Room availability a week or two out?

[disprincess2213]

So what is everyones experience booking a room (ANY room, any resort) only a few (2-3) weeks out? This is for weekdays during a supposedly non popular time. Is there any chance of getting rooms, anywhere?

 

[Deb & Bill]

So what is everyones experience booking a room (ANY room, any resort) only a few (2-3) weeks out? This is for weekdays during a supposedly non popular time. Is there any chance of getting rooms, anywhere?

First of all, what are you considering as a supposedly non-popular time? Those time are really getting fewer and fewer. Disney is getting smarter about adding events or extending events to get more people into the parks. Just this year, F&W was extended a week at the beginning of the festival. It used to be just a few weeks in October. It now goes through Veterans Day. The first Halloween party we attended was one of two that they had scheduled, Oct 30 and Oct 31. Now those start in early Sept and run into early November. Same with Christmas parties. They used to start after Thanksgiving; now they start before.

If every member booked their home resort when they could throughout the year, resorts would be about 97% occupied.

You'll get reports from lots of people that they got X resort two days out for a weekend or five nights, whatever. But that is the exception rather than the rule. And it is a rare exception.

You might get lucky because someone canceled their stay and you found it just as the member cancelled. But you also have to remember if you cancel that 30 days out, your points go into holding. If you don't book another stay (60 days out or less) before the end of the UY, you lost your points.

 

[disneynutz]

So what is everyones experience booking a room (ANY room, any resort) only a few (2-3) weeks out? This is for weekdays during a supposedly non popular time. Is there any chance of getting rooms, anywhere?

You won't know until you try. SSR always seemed to have availability, not anymore.

Bill

 

[bobbiwoz]

3 weeks out for September 7 this year, I got a 1 bedroom at BWV for 4 nights, and VB for the next 2 nights. We had a fair amount of rain on some days, so I wanted to stay at WDW and 2 days before VB, I got a 1 bedroom at Kidani, Savannah view.

I would not expect this for any other time than September, but it was what I needed. Family problems caused me to cancel HHI for those September days!

Bobbi

 

[Belle & Ariel]

3 weeks out for September 7 this year, I got a 1 bedroom at BWV for 4 nights, and VB for the next 2 nights. We had a fair amount of rain on some days, so I wanted to stay at WDW and 2 days before VB, I got a 1 bedroom at Kidani, Savannah view.

I would not expect this for any other time than September, but it was what I needed. Family problems caused me to cancel HHI for those September days!

Bobbi

We were there the same week and had similar experience. We were supposed to go to Vero on Thursday Sept. 11. It rained Friday, Saturday, Sunday for about 5 hours, and was forecast for more of the same. We searched and found a standard studio at Kidani for our Vero nights and switched. About Wednesday it looked better and we were able to switch back to Vero and had fantastic weather.

 

[JimMIA]

So what is everyones experience booking a room (ANY room, any resort) only a few (2-3) weeks out? This is for weekdays during a supposedly non popular time. Is there any chance of getting rooms, anywhere?

Is there any chance? Yes. You will get lots of anecdotal examples of last-minute reservations, including people flying to Orlando and calling from the airport.

Is it a realistic chance? No. Don't count on it.

Not sure why you are asking the question, but if it is part of your purchase decision calculus you are REALLY grasping at straws!

 

[disprincess2213]

LOL! The reason why I am asking is bc we are hoping to get our member number and access to our points by the first week of December. We already have airfare booked for the last week of January along with a RO reservation that we booked months ago. We didnt know if we would have a chance of finding availability those few days to use our points on, even if it meant switching resorts every 2 days lol. in all reality, we would probably have 6 weeks between our expected travel dates and when we officially become members. It would be nice to start using our points!!

 

[JimMIA]

LOL! The reason why I am asking is bc we are hoping to get our member number and access to our points by the first week of December. We already have airfare booked for the last week of January along with a RO reservation that we booked months ago. We didnt know if we would have a chance of finding availability those few days to use our points on, even if it meant switching resorts every 2 days lol. in all reality, we would probably have 6 weeks between our expected travel dates and when we officially become members. It would be nice to start using our points!!

Ah OK -- you're going anyway and you have lodging covered either way. So you have nothing to lose, and you'll save money if you are successful. That's a good scenario.

The only way to tell is to try, and possibly do a waitlist if you don't find anything at first.

If you waitlist, call back occasionally to check on your waitlist. Magic has been known to occur, where the MS CM checks and comes back on the line and says,"Wow, something just became available!"

(I haven't researched this, but my guess is that magic occurs more often to folks who are friendly and nice, than to grumpy people complaining about the waitlist.)

Good luck!

 

[crisi]

The last week of January is a good time to have good odds of this working out - especially if you don't mind "trying a few resorts out." I suspect its a time where DVC moves a lot of unbooked rooms to CRO - where they stay unbooked so DVC can pull them back. If people aren't going to use their points, late January is one of the times when the resorts see some extra capacity.

 

[Anal Annie]

We had last minute success in August of LAST year. Due to a medical emergency with our DS we had to cancel our trip to DL and Aulani at only 8 days out but managed to find 9 nights available in a 1 bedroom at SSR by pushing our dates back by a week. No studios open anywhere. We own at SSR and are fine with staying there.

When we went down over MLK weekend this past January it was pretty full but thinned out by Tues. It looked like the crowds were getting much smaller going forward. My guess is that you'll be able to find something.