the lowest season for disney Orlando

i have a HGVC and i want to setup ongoing search for any disney resort on orlando.. but i need to know whats the lowest season for it?
am very flexible
THanks

I think the absolute best time to go would be September. Weather beautiful, kids in school. That's the time I would not be able to take my child out of school for vacation.

am lucky that am from Egypt and schools starts here on 20-25 September,
so the best time to go after the labor day?
do you have an idea which better resort for me?
also we are a family of 2 adults and 3 kids , 1 6 years and twins 3 years ... is there a resort that have 1 br but fits 5 people?
thanks

aamista said:

am lucky that am from Egypt and schools starts here on 20-25 September,
so the best time to go after the labor day?
do you have an idea which better resort for me?
also we are a family of 2 adults and 3 kids , 1 6 years and twins 3 years ... is there a resort that have 1 br but fits 5 people?
thanks

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animal kingdom villas - kidani village (near animal kingdom theme park) - amazing theming but buses to all parks (seems a little far to the magic kingdom but if the kids love animals, it's unique to have a balcony that overlooks giraffes and such). the pools are pretty great as well.

bay lake tower (walking distance to the magic kingdom) - perfect location for a magic kingdom focused trip with younger children. you can also take a monorail to the ticket center and change over to the other monorail to the epcot theme park. this resort would be a tougher trade due to demand.

both animal kingdom villas - kidani village and bay lake tower have 1BR villas that have 1 queen bed plus a pullout sofabed plus an extra pullout sleeper chair. both have 1BR villas that have an extra bathroom as well.

animal kingdom villas has some 1BR villas in the jambo house building (the old animal kingdom lodge) which do not have the extra bathroom.

old key west resort has the largest 1BRs on property - nearly 1000 square feet. it is a larger resort and more likely to match (it also has buses to all parks - no walking. it is nicely themed to florida but not as unique as animal kingdom villas in my opinion). old key west 1BRs have the sleeper chair to sleep 5 but only have 1 bathroom.

if you are rolling the dice in a slow demand period, you might try for bay lake tower. but they are all nice resorts that would sleep 5 in a 1BR villa.

chalee94 said:

animal kingdom villas - kidani village (near animal kingdom theme park) - amazing theming but buses to all parks (seems a little far to the magic kingdom but if the kids love animals, it's unique to have a balcony that overlooks giraffes and such). the pools are pretty great as well.

bay lake tower (walking distance to the magic kingdom) - perfect location for a magic kingdom focused trip with younger children. you can also take a monorail to the ticket center and change over to the other monorail to the epcot theme park. this resort would be a tougher trade due to demand.

both animal kingdom villas - kidani village and bay lake tower have 1BR villas that have 1 queen bed plus a pullout sofabed plus an extra pullout sleeper chair. both have 1BR villas that have an extra bathroom as well.

animal kingdom villas has some 1BR villas in the jambo house building (the old animal kingdom lodge) which do not have the extra bathroom.

old key west resort has the largest 1BRs on property - nearly 1000 square feet. it is a larger resort and more likely to match (it also has buses to all parks - no walking. it is nicely themed to florida but not as unique as animal kingdom villas in my opinion). old key west 1BRs have the sleeper chair to sleep 5 but only have 1 bathroom.

if you are rolling the dice in a slow demand period, you might try for bay lake tower. but they are all nice resorts that would sleep 5 in a 1BR villa.

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thanks, will you give me the code that i can search those resorts on hgvc rci exchange?
thanks

i'm a DVC owner, so i know the resorts, but i don't know a lot about trading in from HGVC...but i think...

AKV is DV01

BLT is DV09

OKW is DV05

If I were from your part of the world ...

Boardwalk Villas or Disney Beach CLub. So American plus the pools for your kids ages. Taking the boats to Hollywood Studios is another plus. Plus for the adults, entering via the rear entrance to Epcot opens up many more dining options. Go for a 2bdr unit and bring either a grandparent or au pair to babysit the kids ....

AKV is nice, but isolated - everything is a bus ride.

