Benefits of booking via Member Services Phone vs Online?

[SkipperCliffy]

New owner (direct at Polynesian & resale at GF) and about to book our first trip for November 2025... is there any benefit towards booking via Member Services on the phone vs booking online? I've heard the phrase 'Welcome Home trip' but not sure if that applies to a trip so far in the future for a new owner.

Thanks in advance.

 

[thanxfornoticin]

We never had a Welcome Home Trip, so my response isn't based on that detail. But we've always found either approach gets you the same result when making reservations. Online tends to be much faster. I only call MS anymore if I might have a specific question or I'm someplace I can't get online.

I'd recommend you get online, log into your DVC member account, and do a little 'playing' for research to see how it works. Also, just a tip (that you might already know). Whenever you make a DVC reservation, you'll get a confirmation number. You'll need to manually link that room reservation with the confirmation number to your My Disney Experience App - that won't happen automatically. So don't panic if you make a reservation and you don't see it in your app - just link it once and you're good. Another tip - don't worry about adding every single guest you're expecting to be included on a particular reservation while making it. If you are the primary, make sure your info in correct. After you make the reservation, you can more casually go back in and modify the guest list on the reservation. Welcome home!

 

[aea71]

Welcome Home!

If I'm booking at exactly the 11 month mark, I prefer to book online as online reservations open at 8am EST whereas Member Services doesn't open until 9am EST. I can take care of any banking/borrowing transactions when I make the reservation. The only time I typically call MS is when I need to purchase one-time use points. The previous poster gave great advice. Being familiar with the DVC reservations website will save you time when your booking window opens if you're trying to book a high demand time frame.

 

[sndral]

Welcome home trips are for new direct members, since I assume you already owned VGF resale when you purchased your Poly points direct that likely won’t apply to you.
Online booking opens an hour before the phones open, thus it’s best to at least try and book online right at 11 months. My first couple of years I sometimes ended up trying on line & then having to call MS when they opened anyway, & more recently I’ve booked my first couple of days online then had to call MS when they opened to book the last couple of days because my vacation fell across my use years.
I agree w/ @thanxfornoticin, practice searching for the villa you want at various dates to get a sense for how the system works & how demand for that villa looks before your 11 month window opens.

 

[VGCgroupie]

Welcome home trip is for stays that are soon and presumably will be sold out on DVC to book yourself. They pull from cash inventory to book your room. There’s nothing else about the stay I am aware of that is different than if you booked yourself.

 

[VGCgroupie]

Welcome home trips are for new direct members, since I assume you already owned VGF resale when you purchased your Poly points direct that likely won’t apply to you.

This is no longer true. If you buy direct you have the ability to book a welcome home trip regardless if you are a current owner.

 

[sndral]

This is no longer true. If you buy direct you have the ability to book a welcome home trip regardless if you are a current owner.

Interesting, I wonder when that changed?
https://www.disboards.com/threads/welcome-home-trip-question.3950968/

 

[VGCgroupie]

Interesting, I wonder when that changed?
https://www.disboards.com/threads/welcome-home-trip-question.3950968/

It’s been within the last 3 months or so.

 

[SkipperCliffy]

We never had a Welcome Home Trip, so my response isn't based on that detail. But we've always found either approach gets you the same result when making reservations. Online tends to be much faster. I only call MS anymore if I might have a specific question or I'm someplace I can't get online.

I'd recommend you get online, log into your DVC member account, and do a little 'playing' for research to see how it works. Also, just a tip (that you might already know). Whenever you make a DVC reservation, you'll get a confirmation number. You'll need to manually link that room reservation with the confirmation number to your My Disney Experience App - that won't happen automatically. So don't panic if you make a reservation and you don't see it in your app - just link it once and you're good. Another tip - don't worry about adding every single guest you're expecting to be included on a particular reservation while making it. If you are the primary, make sure your info in correct. After you make the reservation, you can more casually go back in and modify the guest list on the reservation. Welcome home!

Thank you so much for this detailed information and the tips!

 

[SkipperCliffy]

Welcome Home!

If I'm booking at exactly the 11 month mark, I prefer to book online as online reservations open at 8am EST whereas Member Services doesn't open until 9am EST. I can take care of any banking/borrowing transactions when I make the reservation. The only time I typically call MS is when I need to purchase one-time use points. The previous poster gave great advice. Being familiar with the DVC reservations website will save you time when your booking window opens if you're trying to book a high demand time frame.

