CCV Purchase Questions

I spoke to a different guide because mine was not in this morning and this guide said waitlist at VGF is an option and has been moving quickly. Didn't add us to it but figured I would at least ask.

Once again I was assured that there would be no issues booking right at 11 months for December. I guess that's going to be the official word on that from anyone I speak to.

I will say that one thing I do really like about VGF is that the occupancy allows for 5 people in both a studio and a 1BR. I don't like the price per point, but that's a totally different issue :)
 
Once again I was assured that there would be no issues booking right at 11 months for December. I guess that's going to be the official word on that from anyone I speak to.
They'll also tell you how you can stay at any other DVC resort at 7 months.

They're just looking to move points, and "You know, in early December, most people will end up walking studios ahead of time at VGF since we sold so many small contracts at VGF against Grand villas. Our recently changed added a modify tool that made walking so easy, everyone is doing it... which of course makes booking those studios even harder... but anyway... can I put you on the waitlist for a small 125 point contract? It's the exact amount of points you'll need for a week in a VGF studio in December!" doesn't quite roll off the tongue as easily as "There would be no issues booking right at 11 months for December."
 
If you decide on VGF, there's no reason to buy direct. Resale contracts are available in the $150-170 per point range.

Saving $50+ per point on 200 points is a $10,000+ savings... I guarantee you the "perks" (which are temporary and not guaranteed) are NOT worth $10,000.
 
I spoke to a different guide because mine was not in this morning and this guide said waitlist at VGF is an option and has been moving quickly. Didn't add us to it but figured I would at least ask.

Once again I was assured that there would be no issues booking right at 11 months for December. I guess that's going to be the official word on that from anyone I speak to.

I will say that one thing I do really like about VGF is that the occupancy allows for 5 people in both a studio and a 1BR. I don't like the price per point, but that's a totally different issue :)

They may tell you no issue at 11 months. When you take a DVC tour they show you how little points a studio is at AKV. A Value studio. The Value studios at AKV are near impossible to get if you do not have the 11 month home booking availability since there are only a few of these.
 


There are certain times of year that are just busier for DVC, and fall, especially that first week of December, is one of them. I think you're probably going to run into issues with any of the MK area hotels, though I'm not certain it's as dire as some are making it out to be (I own at VGC, so I'm used to demand far outstripping supply, lol). Besides that first week of December, it seems like it's certainly very possibly to book right at 11 months for the other fall weeks, so I would seriously consider whether having to walk a reservation (make sure you know what that is!) once a year IF you decide on that week is a dealbreaker for you.
 
My wife own at BLT for a number of reasons, but the biggest reason for us is the ability to WALK to the MK in under 10 minutes. With small children, consider how convenient that can be for afternoon nap time! Just push the stroller down the path right up to BLT's main lobby and elevator lobbies. In addition to that major convenience, BLT has 3 classes of studios, 3 classes of 1 bedrooms, 3 classes of 2 bedrooms, and 2 classes of grand villas. If you look at the points charts, you'll see that 200 points goes a long way in early December: 14 standard studio nights, 10 lake view studio nights, 9 theme park view studio nights, 7 standard view 1 bedroom nights, 6 lake view 1 bedroom nights, 5 theme park view 1 bedroom nights, 5 standard view 2 bedroom nights, etc...

Consider resale for BLT. You'll save $40-50 per point over direct DVC pricing.
 


I spoke to a different guide because mine was not in this morning and this guide said waitlist at VGF is an option and has been moving quickly. Didn't add us to it but figured I would at least ask.

Once again I was assured that there would be no issues booking right at 11 months for December. I guess that's going to be the official word on that from anyone I speak to.

I will say that one thing I do really like about VGF is that the occupancy allows for 5 people in both a studio and a 1BR. I don't like the price per point, but that's a totally different issue :)

A guide (at Aulani) drew our attention to the very economical point charts for BWV standard view and AKV value rooms and told us: "Yes, you can book any room anywhere at 7 months with Aulani points".

If you plan to walk to secure a studio for early December, you might want to consider a September or October UY (so you can start the walk before Dec 1). Good luck whatever you decide to do.
 
There are certain times of year that are just busier for DVC, and fall, especially that first week of December, is one of them. I think you're probably going to run into issues with any of the MK area hotels, though I'm not certain it's as dire as some are making it out to be (I own at VGC, so I'm used to demand far outstripping supply, lol). Besides that first week of December, it seems like it's certainly very possibly to book right at 11 months for the other fall weeks, so I would seriously consider whether having to walk a reservation (make sure you know what that is!) once a year IF you decide on that week is a dealbreaker for you.

Thanks! I'm new the term and have read a bit about it but it's one more thing to learn about before we decide to go all in.

And thank you to everyone else for all the food for thought! My husband and I definitely have a lot to think about.
 
A guide (at Aulani) drew our attention to the very economical point charts for BWV standard view and AKV value rooms and told us: "Yes, you can book any room anywhere at 7 months with Aulani points".

If you plan to walk to secure a studio for early December, you might want to consider a September or October UY (so you can start the walk before Dec 1). Good luck whatever you decide to do.

The guide just left out the part, if the rooms are available at 7 months for AKV Value and BWV. Most of the times they are long gone before 7 months. You might pick up a stray Day here or there.
 
I spoke to a different guide because mine was not in this morning and this guide said waitlist at VGF is an option and has been moving quickly. Didn't add us to it but figured I would at least ask.