Plus, check to see how late in September as to when Food & Wine festival starts --- making Epcot even MORE interesting for adults from around the world. 3 year twins go in opposite direction EVERY TIME POSSIBLE.

aamista said:

i have a HGVC and i want to setup ongoing search for any disney resort on orlando.. but i need to know whats the lowest season for it?
am very flexible
THanks

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Depends what you mean by low season-low DVC point season, low DVC demand season, low park season, low RCI demand season, or all of the above?

Low DVC point season is Jan 1 - 31, Sep 1 - 30, Dec 1 - 14. Second lowest DVC point season is Oct 1 - Nov 24, Nov 28 - 30, Dec 15 - 23. Lowest DVC point season doesn't correlate to lowest demand -- it's actually inverse for the most part-second lowest season is actually highest in demand & conversely the highest point season is actually lowest in demand -- because DVC members are frugal with their points.

High season for park attendance is US spring break (March/April), US summer break (June/July) and US Christmas break (last two weeks of December).

Then, finally there is when you are most likely to get a trade-no one really knows the rhyme or reason certain resorts/rooms/dates are deposited. It happens in proportion to DVC member exchanging into RCI, but since it's points based system DVC seems to have some flexibility in resort/room type/date they deposit. Most common resorts are Saratoga Springs Resort (SSR) & Animal Kingdom Villas (AKV). Old Key West (OKW), Villas at Wilderness Lodge (VWL) are second most common, followed by Boardwalk Villas (BWV). Bay Lake Tower (BLT) and Beach Club Villas (BCV) are occasionally deposited.

aamista said:

am lucky that am from Egypt and schools starts here on 20-25 September,
so the best time to go after the labor day?
do you have an idea which better resort for me?
also we are a family of 2 adults and 3 kids , 1 6 years and twins 3 years ... is there a resort that have 1 br but fits 5 people?
thanks

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All things considered, including your holiday schedule, I'd say September is your best bet -- it's the intersection of all low seasons and relatively good weather for the summer.

You'll most likely match for a 1bdrm. AKV, OKW, & BLT 1bdrms have capacity for 5 people -- all the rest have 4. VWL studios have capacity for 5 as well. Studios and 2 bedrooms are rarely deposited on RCI.

With young kids, you'll spend the majority of your time at MK. BLT is yoru best option -- walk to MK, on monorail for dining @ Poly/GF resorts and monorail to Epcot. VWL is second best option -- technically a MK resort but boat ride which can take 20+ minutes each way. You can take a boat to Contemporary to catch monorail to Epcot, or take bus to GF to hop monorail to MK.

AKV and OKW are non-park resorts (not located in MK or Epcot). AKV is our favorite resort logistics aside. We tend to stay there when we drive, so can avoid having to catch buses everywhere (RCI exchange include free parking at parks). If you don't have a car, I'd stick to BLT/VWL preferably. BCV/BWV if you want to stay at Epcot resorts (better for older kids with access to Epcot and Hollywood by boat). SSR is another *great* off-park resort (great pools/water slides, restaurants, boat ride to DD). However I prefer AKV to SSR (also great pools/water slides), but by no means is SSR a bad resort -- just far from the parks like AKV. You do get free bus transportation at all resorts, which is very nice, but just time consuming.

Once you figure out your preferred resorts (e.g. BLT/VWL) and date ranges, I'd put in a couple OGS searches in -- one for you preferred resort(s), one for everything else. Maybe 2-3 OGS. Keep in mind OGS is minimum room size, so a OGS for Studio will match Studio-3bdrm. So no need for multiple unless you really want a 2bdrm but are willing to accept a smaller unit in which case you may want 2 searches so the search for 2bdrm won't get blocked by a 1 bdrm match. Same logic for why to create multiple for resorts -- if you search all resorts, your sure to get SSR which will block any others -- better to have one for BLT, one for VWL, then one for everything else (for example), so the BLT/VWL searches don't get blocked by a SSR match -- better to have multiple matches and release the ones you don't want. You can create multiple OGS for *free* -- just skip over the payment step (you'll still pay when you confirm a hold).

