Help me with the 7 month window!

[off to neverland]

On October 3, I'll get to practice using the 7 month window for the first time. I hope you guys can walk me through it.

I currently have 9 nights booked for May 3-12 in a studio at SSR on 2004 points.

I want to switch that studio to Beach Club, and also add a 2 bedroom for four of the nights. Part of the 2 bedroom will be paid for with our borrowed 2005 points.

So how do I go about this? Do I call every single day and day by day cancel

 

[off to neverland]

Oops, my daughter sent that before I was ready.

So do I call every day and cancel SSR day by day as I add BCV? What if I get the first half at BCV and then the rest of the days are full? I hate to take that chance. Can MS tell me on the 3rd if it looks like the rest of the week is possible?

 

[PamOKW]

Your first day to call is October 4 -- for two reasons. 1) You can only call 11/7 months from the day of "check-out". 2) 10/3 is a Sunday. If the date to call falls on a Saturday, Sunday or other day when MS is closed, you have to wait until the next business day. Banking points is the opposite. If your deadline falls when they are closed, you must call the preceeding day.

I would call the first day you can and let them know you are trying to swap out. They can give you an idea of how booked the resort is looking. I'm guessing that it will be pretty tight and you may have to spend some time on the wait list.

You'll have to make the judgement call on what you cancel and what you book. If you haven't got points to hold both then consider the possibility that you may have to change resorts. However, even if that happens now, you can continue to wait list and hope your missing nights come through.

Good luck. I hope it all falls into place for you!

 

[off to neverland]

Pam,

If I switch a couple of the days, and then go on the waitlist, I run the risk of losing at my original resort if my waitlist doesn't go through, don't I? ugh. I'm not sure how to go about this, especially booking with borrowed points; I don't get them back, do I, if I cancel them?

Thanks for the quick response.

 

[tjkraz]

Originally posted by raewhid
Pam,

If I switch a couple of the days, and then go on the waitlist, I run the risk of losing at my original resort if my waitlist doesn't go through, don't I? ugh.

No. When you go on the waitlist, your original reservation is kept until the desired dates become available. If you do have to waitlist, I'd suggest requesting that DVC call you to confirm when the day becomes available. They will walk through the process with you on the phone and confirm the borrowing of points if necessary.

The biggest risk you run in this scenario is getting some of your days at the BCV, but having to waitlist for other days. If the waitlist didn't come through, you would have to physically move from one resort to another in the middle of your trip multiple times.

Realistically, chances are you will get the studio when you call without a problem. If you do happen to go on the waitlist, IMO it's only a matter of time before you'll get the room. The odds of BCV having zero cancellations for that date over a 7 month span are extremely slim.

Before changing some travel dates, we had booked a BCV studio for three nights beginning on Memorial Day 2004. That room was booked 6 months out and we never had to waitlist.

Good luck.

 

[pplasky]

If you don't want to be bothered switching resorts midstream, I would just wait until the last day and try and book the whole ressie at one time. At that time you could go on the wait list for the entire stay as well. I do not think may is heavily travelled, you will probably be okay.

 

[off to neverland]

Thanks, all, for the great info! I'll let you know what happens on the 4th. I'm debating whether try to do it day by day or as one big chunk. It will depend on how full MS tells me the resort is.

 

[pumpkinboy]

May is not as heavily occupied as other times of year at DVC, so maybe you'll be OK at 7 months. I think for my own sanity, I think I might go day-by-day, cancelling SSR as I got the BCV ressies I wanted. Getting an SSR ressie back again if all your BCV dates don't come thru will be easier than the reverse.

Good luck!

 

[WDW LOVR]

I just called yesterday for the first day of a reservation at BW the beginning of May. I'm going to do the day by day thing as we want a Boardwalk view studio to celebrate our 20th anniversary. I was told by MS that the first week of May is not very busy and we'll get the boardwalk view if we call day to day, so the suggestion in an earlier reply to do that is a good one.

Not sure about BC but would think it wouldn't be much different than BW.