How to avoid reservations being merged?

[POOH&PIGLET]

The issue: We are looking to do one of the following three options (in order of preference) …
OPTION 1 - a split stay at two resorts that are NOT our home resort.
OPTION 2 - if that doesn't work out, a split stay at our home resort and one other resort.
OPTION 3 - if neither works, we’re satisfied with staying the entire time at our home resort.

The plan: To make sure we have a reservation for the full length of time we are seeking, we are starting with option 3 and we are looking to book two separate reservations at our home resort (at the 11-month window). When the 7-month window opens, we will look to update one or two of the reservations to a non-home resort.

The question: If I book two separate reservations at my home resort, will those two reservations be automatically merged into one reservation? If so, how can I avoid this? Would two different room types prevent an unwanted merge?

 

[SleeplessInTO]

Book one of the reservations under just the lead traveller's name. You can always go in and add travellers later. But I've been told that having different names on the two reservations *should* prevent them from being merged by a helpful CM.

Edited to add: If you're worried about making park passes, so want to add all the travellers, then I'd suggest using middle initials to differentiate. Or add an extra traveller to one res?

 

[kes601]

I've never heard of a reservation being merged w/o a request being put in.

 

[LadybugsMum]

I also have never had reservations automatically merged. I've had to call or chat for those requests. I often do a split stay at my home resort in order to have the 2 reservations already when I want to change at 7 months.

 

[Sandisw]

I do this all the time and never had them merge them. I think they know many owners now do this at 11 months for the purpose of split stays so they can modify easily online.

I have never had different lead guests either but I know others do. I don’t think it will be a problem.

 

[bumbershoot]

I've never heard of a reservation being merged w/o a request being put in.

They did it to me long ago. Not just me, either; I remember a bit of panic on the boards.

 

[drusba]

Personally, I have never had any "merger" or "cancellation" issue with making two reservations in my own name for the same type of room at 11-months out. I often do it not for successive dates but for the same dates because the second room is for relatives but I am not sure which ones will be coming at time of making the reservation.

I have seen in the past some reports of members losing one of the reservations when two are made in the member's name for the same resort/room category/time period, but again that never happened with me.

What I do not recall seeing in the past is any report of a member's two successive reservations, the OP's situation, being merged into one without the member actually requesting it. Moreover, even if that were to occur, it is likely it could easily be undone by just calling MS.

 

[PatMcDuck]

If the names don't exactly match, I do not think they can get merged. When I used to call to request it, and when they used to do it on the same call, they would say let's check to make sure the names all match. So, if this is true, don't have all the names on each reservation.

 

[Stormalong Smiths]

I had this happen recently. Three individual reservations for a BCV studio, three consecutive nights, picked up by stalking the website (yay me ). I asked MS to merge the last two nights with the intention of holding the first night as a separate reservation... we'll have family in town for the first night of the stay and I have a WL for a 2BR for that first night. Thinking they were being helpful, I'm sure, MS merged all three nights into one reservation. As @drusba suggests above, I was able to call MS (chat was unable to do anything about it and suggested I call), they involved IT, and were able to return the first night to its own separate reservation. They seemed happy to do so when I pointed out that they'd done something I hadn't asked them to do.

All that being said, this was in response to a request to merge two different reservations, and it seems unlikely that MS would have the time or interest in merging reservations if they weren't already working on the account for another reason.

 

[DMKEDM]

This may be a new process--but I've had multiple separate reservations (made as a result of piecing together one reservation over a period of weeks) automatically merged into one...at least five such "automatic merges"--but none since pre-COVID. So maybe automatic mergers are a thing of the past? But they certainly did used to automatically merge. I've always been told to keep successive-day reservations for same type of villa and same resort separate to use a different lead guest name on each reservation (e.g., hubby as lead on one; wife as lead on the another; one w/nickname as first name, one using a middle initial; one using just initials--just anything to make it look like a different person making the reservation...this is also important if making two separate "same time/same resort" reservations for two people w/the same name (e.g., my father and my brother have the same name...I added "Sr" to my father's name for his villa; and "Jr" to my brother's name for his reservation).

It's pretty easy to do and avoids any potential hassles, especially since we apparently don't know the current policy...good luck...

 

[POOH&PIGLET]

Thanks for all the great responses!

 

[RoseGold]

Make the other person the lead guest on the middle reservation. This is easy to fix if you do end up merging them, just change yourself to lead on chat and then request to merge them.

I do this a lot with a lot of overlapping rooms in just my name. I've never had anything merged until a couple weeks before the trip.

 

[RapunzelRN]

I've never heard of a reservation being merged w/o a request being put in.

I also have never had reservations automatically merged. I've had to call or chat for those requests. I often do a split stay at my home resort in order to have the 2 reservations already when I want to change at 7 months.

Actually, I just had 2 reservations merged automatically when my WL came through so yeah- it happens, randomly perhaps.

 

[kes601]

Actually, I just had 2 reservations merged automatically when my WL came through so yeah- it happens, randomly perhaps.

I did have it done with a waitlist once.....but that would require MS to see the WL, make a reservation, and figure it should be merged with an existing reservation. OP is talking about making 2 distinct reservations at 11 months. I'm not sure how MS would come across that and merge it w/no interaction from the owner.....

Just my thoughts and could be way off.

 

[kristenabelle]

I've been sitting on two consecutive reservations at BWV, hoping to switch the second at the 7 mo. mark for a split stay. Though I'm the only guest on the second reservation, so maybe that's why they haven't automatically merged? First has three.

 

[pirate33]

It’s happened to me a few times. I doubt a person is doing this but think it must be an automated process that runs from time to time. It’s usually helpful but sometimes can be very annoying. Some good tips here for preventing unwanted mergers.