Booking online

[ScrappinGran]

Planning a trip for Sept. 26-Oct. 3, 2015. I own at BLT, and want to book a dedicated 2 bedroom, Theme Park view. I have never booked online before, how difficult is it to do? What info will I need? Kind of nervous to try the online, but afraid if I wait until 9:00 that I won't get what I want. Can someone tell me what it's like to book online? I also have never used the availability tool, where is that and how do I use it? I am planning a Girl's Trip consisting of 6 adult women. Do I need their birth dates, etc? Haven't booked in awhile, and am very nervous!

 

[maburke]

Planning a trip for Sept. 26-Oct. 3, 2015. I own at BLT, and want to book a dedicated 2 bedroom, Theme Park view. I have never booked online before, how difficult is it to do? What info will I need? Kind of nervous to try the online, but afraid if I wait until 9:00 that I won't get what I want. Can someone tell me what it's like to book online? I also have never used the availability tool, where is that and how do I use it? I am planning a Girl's Trip consisting of 6 adult women. Do I need their birth dates, etc? Haven't booked in awhile, and am very nervous!

I love booking online. I think it's really easy. You need people's addresses and phone numbers, but not their birthdates. (Ages for children, but not adults.)

You can try booking a reservation online before your actual dates, and just cancel before it's finalized (or even after it's finalized, that's no problem more than 30 days out). Then you'll see how easy it is and you'll be more comfortable.

The availability tool is one of the choices on the menu, but I don't think you need it for this purpose.

Good luck! Let us know how it goes.

 

[ScrappinGran]

Thank you, maburke. I will be borrowing points to make the booking, assuming there is a way to do this. One person may only be coming for a few days, the others will stay the whole time. Will that matter? How hard is it to add someone else to the reservation, should anyone else decide to join us?

 

[maburke]

There is a way to borrow points. It will ask you if you need to borrow. Do you have only one contract? If so, then it will be really easy.

As for people who are not staying the whole time, that doesn't really matter unless you are getting the dining plan (and then they don't really let you change your party, anyway). It's really just easiest, and I don't think there's any reason not, to just put all of the people on the whole reservation. If you have people switching in and out, that might be a little more complicated. But if some people are only coming for part of it, just put everyone down for all of it.

If you want to add people after you make your initial reservation, you do that by phoning Member Services.

 

[CarolMN]

.....(snip)...... One person may only be coming for a few days, the others will stay the whole time. Will that matter?

Not unless you are also planning to get one of the dining plans. If not, there is no problem at all if some of your guests won't be there the entire time. If yes, there could be a problem. Everyone registered must buy the same dining plan for every night of the reservation.

... How hard is it to add someone else to the reservation, should anyone else decide to join us?

Not hard at all (assuming you do not exceed the occupancy of the villa). You just call MS and the CM will take care of it for you. If the additional guest isn't using Magical Express and doesn't want to make FP+ selections in advance (and you aren't getting a dining plan), you can even do it at check-in.

Have fun!

 

[drusba]

I assume you mean you will be booking 11 months out. If so, be aware that for a 2BR dedicated for that time of year, you will most likely have plenty of time to do the booking on the day 11 months out because 2BR dedicateds are usually the next to last to fill (1BRs take longer).

That said, I would suggest if this will be your first attempt to book online, that you do a test run of reserving a room for an earlier time and just do not reserve it when you get to the page where you finally do that (and even if you reserve something you can easily cancel it on the very next page that comes up).

Also be aware that the process of reserving takes some time on line to do but once you have confirmed that you want the room and time, you will then have 20 minutes to do everything needed as the room is held for that period while you continue doing the reservation.

As to information, you need names and addresses of those who will be in the room. Note, however, if you want, you can just do the online reservation for yourself as a party of 1 and then later call and add names and addresses of others.

