[W]e have decided to take the risk and go for the standard 2BR at 11 months. If we end up at AKV instead, we will still have a great trip
. There is only a 2 point difference between the 2BR std at BWV and a 2BR std at AKV....and the room at Kidani is much better suited for them.
Explain to me (one more time...sorry
) how I would go about walking this reservation. Since it would be using transferred points, I would have to call anyways. When do I start and how often would I need to call?
The theory behind walking a reservation is that you can book before 11 months out and lock in your start date before anyone actually reserving exactly 11 months out usually reserves that start date and by doing so you can block out others for your room and can drop and add nights thereafter. Thus, if your start date for the week or two weeks is Oct 15, 2016, then on November 9, 2015, you would call and book 7 nights, Oct 9-16, 2016. That locks in the first night, Oct 15, that you actually want. The particular room space assigned to you can thereafter not be booked by anyone calling from Nov 9 to Nov 15 for the night of Oct 16 or after because they cannot get your particular room space for any nights before Oct 16. Simple example: assume there are only two rooms and you book one for Oct 9-16. Anyone else calling from Nov 9-15, can only get the other room because you are blocking out those Oct 9 through 15 nights for your room.
Thus, once you have that start date, you can call after Nov 9 and drop and add nights until you have all the nights you want because by calling MS you can do that drop and add to your reservation without losing it. Theoretically, you could actually wait until Nov 15, and on that date call and drop the nights Oct 9 through 14, keep 15, and add the nights of 16 through 21, giving a departure date of Oct 22 and then on Nov 21, call and add the nights of Oct 22 through 28 with a departure date of Oct 28, and thereafter call and add the last night you need for the two weeks. I say theorectially because others recommend that you actually call daily to to drop and add a night once you have locked in your start date because, though your intial reservation blocks out other members from reserving your room for time after Oct 15, it does not block out the possibility that there may be some room space designated to be out of service Oct 16 and after, and thus there is a possibility that others could lock in all available room space after Oct 15 by reserving during Nov 10 through 15. Moreover, waiting till Nov 15 to make the drop and add does not block off one other possibility -- Disney's reserving rooms for its own use before 11 months out. Disney retains a portion of each resort and can reserve room space under the same rules applicable to members at 11 monthsa out. Two years ago I discovered a questionable activity. When looking for the availability of AKV Jambo GV's for Thanksgiving at 11 months out from the Sunday before Thanksgiving, I found that they were open for the Sun, Mon and Tues of Thanksgiving week but full for Wednesday and Thanskgiving night. That is an impossibility if members are following the 11 month window, i.e., they could not possibly get Wed and Thurs at 11 months out from the Sun unless they also got Sun through Tues. I also considered it highly unlikely that any of the GV's would be designated for being out of service for the Wed and Thurs of Thanksgiving week at more than 11 months out (I guess I am just suspicious that way). I sent emails to both MS and the
DVC Member Satisfaction group, twice, questioning what was happening and both times got the standard we have received the email and will get back to you response, and they never did; the next year the GV's did not disappear before 11 months out at Thanksgiving. In other words, I am in the camp that if you are going to go through the bother of walking, make the changes to your reservation daily if you want to guarantee the walking process will work and eliminate all risk otherwise.
You should note, however, you could have a different walking issue if your actual start date is Oct 15. Oct 9 is the Sun of Columbus Day weekend, a weekend when there is some risk that nights could disappear for standard studios and 2BRs before 11 months out. In essence, you may have to search for a date, such as Nov 11, 12, or 13, to actually start the walking process for time in Oct. There is also the possibility of "extreme" walking which I have learned members have done for AKV club level studios and 2BRs which are gone exactly 11 months out about 80% of the year. They hnave some planned stay, such as your Oct 15 and after and actually start looking for a date to start walking during the slower DVC demand times in mid to late July and once they find a start date, reserve a number of nights and then walk for months until they have the days they want. I do not think that is needed for BWV for any category of room.
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. After discussing it with the family, we have decided to take the risk and go for the standard 2BR at 11 months. If we end up at AKV instead, we will still have a great trip
