Is booking at 7 month window getting harder

[ParkHoppers]

I know this is the case but would like to hear some recent experiences of trying to book at 7 month window. All opinions, theories,etc welcomed. Would also love to hear from those who have been members a long time and have seen the changes in booking at the 7 month window.

 

[_auroraborealis_]

Every point added to the system is creating pressure at 7 months, especially during prime season and runDisney events. Because DVC sells points to fill every unit 365, but demand is not so evenly distributed, there are still times when it is easier to book at 7, so long as you're flexible.

 

[Smilelea]

I was able to get a BC studio at 7 months for early May. A week or so later when some friends tried to book for the same time, it was no longer available.

ETA: And at the time I booked, all studios in the WDW resorts were available except AKV value and CL.

 

[ParkHoppers]

I was able to get a BC studio at 7 months for early May. A week or so later when some friends tried to book for the same time, it was no longer available.

ETA: And at the time I booked, all studios in the WDW resorts were available except AKV value and CL.

Did you get a full week or just a few days.

 

[Smilelea]

Did you get a full week or just a few days.

Couple of days. We wanted to do a split stay with AKV and BC. But at the time I booked the full week was open, had we wanted to go that route.

 

[DisneyRegulars]

Dead time, but when we booked second week of January we had our pick of resorts. Initially chose BLT, but then changed it to BWV a few days later.

 

[DisneyHumbug]

Booked BCV 2BR at 11 months and wanted to switch to BLT 2BR at 7 months - Marathon weekend and could only book BLT from Monday on....so we're doing a split stay - F/S BCV and M/T/W/Th at BLT

 

[disneynutz]

I know this is the case but would like to hear some recent experiences of trying to book at 7 month window. All opinions, theories,etc welcomed. Would also love to hear from those who have been members a long time and have seen the changes in booking at the 7 month window.

Recent experience isn't tomorrows experience. Owned for a long time, booking at 7 months continues to be more difficult. Buy your favorite resort and book at 11 months or play the 7 month lotto, sometimes you may win, sometimes you will lose. We aren't spending hundreds of thousands of dollars to sometime lose.

Bill

 

[Disneypapa]

It truly depends on when you are trying to go and the resort and room size you need.

I have been a member since 2002 and yes, getting something at 7 months is getting harder (getting online at the exact time the booking window opens) and often requires wait listing, which I have had good fortune with that process too.

 

[lovin'fl]

I got BCV studio last Christmas for MIL and FIL by booking first thing at 8am on the 7 month window.

For F&W, three night trips...we started going in 2013 and that year we got a studio at BLT via the waitlist (had SSR booked at 5 months out, waitlist came through about two weeks later).

Then in 2014 we got a 1BR at VWL and then grabbed 2/3 nights in a 1BR at BCV and kept the 1 night at VWL. We grabbed that BCV up by stalking the RAT and found it about 3-4 months out.

For 2015, we had bought BWV Just for F&W but DH wanted to skip 2015 so we didn't book. Then something came up where we needed to be in Orlando around Halloween so I grabbed a 1BR at SSR around 4 months out. I set up waitlist but it never came through.

2016, DH was saying, again, that he might want to skip but I booked BWV at 11 months out. We did end up going, of course.

2017, booked BWV at 11 months out again. And am about to book for 2018.

So I notice it is getting harder and the waitlist is less successful. But we can still book other resorts. Especially if you do it right at 8am of the 7 month window.

I booked for NYE, coming up, with my OKW at OKW for 5 nights in a studio. Stalked the RAT and saw the last 2 nights open at POLY so I grabbed them. Recently I set up WL for the first three nights at POLY too. Wishing I set it up way back when I got the other two nights. Not sure why I didn't.

 

[zavandor]

Every point added to the system is creating pressure at 7 months

It isn't necessarily true.
Booking BCV and BWV is getting more and more difficult because of their location. But at BRV they've just opened a new resort next door and it might be easier to get "something" at WL.
Is BLT getting more difficult to book given that now there are 3 more resorts around the 7 seas lagoon?

What will happen with the opening on the new Riviera? Will it be novel (with the skyline) and convenient enough to ease some pressure from the Epcot resorts?

I suspect the fact that booking at 7 months is getting more difficult is due to other factors:
- there are more information available and people are more savvy
- less points go to waste (as renting is easier than the past and economy is much better)
- as a resort age, people who bough there just because it was the resort that DVD was offering will sell and it will be bought by people who want to stay there
- self fulfilling profecy: as booking at 7 months is difficult, people book earlier and earlier and use their 11 months advantage more so at 7 months there is less availability. Which causes people who previously booked at 7 months buy there and book earlier. Which causes less availability at 7 months....

 

[SL6827]

This kinda worries me. Now we will tend to go maybe every 18 months for about 5 nights and I really like to mix it up. I don't care if a Poly contract was gifted to me, I wouldn't want to stay there every trip. We do travel in the off season, but I do want to go back during the Christmas season so I know I will have to stay at my home resort, which is fine. With the new resort coming and putting pressure on owners at 7 months, but won't owners have new rooms to add to the list as well? That kinda has me a bit confused.

