# ORLANDO is BOOKED for 3/30!!!



## CMF (Feb 21, 2007)

I thought this could NEVER happened.  A friend asked me about going to Orlando the week of March 30.  I searched II getaways for her and found 1 listing.  Nothing is available for that date with either my Grande Vista or Foxrun week.  I'm very surprised . . . could this just be an II website glitch??

Charles

PS I checked RCI and they are not selling Extra Vacations for the week either.


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## barndweller (Feb 21, 2007)

I see Vistana Villages in March
Mar 10 2007 - Mar 17 2007   1 2 4           
Mar 11 2007 - Mar 18 2007   1 4 4           
Mar 11 2007 - Mar 18 2007   1 2 4           
Mar 17 2007 - Mar 24 2007   1 4 4           
Mar 17 2007 - Mar 24 2007   1 2 4           
Mar 18 2007 - Mar 25 2007   1 4 4           
Mar 18 2007 - Mar 25 2007   1 2 4           
Mar 18 2007 - Mar 25 2007   2 6 8           
Mar 23 2007 - Mar 30 2007   2 6 8           
Mar 24 2007 - Mar 31 2007   1 4 4           
Mar 24 2007 - Mar 31 2007   1 2 4           
Mar 24 2007 - Mar 31 2007   2 6 8           
Mar 25 2007 - Apr 01 2007   1 4 4           
Mar 25 2007 - Apr 01 2007   1 2 4           
Mar 25 2007 - Apr 01 2007   2 6 8


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## elaine (Feb 21, 2007)

*3/30 is the week before Easter--one of the busiest of the year*

I would expect it to be pretty full by this time.  I know that we'll be seeing Mickey starting 3/31!


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## Dave M (Feb 21, 2007)

I'm not surprised. That's likely to be one of the busiest weeks of the year in Orlando. Some or all public schools in at least 22 states have spring vacation that week.


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## gmarine (Feb 21, 2007)

Thats the second busiest week of the year at Disney behind Xmas week. Everything is going to be jammed.


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## littlestar (Feb 21, 2007)

Just about every school I know in the state of Indiana is out for spring break that week.


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## Big Matt (Feb 21, 2007)

Could be the third busiest, but who's keeping track... 



gmarine said:


> Thats the second busiest week of the year at Disney behind Xmas week. Everything is going to be jammed.


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## sammy (Feb 22, 2007)

Dave M said:


> I'm not surprised. That's likely to be one of the busiest weeks of the year in Orlando. Some or all public schools in at least 22 states have spring vacation that week.



Has it always been this way?  Or does it vary year by year?  I thought public schools typically gave the week after Easter Sunday, not the week before....a bit of information I use when booking my home week for trade purposes.  

Speaking of which, there are times when week 14 falls into Easter (a week I can get with my gold).  Years when it does, my week would have great II demand.  Years when it does not it is just moderate demand.  II reps hav told me they do not vary trade power based on the current year situation -- ie. so don't bother trying to get that Easter week, but I don't believe them and do it anyway.  Anyone know otherwise?


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## elaine (Feb 22, 2007)

*school vary, but a rule of thumb is when Easter is later, SP is pre-E*

you will find more pre-Easter SP when Easter is in April, and more of a mix when it falls in March.  Some schools always do one or the other (I am in VA and we always do the week before Easter--next year our SP is 3/16). And some NY shcools always do the week after.
Also, there are many schools which do March SP no matter when Easter is.  For next year, you could do either the week before or after and still have high demand. But last year, the week after Easter (4/15), had much lower demand than the week before---it was still good, but 4/8 was much higher--and places like Disney crowd reports confirmed this.
So, when you have the ability to get the week before Easter with a week 14, I would do it.


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## JLB (Feb 22, 2007)

Our annual February _I can't believe Orlando is full in March _thread.   

It's only full if you make plans at the last minute.


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## T_R_Oglodyte (Feb 22, 2007)

There are many school districts that routinely are off the last week of March or the first week of April, regardless of when Easter falls.


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## gmarine (Feb 22, 2007)

Big Matt said:


> Could be the third busiest, but who's keeping track...




Unfortunately I keep track.  