aamista said:

thanks, will you give me the code that i can search those resorts on hgvc rci exchange?
thanks

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DVC RCI codes - Timeshare Users Group Forums

Also, just to add -- HGVC has access to RCI Points and RCI Weeks exchanges (two separate pools of exchanges). Disney deposits to both, however online searches (OGS) only match RCI Weeks. So, you'll want to monitor RCI around 5-7 months out for Points deposits under Available Exchanges to basically double your chances of finding a DVC exchange. The members only Sightings board here on TUG is a great place to crowd source sightings (can subscribe to forum using Tapatalk app on a smartphone to get notifications of new sightings).

Thanks a lot
If i eant to stay for around 10 days
Will i make it in pne search? Or two?

aamista said:

Thanks a lot
If i eant to stay for around 10 days
Will i make it in pne search? Or two?

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Standard DVC exchanges are 7 days (including on the Points side) - there are special 3 and 4 day OKW and SSR "Weeks" (with their own RCI codes) however these are still considered a standard week, thus same exchange rate (3400 HGVC Points for 1bdrm), and are less common, so you are better off trying to get two back to back (or overlapping) standard weeks and just using 3 days of the second reservation. Keep in mind HGVC MFs/pt are around $0.20 so a 3400 ressie is worth $680 in MFs+$200 RCI exchange fee+$95 resort fee so your cost for the second week is $975 -- still cheaper than booking those extra 3 nights with Disney or even renting the points from a DVC member (would cost $1200 on avg to rent 1bdrm 3 days in Sept). You'll need separate OGS searches to secure two weeks -- I'd set one for Fri-Sat checkin (most common days), and one for the following Fri-Sat (if you have separate OGS searches for separate resorts, you'll need 2 for each). It's fine if you get a Sat-Sat reservation for the first one and Fri-Fri for the second -- can always check-in but not stay there the Friday or checkout of the first one early. If you happen to get the same resort, you can reference each reservation from the other and request to stay in the same room; also ask at check-in to confirm.

Is there any way to trade into Disney with my II membership?

Sugarcubesea said:

Is there any way to trade into Disney with my II membership?

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DVC has not been in II for many many years.

you can trade into nice offsite resorts like marriotts and starwoods but not any of the onsite DVC resorts through II.

vacationhopeful said:

If I were from your part of the world ...

Boardwalk Villas or Disney Beach CLub.

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the downside is that these resorts have 1BRs that do not sleep 5: they have 1 king sized bed and one queen pullout sofabed.

so if the OP flies in and has 5 in their party, someone would wind up sleeping on the floor. that makes for a pretty uncomfortable 10 days. i would not recommend these resorts for a situation like the OP is describing...

chalee94 said:

the downside is that these resorts have 1BRs that do not sleep 5: they have 1 king sized bed and one queen pullout sofabed.

so if the OP flies in and has 5 in their party, someone would wind up sleeping on the floor. that makes for a pretty uncomfortable 10 days. i would not recommend these resorts for a situation like the OP is describing...

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Just to add in case it got lost in my stream of consciousness :

AKV, OKW, & BLT 1bdrms have capacity for 5 people -- all the rest have 4. VWL studios have capacity for 5 as well.

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See my WDW point chart spreadsheet comments for room configurations by resort/room type (open in Excel and hover over points comment to view bed configuration)

rfc0001 said:

Standard DVC exchanges are 7 days (including on the Points side) - there are special 3 and 4 day OKW and SSR "Weeks" (with their own RCI codes) however these are still considered a standard week, thus same exchange rate (3400 HGVC Points for 1bdrm), and are less common, so you are better off trying to get two back to back (or overlapping) standard weeks and just using 3 days of the second reservation. Keep in mind HGVC MFs/pt are around $0.20 so a 3400 ressie is worth $680 in MFs+$200 RCI exchange fee+$95 resort fee so your cost for the second week is $975 -- still cheaper than booking those extra 3 nights with Disney or even renting the points from a DVC member (would cost $1200 on avg to rent 1bdrm 3 days in Sept). You'll need separate OGS searches to secure two weeks -- I'd set one for Fri-Sat checkin (most common days), and one for the following Fri-Sat (if you have separate OGS searches for separate resorts, you'll need 2 for each). It's fine if you get a Sat-Sat reservation for the first one and Fri-Fri for the second -- can always check-in but not stay there the Friday or checkout of the first one early. If you happen to get the same resort, you can reference each reservation from the other and request to stay in the same room; also ask at check-in to confirm.