 

[_auroraborealis_]

This kinda worries me. Now we will tend to go maybe every 18 months for about 5 nights and I really like to mix it up. I don't care if a Poly contract was gifted to me, I wouldn't want to stay there every trip. We do travel in the off season, but I do want to go back during the Christmas season so I know I will have to stay at my home resort, which is fine. With the new resort coming and putting pressure on owners at 7 months, but won't owners have new rooms to add to the list as well? That kinda has me a bit confused.

There will be new rooms to book, yes. But one of the inevitabilities is that demand is not evenly spaced across 52 weeks. But points are sold based on full occupancy for 365 days. Demand is also not evenly distributed through resorts. See also: Saratoga vs. BCV. (Saratoga's size is not entirely a factor in this, so much as amenities and location.)

It is really hard, up front, to guess how desirable people will consider Riviera. It's going to be on a gondola line also being used by Pop and CBR. It's over the fence from CBR. No one really has a clue what the dining/pool/spa amenities are going to look like. So it's a hard call on if it gets spillover demand from BCV and BWV ("proximity to Epcot"), or if it gets put in the "not near anything" category that many people assign to Saratoga and OKW (and to a lesser extent AKV, which at least is unique as a resort with the savannah).

 

[NephieRN]

We’ve been owners since 2008 and honestly I don’t feel like it’s gotten that much harder. We own at SSR and I can only think of 3 times that we have stayed there and those were adding on a night last minute or booking a last minute weekend trip. Since 2014 we’ve gone every September or October and have only stayed at BLT, GF, Poly and BWV. All booked at 7 months and all were 2 bedrooms, sometimes with an additional studio added with the exception of poly which was just a single studio. I booked a studio at BLT less than 5 months out for February 2018 and a standard view studio at boardwalk for May 2018 at 7 months out.

These are just my personal experiences. I do realize that many people have trouble booking what they want at 7 months but fortunately for me, this hasn’t been the case.

 

[lovin'fl]

Problem is everyone seems to want studios but not many want OKW or SSR and then AKV is next....so location is important as are saving points by booking a studio. OKW, SSR and AKV are large resorts so if owners there are vying for the others as well as owners at the others, it makes it hard. Plus the monorail resorts take soooooo many points that those owners may also be vying for elsewhere in order to save points once the studios are booked there. I don't look at those resorts but I suspect VGF and BLT 1BR and 2BR are available well into the 7 month window whereas my standard view studios at BWV are booked at 11 months.

 

[SL6827]

Problem is everyone seems to want studios but not many want OKW or SSR and then AKV is next....so location is important as are saving points by booking a studio. OKW, SSR and AKV are large resorts so if owners there are vying for the others as well as owners at the others, it makes it hard. Plus the monorail resorts take soooooo many points that those owners may also be vying for elsewhere in order to save points once the studios are booked there. I don't look at those resorts but I suspect VGH and BLT 1BR and 2BR are available well into the 7 month window whereas my standard view studios at BWV are booked at 11 months.

I won't mind staying at those three large resorts mentioned above. Would like to try to get a studio at the Poly as well. But we will generally travel during the cooler times. My husband refuses to go back when it is hot. I like looking at the very end of January, very beginning of February and the very end of February. Maybe a December visit as well.

 

[Yojenitan]

I guess I'm kind of in the lucky boat here. I know we will go for 4-5 nights a year. We LOVE split stays. I want to visit all the resorts! We're getting very good at them too, when it comes to planning.

I also can't plan vacations until we are about 4-5 months out.

I booked not too long ago a 5 night stay in January. I don't want to stay at SSR or OKW again. One and done were good there. Not super fond of Kidani as I like Jambo much better. We are not BLT fans either. So when I sit down to book a vacation, I plug in the remaining WDW resorts for a studio and then grab whatever mismatch will give me the days I want. Today I even added on a Saturday night stay at GFV onto our 3 nights at BCV and 2 nights at CCR. I'm going to drop the first BCV night. If split stays work for your family like it does for my fiancee and me, then the whole 11 month and 7 month windows don't really apply...so much. I think as long as you book 4 months out in a traditionally "dead" time, you should be all right.

I can definitely see that DVC is becoming less and less flexible for anyone else not in my situation. I would hate to be restricted by having to make vacation plans a year out. We like to travel at all different times of year. We just got back from a trip in early October too (split stay BLT 2 nights, AKL Jambo 1 night, BWV 1 night) which is what prompted us to book another upon our return. Looking back, I planned that trip in June of this year, but switched GFV with the BWV to save some points in September.

 

[_auroraborealis_]

It's also worth mentioning that if you are booking 1BRs, the world is your oyster. Or, at least, even in Fall Frenzy you'll have options. If you're looking at DVC as a way to save money, 1BRs aren't going to match that goal, though.

 

[SL6827]

No, one bedrooms are not in my fancy. The only one bedroom I would ever consider is at the Beach Club. To get to use SAB, but then we would need to go in the warmer months. That might possibly draw my family there.

 

[Melissa Perez]

It's also worth mentioning that if you are booking 1BRs, the world is your oyster.

This is exactly what I was going to point out.... different experiences match up with different layouts. While we tend to go in lower crowd times (February before or after Presidents Day, May, November before thanksgiving but after F&W), studios are very difficult to come by at 7 month mark, but 1BR are plentiful!

I've always thought that as more people purchase DVC -> price/point goes up -> people buy less points and therefore studios are the first to go. For comparison, my parents bought in at $40/point