I didn't realized they opened so late - only 6 months before? We've rented DVC units the last 3 trips.
DVC members can book 11 months out at their home resort so I can book Feb 2017 for my home resorts at WDW, DLR and Hawaii. Disney has been really bad with releasing rooms on both coasts the past year. When I tried to book at DLR for this past Feb rooms didn't get released until July.
Oh so I can still do dining before the rooms are released probably? That's good to know!
I would book a room only reservation if packages aren't out by your ADR date. You'll pay the highest price I think for the room for one night and then when packages are out you can turn it into a package and they will adjust the price. This way you can still book ADRs for your entire trip on time.
You can definitely do dining before you book your rooms. We're going January 2017 as well. We've been going at least twice a year for a while now. This trip will be a full year between trips for us. The wait is a challenge