How do people book split stays for best odds, daily or chunks of time?

[🍀TwinsMom]

So we’ve done our home resort (Riviera) several times now and love it, but I would like to do split stays of 3 nights somewhere else and always the last 3 Riviera. Problem is, we would be going prime weeks because our kids are school-aged. We’d like to do 3 nights dedicated 2-bedroom CC or AK SV Thanksgiving week, or 3 days one-bedroom BC or BW April vacation, or BLT MKV one or two-bedroom (we don’t like studios.)

I read about folks stalking and adding a night at a time. So do you book seven different nights and just keep modifying? I don’t mind stalking, but I am nervous about being stuck bouncing back and forth grabbing nights helter-skelter. Do you just always pull it off and make it work?

 

[Akck]

We book 2 separate reservations at our home resort for the full vacation split into how many days I want for each stay. Then, just before the 7 month window opens, I check for availability at other resorts to see how the days are filling up. When the booking window opens, I‘m already in and ready to modify the existing reservation. You might have to be open to modifying your second reservation should you not get what you want on your first.

 

[SleeplessInTO]

Do you have a lot of points to play with? If so, you may have some luck walking the non-home stay.

Easiest way is to rent points, or find someone willing to trade with you, eg I’ll book your stay at BWV at 11 months, you book for me at Riviera at 11 months. Of course you’d have to trust the other person and if it’s not a straight point rental, come to an agreement on what is equivalent (does 4 nights in one bedroom at Riviera standard view = 4 nights in one bedroom at Boardwalk with Boardwalk view? Depends on who you talk to I guess).

I have trust issues so I just stalk and piece together days as needed. It is stressful but the feeling of triumph when I score 5 single nights in a row at Beach Club over March break… priceless. At that point I modify my home resort stay and “drop” the nights I don’t need at either the beginning or end of my stay. This again only works because I’m playing with a lot of points.

 

[Sandisw]

If you know you want a split stay, book RIV that way from the start. This way, you can modify just the dates you want and set up a waitlist that way if what you want is not available.

Since waitlists are all or nothing, it’s easier this way. If you never get what you want, then MS can combine back the two reservations. But they can not split it later on.

 

[drusba]

Agree with the above that the first critical step in doing a split stay is to make two separate reservations at 11-months out at your home resort. That way, at 7 months out you can change one to a different resort if available, and if not available, you are assured of at least having your home resort for the entire time you want to be at WDW (and MS, upon request after 7-month window passes, will merge the two reservations into one). I also think that you should just avoid doing constant surveillance and single day changes if you cannot get what you want at 7-months out. Besides that it takes too much time, it also has chance of failing, leaving you with only one night at a different resort, and worse yet having that one night be the middle of the three you actually want. If you cannot get something you want at 7 months out, set up a wait list (or two) and see if you can get all nights that way.

You mention that you will be going "prime weeks." Reality is that Thanksgiving time is a super prime DVC demand week when it will be difficult to switch at 7-months out, while any time in April, including the Easter weeks, is a more moderate DVC reservation time for which you will have some chance at 7-months out for BCV, BWV pool/garden view, or BLT lake view and, actually, a likely high chance if desire is 1BR in any one of those. BLT Theme Park view has less of a chance than lake view but a 1BR still has a chance. (Note, if you have not stayed in a BLT theme park view room before, be aware that floor you get for that view can make a huge difference. If you get 8th fl or above views are good, if you get fifth or sixth, you will likely feel you have been ripped off of those extra points required for theme park view because your main view will be of a parking lot and a monorail track; 7th floor is OK but not that great.If you get theme park view, make sure you put in a non-guaranteed request for high floor. I got stuck in a lower floor theme park room once and have never requested theme park view again.)

As to Thanksgiving time, a 2BR at CCV will likely be near impossible at 7-months out. At AKV, it depends. You mention AK SV but that could be a reference to either standard view or savanna view and you do not mention which AKV resort, Jambo or Kidani, although your reference to"dedicated" could be met only at Kidani. Jambo is extremely unlikely -- all 2BRs at Jambo are lock-offs and thus studio reservations can eliminate 2BRs. Standard view, even for a dedicated, at Kidani is also unlikely. Chances will be a little better if you are seeking a dedicated 2BR savanna view at Kidani.

