Success at 7 months

[jamiecarr@dvcstore]

While it is true that you cannot always get what you want, with the right amount of flexibility it is possible to book all other resorts.

This is the best statement I have seen about availability and using the DVC membership to it's fullest. I tell people all the time, that what you put into the membership, is what you get out. If you are flexible, use waitlists, try at exactly 7 months, etc. that you will get the most out of your membership and will be happy with how it works out. Congrats on your reservations, thanks for sharing and have a great trip!

 

[Mousewerks]

September seems to be the last of the great slow times, and the 7 month switch the most feasible.
I will be trying to pull it off tomorrow myself.

If you want a challenge, try switching at 7 months for December!

I may be attempting this, we'll see.

 

[disland7]

I know there are threads giving advice for success at 7 month window but I can’t find them right now. Anyone know what they are called (or want to give the advice again: what time? Have it already loaded up and just click the button at the time it opens? Etc)

 

[js]

I booked 8 nights, September 6-14 at GFVs standard studio at 7 months.

However, I booked about 5 of those nights first and then had one night from a WL come through and then stalked the RAT. This took about 2 weeks to accomplish. I could have booked LV studio and 1-2 bedroom (I have the points), but it is my mom and I going and we don't use the extra space and I really love the monorail view and hope to get it again
when I request my location. I was fairly confident I would get the days since it is 7 months away.

I could have gotten any monorail resort at 7 months. I didnt look at other resorts but guessing they should have also been available. However, this is the first year that I had to stalk and piece together a monorail resort for the week after Labor Day at 7 mo ths.

I also stalked the RAT in January during Marathon Weekend for a trip planned about 3 months prior and got 8 nights LV studio at BLT but I had to stalk about 4 of the 8 nights. That took me about 1 1/2 months although it seemed like a lifetime since I stalked EVERY.SINGLE.MINUTE that I was available to do so.

 

[crisi]

This is the best statement I have seen about availability and using the DVC membership to it's fullest. I tell people all the time, that what you put into the membership, is what you get out. If you are flexible, use waitlists, try at exactly 7 months, etc. that you will get the most out of your membership and will be happy with how it works out. Congrats on your reservations, thanks for sharing and have a great trip!

I would state this very differently - know yourself. We are happy booking 11 months out at home and staying there - or if we want something else - choosing an easy to get option (Hilton Head in February is darn easy to get)...but I am not happy waitlisting or being flexible about what I'm booking. I'm certainly getting the most out of my membership for me - and being flexible would NOT be getting the most out of my membership for me. If you want to stay at different places - you will need to be flexible - and the more flexible - in resort, time of year, room size, ability to move during your stay, the willingness to stalk the RAT - the more likely it is to work for you. If you are able to book eleven months out and want a specific resort - you should buy there. The problems lie in the in between spaces - people who don't understand that flexible might mean moving two times because the waitlist didn't come through, and effective waitlisting involves stalking - which means time - if you are working full time without internet access, you could lose out to someone who can hit the DVC site four times a day looking for a room let loose. It means understanding that you might not get your first choice - or your second - in resort or room size or time of year.

There is another piece to this puzzle - if you already own, you do what works for you - you want to cruise with your points, you want to stay at a resort that wasn't even open when you bought - go for it - your costs are sunk and get the most out of your membership for you. If you don't own now and are planning for the future, things will change - both with DVC and with your life - advice that works today might not work in five years - you need to be aware of that to make a sensible purchasing decision.

 

[cmwade77]

You got both BWV and BLT standard studios at 7 months out? Amazing. Maybe the system now has secret data favoring you as one of the Notorious 24.

On our last trip, everything but our first two days was available at BWV at 7 months out, I simply refused to do a split stay because we have always found them a pain in the past, I an thinking with online check in, which we experienced for the first time this last trip, it may not be such as issue now.

 

[zavandor]

With my greatest surprise my waitlist came through, so for my next stay I've accomplished the DVC Value Trifecta: 4 nights at BLT standard, 4 nights at AKV Value and 4 nights at BWV standard, all booked at 7 months: BLT with a fast finger right at 7 months, the other two via waitlist.
I guess who has cancelled the AKV value reservation has been scared about the idea of being within 100 miles from the DHS two weeks after the opening of Galaxy Edge. I know because I'm scared too, but flights have been booked, so there is no turning point for me.

