Need the "Reality" - Booking DVC Dates

[tinkertiff]

Thanks to all my future neighbors for your great advice on my first DVC post! You guys are the best!! My DH and I are STILL at WDW (through Sun) and STILL tossing around DVC issues trying to make a decision - possibily before we leave Yes, we have fallen - hard - BUT are trying to be very smart about this decision. That pesky Logic is interfering with being swept away in a sea of Disney DVC passion and emotional marketing that pulls on those heart strings, i.e. Dream book WOW -- what a combination for decision making!!

Help, Help! Need the brutal truth on the reality of booking dates as a DVC member. I am a Annual Passholder/FL Resident and have seen how increasingly difficult it is to book those precious (now limited and higher) great discounted rates. I have watched how those golden rates have begun to strink, strink, strink as Disney has recovered over the years. How upset I would be to spend $$$$ on DVC and not be able to book what I want, when I want it (within reason, of course). As FL residents only 2 1/2 hours away (Ft. Lauderdale), we travel up many times a year as Disney addicts So, how far in advance do you have to plan your DVC stays?? Is it difficult to get availability at certain DVCs over others?? I know certain times of year (holidays, etc) would be hard and require proper planning, but what about other times of the year?? A lot of times, we decide 1-2 weeks in advance that we're going for a quick Disney fix What has been your experience in booking "what you want, when you want it". Thanks for putting all the facts out there so we can make the right decision for our family

Tiffany

 

[CarolMN]

I think you would end up frustrated with a DVC membership if your plan is to regularly book with only a few weeks notice. It is certainly possibile to get something on short notice for some times of the year, but you may end up moving between resorts, or booking larger or smaller accomodations than you'd like.

Keep in mind that 60 days prior, DVC sends unreserved points inventory over to CRO to rent to the general public for cash. DVC members still have access to those rooms, but they are competing with the general public for them on a first come, first served basis. The revenue from the rooms rented to the general public is returned to DVC (minus a "commission" for CRO) and is used to reduce annual dues.

Good luck with your decision.

 

[JimMIA]

We are in a similar situation to you, in that we live in South Florida and can drive up easily.

My first suggestion to you would be wait until you return home, and then take time to evaluate your decision slowly, calmly, and rationally. We were strongly tempted to just sign on the dotted line up there, and I'm glad we didn't. We ended up buying resale and saved about $4,000.

More important, when we DID buy (about 2 months after returning home) we were MUCH better informed consumers. This board is a treasure trove of information on DVC, especially on purchasing and managing your account.

The answer to your booking question is very simple: it depends. It depends on how much lead time you have, when you are trying to go, and how particular you are about the type of accommodations you get and where you stay.

Living in South Florida, we have a luxury many DVC owners don't enjoy. We can plan trips far in advance, but we can also call MS on short notice just to see if anything is available. If it is, we go -- we don't need that much planning. If not, oh well, we'll go next time.

My two adult daughters make short-notice trips all the time. One is currently at HHI for 3 nights, followed by VWL for 2 nights. I'm looking at the confirmations, and she booked those trips on May 24. The other daughter went to Vero for 3 nights July 5-8, and she booked that trip on May 2nd.

Conventional wisdom would tell you that is not possible, but they do it all the time. They're flexible and realistic, and if they don't get something they like, they just try again another time.

That said, there are two big differences between booking 2-3 months out and booking 1-2 weeks out.

The first difference is that 60 days out, any unbooked DVC point inventory is made available to CRO for cash rentals. So inside 60 days, you are not only competing with other DVC owners, you are also competing with cash customers, so there is more pressure on availability inside 60 days.

The other big difference has to do with cancellations. If you cancel less than 31 days from arrival, your points go into "Holding Account." That means those points can ONLY be used for ressies 60 days in advance or less. In your case that might be fine, but it could present some problems. Also, if you completely lost your mind and borrowed points for a ressie near the end of your Use Year, and then had to cancel, you might end up losing the points.

I would certainly NOT recommend buying DVC if the majority of your trips are planned 1-2 weeks in advance. But if you are flexible, you may do fine.

 

[disneynutz]

Great advice from the PPs.

We find that making reservations for our desired time, at our desired resorts is harder than advertised. Longer stays are harder than short stays. We have been told that we just happen to like the most popular resorts at the most popular times.

The booking system also needs improvement. DVD is always changing the incentives. Discounts, developer points, double developer points etc. With AKV the early buyers got a discount. 6 months later when sales slipped a little, they offered extra extra developer points. People who attended the Dreams opening got a different deal.

My point is that there are a lot of variables to consider. Take your time and make a educated decision. Good luck and have fun.

 

[Goofy DVC]

We've been members since 93. Personally, I've found that these boards seem to exagerate how hard it is to book reservations. Think about it; for every post of someone who didn't get their reservation, there are thousands of members who did but did not post "I got my reservation". That being said, you do need to be flexilble. In addition, planning greatly increases your chances of getting what you want.We have never had a hard time getting what we want. We had to wait list once for early December, but it came through and we got what we wanted.We are also flexible and love OKW, which is big and usually has good availability. Good luck with you decision.

