Realistic expectations?

[momtoprincesses]

Hi all! This is my first post on the DVC board as I am exploring the possibility of renting points for the first time. How good are my chances of booking a 2 bedroom Standard at Animal Kingdom Lodge at the 11 month mark through Dave's? I just want to know if this is a realistic expectation or if there is really no chance so I can make other plans instead. We are looking to go the third week of October 2017. Thanks so much!

 

[CarolMN]

You can pretty much count on there being availability for that at 11 months. However, David's may not have any owners with AKV points that will be that valid for your dates. Only AKV points can be used to book AKV villas more than 7 months in advance.

 

[momtoprincesses]

You can pretty much count on there being availability for that at 11 months. However, David's may not have any owners with AKV points that will be that valid for your dates. Only AKV points can be used to book AKV villas more than 7 months in advance.

Thank you! I hadn't even thought about that. This is all new to me! I guess I should look into back up companies as well.

 

[momtoprincesses]

On the same note as my original post, what would be the chances of getting a 2 bedroom at Bay Lake Tower? Same time frame--October 2017. Thank you!

 

[supersnoop]

Hi all! This is my first post on the DVC board as I am exploring the possibility of renting points for the first time. How good are my chances of booking a 2 bedroom Standard at Animal Kingdom Lodge at the 11 month mark through Dave's? I just want to know if this is a realistic expectation or if there is really no chance so I can make other plans instead. We are looking to go the third week of October 2017. Thanks so much!

That should be pretty easy to get at 7 months.

On the same note as my original post, what would be the chances of getting a 2 bedroom at Bay Lake Tower? Same time frame--October 2017. Thank you!

Standard, Lake, or Theme Park view? Lake view tends to be available at 7 months.

 

[momtoprincesses]

That should be pretty easy to get at 7 months.

Standard, Lake, or Theme Park view? Lake view tends to be available at 7 months.

Standard view. What is the difference between renting at 11 and 7 months, besides possible inventory? Thanks for your help as I figure this whole thing out!

 

[supersnoop]

Standard view. What is the difference between renting at 11 and 7 months, besides possible inventory? Thanks for your help as I figure this whole thing out!

Between 7 and 11 months, you must use home-resort points to reserve a room. I believe David's charges a premium for certain points at 11 months.

At 7 months, all points are equal. You can use points from any resort to reserve a room at any other resort.

So, price out your options. How much will a standard view costs you with the 11 month premium? How much will a lake view cost without the premium?

 

[KAT4DISNEY]

On the same note as my original post, what would be the chances of getting a 2 bedroom at Bay Lake Tower? Same time frame--October 2017. Thank you!

Either of the reservations should be easy for availability right at 11 months. Standard view at BLT is tougher but if you're open to lakeview or theme park view then getting a 2BR will happen. However, as was mentioned, the question is if the broker has points from owners to rent right at that time. To give you a view from the owners side - the brokers pay premiums to owners for certain resorts, but AKV is not one. It places AKV owners in an odd position where they may then be more likely to rent the points out directly themselves rather than use a broker. They'll get paid the same from the broker whether they contract the points at 7 months or at 11 months. There have been some people reporting here that they weren't able to use a broker during the home priority booking period because the brokers didn't have AKV points but all it takes is one AKV owner to match up with your request. You might extend some thought to renting directly from an owner vs only using a broker.

 

[_auroraborealis_]

I wouldn't say October at 7 months is "easy" at BLT. BLT Lake View Studios were gone for my dates at 7 months, and while I didn't check for dedicated 2BRs, we know what it means for lock-offs if the studios are gone.

You want to be booked at BLT in fall during home resort booking. It's more popular than AKV, especially during F&W and Halloween parties. That "walk home from MNSSHP" is kind of a lure.

 

[momtoprincesses]

Between 7 and 11 months, you must use home-resort points to reserve a room. I believe David's charges a premium for certain points at 11 months.

At 7 months, all points are equal. You can use points from any resort to reserve a room at any other resort.

So, price out your options. How much will a standard view costs you with the 11 month premium? How much will a lake view cost without the premium?

