New Owner Booking Question

[SoloJim]

I'm a new owner at SSR and planning my first trip (as an owner) for May 2025. I'm all about exploring so would like to start making the rounds of other resorts. I know the 7-month booking window doesn't open till October. Should I go ahead and book a studio at SSR for the week, now, and then see what's open in October for alternatives, or just wait until the window opens? Although I would expect there to be availability at SSR and others at that time, I also don't want to run the risk of getting shut out of everything. Is it easy to modify resorts on a reservation or is it a whole cancel and rebook thing? Sorry for the "noob" questions.

 

[drusba]

To assure locking in the time you want to go, it is usually best, if one wants to try for a non-home DVC resort at 7-months out, to reserve your home resort at 11-months out to assure you have a reservation, and then try to switch at 7-months out. Though SSR is, for much of the year, usually readily available at 7-months out, it can actually disappear at times before 7-months out. Though you would probably be safe for May you should consider not taking a chance and reserve SSR now.

 

[SoloJim]

To assure locking in the time you want to go, it is usually best, if one wants to try for a non-home DVC resort at 7-months out, to reserve your home resort at 11-months out to assure you have a reservation, and then try to switch at 7-months out. Though SSR is, for much of the year, usually readily available at 7-months out, it can actually disappear at 7-months out.

Thanks. I know May is not peak time at WDW, but I've seen studios at some resorts are already gone for the first half of the month.

 

[kilik64]

We own SSR too, I wouldn't worry about not booking it until 7 months. There will still be plenty of studios even at 6 months for the month of may.

If you want to be safe though, you can certainly book the SSR studio for your dates and then when 7 months hits you just modify the reservation to another resort. Its not a cancel and rebook, you wont fully drop the SSR res until you finish the modify completely on the new res.

 

[CarolynFH]

Thanks. I know May is not peak time at WDW, but I've seen studios at some resorts are already gone for the first half of the month.

Correct, May is not peak time at WDW, but peak times for DVC can be very different (for example, the first two weeks of December are very much in demand for DVC, not so busy for Disney hotels). For the last few years, after the points charts were reallocated, the first two weeks of May have been among the cheapest times of year for DVC members (more or less the second lowest points costs of the year) so demand for that time has increased. The weather is nice, most kids are still in school, relatively cheap DVC villas = higher demand, villas book up faster. You still are likely to find availability at 7 months, but I'd want to have my home resort booked and just need to modify that reservation as opposed to making an entirely new one.

 

[SoloJim]

Correct, May is not peak time at WDW, but peak times for DVC can be very different (for example, the first two weeks of December are very much in demand for DVC, not so busy for Disney hotels). For the last few years, after the points charts were reallocated, the first two weeks of May have been among the cheapest times of year for DVC members (more or less the second lowest points costs of the year) so demand for that time has increased. The weather is nice, most kids are still in school, relatively cheap DVC villas = higher demand, villas book up faster. You still are likely to find availability at 7 months, but I'd want to have my home resort booked and just need to modify that reservation as opposed to making an entirely new one.

Exactly the reasons early May has been my favorite time to visit, even before I started with DVC. Crowds are manageable, days are long, rainy season hasn't yet hit, it's hot but not "hell's front porch" hot.

 

[SoloJim]

We own SSR too, I wouldn't worry about not booking it until 7 months. There will still be plenty of studios even at 6 months for the month of may.

If you want to be safe though, you can certainly book the SSR studio for your dates and then when 7 months hits you just modify the reservation to another resort. Its not a cancel and rebook, you wont fully drop the SSR res until you finish the modify completely on the new res.

This is helpful, thanks.

 

[JulieBeeRN]

We always book the dates that we want to travel at our home resort and then modify at 7 months if we want another resort. It just makes me feel more comfortable that I at least have a room somewhere.

 

[DisTravels]

We always book the dates that we want to travel at our home resort and then modify at 7 months if we want another resort. It just makes me feel more comfortable that I at least have a room somewhere.

The only cost is time with booking home resort then canceling/rebooking with new resort.

If you even get to where you have different types of points (banked, borrowed, etc) - you can book with one type of points and call Member Services and have points reallocated on which points are used for a current reservation.

 

[CarolynFH]

The only cost is time with booking home resort then canceling/rebooking with new resort.

@SoloJim you don’t have to cancel and rebook, you simply Modify your home resort reservation if you want to change resorts at 7 months. It still takes time, but you won’t lose your home resort reservation if the other one isn’t available.

If you even get to where you have different types of points (banked, borrowed, etc) - you can book with one type of points and call Member Services and have points reallocated on which points are used for a current reservation.

If you Modify a reservation that has banked, borrowed, and current UY points in it, the system will automatically apply first the banked points, then the borrowed points, finally current UY points to the new reservation.

 

[SoloJim]

@SoloJim you don’t have to cancel and rebook, you simply Modify your home resort reservation if you want to change resorts at 7 months. It still takes time, but you won’t lose your home resort reservation if the other one isn’t available.

If you Modify a reservation that has banked, borrowed, and current UY points in it, the system will automatically apply first the banked points, then the borrowed points, finally current UY points to the new reservation.

Thanks!

 

[JulieBeeRN]

The only cost is time with booking home resort then canceling/rebooking with new resort.

If you even get to where you have different types of points (banked, borrowed, etc) - you can book with one type of points and call Member Services and have points reallocated on which points are used for a current reservation.

I don't cancel, just modify. It doesn't really take a lot of time.