Once again I was assured that there would be no issues booking right at 11 months for December. I guess that's going to be the official word on that from anyone I speak to.

I will say that one thing I do really like about VGF is that the occupancy allows for 5 people in both a studio and a 1BR. I don't like the price per point, but that's a totally different issue :)

VGF will be just as difficult for the studios as CCV. And potentially more. One thing to consider is that the point charts for VGF are inflated vs CCV which was set up to match to BRV - an older resort with lower point requirements. So with VGF you'd be looking at needing more points, booking will have similar or more problems for studios plus you're paying a much higher initial purchase price when the place you really can see yourself is CCV. I'm not certain that's a switch that makes sense. Another comparison I'd look at is the price of purchasing the CCV fixed week for the first part of Dec plus another separate contract to get your preferred number of points vs price to purchase the same number of points at VGF. It will probably still be less even if they charge you more for closing. VGF resale would be more similar or even less although will require more points for the same length of stays.

BLT is large and lakeview studios will probably be the easiest to book during busy times at the 3 resorts you mention. They are the smallest DVC studios though for living area space and the 1st week of December is so popular it's just difficult to book DVC studios, even at 11 months.

And yes, guides will likely continue to tell you that booking at 11 months will never be an issue and that you can switch fairly easily at 7 months. They are there to sell. But you've gotten some real information here so it doesn't really matter what the guides say, correct? ;)
 
They may tell you no issue at 11 months. When you take a DVC tour they show you how little points a studio is at AKV. A Value studio. The Value studios at AKV are near impossible to get if you do not have the 11 month home booking availability since there are only a few of these.

Value rooms are almost impossible to get EVEN WITH 11 MONTH HOME BOOKING ADVANTAGE. There are only, what, 6 of them?

I wanted a Value Studio and a Value 2-Bedroom lockoff. in August. I had to try for multiple days in a row, right at the 8 AM booking window, before I was able to get one, and then the other. Even IN AUGUST, which isn't as busy as Food and Wine. And now, my two reservations are not quite concurrent, but are offset by one day from each other. Gonna have to book somewhere else for one day or do something else to get that extra day, so my family can at least be in the park on the same days. I listed the day I need on the Waitlist, but I really don't expect it to come through. Who gives up a Value room, once they have it?

I think the main purpose of the Value Studios is simply to allow DVC to sell more contracts to everyone else. Since they show you how cheap the AKV Value studios are, and then imply that 'just anybody' can book them at the 7 month window. A plain and simple lie. It is almost impossible, even at 11 months. I didn't understand how hard it was, myself, until I bought my own AKV.
 
Value rooms are almost impossible to get EVEN WITH 11 MONTH HOME BOOKING ADVANTAGE. There are only, what, 6 of them?

I wanted a Value Studio and a Value 2-Bedroom lockoff. in August. I had to try for multiple days in a row, right at the 8 AM booking window, before I was able to get one, and then the other. Even IN AUGUST, which isn't as busy as Food and Wine. And now, my two reservations are not quite concurrent, but are offset by one day from each other. Gonna have to book somewhere else for one day or do something else to get that extra day, so my family can at least be in the park on the same days. I listed the day I need on the Waitlist, but I really don't expect it to come through. Who gives up a Value room, once they have it?

I think the main purpose of the Value Studios is simply to allow DVC to sell more contracts to everyone else. Since they show you how cheap the AKV Value studios are, and then imply that 'just anybody' can book them at the 7 month window. A plain and simple lie. It is almost impossible, even at 11 months. I didn't understand how hard it was, myself, until I bought my own AKV.

There are 18 possible Value Studios (10 Lockoff and 8 dedicated). Club is the smallest number with 5 lockoffs.
 
I think the main purpose of the Value Studios is simply to allow DVC to sell more contracts to everyone else.

Actually, i believe they exist because they were created as sample rooms for pre sales. And, much like Club, some of the space they got in Jambo was for the convenience of continuity not because the space would be good.

There is a bit of that you see at CCV too with the odd configurations.
 
Would it be safe to say that we may have more luck getting what we'd want out of BLT or even VGF though it's still in high demand for studios? We like both of these resorts (for different reasons) and may even get more points if we we find a resale contract that is a good fit. Hubby prefers CR to GF and I'm the opposite. We both loved WL so that's why we thought yes, this is perfect! However, it's not perfect if we are fighting to stay there!

We own at both! BLT lakeview is usually pretty available in the 7-11 month window (i.e. you don't have to book exactly at 11 months for these, *most* of the time). We also didn't have too much trouble booking a standard studio at VGF at the 11 month window, and I believe it was open for a while into the 7-11 mo window. (There is only partial availability now, at 5 months) No question, a studio at VGF will be more comfortable for a family of 4 than a BLT studio once your little ones are out of cribs and pack and plays. But the entry cost in terms of # points and $ per point is a lot easier to take at BLT, but you'd probably want to upgrade to a 1BR sooner at BLT. And when you're still in a double stroller, the ability to walk to MK cannot be beat.

I may spend some time on the phone this afternoon with the DVC guide to see what they say regarding them getting us points for either BLT or VGF. Do they offer incentives for buying direct on the resorts that they are not actively selling at the moment?

No. As PPs have said, there is no reason to buy direct if you are looking at either of those resorts.
 

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