Complicated question...need help please!

[pequele]

Our UY starts in Sept. I plan on booking a May 13 trip in just over a week! We will have 95 points left on our contract for this trip...here is the difficult part. I need 2 separate stays as we are doing a 3 night cruise in the middle.

We arrive on May 8 and stay 1 night so I hope to book a AKV value room for 10 pts leaving us with 85. The cruise has us returning on the 12th and we are staying until the 19th. We are figuring the standard room for that stay this time which will cost us 95 pts. So I will have to either borrow 10 pts or buy 10 pts.

Here is where I am CONFUSED! I am THINKING of making 2 ressies on May 8 so we are sure to have a room during Epcot F&G. One would be the 1 night, the other the 8th -19th then calling back on the 12th to modify them.

1. If I do this I will DEFINITELY need to borrow from 2013 pts, BUT can I still buy 10 pts to use for the trip because my intent would be the extra points borrowed would be returned to me.

2. Those borrowed points, do they go back to 2013 or are they stuck in 2012???? What if we don't go back until October? Can I still then bank them into 2013 come April 2013?

The reason I don't want to walk the ressie is we can book on FRIDAY June 8 and the 9th and 10th are the weekend (CLOSED )leaving us to have to wait until the 11th to walk just a few days then we would still have to walk one more day after that! You can't modify ressies online can you?

 

[Sammie]

Ok, somewhat confusing, but I do know you can only buy the extra points from Disney at 7 months out.

Also any points borrowed stay in the use year they are borrowed into and expire the same as the points of that year. It is a final transaction. You can not bank borrowed points.

No you can not modify online reservations except to cancel.

 

[com_op_2000]

You can only book seven nights at one time. 8th checking out the 15th. You would have to call back each day there after to add the additional days until the 19th.
"If I do this I will DEFINITELY need to borrow from 2013 pts, BUT can I still buy 10 pts to use for the trip because my intent would be the extra points borrowed would be returned to me."
My understanding is that you can only purchase the extra points within your 7 month booking window.

"Those borrowed points, do they go back to 2013 or are they stuck in 2012?"
Banking and borrowing are final transactions, those points will remain in the 2012 UY and must be used before the end of that year.

"The reason I don't want to walk the ressie is we can book on FRIDAY June 8 and the 9th and 10th are the weekend (CLOSED )leaving us to have to wait until the 11th to walk just a few days then we would still have to walk one more day after that! You can't modify ressies online can you? "
MS is open on the weekend.

 

[WsPrincess]

I am new to this so not help on a lot of it but you say that they are closed on the 9th and 10th and I am guessing you mean Member services to book? Because they are open on weekends and you can also book online too. I am just confused about who would be closed? Maybe I am really confused

 

[LisaS]

AKV Value rooms are popular because of the low points so book that right at your 11-month window. Online booking for that night will be available starting at 8am on June 8th or you can book it through MS starting at 9am.

Booking the rest of your stay (May 12-19) in a AKV Standard View room will be no problem 11 months out. That is not a busy time despite the Flower & Garden festival. You should have no problem booking that on June 12 either online or by calling MS. There is no need to walk this reservation. Perhaps you are confusing F&G with F&W (the Food & Wine festival which takes place in the fall and which IS a busy time for DVC, particularly the Epcot resorts, but even then you would be able to book AKV Std View 11 months out without walking the reservation.)

If you need 10 more points and want to book 11 months out you will need to borrow from your next UY. Borrowing is a final transaction so those points will be stuck in their new UY if you cancel that stay. If you want to purchase 10 one-time-use points from MS, that can only be done 7 months or less from your check-in date.

MS is open from 9am to 5:30pm every day, except for holidays. Online booking is available nearly 24 hours a day except for an hour or two in the middle of the night (2am? I'm not really sure of the exact time). If you want to book online at exactly 11 months out you can do so starting at 8am. MS opens at 9am so online booking gives you a 1-hour advantage.

 

[Missyrose]

Is the seven-month window during your banking window? If there is still AKV standard availability, they might let you buy the 10 one-time use points and bank 10 of your current points to compensate for what you borrowed. Someone who has more experience should be able to confirm if MS will reallocate using one-time points.

 

[KAT4DISNEY]

I'm afraid you're making yourself worry unnecessarily. Book your 1 night for the value and then on the 12th book your standard view. May is not a super busy DVC time and you will not have a problem at 11 months. I've booked value rooms at 7 months for that time -walking will not be required for your standard view.

 

[CarolMN]

I agree with the pp - walking at AKV for a May reservation is just not necessary. (Walking would only be necessary if you were booking a concierge category).

So try not to stress out. You will get your reservation!

