Thinking of buying DVC-Do you have availability probs

[jaimeadk]

Hi DVC members-
We are thinking of buying but I have been reading your posts for a while and it seems there are lots of availability issues. It seems like there are lots of you waiting to see if you can go. I am a big advance planner and would be planning 7 or 11 months in advance rather than last minute but would hate to always be running into the "no availabilty" wall. In addition, airfare would go up if you waited very long for a confirmation. How is it really? Do you ever get your first choice? Do you ever just get to book with no waiting to see if it's available? We won't be traveling Christmas or peak season July (if that helps). Thanks for the info!!!

 

[Chuck S]

You really should have no problem booking during the 11 month resort priority window, unless you try to book Christmas/New Years week at a smaller resort.

At 7 months, you are competing with all DVC owners for those reservations. I've never booked day by day, but almost always book during the priority window, and I've had no problems booking at OKW. Although I've never tried for a Grand Villa.

SSR, OKW and AKV (when completed) are large resorts. If you own at any of them, you really shouldn't have any problems during your priority window.

 

[Muushka]

I see this is your first post, welcome!

We are huge planners just like you. We usually book at 11 months and 7 to switch out. After 8 years we have not had one problem yet. We almost had a problem once, but it was fixed (MS screwed up).

Keep in mind that we bought at the resort we wanted to be able to book at 11 months out in case it was booked at 7 months out. I hope that makes sense and I hope it helps.

 

[photobob]

If you can plan your vacations in advance then availablity should rarely be a problem. If you can't plan very far in advance then you might need to be flexible as to where you want to stay. I've been a member for a year and a half and so far so good. I've made three June reservations at the seven month mark and gotten exactly what I wanted. I made a February reservation about three and a half months out and got waitlisted for what I wanted and it came through.

 

[Chellymouse]

I just made my first ressies as a new owner, no problem!

 

[jaimeadk]

Can you book at your home resort 11 months out so that you are confident you will have something planned and then request a non-home resort at 7 months and let the home reservation go if you get it?

 

[bobbiwoz]

Can you book at your home resort 11 months out so that you are confident you will have something planned and then request a non-home resort at 7 months and let the home reservation go if you get it?

AH! It depends. You may not want to "let go" of your home reservation unless you are assured that there is "plenty" of availablity at the other resort. We've lost a home resort ressie during the "changing reservation time" and never got that one back, because we also "lost" the one we were trying to get! The best scenerio is to have enough points to book both, or book day by day I think. Since I lost that reservation, it was for last June, I have changed reservations at the 7 month mark and haven't lost anything. I do ask if there's "plenty" of availability.

Bobbi

PS. Another thing is that the one I lost was much less than 7 months out. I've learned to change at 7 months, and maybe that's why I have been more successful than that other time.

 

[Esmerelda]

We have had about 7 DVC trips and we do plan at the 11-9 month mark and we have never had a problem getting what we want.

I do not chose to go at holiday times. Before we were DVC owners, we did a few "holiday" trips....and never again. It was a nightmare to say the least. We would much rather go from May thru October.

Here's to many great DVC trips for you and yours!!

 

[BroganMc]

Can you book at your home resort 11 months out so that you are confident you will have something planned and then request a non-home resort at 7 months and let the home reservation go if you get it?

Yes.

The caveats posted above reflect the intricracies of the DVC computer system and automatic wait lists. If you happen to get a MS agent who isn't experienced with the process and there's a lot of demand on the wait lists, it is possible to "lose" a reservation. (Scenario: You have 5 nights in Ressie A booked at home 11 months out. You call back 4 months later to switch to another resort. But to do this, you must free up some of your Ressie A points because you have used them all for the year. So the CM cancels Night 1 of Ressie A and then goes to book Night 1 of Ressie B, but the CM failed to put a temporary hold on either nights while he/she processed the reservation in the computer. In the 2 minutes it's taken to cancel one night and book another, the computer has processed the automatic wait list and assigned the rooms to the next person on the wait list. Suddenly you've lost availability at both resorts for that night. You scream and the CM silently curses his/her computer while a Supervisor rolls his/her eyes. The solution is to put your name on a wait list so when the next cancellation makes itself known to the computer you get your night.)

There are several strategies for avoiding that potential glitch. One is to check availability before you authorize cancellations. If the CM says "there's a lot of availability" then you probably won't get presumpted.

Another is to leave a few points in reserve so you can double-book nights until the ressies are made. Then cancel the one you don't want.

 

[Mom2PixiePrincess]

We live about an hour away from Disney, so from time to time we make last minute weekend trips as well as our 11-9 months plan ahead vacations! We've never had a problem getting booked for a last minute trip, but we've had to make concessions on which resort we want. Sometimes we have to go on a waitlist, but we've always gotten a room. I've even booked at one resort and waitlisted for another. I don't know how that works in their system, but almost always I've recieved the resort I wanted and MS has cancelled the one I took by default. No hassles, easy breezy!

If you like to plan ahead then you should never have a problem.

 

[SteveS]

I have been in DVC for 10 years. We stay two weeks in Spring and one in the fall. I have never had any problem getting exactly what I wanted at either my home resort or anything else at 7 months.

