Odds at AKV over spring break

[Anal Annie]

The little micro-wheels & gears are already turning in my head and I am sort of thinking out loud here and need someone to talk to.

We have never gone to WDW over spring break and we've never done a Sun-Thur stay BUT we WERE thinking about trying it next year. We know it will be PACKED and that our best odds will be to book a studio at SSR at 11 months. So this WAS our tentative plan. USED TO BE it would cost 85 pts. for Sun-Thur. Not a problem. Have the 85 points. Well, now that will go UP by 10 points for 2010 to 95 points. Guess what? Those 10 points will leave us short by 3 points to try to get a THV for summer 2010. So now I am already trying to figure out WHAT in the world we can do BESIDES borrow 3 silly points. So a Std. view studio at AKV would take us back to the 85 points. We LOVE AKV but have never tried SSR so we figured it was the perfect timing to do it. But now that they've jerked us around on the point charts I am just trying to get an idea what the odds might be that we could get a Std. studio at AKV at the 7 mo. window??? Since Kidani will be open that should help, right? Who here on the DIS was able to book AKV at 7 months for spring break at Jambo House this year????

The other option would be OKW. That would run 90 points so it leaves us with enough points to get our THV for the summer w/o borrowing but we really don't like OKW. So that's sort of a last resort choice for us and I don't know if any of the other resorts are big enough?? Just trying to re-work my spreadsheets and trying to decide if we should even bother with the whole spring break trip or not... We may never try SSR now....

Please share your experiences at booking somewhere besides your home resort for this time period.

 

[starbox]

FWIW - We own at AKV specifically to book Spring Break in a value. It's the only way I can justify going during the highest point season.

 

[kristenrice]

Our DD's will be in first grade and 4's pre-school (MWF) next year so we had to cave in and do a spring break trip. We did spring break when I was a child and we loved it so I am hoping that my kids will too. Our plan for our first spring break trip is to drive down to WDW with my parents (all 6 of us in the Suburban!) and stay at AKV from Su-Th night. That's the only days we could do it since we are driving.

We also were affected by the reallocation since our 2BR standard that we'd planned on went up by 25 points. So, I adjusted our plan and we are going to do the first two nights in 2 standard studios at Jambo. Then, we'll do our last three nights in a 2BR standard at Kidani.

Our spring break is always the first full week of April. Lucky us...that's premiere season in 2010. Many times, it will fall into Magic season so we can "upgrade" those years.

Hopefully, you'll get your reservation at 7 months. It will be interesting to see what happens with 2010 plans for those of us who weren't prepared. I planned a June 2009 trip with points that I thought would be "leftovers". Well, I found myself 25 points short of being able to stay all five nights in the 2BR standard in 2010. It's too late to change our 2009 trip so I adjusted our 2010 trip. I wasn't happy about it, but there are a lot of positive things that are now going to work to our advantage so we're OK with it.

Good luck...maybe we'll see you there!

 

[tidefan]

Who here on the DIS was able to book AKV at 7 months for spring break at Jambo House this year????

We are going this year March 15-22 (Spring Break for many of us here in Alabama). I set up SSR 2-Bdrm at 11 months then wanted to switch to AKV Std View 2-Bdrm at 7 months. I called that morning at 7 months, but AKV Std View was unavailable (as was Value, they had Savannah view). They also had VWL, BWV Preferred, and OKW available, so I took OKW to save points (OK, we really like OKW too...).

I am still on a waitlist for AKV Std View 2-Bdrm for those dates, but not holding out any hopes. Surprisingly, they had the weekend days available, but the weekdays were booked up . I have talked with MS a couple of times and they seem to all think that the availability of Std View rooms will increase greatly when Kidani comes on line as the majority of the Std View rooms, so they told me, were in Kidani as opposed to Jambo...

 

[tidefan]

The other option would be OKW. That would run 90 points so it leaves us with enough points to get our THV for the summer w/o borrowing but we really don't like OKW. So that's sort of a last resort choice for us and I don't know if any of the other resorts are big enough??

We love, love, love OKW, but only for the 1-Bdrm and higher. I agree with you about the studios there. I would miss the couch...

 

[Anal Annie]

I guess without Kidani being open yet it's difficult to say. I am so irritated with the new charts leaving us 3 points short for 2010 I am ready to just drop the idea of one whole trip. But then what to do about AP's??? I wanted 3 trips on them. GRRRRRRR.

