PLEASE help! How hard is it to get ressie 7 months out at non-home resort?

[mdinme]

This is where I disagree for many situations. I think it's easily possible to own at SSR and never have to stay there. Obviously there are factors to consider but I've come to believe that for many (and a growing number as the resorts expand) the ownership and usage are separate issues. Obviously for others it isn't. It really depends on the specifics but I've come to believe that far too often people pick home resort on emotion grounds in a way it really doesn't help them long term with their DVC usage. And if one does make the wrong choice for what their usage and preferences end up being long term, it's far better to own a cheaper resort than a more expensive one. I suspect the % of new owners that end up with a long term specific preference for their home resort is VERY small comparatively speaking.

We own at ssr and have never stayed there. Of course weve only taken three trips as owners... I do agree fully with your assessment though, and we made the same basic decision when we chose to finally buy.

 

[n2mm]

I've been working on booking Bcv right now at the 7 month window and there are already holes in the week and they are in the middle not the beginning. So if someone wanted to book a studio for 7 nights at bcv with a checkin of 7 months from today they would not get it. Right now I have my days but this is a 14 night stay so have to call every day for the next 7 days to add a day. I know at any time I could hit a road block and have to waitlist or do a split stay.

 

[keishashadow]

You guys are awesome!! Thank you so so much. This is truly helping us!! I am starting to see the picture!! Does anyone know the low/high seasons for booking? or that may be a silly question as it must differ!!

I like hearing everyone's experiences!!

We are extremely flexible with dates/times of the year and have no REAL preference on where to stay...we actually would love to try somewhere new every time!!

Thanks again everyone!!!

WDW continually adds new 'events' to try to fill the dead space. we were surprised how fast January marathon weekend and weekend afterwards filled up this year.

I think crisi says it best here - the "Buy where you want to stay" mantra really is meant to be "Buy where you are happy to stay". If we could all afford it, we would all likely want to buy at Beach Club or a monorail resort. This is why these resorts remain the highest values for resale.

We bought at AKV, not because it was necessarily the cheapest nor the ideal location, but because we really, really like the resort, and yet we couldn't have afforded something like BLT. I wouldn't have bought at SSR because I've never been there, and I don't know that I'll like it. Once I try all the resorts, I may get more points at a resort I like even better.

If you are happy just to be at Disney, buy at SSR. If you would be unhappy with being at SSR, then you shouldn't buy there.

so many unhappy campers who insist they were told they could easily switch over @ 7 month window. the 'mantra' is valid advice.

I was thrilled to finally be able to add onto AKV, we love the theming and it's one of the resorts we would trade into at 7 months from WL & BW. Unfortunately we didn't close soon on a resale to book a value studio in May during SWW for next year (missed the week I wanted by a week) and am on the waitlist for one day.

we've had same thing happen on the BW value studios in the past during F&W.

worst case scenario we still visit but go offsite or book discounted onsite mods thru orbitz.

Never have I ever said any of these things! I was just trying to get an idea of how it works and what others experiences have been!
There is not one resort that we would mind staying at. They are all wonderful. We hope to stay at every resort in the next 30 years!! To us, disney is disney and we are so happy to be ANYWHERE! We are travelers who have the luxury of traveling at any time of year. Very rarely would we book 11 months out but if we do, we will be delighted to stay at our home resort! We typically do disney 2 times a year so joining DVC is going to make sense for us and our family. If we are on the site and see something pop up 5 months later, we will go. If not, no biggie. Very flexible. And very happy to be anywhere on property.

you can always book something cancellable and waitlist.

 

[SarahInMN]

I just want to echo the mantra of "buy where you want to stay" and don't count on being able to book at a non-home resort at 7 months.

We go ALOT for food and wine: being close to Epcot is therefore super important to us. We bough at BCV to ensure that we can walk back and forth at leisure to the food kiosks! We would be unhappy if we owned elsewhere and had to use buses etc to get to f&w.

We bought at VGF because we wanted a monorail resort, the Contemporary did not suit us, and we got married at the Floridian. For us, the transportation convenience is very important to our vacation and we love being able to walk or monorail it over to Poly for Lapu Lapus at the bar -

That said, we had about 56 points which we need to use in 2015 and I snagged us 5 days in a studio at the Grand Cali which I had thought would be VERY difficult-next to impossible right at the 69 day mark (we're going in May). Granted part of that is the seasonality of early May.

Buy where you want to stay!

 

[DizBub]

Just wanted to pop back in and bump this thread to say that I did try to get BWV for May 2 - 9, 2015 and could not get the whole week even for garden pool view. This was right at 7 months. Early May isn't particularly busy, is it?

