strategy for non home resort at 7 months

[Lisa F]

Hi all,
I was wondering if some of you kind folks like @drusba or others who closely follow availability (I used to but haven't since I stopped going a few times a year like 10 years ago) could weigh in on my dilemma.

I am taking a 4 night dream cruise M-F and wanted to add some park time in. Right now I am looking at maybe thursday, definitely friday and saturday before my cruise at a studio and then sunday in a 2 bedroom when my parents will join us. I am set on the 2 bedroom part of the stay because I think availability is generally wide open at 7 months for that sunday (and I might just end up staying at my home resort anyway which I can book in a few days) but the thursday (potentially) - saturday is basically the last weekend of winter break and princess marathon weekend. I own at BWV but would really like to stay in a MK resort those days but I understand that all of those resorts are likely to be booked up more than 7 months in advance due to vacation and the princess marathon.

So that said, there is a friend of mine with VWL (well I guess Boulder Ridge now) points who has offered to book the room for me and then I'd just book a similar valued room for her at a later date at BWV so I can have the 11 month priority on a MK resort. That said, WL is not my first choice. We stayed at Poly last time and fell in love with it and just watched Moana, so my kid is begging me to stay there again. So I think that would be my first choice, followed by BLT, both with close proximity to the MK and on the monorail (the kid loves the monorail as well).

But I also know that Copper Creek is coming available for booking end of April - I would be able to book the 7 month window there about 3 months later (end of July) with some amount declared and some much smaller than that amount sold (I'm guessing that it will take some time for sales to really pick up and then go through and close so there will be relatively few owners booking the 11 month priority there).

So if you are still with me (and thank you to anyone who is) do you think it would be best to just take my friend up on her offer of VWL and be settled or take my chances at the 7 month window with a pretty good chance that I will at worst be able to switch out to Copper Creek (I realize for that weekend I might have to do it first thing in the morning and I am cool with that, but from what I understand the Poly was very easy to get into in its first months after it started selling) which leaves me no worse off than her very kind offer but allows me the flexibility to wait list and switch (and absorb any additional point requirements in my own account) to Poly or BLT if they become available... or I also would just wait list with my own points at the 7 month window if there is literally nothing else available then anywhere in the MK area. Also I am kind of hoping that there might be some movement at the 7 month window as people open up BLT or Poly wanting to try the new resort out? maybe? any speculation or past experience on that?

I realize nothing is certain and I'm currently booked in a BW view studio which would not be the end of the world, we'll just uber. It's just a bunch easier being at a MK resort doing the MK when I travel solo with my son. He's on the spectrum and transitions can be rough for him, it makes the end of the night a whole lot easier to just be able to head straight back to the resort on his favorite transport (monorail). Just curious what seasoned vets would do in this situation.

 

[Anal Annie]

The only marathon I have experience booking around is the big January one so I don't know if the popularity is comparable?? I booked our SSR std. studio right at 11 months for Jan 3-9 and even this far out (9 1/2 months) those studios now have at least one night missing. They still have the "preferred" ones available but the night of Jan 5th is gone in std. view. I know because I went to book a 2nd one for my DS and a potential friend and I had to bookend that night & waitlist the 5th. I currently don't have anything booked at all for that night & I'm debating if I should grab a night in the preferred category or just let them sleep in our room for one night (they could suck up for one night - either way if the waitlist doesn't come thru they have to move 2x). ALL OTHER RESORTS ARE BOOKED ALREADY (for studios and many 1-bedrooms). The only studios open are SSR preferred. I do not think I will have the opportunity to switch to a 1-bedroom that sleeps 5 (I just want 3 separate beds or sleeping surfaces) at 7 months. The only 2 resorts 1 bedrooms we can "afford" are OKW or AKV std. Jambo is already gone & HH is already gone. I have to get to June. Odds are not in our favor.

It's a tough decision for you. If you use your friends favor to book you're tied into the VWL / BRV for sure. In the meantime I would definitely book my home resort to secure "something" but the longer you wait the more the odds go up that your friend will get shut out at VWL too. If the Princess marathon is anywhere near as popular I would say odds of securing BLT or Poly are slim. But that's just my guess. If VWL is really not where you want to be then I probably wouldn't go thru the hassle of having her book it nor would I be waiting for Copper Creek. It sounds like you think you'd be settling as what you really mean when you say a MK resort is a monorail resort. I think the marathon complicates things.

