Modifying a reservation

[Lorajo]

I know this has been asked before, sorry to be a bother.

I am currently waiting for ROFR to come through and planning my first booking.

Assuming all goes as planned, I plan on booking a 1 bedroom 11 nights at my home resort (BWV) - December 7-18th. I should be able to book within a few weeks of my 11 month window so hopefully it will be available. If not, I will waitlist.

If it is already a week or two past the 11 month mark, can I book all 11 nights or do I need to book seven nights and then keep adding nights each day?

At the 7 month mark, I will check to see if I can change the first 4 nights to GFV if available. (just to check it out & be close to MK for the MK heavy portion of our trip)

How will I do this? Do I need to call in or can it be done online? Do I need to first cancel my BW nights to free up the points to book GFV or can it be done in one step as a modification?

Once I have access to the online system, this will likely make more sense to me.

Thanks!

 

[com_op_2000]

For a trip 12/7 - 18/15, you can book at your homer resort all 11 nights on 1/11/15. You can also book, the first seven nights of the trip starting on 1/7/15, then call in each day to modify your reservation to add the additional days. You can NOT modify a reservation online.
To change the first four days of your trip to GFV, you would have to cancel your reservation (the whole trip), book your GFV stay, and then rebook the other 7 seven days at BWV; you are taking a chance that someone else will jump in there and grab your seven other days at BWV.
IMHO, if I were you, I would book online a four day trip on 1/7/15 for BWV, then on 1/11/15 book the other seven days of your reservation as a separate reservation. Then at the seven month window "see" if you can get GFV, only have to cancel the four day reservation, and still maintain your other seven days without releasing them.

 

[Msmithmd]

Second everything com_op said.

And for a check-in of December 7, you almost certainly won't be able to trade for VGF, so be content with a home resort stay for the full trip.

You will find, as I have, that VGF is very "gettable" most of the year in a 1BR. Not a chance for the first two weeks of December.

But good luck proving me wrong!

 

[drusba]

Above not entirely correct on the change to VGF. You can change the first four nights of the 11 night BWV reservation to VGF at 7 months out if available while keeping the remaining nights of your BWV reservation by calling member services to make the change. It is only if you try to make the change online that you would have to cancel all of BWV reservation first to be able to use any points for the VGF portion of the trip. Nevertheless, the advice above about doing two ressies at BWV is wise advice and would give you the option of switching online.

And so you know the likely battle you will be facing at 7 months out, the first and second week of Dec are, respectively, the first and third highest DVC demand weeks of the year at WDW: Christmas week comes in at second. You might find a 1BR VGF for the time you want at 7 months out but do not count on it. Also, if you will instead be trying for a studio at VGF, your chances are about zero. Moreover, you mention that you might not be able to reserve BWV until a few weeks into the 11 month window. That few weeks delay could mean that some of those days will be gone before you reserve if you want standard or boardwalk view, although if seeking 1BR you should still have a good chance.

 

[Lorajo]

Thanks - we will be very happy to have our entire stay at BW - that is why we bought there because we usually travel early December and knew we needed to buy where we wanted to stay.

I find it very strange that our travel time is such a busy time - but I did know this going in.

I will do the 2 reservations. The less phone calls I need to make, the better

ROFR went in November 6th - things have been coming back a little more quickly lately so hopefully if we pass we won't be too late booking.

 

[drusba]

I find it very strange that our travel time is such a busy time - but I did know this going in.

The combination of reasons frist half of Dec is so popular for DVC include: (a) lowest point cost season, (b) all the Christmas decorations and events are up and going on, including Mickey's Christmas Party in MK and Epcot's Candlelight Processional; (c) parks are not overly crowded; (c) DVC annual meeting usually held in second week; (d) DVC has now been around so long that a large number of members are no longer tied to school schedules for vacations; (e) airfares and car rentals are usually cheaper than the holiday times in November and December.