What's happening? No DVC Resort availability December and January

[KyleAfterAWhile]

Actually, I think It is a legitimate question. In my opinion, when EVERYONE is needing to plan 7 months in advance, then the system is too tight. People pay a LOT of money for DVC and should really have a little more flexibility in how they can use it. Disney is not honest in their presentations, they don’t fill their commitments well, and we let them get away with it..

This is one of the 3 reasons we backed out of a 3rd contract and sold off our 2nd one.

 

[Jelly563]

I found many days in Jan avail

 

[js]

I found many days in Jan avail

I have been looking for a week stay from January 5-12 in a studio, one bedroom or two bedroom and the
only full week I can find is in a studio at SSR preferred view, which is fine for me, it's our home resort and love DTD but
I would like to move to another resort that my dd hasn't tried yet. Did you see many days together or a full week anywhere during
my week? I keep looking but maybe my cookies are preventing me from seeing new availability.

Thanks.

 

[Deb & Bill]

I have been looking for a week stay from January 5-12 in a studio, one bedroom or two bedroom and the
only full week I can find is in a studio at SSR preferred view, which is fine for me, it's our home resort and love DTD but
I would like to move to another resort that my dd hasn't tried yet. Did you see many days together or a full week anywhere during
my week? I keep looking but maybe my cookies are preventing me from seeing new availability.

Thanks.

You are running into Marathon weekend. Starts on Jan 9 and goes through Jan 13. It books up as early as possible. Especially the villas on the monorail.

 

[js]

You are running into Marathon weekend. Starts on Jan 9 and goes through Jan 13. It books up as early as possible. Especially the villas on the monorail.

Thank you. I am aware of the weekend and if it were up to me, I would have not booked that week but my dd starts back up at school the week after
and that is the only week when we can go. I would leave sooner but have my dh and ds at home and have to be home the first week of January, which
would also be a mess. We just decided to go back in January on our trip last week so I was just happy to get SSR and do like we have DTD so close for
the evenings and don't have to worry about transportation.

 

[natt]

My husband and I just decided on a bonus trip in February when they announced additional DAH dates. I was surprised that the only availability was a SSR preferred room. Not my ideal use of points, but we booked it anyway. We out owners at BCV, since that is one of our preferred resorts and we know we have to book there early, but have not had a problem booking other resorts in the past. I did not expect the most popular options to be available, but to see nothing else was a bit of a shock. We wait listed at CCV and Kadani, but if nothing opens up I guess we will be checking out SSR for the first time.

No worries if you are a couple.. We own at BCV also; We went this past August, [same situation; only SSR prfd available]. We still can't get over how much we loved it!! We slept in (til 7am), had easy mornings having coffee, or by the pool; then hit the parks later afternoon (guess you would have to shoot for noon in February to get things done). But having DS in walking distance was the game changer for us! I recommend requesting Congress Park for that advantage. Good luck on the WL.. but keep positive if it doesn't.

 

[MikeyNS]

I had the unfortunate situation of having to change our flights to leave a few days later (first week of December) so I'm in waitlist purgatory for ANYTHING to open up for those few nights. I'm waitlisted at what I consider to be rooms that may be more available (SSR/OKW) but am also checking every day for something else to open up.
Not fun.
Bring back the mid-2000's availability, please!

 

[Deb & Bill]

I had the unfortunate situation of having to change our flights to leave a few days later (first week of December) so I'm in waitlist purgatory for ANYTHING to open up for those few nights. I'm waitlisted at what I consider to be rooms that may be more available (SSR/OKW) but am also checking every day for something else to open up.
Not fun.
Bring back the mid-2000's availability, please!

You waitlisted OKW-Non-HHArea and SSR-Preferred one bedrooms, right? I think those might be the easiest to get. Or you might even try AKV-KV Savanna view.

 

[MikeyNS]

You waitlisted OKW-Non-HHArea and SSR-Preferred one bedrooms, right? I think those might be the easiest to get. Or you might even try AKV-KV Savanna view.

Don't have the points available for a 1BR (long story.. family trip next year, etc), so we're studio-bound.
Worst case scenario we can stay with friends who will be there in a 2BR, but we don't want to intrude.