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So i think to get the best price per night will be for 2 weeks but can i make thrr search for 2 weeks? To pay one reservation fees etc.... ?
Or it qill be also 1 week + 1 week?
If so i think it would be better to choose 2 different resorts as long as i have a car

aamista said:

So i think to get the best price per night will be for 2 weeks but can i make thrr search for 2 weeks? To pay one reservation fees etc.... ?
Or it qill be also 1 week + 1 week?
If so i think it would be better to choose 2 different resorts as long as i have a car

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RCI exchanges are for 7 nights. RCI Points reservations supposedly could be for a different number (but I would rather be certain than NOT get a match) BUT RCI Points can NOT be set up for an ONGOING search.

Stick with RCI WEEKS and their 7 night ongoing searches.

You do NOT need a car - the Disney Transportation system has very good coverage plus the bellhops can transfer your luggage from one resort to another (free). And there are services which will stock your unit's refrigerator with food there when you arrive.

Better to choose 2 resorts - it is up to you ... some people love the variety; others don't want to be lost again so soon (like finding the pool, game room, dining) esp with young children.

aamista said:

So i think to get the best price per night will be for 2 weeks but can i make thrr search for 2 weeks? To pay one reservation fees etc.... ?
Or it qill be also 1 week + 1 week?

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nah, i think it is 1 week + 1 week no matter what. i'm pretty sure you would have to pay two exchange fees (plus an additional $95 fee to DVC when you check in at each resort).

chalee94 said:

nah, i think it is 1 week + 1 week no matter what. i'm pretty sure you would have to pay two exchange fees (plus an additional $95 fee to DVC when you check in at each resort).

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What is those 95$ for?
Is it for dvc only or all rci exchanges?
I have never used rci exchanges
Thanks

aamista said:

So i think to get the best price per night will be for 2 weeks but can i make thrr search for 2 weeks? To pay one reservation fees etc.... ?
Or it qill be also 1 week + 1 week?

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You can only reserve 1 week with 1 OGS. Points deposits are only 7 days with DVC as well, so no matter what you are stuck booking two separate 7 day stays - either with an OGS or by booking an Available Exchange (regardless of Points or Weeks which you really can't tell the difference between with HGVC's RCI site other than you can hold Weeks whereas with Points you can't). You can have a single search for a two week span, however it will only match any 7 days within that span. If you had two searches for both weeks, you could end up with two weeks the second week and none the first, since each search can match anywhere within the checkin date range. Thus, I would recommend 1 search with Fr/Sa checkin first week and 1 with Fr/Sa checkin the following week. If you truly don't care which resort you stay at you could search all WDW DVC codes for both searches (DV01,DV02,DV03,DV05,DV06,DV08,DV09). If you really want MK resorts (DV08,DV09), then I would create two searches for those codes only for week 1 and 2 and then two separate searches for everything else (DV01,DV02,DV03,DV05,DV06) for week 1 and 2.

