Is it better to call day by day or wait the week out??

[rbuzzotta]

I am just a few days shy of being able to book at VB. I just got off the phone with MS and Morgan suggested I book daily......

We just decided to go in April and drive down but now I am wondering if I should just book OKW (my home) for that week so that I have a definite place to go!?!?!?!? Then cancel on a day to day basis if I get VB?!?!

Also, Morgan said there was availablity for the timeframe that I am going at both resorts...................

HMMMMMMMMMMM....Decisions, decisions.........I love planning my DVC vacations!!!

What do you do???

 

[CarolMN]

I only call day by day if I think there will be a problem getting what I want if I don't. I'm surprised that the MS CM suggested that you call day by day if there is availability.

You're not trying to book either the week before or the week after Easter, are you? If not, I can't believe you would need to have an OKW back up. If it were me, I'd call once for the VB vacation and only book OKW (as a back up) if I couldn't get VB. I'd also go on the VB waitlist if a day or two weren't available, because I think the chances of it coming through are still quite good. JMHO. Others may differ.

Good luck!

 

[Happy Birthday Cat]

I just got off the phone with MS and Morgan suggested I book daily......

Normally I would agree with CarolMN because I think too many of us get needlessly hung up on the need to call day-by-day. But I have to admit that since MS has suggested it, I would follow their advice in this case.

HBC

 

[trainfun]

We just booked Hilton Head for next Easter for 6 days and we went day by day. We were told to mention that we'd be doing it this way, so that one reservation was started and just added to. We got one confirmation with all 6 days.

This year, this may not have been necessary, but last year, at the 7 month window, we did this, got 3 of 5 days, were waitlisted for the other 2, which came through within a week of making ressies for the other days.

The cast members we dealt with had no problem with this, in fact, encouraged it.

Based on our conversations with the folks in Member Services, I'd definitely recommend making clear in your first call that you will be calling day by day to add on until you have all of your days. It sounded like there was a procedure they used to mark the initial reservation so it could be added to. One reservation for all of your days is a lot easier for everyone to deal with than a separate one for each day.

 

[jjpounds]

I guess it would always depend on when and where you are staying. I booked my Grand Villa at OKW day by day at the 11month window. After reading that someone had been bumped from their grand villa into two two- bedrooms for the exact time that I will be there I am especially glad that I did it that way. I would have priority over anyone who booked after me even if it were for the same dates!

 

[Granny]

I recently booked my summer vacation for next year on a day by day basis....BWV Standard View 2BR. I ended up talking to many different CM's at MS, and I asked several of them if it was bothersome to call day by day. They all said no.

One of them went so far as to say..."If it were me and I wanted that reservation, I'd be calling day by day".


Having said that, I would only call day by day for the 11 month window. At 7 months, I would use the "all or nothing" approach and call at the 7 month from final check out. I wouldn't want to take the chance of getting a split reservation. And I know that if I got "stuck" with my home resort, that would be fine too!

 

[DrTomorrow]

I wonder if that advice will apply to the first few months of SSR's opening? With only one building in May, then June, July and August, do you think that demand might really out-strip supply and those planning an "Opening Month" visit would want to ressie day by day as well?

Hmmmm, and I thought the tough part was deciding whether to buy....

 

[CK1]

Originally posted by Granny
I recently booked my summer vacation for next year on a day by day basis....BWV Standard View 2BR

Hey -- when is your vacation? We just finished booking a 2br std view BWV for Aug 8-16 2004...


As for booking day-to-day, I agree with the others here -- I was encouraged to call daily (it was like, well, they... missed me! )
I spoke with a MS names "Morgan" too -- can't be too many by that name! MS knew every day as soon as they pulled up my DVC # what I was calling for. They would say, "And you would like to add the 13th to your trip.... and I guess we'll talk to you again tomorrow!" And then on the last day, they wrapped it all up and got my confirmation ready, checked over my requests, etc. Very simple, and to my way of thinking, kinda fun! Every morning I got up in a Disney frame of mind...

I also agree about the 7 mos window... I always have something booked at the 11 mos, so any switching at 7 mos is kinda like, if I get it, fine, if not, I'm still covered. I might feel differently if I were trying to get into, say, VWL at xmas though... I have plans in a few years for a week covering xmas and realllly would love the lodge. That might require day-by-day at the 7 mos mark... and a bit o' luck.

 

[BriarRose59]

I think the SSR people who want ressies when the resort first opens should definitely call day by day because there is such a limited supply of rooms. I will be trying to book Thanksgiving week M-Sa 2004 and I will be calling every day to get my days starting Dec 23. MS will be closed for Christmas on the 25th and then the weekend of the 27-28 so I will have to call 4 days to get my 6 nights. I spoke with MS yesterday to make certain that I could not start booking Dec 1 and she said no since that was not my 11 month window. Has anyone been told differently?

 

[DrTomorrow]

Nope, that what our Guide told us, and I quizzed him on this explicitly. SSR owners can book SSR starting on Dec 1, but the 11 month rule still applies.

 

[Don & June]

Day by Day - is that booking the first day that your able - then booking the remaining days as you fall within the window authorizing you to do so?

 

[Granny]

Originally posted by CK1
Hey -- when is your vacation? We just finished booking a 2br std view BWV for Aug 8-16 2004...

We'll be at BWV July 18-30 next year. Not a tough time especially to book, but our next two years' booking plans really counted on getting standard view room next year. Sorry we'll miss you...but I promise we'll clean our room well before we leave!

Day by Day - is that booking the first day that your able - then booking the remaining days as you fall within the window authorizing you to do so?

Yes, that's exactly what it is. In my example, I called on August 19 to reserve my first night of July 18. Then I called the next day to reserve another day.

You tell MS on the first day what you're doing, and then the subsequent calls take about 30 seconds, unless the CM feels chatty!

 

[Don & June]

thanks

 

[timC]

I've never booked day-by-day, never feeling that worried about getting a room. But that's only because we don't normally book during peak DVC times... I think.

VB, HH, each WDW resort, the various room categories, 11 or 7 month, all make it very difficult to keep track of when the peak times are that would require this day-to-day strategy.

If MS has kept track of when it's important to book day-to-day vs all at once, I think they should share that info. Maybe a nice color-coded chart showing where/when are the hot spots.

For now, if MS tells you to book day-to-day, I'd be included to take their advice.