Managed to get the last 4 nights but had to reserve at SSR for the first 3. Looks like I was lucky to get that. Hopefully the waitlist will come through so we don't have to move.

If you want BWV, BCV, BLT, VGF, VWL or AKV value/concierge buy were you want to stay and book at 11 months. Period.

 

[skier_pete]

Just wanted to pop back in and bump this thread to say that I did try to get BWV for May 2 - 9, 2015 and could not get the whole week even for garden pool view. This was right at 7 months. Early May isn't particularly busy, is it?

Managed to get the last 4 nights but had to reserve at SSR for the first 3. Looks like I was lucky to get that. Hopefully the waitlist will come through so we don't have to move.

If you want BWV, BCV, BLT, VGF, VWL or AKV value/concierge buy were you want to stay and book at 11 months. Period.

Based on my observations of trying to put together tables for each resort out from 11 to 1 months, I have to say that the first two weeks of May were actually probably the busiest time of the spring season (March-May) other than around Easter. A lot of the more popular resorts were already well booked up at the 8-9 month mark. The rest of the summer does not seem to be filling up nearly as fast.

My guess is because this is a lower point season at a time of year where most everything around it is a higher point season. That plus they are starting to pose Flower and Garden as a second food and wine probably makes BWV extra popular.

Again, the both "buy where you are happy to stay" depends a lot on when you go, how set you are on one location, how much you are willing to waitlist, lots of factors. But if you "buy where you are happy to stay" you will never be disappointed, which is why I agree with the mantra.

 

[Dean]

Just wanted to pop back in and bump this thread to say that I did try to get BWV for May 2 - 9, 2015 and could not get the whole week even for garden pool view. This was right at 7 months. Early May isn't particularly busy, is it?

Managed to get the last 4 nights but had to reserve at SSR for the first 3. Looks like I was lucky to get that. Hopefully the waitlist will come through so we don't have to move.

If you want BWV, BCV, BLT, VGF, VWL or AKV value/concierge buy were you want to stay and book at 11 months. Period.

There are additional ways to get units other than availability at the 7 month window. My view of using a cheaper resort to get into the system assumes you'll use the wait list often. For this situation the chance of getting those extra 3 days with the WL (for pool/Garden view) done at or close to 7 months out and by checking online periodically is basically 100%. ASAMOF, even if one were able to book BWV in this situation as planned, it might be that one would WL for top options like VGF or AKV concierge. Obviously that approach isn't for everyone but there is a definable cost to have more options and even then one would have to own at BWV to have more options for this exact situation. Short of those who buy multiple resorts, everyone is in the same boat except for their own home resort. Most new members aren't really going to know what their preferences are long term even when they think they do thus going low rather than high is almost always an advantage. Put another way, better to make a mistake and underbuy in resort and/or points than overbuy in all but extreme circumstances (such as very small contracts).

 

[DizBub]

There are additional ways to get units other than availability at the 7 month window. My view of using a cheaper resort to get into the system assumes you'll use the wait list often. For this situation the chance of getting those extra 3 days with the WL (for pool/Garden view) done at or close to 7 months out and by checking online periodically is basically 100%. ASAMOF, even if one were able to book BWV in this situation as planned, it might be that one would WL for top options like VGF or AKV concierge. Obviously that approach isn't for everyone but there is a definable cost to have more options and even then one would have to own at BWV to have more options for this exact situation. Short of those who buy multiple resorts, everyone is in the same boat except for their own home resort. Most new members aren't really going to know what their preferences are long term even when they think they do thus going low rather than high is almost always an advantage. Put another way, better to make a mistake and underbuy in resort and/or points than overbuy in all but extreme circumstances (such as very small contracts).

I agree with you about new members really not knowing their preferences until they stay at all the resorts. Also agree that buying into a resort like SSR is a great value and those points can be used to trade into other resorts at 7 months.....but competition is fierce for those 5 resorts most times of the year. It seems almost disingenuous to assure new buyers that they can trade into these resorts with regularity at 7 months.

There seems to be more availability for 1 bedroom villas but they are literally twice the cost of studios. Leads to overbuying IMO.

Since I can't seem to plan all my trips at 11 months I do have to settle for SSR and OKW fairly often. It's a good thing I like them.

 

[Dean]

I agree with you about new members really not knowing their preferences until they stay at all the resorts. Also agree that buying into a resort like SSR is a great value and those points can be used to trade into other resorts at 7 months.....but competition is fierce for those 5 resorts most times of the year. It seems almost disingenuous to assure new buyers that they can trade into these resorts with regularity at 7 months.

