Do you commonly book home resort and "switch"?

[TiggerBouncy]

So If I know I want to go at a date/time, but it's 8 months out and I want a different resort, should I book my HR for the dates I want (and therefore lock in the vacation), then try to switch to a different resort at 7? How's that work? Can I do it online or do I need to call or???

Also is it that your entire trip has to fall in the 7 month window, or just the first day?

 

[Dacky619]

So If I know I want to go at a date/time, but it's 8 months out and I want a different resort, should I book my HR for the dates I want (and therefore lock in the vacation), then try to switch to a different resort at 7? How's that work? Can I do it online or do I need to call or???

Also is it that your entire trip has to fall in the 7 month window, or just the first day?

Depends what you want to do. We have at times booked our home resort and switched at 7 month, and sometimes we just book at 7 months. Booking the home resort does ensure you have a hotel room, but we own at BLT and like to stretch our points sometimes at other resorts, so we don't book a home reservation that we wouldn't use.

And the whole trip doesn't have to fall within 7 months, but it depends how long the trip is. I believe you can book for 7 nights from that first night. I just remember a few years ago when we did a 2 week trip at AKL I had to call back a few times to add nights to the trip. If I was only doing a 1 week stay, I'd just book it on the website. You can hop online and test reservations to see how many days you can book. If you need longer than what you can book originally, I think you still need to call to add nights to your reservation. I'm sure if that has been changed someone will correct me.

 

[com_op_2000]

I have and do book my HR at 11 months out for the 2nd week of Dec every year since '93.
I change out @95% of the time to other resorts. It depends upon what we want to do that year.

 

[nolanboys]

I think it depends on what your home resort is. Mine is SSR, so I don't book early as there is generally room at the 7 month window. If yours is a higher demand resort, then I would. I generally do not know my dates that soon in advance, which is also why I bought at SSR. I've had luck at the 7 month window, but again if you have a high demand resort and know you're travel dates, I would book as soon as you know your dates.

 

[bwvBound]

Do I? Nope, I simply book at 7 months. Of course, for me it isn't a simple matter of "my home resort would do in a pinch" as I enjoy hopping all around the different geographical locations -- especially CA, HI and Vero.

 

[DebbieB]

Since I typically book my home resort during high demand times and non-home during slow times, I have never booked my home resort and switched. I've always been able to get my non-home at 7 months.

 

[Anal Annie]

I only book early if we're going at a higher demand time of year such as spring break or major holidays - and if we go the first week of January during the marathon. We own at SSR so it's usually readily available but now that they instituted a standard vs preferred booking category there beginning in 2017 the "standard" category (for studios anyway) is already showing spotty availability during a couple of the marathon days. Yes people - you read that right - even SSR is showing no availability for some studios for some dates prior to 7 months out!! Glad I booked when I did or I'd be stuck spending more points for the higher preferred category!!

Usually for other times of the year (spring, summer, fall not on a holiday) we'd book whatever resort we want at 7 months.

 

[disneynutz]

If you want to cover your behind, you do what you have to do, so booking and switching guarantees you a room for your dates.

Bill

 

[disfanforlife]

I always book my home resort at 11 months. But there have been a few times that we have changed our dates although that is usually before the 7 month window. We own at 2 resorts. BWV, I never change because we always want to stay there. Or other home is Kidani and we frequently change if there is availability at 7 months.

 

[Dean]

So If I know I want to go at a date/time, but it's 8 months out and I want a different resort, should I book my HR for the dates I want (and therefore lock in the vacation), then try to switch to a different resort at 7? How's that work? Can I do it online or do I need to call or???

Also is it that your entire trip has to fall in the 7 month window, or just the first day?

This is generally the prudent thing but it does tie up your points. It does give you a guaranteed stay option and prevent you getting caught thinking you could get something then not being able to. The last few years we've seen people not be able to get things at 7 months that they routinely had been able to get, esp this year. i wouldn't risk it it if you now your dates.

