Promotions - To wait or not

[Sandisw]

As you are finding out, DVC works much better for those that can plan in advance as it gives you a good chance of trying many different resorts.

At the 7 month mark, for many times of the year, you will have options--how many--well, that depends on when you are looking.

As mentioned, from October through the holidays is a busy DVC time and if you are looking to go for 10 days during this time, you will want to make sure you book your home resort 11 months out and then try for something right at the 7 month mark. Nothing is ever impossible and if you are willing to move resorts a few times, you should be able to get a reservation at that time.

However, early December--a time you mention--is very busy and in all likelyhood, a difficult time to book. I booked my home resort, BLT, only 5 days in to the booking window and could not get a SV studio.

So, buy at a resort that you would be comfortable staying at if you can't find something else you are happy with for the trip.

In terms of the trading out to the places that are restricted to resale buyers, remember, that option is not guaranteed and even if you buy direct, there is nothing that will prevent DVC from removing that as an option down the road from you too.

If that is a major selling point for you, you may want to re-evaluate. DVC is a big invetstment--buy DVC to help provide for your Disney vacations. If you want to travel elsewhere at some point, bank your points for a year and then upgrade the accommodations the next year.

Good luck!

 

[kstorms27]

Where can I go to look at the current availability? We are in ROFR right now for a OKW contract and Im really hoping to make reservations for a 2br room the first week in December. Ya'll are making me nervous!!

 

[Deb & Bill]

Where can I go to look at the current availability? We are in ROFR right now for a OKW contract and Im really hoping to make reservations for a 2br room the first week in December. Ya'll are making me nervous!!

Sorry, you can't. Even members didn't have that access until just recently and it is limited to what you can actually book with your points. So if you are looking at 7.1 to 11 months out, you can only see your home resort. If you are looking at less than 7 months out, you can see anything that is available. But you have to have a member password to be able to see it.

And if you can't book for a while yet, it would be pointless to have someone look for you because availability changes by the minute. What you see today, might not be available tonight.

 

[kstorms27]

Bummer! Guess all I can do is hope and pray at this point!!!

 

[333disneymom]

You will have problems booking lots of areas at 7 months out. That's why home resort is important. If you want the BLT Theme park view, you need to own there. If you want BLT Standard view, you need to own there. If you want AKV Value villas, you need to own there. If you want AKV Concierge villas, you need to own there. If you want a BWV GV, you need to own there. If you want OKW GV, you need to own there. If you want VWL during the winter holidays, you need to own there.

Sure, sometimes you will get a night or two at some of these places I've mentioned, but only a night or two at seven months.

It's just that the low times for DVC are not the low times for WDW. Early December for WDW is quiet except for the Pop Warner kids. But for DVC it is one of the busiest times of the year. If you don't book your home resort 10 to 11 months out, you won't get a week anywhere.

I can only speak from our experience, but the only time we didn't get what we wanted at 7 months, was when we wanted Boardwalk View at BWV. We got BLT for 7 days in a standard studio at 7 months for this April. We also got BCV at 6 months (after being on a waitlist) for 7 days the first week of December (considered one of the most difficult weeks to get) in a studio. We also gave up an AKV value studio for 7 nights at our 7 months, so someone else was able to get that.

Wow, i didn't know it was that bad... that totally changes our DVC thinking if we cant try out other hotels for our 10 day stay. The reps we talked to made it sounds like we would have no problem trying new hotels for our 10 day stays if we book 7 days out.

We are also hoping to go to Disney every year for 10 days at a time for the next ~15 years... Depending on how much our kids like it then or if they they would rather go to universal then even longer... Hopefully a few years after that our kids will have kids and we can bring them... also maybe buy more points and have larger rooms etc but that is now thinking 20 years into the future, can't plan it that well.

Bottom line is it sounds like we would have a hard time getting anything but SSR 7 months out even at the low times... if that is the case we would be out as we have no problems trying other hotels now booking 7 months out.

Thanks for the advice!

Kyle

We own at AKL and have never stayed there. We like to try all the resorts and have switched out at 7 months every time with little problem. Twice we did go on a waitlist which came through quickly. Only once did our waitlist not come through (for the BWV Boardwalk view).

 

[TheYellowDart]

Wow! What great info... thanks a lot for the help... I also didn't know that you could check online now... that is great and as an IT guy it was a turn off when they said it was phone only 6 months ago.

