canceling a reservation

[tmannelly]

Hi all! Thank you to those who have helped with my previous questions. We are just beginning our process of exploring if this is the right thing for us. I have a question about canceling a reservation...

I understood from our vacation club guide that reservations could be canceled up to 31 days in advance and all the points are put back in your account (can be used/banked/whatever). But if you cancel within the 31 days, they are put back but are held...need to be used by end of use year. Is this correct? Am I missing any information here?

Also, if we booked a trip through RCI using our DVC points and cancelled, does the same rule apply? If we cancel more than 31 days out, can we use our points for any thing (DVC, non-DVC, etc.) or are we limited to RCI?

Are there any other restrictions that I am not aware of?

Thanks for your time! This board has been a big help!

PS- I realize I could call my guide, but it is Sunday night...everyone is watching the Super Bowl...hope someone is on these boards to help

 

[tmannelly]

sorry, I don't know how I got a winky icon attached to the title of my post. I am new to boards...

 

[Dean]

Canceling non DVC reservations are a whole new ballgame. RCI is the worse in that your points are gone forever and you have limited additional exchange options if you cancel. I wouldn't buy DVC to exchange, just buy around the number of points you need, possibly with a small cushion.

 

[tmannelly]

Canceling non DVC reservations are a whole new ballgame. RCI is the worse in that your points are gone forever and you have limited additional exchange options if you cancel. I wouldn't buy DVC to exchange, just buy around the number of points you need, possibly with a small cushion.

What do you mean by limited additional exchange options? If I cancel with RCI, my points are gone forever? I can't rebook through RCI? So, if I plan a trip, say to Cabo, for a week (160 points) and have to cancel, the 160 points are gone for good or gone from DVC (usable in RCI?)? Just trying to clarify.

Was I correct in my understanding of the DVC cancellation policy?

What about canceling at another Disney resort (Disneyland, etc.?)

 

[AUTigerFan]

I understood from our vacation club guide that reservations could be canceled up to 31 days in advance and all the points are put back in your account (can be used/banked/whatever). But if you cancel within the 31 days, they are put back but are held...need to be used by end of use year. Is this correct? Am I missing any information here?

If you cancel within 30 days of a reservation, the points are put in a holding account. You cannot bank, borrow, or transfer holding account points. Also, you can only make a reservation 60 days out with holding points. This could limit availability, but we were able to get two studios right before xmas using holding points and a waitlist.

 

[DebbieB]

If you cancel a DVC resort reservation 31 days or more before, the points are returned to your account without holding. Any banked or borrowed points remain in the year they were moved to and will have to be used by the end of the use year. If you are before your banking deadline, you can bank any current year points.

 

[RobDoc]

What do you mean by limited additional exchange options? If I cancel with RCI, my points are gone forever? I can't rebook through RCI? So, if I plan a trip, say to Cabo, for a week (160 points) and have to cancel, the 160 points are gone for good or gone from DVC (usable in RCI?)? Just trying to clarify.

Was I correct in my understanding of the DVC cancellation policy?

What about canceling at another Disney resort (Disneyland, etc.?)

Once points have been committed to the World Passport Collection, they cannot be reclaimed to use for other DVC reservations. If you cancel the RCI reservation (within the limits of the program) you would be able to make another RCI reservation, but will have to pay another $95 exchange fee. There are also cancellation policies for the World Passport Collection - so be sure to understand that before cancelling.

As for the other non-DVC reservation options (Concierge Collection, Disney Collection, etc.) - once points have been used for one of those options, they become Reservation Points and , if cancelled, the points still cannot be used for a DVC reservation - only another non-DVC option.

 

[tmannelly]

Once points have been committed to the World Passport Collection, they cannot be reclaimed to use for other DVC reservations. If you cancel the RCI reservation (within the limits of the program) you would be able to make another RCI reservation, but will have to pay another $95 exchange fee. There are also cancellation policies for the World Passport Collection - so be sure to understand that before cancelling.

As for the other non-DVC reservation options (Concierge Collection, Disney Collection, etc.) - once points have been used for one of those options, they become Reservation Points and , if cancelled, the points still cannot be used for a DVC reservation - only another non-DVC option.

Thanks everyone for commenting. I think I understand completely the cancellation policy of the DVC options.

As far as non-DVC options:
Basically, then, for the non-DVC options, you can cancel, but those points have to be used that year for non-DVC only (if you cancel RCI, need to book RCI,). You also have to follow RCI cancellation policies (I assume they have a window of some sort...45 days? 60 days?, etc.) You also would need to pay another $95 exchange fee to book another World Passport collection.

Are there exchange fees for booking Disney collections? I think I understood that there were $95 fee for anything outside of DVC, am I correct on this?

