We have decided we are definitely going in July and are staying at WBC! I got the best quote through Farrell, and VS offered to price match it. We invited my parents and decided on a 3 bedroom deluxe since we got such a great quote. We don't need a 3 bedroom, we would all fit fine in a 2 bedroom but with the 3 bedroom nobody has to sleep on the sleeper sofa. I'm wondering how far in advance we need to book? Since we don't "need" the 3br and could do with a 2br, is it better to wait and get a better deal on ebay? The price we got was $189/night. Can we do better if we wait?
You could book now... or within the next couple months. I'd say no later than the end of September if you want a 3bdrm.
If you want to wait to try and get one of those great Ebay deals, You are going to end up in a 2bdrm...assuming you can even find a great ebay deal. Since July is the middle of the summer, the rental market will be a bit busier from the summer crowds. It's also mid-year so you aren't as likely to find owners trying to just get some return on points that are about the expire. Only you can really say if the chance at maybe potentially finding a great deal on a 2bdrm last minute is worth the chance of not having a room or having everyone crammed into that 2bdrm unit.
Curious if anyone knows what Towers have been recently refurbished and what Towers are on the schedule and when?
Towers 1, 2, and 3 were refurbed last year.
Towers 4, 5, and 6 are the newer towers and haven't yet hit the age when they are due for a refurb (Tower 6 is only about 2-3 years old). The couches however in the Deluxe units in these towers were replaced last year after the original couches were starting to show much more wear and tear than they should've.
I honestly am not sure if the refurb schedule for the remaining towers has been decided upon yet.
I'm hoping someone can help me with my fears. It's my first time staying off site and I'm nervous.
I have read a bunch of negative reviews about check in, rooms not being available until after 6-7pm, the resort not having enough rooms for the night, etc. Our first full day there (a Saturday) is my dad's birthday and after driving all that way, the last thing we want is to not being able to get into our room until dinner time. I came up with an idea to book it for an extra night than we actually need starting on Friday, so we could actually have a room on Saturday morning. Instead of staying overnight on the drive we could just drive straight through, crash as soon as we get there and be able to have the room the whole day. What if when we check in late for Friday early Saturday they have given our room away and we have no where to stay? I am seriously worried about that... We've always stayed on Disney property and booked through them so I never had to worry if we had a room to sleep in or not.
In General, it helps to keep in mind the location of the reviews you read. Some places, such as Tripadvisor, tend to have a lot more negative reviews due to the type of guests who use the site (renters... who may also not be aware of the difference between a timeshare resort and a hotel), as well as the simple tendency for people to be much more likely to post negative information and experiences than to share the positive experiences and information. (The no rooms thing I honestly have to say I haven't heard about/seen anything that
that being said... There are occasionally glitches which can result in less-then-spectacular situations. I honestly though can't say I've ever heard of a verifiable "no rooms available" situation if the owner has a confirmed reservation. (With renters, I have no way to tell if the owner screwed up for example, possibly with an attempt to cancel/rebook for a discount.) Although I have heard of a couple specific situations where I could see someone getting inconvenienced, but those are the extremely rare, out of their control, type exceptions to the rule, and not a standard issue. (I've heard of a couple situations with small fires in a room, or trashchute, Which have ended up resulting in a floor or 2 of a tower being put out of circulation unexpectedly as they repair any fire, smoke, or water damage)
That being said, if you are wanting to book for the day before your arrival so that your room should be ready when you arrive early the next day, You shouldn't have any problems doing that. Since this is a timeshare resort you won't end up with situations like a hotel when your room may be given up "at 6pm" to a walk-up.
I believe the confirmations and information I've seen on some of my pre-arrival paperwork in the past has said that if you are going to be 24hrs late to please inform the resort so they know to expect you. If you are worried, you can always call the front desk and just let them know you'll be arriving early the next day.
Try their contact page: 
We were last at WBC 4 years ago.
). All I would need would be one change of clothes, so I could easily carry my stuff in a small backpack, then I could just walk over to RPR and check in for the night. Just not sure if I could ride over there one day and not catch the shuttle back until the next night.
