cash ressie question

[beachblanket]

O.K., this is a really basic question, and since I've been a DVC member since 1997, I should probably know the answer, but I don't:

If I call MS to make a 8 night ressie and only have enough points for 7 nights, can I pay for the last night with cash? If so, does it become any more complicated if I'm doing a day-by-day ressie?

Any help appreciated.

 

[Macnjac87]

Yes, you can make a cash night reservation for that one night if there are cash nights available. Don't forget to ask about the Member discount and have them link the 2 reservations together.

 

[tinkermell]

Hi, I'm new to this and gleaning all the information before we buy in. I was also wondering about paying extra cash if you didn't have enough points. What is the DVC discount? Is it a percentage off of a regular hotel night stay, or is it a percentage off of the point system? I heard the going rate is $10-12 per point. Well that could be fairly pricey, compared to a regular hotel rate couldn't it? Even with a discount? Thanks!

 

[beachblanket]

Yes, you can make a cash night reservation for that one night if there are cash nights available. Don't forget to ask about the Member discount and have them link the 2 reservations together.

Macnjac, thanks!!!! I asked about the day by day because I'm looking at doing an eight night stay in my home resort during early April 2008. Since that is smack dab in the middle of the Easter high demand season, I need to do day by day to insure I get what I want. I trust that 11 months out to the day there will still likely be cash inventory for that one night. And I will ask if there is a member discount.

And here's one more question:

If DVC will let me, I should probably try to make the first night of that ressie the cash one, just so I know right from the start I've got that "eighth" night in hand (given I always start dialing MS right about 3 minutes before 9am whenever I do these day by day ressies, I know I will definitely be able to get the following 7 nights).

So (anyone) - will MS let me do that - call on day one and make a cash ressie for night 1, and book the subsequent nights (via a linked ressie) on a day by day basis using points?

Or will they make me "use up" my points first before allowing me to book the final night using cash?

Thanks again for the help!!!

 

[DebbieB]

You don't have to use up your points first. If available, it's independent of how many points you have. The key is "if available", it's not automatic.

 

[beachblanket]

You don't have to use up your points first. If available, it's independent of how many points you have. The key is "if available", it's not automatic.

Thanks - again, I'm optimistic it will be. Again, this ressie is for earlier April next year (likely the second week). Easter falls early in 2008 (3/23), which means the school vacation periods will be more spread out than when Easter falls in April (when the majority of the masses all come the week preceeding and immediately following Easter Sunday; that just doesn't happen when Easter falls at the end of the third week in March). So I suspect that eleven months out, I'm likely to find at least one cash night available across the course of eight days.

I guess the process I will follow is asking the first day I call if that first night can be paid for by cash. If the answer is "no, that's not available," then book it using points. Then keep repeating that question every subsequent day when I call to add a night. Again, hopefully one of those nights will be available.

If it turns none of them are, then on the day I call for the last (eighth) night I will ask if any other space in the resort is available that night for a cash payment. If the answer is still no, then ask if space for that date for cash is available at any other DVC property at WDW. I'd be very, very surprised if the answer to that is no!

 

[OKWMom]

I just did something similar. I reserved a GV at OKW for the week beginning the Sunday after Thanksgiving through the following Saturday. I was going to be short the points for the entire stay, so I wanted to book the final night with cash. When I called for the final night (for cash), I was told they hadn't released the cash nights but they were being released approximately two to three days later, not right at the 11 month mark. I guess this is to give members the first chance to reserve the rooms on points. The CM suggested I call back in two days and keep calling each day to check if the rooms had been released for cash reservations. It ended up being two days from my first call, but I got the night at the member discount.

Good luck to you.

 

[SuzanneSLO]

And while it might feel good to get that cash night booked, the usual wisdom is that it is best to book a weekend night for cash, thus saving more points. The cash night price is the same for both weekdays and weekends. In fact, the 25% member discount may be easier to find on a weekend night.

That said, if you are willing to pay full price for that one night, I don't think you will find availability to be a problem. For example, I checked on availabilty thr CRO for the Friday and Saturday nights in late March 3/23-24, 2007, and studios, 1 BR and 2 BR are all available at the BCV. The prices per night (including tax but without any discount) were $482.63, $630 and $1096.88, respectively. This compares to 32, 60 and 75 points to book on weekend nights during Magic Season.

