How far in advance?

[JamJarJo]

We've just come back from our 3rd trip to WDW in 3 years and are now seriously considering DVC membership. I think we've worked through most of the pros and cons but my one big concern now is the booking 7 - 11 months in advance thing.
My husband is active duty military and so booking that far in advance is really not possible for us. If we are flexible about which of the DVC resorts we stay at, will it still be possible for us to book a vacation when we want it, say 3-4 months in advance? By September two of our 3 kids will be school age so unfortunately we will also be tied to their school schedule.

[tjkraz]

Actually DVC members tend to shy away from high-crowd periods like summer and Christmas week. I don't wouldn't forsee any problems getting Saratoga Springs during those periods on just 3-4 months' notice, and you may even have other resorts to choose from.

Tim

[withdisneyspirit]

Yes, I believe that you will have no problems getting availability during school times. We have members here who travel frequently on the spur of the moment and we have at least one member who is also active duty military:jumpingbe

[jnrrt]

I do think that as long as you're not necessarily tied to Christmas or Easter week, you'll be fine to get something. But I would definitely join at SSR then, because you'll get the extra 12 years, and ownership at the other resorts doesn't have any advantage unless you can use the booking window.

Also, remember that you can make reservations and cancel them without penalty until 31 days before. So, you can always make reservations for when you think you'll be going and change it if you need to.

[JamJarJo]

That's good to know. We live in Augusta at the moment so spring break is tied to the Masters which is always the 1st week in April. That's easter week next year but as my husband will be deployed I was already thinking about taking the kids to Vero beach for a week during the summer instead of trying to do the park thing.

[mushu]

Wish you the best on your decision. Hope a big Welcome Home is in the future.

[bavaria]

I am the ultimate last minute traveller, and DVC has worked for me. But you sound like you wont' be QUITE as last minute as I am....

So long as you are somewhat flexible with dates, resort, and maybe moving 1/2 way through your stay, you should be ok. I have had great success with the waitlist, as the waitlist fairy usually comes through for me.

Last minute travel was one of the reasons that I was hesitatiing to purchase, and I did a small contract to test the waters. So far things have worked well. And remember, your travel patterns will change over the life of your contract - 10 or 15 years from now the kids will be older and DH may be in a different situation career wise....

[JamJarJo]

Yep, Definitely thinking about a big welcome home. I already figured out how I would spend the points through like 2008!!! How funny is that. Getting a bit ahead of ourselves I think --- We have to make the decision and get through the deployment first!

[JamJarJo]

. And remember, your travel patterns will change over the life of your contract - 10 or 15 years from now the kids will be older and DH may be in a different situation career wise....
Good point. Hubby is actually only 3 years from retiring. WOHOOOOO. Plus another move could change the kids school schedule considerably. Not to mention leave us on the other side of the country. All things to be considered.

[bavaria]

I found myself voting against buying DVC based on my CURRENT situation, until I realized that like you, in a few years things will change and I needed to think about my situation over the life of the contract.

Sounds like you have been doing a lot of thinking - good luck with your ultimate decision!!!!

[cruise-o-matic]

If you don't think you can book bn 11-7 months, you may want to consider buying HHI. Inside 7 month, points are points and you'll save almost $20 point over SSR. (But if you want the extra 12 years, then buy SSR.)

Since you live in Augusta, HHI is about 2 hours away. We did Spring Break at HHI this and it was great.

[Blue&Gold]

JamJarJo---I'm a Navy CDR, bought last spring, coming up on our 3rd trip (currently on a Joint "shore" assignment, but getty ready to go back to an operational squadron). I had many/all of your concerns and we took a deep breath and made the plunge and couldn't be happier. I have not had to cancel or change a reservation yet, but am reasonably confident that there is enough flexibility in the reservation system. If all else fails, you can always try to rent leftover points or a reservation. Not a preferred option, but an option. Also, I'm fully prepared to let the family go on a trip without me...

We have 2 boys (6 & 4) and one (?) on the way---We made the decision to join DVC after staying at Shades of Green and enjoying a fantastic vacation. There were 2 primary motivations for me, and they may sound a bit corny, but here they are:

1) I want my kids to have the "always go back" place that I had growing up. Given the frequency with which we move, that's hard to do. DVC is giving us that opportunity.

