Questions regarding booking last minute

[Disney Dreams]

DH and I are very close to becoming DVC members at BLT. We are okay with the money and believe we have a fair deal.

Due to many aspects of our lives, we tend to take vacations with less advanced planning. Our last two vacations (both Disney) were planning in less than 6 weeks. We are AKL lovers.

My concern is availability when booking DVC last minute. Has anyone done much booking a few weeks out (not during holidays, of course)? Can you share your experience with this area of DVC. We are a bit concerned that DVC is only for mega-planners.

Thanks,
Dreams

 

[mousefan1972]

Availability can be very limited to non-existent when booking on short notice. Many DVC members book their home resort 11 months prior to check in. Can I ask why you are buying BLT, if you love AKV? You could save a lot of money by purchasing AKV via resale. Although, if you can't consistently book greater than 7 months in advance, home resort is irrelevant and you'd be better off buying the least expensive resort. SSR, OKW and Vero Beach have the lowest resale prices right now.

Definitely think very hard about your purchase. I would hate to see you sink thousands of dollars into DVC, then not be able to use it because you are trying to book on very short notice. Good luck!

 

[Sandisw]

Getting last minute reservations, as in less than a few months, is difficult most times of the year.

IMO, if you know that you won't be planning at least 4 - 7 months in advance, I would not recommend DVC.

DVC works best for those that plan in advance. With last minute bookings, it won't matter what resort you own so I would definitely look in to SSR on the resale market as it is going for around $60 - $65/ppt right now.

Good luck!

 

[CarolMN]

If you can't plan more than 7 months in advance, home resort doesn't matter. Buy resale - the best deal you can find.

IMO, more often than not, you will find DVC very frustrating to use for last minute bookings.

Before you buy, try renting points for some of those last minute trips. You will get a pretty good idea of availability.

 

[Deb & Bill]

Based on your comments, DVC doesn't sound like a match for you. See what you can get via a PIN from Disney. Or get a Disney VISA and use those discount.

 

[iloveokw]

I always tell anyone who asks:

A. If you can't plan ahead don't buy....you will be disappointed
B. Buy where you want to stay.
C. The seasons that are considered "low" at Disney aren't with DVC because points are lower during those times.

 

[robert@dvcstore]

All DVC reservations area based on availability. It is not easy to get a reservation with very short notice, but not impossible based on the time of year and resort. The larger resorts like Saratoga, Old Key West and Animal Kingdom Villas may have a room available on short notice during the slower seasons.

As others have said, if you are not making reservations at Bay Lake Tower more than 7 months before your check in date, buy a resale at a much less lower price per point at another resort. Why pay for something that you will not take advantage of.

Robert

 

[Dean]

DH and I are very close to becoming DVC members at BLT. We are okay with the money and believe we have a fair deal.

Due to many aspects of our lives, we tend to take vacations with less advanced planning. Our last two vacations (both Disney) were planning in less than 6 weeks. We are AKL lovers.

My concern is availability when booking DVC last minute. Has anyone done much booking a few weeks out (not during holidays, of course)? Can you share your experience with this area of DVC. We are a bit concerned that DVC is only for mega-planners.

Thanks,
Dreams

Unless you are willing to plan further out, say around the 7 mo window, DVC would be a poor choice for you.

 

[walkdmc]

I've only booked one DVC trip so far. At 5 months out, for a "low season" November 13-20 trip, the only 1 BR units DVC had were at SSR, OKW and AKV. I called back at 4 months out, trying to change to a 2 BR unit and none of the resorts had availability.....at 4 months out....during a typical "off season".

If you can't book well in advance, I wouldn't count on anything other than OKW or SSR.

 

[DVC Dude]

Unless you don't mind a studio in SSR or OKW, I would probably not reccomend buying DVC if you only plan 6 weeks in advance.

However, I used to be like that and changed my behavior as a result of DVC and made it work quite well and actually enjoy planning in advance.

 

[hakepb]

I've only booked one DVC trip so far. At 5 months out, for a "low season" November 13-20 trip, the only 1 BR units DVC had were at SSR, OKW and AKV. I called back at 4 months out, trying to change to a 2 BR unit and none of the resorts had availability.....at 4 months out....during a typical "off season".

If you can't book well in advance, I wouldn't count on anything other than OKW or SSR.

As mentioned above, low point periods are actually among the highest in demand for DVC members. Especially if you are dealing with Food and Wine festival.
I think Its possible to have better DVC availability during summer. (Really hot and takes lots of points)

 

[Disney Dreams]

Well, thank you all for your replies. Not what I was expecting at all and surprised not to see one encouraging word, considering what I have read on other posts, but I appreciate everyone's thoughts.

As for why BLT, we are looking at BLT instead of AKV because the dues are much lower.

- Dreams

 

[Anna114]

Well, thank you all for your replies. Not what I was expecting at all and surprised not to see one encouraging word, considering what I have read on other posts, but I appreciate everyone's thoughts.

