Need some help with planning 10th anniversary trip in May.

[pafer]

My dh and I are new members to DVC. We just purchased in May and have our first trip planned for October. We are planning a week long stay in May to celebrate our 10th anniversary. We honeymooned at Disney and want to stay somewhere we have not been able to stay before. We decided to try to book a savanna view studio room at AKL in late May. Now I am wondering if I should have just booked at the 11 month window at our home resort to guarantee we have somewhere to stay. Is is possible to book at the 11 month window at your home resort and then at the 7 month window try to change your booking to the other resort? I am new to this whole points thing so I am not sure if this is breaking some kind of rule or not or even if I can switch resorts like that if I have already booked at SSR. Can someone offer me advice so I don't end up unable to find accomodations for my May anniversary trip.

 

[NJ Goofy]

You should definitely book a room at SSR at the 11 month window that
way you guarantee yourself a room for your vacation. Then at the 7 month window call DVC and see what is available at AK. If your flexible and depending when you are going (peak times) you should be able to change your reservation.

We did that this year, we booked at SSR and then changed to BWV over
President's Day weekend.

Congratulations on 10 years.

 

[pafer]

thank you so much for your reply and congrats. I guess I need to go ahead and try to get some accomadations this week when I can nail down my dates. It is this may we are going. Our DVC guide told us we should not have any problems trying to get AKL in May as Kidani would be opening but I want to make sure we have somewhere for sure.

 

[NJ Goofy]

Your welcome.

Even though your guide said you can get AK in May. I would still play it
safe and book SSR now.

At 7 months out just make the change.

 

[perpetualplanner]

I hope I'm not thread-stealing BUT I'm considering the same thing and wondering how it works out with points. Since it wouldn't be an equal # of points required for the switch. If you need fewer points are they just returned to you with no strings attached??

 

[bobbiwoz]

Honestly, I do not think you have to book SSR now. I think you can just wait until 7 months, try to get what you really want, and if not available, then book SSR.

Bobbi

PS. Regarding the "extra" points if there will be any. If those "extra" points would be currect use year, and as such could be banked if you are in your banking window when you change the reservation. If those points are either banked or borrowed, then they would have to stay in that use year that the reservation was in and be used before that use year ended.

 

[pafer]

what I really want is a savanna view room in AKL but I am not sure if any savanna view studios would be left at the 7 month window for a trip in May. I hear Kindani is opening that month and I figured everyone might be trying to get a room that month.

 

[4Pluto]

I believe this what the prior post was saying:

If you call at 7 months out and AKV savannah view is not available, then you can ask for SSR. It would be very unusual for SSR not to be available 7 months in advance for May. I've made reservations (2BR not Studio) for the first week in May for AKV savannah view 5 months in advance, for VWL 4 months in advance and SSR 2 months in advance. Except for the maybe Memorial Day weekend, May is relatively easy to reserve. And its a wonderful time to be at WDW--the temperatures are nice, the parks aren't crowded, and its time for the flower and garden show at Epcot.

You can make reservations at SSR now and call 7 months in advance and ask to change the resort. With the change in rules, you can call 7 months from the checkin date and change for the whole length of your stay (ignore old posts about calling day by day for reservations). If the AKV requires additional points, they will add them when you change the reservation; if you use fewer points, the extra will be returned. Just bear in mind that if you borrowed the points in the first place, they cannot be returned to their original year; they will need to be used within your use year. And if May is beyond your banking deadline, you will need to use the returned points during the current use year.

This is a pretty common strategy for reserving rooms, mostly at the peak times of year.

Have a great anniversary.