Short, Last Minute trips

[MiniGirl]

Hi everyone, I have been enjoying this board. I have always wondered how the DVC worked and have learned a lot.

I see that many (most of you) plan your trips well in advance. My family doesn't really do that. We are last minute, spur of the moment kind of people. I have often called Disney reservations to ask if there were any rooms available for that night or the next one. As you can imagine, there usually are not. We also don't stay for very long. Often just a night or 2.

My question is..... do you think DVC would be a good option for us? The kids are in school now, so our trips would usually be on the weekend. We woudn't care about where we stay. Is it even possible to reserve a room at the last minute and only for a night or 2?

Thanks,
Eva

 

[Deb & Bill]

DVC would not be a good fit for you. Unless you go in early Sept, early Jan and early May, you would have a hard time finding a place to stay. Once October hits, it is very difficult to find any vacancies until after Jan 1. Member Services is only open for limited hours, right now M-F, daytime hours only.

Most members make their reservations at least 7 months ahead of time and 11 months for special times of the year at their home resort (holidays, F&W Festival, etc).

 

[byoung]

DVC would not be a good fit for you. Unless you go in early Sept, early Jan and early May, you would have a hard time finding a place to stay. Once October hits, it is very difficult to find any vacancies until after Jan 1. Member Services is only open for limited hours, right now M-F, daytime hours only.

Most members make their reservations at least 7 months ahead of time and 11 months for special times of the year at their home resort (holidays, F&W Festival, etc).

I agree.

 

[jekjones1558]

Another "con" is the fact that you would often do weekends. The points required for Friday and Saturday nights are double or sometimes almost triple what weekdays cost in points. DVC is a great option for many, but not all. You are wise to ask these questions!

 

[MiniGirl]

Thank you for your replies. I appreciate your frankness and honesty. One reason I came over here to try to learn about all of this is because when I do call at the last minute often times the only rooms I'm offered are at one of these places. We live right outside of Melbourne just 90 minutes or so from WDW, so I don't see us doing extended vacations there. We do, however, do many 2 or 3 day trips thoughout the year, and I hate hotel rooms. (I used to be a flight attendant and have spent way too much time in them) I was actually thinking the Hilton Head resort could be a good match for us. Tell me? Are the DVC AP discounts better than the AAA Fla resident discounts? Since we are pass holders, that is just another thing to consider. Thanks again.
Eva

 

[CarolA]

I am going to give you another view.

I am the QUEEN of late booking (I have been known to book from the airport on my way to Orlando) If you are VERY flexible, then it can be done. I booked last week for a studio this coming Thursday at SSR. (That was my only option, no BCV etc.)

Your milage may vary and others will tell you it's not a great way to go, but it can be done.

I book exactly one trip 11 months in advance, my BCV stay for Food and Wine (and this year I had to change that stay too!)

 

[mydogdrew]

If your short notice booking is limited to off-peak then you will often be able to get a room somewhere. However, the weekend thing is a deal breaker. DVC does not work well for heavy weekend travel.

 

[SueM in MN]

I am going to give you another view.

I am the QUEEN of late booking (I have been known to book from the airport on my way to Orlando) If you are VERY flexible, then it can be done. I booked last week for a studio this coming Thursday at SSR. (That was my only option, no BCV etc.)

Your milage may vary and others will tell you it's not a great way to go, but it can be done.

I book exactly one trip 11 months in advance, my BCV stay for Food and Wine (and this year I had to change that stay too!)

We usually book in advance, but we have also done short notice. Coincidentally, we are also going to be arriving at SSR this coming Thursday and booked less than 2 weeks ago. SSR was all that was available for us too and we are actually having to move somewhere else (forgot where) for a few days in the middle of our stay.

I would agree, it can be done, but you have to be very flexible and understand that sometimes when you plan to go, there won't be any rooms, or if there are, you will have no choice of where to stay and may have to move during your trip.

 

[Deb & Bill]

... Tell me? Are the DVC AP discounts better than the AAA Fla resident discounts? Since we are pass holders, that is just another thing to consider. Thanks again.
Eva

Don't base your decision on the AP discount. It was a recent thing and could easily go away like the Length of Stay ticket discount.

 

[buck4568]

I agree with CarolA! If you like the accomadations that DVC offers than do not be turned off by some of the negative responses. We are spur of the moment bookers also. Especially since we moved to Florida from Massachussets.

And, don't forget that there are new DVC resorts coming online in the future, another or ship or two from DCL we hope also. So when you do want to take that longer vacation you will have the membership to take advantage of those locations.

We spent a weekend at The Biltmore in Coral Gables and loved it. That was a spur of the moment anniverasry trip. There are many ways to use the points! Many people get caught up in the "cost effective" aspect of using them on weekends or for DCL because it does require using lots of points for those things. We bought them to use them and we use them like crazy!

Go for it!

 

[eva]

Hi there Eva! As you can see, that is my name too. I haven't found too many of us out there.

Whether you are able to get a last minute reservation at a DVC resort will most likely depend on the time of year. We normally go the first two weeks of May and occasionally the first two weeks of December. As stated before, the December reservations are difficult to get. I normally have to make them 11 months out. But in May we have added days to our stay while on the trip with no difficulties. If you are willing to be flexible with the resort and type of accomodations, you might not do too bad.

But the main thing you should consider is the price. Points for the weekend average 2.5 times the number of points for weekdays. You might want to do some calculations to see if you would save any money at all. You might actually be losing money compared to just reserving the same room through reservations.