 

[pequele]

Sweet! Thank you guys! I think we will just borrow the 10 pts as it seems such a hassle with the 7mo window (I read you can't use em for existing ressies either so how would I be able to use them ever on an 11 mo out ressie...weird!). I won't stress now that you all told me not to! I figured the one night could be value level since we won't be in the room a whole lot, just a place for us to lay our heads for the night and get on the cruise bus the next morn. Don't care if I look at the parking lot! We have the savannah view in Dec because it will be our 1st DVC trip and I know my son will get a kick out of it. But this trip in May will be for my 40th and I would like to look at the savannah but I can manage not if it means more points to use for my son's birthday in Oct of 13!

Thanks again everyone!

 

[LisaS]

I think we will just borrow the 10 pts as it seems such a hassle with the 7mo window (I read you can't use em for existing ressies either so how would I be able to use them ever on an 11 mo out ressie...weird!).

The one-time-use points that Disney sells to members are a collection of points that Disney owns at multiple resorts. Since only home resort points can be used 11 months out, the one-time-use points can't be used until 7 months out.

If you book a stay in the 11-month window and then want to substitute non-home points into that reservation 7 months out, that same room must be available to be booked at that time. Without that restriction members could get around the home resort points requirement. In theory they could apply the same rules to the one-time-use points and let you purchase and substitute those points into a reservation if a room identical to the one you already have booked is available 7 months out. I assume when they came up with the idea of one-time-use points they decided to keep it simple and not allow members to do that.

Keep in mind also that the option to purchase one-time-use points could disappear at any time.

 

[drusba]

As I understand it you want a value for night of May 8 and a standard for May 12-19 and you are using the 11 month window. You should just make the May 8 ressie on June 8 and the May 12-19 one on June 12. You will get what you want. Those standards will still be wide open for reservations when the 7 month window comes and that is a virtual certainty for AKV at that time of year. So you have absolutely no reason to try to be do anything than just reserve 11 months out.

 

[pequele]

The one-time-use points that Disney sells to members are a collection of points that Disney owns at multiple resorts. Since only home resort points can be used 11 months out, the one-time-use points can't be used until 7 months out.

If you book a stay in the 11-month window and then want to substitute non-home points into that reservation 7 months out, that same room must be available to be booked at that time. Without that restriction members could get around the home resort points requirement. In theory they could apply the same rules to the one-time-use points and let you purchase and substitute those points into a reservation if a room identical to the one you already have booked is available 7 months out. I assume when they came up with the idea of one-time-use points they decided to keep it simple and not allow members to do that.

Keep in mind also that the option to purchase one-time-use points could disappear at any time.

don't laugh but I am staring at my screen with a complete blank look on my face...like you just spoke Swahili to me or something! Don't feel badly though. I appreciate you trying to help me! I'll go with the "I need to wait until a 7mo window" to buy points...it isn't too big a deal since we only need 10...I just hate borrowing! I'm so nervous I want a big vacay in 2014!

As I understand it you want a value for night of May 8 and a standard for May 12-19 and you are using the 11 month window. You should just make the May 8 ressie on June 8 and the May 12-19 one on June 12. You will get what you want. Those standards will still be wide open for reservations when the 7 month window comes and that is a virtual certainty for AKV at that time of year. So you have absolutely no reason to try to be do anything than just reserve 11 months out.

I'm gonna hold all you to that j/k!

 

[Sammie]

don't laugh but I am staring at my screen with a complete blank look on my face...like you just spoke Swahili to me or something! Don't feel badly though. I appreciate you trying to help me! I'll go with the "I need to wait until a 7mo window" to buy points...it isn't too big a deal since we only need 10...I just hate borrowing! I'm so nervous I want a big vacay in 2014!

Don't worry, it is all confusing to many of us. My mantra is as long as I know what the policy is, I don't have to understand the why.

 

[pequele]

Don't worry, it is all confusing to many of us. My mantra is as long as I know what the policy is, I don't have to understand the why.

Can I borrow that haha! Do they make a DVC and Disney book for Dummies? I need it!

 

[Sandisw]

I don't think they'll be a problem either. I got a standard view room at AKV for Memorial Day weekend this year booking it in March so at 11 months you should be safe. And we had one of the rooms that was reclassified so had giraffes every morning!! Nice perk for the standard view points!!!

Good luck!!

 

[BirdsOfPreyDave]

I just hate borrowing! I'm so nervous I want a big vacay in 2014!

Then you borrow from 2015. And in 2015 when you don't have enough points, you say, "Honey, we need to buy an add-on contract at DVC or we can't vacation this year."

It's the DVC addonitis circle of life.