Q About Booking Home Resort at 11 Months and Switching at 7 Months

[KSL]

Hi everyone!
I'm already planning for summer 2013 and looking for some advice.
We are owners at BLT but would like to stay at BWV in mid-late August.
I know many people book their home resort at 11 months and then plan to switch at 7 months. I understand that one benefit of doing this is if you check at 7 months and don't like the available options for switching, you just keep your original home resort booking. However, if there is availability at where you want to switch to, I'm not sure how having an existing reservation at your home resort is a safeguard. We don't have enough points to keep the BLT booking AND make a BWV booking, so we'd have to cancel the BLT that we made at 11 months in order to have the points to rebook at 7 months. So, wouldn't we be risking that in the few seconds between canceling one and booking the other, that it could be taken by someone else? I just want to be sure I'm not missing some option like 'holding' the booking while you cancel the first one, see the points drop back into your account, and proceeding with the new reservation.
As a second question, does anyone have insight as to the likelihood of getting a standard view at BWV at the 7-month mark? They're all booked up for the 2012 week that we'd be looking at in 2013, but I didn't think to check right when the window opened a few months ago.
Thanks for any replies!

 

[robinb]

I guess there is a tiny chance that you may lose your reservation in the transition. I wouldn't worry too much about it though. My guess is that Member Services locks the new reservation while they are working on it so no one else can snatch it from you, but I'm not 100% of the process. As for availability for a standard views ... standard views and Boardwalk views are the first to go. Studios are more popular than 1BR's. Since you're looking at a time when Florida kids are already back in school you may have a better chance at one of the hard to get reservations. You can always wait list too. I wait listed for Beach Club Villas for Spring Break and got it!

 

[Granny]

So, wouldn't we be risking that in the few seconds between canceling one and booking the other, that it could be taken by someone else? I just want to be sure I'm not missing some option like 'holding' the booking while you cancel the first one, see the points drop back into your account, and proceeding with the new reservation.

There is a very slight risk that what you have described could happen. It has been reported on these boards a few times over the years. I think I've read that MS has the ability to put the new reservation "on hold" while they cancel one and book the other. But I am not sure about that. The on-line booking has no such capability. So yes, there is a small, small chance that after you cancel your original reservation, the one you wanted might be gone and the original one cannot be re-booked. I wouldn't worry about it as the risk is so slight. But I wouldn't go for a cup of coffee between the two transactions either.

As a second question, does anyone have insight as to the likelihood of getting a standard view at BWV at the 7-month mark? They're all booked up for the 2012 week that we'd be looking at in 2013, but I didn't think to check right when the window opened a few months ago.

What time of year? BWV standard view can be very hard to get at 7 months at certain times of the year.

 

[jstarcze]

It's possible - I was able to get a 1BR std at BWV in July 2010. Sending you some pixie dust.

 

[triciari]

Or, could you wait list the one you want when your 7 month window opens, and then, if it is available, just set up the wait list so that it'll cancel the 11 month booking in favor of the wait list.

I just attempted to do this today (want to move from BWV to beach club), but, of course, only 2 of the 3 days I want are available. So, I just left the wait list request in - hopefully it'll work out for both if us!

 

[drusba]

Losing reservation while cancelling prior one used to be an issue. MS is supposed to be able to hold a room for a few minutes now while you canel prior reservation so new one can be made. However, you cannot do the change on-line. You can cancel and then make a new reservation on-line but you face the risk of losing a room, that you determine is available, while you are spending the time doing the cancellation.

Having said that, you should assume that your chances are high to get something at BWV at 7 months out if time you want is last half of Aug or most of Sep (except last couple days). Since on-line booling began, I have learned that period of time is probably the slowest DVC reservation time of the year, and that includes time arounde Labor Day. Even BWV standard and boardwalk view were open at the 7 month window for that period of time.

 

[KSL]

Thanks for the responses, everyone!

It sounds like if I book BLT at 11 months out and want to switch, I could first check online to see if what I want is showing as available, and if it is, I should exit the online system and call member services so that they can do a seamless switch for me. If I remember to do this exactly at 7-months and can't wait the hour between being able to check online at 8am and calling at 9am, good to know that the experience of the DISers is that there's only a very slight chance of the new room being taken during those few moments.

I'm happy to read from drusba that the period from mid-August through most of September tends to be a low time for DVC bookings. Maybe we'll have a shot! We like to go at that time of year (hurricanes notwithstanding!) because we do find it a bit less crowded with much of the country back to school (but not us yet!).

Well, at least I have plenty of time to obsess about this.....!!

 

[drusba]

^That time of year is hot but doable, crowds are pleasantly manageable and fairly low, popular attractions can often be easy to get on many times of day via standby lines, you can actually find things on sale at the Disney stores, you can often get dining reservations at popular places for popular times by just calling the day before, and hurricanes are not usually an issue but instead you just get your usual two or three 30 minute thunderstorms per day and good weather the rest of the time. It would be ideal but for one problem -- though they are harmless, the lovebugs in Sep (usually about mid-Sep to late Sep) can sometimes be a real nuisance particularly in a bad year when it just seems like there are billions everywhere.

Also, another thing I found surprising for that time period: Grand Villas everywhere except BWV were not only wide open at 7 months out, they were still open two to three weeks past the 7 month window, and that included Labor Day time and BLT MK view.

 

[robinb]

It sounds like if I book BLT at 11 months out and want to switch, I could first check online to see if what I want is showing as available, and if it is, I should exit the online system and call member services so that they can do a seamless switch for me.

I wouldn't even check online. I would just call because availability changes so quickly.

 

[brenbrady]

Hi everyone!
I'm already planning for summer 2013 and looking for some advice.
We are owners at BLT but would like to stay at BWV in mid-late August.
I know many people book their home resort at 11 months and then plan to switch at 7 months. I understand that one benefit of doing this is if you check at 7 months and don't like the available options for switching, you just keep your original home resort booking. However, if there is availability at where you want to switch to, I'm not sure how having an existing reservation at your home resort is a safeguard. We don't have enough points to keep the BLT booking AND make a BWV booking, so we'd have to cancel the BLT that we made at 11 months in order to have the points to rebook at 7 months. So, wouldn't we be risking that in the few seconds between canceling one and booking the other, that it could be taken by someone else? I just want to be sure I'm not missing some option like 'holding' the booking while you cancel the first one, see the points drop back into your account, and proceeding with the new reservation.
As a second question, does anyone have insight as to the likelihood of getting a standard view at BWV at the 7-month mark? They're all booked up for the 2012 week that we'd be looking at in 2013, but I didn't think to check right when the window opened a few months ago.
Thanks for any replies!

We booked Bay Lake at the 11 months last year and then switched at the 7 months some of the days to Boardwalk with no problelm. I would call Members Service as they will be able to do it for you, I wouldn't try online as you may lose original reservations. good luck