Availability of 2BR units across DVC

arrrroooooo

Mouseketeer
Joined
Jun 3, 2019
How hard are the dedicated 2BR units to book across DVC at both the 11 and 7 month mark? I know it really depends on the date and resort, of course, but not sure if there are some usable general-purpose answers... It sounds like studios are always challenging to land, but are 2BR the same? If there are any FAQ or resources on unit availability, please point me at them. I've seen room #s across the resort but it's hard to translate that into first-hand experience.

This is part of my data gathering for a DVC purchase. I would be really upset if I purchased enough points for 2BR ($$$!) and then found that availability was really low in all but adventure season.
 
Thanks! Exactly what I was looking for. Unfortunately, it seems to confirm what I was afraid of...
 
Thanks! Exactly what I was looking for. Unfortunately, it seems to confirm what I was afraid of...

I am confused, The chart shows many resorts to have availability at 11 months and depending on time of year ans resort, still choices at 7 months.

Am I not understanding your question?
 


I am confused, The chart shows many resorts to have availability at 11 months and depending on time of year ans resort, still choices at 7 months.

Am I not understanding your question?

In regards to "confirm what I was afraid of...", I was hoping that 2-bedroom rooms would still be fairly easy to get, but they seem spotty around a number of resorts. I mainly want to reserve around Run Disney weekends (wine & dine most likely), and I'm worried that if I miss the boat on my home resort then availability even at other resorts would be rough at 7 months.

All this to say that there is huge sticker shock when contemplating the points needed for 2br and having to pick & choose weeks to travel after that kind of purchase is something I have to think hard about.
 
In regards to "confirm what I was afraid of...", I was hoping that 2-bedroom rooms would still be fairly easy to get, but they seem spotty around a number of resorts. I mainly want to reserve around Run Disney weekends (wine & dine most likely), and I'm worried that if I miss the boat on my home resort then availability even at other resorts would be rough at 7 months.

All this to say that there is huge sticker shock when contemplating the points needed for 2br and having to pick & choose weeks to travel after that kind of purchase is something I have to think hard about.

Makes sense! DVC certainly works best when you can book home resort at 11 months and then try to trade later to get other resorts,

Ii agree it’s a lot of money to be frustrated that it is going to be difficult for what you need!
 
Wine & Dine race weekend (Thurs to Sun) in early Nov is the highest DVC demand weekend of the year. Second highest is Marathon weekend in Jan. The Princess half marathon weekend in Feb is the highest DVC demand time during the otherwise low to moderate DVC demand season that runs from mid-Jan to late Sep, and the Star Wars race weekend in April is also high demand. Nevertheless, dedicated 2BRs for all those weekends have thus far been safe at 11-months out except for BLT standard view, which can have a 11-month issue any time of year.

As to 7 months out, you should assume that getting anything anywhere for the Wine & Dine race weekend can be difficult, when even SSR may disappear before 7 months out, although an SSR dedicated 2BR has a chance. SSR 2BRs are usually open for Marathon weekend in Jan and a decent chance for OKW or Kidani savanna view. Princess weekend and Star Wars (with a caveat) are better weekends with dedicated 2BRs at SSR, OKW, Kidani (at least savanna view), VGF(at least preferred view), BRV, and BLT lake view usually open, CCV possible, with some chance for BLT theme park, but BLT stand and BCV are usually gone. The caveat for Star Wars weekend is that some of those dedicated 2BRs usually open may be gone, at least for Thurs, when the race weekend is right after Easter.
 


Wine & Dine race weekend (Thurs to Sun) in early Nov is the highest DVC demand weekend of the year.

That's good to know -- as I consume more and more of the DVC show and other resources, it seems like that's becoming clear (and unfortunate.) For next year's trip, I was really hoping to purchase DVC to stay during the Wine & Dine race weekend. But with a 6-weeks estimate to close on a resale contract, I'd miss the 11-month window by a month or two at best even if I bought immediately. Obviously this is a long-term purchase decision, too...

So, what happens if you get shut out of DVC for the high-demand week you need to book - can you book non-DVC rooms using points? I think the answer is No, but would love to have it confirmed. It would help the value prop immensely if I could just turn around and take two 1-bed deluxe rooms for my points if I can't get into one of the DVC 2br rooms.
 
That's good to know -- as I consume more and more of the DVC show and other resources, it seems like that's becoming clear (and unfortunate.) For next year's trip, I was really hoping to purchase DVC to stay during the Wine & Dine race weekend. But with a 6-weeks estimate to close on a resale contract, I'd miss the 11-month window by a month or two at best even if I bought immediately. Obviously this is a long-term purchase decision, too...

So, what happens if you get shut out of DVC for the high-demand week you need to book - can you book non-DVC rooms using points? I think the answer is No, but would love to have it confirmed. It would help the value prop immensely if I could just turn around and take two 1-bed deluxe rooms for my points if I can't get into one of the DVC 2br rooms.

