Is it possible to get 2 2bedroom DVC exchange in RCI for the same week?

[kool_kat]

Hi all,

My family wants to take a family trip to Disney over Labor Day week in 2013. We exchanged into BVC in 2010 using my HGVC timeshare through RCI & loved it. Now, my sister and her family want to go, so we will need two, 2 bedrooms for the same week.

I'm just wondering if anyone has ever been able to snag this? Here's my plan for putting in ongoing searches and I'm just wondering if this is my best plan or if anyone has any other suggestions. Ideally, we would like to stay at the same resort or close to each other.

Plan:
Put in 2 searches for a 2 bedroom for either BWV or BCV. Since they are so close if we got one at each we would be happy.

Put in 2 searches for SSR. I thought since this looked like a bigger resort, maybe there would be a better chance of getting 2 units?

Put in 2 searches for BLT - I know this is a pipe dream, but why not try?

I am putting in my searches now, in hopes that i will be at the top of the list when Disney does deposit.

We could also do a 2 bedroom & then either 2 studios or a studio & 1 bed, but I really didn't want to put in more searches, so thought maybe I could snag studios from points side or through bulk deposit if 2 - 2bedrooms don't come through.

Can anyone give me any advice on this or let me know if they were able to do this?
Thanks!

 

[glypnirsgirl]

I did not get 2 2 bedrooms for the same week (I didn't need them) but I did get a 1Br and a 2Br for the same week. I just put in my on-going seach and then at about 11 months started watching deposits to see if I could get a sense of the pattern of deposits and then started watching several times per day in case one of my on-goings didn't "catch."

One of the mistakes that I made was combining too many TPUs. You can only search with separate deposits and I had combined all of my TPUs --- big mistake. Make sure to keep 2 separate deposits so that you can have 2 separate searches.

elaine

 

[bnoble]

Labor Day is not a super-busy time in Orlando. I think your odds are good. That said, I think that intentionally trying to target the "harder" exchanges is unwise, even then. I think your chances are best at SSR and OKW. So, I would set two searches for those two resorts. After the first hits, eliminate the "other" resort from the second. If they both hit at the same time, but at different resorts, decide which one you want more.

 

[MichaelColey]

I would make sure you have a backup plan, because while it's POSSIBLE, I'm not sure I would go so far as to say it's likely. (Wyndham Bonnet Creek is an excellent backup plan, because it's very close and you can rent fairly cheap from a VIP 60 days out.)

I got two 2BR exchanges into VWL for the same week last April, when my brother and his wife joined us. Basically, I had several 2BR units already reserved and they had the flexibility to go with us on three of the weeks we already had units reserved. I set up an ongoing search for those three resort/date combinations when we already had a unit (one week was VWL, one was BCV and one was SSR). I figured SSR would be the one that matched, but it was VWL. (That's probably the third most common, but there's a pretty wide margin between OKW/SSR and the others.) Our units were offset by a day (4/8 and 4/9 check-ins, I think), but it worked okay since we were driving separately.

I would recommend something like Brian suggested. Depending on how many 60 TPU deposits you have available for ongoing searches, I would set up several, with varying degrees of specifics. If you only have two, I would set up both to include all seven Orlando resorts. If you have three, I would set up two for everything and one for just BCV/BWV. If you have four, I would set up two for everything and two for BCV/BWV.

The odds are pretty good that any matches you get will all come through at the same time (in a bulk deposit), so you can just release the ones you don't want. If you don't get a workable pair with the first bulk deposit, you should probably get vacation protection and wait for the next bulk deposit to see what else comes through.

Also, make sure to watch RCI and/or the Sightings forum regularly, as ongoing searches don't always work.

 

[cxr]

where is the sightings forum?

 

[KevJan]

You have to be a "member' for the sightings forum.

 

[kool_kat]

Hi all,

Thanks for the advice. Luckily, for me I actually book through HGVC's RCI account, so I don't have to worry about having 60 TPU deposits and multiple deposits, etc... I can run as many searches as I want at a time without making an actual deposit (just have to pay the 199 exchange fee upfront, but I can get it refunded if I cancel the search).

That is why I set up a total of 6 searches. 2 separate ones for BCV/BWV, 2 for SSR & 2 for BLT. Since they are separate searches I figured it didn't hurt to do BLT since it doesn't affect my other searches.

I'm hoping out of these 3 options - one will snag both. As a last resort, two non-matching searches may hit (ie one SSR & one BLT) and then we can decide if we want to go and be separated or not.

My family has their heart set on staying at Disney and doing the DDP, so if we don't get a hit we will probably make alternative vacation plans.

Does this plan make sense?

 

[kool_kat]

Michael,

Quick question - you say there is a wide margin between VWL & SSR & the rest of the resorts.

Do you mean in terms of niceness? Since we stayed at BCV the first time, I don't want my family to be disappointed, but then I figure how can you be disappointed in Disney?

 

[bnoble]

Yes, the plan does make sense. I would also add two searches for OKW.

When Michael was talking about "margin", my reading is that he was talking about how commonly they were deposited (or, more accurately, how commonly they make it past ongoing searches), not quality.

 

[colamedia]

He said there's a pretty wide margin between OKW/SSR and the others (OKW not VWL).
I'm pretty sure he's referring to the demand - OKW is the oldest DVC (though the most spacious) and they didn't go over the top with the themeing. SSR they also didn't go over the top with the themeing and it's known for being quite small rooms, seemed to be built on a budget. So for those 2 DVC, demand is less.

Or he might mean something else

 

[MichaelColey]

Right, I was talking about the wide margin between availability/deposits. OKW and SSR are always the most available. If you watch for DVC regularly on RCI, you'll see a bunch of properties show up when a bulk deposit is made, but within days only OKW and SSR are left.

This is primarily (I believe) because of the large number of units at those two resorts (not the quality). If the site I'm looking at is right (and it isn't, because it doesn't have BLT), out of 2455 DVC units, 920 are at SSR and 531 are at OKW. That's about 2/3 between those two resorts.

As far as quality goes, all of them are pretty similar but there are pros and cons to each, and each has their own unique theming. I wouldn't hesitate to stay at ANY of them, and my own "favorite" (AKV, OKW, BCV or VWL) varies depending on our plans and the time of year.

SSR and OKW are "Downtown Disney" resorts, so they're further from the parks than the others.

OKW has (by a pretty wide margin) the largest units.

AKV has the savannas.

BCV and BWV are easily walkable to Epcot (and DHS to a lesser extent).

BCV and AKV have awesome pool.

BLT is easily walkable to MK and has easy access to the Monorails.

 

[bnoble]

The other resorts also have something going for them:

VWL is well-located to MK, a relaxing "escape", and is immaculately themed.

SSR is a nice fit for an adult group not focusing exclusively on the parks; it's a little more "grown up" than most of the others, and the proximity to DTD is nice---and will be nicer still once Splitsville opens.