Daily attendance at Magic Kingdom is about 78,000 during Christmas week,
about 74,000 during Easter break week
about 60,000 around July 4th week and Thanksgiving weekend
about 58,000 Memorial Day weekend
about 55,000 Presidents week

These are numbers from 2006.


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## Big Matt (Feb 22, 2007)

My joke was that it was either the one before or the one after Easter that is second busiest.  The other is the third.  Those two weeks are definitely crowded.  There isn't one Easter week, there are two.



gmarine said:


> Unfortunately I keep track.
> 
> Daily attendance at Magic Kingdom is about 78,000 during Christmas week,
> about 74,000 during Easter break week
> ...


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## gmarine (Feb 22, 2007)

Matt is correct. I should have clarified. The two weeks surrounding Easter are about the same in terms of daily attendance, within a few thousand people. Which week has higher attendance changes from year to year depending on school schedules. It doesnt matter which week you go, both are jam packed.


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## CMF (Feb 22, 2007)

*It's not me . . .*



JLB said:


> Our annual February _I can't believe Orlando is full in March _thread.
> 
> It's only full if you make plans at the last minute.



I was looking for a friend - I love to plan ahead.

Nevertheless, I was very surprised because the phrase "you can ALWAYS trade into Orlando" is tattooed somewhere in my cranium from the time I told the world that I was buying at Grande Vista.


Charles


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## Bill4728 (Feb 22, 2007)

I moved this thread to the florida board.


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## rfb813 (Feb 22, 2007)

While there are a lot of time shares in Orlando there are also 47,000,000 visitors a year. Maui has 2,200,000 visitors a year and 15000 hotel rooms and vacation Condos, Orlando 47,000,000 and 135,000 hotel rooms and vacation Condos. There are more visitors per unit in Orlando than in Maui. During the peak period all the good units are full up in both places.


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## JLB (Feb 22, 2007)

We talk like there is only one vacation area in Orlando, all of it, but when we were there Christmas week I heard on the radio that the 3rd busiest area in the country New Year's week is the I-Drive area of hotels and resorts.  That is as opposed to the Disney area.

Splittin' hairs?


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## JLB (Feb 22, 2007)

Not a criticism on my part, just an observation, or maybe a reminder that it doesn't make any difference how long we have been here, some things remain the same, and there will always be those who have not heard our truisms before.

Or, a sign that Spring can't be far away, now that we have had this annual discussion.   

FWIW, our daffodils will be blooming by the end of the week.



CMF said:


> I was looking for a friend - I love to plan ahead.
> 
> Nevertheless, I was very surprised because the phrase "you can ALWAYS trade into Orlando" is tattooed somewhere in my cranium from the time I told the world that I was buying at Grande Vista.
> 
> ...


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## sfwilshire (Feb 22, 2007)

JLB said:


> FWIW, our daffodils will be blooming by the end of the week.



My neighbor's daffodils bloomed a month ago. Even though the temps have been in the teens a few times, they look a little droopy but still bright yellow.

It has been in the 60s for two days now and I saw creeping phlox starting to bloom in another yard today.

Sheila


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## timeos2 (Feb 22, 2007)

*The mantra isn't quite right*



CMF said:


> I was looking for a friend - I love to plan ahead.
> 
> Nevertheless, I was very surprised because the phrase "you can ALWAYS trade into Orlando" is tattooed somewhere in my cranium from the time I told the world that I was buying at Grande Vista.
> 
> ...



Words spoken only by those who think that a week in any size or quality of unit within 30 miles of Orlando would be equally acceptable. If you think there is a difference between a good location vs a remote one, a value in the properly sized unit and that quality matters then Orlando is usually not an easy trade. If you don't care about those items and a week at the converted motel "Magic Tree" is equally appealing to a week at one of the Marriotts then it sure is an easy trade. So you can't always trade into Orlando and even when you can it may not be what you want. If you want to go to Orlando regularly and at the better to best resorts you had better own there.


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## elaine (Feb 22, 2007)

*Easter is an easy trade---if you do it VERY early*

if you book early (18-24 months out and "guess" about your kids Spring break schedule), you can get high quality Orlando under tuggers old saying "almost anyone/anything can trade into O."  But, you have to literally guess about Spring break to lock it in----after the 1 year mark, for Easter, you need a decent trader and your pickings are not nearly as divine.

