Would you book...

[lovin'fl]

a 2BR for the entire stay at 11 months out (our stay will be 12/20-25 and our home resort is OKW) and then add a studio at 7 months out (with HHI points)....OR...book a 3BR grand villa at 11 months out for the last 3 nights of the stay and then add the 1st 2 nights at 7 months out (using HHI points)?

Here's the back story. We own 200 pts at OKW and my MIL and FIL paid us to have use of 100 of those points (basically, they bought 1/2 of our membership a few years after we bought it). We also own 75 HHI points and are currently adding on 88 more. DH and I have 3 teens. The 5 of us and MIL and FIL want to go to WDW for Xmas 2013 (along with SIL1 and SIL2 and their families, but MIL and FIL are on our points). MIL loves OKW and specifically loves to be near HH (for less walking on her bad knees). SIL1 also has DVC (AKV and SSR) and LOVES to stay at SSR near Downtown Disney (her 3 teens like to walk back and forth from there a lot). SIL2 has NO DVC but last Xmas we (DH and I) treated her to a studio at OKW while MIL, FIL and my fam of 5 stayed in a 2BR at OKW (and we don't want to have all 7 in a 2BR again and will need an additional room for DH and I as we shared the 2nd BR with our 2 DDs last year...no fun!). SIL2 stayed at SSR.

The inlaws are all chatting about going again next Xmas (we wish we had gone this Xmas). We don't have a lot of points (actually have NO 2012 points and very few 2013 and would be hitting up 2014) and we told SIL2 that we could not treat them again (kind of thought maybe SIL1 would treat them this time, but SIL1 says she's low on points too and can't). We (DH and I and our kids) would prefer staying at AKV and SIL1 owns there and that's their family's runner up place after SSR. So, we thought AKV would be a good compromise and it also happens to be a low point place (we can basically get a 2BR-standard and studio-standard at AKV or 2BR and studio at OKW or 3BR at OKW...could also get a THV at SSR...that was SIL1's idea, but we don't own there and I know it's virtually impossible to get at 7 months out for Xmas time).

Our current plan is for us to book (for our 5 and MIL/FIL) at OKW at 11 months out and SIL1 to book for her 5 at AKV at 11 months out and SIL2 to rent points and book her own at 11 months out and then I will try to switch us over to AKV at 7 months out, but if I can't get it we will at least be secure at OKW. I really don't want to stay at OKW again...but a 3BR grand villa sounds neat (we have never done a 3BR GV). If I book 3 nights (near HH) at 11 months...will I be able to add 2 more nights at 7 months w/out trouble?

SIL1 is also wanting to extend the trip longer, but we just don't have the points (12/25-31 is crazy high in points). I am beginning to think we should just pass on this trip. DH, the kids and I are about to go in Jan and used our 2013 points for this. We also really want to do a trip to HHI now that we are adding on more points there (but can't fit it in until Aug 2014 anyway). I did just buy the PAPs with the thinking we'd be back at Xmas...so if we don't go we will be wasting $370 (which is how much more we spent compared to just getting 5 day hoppers for Jan trip).

So, would you:
A- not go and save points for a big beach trip in 2014 (HHI) and eat the PAP cost...and MIL and FIL would use their points to stay at OKW in Jan 2014.

B- book 3BR GV for 3 nights near HH and try to move over to AKV at 7 months and if can't then add on 2 more nights to the OKW GV

C- book 3BR GV for 3 nights NOT near HH (as there are more of those and gives better odds of adding on 2 nights later) and try to move over to AKV at 7 months and if can't then add on 2 nights to the OKW GV

D- book a 2BR for all 5 nights at 11 months out at OKW and then try to move over to AKV at 7 months and if can't then add on a studio at OKW

Thanks in advance!!

 

[lovin'fl]

Well...may have to scrap the GV idea. I just looked at Thanksgiving week to get an idea and they are already sold out that entire week of the HH GVs and then Wed and Thur in the non-HH GVs are also sold out. So, adding on 2 days at 7 months out likely is not going to happen.

 

[drusba]

Ultimately you have to decide but to aid in your thinking, the following is what happened at 7 months out for a December 20-25 trip in 2012:

OKW: GVs gone (HH and elsewhere); HH studios and 2BRs gone

THV: all gone; however, that was mostly true for 7 months out much of the year in 2012. Points for THV greatly increased for 2013. I have not seen what happens at 7 months out for December time yet for 2013. However, unlike in 2012, THVs have been open at 7 months out in 2013 for the entire time between January and July 2013 (we are still more than 7 months out for August and after).

AKV: Savana and standard view rooms (all sizes) and GVs were open. Concierge and value gone.

 

[lovin'fl]

Ultimately you have to decide but to aid in your thinking, the following is what happened at 7 months out for a December 20-25 trip in 2012:

OKW: GVs gone (HH and elsewhere); HH studios and 2BRs gone

THV: all gone; however, that was mostly true for 7 months out much of the year in 2012. Points for THV greatly increased for 2013. I have not seen what happens at 7 months out for December time yet for 2013. However, unlike in 2012, THVs have been open at 7 months out in 2013 for the entire time between January and July 2013 (we are still more than 7 months out for August and after).

AKV: Savana and standard view rooms (all sizes) and GVs were open. Concierge and value gone.

Thank you! I think we will book a 2BR at OKW at 11 months out and then try to move over to AKV- standard view at 7 months out. I will say that I did notice there was a THV available for our upcoming Jan trip at around 4 months out. I was very surprised to see it.

 

[Donna M]

Option A---That's what you really want to do!


There will be other years for Christmas in WDW.

 

[lovin'fl]

Option A---That's what you really want to do!


There will be other years for Christmas in WDW.

I plead the 5th.

I don't know...I'd like to go because then I would not have to: decorate, bake, shop for DH's 10 family members (we'd just say the trip was a gift for everyone) and then wrap those gifts. I also can get away with just giving my own kids some cash (and a stocking...which is what I did last year at Disney). Makes Xmas a lot easier. Plus Xmas at Disney is pretty neat. Just a little stress dealing with...well, I won't say...but there will be some stress
I think we're planning option D right now but that may change

 

[amypetecar]

Only because its such a big family gathering and so few points available, consider saving all of your points and rent an all-star vacation home. I bet all 3 families could stay in the same house for less than 1k total... For everything

Option 2: rent all points needed for the reservation of your choice at 11 months from a broker and supplement the cost by renting out the points you were going to use to someone else

 

[lovin'fl]

Now we have switched over to option A. The inlaws are still making mention of WDW at Xmas but I think we all realize that A) none of us have enough points and B) it's going to be wall-to-wall crowded the entire stay (whereas in 2011, it didn't get crowded until the evening of 12/24...since 12/20-23 were weekdays and many kids were not out of school yet...we took our kids out to go and beat the crowds for a few days...won't have that this Xmas as 12/20-23 will be weekend/kids out of school and EVERYONE will be there then) and C) my family may have to go in July for my DDs' softball team...may be playing in a World Series at WWoS. Not sure if we'd stay on resort or use our DVC, but 2 trips to WDW in 2013 will be enough for us.