 

[laura-k]

I have just booked my September 2019 stay at 7 months in a studio.
I got 4 nights at BLT standard, 4 nights at BWV standard and 4 nights at AKV Jambo standard.
Those are difficult categories to get, above all the first two. BLT standard was open at 7 months, I got BWV standard via a waitlist, 3 days after creating it.

Congratulations !
That is so great to hear success at 7 months -

Not sure whats up with that system ,but i just got back from a long split stay trip
We drove our motor home and had to leave early because of the big snow storms
a few weeks back .We arrived a day early at BLT and I went in to see if there was
any studio or a day I could add on to my lake view - Well bottom line was there was 1 room
at the Contemporary cash $687.00 or 1 room BLT cash $539.00 or 17 points The BLT room was a standard studio
I also had previously booked a couple nights in a MK view room for my kids 5 nights from then and
had wait listed that to change to a LV if possible as the MK view was the only one available at the time
They checked that for me and where able to put the kids in a standard using the extra points to pay for my extra night !!
So oddly enough there seemed to be alott of standards free for a very busy time - (didn't realize it but it was marathon)

 

[LRdismom]

I just scored 9 nights in a Copper Creek studio in October 7 months out by stalking continuously and grabbing days here and there. I drove myself a little batty, but my hard work paid off. I originally had 7 nights book at Poly but wanted to try something new and for fewer points. In this case, I definitely think a waitlist would have never worked and stalking was my only option.

 

[js]

I just scored 9 nights in a Copper Creek studio in October 7 months out by stalking continuously and grabbing days here and there. I drove myself a little batty, but my hard work paid off. I originally had 7 nights book at Poly but wanted to try something new and for fewer points. In this case, I definitely think a waitlist would have never worked and stalking was my only option.

Great news! Stalking has worked for me. I stalked 8 nights at BLT LV Studio over Marathon Weekend in January, which was a trip we planned end of September.
I stalked SO much, I was having dreams (YES really!) about stalking. It took about two months of constant stalking and while it was a PITA it was still
a little thrilling LOL I believe, too, your (or my January trip) WL would never have come through for all the nights even moresoe when you are looking for more than
a week.

My GFVs 8 night September trip had to be stalked but that only took me about 2 weeks.

Enjoy!

 

[LRdismom]

Great news! Stalking has worked for me. I stalked 8 nights at BLT LV Studio over Marathon Weekend in January, which was a trip we planned end of September.
I stalked SO much, I was having dreams (YES really!) about stalking. It took about two months of constant stalking and while it was a PITA it was still
a little thrilling LOL I believe, too, your (or my January trip) WL would never have come through for all the nights even moresoe when you are looking for more than
a week.

My GFVs 8 night September trip had to be stalked but that only took me about 2 weeks.

Enjoy!

Agreed 100%! I think the saying "where there's a will, there's a way" completely applies. Enjoy your trip as well!

 

[Katie L]

I just scored 9 nights in a Copper Creek studio in October 7 months out by stalking continuously and grabbing days here and there. I drove myself a little batty, but my hard work paid off. I originally had 7 nights book at Poly but wanted to try something new and for fewer points. In this case, I definitely think a waitlist would have never worked and stalking was my only option.

So the system doesn't auto-jump to waitlist? I assume by stalking you mean constantly F5-ing (refresh) the RAT? We are at the beginning of the buying process so want to understand everything. That's my control-freak nature.

 

[LRdismom]

So the system doesn't auto-jump to waitlist? I assume by stalking you mean constantly F5-ing (refresh) the RAT? We are at the beginning of the buying process so want to understand everything. That's my control-freak nature.

I kept refreshing (several times a day) and reserved whatever consecutive nights I could find at once. I would “modify” my vacation and if there were any additional nights available, I just added them to my existing reservation. Eventually I got all of the dates I wanted. I wanted a studio, which is much harder to get at the 7 month mark, but if you’re more flexible, it’s a little easier to score bigger rooms. It’s also easier to book a split stay, but I wanted one continuous reservation.

 

[Katie L]

I kept refreshing (several times a day) and reserved whatever consecutive nights I could find at once. I would “modify” my vacation and if there were any additional nights available, I just added them to my existing reservation. Eventually I got all of the dates I wanted. I wanted a studio, which is much harder to get at the 7 month mark, but if you’re more flexible, it’s a little easier to score bigger rooms. It’s also easier to book a split stay, but I wanted one continuous reservation.

Did you have a stay booked at your home? Or no?

 

[js]

Did you have a stay booked at your home? Or no?