2) (This is the corny one...) I've flown in/over Bosnia, was on a staff during Kosovo, deployed to the Gulf pre-9/11, and have been deployed for ENDURING FREEDOM and IRAQI FREEDOM several times. I've seen enough misery and some of the crappiest places on the planet. WDW really is my "happy place." Sometimes the crowds bother me, the heat bothers me, the price bothers me, but it's nice to know that there really is someplace like WDW. "The Happiest Place on Earth" may be just a slogan to the corporation---to me it's a place to recharge and re-invigorate. Now I own (or lease for 37 years at least) a piece of the magic!

Best of luck with your decision, and fair winds for the rest of your husband's career.

[Plutofan2]

Most of the time you can find something. If you want a specific resort you can always go on the wait list. Also you can always book something way in advance in the hope that the dates work out for you but be careful to follow the rules on canceling and watch your banking deadlines.

[JamJarJo]

I want my kids to have the "always go back" place that I had growing up. Given the frequency with which we move, that's hard to do. DVC is giving us that opportunity.
Plus when you're kids get older and people ask them where they call home they can say WDW!

(This is the corny one...) I've flown in/over Bosnia, was on a staff during Kosovo, deployed to the Gulf pre-9/11, and have been deployed for ENDURING FREEDOM and IRAQI FREEDOM several times. I've seen enough misery and some of the crappiest places on the planet. WDW really is my "happy place." Sometimes the crowds bother me, the heat bothers me, the price bothers me, but it's nice to know that there really is someplace like WDW. "The Happiest Place on Earth" may be just a slogan to the corporation---to me it's a place to recharge and re-invigorate.
You sound just like my husband! He has spent a lot of time away from our kids. So even when he's hot and tired he thinks its all worth it when he sees the smiles on their faces. Plus he also thinks it's "The Happiest Place on Earth". He thinks people are friendlier when they're at WDW (well most people anyway) and the employees are more polite and helpful.

Best of luck with your decision, and fair winds for the rest of your husband's career.
Thankyou. We made our decision. We signed the papers earlier this week!:clappingh Now we're planning to squeeze in another trip to WDW before my hubby deploys to Iraq later this year.

[JamJarJo]

If you don't think you can book bn 11-7 months, you may want to consider buying HHI. Inside 7 month, points are points and you'll save almost $20 point over SSR. (But if you want the extra 12 years, then buy SSR.)

Since you live in Augusta, HHI is about 2 hours away. We did Spring Break at HHI this and it was great.
We chose SSR for the extra 12 years. But we do plan on making some trips to HHI. With it being so close it's perfect for a weekend trip. And 6pts per night for a studio in January looks really attractive to me! I like the beach in the off season. I'm British so January here in Georgia is like midsummer in England anyway:)

[jnrrt]

Welcome home, JamJarJo! I hope you really enjoy your membership, and that your husband stays safe during his deployment.

[Blue&Gold]

Welcome Home!

[athenna]

WELCOME HOME:jumpingbe

[AFMom]

Welcome home! Congrats!
My DH is also active duty - we're Air Force. We have a good 10 years active duty in front of us - so the short notice thing will be an issue for quite a while. We decided to go ahead and plan one for Dec - and now it looks like he'll be gone - but Grandma and Grandpa are going to be there - so it will still be fun. I don't think we'll be planning so far out again for a while though!
As you can see from my countdown - DH is gone right now - we're gettting to the end though!:birhdaypa

[JamJarJo]

Thankyou everyone. We're excited about joining and looking forward to our first trip "home":jumpingbe

[JamJarJo]

Welcome home! Congrats!
My DH is also active duty - we're Air Force. We have a good 10 years active duty in front of us - so the short notice thing will be an issue for quite a while. We decided to go ahead and plan one for Dec - and now it looks like he'll be gone - but Grandma and Grandpa are going to be there - so it will still be fun. I don't think we'll be planning so far out again for a while though!
As you can see from my countdown - DH is gone right now - we're gettting to the end though!:birhdaypa
Yeah the short notice thing worried me the most. But with the answers I got here I feel booking at short notice shouldn't be too big a problem. I was also worried about the cancellation policy, but various threads on this forum have reassured me that if we had to cancel at the last moment we would still have some options other than losing the points.
Don't you hate the last month of a deployment? It always seems to be twice as long as the others. Do you have the :welcome: mat ready?