? Re:Rebooking at 7-months non-home resort

[skier_pete]

Being new to this I have a question.

We are planning a trip for late-August, early-September 2015. We want to do a split stay with two different resort, neither our home resort.

At first I was going to book the two stays (6-night then 4-night) at AKV, our home resort as a "back-up". But then I was wondering, is there any issues when you want to re-book at the 7-month window? Can you log on at 7-months and get a hold on a room at a non-home resort before canceling the original booking? Or do you have to cancel the original booking FIRST anyways? And can that delay your ability to pounce on an available room at the 7-month window by having to wait until the first is canceled?

My thoughts - at that time of year, we probably don't have any need to pre-book to get our home resort. If there's any advantage to NOT making that booking to make it easier to book at 7-months, then I'm thinking maybe I should hold off on booking.

Or am I just overthinking everything??

 

[CarolMN]

You have to have available points to book, so unless you have enough points to book the 7 month reservation without cancelling the home resort reservation, my advice is not to book your home resort. It will give you a few minutes advantage in booking when the 7 month window opens. That's especially true if you don't think you will have a hard time getting your home resort at 7 months.

FWIW, late August - early September is one of the easier times to book at 7 months.

Good luck!

 

[DebbieB]

Anytime I have wanted to book a non-home resort, I just waited until 7 months. The times of year that I've booked non-home, there wasn't a big demand. For example, early March at BLT, May at VGF.

 

[Jennasis]

Could one book the split stay at home resort at 11 months, and then call MS at 7 months to have them move/change the reservation to the non home? we are planning first week of December 2015. Home is BLT and we want to split between BLT and VWL.

 

[skier_pete]

You have to have available points to book, so unless you have enough points to book the 7 month reservation without cancelling the home resort reservation, my advice is not to book your home resort. It will give you a few minutes advantage in booking when the 7 month window opens. That's especially true if you don't think you will have a hard time getting your home resort at 7 months.

FWIW, late August - early September is one of the easier times to book at 7 months.

Good luck!

That is what I ended up thinking! Thank you for confirming what my feeling were saying.

Anytime I have wanted to book a non-home resort, I just waited until 7 months. The times of year that I've booked non-home, there wasn't a big demand. For example, early March at BLT, May at VGF.

Two confirmed! Yeah, I think that is what we will do. We are actually hoping to split stay either BCv/BWV first, then BLT/WLV second. Back-up would be our home resort, but thinking we should have no problem with a selection of most locations, even with Labor Day in the mix.

Could one book the split stay at home resort at 11 months, and then call MS at 7 months to have them move/change the reservation to the non home? we are planning first week of December 2015. Home is BLT and we want to split between BLT and VWL.

First week of December is supposedly one of the absolutely highest demand times of the year. If I was going at that time (and we are thinking that might be our 2016 trip) I would definitely book at my home resort, and not risk missing out on any available room. I don't know for sure, so far the only time period I've seen completely gone already at the 7-month mark is February for the marathon.

 

[chalee94]

Could one book the split stay at home resort at 11 months, and then call MS at 7 months to have them move/change the reservation to the non home? we are planning first week of December 2015. Home is BLT and we want to split between BLT and VWL.

i agree that getting VWL for december will be very tough.

book BLT at 11 months. at 7 months, you can (most likely) waitlist VWL. historically, some MS operators can hold a room if it is available while canceling your BLT reservation but many cannot and you risk losing both your BLT reservation and the VWL reservation.

 

[beer dave]

I'm sure you already know this, but labor day is the 7 th in 2015. I guess your 10 nights could still be august and include labor day. Just putting it out there because I was just looking to book labor day for a long weekend, and found that my window is not open yet. Now we are thinking we need to wait till January when the school calendar comes out to see when they actually have off. I guess it will be the 7th? anyway, I can't book it yet. I always book home resort at 11 ( or more than 7) and re book at 7 if I want to go to other than my homies.

 

[skier_pete]

I'm sure you already know this, but labor day is the 7 th in 2015. I guess your 10 nights could still be august and include labor day. Just putting it out there because I was just looking to book labor day for a long weekend, and found that my window is not open yet. Now we are thinking we need to wait till January when the school calendar comes out to see when they actually have off. I guess it will be the 7th? anyway, I can't book it yet. I always book home resort at 11 ( or more than 7) and re book at 7 if I want to go to other than my homies.

Yeah, aware that Labor Day is the 7th, which is why I am psyched that most of this trip will fall in the lower point season of September. However, Since I get both Labor Day and the Friday before off, we plan on stretching this trip quite a bit, and flying down on the Friday before for a full 10 nights. So, our first day will be August 28th, our last September 7th.

It would probably depend on my home resort, but having AKV as a home resort makes it pretty easy to wait until the 7-month window. I can keep an eye on those dates and if I see some of the days around it starting to book up in some room categories, I could always book the AKV. Right now absolutely nothing is booked up, not even VGF, so I am feeling like I don't need the "insurance" booking.

Of course, that's why I came here for opinions. Is labor day weekend a big DVC holiday? Based on what I've seen so far it doesn't seem to be.

 

[beer dave]

Yeah, aware that Labor Day is the 7th, which is why I am psyched that most of this trip will fall in the lower point season of September. However, Since I get both Labor Day and the Friday before off, we plan on stretching this trip quite a bit, and flying down on the Friday before for a full 10 nights. So, our first day will be August 28th, our last September 7th.

It would probably depend on my home resort, but having AKV as a home resort makes it pretty easy to wait until the 7-month window. I can keep an eye on those dates and if I see some of the days around it starting to book up in some room categories, I could always book the AKV. Right now absolutely nothing is booked up, not even VGF, so I am feeling like I don't need the "insurance" booking.

Of course, that's why I came here for opinions. Is labor day weekend a big DVC holiday? Based on what I've seen so far it doesn't seem to be.

Yeah, I'm not sure how big labor day is-- probably big with the local DVC ers... but what percentage is that? It's our favorite time to go.... well... and F& W, and .......... whenever we can....You will have a great 10 days for sure. I miss the long trips. My kids are slowly moving out, and we have gone from a 2 bed to a one bed, and DW and I have been talking about how often we will be able to go once it is just a studio.... but probably better with some of the kids along.