Why are DVC resales almost never cheaper when buying “bulk” points?

[GoofGoof]

They kind of do limit the occupancy to less than the available bed spaces in some 2 beds I think.

As in a 2 bed lock-off, they still limit them to 8 don't they? Say at the BCV where you CAN put 5 in a 1-bed, you can only have 8 max in a 2 bed. In fact you should be able to have 10 (5 in studio, 5 in the 1-bed)...?

It's kind of inconsistent

In any resort where there's a murphy bed the studios go to 5 guests instead of 4. If the 2BR is a lockoff and consists of a studio that sleeps 5 plus a 1BR that sleeps 4 the occupancy goes to 9. In the case of BCV they did not add the Murphy bed to the living room of the villas so a studio now sleeps 5 but the 1BR villa still only sleeps 4. As @helenabear said that means if you have a dedicated 2BR it will only sleep 8 but a lockoff will sleep 9.

At BLT and most of AKV they have the sleeper chair instead of the Murphy bed and that's in both 1BR and 2BR villas making the occupancy 5 and 9.

 

[correcaminos]

There's a thread on Riviera (which is on the former site of a portion of CBR but is a separate resort) but there's not much concrete info to be had. I think they only announced its existence because it's a stop on the gondolas and they had a map of the gondola stations they showed at D23.

100% of Poly points have been declared into DVC inventory so they should be finishing up selling the few remaining points and ramping up sales on Copper Creek at Wilderness Lodge. It will probably be a year or two before we start getting better details. Current speculation is Riviera will have a mix of room types as opposed to a project like Poly which is only Studios.

and bungalows

I think they also announced it because it gives people something to look forward too. We knew that PVB would sell out very soon - they knew that too and while we have CCVC, it's a small resort and I don't expect it to take more than PVB took to sell (3 years). It has 3,321,954 points total to sell. PVB 4,032,720. BCV is almost the same amount of points. I think by the time they sell CCVC, they will need another resort. As a reference permits were filed for CCVC in May of 2015. Officially announced a couple months later. 2 years later it opened. All done within months after PVB opened. Similar timeline really.

 

[correcaminos]

In any resort where there's a murphy bed the studios go to 5 guests instead of 4. If the 2BR is a lockoff and consists of a studio that sleeps 5 plus a 1BR that sleeps 4 the occupancy goes to 9. In the case of BCV they did not add the Murphy bed to the living room of the villas so a studio now sleeps 5 but the 1BR villa still only sleeps 4. As @helenabear said that means if you have a dedicated 2BR it will only sleep 8 but a lockoff will sleep 9.

At BLT and most of AKV they have the sleeper chair instead of the Murphy bed and that's in both 1BR and 2BR villas making the occupancy 5 and 9.

OKW too has the sleeper chair in the 1 and 2 BRs as well.

DVC officially allows that extra person they don't have a bed for. They unofficially have been doing that for at least a decade too. I remember booking for a friend back in 2008 where she had 5 (3 were teens) in a 1 bed at BWV. So while there isn't bedding for that person, they allow it. Unless something has changed in the last few years, the values at AKL (Jambo) are the exception to this rule.

 

[Phonedave]

I've been kicking it around for awhile and I think I'm down to AKV or OKW. SSR is beautiful but I don't love dealing with the internal bus. OKW has the advantage of being able to park right outside your door.

Just to be technical, but SSR does not really have an internal bus - sort of. SSR's busses are like OKW busses. There are multiple stops that the busses make around the resort, but there is not a internal bus. You can get any bus at any bus stop in SSR. It is not like CB, where there is one bus stop for all busses, and then a seperate internal bus.

The exception to this is the treehouses at SSR. There IS an internal bus for the treehouses that runs between the two treehouse stops and the bus stop by the main pool.

-dave

 

[Phonedave]

They do enforce capacity rules and they only provide the number of towels and bedding for the number of guests. In the past it was possible to "sneak" an extra guest in but they would just need to bring their own supplies. Now with magic bands and FP+ it's a little harder. You could still technically do it but the "extra" guests wouldn't be on the reservation so no magic band or advance FP booking. I guess if they had an AP it would work.

To your point, they could limit the occupancy to less than available bed spaces if they wanted to but they currently don't. I guess they could just replace the sleeper couch and chairs with a regular sofa and chair and do it that way.

It's not sneaking - most allow 5 - by the rules, but not all have bedding for 5. You can put 5 people on the reservation, but one will have to find their own place to sleep. (we bring an air matterss)

 

[CaptainAmerica]

Just to be technical, but SSR does not really have an internal bus - sort of. SSR's busses are like OKW busses. There are multiple stops that the busses make around the resort, but there is not a internal bus. You can get any bus at any bus stop in SSR. It is not like CB, where there is one bus stop for all busses, and then a seperate internal bus.

The exception to this is the treehouses at SSR. There IS an internal bus for the treehouses that runs between the two treehouse stops and the bus stop by the main pool.

-dave

Understood. I said internal bus to mean "taking multiple stops before you actually get on the road to where you're trying to go."

 

[correcaminos]

Understood. I said internal bus to mean "taking multiple stops before you actually get on the road to where you're trying to go."