If so i think it would be better to choose 2 different resorts as long as i have a car

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For me, personally, for only 3 day stay beyond 1 week, I'd rather stay at the same resort. For two full weeks could be nice to do two different ones, unless you really like one. Sort of depends on what match you get. I wouldn't want to stay at SSR two weeks, but I would stay at BLT or VWL two weeks (both MK resorts). My comment about the car was I personally prefer MK resorts since we spend most time at MK with young kids, however we really love AKV (which is the farthest resort, therefore lengthiest bus routes), so we only stay at AKV when we have a car which can save time (since you don't have to wait 15 minutes on each end and don't have to transfer busses, etc.). The busses are very nice as others have stated, and we do use them regardless (e.g. from MK resorts you have to take buses to Hollywood and AK). The busses just get a bit much with SSR, OKW, and AKV since you always have to take them no matter where you are going. All this said, you should still search for all resorts as back to back weeks are hard to get so you want to broaden your search to as many resorts as possible.

vacationhopeful said:

RCI exchanges are for 7 nights. RCI Points reservations supposedly could be for a different number (but I would rather be certain than NOT get a match) BUT RCI Points can NOT be set up for an ONGOING search.

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In general this is true (for other RCI Points resorts), however DVC only deposits 7 day stays to RCI Points.

chalee94 said:

nah, i think it is 1 week + 1 week no matter what. i'm pretty sure you would have to pay two exchange fees (plus an additional $95 fee to DVC when you check in at each resort).

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Yep, two RCI fees, two resort fees

aamista said:

What is those 95$ for?
Is it for dvc only or all rci exchanges?
I have never used rci exchanges
Thanks

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$200 is RCI exchange fee (non-refundable although per RCI terms you can get refund if you cancel by end of next business day--e.g. if a better deposit comes through and you decide to change resorts; FYI HGVC has complained about honoring the refund when I've cancelled next business day, but still will once you explain the HGVC website explicitly states you are subject to RCI's Terms when you navigate to their site, and RCI subsequently makes you accept their Terms every time you visit their site).

$95 Fee is a mandatory DVC fee -- covers non-resort amenities like Theme Park transportation and parking and benefits like Disney Dining Plans, Extra Magic Hours, etc. Before you complain, keep in mind a average DVC 1bdrm costs $4000 to rent from a DVC member, and close to $10K to book through Disney direct. $95 is a bargain

rfc0001 said:

$95 Fee is a mandatory DVC fee -- covers non-resort amenities like Theme Park transportation and parking and benefits like Disney Dining Plans, Extra Magic Hours, etc. Before you complain, keep in mind a average DVC 1bdrm costs $4000 to rent from a DVC member, and close to $10K to book through Disney direct. $95 is a bargain

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Thanks for the detailed answer, is all theme park have free parking? when can i find the benefits like disney dining plans etc... ?
thanks

The parking for theme parks is NOT FREE ... but if you are staying "onsite" at the Disney resort and you show your "dated" room key, you do park for free. Most parking is FREE at Downtown Disney - shopping & resturants -- but the Disney bus system from Downtown Disney only goes to the Disney managed lodging. At the lodging resorts, you can change to a bus going to the theme parks. And the lodging resorts have a guarded gate checking your hangtag for staying onsite --- or look you over, to see it you look like you will actually be dining at the resort.

rfc0001 said:

$95 Fee is a mandatory DVC fee -- covers non-resort amenities like Theme Park transportation and parking and benefits like Disney Dining Plans, Extra Magic Hours, etc.

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It's a "because we can" fee for which you get absolutely nothing.

Transportation, parking, Extra Hours, billing and delivery of purchases to your room, etc, are all FREE perks of any stay at a Disney onsite resort.

The $95 fee most certainly does NOT include the Disney Dining Plan. DVC guests have access to purchase the Disney Dining Plan at the regular price, just like every other onsite Disney guest. Nothing special there either.

I suspect the real reason for the $95 fee is to offset the cost of DVC owners exchanging out via RCI. They pay only $95 exchanging out, and the corresponding $95 coming in makes up the full +/-$200 RCI exchange fee.

Before you complain, keep in mind a average DVC 1bdrm costs $4000 to rent from a DVC member, and close to $10K to book through Disney direct. $95 is a bargain

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I think those prices are a bit high, but you'd have to check the points costs for the specific resort, villa size, and season to be sure. DVC point rentals typically range between $10-$13 per point, with a few a little higher or lower.