Best of luck in your decision-- Suzanne

 

[beachblanket]

I just did something similar. I reserved a GV at OKW for the week beginning the Sunday after Thanksgiving through the following Saturday. I was going to be short the points for the entire stay, so I wanted to book the final night with cash. When I called for the final night (for cash), I was told they hadn't released the cash nights but they were being released approximately two to three days later, not right at the 11 month mark. I guess this is to give members the first chance to reserve the rooms on points. The CM suggested I call back in two days and keep calling each day to check if the rooms had been released for cash reservations. It ended up being two days from my first call, but I got the night at the member discount.

And while it might feel good to get that cash night booked, the usual wisdom is that it is best to book a weekend night for cash, thus saving more points. The cash night price is the same for both weekdays and weekends. In fact, the 25% member discount may be easier to find on a weekend night.

That said, if you are willing to pay full price for that one night, I don't think you will find availability to be a problem. For example, I checked on availabilty thr CRO for the Friday and Saturday nights in late March 3/23-24, 2007, and studios, 1 BR and 2 BR are all available at the BCV. The prices per night (including tax but without any discount) were $482.63, $630 and $1096.88, respectively. This compares to 32, 60 and 75 points to book on weekend nights during Magic Season.

Best of luck in your decision-- Suzanne

Thanks to both of you so much for the sharing of experiences and tips. OKW, your point about "delayed" release of cash nights makes perfect sense, and actually raises an interesting issue.

The first night I will want to reserve will be a Friday. So, I call exactly 11 months from that date and make a ressie with points. I then call back each subsequent day to add a night to the ressie, When I call on the 3rd or 4th day, I'm now wondering if I can ask the CM if I can switch an earlier night (preferably per Suzanne's point one of the higher point ones, ergo a Friday or Saturday) I already reserved with points to to cash.

If the answer is "yes, if it's available" - and it turns out that night is available for cash -- that would be the simplest way to do this.

But I don't know if MS let's you make that sort of "retroactive" change.

 

[OKWMom]

(snip) The first night I will want to reserve will be a Friday. So, I call exactly 11 months from that date and make a ressie with points. I then call back each subsequent day to add a night to the ressie, When I call on the 3rd or 4th day, I'm now wondering if I can ask the CM if I can switch an earlier night (preferably per Suzanne's point one of the higher point ones, ergo a Friday or Saturday) I already reserved with points to to cash.

If the answer is "yes, if it's available" - and it turns out that night is available for cash -- that would be the simplest way to do this.

But I don't know if MS let's you make that sort of "retroactive" change.

They should let you make a retroactive change. I did it with no problem to get my points in line for our trip using the GV. We were planning a long weekend trip in late April/early May, and I had the room reserved entirely on points. When we were planning our November trip, my parents and inlaws decided to come with us, making the necessity of a GV a surprise (but a welcome one). Anyway, I knew I wouldn't have enough points for both reservations, so I decided to try to book the weekends for cash and spread the points for the weeknights.

Before my window opened for the November trip, I called MS and changed the first night of my April reservation, a Saturday, to cash. The cash discount was available and the balance of the trip (Sun - Wed) remained on points.

This may not be the way they are supposed to handle it, but the CM I spoke with gave me the impression it wasn't a problem.

 

[beachblanket]

They should let you make a retroactive change. I did it with no problem to get my points in line for our trip using the GV. We were planning a long weekend trip in late April/early May, and I had the room reserved entirely on points. When we were planning our November trip, my parents and inlaws decided to come with us, making the necessity of a GV a surprise (but a welcome one). Anyway, I knew I wouldn't have enough points for both reservations, so I decided to try to book the weekends for cash and spread the points for the weeknights.

Before my window opened for the November trip, I called MS and changed the first night of my April reservation, a Saturday, to cash. The cash discount was available and the balance of the trip (Sun - Wed) remained on points.

This may not be the way they are supposed to handle it, but the CM I spoke with gave me the impression it wasn't a problem.

OKW, thanks again. The timetable you worked within (late April/May, which is a slower transitional season) may have impacted the availablity of cash nights (ergo, made getting them more likely) but I'll roll the dice and see if I can do this to find just one night during the "Spring" vacation period.

 

[OKWMom]

OKW, thanks again. The timetable you worked within (late April/May, which is a slower transitional season) may have impacted the availablity of cash nights (ergo, made getting them more likely) but I'll roll the dice and see if I can do this to find just one night during the "Spring" vacation period.

You're very welcome. I hope it all works out the way you want it to.

 

[beachblanket]

You're very welcome. I hope it all works out the way you want it to.

OKW owners -- many of them being seasoned vets -- are continually the nicest and most helpful people here!!!