How last minute have you booked DVC?

jacquellie

Earning My Ears
Joined
Oct 6, 2012
I know it’s best, if not essential to book early, but I’m curious - how last minute has anyone left booking DVC and actually managed to get something. I’m just thinking, what if I did want to be spontaneous one year and try to book, say, three months out, would that be totally impossible? X
 
We booked a same day once while staying at Vero Beach. We liked our first night and asked if we could add another. They had a room, and we contacted Member Services. Everything went well and we had another great day at the beach.
 
It all depends on when you want to travel and if you will take whatever is available no matter room size,

Summer you might find things still there for SSR Or OKW, including studios,

The rest of the year will be difficult, especially at near park resorts. Nothing is ever impossible, but you might find is you would need to solit stay a few times, take 1 or 2 bedrooms for some nights, etc,

In the next few years, it will be even harder as there are now e tea points in the system due to the closure.

But I have gotten 1 night in a BWV 1 bedroom day of in March, and did get 2 nights in an SSR studio last July with only one days notice.

However, any other time I have tried to book 3 months out, especially for January to March, I could not string more than two nights together.
 
Three months a couple times. Booked HHI just 1 night out once (last summer of 2019). DH and I were sitting there one Friday afternoon and said 'man, would love to go to HHI this weekend'. Went online and found just Sat night open in a 1BR so we booked. Then right away called in to set up the dog for boarding. Hurried up and packed and went to bed. Got up the next AM and dropped dog off right at opening of kennel (like 8am) and hit the road. Got in around 1:30 and had a whirlwind 24 hour trip. Was fun.
 


I managed to get AKV 1BR Savannah just under 3 months out for the first week of December 2019 - actually we got Standard View 1st night and Savanna remainder but a month later the waitlist for savanna view cleared and we got all 3 nights.

I also managed to get 1 night VGC studio 1 month out in early February of this year.
 
I refreshed for 3 hours to finally snag a studio at SSR for my DD and I for NYE last year on the 30th of Dec. at 9:30pm EST.

2020? It's all our fault. But NYE with Illuminations and the Holiday Finale at Epcot ROCKED. :D

I have booked a 90-120 days many times in years past, but it's getting harder and harder depending on time of year. You really have to be looking a room and not a particular resort and see any resort snag as a plus if you happen to snag a "more desired" one and you need that attitude to pull it off.
 
Last edited:


We booked a same day once while staying at Vero Beach. We liked our first night and asked if we could add another. They had a room, and we contacted Member Services. Everything went well and we had another great day at the beach.

And we have done that several times over the years. Added 2 nights at AKK just a month ago as a matter of fact.
 
Must be the current pandemic situation...but I have been finding great last minute bookings. Sometimes the day before for 3-4 night weekend trips in studios at highly desirable resorts. Before COVID, I found that if I searched enough I would end up eventually getting something for the dates I needed.
 
Fall of 2019 I booked less than a month out. Had to change last minute due to family illness and hurricane. New rooms were opening up daily and I stalked the RAT and made changes up to a few days before we left. If you’re flexible and willing to do split stays you can definitely have luck booking last minute.
 
Within the past year (pre-covid)
Day of- SSR studio dec 2019 due to bad weather delaying my flight home

3 weeks before - Jan 2020 strung together 4 nights in a BWV studio to tie into a sudden work trip

The key to last minute trips is 1) be flexible on what resort to stay at 2)stalk the RAT constantly 3)book what you can and work the waitlists.
 
The day we joined.
We were on vacation in Disney World. On our check out day we went to the open house and joined. This was over 20 years ago. We were suppose to drive to Key West(the island) that day but the weather was horrible that week.
We asked our guide if there were any rooms available for points. At the time the open house was at the Commodore house located at the Old Key West resort.
He came back from the office and said yes so we spent the next couple of days enjoying the extra time at Disney.

In the past, before the advent of the ability to book your own reservations on line, I would call member service on a Wednesday or Thursday afternoon almost any time of the year and book a Saturday night at any resort I wanted, no problem.

In the last few years it has become more difficult to book last minute reservations at the resort you might want, if at all, however as a friend says "there is always room at Sarasota Springs". This is mostly because of the size of the resort.
 
Last edited:
I had been trying for 6 months to add a night to our CC Cabin reservation last December. At check-in, I mentioned moving to BWV bc we couldn't extend and it was, miraculously, added. I was even asked if I wanted to add two nights, rather than just one. I'm pretty sure those were taken from the cash availability.
 
I booked a relative recently recovered from Covid the week WDW reopened, the day it was possible to buy tickets. 2.5 days notice.

DVC, Magical Express, and Owner's Lockers all handled it like champs.
 
11 days, but that's in current times with people still canceling a lot of trips. I kept an eye on availability because I wanted a near HH studio at OKW and saw some pretty incredible rooms open up. Value studio at Jambo! Would've taken it if there was more open there.
 
I had been trying for 6 months to add a night to our CC Cabin reservation last December. At check-in, I mentioned moving to BWV bc we couldn't extend and it was, miraculously, added. I was even asked if I wanted to add two nights, rather than just one. I'm pretty sure those were taken from the cash availability.

I agree. As I said above, I have never had this request denied once I had been there a couple of days and went to the desk in person to do it (Albeit, usually with my cute DD in-tow.). And we've actually done it a number of times.
 
We were at Vero recently next to someone at the front desk trying to stay an extra night and they were told no. We also overheard some people begging for an extra night at BWV when we were checking in last March and they were also told no. I also overheard those same people a few minutes later say that they had just gotten the night at HHI off a waitlist reservation. Random. And then a couple of years ago we were at paradise pier hotel ( I know, not dvc) and tried to add on an extra night ourselves. No luck. They were actually super rude to us, which really surprised me. But we were able to add on an extra night at port orleans about 4 years ago and about 10 years ago, we were able to add an extra night on at GF (not dvc) at the same return rate on which we were booked (really nice CM that time). So, you guys are lucky because I have seen dvc resorts turn people down for extra nights!


I agree. As I said above, I have never had this request denied once I had been there a couple of days and went to the desk in person to do it (Albeit, usually with my cute DD in-tow.). And we've actually done it a number of times.

I had been trying for 6 months to add a night to our CC Cabin reservation last December. At check-in, I mentioned moving to BWV bc we couldn't extend and it was, miraculously, added. I was even asked if I wanted to add two nights, rather than just one. I'm pretty sure those were taken from the cash availability.
 
The most last min rez we ever made was 2 days before the stay (VGF lake view studio), but hey its COVID season and there is availability somewhere all of the time recently.
 
Fall of 2019 I booked less than a month out. Had to change last minute due to family illness and hurricane. New rooms were opening up daily and I stalked the RAT and made changes up to a few days before we left. If you’re flexible and willing to do split stays you can definitely have luck booking last minute.

I'm a new owner and I'm just learning all the terminology. What is the RAT? Thanks!
 

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