Ever gotten a DVC room early?

[SarahC97]

We're checking into BWV (studio) Saturday. I did online check-in and made no room requests because we arrive at about 8:30 am at MCO (taking Magical Express) and I'm hoping to get a room sooner rather than later. I've heard that it's very common for DVC rooms to not be ready until the evening since check-in is at 4. Do you think I'll have better chances of getting a room as soon as possible by not making any requests? I'm really on the fence about it, we have a garden view room booked, and while I'd like a nice view, I also want a room as quickly as I can get it. If it won't make a difference one way or another, I'll go ahead and make a request. Thanks!

 

[gillep]

Yes, I have gotten DVC rooms early many times, my earliest was a Kidani studio before 8am and my latest was a BWV studio well after 6pm. When online check in was working I always made 'earliest available' as my highest priority and when I arrive at the resort I always go to the front desk to let them know I am there and will take the first available room in my category. I am always aware that I may not get my room early, but so far I have pretty good luck with this method.

 

[lovin'fl]

It is a better chance to get a room early if you don't make location request. And BWV tends to be the worst for a late-ish room. Rarely have we gotten a room before 3pm there. Just once (and that time was around 11:15).

 

[SarahC97]

It is a better chance to get a room early if you don't make location request. And BWV tends to be the worst for a late-ish room. Rarely have we gotten a room before 3pm there. Just once (and that time was around 11:15).

Good to know! Thanks!

 

[SarahC97]

Yes, I have gotten DVC rooms early many times, my earliest was a Kidani studio before 8am and my latest was a BWV studio well after 6pm. When online check in was working I always made 'earliest available' as my highest priority and when I arrive at the resort I always go to the front desk to let them know I am there and will take the first available room in my category. I am always aware that I may not get my room early, but so far I have pretty good luck with this method.

We've gotten lucky with getting regular rooms early, like 9 am before, but I have seen on these boards that DVC is a little different. I'm definitely planning to go to the desk when we arrive and let them know we'll take whatever!

 

[gillep]

We've gotten lucky with getting regular rooms early, like 9 am before, but I have seen on these boards that DVC is a little different. I'm definitely planning to go to the desk when we arrive and let them know we'll take whatever!

In general it seems that you are less likely to get a DVC room early, but we have had good luck over the years getting early rooms, it is never expected, but is certainly nice when it happens.

 

[_auroraborealis_]

One of the reasons it happens so rarely at BWV is because BWV is always at 100% booking. It is very rare you get a room that has been vacant the prior night. So the room you get had to have full turnover service that same day, and depending on when the prior occupants checked out, timing is an issue.

 

[SL6827]

Got our room at the BCV and our CL room at AKV in June around 1:30 both days.

 

[SarahC97]

One of the reasons it happens so rarely at BWV is because BWV is always at 100% booking. It is very rare you get a room that has been vacant the prior night. So the room you get had to have full turnover service that same day, and depending on when the prior occupants checked out, timing is an issue.

That is a great point. I looked at Disney's website and there are studios available still through Disney for the night before. Maybe we'll get lucky. Either way, it's all good!

 

[lovin'fl]

I wonder if BWV, BCV and BLT all are the worst for later check ins and it's because maybe folks tend to check out right at 11 more from those since they can walk into a park and grab something to eat (or do a couple last FP) before leaving. I'd be more in favor of doing that if we could walk in/out fairly quickly and didn't have to wait on a bus or monorail.

 

[happymommy]

We checked into a one bedroom BWV once at 9am, and the room was ready within a couple minutes (I was surprised). Plus, it was the best location for me, exactly what we requested (top floor at the end of the hall; it didn't connect to a studio, and was right next to the stairs that dumped right by the Atlantic Dance Hall, I think).

It's not common, though. At AKV Kidani, the room wasn't ready until early afternoon (and I came to dislike the location of that resort; the bus service was not great to say the least).

 

[beccasmom]

At OKW, quite a while back, we were able to access our GV at 9:00 a.m., which was a real surprise. It almost doesn’t matter to us now because lately our flights arrive mid-afternoon. On our trip last month, our room assignment was texted to us while we were still at our home airport (5:00 p.m. flight).

 

[DizneyLizzy]

I don’t think there is any rhyme or reason to it - I’ve had so many different experiences. In the past year I’ve had:

OKW studio ready at 4:45 PM
Poly studio ready at 1:00 PM
OKW one bedroom ready at 2:00

Of those stays the only one with a very specific room request was the OKW one bedroom. And we got our request. The previous two we said first available - which is why the 4:45 at OKW was very surprising.

Before I had kids and started staying exclusively in DVC rooms, I had rooms at Pop ready as early as 8 AM. I think the latest I was ever in a non-DVC room was around noon at CBR.

 

[Jennasis]

Neh-VER. Every DVC trip we've taken since 2014 has had our room ready at 4pm (or a touch later). BLT, BWV, SSR, Poly, AKLV.

 

[lovin'fl]

We had two non DVC stays last year and both weren't ready until 3:30, which is past the 3pm check in for regular resorts. One was Pop and I made a request for renovated room but didn't get it. The other was CSR and we booked it the night before and it was during marathon weekend and we grabbed the last room available pretty much (added 2 nights to our stay, left Poly DVC to go there). So I figured 3:30 wasn't bad due to how busy it was.

 

[goofy4tink]

I'm running at about 50-50. There have been times that I've been able to get into a studio early, sometimes prior to noon. More often it's between noon and 4, if early at all. Other times, I've finally had to go to the front desk, around 4ish, and ask if they have my cell phone info correct, and almost every single time I've done that, I get a text within 15 mins, saying my room is ready.
So, who knows.

 

[AngiTN]

Yes, I guess about half of the DVC rooms we've rented we've gotten in early. We don't rent them often. We always have rented cash through Disney. In case that makes any difference at all.

 

[SarahC97]

Yes, I guess about half of the DVC rooms we've rented we've gotten in early. We don't rent them often. We always have rented cash through Disney. In case that makes any difference at all.

I booked through Disney with cash, not points. Not sure if that matters.

 

[Marionnette]

I would say that I get into my villa early about one out of every 3 times. We had luck at BLT when we booked a last-minute studio due to an approaching East Coast storm that would have affected our original arrival day. And we did get into a BWV 2-BR early about 5 years ago. But for the most part, they have been ready right around 4 PM.

Ironically, I have had much worse luck with cash reservations at Poly and YC.

 

[jo-jo]

We had a 75% rate of getting earlier than 4. Maybe 30% of getting before 10 am.

Last two years we traveled with DS's family. Two studios. Both years, he got a room ready text about 10 am. We had to wait until 2- 4 ish. I would have thought with us traveling together, our rooms would have been ready closer together, since the actually rooms weren't more than 4-6 rooms apart.