There seems to be more availability for 1 bedroom villas but they are literally twice the cost of studios. Leads to overbuying IMO.

Since I can't seem to plan all my trips at 11 months I do have to settle for SSR and OKW fairly often. It's a good thing I like them.

That's just it, I think one can trade into the resorts regularly if you look at them as a group and you use the options available including the wait list and that includes Spring Break, Oct and early Dec. What you're not going to do is get VGF or AKV concierge routinely at 7 months out or any option every time. And one's personal situation does matter, this won't work for some, will for others. One who must have a specific week and/or resort is not the same as one who can truly be flexible (most DVC members aren't really flexible even when they say they are). We average maybe 3-4 units a week a year mostly through RCI and we've had stays at all resorts except VGF (not in RCI yet) and BLT (chose other options when it was available). However the majority have been at AKV, SSR & OKW and we're OK with that. I'd say that currently one who buys SSR and is truly flexible can make it work 100% of the time or as close to that % as humanly possible for 1 or 2 BR units, close for studios. You simply book your home resort 11 months out, change over at 7 months when possible, take any days available then wait list the rest in 1-3 day chunks being realistic.

Is it worth this aggravation and risk, each has to decide for themselves but the cost to get more guarantees can be thousands of $$$ and even then you only have guarantees for the resorts you own at. And truthfully the difference is enough that makes DVC not financially feasible or reasonable for some once they get past the entry level options. 1 BR units are generally going to be the most available due to the points structure. Financially or points speaking the difference in value between a studio and 1 BR is not 2X but closer to the difference in cash prices. I'm not aware of another timeshare that has such a great difference between one and the other. Of course then the question is whether the studio is under valued or the 1 BR over valued and I'd say it's a little of both. That might be your next reallocation right there.

My ultimate point is that it's workable for most but there is work and risk. I don't believe that most people truly know what they want from the get go, buy it and only stay there. To a degree you need a bit of a gambler's mentality though or at least a certain amount of comfort staying at the home resort of unsuccessful.

 

[crisi]

My ultimate point is that it's workable for most but there is work and risk. I don't believe that most people truly know what they want from the get go, buy it and only stay there. To a degree you need a bit of a gambler's mentality though or at least a certain amount of comfort staying at the home resort of unsuccessful.

And if you are coming from a hotel experience and expect DVC to work like the hotel side - you call up and book a room and what you want is almost always available - having to work the system is going to be a surprise, and perhaps a steep learning curve in addition to the work.

Its a system, and as such, it can be worked (we rented HHI points for this summer, and rented out our BWV points to cover almost all the costs - another way to work the system to get what you want) - but its called work for a reason.

 

[dinolounger]

Is the DVC only good for those who plan very far in advance??

From someone who has been a DVC member for almost 15 years:

- DVC works best when you plan far (if one considers 11 months far) in advance. And if you start looking to do exchanges, planning over a year out is not only advisable, it's almost mandatory if you are seeking to get into the most desirable properties. We've done some great exchanges, but all involved advance planning that started more than 12 months out. Note the recent upgrades to the RCI area of the DVC website have made that planning somewhat easier, one can now look directly at available future inventory.

- Per your core question, IMHO there are very few hard and fast rules about how easy or hard it is to get 7 month out ressies. There are many variables (time of year, specific resort and desired villa category) that come into play. The only generalizations I can make are (a) Aulani is still relatively tough, by virtue of the sales there being slow and (b) it has always been hard for those who don't own at the Epcot resorts (BWV and BCV) to get in there in the fall.

- DVC definitely does not work well for last minute ressies, unless you are very flexible, i.e. non prime times and you'd better be happy in an SSR studio and/or having to change resorts multiple times during your stay.

 

[DizBub]

Just wanted to pop back in and bump this thread to say that I did try to get BWV for May 2 - 9, 2015 and could not get the whole week even for garden pool view. This was right at 7 months. Early May isn't particularly busy, is it?

Managed to get the last 4 nights but had to reserve at SSR for the first 3. Looks like I was lucky to get that. Hopefully the waitlist will come through so we don't have to move.

I'm back to update. The above quote was something I posted yesterday.

My waitlist has already been fulfilled. I love my DVC!

 

[Dean]

I'm back to update. The above quote was something I posted yesterday.

My waitlist has already been fulfilled. I love my DVC!

As predicted, esp at the 7 month window when others who have reservations there are also making changes.

 

[DizBub]

As predicted, esp at the 7 month window when others who have reservations there are also making changes.

Yup, I'm sure someone else got their chance to move over to VGF or BLT. I'm not totally surprised the waitlist came through, I'm just shocked by the sheer speed of it. No complaints here.