Booking at 11 and changing at 7?

[kungaloosh]

Hi,
We've been members since 2003 but I've always just made a reservation and stuck to it. This year we want to take some friends and our niece and thought the little girls would get a huge kick out of AKL. However that's not my home resort so I have to wait for 7 months. My home resort is BCV and I'm wondering if I should try booking that now and then try changing at the 7 month window. Is this allowed? Is this a common practice? The AKL stay would be slightly higher in points. We are meeting with our friends today so I'd love to have an answer to discuss with them.

On a side note we did go at the same time of year a couple years ago and AKL was not available at the 7 month window but that may have been before Kidani was totally complete. We tried to add on 2 nights and stayed at SS and then switched to BCV which I had booked at the 11 month window.

Thanks,
Cathy

 

[HotdogDncrs]

If I were you I would book at BCV, so that you know you definitely have a place to stay. Then at 7 months, call back and see if you can switch to AK. We do this all the time - we book our home resort (BLT) at 11 months, and then usually try switching the last portion of our trip to a different resort (feels like 2 vacations in one). If what we want is not available, then we are fine with staying at BLT for the whole trip.

If you don't book at your home resort, then you are gambling that something will be available at the 7 month mark. Keep in mind, that even if AK is not available when you call at 7 months, you can always wait list for it.

Good luck with your decision.

 

[Lost boy]

We always book our home resort at 11 months so we're guaranteed a place then switch at 7 months if we want to try somewhere else. I'm sure MS deals with this everyday and are always great at helping us with it when we do it. Go for it, and good luck.

 

[OKW Lover]

This is a very common practice. It allows you to firm-up your travel arrangements, such as vacation days, flights and car rental, while staying flexible on where you are staying.

 

[BuzzLiteyear]

It's what I will be doing in a couple of weeks

 

[lions1995]

Call at the 7 month window. There may be some big decisions to make. They may have some days available, but not all. So you might be able to move the first few nights bit not the entire time. You could book the change and out the rest on waitlist or just waitlist for the entire time. I am hoping the ability to make ressies online will make it easy to look online to see what rooms / resorts / dates are available for possible changes. I would not have to call MS everyday then.

 

[333disneymom]

We do this all the time. We start with AKL and then switch at 7 months to something else. We are trying to stay at all the DVC resorts and own at AKL (which we haven't stayed at yet). By booking your home resort, you have a definite room in case AKL is not available at 7 months. At that point, you can do a wait list. Good luck - I hope you get AKL.

 

[mom2mizmous]

Hello neighbor! We also own at BCV, but do like to visit other resorts. By all means, do book home resort at 11 then try to move at 7. As others have said, this will prevent "homelessness" if AK is not available at 7 or wait list doesn't come through. We do this all the time ( including this summer- first part of trip switched at 7 months to WL for dh and mine 35th anniversary part of trip. When DD and DGD fly down to meet us we are switching back "home "to BCV -after a two day visit to the "dark side" aka USF so the girls can visit Harrry- lol). We had booked this trip initially all at BCV (split ressies) then at 7 months moved the first part to WL- Hopefully we made someone else happy at 7 months to get our BCV flower3: