1momof3boys3
Mouseketeer
- Joined
- Apr 22, 2017
- Messages
- 261
skier_pete, the information you have provided is extremely appreciated. I am having a hard time deciding on whether or not DVC is right for me. The information you posted previously has helped me tremendously. Thank you.
Not really the thread for this, but it is important to really understand DVC, so I hope this helps you. I typically tell people that you should only consider DVC if.
1) You stay on property at Moderate or Deluxe resorts.
2) You are able to mostly book your vacations 11 months in advance preferred, or 7 months in advance at worst.
3) You feel yourself to be a true committed Disney World fan, that will want to continue trips there for the next 10 years at minimum, and at least every other year.
If all 3 apply, it might be worth a consideration. From there you need to really understand the difference between resale and direct (plenty of other threads on this so won't get into it here) and then different home resort options and which one is right for you.
Not really the thread for this, but it is important to really understand DVC, so I hope this helps you. I typically tell people that you should only consider DVC if.
1) You stay on property at Moderate or Deluxe resorts.
2) You are able to mostly book your vacations 11 months in advance preferred, or 7 months in advance at worst.
3) You feel yourself to be a true committed Disney World fan, that will want to continue trips there for the next 10 years at minimum, and at least every other year.
If all 3 apply, it might be worth a consideration. From there you need to really understand the difference between resale and direct (plenty of other threads on this so won't get into it here) and then different home resort options and which one is right for you.
My biggest concern so far is more along the topic of this thread. I'm nervous about investing in DVC only to find that the locations book up right away and I'm not able to actually use my points.
Thank you, chalee94! Also helpful information. =)you have to understand that there is an element of competition in booking DVC. if you own where you want to stay and book at 11 months out, you will rarely be disappointed.
on the other hand, there certainly are people who end up feeling like this:
https://www.disboards.com/threads/anyone-else-disappointed-with-booking-lately.3597918/
Is anyone able to look at availability in October, just for my curiosity? I am wondering if Bay Lake Tower (Theme Park View, 1 bedroom villa) and Animal Kingdom Villas (Savannah View, 1 bedroom villa that sleeps 5) is available October 29th through November 4th. This is past the 7th month window. I wish I would have thought to check around 10 months out. =/ I currently have my eye on both of those as home resorts (resale purchase), and we typically travel in October. We would have no problem booking at the 11 month mark at our home resort, but I still worry about October being booked up during that time of year.
Thank you for that information!Checking of actual availability is prohibited by board rules. It also can change at any second and checking now provides no relevant data about home priority.
The tables above will show you what the availability was month by month when they were done a couple years ago.
My biggest concern so far is more along the topic of this thread. I'm nervous about investing in DVC only to find that the locations book up right away and I'm not able to actually use my points.
you have to understand that there is an element of competition in booking DVC. if you own where you want to stay and book at 11 months out, you will rarely be disappointed.
Thank you so much for all of this information!! It is greatly appreciated.That's why I mentioned the importance of being able to book in advance. With few exceptions (VGF comes to mind) you can generally book at 11 months out at your room resort easily. However, if you buy based on certain categories then you are bound to be disappointed at times. For example, if you buy at AKV with the plan to always book value rooms, you will likely often be disappointed they aren't available. However, standard and savannah view rooms are almost always available for several months after the 11 month window opens. Likewise, if you own at Boardwalk, you may find that the standard (low point) rooms are gone very quickly at 11 months during popular seasons (Food and Wine), but even this resort is frequently available for Pool/Garden rooms 8-9 months prior to booking.
Where the competition REALLY heats up is when the 7 month window opens up. While many resorts still have availability right when the window opens, they will frequently book up in the next few days. If one of these tables shows a resort as "Open" at 8 months and "Spotty" or "None" at 7 months, you can bet that's a resort that gets filled up very close to the 7 month mark.
If you can afford enough points to book 1-bedrooms, these rooms have a much longer availability. Of course, they cost twice as much as well. These haven't really been tabulated here too extensively, but a good example here is to look at Wilderness Lodge villas, and the difference between the studio and 1-bedroom tables.
Of course, what cannot be accounted for here is the exact dates someone wishes, nor the use of waitlists. Many people say waitlists have worked very well for them.
We've only been members for 3 years, but we have had no issues with booking, but we know when it is busy, we just book our home resort, and if it is slower times we plan on moving right at 7 months.
The historical data is above, in Skier Pete''s charts and the pdf I attached. I'd suggest you study this.One of my favorite times to visit the world is the end of January and the first week of February, how hard is it to get a studio then at 7 months?
It's called "walking a reservation." You start booking in advance, and move up the reservation every few days to block the next set of start dates for a booking until you reach the dates you want. This really only happens with a handful of categories.In some of the post I see people make mention of rooms being booked before the 11 month period. If I read that correctly how is that possible? Thank you
In some of the post I see people make mention of rooms being booked before the 11 month period. If I read that correctly how is that possible? Thank you
Some resorts have fixed weeks. That could make a room unavailable.In some of the post I see people make mention of rooms being booked before the 11 month period. If I read that correctly how is that possible? Thank you