Interestingly enough, I just happened across a post on another DVC discussion board (that apparently we're not allowed to link to), that I think sums up a ton of good advice in one go. Since I can't link to it, I'll summarize:
- If you
need to get something tough to get at 7 months, or will always or mostly be going during Christmas, or you absolutely adore one resort, you should certainly buy the resort that works best for you so you can always book it at 11 months.
- If you plan to go at a bunch of different times, and are not super picky about which resort you want to stay at, or you will not really be able to plan ahead 11 months out, buy the cheapest points you can (cheapest maintenance fees, primarily).
I think if you want to just go wherever, buying cheap points at SSR is probably the best deal because of the combo of low resale price and low fees. And SSR is really nice. If you liked Port Orleans you will LOVE SSR. I mean, no guarantees, but all DVC properties are pretty plush.
And outside of the super high occupancy times, you'll be able to find stuff at other resorts. You may not be able to get the specific thing you want on that particular trip, but you'll find
something. If you just want to try them all, it'll take you a few years until you're running out of resorts to try. For the first 4 or 5 trips, you should be able to find somewhere you haven't stayed yet, especially if you're not trying to book over Christmas, New Years, or a few peak times in spring/summer. And even then, there will be availability at 7 months, it just might be spotty.
Eventually you'll probably find that it's hard to book a solid week at BLT or VGF at 7 months, and then maybe you'll have to do some kind of point rental thing if you really want to try it. Or you'll book the few days you can get and do a short trip. Or by then you'll be ready to add on some VGF resale or sell your SSR and buy BLT. Who knows?
I felt like if we couldn't have gotten BWV my next choice was SSR. Hilton Head and Vero Beach have cheap points, but sky-high maintenance fees. BLT has the lowest fees, but high resale prices. But I figured it was worth paying a little extra to be sure we could get Boardwalk for Food & Wine or for Flower & Garden, since I love food and wine, and my wife loves flowers and gardens.
I posted in another thread a list of things that are hard (but not necessarily impossible) to get at 7 months. If it's not incredibly important to you to always be able to get one of these rooms, then buying at a specific resort is probably not the most important factor:
BWV: Standard view rooms and Grand Villas
BCV: Any room, esp studios (it's a very small resort)
VWL: Any room, esp studios (see above)
OKW: Grand Villas (the lowest point cost of any Grand Villa)
AKL: Value rooms and club level
SSR: Grand Villas and Treehouses
BLT: Any room, esp studios (it's the only monorail DVC resort until VGF opens)
VGF: Any room
Man, I think I just convinced myself I should have bought SSR!