 

[mjtm610]

We have been DVC members since 97. We don't live in Fl. We live in a suburb of Chicago.
Our experience has been that if we are trying to book a 2 bedroom unit for spring break or the summer months we need more "planning time".
However, when flights are low, and it's just the 2 of us going we have never had a problem with a short notice booking. BCV is smaller than some of the other sites, so it books up a little faster during "peak" times. SSR is large and it seems that villas are easier to come by.
My best advice is that if you HAVE to have a particular site on particular dates-----you will need to plan earlier. If you can wing it----go for it.
It was the best thing we've ever splurged on (not cheap) We've never regretted it

 

[PamOKW]

Another adjustment you can make to how you travel, is to make reservations and cancel them if you don't need them. If you can notice some rough pattern as to when you visit WDW, go ahead and book those reservations. Say, you know you'll want to go for four days during May for the flower festival and a 3 day visit for Food & Wine and that you always go the weekend after Thanksgiving to see the decorations; go ahead and book those dates well in advance. Then, if your plans change, you can try to move the dates around. (Just become familiar with the deadlines for making changes/cancellatins and potential penalties). It's always easier to cancel than to book!

On the plus side, you won't have to track when discounts are available and then plan your trips last minute based on when the deals come out.

 

[4mcbjCtr]

Just wanted to chime in with success stories with booking at the last minute. THis last year we booked on the front end of spring break, the day before we left to go on the vacation. We needed that disney fix.

I think it really just depends on when you are going. If you are trying to book that late in the game, you are probably never going to get your resort of choice, but as long as you are at DVC, that part doesn't matter so much.

That being said, I would recommend thinking about it away from Disney. They have a way of being so enticing, it is hard to say no.

 

[flechette]

Another possibility is to buy a smaller resale so you can do 1 planned DVC trip a year and continue to do your quick fixes via APs/FL ressies~

I'm trying to convince a co-worker to at least look at DVC that way: they go down from NC 3-5 times a year, stay in deluxes 6 nights, complain and the maids disturbing them during the day but say they don't want to be restricted to DVC only for their vacations~

 

[beachwarmer]

I called yesterday to try to book a last minute trip for end of August, September or October. There were two weeks in October that all the resorts were full for a studio. The rest of the weeks I could get SS or OKW and the rest of the resort only for a few days.

Ex : Sept 10- 14 OkW, SS, and first three nights for VWL. All the rest full
Sept 17-21 - OKW and SS
Sept 3-6 OKW and SS BCV were available 3, 4 and 5

This was for a studio. It tried to get AP rates for the Friday nights could not for most.

Hope this helps.

 

[dianeschlicht]

Keep in mind that timeshares run on the assumption that there is near 100% occupancy at all times. That's why DVC has point differences for different days and different seasons. You are best off if you can plan at least 60 days in advance, but there are going to be some time periods that will be nearly impossible at that late date. One would be the week of Christmas, Easter, Thanksgiving, Food and Wine Festival time, etc. If you are only going to stay in studios, DVC might not be the best value for the money. Studios will be most difficult to book as well.

 

[mikesmom]

The previous posters have given you great advice. I'd like to add our last-minute experiences. We've tried to book DVC last minute three different times. Once we were already onsite and we weren't quite ready to end our vacation. We called Member Services, wanting a 2 bedroom, 3 day ressie starting the next day. The BWV (where we were staying) was not available, but we were able to get into OKW.

This last February we were down for a conference for DH. Staying offsite at the conference hotel. We found a trade show we needed to attend and I called for a 3 day ressie beginning in 2 days. We were able to get a 1 bdrm at SSR.

Third time was this month. I was informed of an Industry Trade Show, being held at the Dolphin, the 3rd week of August that would have been helpful to attend. I called last week (so about 3-4 weeks out). There was no DVC availabilty in a studio or 1 bdrm anywhere.

So... it depends. If it is an imperative for a trip and/or a certain DVC hotel, then planning ahead is quite important. If you can be flexible about hotel AND not be stressed if exact dates don't work out, then you probably can work short notice trips.

All that being said, for our annual trip down to attend the Food & Wine Fest I ALWAYS call at 11 months to get the BWV.

 

[crisi]

The other thing you'll want to watch is your points expiring and being able to bank them. If you leave your points in your use year for a "last minute trip" and then find there isn't any availability before the end of your use year, you'll lose your points. So you want to understand banking and borrowing very well and what hoops you'll need to jump through so you don't get yourself into a "use em or loose them" situation where using em isn't an option.