I'm not the OP but I have successfully stalked both for January and September for 8 nights. I do not like (but never have done) split stays.
For the January Marathon week trip, I had booked my home resort of SSR, but when I saw some BLT nights available, I modified my
stay and had a split stay with SSR and BLT but I was very intent on getting BLT and stalked with auto-refresh.
For September, I did not book SSR first since I knew I could get that in any category I wanted for the week after Labor Day.

I can also tell you even though I had WLs set up, the days first appeared on the RAT, not went to my (or anyone else's) WL.

 

[LRdismom]

Did you have a stay booked at your home? Or no?

I did the same as above. I kept my original reservation and gradually reduced the amount of nights as I increased the nights in my new reservation.

 

[KPeterso]

I have just booked my September 2019 stay at 7 months in a studio.
I got 4 nights at BLT standard, 4 nights at BWV standard and 4 nights at AKV Jambo standard.
Those are difficult categories to get, above all the first two. BLT standard was open at 7 months, I got BWV standard via a waitlist, 3 days after creating it.
The split stay is by design (so I can always stay at a resort near the parks I plan to visit each day), but it helped to find availability.

The difficulty of switching at 7 months is a bit overstated here on the DISboards. While it is true that you cannot always get what you want, with the right amount of flexibility it is possible to book all other resorts. This is one of the things I like the most about my ownership and I'm not sure I would buy if I had to always stay at one resort.

September is Adventure season for a reson. While demand picks up hugely on the 4th week, the rest of the month is really low demand for DVC, even with the lowest points requirement. The aborted 2020 reallocation on average increased the cost of Adventure season. I do not really agree with the principle, September and late January see really good availability at 7 months even with the low point costs.
Adventure season is not priced too low, the problem is that there are periods that really shouldn't be in Adventure season anymore: marathon week end, the last week of September and the first two weeks of December.

Important: when resort hopping, better to have a Plan B and C.
I didn't really hope to get standard rooms at all three resorts. I had the points to book BLT Lake and BWV garden and I was planning for Kidani standard which is easier than Jambo. Getting all three is a really welcome bonus, but I didn't count on it at all. And some resorts can be much more difficult than others anytime: CCV, VGC, VGF

I'll save a total of 33 points thanks to the standard views, which is equivalent to $495. I'm thinking about booking as a treat a Wild Africa Trek tour with the savings. Is it worth it?

Congrats on your stay! I got 13 nights at Boardwalk Villas (garden view) at the 7 month mark. Just booked the first 7 nights and then kept adding each day until I got my full dates. I had 0 issues getting it. I got it last year during September too, but had to waitlist the last night (came through in a week) and then the first night when I got airfare and was coming in a day sooner(came through in about 3 weeks as I recall). I wish I owned there, but the shorter contract end date does not work for me.

I also had AKV Kidani standard view just last week that I booked at 7 months (I own there, but had a lot of banked points from SSR that I wanted to use for that stay).

 

[zavandor]

I've ended up booking the Backstage Magic instead of the Wild Africa Trek. It's a bit more expensive but it sounds pretty cool, with backstage access in all 4 parks. Since June they're changing: instead of textiles it will go to AK for a backstage of River of Lights and lunch will be at Tiffins, which is my favorite restaurant in all WDW and a must do every trip for me, so I would have booked it anyway. I guess they won't allow us to order the surf and turf, but anything at Tiffins is delicious, so very happy about it.
Wild Africa Trek will have to wait until next visit, but I still want to do it, it seems great.

 

[Wakey]

I do one beds and it’s great for booking at 7 months.
Only this Xmas is looking a bit tricky, due to it being incredibly busy (I’ve never seen it book up like this year, must be Star Wars effect). But I should have a choice of Riviera, OKW, SSR, Kidani, BWV (possibly even standard), BCV, possibly BRV. Not a bad choice, even if some of them are not available.
The most difficult rooms to get on site are now by far CCV due to points loading on bungalows and it being a relatively small resort. Even getting a 1 bed on 11 months at peak times can be tricky there, it’s a disaster availability wise.
Also if you want BLT at Xmas, buy there.
Quieter times like summer- I don’t even bother booking at 11 months and switching, just wait for 7.

 

[zavandor]

Having booked BWV, BLT and AKV has just become an even greater idea:
https://forum.parksmania.it/viewtopic.php?f=73&t=9741&p=319746#p319746

Extra extra magic hours every day at all three parks (Epcot Excluded) starting at 6am at the Studios and 7am at MK and AK. Being in walking distance or just a short bus ride away from the parks will allow me to take full advantage of the EEMH.