One-time use points. . .

[ANGRebel]

Here's my question, lets say I'm booking at the 7 month window and I need some one time use points for the last night of my stay. Could I book my stay online at 8 o'clock eastern time, all but the last night. Then call member services at 9 to purchase the one time use points and add my last night. Just wondering if this would help prevent losing the reservation to someone else during that hour.

This all assumes that the last night is available when I look online at 8 am.

Sent from my iPhone using DISBoards

 

[Sandisw]

It will prevent you from losing the nights you have booked but not the one you don't.

Since owners can book that night its possible to lose it to one of them. But, IMO, if you get the first 6 exactly at 7 months, the chances are very good that last night won't be gone in the hour as I would think most owners would have booked by that point.

 

[maburke]

Actually, I think that strategy will probably work. No-one who is working with the 7-month window, like you, will have access to that last night if they haven't booked the earlier ones. Since you have one secured, there's at least one that isn't open to them. (It's the same principal for walking a reservation.) You certainly could lose it to an owner with the 11-month priority, but they are unlikely to be booking between 8 and 9 am on the morning of the 7-month window, since they could have done it anytime in the previous four months.

 

[WMorganS]

You're strategy will work, but walking the 7 month res once would make more sense. It's not as reliable as walking an 11 month res, there's some bizarre cases where you can only modify your checkin date once.

It's a bit complicated for a longer stay, but it works better than waiting to book the entire stay.

 

[Sandisw]

You're strategy will work, but walking the 7 month res once would make more sense. It's not as reliable as walking an 11 month res, there's some bizarre cases where you can only modify your checkin date once.

It's a bit complicated for a longer stay, but it works better than waiting to book the entire stay.

There is no rule about modifying only once. Walking a reservation does not work at 7 as it does at 11 since you still have owners who can jump out ahead of you. In this case, if they can get the first 6 nights at 7 months, then I don't think there will be an issue during that hour, because as mentioned, I would think most owners would have already booked if they wanted and in fact, some may be changing resorts, freeing up more of those rooms.

 

[maburke]

Walking a reservation does not work at 7 as it does at 11 since you still have owners who can jump out ahead of you.

I agree. The only reason, it seems to me, to walk a reservation, is to have a rock-solid guarantee that you will get a very hard-to-get villa at a very high-demand time. You don't get that guarantee at the 7-month window. For example, say you want New Year's Eve, so you book through the day before, intending to walk along. But New Year's Eve might have been booked up months ago by owners at that property, so you never had a chance of getting it, anyway.

With the OP's suggested strategy, s/he could see online that the last night is available, so s/he could plan accordingly. S/he then just needs to wait the hour to talk to MS to get the one-time-use points.

Also, as Sandisw pointed out, there may be rooms that *come available* on the 7-month window, due to owners switching out.

 

[oneprincessjo]

I don't know if this is doable, but can you pre-purchase the one time points the day before so they are available at the time you can make your reservation?

 

[Sur]

MS can only make the reservations with otup. You are placed on hold, connected to another part of Disney to make the actual payment for the points, transferred back to that agent, and your reservation is complete.

What you can do, though, is book a room that has the exact same point requirement for what you actually want, then switch resorts when the one you truly want becomes available. I can't remember what the point to this is though... haven't needed to do it for anything. You'd still need to speak with MS to do these transactions.

 

[Pirate Granny]

Wouldn't she have to wait until the 7 months comes up for that last date...MS might look at that as an additional reservation???? I personally would wait and have them do the entire reservation at once. But perhaps I'm missing something? Is the reservation at a hard to get time or resort?

 

[WMorganS]

Wouldn't she have to wait until the 7 months comes up for that last date...MS might look at that as an additional reservation???? I personally would wait and have them do the entire reservation at once. But perhaps I'm missing something? Is the reservation at a hard to get time or resort?

Yeah, you're missing the point because I shouldn't have called it "walking the res". There's a sticky post somewhere about how to walk reservations, so rather than rehash that I'll just spell out the steps I take to maximize my chances of getting a 7 month res:

1. I go online and book a 7 night stay in the room I want a few days before 7 month mark.

2. I call MS once the last night of my stay can be booked. I have them change the check-in date to the first night I really want and I have them add the additional days I need onto the end.

I'm sure there will be follow up posts pointing out that this does not always work, or even help, but that's not the point. The point is that sometimes, using this strategy gets me at the 7 month mark that I wouldn't have gotten otherwise. For example, just a few weeks ago I used this strategy to get a BLT res over presidents day weekend using my BCV points. At the 7 month mark, my first night (Sunday) was not available, but I got the res because I had booked that first night 7 months + 6 days ahead of check-in.

-- Morgan

 

[Sandisw]

Wouldn't she have to wait until the 7 months comes up for that last date...MS might look at that as an additional reservation???? I personally would wait and have them do the entire reservation at once. But perhaps I'm missing something? Is the reservation at a hard to get time or resort?

No. If she had the first 6 nights and is adding the same room type when she calls at 9:00 it would be part of the one booked online as it would be considered a modification.

 

[Deb & Bill]

Yeah, you're missing the point because I shouldn't have called it "walking the res". There's a sticky post somewhere about how to walk reservations, so rather than rehash that I'll just spell out the steps I take to maximize my chances of getting a 7 month res:

1. I go online and book a 7 night stay in the room I want a few days before 7 month mark.

2. I call MS once the last night of my stay can be booked. I have them change the check-in date to the first night I really want and I have them add the additional days I need onto the end.

I'm sure there will be follow up posts pointing out that this does not always work, or even help, but that's not the point. The point is that sometimes, using this strategy gets me at the 7 month mark that I wouldn't have gotten otherwise. For example, just a few weeks ago I used this strategy to get a BLT res over presidents day weekend using my BCV points. At the 7 month mark, my first night (Sunday) was not available, but I got the res because I had booked that first night 7 months + 6 days ahead of check-in.

-- Morgan

For example, you are trying to walk the reservation at seven months out and want NYE. You are lucky enough to get Dec 20-27. So when you are seven months out from the first night of your real stay (Dec 25), you call and nothing is available. An owner at that resort suddenly realized they forgot to book NYE and booked those nights.

Walking only works at eleven months out. You just got lucky with your method.

 

[WMorganS]

For example, you are trying to walk the reservation at seven months out and want NYE. You are lucky enough to get Dec 20-27. So when you are seven months out from the first night of your real stay (Dec 25), you call and nothing is available. An owner at that resort suddenly realized they forgot to book NYE and booked those nights.

Walking only works at eleven months out. You just got lucky with your method.

Yeah right! With 11 months lead time, I suddenly realize I forgot to book New Years Eve. ROFL!

Can you "walk" a 7 month res? Answer: NO. But does booking a few days early improve your chances? Answer: Yes, of course.

 

[Deb & Bill]

Yeah right! With 11 months lead time, I suddenly realize I forgot to book New Years Eve. ROFL!

Can you "walk" a 7 month res? Answer: NO. But does booking a few days early improve your chances? Answer: Yes, of course.

Nah, just luck. Not logical at all.