Adding a Day????UPDATED: ANOTHER QUESTION...

kristenrice

NOT just an ambulance driver
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Apr 25, 2006
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I need to prepare for our spring break trip to HHI in April 2013. My 11-month window opens on 5/1/2012 and our arrival day will be Easter Sunday.

I need to book one of our nights on cash, preferably the first night (March 31) since the price goes up due to the "season" change on April 1. What I'd like to do is book the first 4 nights (Su-We) on points and then also book a room for cash for the first night only. Then, I'd like to call back the next day and cancel Sunday off the points reservation and add Thursday. This would leave me with Sunday on cash and then Monday-Thursday nights on points. Is this even possible, assuming there is availability?

Ultimately, at the 7-month mark, I'd like to try and get the first night (cash) booked on points but I will need to buy 4 of the one-time use points so I have to wait and see (and hope) that there is still availability.
 
I need to prepare for our spring break trip to HHI in April 2013. My 11-month window opens on 5/1/2012 and our arrival day will be Easter Sunday.

I need to book one of our nights on cash, preferably the first night (March 31) since the price goes up due to the "season" change on April 1. What I'd like to do is book the first 4 nights (Su-We) on points and then also book a room for cash for the first night only. Then, I'd like to call back the next day and cancel Sunday off the points reservation and add Thursday. This would leave me with Sunday on cash and then Monday-Thursday nights on points. Is this even possible, assuming there is availability?

Ultimately, at the 7-month mark, I'd like to try and get the first night (cash) booked on points but I will need to buy 4 of the one-time use points so I have to wait and see (and hope) that there is still availability.

I would book the easiest night to get for cash and then try to change it to points at 7 months out. My guess is that Sunday might be the hardest to get - people leaving on Monday and arriving on Saturday.

Why are you booking four nights and then changing the next day? Why not just book the four nights starting on Monday? Unless you are trying to walk the reservation? What category are you looking at?
 
I would book the easiest night to get for cash and then try to change it to points at 7 months out. My guess is that Sunday might be the hardest to get - people leaving on Monday and arriving on Saturday.

Why are you booking four nights and then changing the next day? Why not just book the four nights starting on Monday? Unless you are trying to walk the reservation? What category are you looking at?

Our vacation will be Sunday-Thursday. We have 150 points available at HHI and we will need a 2BR for this trip since my parents are joining us. So, we only have enough HHI points to book 4 nights at 11-months. At 7 months, I can book a night using the one-time use points and our remaining 3 AKV points.

For now, we're planning worst-case scenario and that is that the 2BR's will be unavailable at 7 months. If that is the case, then I'd like to make sure that we have our five nights booked.

I guess what my question boils down to is can I add a night to an existing reservation if the start of that reservation is in the booking window? I don't have to wait from 11-months out from the day I want to add, do I:confused3?

I plan on calling on May 1 and booking Su-We on points and Sunday on cash as well. Then, I'd like to call back the next day, CANCEL Sunday's POINTS reservation (keeping the cash night) and use those points to ADD Thursday night. (I guess that is "walking" isn't it) That way, we'd have Sunday on cash and Monday-Thursday nights on points. If we can't switch the Sunday to points at the 7-month mark, then we're still OK. Since Sunday is the 31st of March, it is substantially cheaper than any of the days in April since the season changes.
 
I've talked to my dad about the HHI trip and he had an idea...

Plan A: Do what my family did in 2011
*Drive to Gatlinburg, TN on Friday morning (about 14 hours travel time, with stops) and stay for 2 nights at the Fairfield Inn ($180 total, per family)
*Spend Saturday in Gatlinburg and explore the GSM Nat'l Park (and visit the Titanic Museum)
*Leave Sunday morning (Easter) and drive to HHI (about 6 hours travel time), arriving around 4pm
*Stay at HHI Sunday-Thursday and depart for home early Friday morning

...Or...

Plan B: Dad's Idea
*Drive to Gatlinburg on Friday morning and stay at the Fairfield for ONE night ($90 per family)
*Get up early(ish) on Saturday, take a leisurely, but brief, drive through GSM park (Cades Cove area) and then depart for HHI, arriving around 8pm
*Stay Saturday-Thursday at HHI and depart early Friday morning for home.

OK, I won't lie...I like Dad's idea::yes::. It will allow us to still take the early morning "nature drive" (the kids want to see bears!) through the national park, AND we will get an extra day at HHI, AND we will be able to spend Easter morning at the resort instead of on the road.


Here's what I want to do...please advise 1) if it is possible, and 2) if it is my best plan of attack...

April 30, 2012: Call and book 2 nights (March 30 and 31, 2013) in a 2BR on cash

May 1, 2012: Call back and book 4 nights (April 1-4, 2013) in a 2BR on points
*This will use 50 banked, 50 current and 32 borrowed points
*If I do this online, can I call back later and have them link it to my cash reservation? (I ask because I am one who calls at 9AM exactly...and this happens to be a Sunday and I will be headed to church at 9am. I would have time to be online:surfweb: at 8am to book it, but linking the reservations is a must.)

September 1, 2012: Call back at 7 month window (*Here's where I am a little unsure...) and do the following *ASSUMES AVAILABILITY*
*Borrow 18 remaining HHI points, use 3 banked AKV points and purchase 4 one-time use points to book SUNDAY, March 31, 2013 on points.
*Modify our 2-night cash reservation by dropping the Sunday night only *Can this be done? Or does it have to be cancelled entirely and rebooked?*

This should leave us with our arrival night on cash and the remaining 5 nights on points. This will be the week of Easter so I am a little bit concerned about availability. I was able to get a 1BR for Easter week at 7 months in 2011 so I really should not stress myself about getting a 2BR;).
 


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