I guess we should fast forward our plans a little bit... I was planning on buying the DVC in about 6 months for a December stay, but we may buy earlier now if there is a chance we wont even get a room Dec 1-10.

I am really glad I came and asked questions about this... the sales people say that during the off peak you will have no problems at all finding rooms. This is really important to us as I have a crowd "problem" I can't stand it... people walking slow, long lines ... they just put me in a bad mood. We went Dec 16-26 our first year and the wait lines were never over 20 min for any ride and even then it was more like 5-10 (more time to run in the line than wait) and once xmas hit (23+) lines jumped to an hour or more. We didn't even really go to the parks that day and just enjoyed things around the hotel.

So would you say it is easier during the peak times to get the rooms, or is it just less hard but still hard off peak?

Also, I might come back and ask if someone could look up days around the 7 month time frame for off peak after thanksgiving to see how bad it is =)

Thanks!
Kyle

 

[dizfan]

You mentioned wanting to book 10 days.

One thing to be aware of, you can only book 7 days at the start of the start of your booking window. The next day, you can add one more day. Etc

At the 7 month window, there is a chance you will be able to book 7 days at non-home resort. The next day, call to add the 8th night only to find out it's already booked.
With the exception of busy DVC times or smaller room categories (AKV value, AKV concierge, BWV standard, BWV BW view, BLT standard, BLT MK view) your odds are still good.

For example, May 1 you may be able to book BCV for Dec 1-7 (not 8-10). On May 2nd, you call to add Dec 8th, but it could be booked (BCV owners may have Dec 8th booked up).

 

[TheYellowDart]

Wow, thats really great to know... so is it you can book 7 months + 7 days in advance, or is it you can only book 7 days at a time? Ie if I book 6 months out can i book all 10 days?

 

[Missyrose]

Wow, thats really great to know... so is it you can book 7 months + 7 days in advance, or is it you can only book 7 days at a time? Ie if I book 6 months out can i book all 10 days?

Yes, if you're calling at six months you can book all 10 days. But if there's a resort/room type you really want, call at seven months and extend your reservation in the few days afterward.

 

[TheYellowDart]

Ah, thanks...

I think what we going to do is pay for our normal vacation this year if free dining comes up. At the 6-7 month mark I will post back to see if anyone can get a studio anywhere for 10 days straight in Dec. If they can pretty easily (4 resorts+ to pick from) we will buy the DVC, cancel our other vacation and set it up that way. Thoughts? Any other gotchyas I might have missed?

Thanks!
Kyle

 

[333disneymom]

If you buy DVC before the 7 month mark, you can book 10 days at your home resort as soon as you have the points (if there is availability). You can then try to switch to a different resort at your 7 month mark.

 

[melodyka]

Ah, thanks...

I think what we going to do is pay for our normal vacation this year if free dining comes up. At the 6-7 month mark I will post back to see if anyone can get a studio anywhere for 10 days straight in Dec. If they can pretty easily (4 resorts+ to pick from) we will buy the DVC, cancel our other vacation and set it up that way. Thoughts? Any other gotchyas I might have missed?

Thanks!
Kyle

If you are thinking of buying direct in a few months, I read somewhere that DVD has special rooms set aside to help you make your first reservation (that may not be available to the general membership).

Maybe someone else can elaborate?

 

[Deb & Bill]

If you are thinking of buying direct in a few months, I read somewhere that DVD has special rooms set aside to help you make your first reservation (that may not be available to the general membership).

Maybe someone else can elaborate?

Not really. Sometimes they can take inventory out of the undeclared inventory to book the stay. But if the OP buys into a sold out resort, there isn't any such inventory. And it has to be a direct sale and not resale. So if he buys Aulani, he might not get something at WDW.

OP, you are seriously thinking about buying direct from Disney when you can save a whole bunch by buying resale? You spend an additional several thousand $$ to get that Dec reservation? That might be booked by the time you close on the sale?

 

[bakerworld]

Be aware that booking a 10 day vacation thru DVC at a premium location like Epcot or MK will be problematic no matter HOW YOU BUY - resale or direct.

You'll be fine during most of the spring, summer, early and late fall booking at the 7-month window. If you don't mind bus transportation and can deal with OKW, SSR, AKL then the rest works.

