Booking BC during F&W

[katiekomo]

Has anyone had luck booking at BC at the 7month window for F&W?

Of course the guy at DVC said that it's totally possible. I wanted to check here to see if I'd be laughed off the boards (in other words, is it "known" that that's impossible?). Or is he right-- could I buy in, not make BC my home resort, but still snag a reservation there every few years for a long weekend at F&W?

TIA! I hope to be a fellow DVC member very soon!

 

[Geomom]

I think it's unlikely you'd get it outright at 7 mths during Food and Wine. You may get a waitlist fulfilled. We booked OKW studio at 7mths as there were no Epcot resorts available for Columbus Day Weekend. I waitlisted BWV the same day. My waitlist came through in July.

Having said that, if you're more flexible with dates, you may have a better shot of getting it right at 7 mths. I'm sure there are a few people that have stories of getting BCV for F&W at 7mths.

 

[2xcited2sleep]

Beach Club is happily my home resort so I never have an issue. We travel each year with a group of friends for F&W and a friend with another home resort has gotten her BC waitlist fulfilled one of the last three years. But she was looking for very specific dates and a specific room size (studio).

It's definitely possible but perhaps not probable; I think weekends are especially tough. If you are thinking of purchasing DVC dreaming of annual/semi-annual F&W trips and you would be disappointed to stay anywhere else, you might want to look for a BCV contract on the resale market... which I know are hard to come by (and have other restrictions which may or may not be important to you). But otherwise, as you likely know, pretty hard to have a bad time staying anywhere at Disney!

Just my two cents. Hope you are hearing "welcome home" very soon!

 

[lovin'fl]

At 5 months out I booked a SSR studio for F&W (3 nights during the week in Oct). I waitlisted BWV and BLT and 2 weeks later my WL for BLT came through (lake view studio). I have noticed, actually, that weekends are easier to get with DVC as they cost more points so many folks do like we do and book Sun through Fri...but I am not sure if that applies to F&W where there are many folks popping in for a quick trip. Why not just buy BCV points?

 

[katiekomo]

Thanks all!

We can be flexible with dates and room type (as well as weekends/weekdays) so it sounds like it's definitely possible!

We plan to buy 150 at VGF now and add-on some points at BC in a few years. So worst case scenario we do F&W in a few years when that add-on contract goes through. However, it sounds like with our flexibility we have a good shot at waitlisting at 7mo! And this won't make-or-break our DVC decision, so if it doesn't happen, it still beats not going at all!

We plan to "pull the trigger" this week! Ahh! So excited!!

 

[KAT4DISNEY]

I've gotten a 1BR at 7 months and part of a studio and finished it off with a waitlist. Overall anything is possible and if you have flexibility then you have a bit more going for you to get a reservation. Of course it's nothing to ever be counted on but others have done it.

 

[bobbiwoz]

I'm attending a Dismeet this week, and we're all staying at BCV. Sunday October 6 became unavailable in a studio, well before 7 months, and so I booked Wednesday to Sunday, not all I wanted, but what was available. If you want to stay at BCV, I would definitely buy there.

 

[SarahInMN]

I'm attending a Dismeet this week, and we're all staying at BCV. Sunday October 6 became unavailable in a studio, well before 7 months, and so I booked Wednesday to Sunday, not all I wanted, but what was available. If you want to stay at BCV, I would definitely buy there.

Agreed!! Buy where you want to stay especially for F&W - being within walking/stumbling distance of EPCOT is so worth it!!

 

[disneynutz]

Has anyone had luck booking at BC at the 7month window for F&W?

Of course the guy at DVC said that it's totally possible. I wanted to check here to see if I'd be laughed off the boards (in other words, is it "known" that that's impossible?). Or is he right-- could I buy in, not make BC my home resort, but still snag a reservation there every few years for a long weekend at F&W?

TIA! I hope to be a fellow DVC member very soon!

World peace is totally possible, will it ever happen?

All you can do is try and stay flexible with your dates and room size.

Bill

 

[darkwing818]

World peace is totally possible, will it ever happen?

All you can do is try and stay flexible with your dates and room size.

Bill

Exactly.
In years past we've been able to get the BC or Boardwalk at 7 months or off a wait list. This year is looking like a "No GO" as were leaving next Sunday & haven't gotten a switch yet to either.

 

[crisi]

Possible, yes, but you can't count on it.

If you call exactly at seven months you might get something - if you are flexible with dates, you might get something. If you are willing to haunt the website looking for cancellations, you might get something.

But it might not be a long weekend - it might be a Wednesday and Thursday - by Friday, you need to stay at SSR.

At it might not happen at all.

Many of the members that own BCV and BWV own specifically for F&W. Some people own just enough point there - there primary home is somewhere else - for those F&W rooms. It isn't uncommon for F&W nights to be booked up before the seven month window opens.

Once the seven month window opens, a few hundred thousand DVC members who don't own BWV or BCV points but think it would be great to spend F&W at an Epcot resort are able to call. Some of them every year get rooms. Many of them every year end up staying somewhere else.

 

[NoleFan]

My response to the guide would be "do you guarantee it is available @ 7 months & if I have any issues, can I call you direct to secure a reservation?" LOL

Buy where you want to stay especially if it at an Epcot resort during F&W.

Totally agree with Crisi.

 

[Harlemgirl720]

Persistence. I am going the last week of food and wine. 11/6-11-11. I had a stay at AKL. I wait listed BLT and BCV. Was able to get 11/7 at BCV. 11/9-11/11 at BLT. Thursday I lucked out and got 11/8 at BCV too. But then I checked on line and got BWV boardwalk view on 11/6 and then 11/7. So now I'm at 3 locations. So I wait listed 11/8 for BCV and BLT. Just keep checking online. Many change their plans or their wait list comes through somewhere else.

