Booking Resort Hack?

[Jack Kerouac]

My wife and I should close on our first DVC contract early next week. We then have to wait for the deed to be recorded and Disney to create our account before we can book our first trip. Our home resort is Poly and we want to travel there September 1-10 next year. We plan on staying in a lake view deluxe studio. Should I be concerned with availability during that time if we choose to wait to for the points to arrive in our account to book the room? If yes, I am curious to know if I can book the stay with Disney directly and pay the deposit to ensure we have the room for those dates. Then when the points arrive in our account, I would call member services to book the room with our points and cancel the direct reservation. Just curious if this can be done, and if yes, if it should be done. Thanks!

 

[erionm]

I am curious to know if I can book the stay with Disney directly and pay the deposit to ensure we have the room for those dates. Then when the points arrive in our account, I would call member services to book the room with our points and cancel the direct reservation.

Doing that will not hold a points room for you.

 

[_auroraborealis_]

To be clear: Rooms available for cash cannot be converted to payment on points. They are entirely separate inventories.

 

[Jack Kerouac]

Okay, I thought because the Disney website differentiates between PVB and PVR rooms and you can book either one, it might be possible. I guess it's back to waiting. Thank you!

 

[CarolynFH]

Okay, I thought because the Disney website differentiates between PVB and PVR rooms and you can book either one, it might be possible. I guess it's back to waiting. Thank you!

The website differentiates because the PVB and PVR rooms are indeed different rooms. However, the PVB rooms that are available for cash through Disney's resort booking site are not the same PVB rooms that are available for DVC members to book using points via the DVC Member website.

However, reserving a room for cash now would mean that you definitely have a room in the DVC building for those dates. If the room type you want is still available for points when your account is ready to go, you could book that room on points and then cancel the cash reservation. But if there's no availability for DVC points reservations, you could keep the cash reservation and use your new points for something else.

 

[Jack Kerouac]

The website differentiates because the PVB and PVR rooms are indeed different rooms. However, the PVB rooms that are available for cash through Disney's resort booking site are not the same PVB rooms that are available for DVC members to book using points via the DVC Member website.

However, reserving a room for cash now would mean that you definitely have a room in the DVC building for those dates. If the room type you want is still available for points when your account is ready to go, you could book that room on points and then cancel the cash reservation. But if there's no availability for DVC points reservations, you could keep the cash reservation and use your new points for something else.

Thank you for clarifying on the rooms. We will just have to wait, as the cash room for our dates was over $8,000. We live in IL and have three boys. Getting to WDW is probably a once a year opportunity when we factor in airfare, dining, and souvenirs, in addition to the resort stay. And to think that we are buying into DVC because we originally booked a cash stay at AoA and I realized we can get better accommodations for less money. Plus DVC will help me actually take a vacation each year instead of scheduling and canceling vacations, which I have been doing the past few years. My wife and boys never liked that. Now they cannot wait to go back to WDW.

 

[Lorana]

The website differentiates because the PVB and PVR rooms are indeed different rooms. However, the PVB rooms that are available for cash through Disney's resort booking site are not the same PVB rooms that are available for DVC members to book using points via the DVC Member website.

You can actually book DVC Studios with cash through Disney's booking website, IF there is availability (either Disney's own points, or from points owners exchanged for things like cruises, starcruiser, etc). You just need to make sure it says STUDIO on it, rather than ROOM, to ensure it's a DVC studio. If available, you can book one with cash, and then cancel it if you're able to get one on points. Disney cannot convert a cash booking to a points booking, however.

 

[RoseGold]

You will be fine. There are a lot of Poly studios. Just give it a couple more weeks and be annoying to MS until you get your points.

 

[Jack Kerouac]

You will be fine. There are a lot of Poly studios. Just give it a couple more weeks and be annoying to MS until you get your points.

That I plan on doing for sure. Thanks!!

 

[Epcot Forever Forever]

If you own at Poly you should basically never have an issue booking a studio from 11 months until just before 7 months, except for December. As long as you close before April you'll be fine.

 

[Jack Kerouac]

If you own at Poly you should basically never have an issue booking a studio from 11 months until just before 7 months, except for December. As long as you close before April you'll be fine.

Thanks! We are supposed to close early next week. Definitely excited and a little impatient.

 

[Jack Kerouac]

If you own at Poly you should basically never have an issue booking a studio from 11 months until just before 7 months, except for December. As long as you close before April you'll be fine.

So based on that information, if we want to go in September, we will just need to book sometime in January to beat out the seven month mark? Or does September not matter as much and December is a much more competitive time for booking?

 

[Epcot Forever Forever]

So based on that information, if we want to go in September, we will just need to book sometime in January to beat out the seven month mark? Or does September not matter as much and December is a much more competitive time for booking?

You’ll want to book before the 7 month window opens. And remember that since owners from other resorts can book up to a week at 7 months, rooms will start disappearing a week before the 7 month mark. So 7 months + 1 week is your deadline.

 

[Jack Kerouac]

You’ll want to book before the 7 month window opens. And remember that since owners from other resorts can book up to a week at 7 months, rooms will start disappearing a week before the 7 month mark. So 7 months + 1 week is your deadline.

Thank you for that information!!

 

[Genie+]

Sounds like you should be getting your points before the end 2022. You really shouldn’t have any problem booking Sept in that timeframe. Worst case scenario would only be something like one or two days booked up (very unlikely this happens though), and you’d still be able to waitlist them and be at the top of the list over all the non-owners who can only waitlist after the 7 month window. Shouldn’t come to that but it is good to know.

 

[Jack Kerouac]

Thanks for that information! Good to know. I hadn’t been to Disney in over ten years when we visited this past April. I grew up going to Disney as a kid, but always stayed off grounds. This April my parents treated us at OKW and my wife and boys fell in love with the idea of doing Disney every year. This should be the only year we have to hustle to book our Poly studio. Going forward, we will be booking at the 11 month mark.

 

[Jack Kerouac]

Sounds like you should be getting your points before the end 2022. You really shouldn’t have any problem booking Sept in that timeframe. Worst case scenario would only be something like one or two days booked up (very unlikely this happens though), and you’d still be able to waitlist them and be at the top of the list over all the non-owners who can only waitlist after the 7 month window. Shouldn’t come to that but it is good to know.

Thanks for that information! Good to know. I hadn’t been to Disney in over ten years when we visited this past April. I grew up going to Disney as a kid, but always stayed off grounds. This April my parents treated us at OKW and my wife and boys fell in love with the idea of doing Disney every year. This should be the only year we have to hustle to book our Poly studio. Going forward, we will be booking at the 11 month mark.

Meant to reply directly with my previous reply.

 

[zavandor]

Early September is the slowest time for DVC, you won't have any problem to book.

 

[we"reofftoneverland]

If for some reason you don’t get the room, it will open. Someone will cancel/shift their reservation. Just keep checking the website (stalking). September is not as popular of a time. If you were booking spring break or Christmas, odds are not good with stalking, but September— no problem. Also waitlist.

 

[crisi]

Something to internalize about this is that the DVC rooms you see on Disney's website (not the DVC website) are not available (generally speaking) for points - they are rooms only available for cash. Inevitably, there will come a time when you want a room and see its available for cash but you can't book it through the DVC member website and it will drive you nuts. Those rooms aren't part of DVC inventory - they points they represent are either owned by Disney (not by members) or were traded to Disney by members in order to use points for something else - like cruising. Its a little fact of the system that trips up new members ALL the time and can create really hard feelings if you don't know how it works.