Is there a DVC off season anymore?

DVC_HK

Mouseketeer
Joined
Aug 6, 2019
So thought about this the other day and thought maybe others have as well. We know Disney has pretty much lost it's off seasons it used to have but what about DVC seasons? Are you having to waitlist more than you used to? I notice the monorail and Epcot entrance resorts are pretty much guaranteed to be gone at 7 months. Do you think there is a time of the year where you find more rooms available?
 
We book at 10-11 months, never have a problem getting what we want. If you wait until 7 month you will be on a wait list most times, and often will not get anything you desire. Buy where you want to stay, plan 10 months or more ahead, and have a great trip. Or be ready for disappointment.
 
Technically there’s no off season since the DVC rooms fill to near capacity all year. But demand is uneven, so some times of the year are easier to switch at 7 months or book less than 11 months out than others. Sept-Dec plus race weekends and holidays book very quickly, and the summer takes more time to book up.
 
We book at 10-11 months, never have a problem getting what we want. If you wait until 7 month you will be on a wait list most times, and often will not get anything you desire. Buy where you want to stay, plan 10 months or more ahead, and have a great trip. Or be ready for disappointment.
And I agree with that. We also book at 11 months at the hour it opens and sometimes at 7 months yeah I've moved to other great rooms other than our SSR home once their was nothing available at all so we stuck it at SSR and enjoyed it. We bought SSR to get our feet wet as college kids and now we are ready for a bigger contract at our favorite resort AKL
 


AK has become very desirable, you almost need it as a home resort unless you are looking for a 1 BR, or a 2 BR most dates at 7 months. .
 
AK has become very desirable, you almost need it as a home resort unless you are looking for a 1 BR, or a 2 BR most dates at 7 months. .
Yeah, we've been lucky a few times for savanna view studios but for our honeymoon we ended up having a ton of points from banking that allowed us to do a week in a 1BR. It was fully available for the week
 
I think the point chart seasons are messed up now. Used to be fall was low time hence the low point cost. Now Sept (F&W and MNSSHP) through early January (race weekend) is busy DVC time. And summer seems to be less so. They could change up the point charts and maybe that's how they'll slide in their lock off premium scam.
 


For our January, 2020 stay that starts during Martin Luther King Weekend, we booked at 9 months out for our Home Resort and changed into Grand Floridian Villa's at the 7 month mark, first thing in the morning, online. At that point, just about every DVC Resort had your choice for availability...maybe not all had a Studio available but 1, 2, 3 Bedrooms certainly were available. I believe the only resort that was really restricted was Beach Club Villa's. I checked throughout the day..and it was still the same. Throughout the following week...alot was gone! So yes, I would say things are booking up faster than what they have in the past...during a period I wouldn't think it would be a peak vacation time.
 
For our January, 2020 stay that starts during Martin Luther King Weekend, we booked at 9 months out for our Home Resort and changed into Grand Floridian Villa's at the 7 month mark, first thing in the morning, online. At that point, just about every DVC Resort had your choice for availability...maybe not all had a Studio available but 1, 2, 3 Bedrooms certainly were available. I believe the only resort that was really restricted was Beach Club Villa's. I checked throughout the day..and it was still the same. Throughout the following week...alot was gone! So yes, I would say things are booking up faster than what they have in the past...during a period I wouldn't think it would be a peak vacation time.
We look for times of the year now that it would be impossible for kids to take off school time to try and come down. I have found that to help some at the 7 month window but not by much
 
I was looking at several resorts for a three night stay in a one bedroom the last week of January. I had my home resort booked at 11 months out. I kept watching different resort and villa categories (I had a limited number of points). Most of the ones I was watching disappeared before seven months out. I was able to get a BLT lake view exactly at seven months out. Otherwise, this wasn't a very busy time. Not like first two weeks of December. I had a studio at OKW booked at 11 months out and had to cancel it a month later. about two months later I determined I could still go. This was for three nights the second week of December. I could only get one night and had to waitlist the two bookend nights (I waitlisted them separately in the same category). They did come through but it was less than seven months out.
 
Well, A couple of years ago I was wanting to try something different for a February trip. I did find a Poly lake view studio for a week. The GF was booked, and so was BLT. So, I'll say late January to early February would be easier than other times. But it is rare that I stray from OKW and booking at 11 months.
 
Well, A couple of years ago I was wanting to try something different for a February trip. I did find a Poly lake view studio for a week. The GF was booked, and so was BLT. So, I'll say late January to early February would be easier than other times. But it is rare that I stray from OKW and booking at 11 months.
One of, if not, the best time to visit whether staying DVC or not. Looooooovvvvveeeee this time frame.
 
It seems mid-May and most of summer (except July 3/4) have the fewest complaints of availability here.

Regarding mid-May, that's when we were able to get a 1 BR at OKW at about a month out. I attribute walking to be the main cause of it being harder to switch at 7 months these days. I was watching availability at 3-4 resorts I wanted to (couldn't decide which one) switch to at 7 months. Everything was great until about 3-4 days before my 7 month window opened. By the day my 7 month window opened, only one of the resorts was available. I hadn't walked a reservation, didn't think it was right, but next time I may-even after almost 7 months on the waitlist, I didn't get the resort I really wanted. By the way, that one was for September. And I used to think September was a slow time!
 
I got two weekend nights in an OKW one bedroom at one day out in mid-July.
 
In the 2 years and 4 stays we have had with DVC, We booked at 4,7,5, and 4 months.

4 months and june = 6 nights 1br at boardwalk
7 months and march = 7 nights 1br at boardwalk
5 months and june = 2 nights 1br at copper creek
4 months and november = 3 nights 2br at saratoga

As you can see, our booking windows is between 4 and 7 months. i have been very happy with what we can take. But i do admit, we never book studios.
 
It’s hard to book my home resorts 11mo out (recently had to waitlists but got our dates within a month). This is in October (coming up)!

Buy where you don’t mind staying. :)
 
In the 2 years and 4 stays we have had with DVC, We booked at 4,7,5, and 4 months.

4 months and june = 6 nights 1br at boardwalk
7 months and march = 7 nights 1br at boardwalk
5 months and june = 2 nights 1br at copper creek
4 months and november = 3 nights 2br at saratoga

As you can see, our booking windows is between 4 and 7 months. i have been very happy with what we can take. But i do admit, we never book studios.
Yeah, can't get studios that way or maybe not a week solid either. But there is always something. Can do split stays too if you need a week.
 
I have had good luck with summer being a time where I could switch at 7 months with lots of choices, other than BCV, which was spotty.

But when I wanted to switch my January trip at 7 months, it was difficult to get the 5 nights at one of the.MK resorts. I ended up getting it but only because I went on the website and ch3cked it a few times a day.

Had to do the same for my March trip. Took stalking but and adjusting of dates, but just finally got my VGF standard studio. Couldn’t get it at 8 but did by 9. So, honestly, I think the slow time is gone.
 

GET A DISNEY VACATION QUOTE

Dreams Unlimited Travel is committed to providing you with the very best vacation planning experience possible. Our Vacation Planners are experts and will share their honest advice to help you have a magical vacation.

Let us help you with your next Disney Vacation!









Top