Thanks so much for your response. That clears up my confusion.

 

[momtoprincesses]

Either of the reservations should be easy for availability right at 11 months. Standard view at BLT is tougher but if you're open to lakeview or theme park view then getting a 2BR will happen. However, as was mentioned, the question is if the broker has points from owners to rent right at that time. To give you a view from the owners side - the brokers pay premiums to owners for certain resorts, but AKV is not one. It places AKV owners in an odd position where they may then be more likely to rent the points out directly themselves rather than use a broker. They'll get paid the same from the broker whether they contract the points at 7 months or at 11 months. There have been some people reporting here that they weren't able to use a broker during the home priority booking period because the brokers didn't have AKV points but all it takes is one AKV owner to match up with your request. You might extend some thought to renting directly from an owner vs only using a broker.

Wow, thank you for your response. I am still learning about how this all works and your response helped tremendously!

 

[momtoprincesses]

I wouldn't say October at 7 months is "easy" at BLT. BLT Lake View Studios were gone for my dates at 7 months, and while I didn't check for dedicated 2BRs, we know what it means for lock-offs if the studios are gone.

You want to be booked at BLT in fall during home resort booking. It's more popular than AKV, especially during F&W and Halloween parties. That "walk home from MNSSHP" is kind of a lure.

This makes total sense. I know the idea of walking to and from Magic Kingdom is a huge plus!

 

[rlovew]

Standard view. What is the difference between renting at 11 and 7 months, besides possible inventory? Thanks for your help as I figure this whole thing out!

Standard view at BLT in any size room is hard in October- there are not that many of them and they tend to book up really fast with members, unless Dave's has a member ready to book for you at 11 months you would probably need to be willing to try for lakeview if you want BLT.

 

[drusba]

For the time you want, third week of October, the difference between using the 11 month reservation window (for which you need an owner of the particular resort) and booking 7 months out (when DVC members can book DVC resorts other than their own) is like night and day. It is a high DVC demand time. For third week of October 2016, BLT standard view booked most nights full very quickly at 11 months out, theme park view took about a month to mostly fill thereafter, but lake view was still open at 9 months out, but by 7 months out all sized lake view rooms were already full for 4 to 5 nights of that third week in October. At AKV, value and club level rooms filled extremely quickly once the 11 month window opened. Most everything else at AKV was still open at 9 months out, but by 7 months out, the only things open for the full week were standard view 1BRs at Jambo and Kidani and savanna view 1BRs and dedicated 2BRs at Kidani. Everything else was missing multiple nights and the standard 2BRs were already full for five nights (at Jambo), and four nights (Kidani, both lock-off and dedicated 2BRs) by 7 months out from the beginning of that week.

Thus, particularly for the time you want, and any time in the last quarter of the year, you should try to get someone who owns at AKV or owns at BLT to do the reservation using the 11 month reservation window.

 

[momtoprincesses]

For the time you want, third week of October, the difference between using the 11 month reservation window (for which you need an owner of the particular resort) and booking 7 months out (when DVC members can book DVC resorts other than their own) is like night and day. It is a high DVC demand time. For third week of October 2016, BLT standard view booked most nights full very quickly at 11 months out, theme park view took about a month to mostly fill thereafter, but lake view was still open at 9 months out, but by 7 months out all sized lake view rooms were already full for 4 to 5 nights of that third week in October. At AKV, value and club level rooms filled extremely quickly once the 11 month window opened. Most everything else at AKV was still open at 9 months out, but by 7 months out, the only things open for the full week were standard view 1BRs at Jambo and Kidani and savanna view 1BRs and dedicated 2BRs at Kidani. Everything else was missing multiple nights and the standard 2BRs were already full for five nights (at Jambo), and four nights (Kidani, both lock-off and dedicated 2BRs) by 7 months out from the beginning of that week.

Thus, particularly for the time you want, and any time in the last quarter of the year, you should try to get someone who owns at AKV or owns at BLT to do the reservation using the 11 month reservation window.

Wow! This is such helpful information! I think I may need to do some research in finding a DVC owner as opposed to using an agency. Thank you so much for all of this detailed information.