 

[mjc2003]

As far as incentives, our use year begins in September and we got all of the points from 2011 (plus a moderate "so much off per point" discount), so we were able to book our new vacation using 320 points (by borrowing from Sept 2012). We used 287 and are banking 33. We will probably only go every two years

Just to clarify, you got all the 2011 September UY points b/c you are currently in that UY. This is not a incentive; you got what you paid for. This is not a reason to buy direct (incentive-wise), though I understand that your time constraint would be an issue.

To the OP, I have several thoughts:

1) Instead of spending $16,000 to buy direct, I would buy more points for less money via resale. I would buy around 200, which would cost around $10k, and put the 6k away for those other vacations. Don't make vacations outside of WDW a deciding factor; you won't take enough of them on points (if you take any at all) to make it worth the investment. You are pre-paying for WDW vacations, nothing else. The rest may or may not exist when your children are older and you opt to trade out once or twice.

2) 10 days in a studio with 4 people might work now, but as your children get older your needs will change. Also, consider that having a 1 BR with a full kitchen can literally save you hundreds of dollars in dining costs over 10 days.

3) If you have enough points for a 1BR, your problem is solved. Trust me, you will very rarely find a time when a 1BR is not available. Yes, thanksgiving week....Christmas week...Easter week...anything at BWV or BCV during F&W (You will find something at BWV at 7 months for F&W, not BW view, and probably not studios). I know a 1BR is a lot more points, but you won't always be going 10 days at a time (b/c of kids, school, etc...).

4) If you stick to your "10 days in a studio" plan, you will still find something almost always at 7 month as long as you are flexible. Yes, as others pointed out you won't get the most desired rooms (AKL Concierge), but who cares?

Having the extra points via resale for less upfront cost provides you with far more flexibility and options. With more points, you will have your choice of resorts at 7 months, almost always. We went this route, and the flexibility of a few extra points has allowed us to take 3 DVC vacations, and all were planned inside of 7 months. One was planned 6 weeks out, the other two around 6 months. We got AKV Jambo, BWV, BCV and and AKV Kidani GV. All 6 months and within. There are a lot of doom and gloom folks who will espouse the horrors of planning a DVC vacation, but the truth is that flexibility-both travel and points wise-makes it pretty easy. Just my opinion.

Regarding your last comment about after Thanksgiving, that is indeed a busy time for DVC b/c points are low.

Good luck, you are doing your homework which is smart.

 

[Sandisw]

Ah, thanks...

I think what we going to do is pay for our normal vacation this year if free dining comes up. At the 6-7 month mark I will post back to see if anyone can get a studio anywhere for 10 days straight in Dec. If they can pretty easily (4 resorts+ to pick from) we will buy the DVC, cancel our other vacation and set it up that way. Thoughts? Any other gotchyas I might have missed?

Thanks!
Kyle

Availability for DVC changes by the minute so someone saying they find rooms won't mean they will still be there an hour later. And, just because there is short term availability this year, may not be what happens every year.

IMO, if you are going in early December most often and can not book your home resort at the 11 month mark or will be disappointed if you can't get 10 days at another resort at the 7 month, you may become easily frustrated with DVC.

As mentioned, the beginning of December is probably one of the most popular DVC times and rooms book fast, because it is currently a low point cost time. DVC is about the long term and works much better for those that can plan in advance.

It is certainly not impossible to get a trip booked last minute, but in many cases, you will be doing a split stay, may have to book a room size bigger than you want, etc.

I realize the guides make everything sound like it is no problem but in reality, you have to be willing to be flexible and have to understand how it works.

I own the two resorts I want to stay at most often and I book them at the 11 month mark so I know I will be happy. If I choose to try elsewhere and can, that is great. But, if I can't, then its okay too because I am at a place that will make me happy.

Good luck with your decision.

Edited to add: Just an FYI, -you can't get 10 days straight in a studio at the beginning of December right now, 9 1/2 months out, at either BWV or BLT.

 

[TheYellowDart]

Thanks for all the help... I guess I was trying to look at it as a whole vacation package and not just DVC... but if I can rent my points one year then buy another vacation then. Still learning the tricks! One question on this... when you rent your points do you do it with Disney or something like the time share stores?

Another question... Is there a Disney Land hotel in the DVC that is one of the main hotels? They seem to have different types of disney hotels and it's a little confusing...

