Welcome Home Trip

[_mrsryder]

Hi! Looking to decide when/where to request for welcome home trip (we just bought at VGF - YAY!) I’ve narrowed it down to 3 resorts and two weekends. Any insight appreciated.

Thanksgiving Weekend (either Wednesday/Thursday check in, check out Sunday)

February 9-12

 

[crvetter]

To set some expectations you are unlikely to get a club room at AKV for a welcome home visit. As for Thanksgiving your choices will be somewhat limited, if you want to see what options might be available for you simply look on the cash side of Disney what DVC resorts have availability.

I looked at the Disney World site for cash rooms thanksgiving and it looks like Poly is sold out, no club rooms, and VGF would likely only have Resort Studios in Big Pine Key nothing in the DVC building. Not to say they can’t pull the rooms but this is where they usually pull from for welcome homes so a good judge to know what you can get is looking here.

For February there are cash rooms available for most DVc but the club level, again unlikely to ever get that room even booking on your own.

As for which to pick for a welcome home depends are you going both times? If so use the welcome home on thanksgiving weekend because there will be less to pick from because it’s closer. If only going one of the weekends and resort choice matters to you pick February then since the 7 month window isn’t even open.

As for rooms in general I’d start the conversation with asking a your guide what options are available. But at thanksgiving my order of preference would be CCV/BRV, Riviera, BWV, VGF, BLT, PVB, AKV, BCV and then the rest. I ordered those mostly on that Christmas atmosphere I feel at both and mixed with park access.

 

[_mrsryder]

Thank you this is so helpful!!!!!!

 

[Sandisw]

And, just to add, even if you see cash rooms for DVC it does not mean that they will be eligible for a Welcome Home trip.

Most often, the rooms are at active resorts thst are not fully declared, like RIV.

Since all rooms at BPK have been declared, it means owners have been booking those since Dec 2022.

Best bet is to give them the dates and ask them to share all that you might have as a choice.

 

[LadybugsMum]

Disney in Feb will have great weather and much lower crowds.

 

[Narcoossee11]

As others have mentioned, some of your req are very iffy.
Call NOW, sooner the better. Tell them your wish list and get some advise.
Style /location of room is hard. Focus on the resort.

 

[_auroraborealis_]

The only way you would get Club is if they cancel someone's legitimately gained booking from 11 months, and that would be unspeakable.

 

[_mrsryder]

Thank you all!!! This helps us so much!

 

[sndral]

The welcome home booking is to help new (direct) owners who are unfamiliar w/ how the DVC booking system works. Since Feb. is more than 7 months away you cannot book Poly or AKL/V right now because you don’t own at those resorts. You can book at your home resort & if there is availability at the VGF, MS will help you book a villa there for a Feb. trip.
For a November trip you are w/in the 7 month non home resort booking window, so you could theoretically book at the Poly, AKL/V, or the VGF. The issue you may run into is that you’ve chosen a really high demand weekend 6 months away & as mentioned VGF is 100% declared so no developer’s points to pull a villa from, so the high demand resorts are likely already solidly booked.
Although DVC retains 2% of the points in every DVC resort, that doesn’t mean they have all villa sizes & views available from that 2% pool of points. There are 10 possible AKV club villas - 5 studios & 5 1 br.s - AKV owners likely booked them in Jan. at 11 months or started walking them even earlier. Getting an AKV club villa is like finding a unicorn even for AKV owners. Occasionally someone will get one at less than 7 months, but it’s rare for that to happen.
Congrats on the VGF purchase, I own there & love staying at the Grand .

 

[Sandisw]

The welcome home booking is to help new (direct) owners who are unfamiliar w/ how the DVC booking system works. Since Feb. is more than 7 months away you cannot book Poly or AKL/V right now because you don’t own at those resorts. You can book at your home resort & if there is availability at the VGF, MS will help you book a villa there for a Feb. trip.
For a November trip you are w/in the 7 month non home resort booking window, so you could theoretically book at the Poly, AKL/V, or the VGF. The issue you may run into is that you’ve chosen a really high demand weekend 6 months away & as mentioned VGF is 100% declared so no developer’s points to pull a villa from, so the high demand resorts are likely already solidly booked.
Although DVC retains 2% of the points in every DVC resort, that doesn’t mean they have all villa sizes & views available from that 2% pool of points. There are 10 possible AKV club villas - 5 studios & 5 1 br.s - AKV owners likely booked them in Jan. at 11 months or started walking them even earlier. Getting an AKV club villa is like finding a unicorn even for AKV owners. Occasionally someone will get one at less than 7 months, but it’s rare for that to happen.
Congrats on the VGF purchase, I own there & love staying at the Grand .

To add to what you mention, even with the 2% they own, they do not hold back 2% of the rooms on any given day. All rooms are available for booking when the 11 month window opens.

 

[_mrsryder]

We somehow got our #1 pick - Poly @ Thanksgiving! thank you all for your tips and advice. The mindset I went into it with when I called (bc man I am gonna need to call to make these reservations bc this site is not easy to navigate these first few tries) made my excitement a million times more when she came back on the line! hahaha

 

[lntx]

glad to hear you got your #1 pick (Poly). Just for future readers of this thread.....VGF is not an option for Welcome Home trips. We are owners there of several contracts and per DVC, they don't allow Welcome Home trips to be made at VGF.

 

[_mrsryder]

glad to hear you got your #1 pick (Poly). Just for future readers of this thread.....VGF is not an option for Welcome Home trips. We are owners there of several contracts and per DVC, they don't allow Welcome Home trips to be made at VGF.

Thank you for this tip! They didn’t mention that on the phone so that’s good info for future readers. I wouldn’t have known!!! So many little things like that these boards teach me lol

 

[Nursemanit]

glad to hear you got your #1 pick (Poly). Just for future readers of this thread.....VGF is not an option for Welcome Home trips. We are owners there of several contracts and per DVC, they don't allow Welcome Home trips to be made at VGF.

Nope - Mine was at VGF Last Labor day - if rooms are to be had they will get them nothing special about VGF

 

[lntx]

Nope - Mine was at VGF Last Labor day - if rooms are to be had they will get them nothing special about VGF

Not the case when we bought our 3 contracts in 2013, 2019 and July 2022 per DVC. They will allow you to book your first stay at VGF if you book it yourself, but it will not technically be a Welcome Home trip (one that they book for you).

 

[Nursemanit]

Not the case when we bought our 3 contracts in 2013, 2019 and July 2022 per DVC. They will allow you to book your first stay at VGF if you book it yourself, but it will not technically be a Welcome Home trip (one that they book for you).

I called - they booked - there is nothing that is special about a welcome home other than that