 

[RoseGold]

I'd never go at Thanksgiving, but I can tell you how I do this. I book a few reservations for 2-3 days at a time. I have more points than I need, so I add on what I want, maybe a day at a time, and then drop dates and modify as I get what I want. I might be holding one night at AKL or at CCV for a long time until I match up the other day to one or the other.

The website changes have made the waitlist MUCH more powerful, that is obvious to me. A 2-3 night waitlist for a night or two, swapping out for another 2-3 night reservation might actually fill. The one night to match the one-off might also. If I could find one night where I want and waitlist the nights on either side, I think that has a shot.

You need to go look at room inventory to do this. You need to waitlist rooms that just have more volume, like BLT lake view. Waitlisting BLT standard when there are so few rooms is setting yourself up to fail. This is where AKL might shine. It's a huge hotel, and I think the Kidani waitlist has a real shot. Kidani savanna 2BR has 113 rooms, CCV 2BR has 56, BLT Lake 74.

Obvious downside is you might end up with a triple split stay or something, but that's ok with me.

 

[Robbie Cottam]

Depends on what you want and when
I usually do split stays based on what’s available 7 months out.
At 11 months out i book the entire stay at my home resort
prior to the 7 month window we come up with a plan, and backup plan
At 7 month I get or waitlist the other resorts I want …
if that doesn’t look great, we book the back up plan

unless there is family pressure for a specific resort on a certain set of days I fill in as needed….

I have also done split stays at two home resorts but that is easy.
really all just depends on what you are looking to do

 

[Stargazer65]

I bought points at three resorts. That way I'm forced to split stay sometimes, and have to work if I want a single reservation at one place.
So that's an option, buy more points at different resorts.

 

[Artemis Fowl]

rent someone else's points for your non-riv resort, then rent out your extra RIV points. You can get everything you want at 11 months. No stress and it's less work than stalking. The only added cost is the ~$60 you'll pay to this site to list your points.

 

[Sandisw]

rent someone else's points for your non-riv resort, then rent out your extra RIV points. You can get everything you want at 11 months. No stress and it's less work than stalking. The only added cost is the ~$60 you'll pay to this site to list your points.

Except when renting, you don’t have control of your reservation and are in the same risk level as other renters..no changes, etc

While stalking does take work, at least you get to be in charge.

 

[Artemis Fowl]

sure, but OP could rent the points as a transfer. They keep their original UY and home resort priorities. That way they keep control.

 

[Sandisw]

sure, but OP could rent the points as a transfer. They keep their original UY and home resort priorities. That way they keep control.

Yes, getting a transfer would work. I thought you were referring to renting!

 

[kboo]

We book 2 separate reservations at our home resort for the full vacation split into how many days I want for each stay. Then, just before the 7 month window opens, I check for availability at other resorts to see how the days are filling up. When the booking window opens, I‘m already in and ready to modify the existing reservation. You might have to be open to modifying your second reservation should you not get what you want on your first.

If you know you want a split stay, book RIV that way from the start. This way, you can modify just the dates you want and set up a waitlist that way if what you want is not available.

Since waitlists are all or nothing, it’s easier this way. If you never get what you want, then MS can combine back the two reservations. But they can not split it later on.

We do this. Although since we have multiple home resorts, I usually use different resorts' points to book a split at 11 months, then look as 7mo gets closer to decide if we want to swap out one of them. Usually we split RIV + an MK resort, our upcoming trip, in April, we happened to need to use BLT and VGF, which seems to be a silly split, so at 7mo we lucked out and are using BLT points for BCV. But now my sister wants to come to so I am WL and stalking 1 day at a time for a studio at BCV... sigh (this is also a post asking for good juju - we are one night away but it's a middle night) (and I'm using VGF points for it, argh)