first choice, and then see if something more to your liking comes through.

 

[RobDoc]

Call right at 7 months and see what you can get.

We never use a car and always depend on WDW transportation- even at Christmastime.

Enjoy!!

 

[shelly3girls]

I don't know if this is any indication but we called last week to book our home resort (BCV) for 12/1-12/5 and had to waitlist for the night of the 3rd and 4th. There were no rooms of any size available. They checked the other resorts for me out of curiosity and found rooms only at SSR. I am now waitlisted and praying it comes through.

 

[Mary Anne]

I would not wait till check out day, I'd call the very first day, ask the CM how it looks for the rest of the time and then book day by day, depending on what she tells you.

I do know I got BWV, Standard View right at the 11 month mark (Dec 23 - Jan 1) booking day by day.

 

[Dean]

I'd be surprised if any of the first 3 were available but you never know. Be prepared to be at OKW or SSR and even then there's a risk they won't be available.

If you have enough points and your use year is favorable, you may want to make multiple reservations and wait list the unavailable days. Lets say that BWV has 3 nights available and VWL has 2 with SSR having the all. In that case, I'd book BWV, BCV and SSR then wait list day by day for all the days unavailable. If you call day by day, I'd book what I could. The CM can give you an idea of what things look like at each resort for the next few days. There is no harm in wait listing the days that are not available at that point. And if you don't have enough points and all you can get is OKW or SSR, you could still wait list as a chunk for the other resorts. Though this wait list is not likely to come through, there is a real chance it will.

 

[Plutofan]

You can call on Monday just to find out what resorts have availability even though you can not book. This way at least you will know a head of time and can figure out which one you want to book and then you can go on to the waitlist for the one you really want. You can also call day by day for the waitlist.

 

[Pig Pen]

Thanks for the tips. If you call day-by-day I am assuming they will link the reservations? I will have only 150 points, so I cannot be very creative and may need to split my stay at a regular resort.

I will hope for the best.

 

[Plutofan]

Just tell them what you are doing and they will link the reservation and they will also link the waitlist if you call day by day. Good luck

 

[Dean]

Thanks for the tips. If you call day-by-day I am assuming they will link the reservations? I will have only 150 points, so I cannot be very creative and may need to split my stay at a regular resort.

I will hope for the best.

You can get quite creative with 150 points in this situation. Your dates are Thursday to Thursday for 7 nights, is that actually your intended trip? If so, consider moving back a day and arrive friday. Don't even reserve the weekends on points, at least initially. Then call to reserve starting the night of Sunday the 17th. At that point you can see what's available for then and the 5 nights. If one of your first choices is available and looks like it will be for the full time, simply book it and then decide about the previous weekend nights. If not, book what you can and wait list all your preferred resorts. Do the same the next day and go ahead and take any individual days at your preferred resorts that are available. If you end up with say SSR at 57 points for 5 nights and a day, two or three at each of your preferred resorts, you should be OK for a while. You could absorb as many as a combination of 7 nights at the other resorts combined before you have to worry about canceling SSR nights, borrowing or turning them down. Then if you get to the point you have to make a hard decision, you're no worse off than you started. And if you then can't get the weekends on points, you can on cash or you could try another resort on cash for those weekend nights, likely better from a financial standpoint anyway. Make a cash reservation for the weekend nights as a back up though.

 

[luvthedis]

The second week in March we booked a 1 BR std at BWV for 12/10-12/15 with no problem. We were surprised and happy!

 

[Plutofan]

Also remember that DVC members can get 25% off the DVC rack rate of a cash reservation at a DVC resort if the discount is available.

 

[jim1051]

My home resort is HH. I got 2 2br at BCV last december 10 -15