How important is the 11 month window?

[drusba]

Based on tracking the seven month window, you should be aware of the following:

1. If you want AKV concierge, AKV value, BWV GVs, BWV standard or boardwalk view, or BLT standard view, you should own at the particular resort so you can reserve 11 months out since those things can often be unavailable at 7 months out any time of year, particularly if you want more than 2 or 3 consecutive days. That also is true to some extent for BCV although it tends to be open many times of year.

2. In addition to the above, it can often (but not always) be difficult to get anything at a near park resort (BWV, BCV, BLT or VWL) at seven months out for more than 2 or 3 consecutive nights at any time between the last few days of Sep (depending on which day Food & Wine starts) and the Monday after Marathon weekend in Jan. That is DVC's highest demand quarter. Moreover, the first, second and last week of December can be near impossible to get any of those at 7 months out even for two consecutive nights. There are two "pockets" during that time when it can be much easier to get rooms at those four resorts, the Tuesday to Tuesday before Thanksgiving, and the third week of Dec. If Marathon weekend is late there can also be a pocket between about Jan 4 and the Thurs before Marathon weekend.

3. Between the Tuesday night after Marathon weekend in Jan and just before the end of Sep, you can usually get VWL, BLT theme park and lake view, and BWV pool/garden view at 7 months out and that includes holiday time such as Easter and July 4. BCV is also open many times during that nine month period. The easiest times for anything at 7 months out is last two weeks of Aug to just before end of Sep (in fact many things stay open well beyond the 7 month window then), the first two weeks of Feb, last several days of Feb through first week of March, last week of April through third week of May.

4. OKW studios through 2BRs are open at 7 months all year long except possibly the first week of Dec and some other busy times if you want rooms near Hospitality House (a booking category). OKW GVs in Hospitality House area are often gone throughout the year at 7 months, and sometimes even other GVs. AKV standard and savanna views are also open year round at 7 months except possibly the first week of Dec. AKV GVs are usually open at 7 months except possibly for those key Dec weeks and Jambo GVs will disappear before Kidani GVs do.

5. SSR is always open year round for everything other than treehouses at 7 months out and treehouses are usually but not always open (that is a pattern that represents a change from prior pattern because there was major point reallocation involving treehouses for reservations starting in 2013 which lowered the demand for treehouses).

6. Studios usually fill before 2BRs which usually fill before 1BRs and you can sometimes find 1BRs at 7 months out even during the busy times when rooms are otherwise not available. The exception is BLT theme park view; for some reason for that category of rooms 1BRs usually disappear before studios do.