What home Resort should we pick?

[MandM]

We are close to signing the dotted line to become a member of the DVC family but I'm curious to know how difficult it is to get something in Orlando within the shorter window. We are looking at HH as our home resort but not sure how hard it would be to get orlando within the shorter window. Any insight would be greatly appreciated.

 

[Peterd]

As most of the posters say, buy where you want to stay. It's the only way to guarantee that you get the dates you want. The seven month window isn't TOO bad, unless you want to go during the peak times. The Feb and April (NY) school vacations fill up quick. We haven't stayed during Christmas break yet, but have heard it fills up pretty quick. It's usually pretty tough to get the standard view rooms at the Boardwalk inside of 7 months because the rooms are less points. We go around the first or second week of Nov., We make our resv. 11 months out, but this year when we wanted to add rooms for friends within the 7 month window, it was a little tough. We eventually got what we wanted, but we were on waiting lists, and some didn't come through until two weeks prior to the trip. When we first joined we could get rooms for the Feb vacation at the Boardwalk less than 7 months, not anymore. So without the 11 month window, you have to be pretty flexible with your dates.

 

[BillM]

It all depends on the time of year you are going to WDW and the size of accomodations you need.

Also being flexible on your dates helps. OKW is the easierst due to its size. WE have not had a problem booking on or after seven months. I called about two weeks ago for week before Easter March booking for BWV or VWL for a 1 BR and none were available. I went with OKW. Our home resort is OKW and HH. Also booked DD and family in a 2 BR at BWV for 3 nights. This just last week, about six months out. They also offered VWL.
Another DD and family got two studios at BWV seven months out for the week before Easter. Also the wait list works pretty good for most dates.

But the advice is, if you plan on going to WDW as a favored vacation spot you need a home resort at WDW not HH.

 

[Orky15]

I'm not a member yet... (actually I am probably in the exact stage you are, just about to buy) but from what I have read, it wouldn't be impossible at all, it would just be more difficult during the periods where the resort was very inexpensive with points.

 

[ErinC]

I think that the concensus on this board is to buy where you plan to stay. If you expect to spend more time in Orlando than HH, then I would say you need to buy at Disney. I think that most of the time that there is availability at the 7 month window for some accomodations especially at OKW( because it is a larger resort). With this in mind you would need to be very flexible on your dates and vacations. If you need to vacation at a certain time of year, or are looking for the larger accomodations, than your 11month window will be very important. With the constant change and growth of DVC, what might be an easy booking at 7 months now, might not be in another 10years. Just something to think about. Also, think about how your family needs will change in future years. Try to buy what will suit your family best. Best of luck on your decision. Erin

 

[tiffany123]

MandM: Our home resort is HH and we have yet to visit any DVC resort as we just joined in October. We made HH reservations at the time of our purchase for late June '02. I then called DVC at the 7 month window and was able to get without difficulty 9 nights starting on June 28th. We are going to stay 3 nights at each of the Orlando DVC sites since we've yet to experience any of them.

I don't know where you live but we chose HH for two primary reasons---it's a one day drive from OH where we live and it's next to impossible to book HH in the summertime unless it's your home resort. We love HH and felt that with the larger number of rooms available at Orlando, we'd be able to get reservations in Orlando DVC resorts at 7 months whereas we wouldn't be able to get summer months at the 7 month window at HH.

We are pretty flexible as DH is a teacher and is planning to retire in 3 or 4 years. We don't plan to visit WDW during spring break, Thanksgiving or Christmas and if you do, that could influence your decision also.

 

[CaptainMidnight]

tiffany123, where in Ohio?

We live in Hilliard on the outskirts of Columbus.

 

[raidermatt]

A major reason for advising to buy where you plan to stay is that there is some disagreement on this board as to how important the 11 month window could become in the future. Just because the 7-month window works now does not mean it will work as well in ten years. If you buy where you will be staying most often, you eliminate that uncertainty.

 

[DVCajun]

It seems to me that your very concern about getting ressies at WDW tells you where to make your home resort. If you were primarily interested in staying at HH it wouldn't be an issue, would it?

