11 months or wait for 7 months

[1EvilQueenfan]

Hello, I was wondering for your advice. We are going to be getting married on the DCL January 2014 with a stay at WDW before the cruise for 3 nights and then after the cruise for a week for our honeymoon. We are really hoping for BLT for the 3 nights before and then BCV for the week after. Our home resort is SSR. Should I book at 11 months with SSR an then switch at the 7 months or just wait for the 7 month mark?

Thanks a bunch,
Jodi

 

[palhockeymomof2]

We always book our home resort at 11 months so we know we have a place to stay.....not sure when your going in January but I've read on this boards that the days around the marathon get booked up.

 

[Rest&Relax]

Hello, I was wondering for your advice. We are going to be getting married on the DCL January 2014 with a stay at WDW before the cruise for 3 nights and then after the cruise for a week for our honeymoon. We are really hoping for BLT for the 3 nights before and then BCV for the week after. Our home resort is SSR. Should I book at 11 months with SSR an then switch at the 7 months or just wait for the 7 month mark?

Thanks a bunch,
Jodi

Congratulations! You need to book at 11 months then switch at 7 months if you can. Depending on your dates you may have trouble getting those resorts. Make sure you do a wait list if you can't switch at 7 months, there is always a good chance they will come through!

 

[1EvilQueenfan]

We always book our home resort at 11 months so we know we have a place to stay.....not sure when your going in January but I've read on this boards that the days around the marathon get booked up.

I was thinking about that! I'm not sure when the marathon is but we are looking at Martin Luther King weekend which is the 19, that would be the sailing date for DCL.

 

[1EvilQueenfan]

Congratulations! You need to book at 11 months then switch at 7 months if you can. Depending on your dates you may have trouble getting those resorts. Make sure you do a wait list if you can't switch at 7 months, there is always a good chance they will come through!

Thank you! That's exactly what I was thinking of doing

 

[CarolMN]

Hello, I was wondering for your advice. We are going to be getting married on the DCL January 2014 with a stay at WDW before the cruise for 3 nights and then after the cruise for a week for our honeymoon. We are really hoping for BLT for the 3 nights before and then BCV for the week after. Our home resort is SSR. Should I book at 11 months with SSR an then switch at the 7 months or just wait for the 7 month mark?

Thanks a bunch,
Jodi

Congratulations! You need to book at 11 months then switch at 7 months if you can. Depending on your dates you may have trouble getting those resorts. Make sure you do a wait list if you can't switch at 7 months, there is always a good chance they will come through!

I have a different take on this particular case UNLESS Jodi has enough points to book what she wants at BLT & BCV before she cancels the SSR reservations.

SSR is not going to fill up for mid-January (even the Holiday weekend) before the 7 month window opens. In fact, there will likely be space available at SSR for quite a while after the 7 month window opens.

The best chance of getting BLT & BCV at 7 months is to book online at 8 am Eastern on the day the 7 month window opens. It will take time to cancel the SSR reservations to free the points needed to make the BLT & BCV reservations. (You will do the two reservation separately when the 7 month window opens for each arrival date). Based on historical booking patterns, there is virtually ZERO risk of SSR not being available at 7 months for mid-January. So it is better not to have to first cancel the SSR reservation before you can make the BLT or BCV reservation.

If you have to cancel something first, you risk someone else beating you to the reservation you want. There will be others trying for BLT and BCV at 7 months.

If you don't get what you want on that first try, then you can make a back up reservation at SSR (or anywhere else that is available and strikes your fancy), and waitlist for what you do want.

Good luck! Congratulations on your upcoming marriage.

 

[1EvilQueenfan]

CarolMN,

Very good point made! Especially since I am on the west coast, that extra time canceling a reservation may make all the difference . I have been pretty lucky in the past with resies so I may just wait for the 7 month mark.

 

[paults]

I would book SSR at 11 months and then just before
the 7 month window ( like maybe 2 days or so) check what's available at SSR, if there is availability then cancel SSR to free up pts for BLT and BCV. That way just in case nothing anywhere is open you will still have SSR.