 

[princessfionasmom]

I will if it's a high demand season and I want to stay somewhere else but generally we like to stay at our home resort which is BLT. We are staying at PVB in october because DH has wanted to stay there for a long trine and this is his bucket list trip so he got to pick . With october being so busy with MNSSHP and F &W going on I did book my home resort just so we would have a place to stay if l couldn't get PVB. Luckily the reservation gods where with us and we get PVB.

 

[CarolynFH]

We love our home BWV so always book at 11 months to be sure of getting our dates. Now that we're retired and can stay longer than 7 nights , we book our home resort at 11 months for our full desired length of stay, then switch part of it at 7 months to try out other resorts.

 

[Kidanifan08]

We current travel primarily in the summer. We book our home resort (AKV) at 10-11 months and usually change out at 7 months. Since we usually travel in June or July, we generally don't have too much trouble switching to another resort, so I just call MS at 7 months to make the trade. If we travel during F&W or Christmas, we just stay at our home, which is fine with us!

 

[Minniesgal]

Kinda. We own 3 resorts VGF, VGC and AKV. We try and do both coasts in 1 trip.

Sometimes things happen that we have to cancel the california leg. So then we need to cancel and book at 7 months.

I wouldn't cancel our VGF as we bought those only to stay there and we tend not to switch out from AKV as we love it.

So we do book home resort and switch but not by choice more because something happens.

 

[suebeelin]

We have almost always stayed at our home resort unless we end up planning a trip after the 7 mo mark.

This upcoming trip, we plan to switch at the end of our trip to a non home resort (poly), after an invited family sharing our 2bd leaves.... but we booked both our home resorts (bwv and BLT) just in case we cannot switch.

It's safest to book your home resort and then switch, IMO.​

 

[jerseygal]

The first two years of ownership we booked home resort, AKL at 11 months out, then switched at 7 months. The only problem with that is if you don't want to "risk" losing the first booked resort at 11 months old while you are attempting to book at 7 months at 8AM online you would have to wait to 9AM to call MS while they hold the original reservation, checking on the desired 7 month reservation. On line, at 8AM you would have to drop the first resort if you don't have enough points to book both. So, I usually wait till EXACTLY 7 months to try to secure the desired resort if I don't have enough points for both. If that is not successful, I thoroughly research before the 7 months backup plan #1, and backup plan #2 if 1st choice is unavailable. I then waitlist exactly at 7 months the desired resort if unavailable. This coming October, much to our surprise exactly at 7 months, the waitlist came through several hours after waitlisting at the 7 month mark for BWV for F&W. With good planning exactly at 7 months, you will most likely be successful for either 1st, 2nd, or 3rd choice. GOOD LUCK!

 

[DougEMG]

We typically book at BWV at 11 months for our entire trip and then try to change part of the trip to a monorail resort. Have been successful so far getting VGF this year, POLY last year and BLT & VGF two years ago. But most of trip is at BWV.

 

[bobbiwoz]

I own at the resorts I prefer to stay at. I usually do not change my 11 month reservations. However when I have a 7 month or less reservation I do sometimes wait list for what I really want.

 

[zavandor]

I have marathon week end booked at my home resort and I don't think I'll switch that part of the trip. It wouldn't be easy to do it and I've never stayed at SSR and looking forward the new dining options at DS. But I'll try to switch a few days later (when it should be very low season for DVC) to a different resort I haven't tried yet. One on Crescent lake would be great, or a monorail resort.
I'm thinking about doing a split stay in 3 resorts, I'll be staying a total of 12 nights, so I could do 4 at each resort, but I'm torn, probably it's not worth the hassle.

 

[gmboy95]

count me into the safety reservation firs....we own most of our points at WLV and have only stayed there 1 time in 16 years if you can believe it. When we travelled yearly during Christmas we would make a full week reservation at WLV and at the seven month window switch to OKW...we love it there so much that we have actually split our reservation between a studio and a 1 bedroom. The safety reservation was always a studio for point purposes (not losing them)....Now that we travel in the summer mostly, it is much easier getting a OKW reservation wherever we want