Booking home resort @11 months as a fallback

[MJ6987]

Can you book your home resort at 11 months out and then change it to another resort at 7 months out if something 'preferable' comes available (cancelling your original booking)? Or are there restrictions / penalties for doing so? If it is possible, do Member Service handle all this for you?

I know people say "buy where you are happy to stay" but it doesn't mean they want to stay there every time - after all the flexibility is the biggest selling point of DVC

Thanks

 

[disneynutz]

Can you book your home resort at 11 months out and then change it to another resort at 7 months out if something 'preferable' comes available (cancelling your original booking)? Or are there restrictions / penalties for doing so? If it is possible, do Member Service handle all this for you?

I know people say "buy where you are happy to stay" but it doesn't mean they want to stay there every time - after all the flexibility is the biggest selling point of DVC

Thanks

This is what you should do and there isn't any penalty. The points required for the 7 month reservation may be more or less than your original so banking and borrowing might come into play.

Bill

 

[Sandisw]

Most people do this so that in case where they want to try is not available, they at least have a place to stay and then can use the wait list and stalking the member website to still try.

 

[MJ6987]

Thanks both. I thought this was the case, just wanted to check. We are thinking of buying and this is a useful thing to know.

 

[MJ6987]

A follow on question...

If you wanted a split stay (part home resort / part other resort) can you make the whole reservation at home resort at 11 months and then cancel part of the reservation at 7 months and book the other resort for those days (assuming it is available)?

 

[gmi3804]

A follow on question...

If you wanted a split stay (part home resort / part other resort) can you make the whole reservation at home resort at 11 months and then cancel part of the reservation at 7 months and book the other resort for those days (assuming it is available)?

Yes. Both with the same phone call.

 

[MJ6987]

Yes. Both with the same phone call.

Thanks

 

[sndral]

A follow on question...

If you wanted a split stay (part home resort / part other resort) can you make the whole reservation at home resort at 11 months and then cancel part of the reservation at 7 months and book the other resort for those days (assuming it is available)?

I just tried doing this for the first time, I knew I had to call as I only wanted to cancel a couple of nights of the original reservation and keep the rest. The replacement resort for those days showed as available at exactly 7 months online when the online booking window opened @ 8 am, but by the time I was able to call @ 9 am (and waited 27 minutes to get through) the replacement resort was gone - so this strategy may not work during really high demand times when you don't have enough extra points to grab what you want online and wait an hour + to call and cancel the extra days on the original reservation. FYI.

 

[MJ6987]

I just tried doing this for the first time, I knew I had to call as I only wanted to cancel a couple of nights of the original reservation and keep the rest. The replacement resort for those days showed as available at exactly 7 months online when the online booking window opened @ 8 am, but by the time I was able to call @ 9 am (and waited 27 minutes to get through) the replacement resort was gone - so this strategy may not work during really high demand times when you don't have enough extra points to grab what you want online and wait an hour + to call and cancel the extra days on the original reservation. FYI.

OK, thanks, useful to know.

 

[MJ6987]

I just tried doing this for the first time, I knew I had to call as I only wanted to cancel a couple of nights of the original reservation and keep the rest. The replacement resort for those days showed as available at exactly 7 months online when the online booking window opened @ 8 am, but by the time I was able to call @ 9 am (and waited 27 minutes to get through) the replacement resort was gone - so this strategy may not work during really high demand times when you don't have enough extra points to grab what you want online and wait an hour + to call and cancel the extra days on the original reservation. FYI.

Thanks, useful to know. Could you "borrow" the points to book online and then pay them back when you call to cancel the old days?

 

[vicki_c]

Thanks, useful to know. Could you "borrow" the points to book online and then pay them back when you call to cancel the old days?

No borrowed points cannot be unborrowed. They would stay in the use year where you borrowed them into.

 

[ChrisNY2]

No borrowed points cannot be unborrowed. They would stay in the use year where you borrowed them into.

I think maybe she meant "pay them back" by then banking the number of points when you've cancelled the other reservation.

 

[AKVFamily]

I just tried doing this for the first time, I knew I had to call as I only wanted to cancel a couple of nights of the original reservation and keep the rest. The replacement resort for those days showed as available at exactly 7 months online when the online booking window opened @ 8 am, but by the time I was able to call @ 9 am (and waited 27 minutes to get through) the replacement resort was gone - so this strategy may not work during really high demand times when you don't have enough extra points to grab what you want online and wait an hour + to call and cancel the extra days on the original reservation. FYI.

Is it possible to make these types of changes online so the phone wait time doesn't become a factor, or do you have to do it by phone?

 

[MJ6987]

I think maybe she meant "pay them back" by then banking the number of points when you've cancelled the other reservation.

Yeah, that's what I meant. By the way "she" = he

 

[chalee94]

Is it possible to make these types of changes online so the phone wait time doesn't become a factor, or do you have to do it by phone?

you cannot change part of a reservation online at this point.

so "by phone" only in this type of case.

 

[scargal]

Always book at 11 months and then change if we want to at 7 months. We always plan far in advance and have never had any problems getting what we want.