 

[DougEMG]

However, it's my belief that there are a number of factors at play here that have contributed to making the 7-month window a more difficult situation:

• PVB owners who are seeking something bigger than a studio. A lot of them are new owners who were sold the idea that it's easy to book a non-home resort at 7 months. And then there are the point-sucking bungalows that contributed to the pool of points for PVB but the people who own there based the number of points purchased on getting studios. I also believe that the CCV cabins will contribute to the problem once the resort has been completely sold.
• Resale owners, who bought small contracts and can only afford studios, looking to stay at non-home resorts. This would be especially true for those who purchased HHI, AUL, and VB but also includes those who bought cheap SSR points thinking that they will use them for PVB and VGF. Those small contracts were once add-ons to larger original contracts at those home resorts. So, what once may have been one owner at BWV with a minimum buy in of 150 points and a couple of 50-point add-on contracts became 3 owners on the resale market when sold. And most of them want studios but all the 2 50-pointers can afford each year is 5 nights in a std. view studio or OKW studio during the lowest point periods.
• Restrictions on how resale owners can use their points. No trading into the Disney Collection. No booking cruises with their points. Either use your points or trade into RCI (a system I don't understand and don't feel comfortable with) or rent out those points.
• Renters who only want studios. They're mostly bargain hunters looking to save money, not book a whole villa. They've bought into the "stay deluxe for the price of a moderate" sales pitch. At 7 months, when a point is a point, brokers are emailing their owners with renter info the night before, asking them to be ready to book right at 8 AM eastern. And in quite a few cases, every studio booked reduces a 2-BR to a 1-BR. Some of those points may have been allowed to expire in the past but as renting becomes more mainstream, they are more likely to get used.
• Increased walking due to the latest website enhancements. The modify function has made it so much easier to walk and I foresee this becoming a real issue during the seasons with highest demand. It was already a problem but it will become more widespread now that there's no need to call MS to accomplish it. Admittedly, this only truly affects the day that booking opens but I watched as day after day, another day opened up for a BWV std. view studio leading up to Christmas week as individuals walked their reservations for the holiday. I also witnessed this happening for Star Wars weekend (May the 4th is a Saturday in 2019). And now that we can modify online, I fully expect to see Fall Frenzy become Fall Frustration.

Another factor is the millions of bungalow and cabin points sold at the POLY and CCV to people who only bought enough points to stay in studios. I personally think that this is the main cause of the lack of "normal" availability.

 

[bumbershoot]

Disney is not honest in their presentations, they don’t fill their commitments well,

My guide was honest. And the guide that talked with my cousin in February was honest as well. She had one little glitch in the wording but explained it after.

We have been members for 13 years; however, it was never like this.

My first trip was for 2 weeks in early December 2010. Things booked up quickly. I felt VERY lucky to get what I wanted. So...not really "never".

But what you are actually saying is that we should get rid of the rental Brokers so that a lot of people have to just let their points expire because they can’t use them and they can’t get any value from renting them. That way those rooms will be available for the rest of us. Personally I don’t feel that is fair to them.

I'm wondering what YOU think the answer is. Because it feels like you're saying opposing things.

IT ISNT A MISTAKE, IT IS A DELIBERATELY TAUGHT AND PROMULGATED FALSEHOOD.

Then why haven't we ALL heard the lies you feel are taught?

WE would get a bit of relief from the oppressive 3 to 7 month booking scarcity.

The paperwork tells you 11 months home resort, 7 months non-home. Why would anyone expect a shorter timeframe? I have been able to switch things around even very close in, but I always have an 11 month reservation sitting there waiting, for if I can't change.

Are you listening, Disney.

No, because this site isn't run by Disney

I canceled my ressies and then the week was gone when I went to book.

Use the modify reservation tool! No more need to cancel then book in separate chunks!

I keep looking but maybe my cookies are preventing me from seeing new availability.

I can't imagine DVC's site works that way.

 

[LPnerd]

I totally agree with you. Disney just keeps selling more and more DVC. Even with new resorts opening, the demand outweighs the supply. We bought when it was "the best kept secret." I remember part of the sales pitch was that we could decide last minute to take a long weekend of we chose and it would be no problem. Well, that's gone!

but they also keep building more too. also, this lower ticket prices is going to make it even more difficult IMHO. esp if all you want is a studio.

 

[LPnerd]

Um you're trying to book for December/January in September?
Xmas eve to New years day is the absolute busiest time of the year.
You need to book well in advance for that time period.
Think April if you want to go in late December.
Also DVC members generally have an 11 month and 7 month booking window and even then I hear of many people being waitlisted.
It's much harder to get a DVC room than one might think.

yes, in the last few years, unless you book THE FIRST day you can, you will get nothing for xmas, from last week of nov. to about dec 14th go almost as fast as when kids are out of school. so unless your booking the 11 months out forget a studio. I LOVE our DVC, however you really do have to plan and be willing to compromise.

