This is how MS suggested we do it.

[MAGICX2]

When I called to check on our ressie for June, I asked a few questions about making a reservation in Dec. We will need a studio and a 2bdrm unit from Dec. 7-12. I am going to try and get the BCV. Our home resort is SSR.

He suggested that I go ahead and make the ressie at my home resort now, and then start calling on May 7 and make the ressie day by day for BCV. He said that means I won't have to wait until our check out day to book and it gives me better odds of getting what I need.

Is this difficult to manage? Will it really make a difference in getting what I want for that time? Should I just go ahead and wait until May to make the ressie at the resort I want, since it is the end of April? What is your take?

 

[PEANUT1]

I think most people ( us included) book at their home resort at 11 months and then call at 7 months to book the place they would like to stay. We call day by day just to be sure. This last trip I called, the CM told me that she would put a "hold" on the other days for me but I would still have to call back day by day.

 

[nuttylawprofessor]

My guess would be that you won't be able to get your SSR reservation even if you called today. Those are super-duper popular dates. Your best chances of booking will probably be at the great 7 month switch.

 

[LIFERBABE]

Yes, they gave you good advice.

It is close to your book date, but availability cannot be guaranteed so you book now and try to switch later. If you do not plan on going if you cannot make the switch, then dont book and just wait to make your day by day ressies. If you do plan on going even if staying at SSR, then I would go ahead and book.

You are booking the most popular unit sizes and a popular time for DVCers so I would chance as little as possible. Many others may be thinking the same thing and if availability is limited at BCV, they will start booking what is available and that could leave you with some days on the waitlist. Also other points come into play such as those expiring, holding, developer, etc that could really take a chunk out of short term availability.

Besides, you pay for your home resort advantage, may as well use it

 

[salmoneous]

This last trip I called, the CM told me that she would put a "hold" on the other days for me but I would still have to call back day by day.

I don't mean to hijiack this thread, but whaaaatt? Is this really going on? If so, somebody's go some 'splain to do.

 

[jbrowna]

I don't mean to hijiack this thread, but whaaaatt? Is this really going on? If so, somebody's go some 'splain to do.

I think what "hold" means in this context, is that MS will hold open the reservation that's in the process of being made, instead of sending out a separate reservation for each day. That way, the days will be added onto the reservation as they are made, and the final confirmation sent out after the final day has been reserved. If a day isn't available, it can be waitlisted, and then added onto the reservation if/when it becomes available.

I don't believe it means they will hold the rooms -- if that were the case, why bother to call in on the following days? Just make the reservation and have done with it!

I'm fairly new at this myself -- I've only done a day-by-day reservation once, and that was at the 11 month window -- so I may be wrong.

 

[CarolMN]

When I called to check on our ressie for June, I asked a few questions about making a reservation in Dec. We will need a studio and a 2bdrm unit from Dec. 7-12. I am going to try and get the BCV. Our home resort is SSR.

He suggested that I go ahead and make the ressie at my home resort now, and then start calling on May 7 and make the ressie day by day for BCV. He said that means I won't have to wait until our check out day to book and it gives me better odds of getting what I need.

Is this difficult to manage? Will it really make a difference in getting what I want for that time? Should I just go ahead and wait until May to make the ressie at the resort I want, since it is the end of April? What is your take?

Since you need two units (a 2 bedroom and a studio) for one of the most popular weeks at one of the smaller DVC resorts, I disagree with the MS CM.

It is true that calling day by day and waitlisting for any days not available when you first call will give you the best shot at getting what you want. However, it is not guaranteed and there are some significant risks involved. If you are not careful, you could end up with no DVC resort at all.

1. Would you (and your guests) be OK if one unit was at SSR and one was at BCV?

2. Would you (and your guests) be OK with moving back and forth between SSR & BCV if one or more of your waitlists didn't work out?

My advice is to make the reservation at SSR right now and plan on staying there for this trip unless you are OK with the possibilities listed above. You can call once to try to get a reservation at BCV and then waitlist for all the days to become available at once for each unit Maybe you'll get lucky and maybe you won't, but at least you have a good, viable back up plan at SSR.

Even if you waitlist for all the days to come through at once at BCV, there is still a pretty good chance that one waitlist will work out and one will not - there is no way to tie waitlists together. For example, there is no way to tell the waitlist that you only want the studio if the 2 bedroom becomes available, too.

Good luck!

 

[PEANUT1]

I agree....hold just means that the other days are available and when I call the next day, it doesn't take as much time to secure a room because it is in the system already. If I don't call at 9am someone else can get a room before me.

 

[CarolMN]

I don't mean to hijiack this thread, but whaaaatt? Is this really going on? If so, somebody's go some 'splain to do.

What's being held is the confirmation letter. MS will hold that until the last night is secured and send out just one for the reservation. They definitely DO NOT hold any days - if Peanut doesn't call before the last unit is reserved, she'll have to waitlist.

 

[daisyduck123]

That's what we did.

We just spent Christmas (Dec. 20-26) at AKV. At 11 months, we'd booked our home resort, SSR, & then later, called day-by-day to switch to AKV. No problems.

 

[DebbieB]

My big concern would be starting to switch the reservation, then in the middle there are nights not available. I would suggest asking about availability for all nights when you call the first day and if they say some nights are already full, I would wait until the last day and waitlist for all.