As to steps:

1. Sign in to site

2. Click on My Vacations in upper right

3. In the pull down list that shows up, click Disney Vacation Resorts under Book Online

4. On next "Check for Availability" page, you will choose dates you want, number of people (put in number for whom you have names and addresses that you want to provide initially), resort you want, and then room size. Note that the site identifies a dedicated 2BR simply as a "2 Bedroom Villa" to distinguish it from the other choice given "2 Bedroom Lock-Off Villa". Click Continue when done

5. On the next "Select Your Resort" page, you will be shown whether what you want is open (it will be at 11 months out) and points needed, and also shown some alternatives you could choose if you do not want your first choice.

6 On the next "Select Your Contracts and Vacation Points" page, you will see at top a big Warning that you now have only 20 minutes to finish the reservation and meanwhile it is locked in. You also need to choose which contracts to apply to the reservation if you have more than one and the order of the contracts from which points will be taken. If the total you have is not enough points, you will also have the option to borrow points. (Note if you need to bank points before reserving, that is a transaction you must do separately before attempting the reservation process; it can be done online or by calling; if points have been banked they will show up on this select contracts page as banked points in the applicable contracts.) Click Continue when done.

7. The next Provide Guest Information page is where you put in names and addresses of those who will be in the rooms and designate whether they are members. You can also provide phone number and email address but you only need to provide that for yourself. Click Continue when done.

8. The next Book This Accomodation page provides what you have already requested. You need to scroll down through a lengthy legal terms and disclaimer before you can click that you accept it. After that you click to confirm reservation. The next page that comes up.will also confirm what you have and points used. it also gives you the option to cancel what you just did and start over if you don't want it. You need do nothing on this page if you want to keep what you have done.

After you are done, go back to the original home page, and under My Vacations pull down list click on Upcoming Vacations to see what you have just reserved. You will also get an email confirmation.

 

[js]

If it were me and what I have done in the past is just use my home address. This way, you are the keeper of Ll the information and all the info will be mailed directly to you so you don't have to keep asking your friends if they received, etc. I also only list my email address and would be the one to do all ME, etc.

 

[lisaviolet]

Love it so much that this week I had a horrific flashback - remember the days when online booking didn't exist?

I shook.

And if you love the thrill of the hunt, it might even become like Las Vegas for you one day. Totally love the scanning for the gems.

 

[ScrappinGran]

Thank you ALL for your help! I did as recommended and did kind of a walk through, which helped. drusba, your walk through is amazing! I am nervous that I won't be able to enter all the addresses of my guests in time before it times out, I am a painfully slow typer. And I do have a glitch now..discovered in the walk through thank goodness. Somehow our DVC profiles weren't "correct" and I had to update them. But NOW, I can't log in at all, only through my husbands profile. Then somehow I get moved from DVC to MDE, and can't log in there either. Ugh. I guess I'll be on the phone tomorrow to get it all straightened out! Anyways, thank you all!

 

[lisaviolet]

Thank you ALL for your help! I did as recommended and did kind if a walk through, which helped. drugs a, your walk through is amazing! I am nervous that I won't be able to enter all the addresses of my guests in time before it times out, I am a painfully slow typer. And I do have a glitch now..discovered in the walk through thank goodness. Somehow our DVC profiles weren't "correct" and I had to update them. But NOW, I can't log in at all, only through my husbands profile. Then somehow I get moved from DVC to MDE, and can't log in there either. Ugh. I guess I'll be on the phone tomorrow to get it all straightened out! Anyways, thank you all!

Hope you get that worked out tomorrow ScrappinGran, frustrating.

But once you get used to it all, I'm sure you will just love it. I was joking around in my last post but honestly it is such a great addition, makes booking/cancelling so much easier - it's great to be in control of it all.

 

[ScrappinGran]

I just wanted to thank everyone in this thread for your help. Earlier in the week a fantastic CM helped me link my DVC account with MDE. So those log in issues were resolved. Today I was able to reserve exactly what I wanted for next fall. drusba, I had your step by step instructions on my iPad, next to my laptop. You all are the BEST! So looking forward to our Girls Trip next fall. BLT, get ready!