1) Instead of spending $16,000 to buy direct, I would buy more points for less money via resale. I would buy around 200, which would cost around $10k, and put the 6k away for those other vacations. Don't make vacations outside of WDW a deciding factor; you won't take enough of them on points (if you take any at all) to make it worth the investment. You are pre-paying for WDW vacations, nothing else. The rest may or may not exist when your children are older and you opt to trade out once or twice.

Me, being cheap I really wanted to do this option, but my wife is very afraid that Disney will take away everything they can from resale... namely the option to stay at other hotels than our home resort. If it were not for that last bit we would buy resale for sure.

2) 10 days in a studio with 4 people might work now, but as your children get older your needs will change. Also, consider that having a 1 BR with a full kitchen can literally save you hundreds of dollars in dining costs over 10 days.

Totally agree on this... our kids are only 2 and 4 now but when they are 8-10 this will get tighter. By then we should be slowly building up to a 1 bdrm then a 2 bdrm in the future. As for the kitchen, I already tried to get that by the wife and she said no way will she be cooking anything and we don't rent a car so we would be paying disney store prices for bread etc. Also she said there is no way I am getting out of the dining plan as that is the best part of the vacation for her (honestly me too)

3) If you have enough points for a 1BR, your problem is solved. Trust me, you will very rarely find a time when a 1BR is not available. Yes, thanksgiving week....Christmas week...Easter week...anything at BWV or BCV during F&W (You will find something at BWV at 7 months for F&W, not BW view, and probably not studios). I know a 1BR is a lot more points, but you won't always be going 10 days at a time (b/c of kids, school, etc...).

A 1 bedroom would work for us for a 1 week vacation at this point (maybe with a little extra points) I guess that can be our fall back... We like to take things a little slow but maybe after a while we will be sick of our long vacations ;-)

4) If you stick to your "10 days in a studio" plan, you will still find something almost always at 7 month as long as you are flexible. Yes, as others pointed out you won't get the most desired rooms (AKL Concierge), but who cares?

Good to know. And yes, the more expensive rooms wont really work for us right now anyways as we will only have 160 points. Also, we wouldn't be unhappy at our home resort; only if we almost never could trade out.

If you don't mind bus transportation and can deal with OKW, SSR, AKL then the rest works.

To this point, we have been riding buses at Disney for the past few years and expected that at these hotels. We did want to try a hotel with the monorail but we wouldn't not go if we had to ride a bus for sure.

Also we are very flexible and don't mind taking the kids out of school for a week so it does seem like it will work better for us. We wouldn't be unhappy at our home resort... we just don't want to be stuck there.

Thanks again for the help... my wife and I are reviewing every response and talking about them to make sure it is right for us...

Kyle

 

[Deb & Bill]

...Another question... Is there a Disney Land hotel in the DVC that is one of the main hotels? They seem to have different types of disney hotels and it's a little confusing...



Me, being cheap I really wanted to do this option, but my wife is very afraid that Disney will take away everything they can from resale... namely the option to stay at other hotels than our home resort. If it were not for that last bit we would buy resale for sure.
...

The Villas at Grand Californian are very small. But so is the DLR (both DL and CA). You can really do the entire theme park in three or four days.

When it comes down to it, all your DVC ownership guarantees is that you will be able to book your home resort. I doubt they would take away the ability to book at a different DVC resort, but that is all you are guaranteed. Even if you buy direct.

 

[Dean]

Me, being cheap I really wanted to do this option, but my wife is very afraid that Disney will take away everything they can from resale... namely the option to stay at other hotels than our home resort. If it were not for that last bit we would buy resale for sure.

They can't take away the DVC options which should be the reason to buy anyway. In spite of what some might say, I don't see any way they can change the reservation timelines for qualified vs non qualified points. Going resale for this reason alone would be like getting the max insurance on a rental car but getting minimal protection.

 

[zeferjen]

They can't take away the DVC options which should be the reason to buy anyway. In spite of what some might say, I don't see any way they can change the reservation timelines for qualified vs non qualified points. Going resale for this reason alone would be like getting the max insurance on a rental car but getting minimal protection.

I agree, but I guess I have a moderate risk profile. I can't believe that the worst case scenario will happen. I guess if it does, I will cross that bridge then.