Need Help to Move Resort Reservation

[shainky84]

My fiancee and I joined DVC last spring during a visit to WDW. The trip was my first in more than 15 years, but he is a seasoned Disney guest. Joining DVC at that point was a no brainer, especially when he realized how much he'd spent on recent vacations. Using the points from enrollment promo we were able to attend the Food & Wine festival last month. I was stoked to visit twice in 6 months! I've drank the Kool-Aid and I'm definitely a Disney fan now.

We are planning another trip for early November. I have a work conference in the area and will be staying on property and using DVC points. We booked our full 7-night stay (Nov 4-11) in a studio at our home resort, Animal Kingdom-Kidani. Since we are taking a few days after my conference to enjoy the parks, we'd like to move the second half of our reservation to another resort, but we are having a hard time doing that. While there is availability at Saratoga and Old Key West, our first choice is something more accessible to Epcot (Beach Club, Boardwalk, Bay Lake, Grand Floridian, or Polynesian).

Since today (Wed, Apr 8) is the first day of the 7-month window for arrivals on Sun, Nov 8, I called DVC when their phones opened at 9am Eastern. The 5 resorts that I want were all booked for Nov 8. I am going to try again tomorrow, and I keep checking for availability on the DVC website, but this is so frustrating.

Our current reservation is 88 points, and we have 14 points left available for our 2014 Use Year. We'd like to save our full slate of 2015 points for our honeymoon in June 2016. Therefore, we are planning to buy any additional points that we might need if we are able to successfully move the reservation.

Any advice or help would be appreciated.

Thanks.

 

[supersnoop]

I believe that's the last weekend of the Epcot Food & Wine Festival this year. The rooms at the Epcot resorts have been booked up long in advance. While you could have luck with a waitlist if someone cancels, you don't really have the points available to make that strategy work. I'm afraid my only advice is, "don't get your hopes up."

 

[shainky84]

Thanks supersnoop!

 

[rlovew]

You are trying to move your reservation on one of the busiest weekends for DVC of the year. In a couple of weeks even the resorts not sold out now will probably be fully booked for that weekend. Thankfully you already have your home resort booked. I suggest that if you don't want to use 2015 points you waitlist only the nights you have the points for starting at the end of your reservation. I would suggest trying for BLT lakeview and BWV gardenview for your 2 waitlists as they are the largest categories of rooms in your chosen resorts. As a night comes through you can try for the night before it. I don't think however this will allow you to use any 1 time use points- those are only available for rooms that are available at the moment.

You could book a dummy reservation that would take the 1 time use points and then cancel it and have them available for a waitlist but if it never comes through you lose the money you spent on them all together.

 

[LisaS]

Using the points from enrollment promo we were able to attend the Food & Wine festival last month.

If you were at WDW last month then you mean the Flower & Garden festival. The Food & Wine festival runs from late September through mid November and it is F&W that is causing your problem with changing to an Epcot or monorail resort for early November. F&W is one of the most popular times for DVC members to visit WDW. The weekend of Nov 6-7 is also the Wine & Dine Half Marathon and just recently someone (probably drusba, our availability expert) mentioned that that particular weekend books up extremely quickly.

Those of us who own BWV or BCV book at 8am 11 months out to secure our home resorts for that time of year. There isn't much left at 7 months out, especially if you want a studio, so you have to book online at 8am (eastern) to have any chance of booking the leftovers. At this point you can try stalking the availability tool. You would need to book something the instant you see it and then call MS to drop the redundant nights from your original reservation. This only works if you have enough spare points in your account. You cannot buy one time use points online either, you have to call MS for that.

 

[shainky84]

Thanks rlovew!

 

[shainky84]

Thanks LisaS! "Last month" was typo, I meant last fall - in October in fact.....Nov 5-8 is also a popular long weekend for families from NJ since the public close for two days for a statewide teachers' conference.

A follow-up question to everyone - If I were to borrow from 2015 points to waitlist a reservation at another resort, could I get those points back if I cancel before my bank deadline, which is Aug 1. For example, if I were to waitlist 3 nights (Nov 8-11) at Poly and cancel that waitlist in mid-July, would I get those points back to bank?

 

[LisaS]

When you set up a wait list, MS should cancel the existing nights in your current reservation and use those points to book the nights at the wait listed resort. If you need more points than that (because you wait listed a more expensive resort/room type) and MS needs to borrow points, it would happen at that time.

The reason I say that MS should cancel the existing nights is that sometimes MS makes mistakes. They might cancel your entire existing reservation and leave you with just the wait listed nights that came through, or borrow points to book the wait listed nights and then cancel the existing nights. This is rare but it does happen occasionally. If you set up a wait list online, I suggest you follow up with a call to MS to make sure it is noted in your account to cancel only the overlapping nights in your existing reservation, not the entire reservation.

And if you ever do need to borrow points, once borrowed the points cannot be put back into their original UY. They will expire at the end of their new UY if not used for a reservation.

 

[n2mm]

Those of us who own BWV or BCV book at 8am 11 months out to secure our home resorts for that time of year. There isn't much left at 7 months out, especially if you want a studio, so you have to book online at 8am (eastern) to have any chance of booking the leftovers. At this point you can try stalking the availability tool. You would need to book something the instant you see it and then call MS to drop the redundant nights from your original reservation. This only works if you have enough spare points in your account. You cannot buy one time use points online either, you have to call MS for that.

I agree! After buying in at SSR 10 years ago, it didn't take me too long to figure out that if I wanted to stay at bwv in October I needed to own there, so added on there my first year after joining. I book exactly 11 months out at exactly 8:00am every year. Since I like to stay for 2 weeks I book standard view, but it gets harder each year. Generally by 8:05am at the 11 month window the first night is always gone.

 

[shainky84]

I agree! After buying in at SSR 10 years ago, it didn't take me too long to figure out that if I wanted to stay at bwv in October I needed to own there, so added on there my first year after joining. I book exactly 11 months out at exactly 8:00am every year. Since I like to stay for 2 weeks I book standard view, but it gets harder each year. Generally by 8:05am at the 11 month window the first night is always gone.

Yes, I'm quickly learning that lesson! We will add eventually at a different resort.

 

[shainky84]

Just wanted to give an update to everyone! This morning I was able to switch the last two nights to Bay Lake Tower (a lake view) and put in a Waitlist for the preceding night. I'm hoping that between the Waitlist and my continuous checking over the next few months, we can get the single night. But if not, at least we were able to get the two nights we did!

Thanks!

 

[deedisneydream97]

If it doesn't work out, and you don't feel like "bussing it" back to AKL, you can walk (or stagger) through the back gate to the Board Walk and grab a taxi back to your resort. If you have a Saturday night stay over during the F&W Festival, I strongly recommend the Saturday night Party for the Senses. Not sure what the price per person will be this year, but last year it was less than $150 per person for general admission, for an almost 3 hour party with unlimited wine and food tastings. Also some beer and spirits and great desserts. And entertainment. The best bang for your $$$. And NO DRIVING....please take Disney transportation or a cab. And congrats on your upcoming wedding and honeymoon.