Only time you can use points for other WDW resorts that are not a DVC is if you bought your points direct. Resale points are only eligible for DVC at L14 or trading into RCI

If you can’t find what you want right away, you can put in a waitlist as well as stalk the website to try to get what you want. Sometimes, changing the room size you need can help too
 
In addition, it is worth noting that using points for standard Disney hotel units is a dreadful conversion. What you'll pay in points for many normal rooms is equivalent to a 1 or 2BR at Saratoga for points required.
 
It would help the value prop immensely if I could just turn around and take two 1-bed deluxe rooms for my points if I can't get into one of the DVC 2br rooms.
The good news is that 1-bedroom villas are “usually” the last to book up - at BWV, when all the studios are booked, taking the 2-BR out of availability, they leave 1-BR.

OTOH, they cost more than half the amount that 2-BR cost, so you’d have to allow for that when deciding how many points to buy.
 
To the OP, if you really want a 2 BR or any unit for that matter, you need to buy where you want to stay, and you need to plan early and book as close to the 11 month window as possible.
DCV is NOT for those that can not plan ahead, unless you don't care where you stay or what size unit you end up with. It sounds like you are not a good fit for DVC. You might try as a renter until you can get a better feel/understanding of how DVC works. Good luck.
 
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It would help the value prop immensely if I could just turn around and take two 1-bed deluxe rooms for my points if I can't get into one of the DVC 2br rooms.

I'm assuming you mean the standard hotel-side deluxe units? For example, the Deluxe Room Club Level at Wilderness Lodge can be had with DVC points. In Value Season, which is cheapest, it will set you back a mere 73 points per night on a weeknight, plus a $95 fee to convert your DVC points to reservation points. This is right in range with Club Level units at YC/BC/BWI, but a bit cheaper than the Club Level units at Poly, Contemporary and GF when converting DVC points.

Most people, if they can't book DVC with their DVC, rent the points for different dates and use the cash proceeds, because the exchange rate is so terrible.
 
We had no problem getting a 2BR at BWV during F&W, but we booked at the 11 month window. Not sure how it would have been later on.
 
For Copper Creek, it was possible to buy a Fixed Week that guaranteed you could stay during a particular RunDisney event. Fixed Weeks are interesting because you give up some of the initial discounts, and you need more points than you would need if you just booked the room without a fixed week. But you can release your fixed week and use those points at your home resort at the 11 month mark and anywhere at the 7 month mark. Fun RunDisney people, a fixed week is pretty attractive, especially if you need a studio. My gut feel tells me that a 2BR at your home resort should be available most of the time at 11 months, but if you want the peace of mind, it is available through a fixed week. Usually Fixed Weeks require that you stay a whole week, but for the RunDisney Events, they offered Fixed Weeks where you oculi stay less than a week.

I am assuming they are still selling fixed weeks at Riviera, but I don't know for sure. A DVC Guide could tell you.
 
Missing the 11 month window by a few weeks is not the same as the 7 month window in terms of availability. While DVC works best at 11 months that doesn't mean you will be locked out of home at 9 or 10 months.
 
For Copper Creek, it was possible to buy a Fixed Week that guaranteed you could stay during a particular RunDisney event. Fixed Weeks are interesting because you give up some of the initial discounts, and you need more points than you would need if you just booked the room without a fixed week. But you can release your fixed week and use those points at your home resort at the 11 month mark and anywhere at the 7 month mark. Fun RunDisney people, a fixed week is pretty attractive, especially if you need a studio. My gut feel tells me that a 2BR at your home resort should be available most of the time at 11 months, but if you want the peace of mind, it is available through a fixed week. Usually Fixed Weeks require that you stay a whole week, but for the RunDisney Events, they offered Fixed Weeks where you oculi stay less than a week.

I am assuming they are still selling fixed weeks at Riviera, but I don't know for sure. A DVC Guide could tell you.


Does a fixed week actually work every year for the races? I am not sure how a fixed week works. I look at something like the marathon weekend in Jan and the the particular weekend can vary. Marathon weekend is always the weekend before the Martin Luther King weekend , and the Martin Luther King holiday is always the third Monday in Jan. In 2018, Jan 1 was a Monday and the marathon weekend was Jan 4-7, but in 2019 Jan 1 was a Tuesday making the marathon weekend Jan 10-13. Can one buy a fixed week that always covers the marathon weekend? The same issue can arise for the Princess half marathon weekend which is always the weekend after Presidents' Day, which is the third Monday of Feb. Another varying holiday: can one buy a fixed week that always starts on Easter Sunday or the day before?
 
