Switching from home resort to another stay

[DVCRookie2023]

Hello All -

I am not yet a DVC member but hoping to be very soon.

I was wondering about the following scenario:

1. I book my home resort 11 months out for a week.
2. At the seven month mark I want to try another resort.
3. I find a resort with availability but my points are obviously tied up in my original booking.

My question is do I have to cancel my first reservation and quickly book the other resort in the hopes that I don’t lose it during that time? In other words, am I able to book a 7 month stay (after having my home resort book) without facing the possibility of losing both? If so, what does that process look like?

Hope that is clear. Thank you!

 

[kes601]

No, you simply modify the existing reservation to a different resort. There is no cancellation involved.

 

[DVCRookie2023]

No, you simply modify the existing reservation to a different resort. There is no cancellation involved.

Great thank you.

 

[Sandisw]

The only time you might risk it is if you want to change only part of your stay and didn’t book it that way from the start.

For example, you book 7 nights and decide you want to split stay and book only 3 nights elsewhere. In that case, you do have to drop the nights before booking the others…in that time, you could lose the original ones…

But, if you want to do all or nothing, then you just modify and rebook if the room is there.

 

[DVCRookie2023]

The only time you might risk it is if you want to change only part of your stay and didn’t book it that way from the start.

For example, you book 7 nights and decide you want to split stay and book only 3 nights elsewhere. In that case, you do have to drop the nights before booking the others…in that time, you could lose the original ones…

But, if you want to do all or nothing, then you just modify and rebook if the room is there.

Got it. Thank you.

 

[Simba's Mom]

The only time you might risk it is if you want to change only part of your stay and didn’t book it that way from the start.

For example, you book 7 nights and decide you want to split stay and book only 3 nights elsewhere. In that case, you do have to drop the nights before booking the others…in that time, you could lose the original ones…

But, if you want to do all or nothing, then you just modify and rebook if the room is there.

Oh, Oh-that's the situation I'm in. I booked 8 days at my home resort. At 7 months, I want to move the last 4 days to another resort. What's the safest thing to do? I was thinking that first I'd modify my home stay dates, then I'd go back and reserve the last 4 days-although of course, I have a "first choice resort" for those last 4 days, I really would consider staying at a wide variety, including SSR, and I'll bet that one would be available. Does that sound safest, or is there something else people would recommend?

 

[RoseGold]

Oh, Oh-that's the situation I'm in. I booked 8 days at my home resort. At 7 months, I want to move the last 4 days to another resort. What's the safest thing to do?

Book the 8 days as two 4 day stays. Book these with different people, even fictional people, for now so they don't get "accidentally" combined. If you can't get anything for the last 4 days, no problem. Just combine them later.

At 7 months, leave the first four days alone and modify the last four days. You could even walk the last four days, if you want to get risky. Modify 7 mo + a few days and keep modifying until it's where you want.

 

[thanxfornoticin]

Oh, Oh-that's the situation I'm in. I booked 8 days at my home resort. At 7 months, I want to move the last 4 days to another resort. What's the safest thing to do? I was thinking that first I'd modify my home stay dates, then I'd go back and reserve the last 4 days-although of course, I have a "first choice resort" for those last 4 days, I really would consider staying at a wide variety, including SSR, and I'll bet that one would be available. Does that sound safest, or is there something else people would recommend?

If it were me, I'd look at 2 choices. One, call Member Services when the time comes for them to help you with something like this. Or Two, when you make your 11-month stay make 2 4-night stays, and then modify the last 4 nights, which won't impact your first 4 nights!

 

[Sandisw]

Oh, Oh-that's the situation I'm in. I booked 8 days at my home resort. At 7 months, I want to move the last 4 days to another resort. What's the safest thing to do? I was thinking that first I'd modify my home stay dates, then I'd go back and reserve the last 4 days-although of course, I have a "first choice resort" for those last 4 days, I really would consider staying at a wide variety, including SSR, and I'll bet that one would be available. Does that sound safest, or is there something else people would recommend?

Best way is to book as a split stay to start. I do this all the time..then at 7 months just modify the nights I want to change.

Worst case, if I don’t get them, I ask them to merge back to one closer to check in if I didn’t get what I want.

MS knows people do this and even will recommend this strategy so that you don’t risk part of it.

I do it all the time for this exact reason.

 

[Simba's Mom]

Thanks, all. Now I know what to do next time. But the 11 month time already passed and I booked one whole 8 days at my home resort. I think I'll have to call MS as suggested above, and hope they can do it. Like I said, I'm not really firm that I HAVE to have a particular resort for my second 4 days, so although things might not be perfect, it'll be OK. An d now I know for the next split stay.

 

[Sandisw]

Thanks, all. Now I know what to do next time. But the 11 month time already passed and I booked one whole 8 days at my home resort. I think I'll have to call MS as suggested above, and hope they can do it. Like I said, I'm not really firm that I HAVE to have a particular resort for my second 4 days, so although things might not be perfect, it'll be OK. An d now I know for the next split stay.

Do you have any extra points? If there are any nights still there that are at the beginning or end of the 4 nights you want to change, what you could do is book those with the extra points, and then free back up the ones you used originally,

I have done this with just one extra night of points…booked it, then canceled that night out of original, and then kept doing that by adding nights as they showed up until I had what I needed…

This way, you can try and slowly get it set up. It does take work, but it is an option!

 

[RoseGold]

Thanks, all. Now I know what to do next time. But the 11 month time already passed and I booked one whole 8 days at my home resort. I think I'll have to call MS as suggested above, and hope they can do it. Like I said, I'm not really firm that I HAVE to have a particular resort for my second 4 days, so although things might not be perfect, it'll be OK. An d now I know for the next split stay.

I'd call MS a day ahead and have them book what you want a day ahead on what's available then. So, you tell them to leave Day1-4 and book you 3-7 at AK or whatever. This will have a day overlap. Then the next day you modify the AK 3-7 to 4-8 with whatever is available when booking opens an hour before MS. Be careful with point count if you are borrowing or whatever.

If you aren't happy with the 3-7 choices, then you don't have to do this at all. If you are happy with the 3-7 (and 8 was available when you booked), then the only people who can block your modification are home point owners, who could theoretically completely book day 8 in one day. If you have the points, you could book 3-8 from the start and then modify to take 3 off the next day.

Same concept would work with more days overlap.

 

[Simba's Mom]

Do you have any extra points? If there are any nights still there that are at the beginning or end of the 4 nights you want to change, what you could do is book those with the extra points, and then free back up the ones you used originally,

I have done this with just one extra night of points…booked it, then canceled that night out of original, and then kept doing that by adding nights as they showed up until I had what I needed…

This way, you can try and slowly get it set up. It does take work, but it is an option!

Great idea! We do have extra points. Since COVID, we're actually needing fewer points than we use.