 

[katiekomo]

Thanks all! Great advice!

 

[Snurk71]

We got a1br at 7 months for a F&W trip we already had booked at BLT at 11 months.

That trip convinced us to add on 150 pts at BC.

Sent from my SAMSUNG Note2 using DISBoards

 

[crisi]

We got a1br at 7 months for a F&W trip we already had booked at BLT at 11 months.

That trip convinced us to add on 150 pts at BC.

Sent from my SAMSUNG Note2 using DISBoards

And this is the other problem with the "buy somewhere else" plan.

Every year people who own another resort and don't get into BCV or BWV for F&W - or do and love it - decide that being owners there is worth it to secure those reservations - it should get tighter over time - less rooms at seven months.

Every year DVC adds new members - but BWV and BCV aren't getting any bigger and they aren't building another Epcot resort (maybe someday). This year, new and newish BLT and GFV members are looking to book Epcot resorts for F&W, next year we will add Poly members. Every year, more people are able to call for the same number of rooms. Which means more people will be disappointed, which will drive them to point #1 - owning those resorts to book those rooms, meaning less availability at seven months for non-owners.

Once again, it doesn't mean you won't ever get it. It means that when you tell your girlfriends that you'd like to book and Food and Wine trip for all of you, you make no promises about stumbling back from Epcot to your room - you book your home resort and hope. And it means that what happened last year is probably less likely to happen two years from now.

 

[lovin'fl]

And this is the other problem with the "buy somewhere else" plan.

Every year people who own another resort and don't get into BCV or BWV for F&W - or do and love it - decide that being owners there is worth it to secure those reservations - it should get tighter over time - less rooms at seven months.

Every year DVC adds new members - but BWV and BCV aren't getting any bigger and they aren't building another Epcot resort (maybe someday). This year, new and newish BLT and GFV members are looking to book Epcot resorts for F&W, next year we will add Poly members. Every year, more people are able to call for the same number of rooms. Which means more people will be disappointed, which will drive them to point #1 - owning those resorts to book those rooms, meaning less availability at seven months for non-owners.

Once again, it doesn't mean you won't ever get it. It means that when you tell your girlfriends that you'd like to book and Food and Wine trip for all of you, you make no promises about stumbling back from Epcot to your room - you book your home resort and hope. And it means that what happened last year is probably less likely to happen two years from now.

You make good points and it makes me now hope that the next DVC, after Poly, is the Yacht Club. We do need more villas that are in walking distance to Epcot.

 

[katiekomo]

And this is the other problem with the "buy somewhere else" plan.

Every year people who own another resort and don't get into BCV or BWV for F&W - or do and love it - decide that being owners there is worth it to secure those reservations - it should get tighter over time - less rooms at seven months.

Every year DVC adds new members - but BWV and BCV aren't getting any bigger and they aren't building another Epcot resort (maybe someday). This year, new and newish BLT and GFV members are looking to book Epcot resorts for F&W, next year we will add Poly members. Every year, more people are able to call for the same number of rooms. Which means more people will be disappointed, which will drive them to point #1 - owning those resorts to book those rooms, meaning less availability at seven months for non-owners.

Once again, it doesn't mean you won't ever get it. It means that when you tell your girlfriends that you'd like to book and Food and Wine trip for all of you, you make no promises about stumbling back from Epcot to your room - you book your home resort and hope. And it means that what happened last year is probably less likely to happen two years from now.

Very good point. Lots to mull over.

Since we're buying this mainly for our little family, I think I feel good about VGF.

But a few crazy nights would be fun at BC! I mean, worst case scenario, we still have fun at F&W, then hike to monorail, wait, ride to TTC, wait, hop on monorail and finish the evening at the GF lounge. Not ideal, but there are worst fates in life. Still, makes the desire to add-on at BC stronger and more urgent.

How lucky am I to have this "problem"??

 

[crisi]

You make good points and it makes me now hope that the next DVC, after Poly, is the Yacht Club. We do need more villas that are in walking distance to Epcot.

I wouldn't hold out hope for it being big enough to make a difference - there isn't a lot of room to build - unless they move the convention center across the street, or just tear it down and replace it.

 

[crisi]

Very good point. Lots to mull over.

Since we're buying this mainly for our little family, I think I feel good about VGF.

But a few crazy nights would be fun at BC! I mean, worst case scenario, we still have fun at F&W, then hike to monorail, wait, ride to TTC, wait, hop on monorail and finish the evening at the GF lounge. Not ideal, but there are worst fates in life. Still, makes the desire to add-on at BC stronger and more urgent.

How lucky am I to have this "problem"??

If you try every year, you are going to hit it once in a while. And if you are happy with a split stay, you will find your success rate increases.

All of these availability questions have two big components - how much do you need to have it when you want it (instead of getting it when its available) and how much flexibility do you have to get it (switching weeks, split stays, booking a bigger or smaller room than ideal).

The other thing is that with a one year old - its probably going to be a number of years before you are stumbling back from Epcot for F&W. Most of us aren't really comfortable being too sloshed around our kids - and the kids really usually do want to be in bed at a reasonable hour. Which, for us, turned Food and Wine into a mid-afternoon exercise in moderation - even when we were staying at BWV (which is home for us). For a mid-afternoon exercise in moderation - any resort does as well as any other resort