Okay so we are taking the plunge

[popisme]

Okay guys,

After renting points for the last 3 trips we have finally decided that we need to own a piece ourselves .

My question is we are purchasing a small resale contract of 100 points at Old Key West and we were wondering what kind of success have you all had at booking at the 7 month window. Please NO FLAMES . We absolutely LOVE Old Key West and it is probably one of our favorites but we also like to visit other resorts and didnt know how difficult or impossible it would be to book those other resorts.

Is there a way to do it with trading or transfering points?


Thanks for any input as I start planning all my future Disney Vacations as I wait rather impatiently for ROFR.


Thanks in Advanced,
Mariana

 

[iloveokw]

If you have to work around school schedules and want:

1. BCV - not good
2. WLV - not good
3. Hilton Head in summer - not very good - especially for studios and one bedrooms

 

[Donald is #1]

My only try so far to switch resorts at 7 months was last month for my December trip (I have only been a member for a year). Switching for the frist 2 weeks of December is tough as I have found though I have had some success. However, I have seen many posts of lots of luck for trips in May, September, etc.

 

[Slakk]

We have done most of our trips at the 7 month mark and have had no issues whatsoever - except for this trip coming up where we got BWV at 5 months and immediately waitlisted for BCV but never got it.

We got a preferred view although Boardwalk View was available (we said no).

 

[popisme]

I am thinking hopefully we will not have too many problems. We usually travel in the later months like September and after. We also usually stay in a studio. We love OKW and would be happy if that is all we can get but would like to explore everything else also.


I have anouther question. Could I book our vacation at OKW at our 11 month window (to make sure we have reservations) and then check at the 7 month window to see if anything else is open. (or is this frowned upon).


Thanks again for all your responses.

Oops I have one more question.

We are scheduled for a early August closing date and we have friends that are wanting to rent points to say for a week in Dec. Are we gonna be too late to book that for them and so should we help them find someone else to rent from.

Thanks again for all your help

Mariana

 

[bobbiwoz]

...


We are scheduled for a early August closing date and we have friends that are wanting to rent points to say for a week in Dec. Are we gonna be too late to book that for them and so should we help them find someone else to rent from.

Thanks again for all your help

Mariana

If your friends want to rent for a December vacation, they may already be too late to get something. They should try to rent ASAP.
Bobbi

 

[chalee94]

I have anouther question. Could I book our vacation at OKW at our 11 month window (to make sure we have reservations) and then check at the 7 month window to see if anything else is open. (or is this frowned upon).

not frowned on at all.

it's standard operating procedure, actually. the first goal should be to make sure you have a room at wdw...so be sure to book 11 months in advance if you can. (at OKW, it's not as critical to book day-by-day - unless you are booking a GV - from what i've seen...but high demand times like december can book up within a few weeks even at OKW.)

for the first week in dec this year, i booked at OKW at 11 months with no problem - i emailed what i wanted 11 months from my checkout date and got a confirmation back within a day. at 7 months out, i called about potentially switching a reservation but no studios were available anywhere at that point...so i waitlisted for a value studio at AKV to see if i could try that out. (i broke my waitlist into 2 sections for a 5 night stay - 2 nights/3 nights - so that i didn't risk getting, say, 2 nights in the middle and having to constantly switch resorts.) despite value studios being rare and in high demand, i actually got the first 2 nights after waiting 2 months and still hope to get the rest of the reservation before december...

which is all to say it's possible to switch resorts at the 7 month mark...but it can be a hassle...

you may have to learn to love the waitlist if you are set on trying other resorts.

(and to repeat: december is a super high demand time at the DVC resorts...have your friends look for an owner who already has a december reservation that they are renting, because i don't think there's anything available to book in december right now.)

 

[bookwormde]

I bought in with 150 OKW in May and was able to get OKW 5 1br weekdays in August. I am still waiting for 2 studio days at bwv, bcv or vwl for something different at the end of my Florida vacation.

bookwormde

 

[TenThousandVolts]

We got a preferred view although Boardwalk View was available (we said no).

Slakk- Just curious- why did you choose pref. view over BWview?

 

[Disneyaunt4]

We also own at OKW. Just got back in May from BCV 2 bedroom. And two weeks ago just booked a one bedroom at VWL for second week in Sept.

 

[Cerigirl]

If I buy at OKW and usually vacation in September or November - would I have a problem booking a Studio in these months at the 11 month or 7 month window.

I know you all say buy where you love, but if I could only afford VB when push comes to shove, would getting a OKW reservation at 7 months be tricky? Is getting reservations at any window getting harder by the year as more DVC members join?

 

[SLM]

We booked OKW at 7 months out for mid June (2006) VB at 7 months for March (2007) VWL for August at 7 months out, and we are going to HH this September for a week. We own at BCV and stayed there our first year of ownership and loved the resort-but for new owners visiting all the resorts is half the fun! We did not have any luck booking HH for a summer stay-was hoping my daughter and her husband could join us-they are teachers-but will go in September by ourselves-we're going to book BCV for August 2009 at the 11 month date and then try at 7 months for AKV. I'm hoping 2BR and lots of points we might have a chance! I can honestly say from the resorts we've visited they all have something special to offer and I'd be happy in any of them!

 

[chalee94]

I know you all say buy where you love, but if I could only afford VB when push comes to shove, would getting a OKW reservation at 7 months be tricky? Is getting reservations at any window getting harder by the year as more DVC members join?

IIRC, booking OKW at sept is currently doable without much trouble. nov is a little more questionable.

be aware that VB has the highest annual dues of any DVC (and nearly became the first DVC to require extra payment of a special assessment after storms a few years back...)

 

[WaltEeyoreWorld]

It seems that September, October and the beginning of November (before Thanksgiving) is rather easy to get the big resorts like OKW and SSR. In fact we just found a November 1BR week on II today that we took for an Accommodation certificate that we get most years for one of our Marriott weeks. $290 for a 1BR at OKW for the week.