I sort of figured that is what you meant. Admittedly that is in part why we stay in the HH area of OKW. No long bus routes to worry about. Get on at HH and off at Peninsular on the way back. 1 stop only for us

 

[CaptainAmerica]

I sort of figured that is what you meant. Admittedly that is in part why we stay in the HH area of OKW. No long bus routes to worry about. Get on at HH and off at Peninsular on the way back. 1 stop only for us

I really like the views in buildings 45 and 46, plus the parking is so good that I'd always rent a car at OKW.

 

[correcaminos]

I really like the views in buildings 45 and 46, plus the parking is so good that I'd always rent a car at OKW.

We went from OKW to BCV, boy did I miss the parking at OKW when we did that. Room sizes too. We're considering BWV and I'm almost regretting that already

 

[CaptainAmerica]

Random question about how the DVC booking "month" windows work. I know the window for a home resort is eleven months, but is it exactly eleven months, or does the eleventh month open up all at once? Is it driven by check-in date, or does each day open on its own? I assume it works in one of these three ways:

1. On August 1, 2017, you can book any trip in all of July 2018.
2. On August 1, 2017, you can book a trip with a July 1, 2018 check-in.
3. On August 1, 2017, you can book July 1, 2018 itself, then book July 2 on August 2 and so on.

 

[Phonedave]

Random question about how the DVC booking "month" windows work. I know the window for a home resort is eleven months, but is it exactly eleven months, or does the eleventh month open up all at once? Is it driven by check-in date, or does each day open on its own? I assume it works in one of these three ways:

1. On August 1, 2017, you can book any trip in all of July 2018.
2. On August 1, 2017, you can book a trip with a July 1, 2018 check-in.
3. On August 1, 2017, you can book July 1, 2018 itself, then book July 2 on August 2 and so on.

Yes, it is 11 months to the check in date, and you book your entire reservation up to 7 nights - #2 above.

This has lead to a practice called "walking in" a reservation. Lets say I want 7 days, starting on Dec 25 running to Jan 1 - very hot times.

If I try to book on Jan 25 for Dec 25, there is a chance there may be no availability in what I want, because people who are booking vacation with Dec 25 at the END of their vacations already have the rooms reserved. So what people do is "walk the dates in". They call up on Jan 18 and book a vacation for Dec 18-25. Then they go in on Jan 19 and modify the dates to Dec 19-26. Then on Jan 20, they modify it to Dec 20-27, and so on until they finally "walk it into" the dates they want. It is a generally frowned upon pracitce.

-dave

 

[CaptainAmerica]

Yes, it is 11 months to the check in date, and you book your entire reservation up to 7 nights - #2 above.

This has lead to a practice called "walking in" a reservation. Lets say I want 7 days, starting on Dec 25 running to Jan 1 - very hot times.

If I try to book on Jan 25 for Dec 25, there is a chance there may be no availability in what I want, because people who are booking vacation with Dec 25 at the END of their vacations already have the rooms reserved. So what people do is "walk the dates in". They call up on Jan 18 and book a vacation for Dec 18-25. Then they go in on Jan 19 and modify the dates to Dec 19-26. Then on Jan 20, they modify it to Dec 20-27, and so on until they finally "walk it into" the dates they want. It is a generally frowned upon pracitce.

-dave

Sounds awful. Is it safe to assume I'd be able to avoid all of that nonsense if I have zero interest in visiting during Christmas/Easter/Thanksgiving/Independence Day?

 

[Phonedave]

Sounds awful. Is it safe to assume I'd be able to avoid all of that nonsense if I have zero interest in visiting during Christmas/Easter/Thanksgiving/Independence Day?

And EPCOT area resorts during F&W.

If you are booking at 11 months out at your home resort, then really no problems. Walking in is not that widespread, and it really only seems to happen during those crazy times when it happens at all.



-dave

 

[CaptainAmerica]

And EPCOT area resorts during F&W.

If you are booking at 11 months out at your home resort, then really no problems. Walking in is not that widespread, and it really only seems to happen during those crazy times when it happens at all.

-dave

Perfect. Now I just need to scrounge up $20 grand.

 

[GoofGoof]

Sounds awful. Is it safe to assume I'd be able to avoid all of that nonsense if I have zero interest in visiting during Christmas/Easter/Thanksgiving/Independence Day?

I haven't done it yet, but I've never tried to book at 7 months for a peak time. We did book a 9 night stay once at 7 months but I just booked the first 7 days at the 7 month date then called to add days 8 and 9 the next 2 days. That was at BCV at the end of August so not really a peak time.

 

[dreamfinder]

Sounds awful. Is it safe to assume I'd be able to avoid all of that nonsense if I have zero interest in visiting during Christmas/Easter/Thanksgiving/Independence Day?

Depends on where you buy, and what room type you need. For instance, trying to get a value or club class room at AKL, those will frequently sell out at the 11 months, regardless of the season. But a 1BR unit may be fine until 5-6 months out. Yes, avoiding prime time helps to cause less stress. Also, remember that DVC demand doesn't actually match the seasons. For instance, early December is a very popular time for DVC so that ends up booking out fairly early despite not matching any normal booking trend.

