Booking Question

[mickeyplanner]

We are new DVC members, we closed February 2012...BLT is our home resort with a Dec UY.

I am trying to plan ahead for 2013 for three trips to WDW and wanted to possibly stay at another resort other than BLT for one of those trips.

We would like to go Disney May 2013, that means our 11 month window would open in June 2012 to book. We would prefer to try to get in at BC at 7 months out for SAB.

My question is if I make a reservation on June 11, 2012 for May 11-18, 2013 at BLT and then I am only able to get some dates at the BC at the seven month window.... can I do a split stay and only cancel those nights not needed at BLT or do I need a whole new reservation at BLT?
I hope to be able to get all the nights at BC at the seven month window but I am just trying to figure out everything now.
I guess the real question is if you have reservations at one resort and decide to do a split stay later on, can you cancel a portion of the nights at one resort without penalty or do you have to start all over again with availability at both resorts.

 

[hakepb]

Yes, over the phone you should be able to drop 1 or more BLT days and then add BCV days if available.
I am unsure of MS can (old system used to but new system may not) hold BC days before you drop the BLT days, though.

There are no fees or penalties in dropping day(s) 31 or more days before checkin. The main issue is, will BCV use less points than BLT? Of so q
Will you be within your banking window for those extra points?

 

[iluvthsgam]

You can always drop days off from your reservation anytime and the points will go back to the use year they were used from (as long as the reservation is 30+ days away). If you borrowed points to make the reservation and cancel the points do NOT go back, they stay in that use year they were borrowed into.

You can't change reservations online, only cancel - so some people book the original reservation as two separate ones - that way they can cancel the days they don't want online without having to call up.

If you want to make sure you get all days by booking everything right at the 11-month window then just make 1 reservation and if you find days at the 7-month mark at BCV, reserve those - then call in and modify your BLT reservation.

One last thought - if you have to borrow points and then cancel - they will stay in the use year you borrowed into - but member services can always reallocate your points so that borrowed points are the first used on a reservation. This makes sure any extra points from the original use year can be saved to be banked (as borrowed points cannot be banked).

 

[wildernessDad]

You can drop off days at the start or end of your vacation.

 

[mickeyplanner]

Awesome, sounds like we will be covered since I am not borrowing any points and our banking window is November and we will make the reservations in October for BCV so I should be covered. I will make the BLT reservations online and then call for the BCV portion a few months later.

Thank you all for your advice/help.

 

[maburke]

Awesome, sounds like we will be covered since I am not borrowing any points and our banking window is November and we will make the reservations in October for BCV so I should be covered. I will make the BLT reservations online and then call for the BCV portion a few months later.

Thank you all for your advice/help.

Actually, since you said your use year is December, your banking window ends at the end of July. However, your trip is in your next use year, (Dec 2012 - Nov 2013), so you'll want to bank before October, anyway. But I didn't want it to get away from you next year.

 

[mickeyplanner]

Actually, since you said your use year is December, your banking window ends at the end of July. However, your trip is in your next use year, (Dec 2012 - Nov 2013), so you'll want to bank before October, anyway. But I didn't want it to get away from you next year.

Thanks for pointing out july, I guess I get confused on the cutoff date of using banked points.

 

[mickeyplanner]

OK I have another question but is now on banking points.
I understand that I have to bank poinst by July 31 for a Dec UY. I banked 19 points from 2011 so for Dec 2012 UY I am showing 219 points. When I called member services today to add a waitlist reservation I asked about banking the 219 December 2012 points and they told me I have until July 31, 2013 to bank those points. Is that correct?

I now know how confusing a December UY is..., I actually get the 2012 points on December 2012 so I really don't have points to use until December 2012 and that is why I have until July 31, 2013 to bank those point?

That will work great because of planning our May 2013 trip. That is why I can book in October 2012 for May 2013 and then bank Dec 2012 UY points in July 2013?

 

[chalee94]

When I called member services today to add a waitlist reservation I asked about banking the 219 December 2012 points and they told me I have until July 31, 2013 to bank those points. Is that correct?

yes. your 2012 UY doesn't even start till dec 1, 2012.

I now know how confusing a December UY is..., I actually get the 2012 points on December 2012 so I really don't have points to use until December 2012 and that is why I have until July 31, 2013 to bank those point?

yes. most of your dec 2012 UY is actually in calendar year 2013. a dec 2012 UY means those pts are valid for stays from dec 1, 2012 to nov 30, 2013.

That will work great because of planning our May 2013 trip. That is why I can book in October 2012 for May 2013 and then bank Dec 2012 UY points in July 2013?

you can book 11 months ahead at your home resort and 7 months ahead at any DVC resort, subject to availability.

use year has nothing to do with when you can call to book. so long as you have access to banked/current/borrowed pts during the period of your stay, you can book at 11 months for your home resort.

use year month is mostly an issue if you need to cancel.

some examples about the differences between traveling late in your UY and early in your UY:

if you have an dec UY and a nov 2012 trip and you need to cancel 60 days out, your banking window closed on july 31, 2012 so you'd have to use all of the pts in the reservation before they expire on nov 30, 2012.

if you have an dec UY and an dec 2012 trip and you need to cancel 60 days out, your banking window won't close until july 31, 2013 so you'd have until then to decide whether to use current year (2012) pts for a reservation in that UY or else bank them to the next year. (you'd still need to use any banked and borrowed pts by nov 30, 2013.)

if you have an dec UY and a nov 2012 trip and you need to cancel 5 days out, the pts would turn into "holding" pts so you'd have to use all of the pts in the reservation subject to a 60-day-out limitation - but that won't matter since they expire on nov 30...which is less than 60 days out.

if you have an dec UY and an dec 2012 trip and you need to cancel 5 days out, the pts would turn into "holding" pts so you'd have to use all of the pts in the reservation subject to a 60-day-out limitation - but at least you'd have 12 months before they expire on nov 30, 2013 to decide what to do with them.

more info about UY is here if you need it:

http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=1942668

 

[mickeyplanner]

Thanks for the link and detailed explaination. As I was typing the post yesterday is was all starting to make more sense to me. I will get the hang of the ins and outs soon enough of being a DVC member thanks to all of you on DIS.