Poor economy not affecting DVC travel

[Chic]

I just called member services yesterday to try and change my December SSR reservation at the 7 month window. Guess what? There are no Studios available anywhere except OKW. I thought fewer people were traveling due to the economy. Oh well, we weren't able to switch resorts during our last December vacation and loved SSR so I guess we will return again this Christmas.

 

[BEASLYBOO]

change my December SSR reservation at the 7 month window. Guess what? There are no Studios available anywhere except OKW.

Did you see if they had any 1br's, December is one of the hardest times to book at 11 or 7 months and studios always go 1st. If the economy does not improve, People who booked at the 11 months window may cancel at 31 days!

 

[decarop]

When I booked last Sunday for 1st week in December there were no available 1br or 2br available in any resorts other than SSR.
Week I tried for was 12/6 thru 12/11. No luck.
Took a 1br with a lockoff to meet our needs at SSR.

 

[Chic]

BEASLYBOO- There was a 1-Bedroom available at BWV. Last year during the 7 month December window, there were 1-Bedroom units available but, like this year, I didn't want to burn that many points. My travel dates this coming Christmas are December 20-25. I'm waitlisted for BLT or BWV so I'll post if anything develops.

 

[ead79]

It definitely seems like December is one of those months where the 11 month home resort booking advantage is really important. So far we've stayed at our home resort (AKV) for both of our December trips since joining DVC. I'm hoping that we're able to try some of the other resorts in the future, but reading reports like yours doesn't make it seem too likely. Luckily we really love AKV, so we're happy to stay there for now, but one day I sure would like to try BCV, BLT, or BWV. It looks like there's a decent chance for getting SSR or OKW since they are large resorts, but the smaller ones seem less likely.

 

[mommylo]

I booked last week at exactly 7 month window and got 1-bdroom lakeview BLT. Date of travel December 14 - 20.

 

[photobob]

I just called member services yesterday to try and change my December SSR reservation at the 7 month window. Guess what? There are no Studios available anywhere except OKW. I thought fewer people were traveling due to the economy. Oh well, we weren't able to switch resorts during our last December vacation and loved SSR so I guess we will return again this Christmas.

Well we have the points it's not like we aren't going to use them! We are still taking a trip this year but going to VB. Money wasn't originally the the main reason to go there, but given my current economic situation I'm really glad I don't have to purchase passes this year.

 

[Muushka]

I had no problem booking at 7 months.

We are up in the air about a cruise we booked for the 2nd week of Dec.
So we wanted to be sure we could stay at DVC before we cancelled the cruise.

First choice was 1 BR value at AKV, got it for the 1st 3 nights with the last 2 at BCV, and we could have had a studio at BLT. I was surprised at the availability.

 

[johde]

I changed my OKW reservation to AKV without any major problems. I called right at 9:00 though the past 2 wednesdays.

 

[JimMIA]

The lack of availability in December is about the worst measure you could have chosen -- it's the busiest time of the year, and most folks who go then book very early. A much better indicator would be the availability in late June - early July, after the initial schools-out rush has subsided.

Tourism generally is WAY down. We had the annual travel industry Pow Wow in Miami last week and there were a lot of stories about how bad things are, and the deals destinations were offering to try to attract business.

It's a great time to pick up vacation bargains, especially on things like cruises which are great bargains to begin with.

 

[BEASLYBOO]

Tourism generally is WAY down. We had the annual travel industry Pow Wow in Miami last week and there were a lot of stories about how bad things are, and the deals destinations were offering to try to attract business.

hence the creation of the "dreaded" Free Dining!

 

[crisi]

Well we have the points it's not like we aren't going to use them! We are still taking a trip this year but going to VB. Money wasn't originally the the main reason to go there, but given my current economic situation I'm really glad I don't have to purchase passes this year.

And that is sort of the nature of timeshare travel. Accomodations are paid for - most members who can are going to get there - they might drive instead of fly. They might swing by the grocery store instead of eating out. They might have a trip where they pool hop instead of going into the parks. But they aren't going to let points expire if they can help it.

 

[CarolMN]

It's a great time to pick up vacation bargains, especially on things like cruises which are great bargains to begin with.

How true! If I hadn't already been on an Alaskan cruise twice already, I'd grab one of the deals they are currently offering out of Minneapolis - 7 night Alaska cruise from $499 including air out of MSP. Unbelievable!


FWIW, I think DVC members as a group, are probably better off than many others. I agree that the Orlando area resorts (and other cities dependent on tourism) are suffering due to the economy. It's no accident that Disney is heavily discounting. They may be filling or nearly filling their resorts as a result, but I think many of those guests would have stayed off site without the discounts.

 

[Disneypirate85]

Called MS this morning for our Christmas trip and was told that there is "LOADS" of studios and 1br at Kidani? Jambo was full tho...we reserved 12/20-12/24 no issues savannah view. Shawn

 

[Chic]

Glad to hear about the availability of Studios at AKL. I didn't inquire about possibilities at this resort. My thinking is Saratoga Springs is not within walking distance to any park except Downtown Disney so why change to another resort with the same scenario. If I change resorts, I typically do so to be located at a Theme park resort for added convenience. As I mentioned in my previous thread, we are more than happy to stay at Saratoga Springs.

 

[Granny]

Also, keep in mind that it doesn't cost anything to make a reservation. My guess is that there have been a lot of cancelled reservations this year as people may be banking points. Even with accommodations paid for Disney is a fairly expensive trip if times are rough.

 

[RJAYL]

I doubt it points are cheap, in that you already own them!

I just looked for a last minute 2 Bedroom & almost no weekly availability untill late August except Saratoga Springs!