Here's Skier Pete's booking predictability chart: https://www.disboards.com/threads/p...-some-1-bedrooms-vgc-update-10-21-15.3419112/

 

[KAT4DISNEY]

It kind of sounds like VWL isn't going to be more appealing for you than just staying at BWV so I'd probably just keep the BWV reservation and try and switch with my own points at 7 months. And if there happened to not be availability at any of the MK resorts you could still have a decent chance with a waitlist. I do think that BLT lakeview will have a decent chance to be open and maybe even PVB and I also am expecting CCV to be relatively easy for booking for a little while.

 

[drusba]

If I am understanding it correctly you want to book a studio at 7 months out for February 22 through 24, 2018, the Thur through Saturday of Princess half marathon weekend, and preference is for Poly.

The like dates for 2017 were Feb 23 through 25. Before 8 a.m. on July 23, 2016, 7 months out from Feb 23, 2017, the status of studios for those three dates at WDW was as follows: (a) Poly: Feb 23 and 24 were gone (for all other days from Feb 1 to 28, Poly was still open); (b) VGF: gone all three dates; (c) BLT: all studios, including lake view, gone all three dates; (c) VWL (now BRV): missing only 23, but 24 disappeared right at 8 a.m. on July 24; (d) BWV all studios gone for all three dates; (d) BCV missing 23 and 25; (e) AKV: value, club level, and savanna view studios at Jambo gone all three dates, Jambo and Kidani standard studios missing 23, Kidani savanna view studio open; (f) OKW studios gone Feb 23, 24, except that those in the Hospitality House booking category were gone all three nights; (g) SSR open.

Personally, I would just book BWV at 11 months out and then see if there is any chance to switch to Poly or the new CCV at 7 months out and if not stay with BWV, or just wait list the Poly while keeing BWV.

 

[Lisa F]

thanks all. I have booked already (booked for the week and will cancel off the first 3 days - I am holding that last night in a studio also for when my parents are joining me as a backup in case they end up changing their plans, it's still a year away) so I could guarantee myself a boardwalk view even though it is probably not necessary but I'm anal that way

So I do have SOMETHING. I think I will probably cool my jets and try to switch to copper creek at 7 months (I do think I'd prefer VWL over BWV but I think my chances of getting it are decent) and then wait list BLT lake view and the poly and just see what happens I guess. The good news is my cruise week is non peak week but the bad news is that when I can go to the parks before it is probably very busy. Oh well.

 

[drusba]

I am not sure of what you have actually booked but be aware that the 11 month booking you do now should make sure that whatever nights you want to switch at 7 months out are a separate reservation from any nights you likely will not change, and you should not do anything with MS to merge or link any reservations before 7 months out. That way, at 7 monts out, you will be able to attempt the change of the reservation with the nights you want to switch online at 8 a.m. If the days you want to switch are part of another reservation with days you do not want to switch, you need to drop nights from one reservation and then reserve and you cannot do that until 9 a.m. when MS opens.

 

[Lisa F]

The nights I want to switch are thursday-sunday in a studio then I will book a 2 bedroom separately (of course have to ) for sunday night. I can't book that yet.

For me it would be all or nothing for me to drop boardwalk although I have enough points to book individual nights and hold them should the rest come available later on the second reservation.

 

[Dean Marino]

Our personal strategy....

We don't do this. Too much trouble, and we love our HOME, 11 month booking, resort.

 

[Lisa F]

Our personal strategy....

We don't do this. Too much trouble, and we love our HOME, 11 month booking, resort.

I'm glad that works for you. I bought in 17 years ago when I was part of a DINK couple and 24 years old. Now I am a single mother to an 8 year old on the autism spectrum and transitions can be a bit tough for him on vacation, so to make things more pleasant for both of us, I discovered it is easier to stay near the parks we are going to because that end if the day transition is the roughest. last time that meant a split stay and the hassle for me involved in moving was well worth it in how smoothly the trip went for him. it is not the end of the world if I can't make it work, but just well worth my time and effort to do what I can to make both of our vacation as great as it can be. I was relatively young when I bought in and the beautiful thing about DVC is that it has been flexible enough to weather the various storms and changes in my life. I'm in a much different place than I ever imagined when I bought in and my priorities are different than they once were but but I am also blessed in so many ways... So, not the end of the world but I'll still do what I can to switch.