When can you see availability?

[AllieV]

Once you are a dvc member and have access to online availability, how far ahead can you see? I see a lot of threads where people ask owners at a certain place to check availability for them. Maybe they're renters, but could it be that you can't see any availability until 7 months at non-home resorts? I may need to transfer in some points depending on which type of view is open and I want to do it with enough time for it to transfer and make my 7-month mark for booking.

Thanks.

 

[kaytieedid]

you can see 11 months out for your home resort and 7 months out for the others.

 

[AllieV]

Thanks. That kinda sucks. So you have no idea what's available until that exact 7 month mark? Wow.

 

[Lynne M]

Thanks. That kinda sucks. So you have no idea what's available until that exact 7 month mark? Wow.

DVC availability changes minute-to-minute. There's really no point to checking availability for a time period you can't book, because what you see as available now may well be gone by the time you are able to reserve it.

From the perspective of Disney's IT people, allowing people to check dates they can't book would mean a ton of additional site traffic and database calls, and their option is to either add resources to handle it, at additional cost, or allow it to impact performance for the people who are trying to make actual reservations.

 

[disneynutz]

Thanks. That kinda sucks. So you have no idea what's available until that exact 7 month mark? Wow.

Moot point, the inventory will change before your 7th month mark.

Bill

 

[mjc2003]

Thanks. That kinda sucks. So you have no idea what's available until that exact 7 month mark? Wow.

In may ways this system is designed to protect us from ourselves. Think about it, if you DO see availability before you can book and go ahead and presumptively transfer points a few days in advance, and then the room isn't available when your booking window opens, you can't "un-transfer", so you are stuck having to use points you might not need to use.

When you are at the 7 month window, if you find a room to your liking it's very easy to transfer points as you are making a reservation. It doesn't need to really be done in advance.

 

[AllieV]

Moot point, the inventory will change before your 7th month mark.

Bill

Sorry, I don't think I explained it correctly. If I see that something is already booked up and gone long before my 7 month, I'll transfer more points in to be on the safe side, because I can only do one transfer per year. True, if I see it's available then it's gone, I'm sorta stuck. But I was looking more for the worst case scenario rather than the best. As in, what's definitely gone and what are my costliest options at this point. And if I saw Standard Views at BWV booking fast within the 8-11 month window, I'd assume they won't be available and will transfer in more points.

Heck, maybe I should just transfer in more points anyway and bank what I don't need. Or transfer in fewer and book one day less of vacation to cover the difference.

 

[keaster]

Sorry, I don't think I explained it correctly. If I see that something is already booked up and gone long before my 7 month, I'll transfer more points in to be on the safe side, because I can only do one transfer per year. True, if I see it's available then it's gone, I'm sorta stuck. But I was looking more for the worst case scenario rather than the best. As in, what's definitely gone and what are my costliest options at this point. And if I saw Standard Views at BWV booking fast within the 8-11 month window, I'd assume they won't be available and will transfer in more points.

Heck, maybe I should just transfer in more points anyway and bank what I don't need. Or transfer in fewer and book one day less of vacation to cover the difference.

Are you talking about transferring in points from another membership number or borrowing points from your next use year? There is a difference in how that is handled.

 

[AllieV]

Are you talking about transferring in points from another membership number or borrowing points from your next use year? There is a difference in how that is handled.

Transferring in. I've rented from the same woman for years, so there is a trust there. She said she'd transfer points to me if I need them for a trip.

 

[DebbieB]

I think there can be a point to it. If you are looking for a popular time and you check at 9 to 10 months and it is soldout, it's pretty safe to say it will not be available at 7 months and you need to make other plans. You not only have the people who already booked but also the home resort people waitlisting before 7 months. It's like the old availability board, really only good for what is NOT available.

You can see availability a little before. For example, if you want to check the night of 12/31, you can input 12/24 to 1/1 on 5/24 and see if 12/31 is available.

 

[permavac]

I would definitely opt for a larger transfer - that's what I usually do. I've never tried right at 7 months to book - I usually don't know when we're going until about 5 to 3 months out and by then, most of the value rooms are gone. But, with waitlisting, I have gotten a standard view at BWV once when they were initially not available. Anyway, if you can afford it, I would buy more points - just make sure they are bankable and you should be all set. If you can't swing buying the extra points at the time, then plan B is to make do with what you have and maybe do a cheaper hotel room for a night by paying OOP. OH - another thing - if your friend who rents you your points doesn't have the home resort you want, you could always look elsewhere. If you get in a transfer of the points you want at the resort you want, you can use those points at 11 months out. I know that probably won't work for you though (having followed your purchase thread) since you will want to be using the points you bought first. In the future though, that's an option...

