Thanksgiving - when will studios at SSR or OKW be full?

[lklasing]

Hi all - We are still fairly new to DVC so I have a question. I am considering a trip over Thanksgiving (Wednesday before till Monday after). We would be booking two studios at the same resort - either SSR or OKW - really anywhere we can get into. We own SSR with a December use year. We are out of points for 2013 so would have to borrow 2014 points.

The borrowing is the reason I don't go ahead and book at least SSR. Once borrowed, they have to be used by the end of the use year, right?

More importantly, I am just not sure whether this trip can happen due to some variables beyond my control. But, I don't want to miss my window on being able to book at all. I don't want to rely on a waitlist as that didn't work for me the other time we tried.

So I guess my main question is, when are these resorts likely to not be available for a studio during this period of time?

Thanks so much!

Leslie

 

[AmyB2006]

You're out of 2013 points? December 2013 would be when you would get those points, so you've borrowed them all into 2012? Maybe I'm confused.

If you have a December use year, in December of 2013 is when you would receive your 2013 use year points. Technically, even though you are in the calendar year of 2013 right now, anything you book up until December 2013 is considered your 2012 use year.

Someone correct me if I'm wrong.

 

[lklasing]

Oops - as I said, I'm still new at this. We are out of 2012 points, and will have to borrow 2013 points for the part of the trip that occurs in November. Does that make sense?

 

[Deb & Bill]

If you really want to go that time, you probably need to book your stay at SSR. I don't think you are going to get lucky at OKW. I'd bet all the studios are booked by OKW members or other DVC members starting the Sat/Sun before Thanksgiving.

If you wait until you can attempt to book at OKW, you might not even get SSR.

 

[lklasing]

Wow - that's tomorrow. I wouldn't have thought it would book up that quickly but that's why I asked. Thanks!

 

[Deb & Bill]

Wow - that's tomorrow. I wouldn't have thought it would book up that quickly but that's why I asked. Thanks!

Other members have been booking that week since yesterday or the day before.

 

[lklasing]

Well now I'm freaking out. I decided to go ahead and book SSR but can't get in to the DVC site. It is asking for an activation code that I don't have. I called DVC about it yesterday and they gave me the code to type in. I got the accounts merged or whatever it was that it wanted me to do and everything was fine. I asked whether I would ever have to do that again and they said no so I didn't worry about keeping the code. And now the DVC offices are closed for the night.

All my papers for DVC are at the office so I can't get them till about 8:00 CST tomorrow. Ugh!!

 

[jekjones1558]

We are going the week after Thanksgiving and I checked changing our dates a little. SSR does currently have availability but OKW has some dates not available. Good luck!

 

[lklasing]

Thanks for checking! I'm going to book the second I get to work in the morning. Cross your fingers for me!

(If anyone has any idea how to get around the account/activation code problem I'm having, please let me know! Thanks!)

 

[AmyB2006]

Thanks for checking! I'm going to book the second I get to work in the morning. Cross your fingers for me!

(If anyone has any idea how to get around the account/activation code problem I'm having, please let me know! Thanks!)

I hope you got on at 8:00 this morning. That's when online booking opens.

You need to be on first thing at 8, and get that reservation before the other countless people that are waiting do the same thing.

I hope you get it. Fingers crossed for you.

ETA... If you set up your account yesterday, all you need is your username and password now to get on to the DVC member website. That other code is a one time activation code that they send you once your account closes. So once you set that up, you should be fine.

 

[lklasing]

Got it! Thanks to all!

 

[drusba]

SSR is likely to be open for at least a little while, OKW studios for the night before and of Thansksgiving are already gone. The longer you wait the higher the risk that all will be gone.

 

[soxyes]

FWIW, We didn't decide to go to WDW at Thanksgiving until August last year. We booked a SSR 1 bdrm and waitlisted the SSR studio and were able to get the studio before we hit the 30 day mark. (I don't recall how long it took, but I seem to remember it being a few weeks or so.) If you have to borrow points, that makes this strategy more difficult.

One tip though is that I did keep checking availability myself and didn't completely rely upon the waitlist.

Good luck!