Changing Resorts at the 7 Mo Window

[rtp-resident]

How do folks handle a change in resort at the 7 month window during Premier season?

I have booked at BCV (home resort) for our Xmas trip. We are thinking about trying a different resort this year. To ensure that I can get each night in a new reservation I was planning on waiting until the last day of my visit to make the reservation as opposed to day by day. Don't want to be changing resorts in the middle of the trip.

Of course the other alternative is to borrow points to make the reservation day by day at 7 months and then cancel the BCV reservation and use those points to replace the borrowed points.

Any thoughts on this?

 

[Happy Birthday Cat]

Why don't you call at the first day and ask how it looks for the rest of the week? MS will be gald to give you some advice and then base what you do on what they tell you. That way you would know if you had to call each day and cancel, call each day and add a day to your wait list or call at the end. Good luck.

HBC

 

[dianeschlicht]

Are you thinking you are going have BOTH reservations held at the same time? If you wait until the 7 month window to see what is available at the resort you want, you will know if there is availability to change the ressie from your home resort to the one you are changing to. There is no need to have to "borrow" since you would be exchanging one ressie for another.

 

[rtp-resident]

No - I would not hold both reservations at the same time. If I wait until the end of the vacation timeframe then you are right dianeschlicht, I would just cancel the first reservation and make the second. However, this is a high demand time and perhaps there might be nothing available if I wait until the end to make the initial reservation. But this does raise the issue of what happens if you cancel the first reservation - lose it - and then while this is going on the second resort loses its availability - meaning no vacation. Is there something in the reservation system that prevents this from happening.

Thanks HBC, but canceling day by day is exactly what I want to avoid. First day at new resort, second day at BCV because of no availability, third at new resort - etc. Better to wait until you have confirmation of entire vacation I think. Going day by day was what I was thinking about for making the initial reservation by borrowing points (assuming I don't have enough) then when all the vacation is booked canceling the original BCV reservation and using those points for the new reservation - returning the borrowed points to my account.

Even I'm thoroughly confused at this point!

 

[dianeschlicht]

I would try for the whole ressie and waitlist if it is not available. Then if the waitlist comes through, you stay at the other resort; if not, you stay at the original one. I would rather have the whole ressie guarnaneed at one location than risk losing a day here and there and move a bunch of times.

 

[jekjones1558]

rtp-resident

I am a planner like you and I understand your concern. The only problem with the day-by-day plan is that the points that you would bank from the old ressie could not be banked again to the following year. The points you would be borrowing to make that day-by-day ressie could be banked to the following year. (I'm not saying it well, but do you get my drift?) If you know for sure that you would not need to bank next year, and you REALLY want a particular resort, give yourself the peace of mind and call every day.

 

[Judique]

I would try for the whole time at once and then waitlist if it isn't immediately available. I've had great luck with all but one waitlist.

 

[Granny]

Originally posted by rtp-resident
To ensure that I can get each night in a new reservation I was planning on waiting until the last day of my visit to make the reservation as opposed to day by day. Don't want to be changing resorts in the middle of the trip.

This is our mentality exactly.

When the "worst case" scenario is staying at BCV (or any DVC resort), it's a lot easier to just roll the dice all at once for a resort switch.

Besides, you can always "visit" any of the resorts to take in the atmosphere for a while.

Good luck!