7-month 2BR Availability VB and AUL, Late July & Mid August

[disneymath]

Making tentative plans for next few summer vacations and wondering about the chances of being able to secure a 2BR at Vero Beach for 3 or 4 days in late July / early August and a 2BR at Aulani for 3 to 7 nights in mid-August (right around when point season changes).

I can be online at 8 AM when 7-month window opens for Aulani. Not sure of a game plan for VB since I will be looking to change a long stay at my home resort (booked 11 months out) to a split.

 

[drusba]

For that late July to early Aug time in 2015 for Vero at 7 months out, 2BR's were missing one to two (depending on which four day period) nights. If you have to change your existing reservation by dropping some nights to get Vero, you will need to call to make the change whcih you cannot do until 9 eastern. For mid-August in 2015 at 7 months out for Aulani, a 2BR ocean view was open but pool garden and island garden views had a couple nights missing and standard view had multiple nights missing. However, what will happen in 2016 cannot really be predicted from prior years because DVD is changing the time before Aug 16 to premier season from magic season which could lead to more trying to get rooms after Aug 15.

 

[disneymath]

Thx for the reply ... you've given me some more things to consider.

We were considering splitting VB with AKV (also not my home resort), so I'm wondering if it would be advantageous to not book at my home resort at all ... leaving all my points free for 8 AM online bookings at 7 months for each part. (The obvious downside is if neither AKV nor VB are free at 7 months ... but as long as I could get us in somewhere at WDW, we would make it work.)

For Aulani, if we had to go oceanview, I could swing it pointwise and we would likely be checking in prior to Aug 16, so it being a higher season for the first few days could possibly be to my advantage.

 

[CarolMN]

...(snip).....
We were considering splitting VB with AKV (also not my home resort), so I'm wondering if it would be advantageous to not book at my home resort at all ... leaving all my points free for 8 AM online bookings at 7 months for each part. (The obvious downside is if neither AKV nor VB are free at 7 months ... but as long as I could get us in somewhere at WDW, we would make it work.)...........

For a late July - early August stay, I would not book my home resort at 11 months if I had to cancel it at 7 to book what I really preferred. Cancelling takes time and I would want to book as soon as I could after the 7 month window opens. If I had to waitlist, then I'd book a back up. Finding something at WDW (for a back up) for late July-early August is unlikely to be a problem.

FWIW, IMO, VB will be more difficult to book for the time you want to go than will AKV. I'd book that portion first and then fit AKV around it. Good luck!

 

[disneymath]

For a late July - early August stay, I would not book my home resort at 11 months if I had to cancel it at 7 to book what I really preferred. Cancelling takes time and I would want to book as soon as I could after the 7 month window opens. If I had to waitlist, then I'd book a back up. Finding something at WDW (for a back up) for late July-early August is unlikely to be a problem.

FWIW, IMO, VB will be more difficult to book for the time you want to go than will AKV. I'd book that portion first and then fit AKV around it. Good luck!

This pretty much confirms my thinking, thx.

My only other concern is that I have an August UY and NEED to use a certain amount of banked & borrowed points on or before July 31st, 2016, which limits my wiggle room somewhat. Not ideal, I know ... but it's what I've got to work with / around this trip.

 

[drusba]

AKV other than club level and value should be open at 7 months out. You can thus likely wait but you might want to employ the method that assures you have a room if you cannot switch some days and still be able to do the change online at 8 a.m. if the days you want are open at Vero. Make two reservations at AKV, one for the time you will definitely stay there and the other for the time you want to switch and do not link those reservations before 7 months out. At 7 months out if Vero is open, you can cancel the one reservation and make the new one online. if it is not open, just keep what you have and have MS link the reservations.

 

[disneymath]

AKV other than club level and value should be open at 7 months out. You can thus likely wait but you might want to employ the method that assures you have a room if you cannot switch some days and still be able to do the change online at 8 a.m. if the days you want are open at Vero. Make two reservations at AKV, one for the time you will definitely stay there and the other for the time you want to switch and do not link those reservations before 7 months out. At 7 months out if Vero is open, you can cancel the one reservation and make the new one online. if it is not open, just keep what you have and have MS link the reservations.

This seems to make sense ... if I understand correctly I should make 2 reservations at BLT (home resort) at 11months ... One for VB intended days and one for AKV intended days ... And not link them. Then at 7 months from first one try for VB, then repeat a few days later for AKV.

Quick question, if I do an online cancellation, will my points be available right away to rebook? Would this be a situation where having two browsers (or even two computers) going would be helpful ... one to grab VB at 8AM and one to release BLT at the same time?

 

[drusba]

Correct to make two separate reservations at 11 months out and do not link them. As soon as you finish cancellation online, your points from the cancelled reservation become available for the new reservation. what takes a few steps is the actual cancellation since you go through a few pages before it actually happens.

Be aware there is a method that allows you to lock in a reservation online before you actually cancel the original reservation online. See my post at the following thread describing the method introduced by supersnoop, a member on this site: http://www.disboards.com/threads/changing-to-different-resort-at-7-months.3387351/#post-53204797

 

[disneymath]

Thx drusba ... I think I'm set in terms of a booking plan!