Good to know about that extra magic hour... thanks!

 

[Sandisw]

This is no longer true. If you buy direct you have the ability to book a welcome home trip regardless if you are a current owner.

I don’t know if it is true for all resorts. They did give new buyers if PVB tower that ability before they started selling to new buyers, but it only applied to getting the new tower.

Rumor was this would go away once booking for the tower opened for all, this would not longer be a thing.

New direct buyers get a welcome home option for potentially any resort which was different than what has happened with the owners who bought PVB tower

 

[VGCgroupie]

I don’t know if it is true for all resorts. They did give new buyers if PVB tower that ability before they started selling to new buyers, but it only applied to getting the new tower.

Rumor was this would go away once booking for the tower opened for all, this would not longer be a thing.

New direct buyers get a welcome home option for potentially any resort which was different than what has happened with the owners who bought PVB tower

I received it when buying VDH 3 months ago and was told they had recently changed the rules.

 

[Sandisw]

I received it when buying VDH 3 months ago and was told they had recently changed the rules.

Thanks for the update then.

 

[VGCgroupie]

Thanks for the update then.

I did say my husband was on the fence since we would need to guarantee we could stay in Feb if we bought. So maybe it was to help sell me. Although when I called MS to book it they didn’t say anything about me already being a member either.

 

[drusba]

The biggest advantage of being able to book online is that you can do so beginning at 8 a.m. eastern on any given day while the phones are not open until 9 a.m. For a number of reservations that can make the difference in getting a room and not getting it.

For example, you mentioned that you have purchased a VGF resale. DVC's highest demand time of the year at WDW is what has been referred to as the "fall season" which runs from late Sep to marathon weekend in Jan. If what you want is time in November 2025 in one of the Deluxe Studios (the original VGF studios) be aware that you should likely be making that reservation right at 11-months out from date of arrival at 8 a.m., particularly if trying to get time during Thanksgiving week or the Thurs to Sun of the Wine & Dine race weekend, and even other times can be at risk. That is because the rooms can fill for any particular start date before MS opens at 9 a.m.

 

[jennypenny]

What is a Welcome Home trip??

 

[Sandisw]

What is a Welcome Home trip??

When new owners bought direct, they would help them with their first reservation so they could use their points somewhere, if they wanted to travel and things were booked. Only new owners were eligible.

Sounds like they have expanded the program and that if you are current owner, adding on new points, they will help you book something with your new points using their own inventory.

 

[IMMkXLVI]

We bought directly from DVC for Riviera and it was our first DVC contract yet we never got a "welcome home trip".
They gave me the excuse that because I booked the first trip online myself that I was disqualified. Never mind I wasn't told not to book before calling MS. Never mind I wasn't able to book what we really wanted due to timing and limited availability. It seems Disney stays
hard and true to policies, even when to a members detriment and when the cause for an exception isn't attributable to the member.

I think I will start to view our DVC membership as a self service only product/experience. Anything that requires I contact MB should just be catalogued as if I did, the answer was no and move on to plan B. I haven't had a positive experience with MB beyond the initial call after we bought Riviera and the basics of DVC were explained. Omitting of course, the welcome home trip details and how not to book the first trip ourselves.

The theme park staff on the other hand has always been great.

 

[Mouseforward]

We bought directly from DVC for Riviera and it was our first DVC contract yet we never got a "welcome home trip".
They gave me the excuse that because I booked the first trip online myself that I was disqualified. Never mind I wasn't told not to book before calling MS. Never mind I wasn't able to book what we really wanted due to timing and limited availability. It seems Disney stays
hard and true to policies, even when to a members detriment and when the cause for an exception isn't attributable to the member.

I think I will start to view our DVC membership as a self service only product/experience. Anything that requires I contact MB should just be catalogued as if I did, the answer was no and move on to plan B. I haven't had a positive experience with MB beyond the initial call after we bought Riviera and the basics of DVC were explained. Omitting of course, the welcome home trip details and how not to book the first trip ourselves.

The theme park staff on the other hand has always been great.

I had the same experience, I called back and got a different agent and they booked VGF for me ( RIV owner) Others have been told by MS that rooms at VGF can not be pulled from cash for a welcome home stay.

Learn to call back later with MS they are not consistent.

 

[IMMkXLVI]

I'm sure if I asked about a welcome home trip now I'd be given a plethora of reasons why my request is laughable. Of course they would preface it with the word "regrettably".

Empty platitudes make all the difference.