Split stay?

[Cant wait for Disney]

Can anyone offer me advice on booking a split stay? We are very new to DVC and learning. If we want to do 6 nights WLV and 6 BWV should i wait and call at the 7 month window of the 6th night so I can just book the whole thing all at once?
Is there any split stay advice i should know? thanks everyone!

 

[Kidanifan08]

If it is a popular time of year for DVC, then you should definitely book your home resort for the entire stay at 11 months and check out the other resorts at 7 months for availability.

If neither of those are your home resort, then I would call at 7 months to book the full trip at one resort and then call back 7 days later and see if there is availability at the other resort to switch the last 6 days into. That way you have your full 12 day stay planned in case the second resort does not have availability. I would still recommend booking your home resort as close to 11 months as possible, if the time of year you are traveling is non-negotiable.

There are a number of variables that may affect recommendations on how to do this, such as time of year and special events occurring at the time of travel, room size and type/view, etc. Your UY may even come into play, if you would use fewer points to switch into one of the resorts beyond your banking deadline.

Have fun planning!

 

[com_op_2000]

Can anyone offer me advice on booking a split stay? We are very new to DVC and learning. If we want to do 6 nights WLV and 6 BWV should i wait and call at the 7 month window of the 6th night so I can just book the whole thing all at once?
Is there any split stay advice i should know? thanks everyone!

Book the WLV as soon as the 7 month booking window opens.
Then call back and book the BWV.

Most people on DIS will recommend you book your home resort at 11 months to ensure you have a place to stay and then cancel when you get your seven months locations booked.

 

[Cant wait for Disney]

thank you for the advice, i really appreciate it!
yes, neither WLV or BWV are our home resort, so I take those instances into consideration.
As you can see from my ticker, we want to go end of Nov/beginning of Dec. I think i've seen that those arent exactly peak times as far as pricing goes, would you consider them to be tough times to get a booking?

 

[Sandisw]

thank you for the advice, i really appreciate it!
yes, neither WLV or BWV are our home resort, so I take those instances into consideration.
As you can see from my ticker, we want to go end of Nov/beginning of Dec. I think i've seen that those arent exactly peak times as far as pricing goes, would you consider them to be tough times to get a booking?

That time of year is one of the most popular for DVC reservations due to low points, holiday decorations, and the fact that the parks are not as crowded as other times.

Therefore, most people book right at the 11 month window. I think VWL will be difficult during that time so I would definitely recommend calling right at the 7 month mark.

As suggested, I would be sure to book your home resort for all those nights at the 11 month mark just to ensure you have a place to stay in case you can't get what you want at 7 months. That is what most people do because that time books up fast.

Good luck!

 

[Kidanifan08]

November and December are very busy times for DVC members, even though the point values are low and these are consider slow time for Disney. The low point values during this time of year are a big draw for DVC members, not to mention the magic of the season. You will want to book your home resort at 11 months and try to make changes at 7 months. If you wait too long to book your home resort, you may find yourself without a home.

 

[Cant wait for Disney]

wow, i had no idea! a big thank you to everyone for the 11 month advice, i never would have thought of that! We are still learning so thanks for giving me a clue! I can see how that would be a popular time. I guess fingers crossed that we will be able to get WLV and BWV!

 

[Cant wait for Disney]

also, just so i'm understanding correctly- i call MS and book home resort at 11 months out. Then, when 7 months our rolls around, do i just call MS again, have them look up my ressie and ask if there is availability to switch to WLV?

 

[Kidanifan08]

also, just so i'm understanding correctly- i call MS and book home resort at 11 months out. Then, when 7 months our rolls around, do i just call MS again, have them look up my ressie and ask if there is availability to switch to WLV?

That's correct. The DVC member website has a tool on the front page that will help you figure out the 7 month mark. When you call (at 9AM Eastern!) you can ask for a specific resort and room type. They may be able to tell you what is available across the DVC resorts. If nothing is available, you can waitlist, although a 6 day waitlist at that time of year may be a little difficult to come by.

 

[Cant wait for Disney]

thanks for having my back Kidanifan, this info is priceless!

 

[Kidanifan08]

Good luck! You may get lucky . . . there is a thread on the DVC-Misc board from someone who got 12/27/11-1/1/12 in a BWV studio, so there is hope!!

 

[Cant wait for Disney]

since you guys have been so very helpful, i'll ask my next question here again! What would you say about earlier in november? would considering moving up our trip date a few weeks change the difficulty in possibly getting the more sought after places (WLV, BWV)? Or would you think all things would be the same even then? We are ok with talking about moving it up a few weeks to save some stress. Any thoughts? thank you!

 

[Kidanifan08]

Earlier in Nov might get you some nicer weather and smaller crowds. My understanding is that TG weekend is quite busy, so you may want to avoid that. BWV will still be tough to get in the first 10-14 days of November, since F&W is still going on. I don't know what the chances of VWL would be, since MK is generally fully decked out for Christmas by early Nov. HS is also up and running for Christmas by the second week of Nov. My understanding is that Epcot transitions to Christmas at the end of F&W, but the Candlelight Processional does not start until late Nov (11/25 this year).

We were at WDW 12/4 - 12/11/10. The crowds seemed a little heavy, but it was not terrible. The weather was really cold, but I think we were there for an unusual cold snap. We did the Epcot CP, MVMCP and the Osborne lights and enjoyed all of those events. We can't wait to go back at Christmas sometime.

I think if I were going again, I would still shoot for after TG. All of the parks are in full swing for Christmas by then. You might consider starting a new thread to get a sense of what others would recommend. Maybe throw out a few different stretches of time.

 

[Cant wait for Disney]

thanks so much Kidani, i think i will try starting a new thread!