As far as OKW....IF we go ahead with this "extra" trip over spring break next year we'd likely rather pay cash for a room for 1 night somewhere before we'd book OKW. I don't know now...will have to decide by April tho. Suppose we could book SSR at 11 months then wait & see what we could do at 7 months. I am so frustrated right now with DVC.

Anybody else have any luck at 7 months anywhere besides home???

 

[spiceycat]

many times - sometimes it works great - othertime it doesn't.

you might consider - what I am doing - stay a day less.

if you can't get AKV at 7 months (would be very surprised if you couldn't - the entire resort should be open in 2010 - this is not a small place)

then cancel your last day. (or your first)

 

[Anal Annie]

many times - sometimes it works great - othertime it doesn't.

you might consider - what I am doing - stay a day less.

if you can't get AKV at 7 months (would be very surprised if you couldn't - the entire resort should be open in 2010 - this is not a small place)

then cancel your last day. (or your first)

Have thought about that...problem with that plan is that I have a hard time justifying the airfare rates for only 4 nights at that time of year. All of this frustration over being short 3 measley points with the new point charts.

 

[hellerjw]

I think once all of Kidani is open, presumably by the end of 2009, you will have a fairly good chance of being able to get some type of studio at the 7-month mark, since AKV will then be the 2nd largest resort behind SSR. Now whether it will be a Standard vs SV is hard to say as both types will be spread across both buildings, unlike the value or concierge.

 

[Anal Annie]

I think once all of Kidani is open, presumably by the end of 2009, you will have a fairly good chance of being able to get some type of studio at the 7-month mark, since AKV will then be the 2nd largest resort behind SSR. Now whether it will be a Standard vs SV is hard to say as both types will be spread across both buildings, unlike the value or concierge.

I was hoping it would be large enough by the time it's all open...but the reason for switching there is to either get a "value" or a "standard" view in order to crunch the points down. USED to only need 85 for SSR...but that's going up by 10 next year. That is 3 too many for us!!

 

[kristenrice]

Try doing your first night in 2 studios instead of 1 two-bedroom. We were able to cut about 24 points off of our trip by doing the first 2 nights in 2 standard studios and then the next 3 nights in a standard 2BR (230 points for 5 nights in a std 2BR vs. 206 points doing the split). It also works to our advantage because we can add the DxDDP to the first 2 nights and get our TS meals, mugs and snacks for the week.

 

[JW2]

Why don't you borrow from 2011 the 3 silly points for your 2010 THV??

 

[Anal Annie]

Why don't you borrow from 2011 the 3 silly points for your 2010 THV??

First, because we are points challenged to start with and I don't want to start borrowing ANY points. It will just create issues for the following years plans in 2011. AND it's just the principle that before the point re-allocation we were going to have 23 points left to BANK and now we're short points unless we can get in at AKV at 7 months over spring break. Any way I analyze it we're short points for 2010 and 2011 (I'm a long range planner). We'd already planned that we could do this, this and this, and then this and 10 days ago it all worked out perfectly. Now we cannot do 2010 OR 2011 because of these 3 "silly" points (because the real net effect is 26 points since we no longer have any to bank either). I'm just messed up now and am trying to devise a new plan.

 

[bobbiwoz]

I was always a bit upset to read about points going for $10 and a studio room being so cheap on the rental market. However, if people are still willing to rent to you, that apparently is an option, rent the points and buy a night that way. It's not a big outlay for your peace of mind that is getting the vacation you want.
Bobbi

 

[Inkmahm]

If you don't want to rent and want to control your entire reservation yourself, find another member who is willing to transfer points to you. Transfer 25 or so so that you have enough to cover future years where you are short 3 points, too. At least for awhile then you won't have to worry about it.

 

[eyeheartgoofy]

I was able to get a preferred view studio at BWV for Spring Break this year calling at the 7 month mark. Not standard view with the lower point requirement and not Boardwalk view, but preferred.

If a remember correctly, there were quite a few moves reported around that timeframe that I booked ... people were able to switch into other resorts at 7 months. I tried for BWV b/c I figured it would be the "easiest" reservation besides SSR and OKW due to it's size. But, I do remember reading reports of people getting BCV and AKV (and only Jambo house was available to book back then) at 7 months for Spring Break.

I think you would have pretty good luck at 7 months for AKV standard studio if you aren't particular about Jambo or Kidani. AKV will be old news by then with BLT opening this fall.