Is this possible re: booking online?

[lawgator]

We have a split stay currently booked on current use year points. If availability opens up for a night, we want to change so we are in the same resort and room 2 nights in a row. We do not have enough current use year points to rebook without cancelling a reservation. I understand from reading an earlier post in this forum that if we reserve what we see online that it will be held 20 minutes and we can call member services and ask for a supervisor who would be able to "hold" the new reservation while we cancel the other one and get the points back to use on another reservations. Do supervisors usually do this if requested?
Also, if member services is closed. Can my sister, who is on the same membership account, but has a different login from a different computer, go online while I am holding the reservation I want and cancel a reservation so the points become available for me to use while I am trying to book the new reservation? Has anyone tried this? Thanks in advance for your suggestions/help.

 

[nalajms]

My first question is are you on the waitlist? It's probably easier to go that route. Sounds like you're booking during a busy time?

I did not have very good luck last year trying to switch out rooms for the first week of Dec. The CM said he couldn't hold it but I knew if we waited for a sup, it'd be gone so I tried it. Ended up losing both rooms. After that, I started booking/canceling on my own.

This is what I did: Have them break up the days into separate res. So if you have M-W that you're trying to move, have them separate it to M, T, W. Then you can do it yourself. If M shows up in the resort you want, start the booking process. As soon as you do that, it takes the room off the availability list. On another PC (I used an iPad and PC), log in and cancel M. Then keep refreshing your "about to book" browser until the points from the canceling shows up.

Please note that I was doing this last fall. I think the sweeps for the waitlist have gotten a lot better.

 

[drusba]

MS is supposed to be able to hold any reservation you can get while cancelling the first one. As some have mentioned, however, you don't always get an MS person who has any idea what they are doing so you have to tell them what you want to do first, including holding the new one while cancellling the old one, and see if the person confirms it can be done. If the CM says no either ask to speak to a supervisor or hang up and call again to get a different CM.

Doing it on-line risks losing the first reservation. If you go in, pick dates and rooms for the new ressie, learn it is available, and then click to reserve it you go to the page where you choose points to use and are told the ressie is being held for 20 minutes. If you then cancel the other reservation, nothing changes on that page. You still can choose only points that were in your account before the cancellation. If you try to refresh the page, you get sent back to the beginning where you have to enter dates and room you want. Have not tried it with an associate member using another computer but that associate member would just be sent to your account and the same page would come up for the new reservation that cannot be refreshed. I have actually tried it using different browers on two different computers and could not use the cancelled points in the new reservation.

 

[lawgator]

Thank you for your replies. We have waitlisted already and the reservations (for my sister) are for 3 consecutive nights all in different resorts. That's a lot of moving around. Even if we could get it down to just one move that would be better.
I'm thinking if I see something online and MS is open I will call and make sure I either have a supervisor or confirm that the MS person can actually hold the reservation I see to make the switch.
If not, I will have to think about using 2 computers to cancel and rebook with 2 different logins and taking a chance. My sister is a co-owner, not an associate, and has her own account, although they are for the same contracts. I don't know if that makes a difference for me refreshing the book available reservation page while she cancels the old reservation on her computer.
Fingers crossed. Thank you again.

 

[Sandisw]

To me, when you don't have the points to book before canceling like this, I would just give MS a call.

I have heard that if you have it on "hold" and are trying to book it, that the CM won't be able to see it in inventory if it is the only one.

Not sure about this, but just thought I would let you know.

 

[iluvthsgam]

Are you in your banking window? You could always borrow the points to book the new reservation, cancel the old and then bank the points forward.

 

[lawgator]

To me, when you don't have the points to book before canceling like this, I would just give MS a call.

I have heard that if you have it on "hold" and are trying to book it, that the CM won't be able to see it in inventory if it is the only one.

Not sure about this, but just thought I would let you know.

Hmmm, that does put another twist on one's options. Thanks for the heads up.

 

[lawgator]

Are you in your banking window? You could always borrow the points to book the new reservation, cancel the old and then bank the points forward.

We are not quite in our banking window yet, but I am trying to see what all our options are for now and in the future if we find anything else. Thanks for all your suggestions.

 

[iluvthsgam]

We are not quite in our banking window yet, but I am trying to see what all our options are for now and in the future if we find anything else. Thanks for all your suggestions.

Not quite yet? You are either in or out and you start in your banking window. The last 4 months of the Use Year are out of the banking window. If we are talking about current year points then you are in the window, until you hit the 8 month mark then you are out.

 

[lawgator]

Not quite yet? You are either in or out and you start in your banking window. The last 4 months of the Use Year are out of the banking window. If we are talking about current year points then you are in the window, until you hit the 8 month mark then you are out.

Whoops, sorry iluvthsgam, I meant to say that we are not quite at our banking "deadline" yet...not "window". It is coming up and I realize once we are there that all the options change. Thanks for the suggestions and explanation, though.

 

[lawgator]

My first question is are you on the waitlist? It's probably easier to go that route. Sounds like you're booking during a busy time?

I did not have very good luck last year trying to switch out rooms for the first week of Dec. The CM said he couldn't hold it but I knew if we waited for a sup, it'd be gone so I tried it. Ended up losing both rooms. After that, I started booking/canceling on my own.

This is what I did: Have them break up the days into separate res. So if you have M-W that you're trying to move, have them separate it to M, T, W. Then you can do it yourself. If M shows up in the resort you want, start the booking process. As soon as you do that, it takes the room off the availability list. On another PC (I used an iPad and PC), log in and cancel M. Then keep refreshing your "about to book" browser until the points from the canceling shows up.

Please note that I was doing this last fall. I think the sweeps for the waitlist have gotten a lot better.

I am really happy to report back here that your (nalajms) method just worked for me. I found 2 consecutive nights at BW studio the first week of December when my sister wants to go. We were waitlisted for that anyway, but I just now saw them in the reservation system. I grabbed them on my account and my computer, and on my other little netbook I logged into my sister's account (by her request and permission) and cancelled a night so she had enough points. I then refreshed the account I was trying to make the reservation on (it was on the page where I was to pick which contract to use for points) and sure enough the points did show up after I refreshed the page and I was able to book them. I realize this was risky and I was extremely lucky (or my sister is) and some Pixie Dust must have been thrown our way.

 

[nalajms]

Congrats on getting the res! Good to know it still works. Sad that the waitlist did not pick it up! That's why I don't rely solely on the waitlists.