All that said, an RCI exchange into DVC is usually a great value, depending on what you use to exchange. For me, it costs about half of what a stay on DVC points would cost me.

aamista said:

Thanks for the detailed answer, is all theme park have free parking? when can i find the benefits like disney dining plans etc... ?
thanks

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Guests of the resorts get two printed parking passes at checkin good for all four theme parks. Parking at the water parks, ESPN, and DD are free for everyone. BTW, I know what your thinking, and IMO it isn't worth renting a car - the bus systems are extremely nice, just slightly more time consuming, but if you learn to relax and stay on "Hawaii time" the whole vacation you won't mind a nice air conditioned ride in a bus to relax. Driving/parking has it's own frustrations and delays (hot, steamy car after the parks, having to take parking tram to TCC, then take boat/monorail to MK, etc.) We find when we stay at AKV and SSR and drive to the parks it's a completely different experience than when you stay inside the park and just use buses. Parking/traffic/trams/hot car just add to Disney fatigue, which you want to avoid by taking it slow and relaxing (e.g. relax by the pool during the day to avoid the hot, crowded parks, then show up for dinner and Extra Magic Hours). Once you get your RCI confirmation you have to call DVC Member Services after 7-10 days to confirm all guests (and ages for under 18) on the reservation. You have the option of purchasing a Disney Dining Plan for your entire stay anytime before your arrival (must be for all guests and all 7 days) by calling DVC Member Services.

Dining Plans are detailed here: https://disneyworld.disney.go.com/planning-guides/in-depth-advice/disney-dining-plan/. There is standard plan (1 Table Service meal, 1 Quick Service, 1 Snack per person per day), Quick Service plan (2 Quick Service, 1 Snacks), and Deluxe (3 Table Service meals, 2 snacks). DDPs represent a significant discount over purchasing the equivalent food, but only if you use them to the maximum benefit. E.g. Deluxe DDP includes 3 sit down meals with a appetizer/desert per person. This is crazy. We had Deluxe twice and were never remotely hungry the entire stay. We just ate because it was included -- and literally gained 10 pounds in the process. So, if you add up all the sit down meals and desserts and appetizers it is a discount, but realistically you would never eat that much food normally. Without the plan, we only eat 2 table service meals a day and rarely order appetizers or dessert, so still spend less than the DDP Deluxe costs. Standard DDP is probably your best bet so you can do some sit down restaurants you've scheduled in advance then be footloose for the other meal using Quick Service (available at resort or in the parks). 1 Table Service and 1 Quick Service and snacks is plenty of food for the average bear. In your case, if you got DDP both weeks, and had overlapping reservations (e.g. Sat-Sat, Fr-Fr), you could use your first week DDP credits through Sat, and the second DDP credits starting Fr, so could do more than one TS meal each day (some require 2 credits like Cinderella's Royal Table). That way you could still use all the credits even though you are only there 10 days.

Member Services can also make Advanced Dining Reservations at exactly 6 months for the duration of your stay (a benefit of staying at a Disney resort). This is critical to get reservations at Be Our Guest, Cinderella's Royal Table, Chef Mickey's, etc. DVC MS can also book other special events. See more about DDP, etc on DIS boards.

Another benefit included is FP+ reservations on My Disney Experience website at 60 days -- so you can guarantee 3 rides each day (one park per day).

BTW, since you are international, you probably can get a 7 or 14 day "Ultimate" pass through your localized Disney site or local ticket resellers. This is equivalent in price to a US Park Hopper ticket (all parks included, multiple parks per day) but also includes the Water Parks, ESPN, Disney Quest, Golf, and Mini Golf.

Thanks everybody ))))
this valuable information helped me
searches is on now ... (fingers crossed)

If you are wanting to stay 10 days, once I had my exchange through RCI booked for 7 nights and I knew which DVC resort I'm staying at - I'd either rent the extra three nights I needed from a DVC member or I'd book it directly with Disney with a discount code. September usually has plenty of discount codes on rooms. You can find current Disney discounts on www.mousesavers.com.

Good luck! Let us know which resort you end up with.