Availability at home resort....none!

[Spridell]

Maybe walkers are walking and days will open up shortly. But it is a very popular time of year at BRV so I wouldn't expect a lot of availability anyway.

Do we think it has anything to do with Thanksgiving being so late this year or no?

I stayed at CCV the week after Thanksgiving this past year and it did not seem that bad at all. Granted it was still November though

 

[jarestel]

Do we think it has anything to do with Thanksgiving being so late this year or no?

I stayed at CCV the week after Thanksgiving this past year and it did not seem that bad at all. Granted it was still November though

The Christmas season (after the decorations and trees go up) is extremely popular and WL (CCV and BRV) is a big draw for many members. Additionally, they are relatively small resorts and will book up quickly anyway. When I checked the availability for BRV yesterday, there were no studios available at BRV for the first week of December, though there were a few days open before and after the 11-month window and that leads me to believe some folks are walking reservations. Still, not everyone is walking so though a few days might open up to allow successful bookings for a few members, I think the seasonal popularity is probably the main reason this time of year will remain a hard reservation to get.

 

[TCRAIG]

All these studio availability posts make me glad we always do 1BR - even with the 2020 reallocation...

 

[Spridell]

The Christmas season (after the decorations and trees go up) is extremely popular and WL (CCV and BRV) is a big draw for many members. Additionally, they are relatively small resorts and will book up quickly anyway. When I checked the availability for BRV yesterday, there were no studios available at BRV for the first week of December, though there were a few days open before and after the 11-month window and that leads me to believe some folks are walking reservations. Still, not everyone is walking so though a few days might open up to allow successful bookings for a few members, I think the seasonal popularity is probably the main reason this time of year will remain a hard reservation to get.

Makes sense.

I am new member just purchased last month and I dont know much about the "walking" aspect. I guess I should read up on it.

 

[Mrskmid]

I am considering going from renting points to buying resale, is October/November difficult to get into your home resort across all of DVC?

 

[Matty B13]

I am considering going from renting points to buying resale, is October/November difficult to get into your home resort across all of DVC?

Short answer is yes, it's called the "Fall Frenzy" for DVC resorts, booking at 11 months at most resorts is needed for studios and some other room categories.

 

[chalee94]

I am considering going from renting points to buying resale, is October/November difficult to get into your home resort across all of DVC?

If you are considering buying, you may want to purchase a slightly higher number of points than you currently need in case DVC reallocates points into the fall season from a different time period, which could raise point costs for fall travel.

 

[Mrskmid]

If you are considering buying, you may want to purchase a slightly higher number of points than you currently need in case DVC reallocates points into the fall season from a different time period, which could raise point costs for fall travel.

thank you, I didn't even think about needing points and thought it was locked in until i saw the 2020 chart.

 

[Marionnette]

thank you, I didn't even think about needing points and thought it was locked in until i saw the 2020 chart.

This is the 3rd points reallocation that I've seen since purchasing. The first one was to balance weekday vs. weekend demand, the second was to address the imbalance in demand for certain locations at SSR. The excuses for this latest one makes very little sense other than to create points for Disney. I expect more like this last one in future reallocations.

 

[TheJLiz]

Based on all the reallocation and issues booking studios, what is a good amount of points to purchase from DVC?

 

[sndral]

Based on all the reallocation and issues booking studios, what is a good amount of points to purchase from DVC?

That depends. Different resorts cost more or less points for the same size villa, and even at the same resort villas cost more or less points depending on the view you want. Likewise different times of year (called seasons by DVC) require more or less points for the same size villa.
So decide which resort you’ll usually want to stay in. Then run the numbers at that resort for your typical vacation - calculate the number of points you’d need to stay at that resort in the size & view villa you want for the number of nights you want during the time of year you plan to travel. David’s DVC rental has a great calculator where you can put your dates in and it gives you the points required for your stay. Add 10-20% for reallocation protection and that’s the number to buy.
In my case I wanted to alternate where I stayed, so I bought half the points at one home resort first. Then a couple years later, after I’d used those points a couple of times (it was a pretty loaded contract) and knew DVC was a good choice for my traveling style, I bought the rest at my second home resort.

 

[zavandor]

Based on all the reallocation and issues booking studios, what is a good amount of points to purchase from DVC?

From DVC direct? Zero
Or maybe 75 to get the perks, if they make sense for you. Buy the rest resale if DVC makes enough sense to you (considering the risk of more reallocations in the future).

 

[KAT4DISNEY]

Based on all the reallocation and issues booking studios, what is a good amount of points to purchase from DVC?

At this point I also agree - zero direct from DVC.

But if DVC ownership makes sense look for a resale contract that does give a bit of cushion for your normal dates of travel. If you don't have a normal look at the point requirements for the times and length of stay you at least plan to go and start there. In the end, if reallocations change that you can use banking and borrowing to still get your planned stay although eventually you'll have to take a break or you could consider getting a points transfer to make yourself "whole".

 

[Brian Noble]

I wouldn't worry too much about exactly how many points. Most people's plans change over time, so it's hard to predict the future with any accuracy. I know mine have.

Even if you could predict, if you have a few too many, you can bank them forward and eventually take a longer trip or an extra trip. If you have a few too few, you can borrow until you end up taking a year off (which many people find appealing after going to WDW every year for N years.)

 

[Dean]

Based on all the reallocation and issues booking studios, what is a good amount of points to purchase from DVC?

The number of points you need depends on your specifics including home resort, unit size, season, flexibility and the like. For a studio adventure or choice season I'd use the new 2020 charts and buy at least 20% more than you calculate you need. If you're looking at a 2 BR in Magic or Premier, you may not need any cushion or even slightly less points than you calculate. For a resort with cheaper points you may want to look at other resorts to see if you might need extra to try other options. For most I wouldn't go less than about 150 its regardless.