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I am assuming they are still selling fixed weeks at Riviera, but I don't know for sure. A DVC Guide could tell you.
Does a fixed week actually work every year for the races? I am not sure how a fixed week works. I look at something like the marathon weekend in Jan and the the particular weekend can vary. Marathon weekend is always the weekend before the Martin Luther King weekend , and the Martin Luther King holiday is always the third Monday in Jan. In 2018, Jan 1 was a Monday and the marathon weekend was Jan 4-7, but in 2019 Jan 1 was a Tuesday making the marathon weekend Jan 10-13. Can one buy a fixed week that always covers the marathon weekend? The same issue can arise for the Princess half marathon weekend which is always the weekend after Presidents' Day, which is the third Monday of Feb. Another varying holiday: can one buy a fixed week that always starts on Easter Sunday or the day before?

I could maybe help with this. We own a Run Disney fixed week at CCV for Wine and Dine weekend. We enjoy the RD events, and picked W&D for our fixed week because of the lower points cost compared to Princess weekend, and the overrun with Food and Wine.

For the first question, our guide informed us RD fixed weeks were not available with Riviera, presumably because so few were sold with CCV (but regular non-event guaranteed weeks are available with Riviera). So we went with CCV before it sold out.

For the second question, yes, the fixed week is guaranteed to cover the RD event as long as the event continues to take place. If it's ever cancelled, it becomes a normal guaranteed week contract.

Our fixed week is week 44. With a normal check-in date of Sunday, for 2020 this week is November 1 - 8. W&D weekend is November 5 - 8, so in reality this particular week is just fine as long as one is ok with checking out and leaving right after the half marathon.

However, one of the perks is you're allowed to "float" your week, for lack of a better word. We received a call from Member Services over the weekend since our 11 month window is approaching, asking what dates we would like. Originally we knew we didn't want to check out after the half marathon, so we were going to book Monday November 2 through Monday November 9. After thinking some more, we decided we wanted to check in and race first, then stay the week after, so we requested check-in on Thursday November 5 and check out Thursday November 12.

The week has not actually been booked yet, but my understanding is it will still cost the 10% points premium despite not being exactly week 44 - in this case, 118 points total. But we are also allowed to stay less than 7 days as well should we so choose, and all of the booking will be handled by Member Services.

To be honest, after understanding how the RD weeks work, and knowing the CCV studio issues, I don't know why more of these weeks didn't sell. There's no downside except for the extra points that were required to be purchased. You don't have to register for the race, and as long as you don't mind going around the same time every year, you don't have to worry about not getting your studio at a hard to book resort. And you're not even locked in to the same week, or week days. We are very happy with this contract and the flexibility it offers.
 
They are selling fixed weeks at Riviera for any unit type save Tower Studio. Standard rules apply (no incentives).
 
I could maybe help with this. We own a Run Disney fixed week at CCV for Wine and Dine weekend. We enjoy the RD events, and picked W&D for our fixed week because of the lower points cost compared to Princess weekend, and the overrun with Food and Wine.

For the first question, our guide informed us RD fixed weeks were not available with Riviera, presumably because so few were sold with CCV (but regular non-event guaranteed weeks are available with Riviera). So we went with CCV before it sold out.

For the second question, yes, the fixed week is guaranteed to cover the RD event as long as the event continues to take place. If it's ever cancelled, it becomes a normal guaranteed week contract.

Our fixed week is week 44. With a normal check-in date of Sunday, for 2020 this week is November 1 - 8. W&D weekend is November 5 - 8, so in reality this particular week is just fine as long as one is ok with checking out and leaving right after the half marathon.

However, one of the perks is you're allowed to "float" your week, for lack of a better word. We received a call from Member Services over the weekend since our 11 month window is approaching, asking what dates we would like. Originally we knew we didn't want to check out after the half marathon, so we were going to book Monday November 2 through Monday November 9. After thinking some more, we decided we wanted to check in and race first, then stay the week after, so we requested check-in on Thursday November 5 and check out Thursday November 12.

The week has not actually been booked yet, but my understanding is it will still cost the 10% points premium despite not being exactly week 44 - in this case, 118 points total. But we are also allowed to stay less than 7 days as well should we so choose, and all of the booking will be handled by Member Services.

To be honest, after understanding how the RD weeks work, and knowing the CCV studio issues, I don't know why more of these weeks didn't sell. There's no downside except for the extra points that were required to be purchased. You don't have to register for the race, and as long as you don't mind going around the same time every year, you don't have to worry about not getting your studio at a hard to book resort. And you're not even locked in to the same week, or week days. We are very happy with this contract and the flexibility it offers.

Thank you. Very interesting. I personally never really looked into the fixed week and what one could actually buy or even what day of the week a fixed week might start. It would seem that being able to buy a fixed week that could follow the event or holiday that one always wanted would be a fantastic selling point but, until you mentioned it, I have never seen that actually being mentioned as a possibility.
 

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