Also, when I can pull Easter with the bow-wow, I still can't pull high quality Xmas weeks---probably b/c others have not locked in Easter b/c they are waiting for school calendars vs. everyone knows that they are off for 12/25.

So, I tend to agree, when you only have 1 week to go and it's Christmas or Spring break, and you go regularly, better to own in O, or points system with O home preference.


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## JLB (Feb 22, 2007)

Or search earlier than a month before check-in.   

Even for the most popular weeks, the better resorts and larger units are availalable searching two years out.

Christmas week is tough.  For 2008 I am seeing 5 Gold Crowns and 3 Silver Crowns.  Only one Gold Crown for 2007, the one we all know and love. 

Seriously, though, you really don't want to be there Christmas week unless you absolutely have to be. 



timeos2 said:


> If you want to go to Orlando regularly and at the better to best resorts you had better own there.


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## rickandcindy23 (Feb 23, 2007)

BocaBum made a comment that really rang true.  He said Orlando is not really overbuilt.  

Even though I have always said Orlando is overbuilt, it truly isn't, when it comes to summer and holiday exchange availability.  It's really about the right number of weeks for most of those times of year.  Sometimes, there is a shortage of units.  It isn't overbuilt when there is ever a shortage.  

If a person had the patience to watch every morning at 2:00 a.m. Eastern Time Zone, the week you need will show up, even Easter.  People cancel for various reasons, plus resorts dump weeks into the system at the last minute, when they know there are units that will be empty.  Also, RCI dumps its rental inventory back into the exchange pool at the last minute.


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## JLB (Feb 23, 2007)

Another point is that timesharing is not always very kind to those who are not flexible, such as needing to be in a specific area and only for one check-in date.

When you search Florida for a 10 week timeframe and see 100 resorts available, it looks great:

_*A Total of 184 Resorts were found for FLORIDA/FLORIDA *_

 but when you search for just one area and just for Christmas week, it is disappointing:

*A Total of 2 Resorts were found for FLORIDA/FL: ORLANDO/KISSIMMEE/LAKE BUENA *


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## hofftkmn (Feb 24, 2007)

elaine said:


> if you book early (18-24 months out and "guess" about your kids Spring break schedule), you can get high quality Orlando under tuggers old saying "almost anyone/anything can trade into O."  But, you have to literally guess about Spring break to lock it in----after the 1 year mark, for Easter, you need a decent trader and your pickings are not nearly as divine.



Our School Board just passed the schedule for the 2008-2009 school year and posted it on their website. First time they went two years out. No more guessing for me! We must have some timesharers on the Board.


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## cindi (Feb 24, 2007)

CMF said:


> Nevertheless, I was very surprised because the phrase "you can ALWAYS trade into Orlando" is tattooed somewhere in my cranium from the time I told the world that I was buying at Grande Vista.
> 
> 
> Charles



Now that is funny........


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## JLB (Mar 1, 2007)

Looks like someone has space in March:

*IT'S MARCH MADNESS!
Visit Orange Lake Orlando for
½ PRICE!
Owners, save 50%*
When you rent mid-week in March!
Call 888.657.3529
To book today!*


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## wackymother (Mar 1, 2007)

Does anybody know which are the LOWEST-demand weeks in Orlando? Thanks!


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## Ahzroe (Mar 1, 2007)

rickandcindy23 said:


> If a person had the patience to watch every morning at *2:00 a.m. Eastern Time Zone*, the week you need will show up, even Easter.




So are you saying that is the most consistent time to search II to maximize Flexchanges opportunities?


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## Big Matt (Mar 1, 2007)

In this order...from Labor Day to Columbus Day, first two/three weeks of November depending on when Thanksgiving falls, first three weeks of December, January, first two weeks of February.  Everything else is busy, really busy, or insanely busy.  The key is matching the slow seasons with good weather (first two weeks of October and early November).



wackymother said:


> Does anybody know which are the LOWEST-demand weeks in Orlando? Thanks!


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## EAM (Mar 1, 2007)

littlestar said:


> Just about every school I know in the state of Indiana is out for spring break that week.



Not every one.  Many of the Catholic schools make it a point to be in session during Holy Week.


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## talkamotta (Mar 1, 2007)

For the 2 weeks of March into April I only found the Panhandle available, but I did find Kona.  

Thats a change...from every other week.


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