The DVC Availability Crisis
It’s no secret that DVC Membership has been on the rise in recent years. The allure of Disney Vacation Club points and the convenience of being able to book reservations well in advance has drawn many to become Members. However, as a result of the lingering effects of the pandemic, we currently are finding ourselves in a bit of a DVC Availability Crisis. This means that opportunities for Guests and Members alike to book their desired stays are becoming increasingly limited.
What is DVC Availability?
DVC Availability refers to the number of DVC rooms that are open for booking at a specific time and location. DVC Members have a limited number of DVC rooms they can book with their points during their specified home resort booking window (11 months prior to check-in date) and general DVC booking window (beginning at the 7 month mark).
Due to current circumstances, DVC room availability is running low at many resorts. This means that it’s becoming more difficult for DVC Members to find available rooms during their designated windows. This is especially apparent at popular resort destinations throughout Walt Disney World. It also presents challenges for Guests who may not be DVC Members but want to rent points to stay at a DVC resort.
Current DVC Point Surplus
The pandemic has had a huge impact on DVC Availability. With Disney Parks and DVC Resorts being closed for extended periods of time, Members were unable to use their points. This resulted in a large number of DVC Member points being extended and banked forward in order to protect their value for future use. Two years after reopening, this backlog of point inventory continues to make it extremely difficult for Members and Guests to book their desired stays.
The DVC Borrowing Restriction impacts DVC Availability
In an effort to combat this DVC Availability Crisis, Disney implemented a DVC borrowing restriction. This limited DVC Members’ ability to borrow points from future years to 50% of their annual allotment. The goal in doing this was to reduce the number of points being used and increase availability for all Members.
While it may have been a temporary solution, the inevitability was that this restriction would eventually be lifted. The resulting surplus of DVC points would lead to even more limited availability in the future.
The DVC Borrowing Restriction was finally lifted in July 2022. Since that time, both Members and Guests have seen a further tightening of room availability. This has made it harder and harder to get the vacation they are looking for.
Plan Ahead to Secure Your Desired DVC Reservation
So what can DVC Members and Guests do to combat the DVC Availability Crisis? The best solution is to plan ahead. Make sure you begin looking for your DVC reservation as far in advance as possible. This allows you to take full advantage of the 11-month home resort booking window DVC Members have access to. As availability becomes more limited, it’s important to stay flexible with your vacation dates. This means trying different room types or resorts if necessary to secure your desired dates.
If you are unable to plan ahead or find availability for your desired DVC stays, DVC Rental Store’s Confirmed Reservations may be the perfect solution. These are last-minute reservations that have already been secured by DVC Members. Confirmed Reservations can be purchased at a significant saving compared to booking through Disney directly.
Unfortunately, it doesn’t seem like this DVC Availability Crisis will be resolving anytime soon. The best advice we can offer is to keep trying to book your desired DVC stays and be flexible with your travel dates.
In the meantime, we will continue to do everything we can to find our own solutions to this DVC Availability Crisis. We want all Guests and Members to have the opportunity to experience the magic of a Disney vacation. Happy planning!
