October 2021 Availability and Booking

[Philsfan77]

Is it just October 1 that people are fighting to book? My kids have fall break the 7-11 and I am planning to book a 3br for that. Should I be walking that already? Also, should I give up any hope of switching to anything at 7 mos (home-AKV would like to get BLT for this trip. May not be able to anyway if the borrow restrictions hold. Unless I end up buying BLT )

I think you'll be fine for a 3-bedroom at 11-months (they don't appear to be getting walked as of now). I would put your chances of switching at 7 months at maybe 10-15%...could get lucky with a lot of stalking or a waitlist, but even in a normal year, a 3-bedroom at BLT at 7 months over columbus day weekend would be really difficult to get, add in the 50th and people with points they need to use and it will probably be tougher than usual.

 

[keishashadow]

I actually have a Value Studio that I'm walking for an October 1st trip. To your point though, we've even dropped value studios at 7 months when we switched elsewhere. While we like the savings of the value rooms if we are staying at AKV we also enjoying staying at various resorts and don't mind giving up the value studio to do so.

There are plenty of us following behind you hoping to grab your 11 month+1/or so discards

 

[LoveMugsNPins]

It’s not necessary to walk every day at 11 months. I do it every 6 days. Right now I am up to sept 17 to 24. On the 23rd, I’ll kick it up to Sept 23 to 30. Then my final will be Sept 29 to Oct 6. Boardwalk view studio.

I am new to DVC and I am trying to wrap my head around walking a res.

Why do you only need to walk it every 6 days?

 

[Sandisw]

I am new to DVC and I am trying to wrap my head around walking a res.

Why do you only need to walk it every 6 days?

If you have enough points to book 7 nights right at 11 months without borrowing, then you have secured your room and no one can book it until the check out day.

As long as you move it by day 6, then you stay ahead of others. Now if you don’t book 7 nights then you have to move sooner.

 

[LoveMugsNPins]

I do not know why this is so confusing to me!! haha. My guess is its never really going to make sense to me until I have played around with it a bit.

 

[Philsfan77]

I do not know why this is so confusing to me!! haha. My guess is its never really going to make sense to me until I have played around with it a bit.

It's simply based on how long your reservation is. In that persons hypothetical they have a 7 day reservation...so they move it on day 6. If you have a 5 day reservation, you walk it forward on day 4. You basically just have to move it forward before the 8am window opens of your checkout day. I've only walked once before, and I moved it forward the night before my checkout date.

Simplest explanation is, you hold a room within that category, so no one can book that room you hold. As long as you move it forward before your checkout date hits the 11 month mark, you will now retain that room and hold it for the next however many days you move it forward.

 

[LoveMugsNPins]

Thanks! I get it now. I don't know why it turned it such a weird deal in my head. ha!

I finally printed a blank calendar and wrote it out. So I could see it with my eyes.

 

[CraigInPA]

If you have enough points to book 7 nights right at 11 months without borrowing, then you have secured your room and no one can book it until the check out day.

As long as you move it by day 6, then you stay ahead of others. Now if you don’t book 7 nights then you have to move sooner.

This works as long as rooms don't go out of service, which is pretty unlikely for October 2021's 50th anniversary celebration, or there are members with guaranteed weeks at that resort.

Craig

 

[ABE4DISNEY]

So I know the official date is Oct. 1, but if you were going to book a full vacation week, what dates are you all shooting for?

 

[JETSDAD]

So I know the official date is Oct. 1, but if you were going to book a full vacation week, what dates are you all shooting for?

I think that I want to be there a few days before and a few after. The 1st will likely fall somewhere in the middle of the trip. For now I plan to book some extra days on either end until we know more details and I can fine tune the actual dates either way.

 

[DebbieB]

So I know the official date is Oct. 1, but if you were going to book a full vacation week, what dates are you all shooting for?

9/29 - 10/6

 

[fumanchu2488]

Success! After weeks of stalking the darn Standard View Studio I finally got it this morning.

My trick, dumb luck for the Tower Studio and ROTR approach for the Standard View. I used a website called 'time.is' to track precise time on my phone. When it hit 8 am exactly I searched and after 2 days I got the room. Now I am walking both reservations to the 17th of October. Please don't throw rocks at me for walking.

On the bright side, I am one of those people who will be walking both rooms right past the 1st. So if RIV is your home resort then you might get lucky for a TS and a Standard View!

