Help me Decide - Renting DVC in August

[Ralvek]

My wife and I are thinking about renting points for a trip this August (I know we're under 7 months) and we're debating about where to stay with our 9 and 5 year olds. We are looking at studios and planning on 9 nights. We have previously stayed at CSR and rented at OKW.

The kids love to swim and use the water slide. Assuming there's availability.... Is Stormalong Bay the best pool? We also have Poly on our bucket list and the Lava pool looks pretty great. We also are interested in being able to walk/boat/monorail to parks. Do you have thoughts on other resorts with fun pools and locations?

We're also considering a split stay. What are some of your pros and cons?

 

[SG131]

It's highly unlikely you will get beach club unless you are looking at the last week in August and can get your request in immediately. That will fill up right at 7 months during swimming season. Poly would probably be your best bet. It is all studios so you have a better shot at availability.

 

[crisi]

Since you are looking at within seven months - your only choices are going to be SSR, VAKL or OKW. You might get the Poly. Anything else and you'd be really lucky.

Stormalong Bay is a great pool - if your kids are strong swimmers and you can take your eyes off them without going grey. Its deep, it has strong currents, its crowded, the sight lines are terrible. Its got wonderful features, but I had to start coloring my hair after that.

The pool out at VAKL Kidani is nice.

 

[_auroraborealis_]

Looking at BCV, it is gone at 8:01am every day of the 7 month window for August thus far. BWV has holes, often big ones, all within the 7 month window. CCV and RIV are gone.

There is availability I can see outside of SSR, OKW and AKV, but your best option would be to contact an agency with your dates and pick from what is available at the time of your request.

 

[Ralvek]

Thank you for the input. I think we're rolling the dice on some of this, but it creates some excitement to gamble on this a little.

 

[Deb & Bill]

By the way, ignore any private messages you get offering you a confirmed reservation or points to rent. That's how people get scammed. Report those messages to the Webmaster.

 

[LPnerd]

It's highly unlikely you will get beach club unless you are looking at the last week in August and can get your request in immediately. That will fill up right at 7 months during swimming season. Poly would probably be your best bet. It is all studios so you have a better shot at availability.

IMHO those studios at Poly are way to small for more than 3 people.

 

[DeeCeeSW]

Oops, see below

 

[DeeCeeSW]

Since you are looking at within seven months - your only choices are going to be SSR, VAKL or OKW. You might get the Poly. Anything else and you'd be really lucky.

Stormalong Bay is a great pool - if your kids are strong swimmers and you can take your eyes off them without going grey. Its deep, it has strong currents, its crowded, the sight lines are terrible. Its got wonderful features, but I had to start coloring my hair after that.

The pool out at VAKL Kidani is nice.

I guess we really got lucky—we were able to get a VGF Studio for August, at exactly 7 months out.

 

[Deb & Bill]

I guess we really got lucky—we were able to get a VGF Studio for August, at exactly 7 months out.

Go buy some lottery tickets.

 

[DeeCeeSW]

Go buy some lottery tickets.

I think I’d better!!

 

[_auroraborealis_]

Yeah - I saw that VGf availability when I was looking. The only two full no-fly zones were RIV and CCV. Everything else was dependent on dates.

 

[crisi]

I guess we really got lucky—we were able to get a VGF Studio for August, at exactly 7 months out.

You were lucky. Were you renting? Because then you were really lucky.

 

[Ralvek]

I was able to get Poly for 9 nights. Mow the fun of planning details begins!

 

[SL6827]

IMHO those studios at Poly are way to small for more than 3 people.

Really? I thought the studios there were quite big? No smaller than the Beach Club, right?

 

[Sandisw]

Really? I thought the studios there were quite big? No smaller than the Beach Club, right?

I think Poly is a little bigger than Beach Club. Just stayed there last week and think they are decent size.

 

[SL6827]

I think Poly is a little bigger than Beach Club. Just stayed there last week and think they are decent size.

Right the Poly has some big studios. Not sure if they are bigger than OKW though. I would think they would be plenty of room for four people though.

 

[Deb & Bill]

When they converted the three buildings to DVC studios, they used the three buildings with the larger hotel rooms (these were later additions to the resort). When they were hotel rooms, they were pretty spacious. But when they converted them to studios, the took a lot of the living space and converted it to bathroom and kitchenette space. They used to have two queen beds and a twin sized day bed, with lots of space around the beds plus a pretty good round dining table in the hotel rooms. The bathroom in the hotel room was much smaller and longer (tub and toilet on one side, sink on the other).

 

[DeeCeeSW]

You were lucky. Were you renting? Because then you were really lucky.

Nope, not renting.

 

[crisi]

Nope, not renting.

As an owner, its easier to grab rooms as they are available, you can make arrangements to be on the ball at exactly seven months out, you can luck in sometime during the window without realizing it. Or if you don't luck in, you can waitlist or stalk.

Renting is trickier because there needs to be room availability that lines up with owner availability - and owners have various levels of willingness to be online to book when DVC opens for booking - an owner booking for someone else might not bother to log in early in the morning to maximize the chance of getting a room at seven months.