Thanks so much! Sorry to be so dense on understanding the whole non-DVC thing.

We are thinking of buying and using DVC resorts 1/year or every other year...we just are sure we will, on occasion, use non-DVC properties also and wanted to be clear on what the policies are.

 

[DebbieB]

There is a $95 fee for outside reservations except Disneyland and if you make a change in the reservation (like dates, resort or room size), there is another $95 change fee.

 

[Dean]

I would add that if you have to cancel an RCI exchange, you are unlikely to be able to use that exchange to reschedule anything of desire unless short notice or you are very lucky.

 

[JimMIA]

With DVC options, there is one other fly in the ointment. Yes, your points are put back into your account if you cancel 31 days or more in advance of your scheduled checkin.

However...if you cancel within the last 4 months of your use year, you may still lose those points. Within 4 months of the end of your UY, you cannot bank the points, so they really are "use or lose." If you can't make a trip during that period - or rent your points - you will lose them.

 

[Anal Annie]

With DVC options, there is one other fly in the ointment. Yes, your points are put back into your account if you cancel 31 days or more in advance of your scheduled checkin.

However...if you cancel within the last 4 months of your use year, you may still lose those points. Within 4 months of the end of your UY, you cannot bank the points, so they really are "use or lose." If you can't make a trip during that period - or rent your points - you will lose them.

Does that mean just BOOK a trip with them during that 4 month period (say for 6 months out) or actually TRAVEL on them within the same 4 months?? Just for example - we have a Dec UY...in May, I book a trip for Oct. and have to cancel it in Sept. (say at 28 days out). Now I am "stuck" with these points needing to be used by the end of November?? Can I make another ressie by Nov. 30 say for January or February (knowing that late Nov or Dec is likely not going to have any availability) or do I really need to travel by Nov. 30? Would it have made a diff. tho if I'd cancelled at 32 days out?? I would have more options??

 

[chalee94]

Does that mean just BOOK a trip with them during that 4 month period (say for 6 months out) or actually TRAVEL on them within the same 4 months??

actually TRAVEL within 4 months.

Just for example - we have a Dec UY...in May, I book a trip for Oct. and have to cancel it in Sept. (say at 28 days out). Now I am "stuck" with these points needing to be used by the end of November??

yes.

Can I make another ressie by Nov. 30 say for January or February (knowing that late Nov or Dec is likely not going to have any availability)?

no.

Would it have made a diff. tho if I'd cancelled at 32 days out?? I would have more options??

no. it's not related to the 31 day rule at all. it's a question of your banking window.

the banking window for a dec UY closes at the end of july. if you cancel after that, you are stuck and have to use the pts quickly or else rent them quickly. if you don't use them, then they expire at the end of that use year at the end of november, because you can no longer bank them into the next UY.

that's why it's good to choose a UY month that's right before you typically travel during the year, if possible.

 

[tjkraz]

Does that mean just BOOK a trip with them during that 4 month period (say for 6 months out) or actually TRAVEL on them within the same 4 months?? Just for example - we have a Dec UY...in May, I book a trip for Oct. and have to cancel it in Sept. (say at 28 days out). Now I am "stuck" with these points needing to be used by the end of November?? Can I make another ressie by Nov. 30 say for January or February (knowing that late Nov or Dec is likely not going to have any availability) or do I really need to travel by Nov. 30? Would it have made a diff. tho if I'd cancelled at 32 days out?? I would have more options??

In this specific example--since you canceled less than 31 days out--the points go into Holding status. They cannot be banked. You can only use them to re-book 60 days (or less) prior to arrival. And they expire if your stay does not occur by 11/30.

If you had canceled 31+ days out you wouldn't be held to the "re-book on 60 days notice" part. And you MAY be able to bank the points. Whether or not depends on the timing and whether the points were borrowed/banked to begin with. That's the point of Jim's post.

With a December Use Year, your banking deadline is July 31st. After that day you can no longer bank points. So even if you had canceled your October trip more than 31 days out (say, August 15th), you are already past the date where they can be banked. You must use them toward a stay completed by 11/30 or they are simply forfeit.

 

[Anal Annie]

OK, got it (I think). The example I used above really wouldn't be something we'd ever do I don't think because of our school calendar I was just trying to get a grasp.

I believe the Dec UY works out pretty good for us as we are likely to only travel in the summer or possibly a long weekend in Jan or Feb or maybe a few days over spring break...All of that planning is out the window now tho with the new point charts. The Xmas holidays are something we'd like to do one day, in a couple of years...but since we have a Dec UY this particular problem wouldn't apply as we'd likely use points from that UY. Maybe. Anyway, I think pretty much most of what we'd ever book would be done before our banking deadline occurs at the end of July.