 

[MAGICX2]

Well, I went ahead and booked at SSR for 12/7-12/12. A 2bdrm and a studio.
I asked the MS guy if he could go ahead and check those dates at all the other resorts just to give me an idea. He told me they were all booked solid for those dates with the exception of OKW!
So now I am faced with the dilemma of 1)Do I call day by day so that I am high up on the seniority for the wait list OR 2)Wait until the 12th and get the whole week waitlisted? We REALLY want to be at BCV for the week.
The MS guy said that if I call each day right when they open and get on the waitlist early, then I would stand a good chance at getting in for all my days.
What do you think?

 

[MAGICX2]

I asked the MS guy if he could go ahead and check those dates at all the other resorts just to give me an idea. He told me they were all booked solid for those dates with the exception of OKW!

I thought the 1st and 2nd weeks of December were a less crowded time. I realize POP Warner is there, but all the DVC resorts booked? Is it just a higher time for DVC'ers to go and low time for general population?

 

[LisaS]

I thought the 1st and 2nd weeks of December were a less crowded time. I realize POP Warner is there, but all the DVC resorts booked? Is it just a higher time for DVC'ers to go and low time for general population?

The point costs are at their lowest, the holiday decorations are up, the parks aren't as crowded as other times of the year and the weather can be pretty good. As a result, it is one of the most popular times for DVC members to visit WDW. Most owners book right at the 11-month window for this very popular time. I've even read of people ending up on the waiting list for certain nights at BCV within days of the 11-month window opening.

 

[kristenz]

Even if you waitlist for all the days to come through at once at BCV, there is still a pretty good chance that one waitlist will work out and one will not - there is no way to tie waitlists together. For example, there is no way to tell the waitlist that you only want the studio if the 2 bedroom becomes available, too.

Good luck!

That's interesting because I was trying to book something similar for this past october and was told that our 2 waitlists WERE tied together (one would only be booked if the other came through as well). We didn't end up getting it so I think doing it that way makes your chances even slimmer (we were trying to get BCV the last week in Oct), but they told us we could.

 

[MBELSANTI]

My big concern would be starting to switch the reservation, then in the middle there are nights not available. I would suggest asking about availability for all nights when you call the first day and if they say some nights are already full, I would wait until the last day and waitlist for all.

This is exactly what happened to me and I ended up losing my ressie at home resort BWV. What you do not want to happen is have holes in your ressie where you need to move back and forth between resorts.

 

[MAGICX2]

I guess thats the dilemma. Do I do it day by day or just wait. Has anyone had experience with a waitlist this far out? Are my chances better at getting our rooms at BCV if I go on the waitlist the very first day the ressie window opens or will it make any difference if I wait five more days. I don't want to be at the bottom of the list just because I waited til the end of the week.

How have the cancelations been in years past for this time period?
I am totally freaking out about this!!! The more I post/read the more anal retentive I am becoming about it! I can't stand it when things are out of my control!

 

[LIFERBABE]

This is one of the reasons that I dont like the new waitlist changes.

The waitlist will autobook you if a room becomes available. In the past, you had say in the process because they would call you before confirming, no more.

I've said in the past, that the way the waitlist is set up now, most members will be confined to their home resorts during the busiest times.

As we get closer to December, OKW and SSR will fill up also and you will have very little wiggle room if half of your waitlist comes thru and the other half does not.

To play this game, you pretty much need 2 sets of points. 1 to hold your existing reservation and the other set to book your waitlist if it comes thru.

I agree with the others, you could be playing "ressie roulette" if you confirm day by day and cancel what you already have.

That is a tuffie, because I hate to move resorts and prefer to stay at one (especially Christmas because we set up a tree, etc) so I would waitlist for the entire stay to come available or I would stay put.

 

[Inkmahm]

Well, I went ahead and booked at SSR for 12/7-12/12. A 2bdrm and a studio.
I asked the MS guy if he could go ahead and check those dates at all the other resorts just to give me an idea. He told me they were all booked solid for those dates with the exception of OKW!
So now I am faced with the dilemma of 1)Do I call day by day so that I am high up on the seniority for the wait list OR 2)Wait until the 12th and get the whole week waitlisted? We REALLY want to be at BCV for the week.
The MS guy said that if I call each day right when they open and get on the waitlist early, then I would stand a good chance at getting in for all my days.
What do you think?

You may not be "really high up on the senority for the wait list" because owners could already be on the waitlist before you. For example, I'm on the waitlist now (and have been for quite awhile) for a 2 bedroom at AKV on Dec 2. I have the 1 bedroom booked but would prefer a 2 bedroom. I'll be ahead of anyone trying to switch in to AKV at the 7 month mark.

 

[tjkraz]

Sorry, but there is absolutely no way I would consider doing anything day-by-day (booking or waitlist) at BCV for that period. There are 15,000 BCV owners and less than 110 Studio villas. With all of the things previously mentioned (low points, low crowds, Christmas, etc.), I suspect there are already dozens of BCV owners on the waitlist for those dates.

It wouldn't hurt to waitlist for the entire thing as soon as you are able, but I think day-by-day is just going to ruin your entire trip. If you happen to get one or two nights at some point, those dates will be canceled at SSR. And then you'll reach the point of no return--SSR will fill up and you won't even be able to get your entire trip booked there.

Enjoy Christmas at SSR. Ask for a Downtown Disney view. Book breakfast at Cape May Cafe and resign yourself to staying there another time.