When can you book at BCV?

[KLR-wlv]

Hi

I know this is a ways off - but when you start booking vacations - at least mentally - years in advance I'm curious. Since we bought into VWL, I don't know when dvc "typically" starts booking new resorts. Is it the day it opens, or do they plan on it opening on a certain date and allow people to start booking earlier? We're planning on a December 2002 trip, and I was curious as to how much of an option BCV would be.

Thanks
KLR

 

[drusba]

Estimated date for opening of BCV is Sep 2002. Don't know when they will allow booking. With VWL the following occurred:

The resort opened in November 2000. You could not purchase any DVC interest until Mid-Jan 2001. Disney started taking cash bookings about June 2000 (or it was possibly even earlier, I cannot remember for sure). DVC started taking points bookings (from those at other DVC resorts) for after Jan 14, 2001 in November 2000.

 

[KLR-wlv]

Thanks! - so it "opened" 2 months before sales....that lag most likely won't occur with BCV - haven't discussions been that they would try to pre-sell?

 

[kem330]

Another issue is how the 7 month factor comes into play. For those members who were allowed to book in November at VWL for Jan 14 or later, didn't you still have to be in the 7 month window? I was wondering how this works when a new resort opens. I know that the proportion of rooms available to DVC is relative to the number of memberships sold (rooms declared into DVC). At what percentage does this change and how quickly? I.E. With 60-70 % membership sold at this point, are the same percentage of VWL rooms in DVC? And since they are taking reservations for the holidays, and CRO is also renting rooms, are some rooms in "limbo" in case it sells out, to make rooms available to new members, or do they go into the DVC pool some months later ? What is the balance for new members vs existing members reservations when a new resort opens? For those of you who have ressies at VWL and own elsewhere how was your experience this year? Was it easy to get in?

 

[Terry S]

From what I understand DVC has never done a pre-sale before so I wonder how this is going to work. I assume, If they start the pre-sale soon, Lets say November 1st. The ones who own at BCV will be the first to be able to reserve when they open, lets say Sept. 1st, because they will still be in the 11th month window. Since the pre-sales is new, its anyones guess how this will work?

 

[drusba]

There have been rumors that they might pre-sell BWV--there is a lot of pressure to do that if VWL sells out since they will have all those kiosks and sales reps at WDW with no WDW resort to sell if they cannot pre-sell. I believe they actually did pre-sell for OKW for a couple of months (someone from OKW may be able to confirm).

As to room availability, what happens is that they dedicate an initial number of units to DVCand start selling them, as they approach selling out, they dedicate more, etc. Rooms are avaialble for DVC use once dedicated to DVC. In other words, as the resort is selling there are usually more rooms available than the number of actual owners can demand, making it somewhat easier for the 7 monthers to get ressies(although there are only a limited number of units they can reserve). When ressies were first taken for VWL, it was from owners at other resorts using the 7 month window and most got their ressies.

 

[ScottOKW2K]

One thing I can comment on is the November booking at VWL before it started selling, because I was one of those who was able to take advantage of it. We were there on our second trip to WDW and were staying at Dixie Landings. We had purchased an OKW resale that summer, but by the time it closed there were no available rooms so that option was out.

One day toward the end of our trip, my wife and daughter decided to go back to the room, leaving me with some free unencumbered time at the Magic Kingdom. I decided to take the boat over to the Lodge to take another gander at the Lodge and the Villas. While talking to the DVC salesperson in the main lobby I mentioned that it would be nice to stay at the Villas for the trip we had planned next June (2001). She asked for the dates, looked at her calender, and said I could do that right now !
My darling wife was quite pleased and surprised when I returned and told her we had the next trip taken care of.

At least in the case of the VWL, there was no 11 month window advantage at the very beginning - since presales and point reservatioins occured in about the same period, at that one particular time everyone had the same chance. I am also hoping that a similar situation will occur when the Beach Club Villas comes online - we definitely want to try that location out, too !
I think my wife and daughter could become VERY used to StormAlong Bay