 

[TLinden16]

When I bought my first batch of DVC points back in 2004, they were selling Saratoga, and my guide was really pushing me to buy there, touting that I will be able to get rooms at wherever I wanted at the 7 month window. Even back then, I didn't really believe that to be true (just basic supply and demand--more people would want to move from the bigger SSR to the smaller BCV or BWV resorts). Knowing I wouldn't be happy at SSR, I told her that I wasn't interested, but would definitely by BCV or BWV if they had points, and she found me the points I wanted.

Though there was a time when you can find reservations at most resorts earlier, those days are gone. Timeshares are really designed to be booked far in advance, and they are designed to be running at a high occupancy rate. I have always told people who ask me about DVC that they should buy points at a resort they want to spend most of their vacations at, and if they can't book at least 7 months in advance, they shouldn't bother.

All that being said, if you stalk the website, and play around, you can sometimes piece together a stay in less than 6 months out (I pieced together a 3 night stay at BLT for Food and Wine race weekend about four months last year, and also pieced together a 5 night stay at Copper Creek this year about 2 or 3 months out).

Also, it looks like the bungalows and cabins are filling up (maybe with people splurging or perhaps people with no other choice). If you look at the 60 day availability, there is nothing available in the cabins or bungalows for the next 60 days.

 

[js]

I have been stalking the RAT ALL DAY while at work and then home, it's actually become obsessive and annoying but I wanted a one bedroom
from January 4-12. I had a SSR Preferred View Studio booked for same dates.

I saw there was some movement on Sunday and noticed lots of movement today for SSR although all my dates weren't available when I first checked this morning
before going to work, or during the morning. Today, I actually took my ipad to work so I could sit at lunch and keep hitting refresh and sure enough I was able to
find/modify my ressie to January 5-12 in a SSR one bedroom standard view. Quickly went back on and held January 4-5 in the preferred view studio that I just let go.
I saw lots of movement today and just kept hitting refresh and the one bedroom standard view popped up for January 4-5 so I was able to get my full 8 nights this afternoon.

I usually don't have this much difficulty since I always book 11 or 7 months out but just decided to go back to Disney on our trip last month and came home on September 15 so I think by stalking I did very well for a busy week.

 

[disneynutz]

Also, it looks like the bungalows and cabins are filling up (maybe with people splurging or perhaps people with no other choice). If you look at the 60 day availability, there is nothing available in the cabins or bungalows for the next 60 days.

At 60 days, Disney can book cash guests in them.

Bill

 

[js]

Just wanted to come back and say after stalking ALL day even after my one bedroom standard view, I was able to get a one bedroom preferred view for January 4-12. I can say this is the ONLY reaort I have seen some movement in the last three weeks for those dates. About 630 pm, I did see six nights at BC one bedroom but thought that stalking the other two days with a possibility of having to move resorts would be MUCH more difficult with the end of New Years weeks and then the following Friday being Marathon weekend. By the time I took a shower, I came back and only three days left.

I did have a WL for a one bedroom preferred but stalking won for me.

 

[iheartglaciers]

Just wanted to come back and say after stalking ALL day even after my one bedroom standard view, I was able to get a one bedroom preferred view for January 4-12. I can say this is the ONLY reaort I have seen some movement in the last three weeks for those dates. About 630 pm, I did see six nights at BC one bedroom but thought that stalking the other two days with a possibility of having to move resorts would be MUCH more difficult with the end of New Years weeks and then the following Friday being Marathon weekend. By the time I took a shower, I came back and only three days left.

I did have a WL for a one bedroom preferred but stalking won for me.

Yay! Glad to hear you got it!! Was the WL for the same days you were able to pick up by stalking and just didn't pick it up? Or did you piece it together? I have a WL and am wondering how much I should be stalking v. relying on the WL, even for a single day

 

[LPnerd]

Yay! Glad to hear you got it!! Was the WL for the same days you were able to pick up by stalking and just didn't pick it up? Or did you piece it together? I have a WL and am wondering how much I should be stalking v. relying on the WL, even for a single day

several times a day. and I refresh every 5 min or so. sometimes more, LOL. I have found the best way to is to also call and get ut on a wait list as well. however, this can mess with your points so be careful if you bank points.

 

[iheartglaciers]

several times a day. and I refresh every 5 min or so. sometimes more, LOL. I have found the best way to is to also call and get ut on a wait list as well. however, this can mess with your points so be careful if you bank points.

Thanks! I stalked two days I needed and only need one more (but it's at the end of the Princess half weekend). I have it on WL and am stalking