As for why BLT, we are looking at BLT instead of AKV because the dues are much lower.

- Dreams

I assume you wanted people to be honest, since I was going to post what everyone else wrote. It's almost as if you are disappointed by everyone not just saying congrats. DVC is not always a good fit for everyone. From what's been written unless you can or will change your vacationing habits it will be a VERY costly lesson for you. That's what's great about these boards people see things from a different perspective can help you make the best informed decision. Well, good luck on whatever you do.

 

[vicki_c]

Well, thank you all for your replies. Not what I was expecting at all and surprised not to see one encouraging word, considering what I have read on other posts, but I appreciate everyone's thoughts.

As for why BLT, we are looking at BLT instead of AKV because the dues are much lower.

- Dreams

I, too, am sorry that you are disappointed in the answers, but you got excellent advice here. I am just back from a cash stay at POFQ from my recent short notice attempt to stay DVC (planned about 6-7 weeks out and there were no DVC rooms available for some of the days I needed).

We have been lucky @ changing resorts at 7 months out (non home resorts when we already had booked our home resort at 11 months out), but shorter than that has been hit or miss - we even paid rack rate cash for a night in a BCV over Christmas when our wait list never came through.

DVC doesn't work for everyone and I think people here want you to go in eyes open and not be disappointed.

 

[mousefan1972]

Well, thank you all for your replies. Not what I was expecting at all and surprised not to see one encouraging word, considering what I have read on other posts, but I appreciate everyone's thoughts.

As for why BLT, we are looking at BLT instead of AKV because the dues are much lower.

- Dreams

Actually, a few of us (including me) wished you "good luck", which is definitely a positive, encouraging thing to say. We just don't want you to make a bad mistake with your money. There are alot of people who don't do their research prior to joining DVC. Then they try to book a reservation 4-6 weeks out, and are livid because they can't get into BLT, BCV, or another hard to get resort. And usually they will come here to complain, and most of us will say, unapologetically, that they probably shouldn't have joined DVC if they are always going to be booking on short notice.

Also, paying over $100 per point for BLT for lower dues doesn't make a ton of sense. Saving $40 or more per point by buying SSR resale will more than offset the higher annual dues.

 

[Disney Dreams]

I assume you wanted people to be honest, since I was going to post what everyone else wrote. It's almost as if you are disappointed by everyone not just saying congrats. DVC is not always a good fit for everyone. From what's been written unless you can or will change your vacationing habits it will be a VERY costly lesson for you. That's what's great about these boards people see things from a different perspective can help you make the best informed decision. Well, good luck on whatever you do.

Oh, I DO want people to be honest, or I would not have asked for input.

It's not really an issue of my "vacationing habits" as it is my work world. I cannot get time off guaranteed that far in advance. My understanding from reading these boards was that you can book and cancel 30 days out if plans don't work out with dates. However, when I posted this thread, every reply was, "Don't do it." So, I guess I am now more confused than ever.

I, too, am sorry that you are disappointed in the answers, but you got excellent advice here. I am just back from a cash stay at POFQ from my recent short notice attempt to stay DVC (planned about 6-7 weeks out and there were no DVC rooms available for some of the days I needed).

We have been lucky @ changing resorts at 7 months out (non home resorts when we already had booked our home resort at 11 months out), but shorter than that has been hit or miss - we even paid rack rate cash for a night in a BCV over Christmas when our wait list never came through.

DVC doesn't work for everyone and I think people here want you to go in eyes open and not be disappointed.

I'm not disappointed in the answers, but moreso, confused. I understand not being able to get a last minute ressie for Christmas week, but when you are saying here that you were lucky to change your reservation 7 months out - that implies that it is very difficult even 7 months out to get reservations. Is this true all the time? During holiday times? At the resorts you mentioned? This is what I am trying to figure out - and am getting very confused over.

Actually, a few of us (including me) wished you "good luck", which is definitely a positive, encouraging thing to say. We just don't want you to make a bad mistake with your money. There are alot of people who don't do their research prior to joining DVC. Then they try to book a reservation 4-6 weeks out, and are livid because they can't get into BLT, BCV, or another hard to get resort. And usually they will come here to complain, and most of us will say, unapologetically, that they probably shouldn't have joined DVC if they are always going to be booking on short notice.

Also, paying over $100 per point for BLT for lower dues doesn't make a ton of sense. Saving $40 or more per point by buying SSR resale will more than offset the higher annual dues.

I have done lots of research (DH says too much) and this post was an attempt at more. Our favorite WDW resort is AKL. If it were not for the high fees, we would join AKV, but we were advised to join BLT instead and then book AKV at 7 months or less. But - again - everyone on this thread seems to make it seem that is not going to happen, which brings me back to: confused.

I truly was looking for input. I am now more confused than ever.

- Dreams

 

[dd08]

Oh, I DO want people to be honest, or I would not have asked for input.

