[MickeyMcFizzle]

I am about to go on my first DVC trip in 37 days. SO excited!

We booked rather late (like 4 months out) and were only able to get OKW and SSR availability. We are staying at OKW. No big - although I am seriously missing AKL right now and am sad I'm not staying at my home resort for my first time "home"!
But we fully expected that with the lead time we had.

But I'm curious - is it extremely difficult to get other resorts at the 7 month mark? We would love to consider BCV, BWV, or WLV for upcoming trips.

Does anyone have any experience with this?

Are you able to book your home resort at 11 months and then switch it at 7 months or is that a DVC no-no?

Just curious as to others thoughts and experiences with this.

[tiki]

I'm not a DVC member, but went on a second tour a few weeks ago and asked this very question, and was told that's exactly what members do. Ask DisneyTeacher, she is full of great DVC info.

[2nd Star]

I was able to book AKV for May '08 at 7 months. We also had no problem with booking VWL for Jan. '09. The real test is going to be booking BWV or BCV for our May '09 trip...we can try in Oct. When are you planning to go? We always try to go Adventure and Dream seasons. Yes you can book at home then switch at 7 months.

[MissDisney]

My information (and we haven't gone as members yet!) is that you can probably get a room at another resort at 7 months out.

BUT... you may not be able to get one of the really popular room types. At BWV, the standard-view 1 bedrooms are REALLY popular. They go first and they go fast, according to the MS CM I talked to. So if you have some flexibility about which room type you are interested in, you should be fine.

When we were checking into a trip to BWV, the standard 1-bedroom villas were gone for the dates we wanted, but they had plenty of preferred-view options, including 1-bedrooms and 2-bedrooms (oh gee, I must have fogotten to ask about the 3-bedroom Grand Villa LOL). But the points value for the preferred view put it just out of reach for us.

[hanwill]

ok, that seems so confusing (as if there are not enough decisions that go into planning a disney vacation already)... Is it worth it? My husband needs some information? I know that we would think that it is worth it from a get- to- go often standpoint, but I need numbers. So far, I cannot justify the cost, but I would stll like to do it!

[bransworld]

I had no issue with booking WLV in April for my September trip and i own at SSR. I think it is going to depend upon which resort and what time of the year.

[MissDisney]

Originally Posted by hanwill

ok, that seems so confusing (as if there are not enough decisions that go into planning a disney vacation already)... Is it worth it? My husband needs some information? I know that we would think that it is worth it from a get- to- go often standpoint, but I need numbers. So far, I cannot justify the cost, but I would stll like to do it!

hanwill,
For us, the amount we were spending on the kind of vacations we really wanted (onsite, nice room...) was really high. The math in our case worked out so that DVC will have paid for itself when we have taken about 6 vacations.

We have college coming up, so we have been staying in a moderate or off-property to fit the budget. But nothing compares to staying in a luxurious room onsite. It's a luxury we really wanted to enjoy but we couldn't splurge on. Now, it's financially comfy!

When we retire, we will really need the break we will be getting from DVC, or we'd likely not be able to afford to take those grandkids (I can imagine them already LOL!) to WDW!

[WishUponAStar]

This has been the one thing that has frustrated me about DVC. Since I am a teacher and have limited travel availability we ALWAYS seem to only be able to get SSR or OKW at the 7 month point. We've stayed at Boardwalk & Wilderness Lodge Villas since being members but those both came through on waitlist. I ALWAYS sign up for the waitlists at 7 months and just hope I get in somewhere.

[MickeyMcFizzle]

Thanks for the info guys!

Our trips next year will include SSR in Jan (Using developer points we just got as our AKV add-on incentive - we were going to do DLR but are taking friends to SSR instead) and AKV in December (early Dec though, Adventure Season) with a grand villa ***Fingers Crossed*** which we will book at exactly 11 months out.

I'm just thinking ahead to the following year. We mostly go in adventure, choice, or dream season - never in the super peak seasons. I would never be unhappy about staying at AKV, and will always book my stays 11 months out from now on to ensure I get it. But it'd be nice to switch it up to one of the others at 7 months once in awhile.

[WishUponAStar]

It would be nice if I could actually STAY at my favorite resort again. I hope I can get into AKV once more of the villas open.

[MickeyMcFizzle]

Originally Posted by WishUponAStar

It would be nice if I could actually STAY at my favorite resort again. I hope I can get into AKV once more of the villas open.

I hope so too Wishy!!!

[rlcarmichael]

They are ALL nice. Another time to check is just before the 30 day mark. You have to cancel more than 30 days out or the points go into holding account (slightly more difficult to book) so there seems to be some that pop up just before that point. Great for last minute trips.

Oh, and WELCOME HOME!!!

[DisneyTeacher]

It's not a DVC no no to book your home resort at 11 months and switch at 7 months out, in fact, it's the smart thing to do. If you can't get what you want at 7 months make sure you wait list it in case something opens up. It can be hard to get a non-home resort at 7 months depending on the time of year. What is a slower time for regular WDW resorts can be very busy at DVC resorts. Any time during Food and Wine is very busy at BWV and BCV and Thanksgiving to Christmas is VERY busy for DVC resorts because of the lower points and holiday decorations.

DVC requires a lot more planning that booking a regular WDW vacation and I think that's the hardest part to get used to. A lot of us are used to calling 6 months out and getting exactly what we want but that doesn't always work with DVC. Most of the time you can get a room at 4-6 months out but it may not be at the resort you want.

We bought where we want to stay because we can usually plan 11 months out, we're teachers so there's no guessing when we're on vacation. As DVC grows I think it's only going to get harder to get smaller resorts like BCV and BWV and that's where we want to stay. I'm thinking that if that huge building next to the CR is DVC that will take some of the pressure off trying to get older resorts at 7 months because a lot of people are going to want to try it.

[WishUponAStar]

Originally Posted by DisneyTeacher

I'm thinking that if that huge building next to the CR is DVC that will take some of the pressure off trying to get older resorts at 7 months because a lot of people are going to what to try it.

I definately agree with that!

[CDavis9088]

I had that same problem since i'm gonna be there the week after you. I booked 7 months out and all they had was OKW and SSR. I picked SSR but they did tell me that pretty much everything was getting booked because the the food and wine festival. Since this is also the first time that i used my DVC membership i know know that in the future i will book at the 11 month window at AKV and recheck to see what else is open at the 7 month because at least this way i'm staying at my home resort.