7 Months Aulani??

River Country

15hours49Minutes away without traffic
Joined
Feb 12, 2011
Deluxe studio Standard view 7 months for a July reservation. Possible????
 
Standard view studios are usually hard to get at 7 months out year round including July (the same applies to the hotel rooms). After about July 6, ocean view studios are typically open in July and often pool or island garden view. Before July 6 all studios usually fill before 7 months out.
 
I think you will have a hard time. I've gone to Aulani twice, once was in August. At 7 months there wasn't much in the way of studio availability at all. This year we went in Feb and the availability at 7 months was much better.
 


THis is why I'm nervous to buy in. Everyone always says how hard to get any hotels at 7 months. Then people will chime in and say how easy. I don't want to always stay at home resort. That's what's appealing to me about dvc
 
THis is why I'm nervous to buy in. Everyone always says how hard to get any hotels at 7 months. Then people will chime in and say how easy. I don't want to always stay at home resort. That's what's appealing to me about dvc

7 month booking is both "easy" and "hard". The difference boils down to time of year, resort and point cost / size of the of desired villa. Those that report "easy" booking during the more popular times of the year at the near park resorts are often just plain lucky.

Here's an excellent summary & guide for your prospects at 7 months:

drusba's 7 month Booking Summary
 
THis is why I'm nervous to buy in. Everyone always says how hard to get any hotels at 7 months. Then people will chime in and say how easy. I don't want to always stay at home resort. That's what's appealing to me about dvc

That's actually the downside of DVC. Probably about half of the members just stay at their home resort and book it in advance. That means that half the rooms aren't available to non-home resort owners. For people who want to "sleep around" DVC isn't a good choice, unless you are very flexible and are fine with your home resort or one of the larger/less popular resorts. Those that want to stay in a studio at GFV and don't own there will get sometimes secure their reservation, but will have to also face disappointment sometimes - and be willing to take a different resort.

If you are fine with one bedrooms, you'll discover a lot more seven month availability than someone who only wants studios or two bedrooms.
 


I will also posit that certain home resorts will get harder at 7 months as time passes. People who buy resale at BCV or BWV, which are fairly pricey in resale and hard to find contracts for, aren't doing it to stay elsewhere. I keep saying this, but I really think it's true. People who want to "sleep around" are not going to the effort of buying those resorts at the prices being asked. I suspect this is also true of VGF, although the studio problem has created some turnover in the resale market that may be ongoing.

And if you want to travel in fall, home resort is critical. You will most likely stay there or end up waitlisting for many room types, even 1BRs.
 
I agree that in general I have found it much easier to get 1 bedrooms at 7 months and have never had a problem doing so. Summer is a very popular time at Aulani. If you want to go in the summer I think you need a lot of flexibility and have to be willing to get a 1 bedroom if no studios are available.
 
That's actually the downside of DVC. Probably about half of the members just stay at their home resort and book it in advance. That means that half the rooms aren't available to non-home resort owners. For people who want to "sleep around" DVC isn't a good choice, unless you are very flexible and are fine with your home resort or one of the larger/less popular resorts. Those that want to stay in a studio at GFV and don't own there will get sometimes secure their reservation, but will have to also face disappointment sometimes - and be willing to take a different resort.

If you are fine with one bedrooms, you'll discover a lot more seven month availability than someone who only wants studios or two bedrooms.


Really? ONe bedrooms will be they way we go. We are party of 5. Tha ks
 
Really? ONe bedrooms will be they way we go. We are party of 5. Tha ks

Yep, one bedrooms will have the most availability the longest (where one bedrooms are available). Not all one bedrooms sleep five - they'll let you put five in the room, but someone won't have a bed. (BWV does not have one bedrooms with a sleeper chair, I'd have to look up other resorts).

But even with one bedrooms, there will be times when the seven month availability is spotty. You just have a better chance - not a guarantee.
 
I do own at many resorts, 7 at WDW, and 2 others off WDW, we stay where we own with those points 90% of the time. We love our off site resorts too, but more often those are the points we spend at 7 months.

Aulani is where we have spent the most points at 7 months. Two bedroom OV cost a lot of points there, but worth every bit. We hope to go again in 2018!!!!

Bobbi
 
I recently joined DVC and I am seeing the same difficulty finding 7 month availability at VGC. I decided to start looking at the rent/trade forum to find a trading partner.
 
VGC is perhaps the most difficult year round at seven months. Its the only DVC at Disneyland and it is VERY small. The people who bought there generally bought to stay there and often live on the West Coast. Resales for the resort have always been expensive, so any resale buyer is buying to stay there (unlike Vero Beach, which has a lot of people who bought because it was cheap and they want Disney). So the few rooms that are available at seven months (if any) get snapped up by the thousands of DVC members who own somewhere else, but would like a trip to Disneyland. Even one bedrooms can be tough at VGC as people make compromises to be able to book.
 
I have found that standard view at Aulani, BWV, and BLT go very quickly, just like value at AKV. People love a bargain.
 
I just went through this. Original plan New Years Eve in HI at 7months out was not able to book at room a price point that would work with my points available (New years at any disney property is uber ponts value). However switched to February for Malasada Day on Oahu was not an issue for any view or any type of room. All booked for second trip to Aulani OMG it is sooo beautiful it has now become WDW/Disney CA one year HI the next rotation for us.
For the person who posted that what they heard about availability at 7 month of non home resort was keeping them from pulling the trigger my experiences have been completely the opposite of what you have been told have never had an issue. PULL THE TRIGGER as long as you can afford it IT WAS THE BEST MONEY I EVER SPENT NO REGRETS. I AM ALREADY ON THE POSITIVE SIDE OF THE TRANSACTION (DVC BUY IN VS CASH STAY) MEMBER SINCE 2012 ONE HAPPY DVC MEMBER.
 
We did last July at 7 months in a 1 BR and had no problems at all..... very unpredictable
 

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