 

[Granny]

As FL residents only 2 1/2 hours away (Ft. Lauderdale), we travel up many times a year as Disney addicts So, how far in advance do you have to plan your DVC stays?? Is it difficult to get availability at certain DVCs over others?? I know certain times of year (holidays, etc) would be hard and require proper planning, but what about other times of the year?? A lot of times, we decide 1-2 weeks in advance that we're going for a quick Disney fix What has been your experience in booking "what you want, when you want it".

Tiffany...I agree that you should not try to make this decision while at WDW. It's too much money to make that kind of decision while under the influence of the Mouse's power!

One thing that sticks out to me...you mention "quick Disney fix". For many who live close, that might mean long weekends? Keep in mind that if you primarily book DVC stays for weekends you will find DVC to be a very expensive proposition as the point schedule is very high for weekend nights (FRI & SAT) compared to the other five days of the week.

Also, whey you say "what we want, when you want it"...well, if it's not your home resort there are times of the year where it can be harder to book than other times, as others have pointed out. It's probably easier to get the "when" than the "what".

We've been members since 93. Personally, I've found that these boards seem to exagerate how hard it is to book reservations. Think about it; for every post of someone who didn't get their reservation, there are thousands of members who did but did not post "I got my reservation".

I'm not so sure that people exaggerate as they just want buyers to understand that it might not be that simple to book whatever they want, whenever they want. To give new buyers the impression that it is really easy to book, for example, VWL in middle December with a few months notice is just setting them up for disappointment.

 

[crisi]

I'm not so sure that people exaggerate as they just want buyers to understand that it might not be that simple to book whatever they want, whenever they want. To give new buyers the impression that it is really easy to book, for example, VWL in middle December with a few months notice is just setting them up for disappointment.

I'd rather have people pleasantly surprised by how wrong we were than disappointed that they didn't get exactly what they wanted when they wanted it with short notice. I'd MUCH rather be wrong. And I've seen plenty of "we are selling our home and buying where we want to stay because we've had problems getting what we want when we want it" posts.

 

[FamilyGuy]

DVD is aggressively marketing memberships (Doorway to Dreams is a great example), and I think as time goes on it will become tougher to book with shorter notice. But if you are content with just a couple to three consecutive nights, and flexible on the specific resort, I don't think it should ever become that big of an issue. As other's have said, take a little time to decide... lots of great people and great info here.

 

[Granny]

I'd rather have people pleasantly surprised by how wrong we were than disappointed that they didn't get exactly what they wanted when they wanted it with short notice. I'd MUCH rather be wrong. And I've seen plenty of "we are selling our home and buying where we want to stay because we've had problems getting what we want when we want it" posts.

Exactly! I think that we are just trying to set expectations at a reasonable level, not purveying doom and gloom. While many have had success with last minute arrangements, I would hate for someone to buy DVC expecting to have such success all the time.

 

[tinkertiff]

First, I want to thank each one of you for taking the time to give your very valuable input. You guys really made me smile and laugh about being under the Mouse's power while here at WDW and trying to make a decision. You are SOOO right . It is SO, SO tempting to just call my Guide and sign on the dotted line! That Magic is sooo strong and pulls you in -- like the Jedis and the "Force", ya know?? I was just looking at that Dream Book again and Logic made me jump on the DIS for some good 'ol common sense to bring me back to reality. We just came in from Typhoon Lagoon (whew -- bodies as far as you can see -- you should've seen the Wave Pool and Lazy River - standing room only ) Anyway, I CAN see the advantages of both buying direct w/Disney and buying Resale. I've learned so much with all of you weighing in on our dilemma Right now, we could get double Pts with a March UY around the corner OR buying Resale, we could end up with more Pts. - less money - at a DVC that we would really like as Home Resort -- BCV (LOVE, LOVE Y&B Club - our fav ). So, as very, very tempting as it is, we're trying very hard to be practical. DVC really DOES seem to be the best decision for us -- my DS has food allergies. We need at least a small fridge and microwave to help with a few of his meals. Table service is great and accomodating, but I bring some frozen things for him as well. We LOVE Deluxe properties, but need the kitchen component for DS. SO, QUESTION FOR YOU: If we decide to buy Direct in a couple of weeks, can we still get the Promo or will we be told "no"??? Thanks in advance for helping us with a huge decision for our DVC Dream

 

[disneynutz]

If we decide to buy Direct in a couple of weeks, can we still get the Promo or will we be told "no"??? Thanks in advance for helping us with a huge decision for our DVC Dream

That depends on your Guide. Some have more pull than others.

 

[VrBchJ]

Your guide can inform you about how long the incentives will be available. I would just add that I live about two hours from WDW and love my DVC. I can go for shorter visits and am able to avoid the expensive weekends. I do plan way in advance especially in Oct. for Food and Wine and the beginning of Dec. which are my popular times and DVC's too. I really enjoy taking family and friends with me. I like having the kitchen and laundry facilities. It makes it so much easier when kids are along to be able to prepare snacks in the room and do a quick load of laundry at the same time. Best of luck in your decision.