Are you making ressies further out than before?

[spiceycat]

I don't know - I got BCV for the July 3 -8 at the 6th month mark - had to cancel - works issues.

I also got AKL for the postcard rate July 1 and 2 - again had to cancel - now I wish I have kept that reservation.

 

[shortypots]

I would think as long as you are flexible in where you want to stay and when, you should be able to find it. Book at your home resort 11months out for when you want, then if you want to stay somewhere else, start calling at the 7 month window, with waitlisting if you need to. I know I have never seen SSR, but I can only imagine if I purchased there, that I would be happy with a room there because I would be in Disney, the happiest place in the world! Granted, I would love to try the other locations, but as long as I have my ressie at my home resort, I think I would be happy with that! Maybe that is just me.

 

[WOW]

Actually, we have been making reservations later than we ever have, don't ask me why it is just working out like that-----we have become more flexable for some reason......We just made reservations a week ago for a visit to WDW 5/27...........How's that for cutting it close????

 

[joepoe]

We have always made ressies at the 11th month mark, so we get first dibs every time.

 

[cruise-o-matic]

The "book your home at 11 and try to switch at 7" is a double edged sword. Do you take the chance and try to change your ressie day by day at the 7 month mark and possibly wind up with a split stay/waitlist situation? Or do you wait until 7 months from your checkout date and try to switch the whole ressie at once and risk losing available units to day by day callers? (As offsite owners of HH, we cannot book WDW until 7 months out.)

To me, SSR is a mixed blessing. I knew when we bought into DVC that we'd be competing with SSR owners for rooms at the smaller resorts. But I also know, that with the eventual size of SSR, we should always be able to book a room there.

 

[Cyndy]

Over the last 7 yrs. this has never been a problem, whenever we call we get what we want. That's because we own 2 seperate contracts (all part of the grand "estate planning" for the kids) one at BWV and one at BCV but our personal fav is OKW so when we can only book there (because of no. of rooms) we are very happy. Now due to the fast growth of DVC that may not be true for much longer. We usually book 10-7 months out but have booked 2-5 months out also and again never a problem.

SSR owners are not the problem they are just getting the same bad rap that BW owners got when we came along. DH & I are prime examples of people who bought from Disney when BW was what they were pushing. We enjoy this resort but love OKW yet when we bought the 2nd contract, BCV was the one to buy if you really wanted to have access to SAB and w/ 9 GKs that was the best for us. Now I think we will get those resale OKW points this year because DH loves those GV stays!

Now more than ever it seems really is necessary to buy where you want to stay. I think this will be true for some time.

 

[Dean]

The "book your home at 11 and try to switch at 7" is a double edged sword. Do you take the chance and try to change your ressie day by day at the 7 month mark and possibly wind up with a split stay/waitlist situation? Or do you wait until 7 months from your checkout date and try to switch the whole ressie at once and risk losing available units to day by day callers? (As offsite owners of HH, we cannot book WDW until 7 months out.)

There are actually several ways to do this. If you have enough points to use without having to borrow and are early enough in your use year, you can have it both ways. Just book at 7 months out then book separately at 7 months out until you get to the last day or so then you can cancel your duplicate reservation. This works especially well if you need to wait list any or all days.

 

[cruise-o-matic]

There are actually several ways to do this. If you have enough points to use without having to borrow and are early enough in your use year, you can have it both ways. Just book at 7 months out then book separately at 7 months out until you get to the last day or so then you can cancel your duplicate reservation. This works especially well if you need to wait list any or all days.

True, but I was thinking of those who didn't have enough points to do this. In fact, I may try that next summer since I'll have 350 points to deal with, using 150 for OKW and 200 for BCV, if I need to waitlist. BTW, how would this work in a situation w/banked points on the ressie you want to cancel?

 

[Dean]

True, but I was thinking of those who didn't have enough points to do this. In fact, I may try that next summer since I'll have 350 points to deal with, using 150 for OKW and 200 for BCV, if I need to waitlist. BTW, how would this work in a situation w/banked points on the ressie you want to cancel?

It depends on the specifics including how many banked points. My preferred approach would depend on whether using the banked points was most important or getting the 7 month reservations as well as how many banked points (or borrowed for that matter) vs current use year points I would like to end up using. If it were only a few, maybe enough for a day or two, I would prefer to keep dual reservations until the last day or two, that way I'd be using the banked points if I got everything. Even if you're desired destination is booked outside the banked points, you can usually use many of them by canceling a day made with current use year points and rebooking with the banked points. For example, say you have a reservation using current UY points and want to "substitute" banked points to free up and possibly bank other points. I'd call and say I want to sub the points. Sometimes they'll let you do this without making any changes otherwise even if the days are booked and on a wait list. If not, you simply ask which days are available, and cancel then rebook those days alone.

Option two would be to make 11 month reservations then call day one at 7 months. I'd ask the availability for the entire time I want to book and if it looks pretty available, book day by day, possibly canceling the 11 month reservation day by day. That way I'm using most or all the points, don't have any unnecessary points tied up and have all the days I need. Worst case scenario is I have to move once. I'd wait list any days I didn't get by starting two wait lists. One for the single adjoining day and one for the entire group of days I didn't get. If any of it came through, I'd cancel the corresponding back up reservation day(s). The only way I can think of this would get you stuck would be if your 11 month reservation were more than the one you changed to. Even then, if you're not too late in your use year and not using almost all banked or borrowed points, you should be OK and able to bank any points you free up.

Last option if for anyone who it's essentially the 7 month window or nothing. Still book at 11 months then if day one of the 7 month window things look OK, just cancel the old one and start day by day with the new one and do wait list day by day for all days. There are a couple of other twists you can throw in but these are the general directions that would work for most situations.