 

[fumanchu2488]

Also, I am a new owner so we are still figuring out our vacation habits, but I am probably going to change our vacation dates to early December moving forward. Thoughts are:

• December UY means I have the most flexibility during that time
• Young kids (2 and 6 months) means I have ultra flexibility on timing
• Christmas Time at Disney? YES!
• Hopefully 'lower' crowds in the weeks between Thanksgiving and Christmas.

Any input on early to mid-December WDW trips? I already have our 2022 December trip planned in my head. It lets me bank our 2021 points and use our 2022 points to essentially get a trip with more points about a year after our last. Also I am hoping I don't have to deal with this 11 month walking craziness trying to book a trip during those weeks. Thoughts?

 

[CarolMN]

Any input on early to mid-December WDW trips? I already have our 2022 December trip planned in my head. It lets me bank our 2021 points and use our 2022 points to essentially get a trip with more points about a year after our last. Also I am hoping I don't have to deal with this 11 month walking craziness trying to book a trip during those weeks. Thoughts?

The first two weeks of December are arguably the most difficult weeks of the year to book DVC villas. Count on having to walk TS and standard studios at DRR at 11 months to have a chance of getting one.

That time is very popular with DVC members and becoming more & more popular with the general public. The parks have been getting busier every year during this time.

It's a wonderful time to visit. 2020 will be the first time we've missed it in many years. Lots of special shows, parades, activities & decorations to enjoy.

Congratulations on your purchase and welcome home!

 

[fumanchu2488]

The first two weeks of December are arguably the most difficult weeks of the year to book DVC villas. Count on having to walk TS and standard studios at DRR at 11 months to have a chance of getting one.

That time is very popular with DVC members and becoming more & more popular with the general public. The parks have been getting busier every year during this time.

It's a wonderful time to visit. 2020 will be the first time we've missed it in many years. Lots of special shows, parades, activities & decorations to enjoy.

Congratulations on your purchase and welcome home!

Geez! Thanks for the heads up.
What about the second week of November? I made the mistake last year of going Jersey Week which was the first week of November and overlapped a marathon. It was god awful.

 

[masupo]

Geez! Thanks for the heads up.
What about the second week of November? I made the mistake last year of going Jersey Week which was the first week of November and overlapped a marathon. It was god awful.

As someone from NJ who works in a school, you summed up really well why I bought a Fixed Week for Jersey Week

 

[Sandisw]

Geez! Thanks for the heads up.
What about the second week of November? I made the mistake last year of going Jersey Week which was the first week of November and overlapped a marathon. It was god awful.

The big drawback for a November travel with a Dec UY, is you basically lose all the points if something happens

You’d be beyond banking window if canceled after July 31st and any banked or borrowed points expire November 30th regardless.

 

[DebLovesPooh]

Geez! Thanks for the heads up.
What about the second week of November? I made the mistake last year of going Jersey Week which was the first week of November and overlapped a marathon. It was god awful.

I think between the Food and Wine festivals and the Festival of holidays, Oct-Dec is the most popular DVC season. Throwing in Columbus Day, Jersey week, Veterans Day, Thanksgiving, Pop Warner, and Christmas makes it more complicated. I have a Dec use year and travel mostly in Feb for Festival of the Arts and April for Flower and Garden. I am hoping to get there in Dec eventually and will use my points for AKL (my home) at 11 months. But we stay mostly 1-2 bedrooms, so I don’t anticipate having to walk for that.

 

[Philsfan77]

Also, I am a new owner so we are still figuring out our vacation habits, but I am probably going to change our vacation dates to early December moving forward. Thoughts are:

• December UY means I have the most flexibility during that time
• Young kids (2 and 6 months) means I have ultra flexibility on timing
• Christmas Time at Disney? YES!
• Hopefully 'lower' crowds in the weeks between Thanksgiving and Christmas.

Any input on early to mid-December WDW trips? I already have our 2022 December trip planned in my head. It lets me bank our 2021 points and use our 2022 points to essentially get a trip with more points about a year after our last. Also I am hoping I don't have to deal with this 11 month walking craziness trying to book a trip during those weeks. Thoughts?

If you're aiming for standard view or a tower studio during first 2 weeks of December...I'd anticipate having to walk them. Low point cost, typically great (comfortable weather), and the holiday decorations make this arguably the busiest DVC period for booking.

 

[CaliAdventurer]

I walked a res for the first and hopefully last time for Oct 1 for a VGF Studio. 29-3 is the goal. I have a rack placeholder at Poly in case I couldn't get it. May still keep it because Poly will be fresh and it is one of the original resorts from opening of WDW. I don't think you can get a room there or Contemporary off rack right now so I would think the chances of trading into BLT or Poly at 7 mos are slim to none.