 

[CaptainMidnight]

My thought is that if you plan to go to HH farly often, you may want that to be your home resot. My understanding is that reservations are hard to obtain there during the prime summer months, because most owners want to go when the weather is nice, which really restricts teh availability for non-owners.

So how many points are you condidering? You could always split your contract based on your intentions. If your going to HH two years in a row, and then WDW the third year, you can set up your points with a combination HH and WLV points (150 min at one of the resorts, otherwise any point combination allowed).

You ban and borrow one resorts points to use the 11 month window, and when swithing to another resort, bank and borrow to provde an 11 month window for those point requirements as well. So, if you have 150 at hh and 100 at wlv, the year you go to hh, you bank the wlv points. that way next year you'll have 200 available there, or you could borrow ahead on just those wlv points to have 300 available at the 11 month window exclusive to wlv. Menwhile, your banking any hh points your not using for the wlv vacation for your next trip to hh.

 

[tiffany123]

Captain Midnight: We're just around I 270 from you in Gahanna.
We're new DVC members as of October when we bought at HH and we're currently in the process of buying an Old Key West resale. We're doing all of this sight unseen as we haven't been to WDW since 1990 and haven't been to HH since 1994. However, the timing is right and we're ready to make the committment. We're spending 5 nights at HH in late June, 9 nights at WDW (3 at each DVC resort) and 3 nights at Vero in early July. Driving and going to enjoy the time together with just the two of us.

 

[ncligs]

Tiffany123, we are from Ohio also(near youngstown) and you will love OKW. We also will be at Vero June 29-July 5th. My wife is a teacher also, and we are both retiring in 6yrs, we will both be 51. So we will be able to go anytime of the year.
Your reasons for picking HH are very good.What days will you be in Vero?
MandM, if you mainly want to go to HH in the peak summer months, then HH would be a good choice for your Homeresort.
You shouldn't have to much problem booking OKW at the 7 month window.

 

[tiffany123]

MandM---I agree with those who are advising HH if you and your family want to vacation there on a regular basis in the prime sumemr months. The one day driving distance sold us but we also will be visiting WDW on a regular basis and taking our chances to find accomodations when we need them. No problem at all for summer, 2002---I made the reservations in early Dec.

Nclig---here's our summer 2002, itinerary
June 23-27 HH
June 28-30 BWV
July 1-3 VWL
July 4-6 OKW
July 7-9 Vero

We know it's lots of location changing and we'll probably only reserve this way once. But we have the time desire to see all the DVC resorts this first trip.

 

[ncligs]

Tiffany, I was curiuos if you are staying in studios, 1Br, etc? Or changing size of your rooms also. I think your trip will be a lot of fun also. But I agree with you, that you would probably never do it that way again, because checking in and out can be a little of a hassle. Also, if I may ask,(you don't have to answer) how many points do you have?? We are considering adding on 50 at VB to give us flexabilty there also.
Thanks,

 

[tiffany123]

Nclig: For this trip we are staying exclusively in studios. Since it's been so long for us to visit either HH or WDW, we figure we'll spend very little time in our rooms. We have 300 points at HH and soon will have 160 at OKW.

 

[ncligs]

Tiffany123, That makes a lot of sense if you won't be in your room much. Maybe we should consider adding more than 50 at Vero????? Thanks for answering our questions also.

 

[jcodespoti]

we almost always go off peak times (however off-peak can fill up fast at DVC resorts). The reason is we have no kids to take out of school and I own my own so taking time off isn't to bad. So we are very flexiable. I have booke okw at 1 month so thats kinda safe (fyi).

Joe in CT

ncligs, my family is from Youngstown (my aunt currently lives in Poland) my father grew up their.

 

[ncligs]

Jcodespoti, we live in Girard, about 10 miles from Poland.Which is your homeresort?Thanks

 

[TrudyZ]

jcodespoti:

I grew up in that area--just over the border in PA. I went to YSU, and my sister lives in Poland (teaches there).

The rest of my family is still back there--I'm the only one who defected to Michigan.

Small world, huh?

Trudy