It's not really an issue of my "vacationing habits" as it is my work world. I cannot get time off guaranteed that far in advance. My understanding from reading these boards was that you can book and cancel 30 days out if plans don't work out with dates. However, when I posted this thread, every reply was, "Don't do it." So, I guess I am now more confused than ever.

Again as others here before me have said, I wish you the best, and not trying to be discouraging, but here is the full picture on that.

Yes you can book and cancel 30 days or greater out of your travel days. That is per the POS - in fact you can cancel within 30 days but the points you used to make the reservation go into "holding" (which is another matter).

While that is all well and good, what Disney probably isn't telling you, that the fine people on this board are telling you, is that all of that is dependent upon room availability and there will be many/most times of year that there will little to zero availability if you wait that long to make your reservations.

 

[crisi]

Here is the situation, and you can decide if you can live with it.

If you call six weeks out you'll find limited availablity. The limited will depend on how flexible you can be.

Maybe if you are looking for a week, you'll find an entire week available at a resort, but its likely that only SSR will be available. Of course, statistics are funny - maybe you'll find the only resort available is the in demand and smaller BCV. You probably won't get your choice of resorts, nor your choice of room types - it might be a studio available at OKW or a 2 bedroom available at AKL, but nothing else....unless

You can switch. Sometimes you won't find anything available for a longer stay at a single resort, but if you are willing to move from resort to resort, or from room to room, you can string together a stay equal to your vacation time. You might spend one night in a two bedroom at SSR, the next in a studio at OKW, the third in a studio at VALK before finishing you Of course, the shorter the vacation, the less likely you'll have to switch at all - the longer your vacation, the more likely you'll need to switch more than once or even....

...Find nights - or the entire vacation - completely unavailable on points. Sometimes you can put a cash night on one end or the other or in the middle in order to get your stay out of your trip. Sometimes you can move your trip a week - or a few days. Sometimes, you just are locked out from using your points with six weeks or less notice - there just isn't ANY availability anywhere.

Add to this that you need to bank your points or use your points or you loose your points. If you decide not to bank your points six months before the end of your use year because you are going to take a trip - then discover that there is no availability during the time you want to take that trip - those points are going to disappear. Disney does not see your lack of planning as their problem - even if you tried, but there wasn't availability.

A few people can work with this. They take short trips where they have the best chance of finding something without a day missing. They can move their short notice trips around. They don't mind moving from resort to resort. They are willing to suppliment with cash. They manage to plan the bank/borrow thing so that they don't have a lot of exposure to losing points. But it isn't the optimal situation and unless you are not picky and very easily contented - plus willing to manage your contract to optimize this approach - you'll be disappointed.

ETA: DVC is a timeshare, as such its really designed to operate sold out - unlike the resorts which operate at something around 80-90% capacity and are seldom (but occasionally) sold out. If the resort isn't sold out, its because someone isn't using their points. Since MOST DVC owners can plan in advance, DVC resorts tend to book up. At eleven months out nothing is booked. At seven months out maybe half is booked, at 3 months out, you are getting pretty close to full. Depending on the time of year, the room type, and the resort, rooms can book faster or slower than that.

 

[Disney Dreams]

Again as others here before me have said, I wish you the best, and not trying to be discouraging, but here is the full picture on that.

Yes you can book and cancel 30 days or greater out of your travel days. That is per the POS - in fact you can cancel within 30 days but the points you used to make the reservation go into "holding" (which is another matter).

While that is all well and good, what Disney probably isn't telling you, that the fine people on this board are telling you, is that all of that is dependent upon room availability and there will be many/most times of year that there will little to zero availability if you wait that long to make your reservations.

Okay. This ^^^ is very helpful. So.... let's say we want to stay at AKV and we are NOT talking summer or holidays. Generally speaking, are all DVC rooms sold out 60 days out? Would you guess 90? I am guessing there is availability 7 months out, no? (Not being a "smarty" here, honestly asking as I appreciate that you are trying to help.) Where does it start to get really tough?

Thanks!

- Dreams

 

[Dean]

Okay. This ^^^ is very helpful. So.... let's say we want to stay at AKV and we are NOT talking summer or holidays. Generally speaking, are all DVC rooms sold out 60 days out? Would you guess 90? I am guessing there is availability 7 months out, no? (Not being a "smarty" here, honestly asking as I appreciate that you are trying to help.) Where does it start to get really tough?

Thanks!

- Dreams

Under 60 days even available inventory is unavailable most of the time due to breakage inventory where DVC takes the rooms for rental. IMO, the risks and costs are too great unless one can plan around 7 months out or more. You said your issue was lack of work time off guarantees so if you can schedule and plan and have a good chance of getting what you want, you might consider it. Still a more risky situation than most but you'd have to decide what's best for you. Let me point out there are other ways to take advantage of the system than owning including cash through Disney and direct rentals. If you do direct rentals on that short notice you likely can get a better price than most.