Terri

 

[fmer55]

Thanks. That kinda sucks. So you have no idea what's available until that exact 7 month mark? Wow.

It doesn't suck. Inventory changes everyday, what sucks is thinking you have availability in your choice location for 3 months and 30 days and then on the day of your 7 month window it is no longer available. I have watched inventory change at AVK 4 times in one day when i was booking my 2br savanna for Oct. This is why people buy where you want to stay

 

[AllieV]

If you can't swing buying the extra points at the time, then plan B is to make do with what you have and maybe do a cheaper hotel room for a night by paying OOP.

Last month, I booked all 10 days at POFQ as a backup, but that's plan C in case I can't get part of the trip. I've never had trouble getting what I want even a few months out, but I've never gone in May before.

Another option is to transfer in points from her that are home to where I want, so I can get at least a few days booked before 7 months. If I'm going Wednesday to the following Friday/Saturday, what would be the most likely days to sell out first? The weekend in the middle?

 

[AllieV]

This is why people buy where you want to stay

But if you want to stay in all different places, you can't always buy at all of them. What I really want to see is what's sold out, not what's still open, like what DebbieB said.

 

[Deb & Bill]

But if you want to stay in all different places, you can't always buy at all of them. What I really want to see is what's sold out, not what's still open, like what DebbieB said.

You can plan on GV's being gone. You can plan on Standard view and Theme park view at BLT being gone. You can plan on Standard view at BWV being gone. You can plan on dedicated two bedroom villa with two queen beds in the second bedroom at BCV being gone. You can plan on BWV and BCV being gone in October for F&W. You can plan on Christmas/NYE being gone almost anywhere. And if any of these are available, it won't be for multiple nights, just a night here or there.

 

[kaytieedid]

We had an issue like this a few months ago. We knew we wanted our home resort for 1 week so we could book that 11 months out. The day my 7 month window opened, I started searching for properties for our 2nd week. We had a list in order of which properties/room types we wanted so i would book in that order what was available. Luckily we got our 1st two choices

 

[Missyrose]

Another option is to transfer in points from her that are home to where I want, so I can get at least a few days booked before 7 months. If I'm going Wednesday to the following Friday/Saturday, what would be the most likely days to sell out first? The weekend in the middle?

This might be your best option. You don't say when in May you're planning to go, that might affect possible availability.

As far as which days sell out first. On most given weeks (without holidays or events in the mix), Sunday-Thursday seem to sell out first because they cost fewer points.

If you could get some of the days booked during the home resort priority window, it will make your life easier at 7 months. It can be hard to put 10 nights together in one room/view.

Good luck.

 

[AllieV]

I want to go May 1-10 or 11, 2013, split stay, 5 nights each (or 4 and 5 nights) 1-br. My preference for split keeps changing but I think BLT and BCV. I doubt she has BLT points, which is the first weekend. We'd move to BCV (or BWV) sunday to friday (or saturday). BCV is all the same points. BWV has 3 levels of points, as does BLT.

So what I'm really looking to see is if the cheaper rooms are booked up at 8 months-ish.

 

[AllieV]

p.s. at the 7 month mark, what time of day can you log on? Midnite? Or business hours opening? I will start checking at the 10-day prior mark to get an idea of what's open.

 

[Missyrose]

I want to go May 1-10 or 11, 2013, split stay, 5 nights each (or 4 and 5 nights) 1-br. My preference for split keeps changing but I think BLT and BCV. I doubt she has BLT points, which is the first weekend. We'd move to BCV (or BWV) sunday to friday (or saturday). BCV is all the same points. BWV has 3 levels of points, as does BLT.

So what I'm really looking to see is if the cheaper rooms are booked up at 8 months-ish.

The later you get in May, the warmer it'll be and that will make BCV harder, but not impossible. Wanting a 1 bedroom will help because those are the last to book.

For BLT and BWV budget for Lake View (BLT) and Preferred Pool/Garden View (BWV). There are far more of those two types of rooms at those two resorts. Standard View at either is very difficult because so many members want those rooms to save on points.

p.s. at the 7 month mark, what time of day can you log on? Midnite? Or business hours opening? I will start checking at the 10-day prior mark to get an idea of what's open.

Online booking at the 7 month window opens at 8 a.m., Member Services opens at 9.