 

[CaptainAmerica]

Depends on where you buy, and what room type you need. For instance, trying to get a value or club class room at AKL, those will frequently sell out at the 11 months, regardless of the season.

Is there any kind of guide out there that discusses the relative demand of various room types? Obviously, some of them would be common sense to anyone with "regular" (non-DVC) Disney knowledge... Epcot resorts during Food & Wine, any resort during Christmas, etc. But other things are very nuanced and seemingly contradictory. I've seen that the "cheapest" (in terms of points) accommodations are the first to go, but then I've also seen things that say Grand Villas and Club Level, i.e. the most expensive, can be the hardest to get.

Also, remember that DVC demand doesn't actually match the seasons. For instance, early December is a very popular time for DVC so that ends up booking out fairly early despite not matching any normal booking trend.

I wonder why Disney doesn't do anything about that. I know that the total points per resort per year are fixed, but shouldn't they be able to play with which dates fall within which seasons so that the relative supply and demand relative to points costs balance out?

 

[dreamfinder]

Is there any kind of guide out there that discusses the relative demand of various room types? Obviously, some of them would be common sense to anyone with "regular" (non-DVC) Disney knowledge... Epcot resorts during Food & Wine, any resort during Christmas, etc. But other things are very nuanced and seemingly contradictory. I've seen that the "cheapest" (in terms of points) accommodations are the first to go, but then I've also seen things that say Grand Villas and Club Level, i.e. the most expensive, can be the hardest to get.

The two types I pointed out at AKL, value and club level, are both really limited in number. For instance, there are only 5 2BR lockoff club rooms at AKL, so at most 10 units, 5 1BR and 5 Studio or combination thereof. So max 10 club DVC rooms. At all of WDW. Gonna go fast. Values have a few more units at AKL, and Grand Villas are at all the resorts, so I think there are a few more of those than value rooms, but still relatively few. So simple demand may outstrip supply. Value for the low point cost, and Grand Villas for large families/gatherings being limited to space on property. Now I believe that the Poly longhouses still go slowly, but those are really expensive, and don't bring any additional capacity over other units, so the extra price is more a luxury splurge.

I wonder why Disney doesn't do anything about that. I know that the total points per resort per year are fixed, but shouldn't they be able to play with which dates fall within which seasons so that the relative supply and demand relative to points costs balance out?

They don't really need to. Early December is popular because of it's low point cost. Members can come and do all the Christmas stuff, without having to pay the massive point costs for the holiday weeks. Remember, the parks themselves are still going to be relatively in low season (as much as anything is now), just DVC will be pretty full. And shifting that time period to a higher point cost means that other times in the year would have to become a lower point cost. Overall, DVC usage ends up being fairly well balanced throughout the year, with it being hard to find capacity at most places on property less than 6 months out.

 

[correcaminos]

And EPCOT area resorts during F&W.

If you are booking at 11 months out at your home resort, then really no problems. Walking in is not that widespread, and it really only seems to happen during those crazy times when it happens at all.
-dave

I agree, walking is not that common of a phenomenon. Some people feel the need to do it more than required though. I tried it once and OMG never again. No trip location is *that* important to me.

Sounds awful. Is it safe to assume I'd be able to avoid all of that nonsense if I have zero interest in visiting during Christmas/Easter/Thanksgiving/Independence Day?

Easter isn't as hard to get as Christmas. Independence Day isn't hard either. You can often book that at 7 months no problem. F&WF with studios fills up faster but we've done F&WF easily at 7 months as well. Some claim if you want your VGF at 11 months at Christmas/NYE you need to do it. I think it's insane honestly. I wouldn't worry about it much at all really.

My 13 years of being a DVC member are seemingly different than posted above honestly. I haven't had a really hard time booking at 6 months out most times of the year. It's harder to do 1-3 months in advance yes, but it's not as hard as some imply to book outside of that IMO. We did spring break last year under 5 months at BCV - which is one of the smaller resorts. Not a problem at all. If I hadn't been such an idiot, I wouldn't have missed my standard point view at BWV but I waited too long to book. I'd say most of the resorts in a 1 bedroom were available. Studios go first and then 2 bedrooms. 1 bedrooms are easiest to book. We always do 2 bedrooms and don't have much of a problem.

 

[dreamfinder]

It's harder to do 1-3 months in advance yes, but it's not as hard as some imply IMO.

DVC actually posts what is available 60 days out on a static page they update periodically. Currently the only resorts with any openings in the next 60 days are SSR, OKW, Aulani and Poly. Poly is only a handful of nights at a bungalow, and there are no studios open. I think I saw one time where you could get 9 nights in a row, otherwise most availability is for 5 nights or less.

Yes, SSR and OKW will usually get you something except for the busier times of the year as long as you plan in that 3-6 month window, but most of the other resorts will usually have scattered openings at best. I used to see alot of people buying at SSR/OKW because it was cheaper, and then trying to book at the other resorts at the 7 month window, helping to have the other smaller resorts book up faster. But DVC really works best for those who are able to book 6-11 months in advance.