Planning is the key. I make reservations exactly at the 11 and 7 month thresholds.

 

[castleri]

Yes.


There are several strategies for avoiding that potential glitch. One is to check availability before you authorize cancellations. If the CM says "there's a lot of availability" then you probably won't get presumpted.

Another is to leave a few points in reserve so you can double-book nights until the ressies are made. Then cancel the one you don't want.

When I tried to use your second strategy the computer would not book the second reservation because I already had one for that date in my name. Once we cancelled the first one it let the CM book the second one. I imagine that if I had used my DHs name for the second one it might have let him make the reservation before cancelling the first but am not certain. I was using points from a different contract so at first he did not see the original reservation and the computer just kept refusing to let him make the second one. He finally asked if I already had a reservation and then we got it straightened out. There was plenty of availability so it wasn't a problem from that end.

 

[jaimeadk]

Thanks so much to all of you for your replys. You are so nice to take the time to help me out. One more question . . . and then I'm done - I promise. Is a particular month an advantage over any other month for when your use year begins?

 

[dismorgh]

That really depends on your travel habits. Since you can only bank points up to the 8 month mark, you want to make sure you don't end up having to canx ressies past that point, or you may have to use the points quickly.

In other words, if you have a Dec UY, and you have a Nov 1-10 trip planned that you have to canx, you are past the date to bank those points (which would be July 31), and you would have to use them before Nov 30th, or lose them. If I'm wrong, please someone correct me on that!

We have a Feb UY, and this works out great for us. We have school age kids, and pretty much only travel during their Spring Break and summer time. Even if we have to canx a late summer trip, we can bank the points til next year.

So think about when you will most likely travel, and try to set up a UY that will allow you to canx a ressie, and still bank the points as needed.

 

[DeeCee735]

Never once had a problem getting what we wanted. We've booked at 2 months out and got what we wanted (February winter break here in the N.E.).

If you buy where you like to stay the most and you're an advance planner I don't think you'll have a problem. It's always a good idea, however, to have a "plan B", i.e. flexibility in resorts, room types. We are never really flexible with dates though, as we travel during school breaks (I work for a school district and go when the schools are closed).

Good luck with your decision, keep in mind....there is no such thing as a "bad" DVC location

 

[spiceycat]

if you buy BWV thinking you get Thanksgiving week in a standard view - well this is day by day - even then it sells out about 10am on each morning.

really expecting AKV value and standard to start doing the same - but so far they haven't.

just depends upon when you go and if you would be happy with OKW or SSR.

if so then you won't ever have a problem.

the new KTR@CR will definitely put DVC on the map. You can't exactly miss it - right?

 

[SandyCA]

Can you book at your home resort 11 months out so that you are confident you will have something planned and then request a non-home resort at 7 months and let the home reservation go if you get it?

I just did that today. I booked my 09/08 reservation at my "home"(SSR) and then today called to change to BWV-studio/Preferred view and had no problems -

 

[RLRDA]

Thanks so much to all of you for your replys. You are so nice to take the time to help me out. One more question . . . and then I'm done - I promise. Is a particular month an advantage over any other month for when your use year begins?

Use Year only really comes into play for banking deadlines and also if you cancel a reservation. You have 4 months before your UY ends to bank remaining points into the next UY. For example, we have an April UY which runs from April 1 thru March 31. So from Apr 1, 08 to Mar 31, 09 we will be in our 2008 UY. If we want to bank 2008 points into 2009, we will have until Nov.30, 2008 to do so. If the points are not banked by then, they would have to be used to travel by Mar 31, 2008 or they'd be useless.

If we liked to travel in February or March, for example, and had to cancel a reservation in, say, December...we'd be past our banking deadline and would also need to use those points to travel before March 31. This can present a problem to some.

I think most say a UY that is just before when you typically like to travel is best -- A Dec.UY if you like to go in Jan/Feb, an Apr UY if you typically go in May/June. It gives you the most time to use/bank points if, for some reason, you have to cancel or reschedule. If you travel at various times from year to year....it won't matter really.

Anyone jump in if I'm confused or explained something incorrectly....hope I didn't confuse you more!

 

[Juliet25]

Honestly, it's been harder than I thought to book. I've made three DVC trips since being a member...Sept at BCV, May at BWV, and Dec at SSR. I've tried making ressies recently at BWV and HHI and have run into no availability for the dates I wanted (and I was fairly flexible, but admittedly requesting peak travel times).

I've been a member for two years, so I'm still learning the ropes. Still, I do find it a bit frustrating. I'm glad I went with the resort I did (BWV) instead of the current offering of SSR. I just have to train myself to plan far in advance.

 

[Starr W.]

I'm entering my 2nd year as an owner. We own at SSR and Vero Beach. I call right at 11 months for booking VB over Easter and Thanksgiving at SSR. Not that SSR is a tough one to book, but I just use it as a reminder to myself. SSR was much busier this Thanksgiving than in 2006.

I have successfully switched using the waitlist(VWL 2br first week of May, took about a month to come through) and called right on the dot at 7 months and got BCV for a 4 night MLK trip.