Help Please!

[MtMinnie2]

I am new to DVC ... thought I had read and studied and knew all the answers but am quickly finding out that I am a novice. So here are my questions. I made a reservation for a January visit for a week in a grand villa . Everyone knew the dates and said it was good. Now I find that half will only be able to stay Tuesday thru Sun. Can I call get my reservation changed to a smaller unit after these people leave? It seems a shame for a small group to remain in a grand villa. If so how does that work with my points?
My sister and I do plan on taking another trip Sept 2012 .

Next question we plan on using the Deluxe Dining Plan and will want to take in the Hoop De Doo Review while the whole group is still in tack. Do I need to pay for the Dinnng Plan at the 180 days out or can I put that off till closer to actual vacation? Will I be charged for the Hoop De Doo immediately and then be given credit for it when I pay for the Dining Plan?

 

[Granny]

I am new to DVC ... thought I had read and studied and knew all the answers but am quickly finding out that I am a novice. So here are my questions. I made a reservation for a January visit for a week in a grand villa . Everyone knew the dates and said it was good. Now I find that half will only be able to stay Tuesday thru Sun. Can I call get my reservation changed to a smaller unit after these people leave? It seems a shame for a small group to remain in a grand villa. If so how does that work with my points?
My sister and I do plan on taking another trip Sept 2012 .

No problem on changing the reservation. Just cancel the grand villa for the days you don't need it and make a new reservation with the smaller unit for those days. Disney will return the extra points back to your account for future use or for banking as long as you are within the banking guidelines. Keep in mind that this is subject to availability of the smaller unit. I think that you will have to check-in and check-out when changing units though.

Next question we plan on using the Deluxe Dining Plan and will want to take in the Hoop De Doo Review while the whole group is still in tack. Do I need to pay for the Dinnng Plan at the 180 days out or can I put that off till closer to actual vacation? Will I be charged for the Hoop De Doo immediately and then be given credit for it when I pay for the Dining Plan?

I don't know much about the dining plans, but I think you don't have to pay until much closer to your check-in date.

 

[erionm]

Yes, based on availability you can segment the reservation so that you can have two different room sizes for each segment.

The Hoop-Dee-Doo requires payment at the time the reservation is made. If you add the dining plan to the room reservation at a later date, they will not automatically credit your card for the amount.

 

[MtMinnie2]

Thank you so much for your quick replies.. We will be making our dining reservations on July7th at that time everyone should have a firm commitment when they will be there. Do I need to talk to two different people concerning the dining and the change of rooms? If so who do I contact first or does it matter??

 

[erionm]

Member Services can handle room changes, dining plans and dining reservations for you.

 

[tjkraz]

Just want to add that I would not delay getting the room reservation changed. Your dates in January most likely overlap with the Walt Disney World marathon. Availability can be tough across the board during that event.

The longer you wait, the less chance you have of being able to reschedule in a smaller room.

 

[BirdsOfPreyDave]

Just want to amplify some of the good advise you've already received. Changing from one villa type to another isn't technically a "change" to your reservation. You're cancelling part of your current reservation and requesting a new reservation for the smaller room. If the room type you want to change to is available, what they'll do is remove the several nights from your grand villa reservation. The reservation number for the remaining grand villa nights will not change. They will then book you a new reservation for the smaller villa for the nights you need it. They'll be able to link this into your first reservation so you have a single reservation number. However, you have no advantage in booking this second room as a result of already having the grand villa for those dates. If it's a 2 bedroom you want to move to, you'll have the same chance of finding that 2 bedroom as any other member calling that day. The longer you wait to make the change, the less chance you'll have of finding the exact room size at the resort you want.