Ugh, So Frustrated w/7Month Reservations!!

[cchron]

I'm trying to get a studio at HHI and called as soon as my 7 month window opened. Three of the four nights were available and the CM told me that I could book the fourth night on a cash reservation. So she got the one cash night all set up with my credit card and everything and then of course when she went to book the three nights on points they were no longer available.


We haven't had our membership very long and this is the second time this has happened. Why in the world don't they grab the point nights right away. I've learned my lesson and next time will insist. Now I just have to hope for a wait list but not holding my breath for HHI. I really wish they would allow for members to make reservations on line.

 

[disneynutz]

I have been told mixed stories on this one. The most often story told is that the regular MS CM's don't have the ability to hold inventory. Only the level 2 CM's and Leads have that ability.

Many members will post that your home resort doesn't matter and the booking at 7 months isn't a problem. Unfortunately you are living proof that this isn't always so.

Bill

 

[castleri]

I have been told mixed stories on this one. The most often story told is that the regular MS CM's don't have the ability to hold inventory. Only the level 2 CM's and Leads have that ability.

Many members will post that your home resort doesn't matter and the booking at 7 months isn't a problem. Unfortunately you are living proof that this isn't always so.

Bill

I don't think it was a question of holding the inventory - the CM should have gone ahead and booked the 3 nights on points and then done the cash one. If the cash one was no longer available then it could have been waitlisted with more possibility of it coming through than a 3 night waitlist. Most likely the CM was in the Cash room screen and did not want to go back and forth and while sdhe was there the first three days were booked by someone else.

 

[juncker]

I'm trying to get a studio at HHI and called as soon as my 7 month window opened. Three of the four nights were available and the CM told me that I could book the fourth night on a cash reservation. So she got the one cash night all set up with my credit card and everything and then of course when she went to book the three nights on points they were no longer available.


We haven't had our membership very long and this is the second time this has happened. Why in the world don't they grab the point nights right away. I've learned my lesson and next time will insist. Now I just have to hope for a wait list but not holding my breath for HHI. I really wish they would allow for members to make reservations on line.

So the lesson that I'm taking from this experience is that if you're calling right at the 7 month mark (or even 11 month for home resort), make the reservation at the first oppportunity. It can still be cancelled with no impact to your points. Then you can continue to explore other options such as cash/waitlists. It's probably not as big of a deal further into the booking windows as there is much less of a chance of someone looking for the exact time that you are, but competition at the 7 month mark is common.

Sorry about your luck. I hope that it works out for you in the end.

 

[joelnkelly]

So the lesson that I'm taking from this experience is that if you're calling right at the 7 month mark (or even 11 month for home resort), make the reservation at the first oppportunity. It can still be cancelled with no impact to your points. Then you can continue to explore other options such as cash/waitlists. It's probably not as big of a deal further into the booking windows as there is much less of a chance of someone looking for the exact time that you are, but competition at the 7 month mark is common.

Sorry about your luck. I hope that it works out for you in the end.

Can you book cash outside of the 7 month window with MS? I think MS tried to book it all at once so she could book the entire trip. If she tried to book the first portion of the trip with points, then wanted to book the last night on cash she would have to call back at the 7 month window for that last night. I could be wrong though.

 

[DVC SSR Owner]

I guess we were pretty lucky to get HHI 1 bedroom at the 7th month mark for may26- June 1! Good luck! It will be our first trip there.

 

[luckyman_apd]

Is HHI difficult to get reservations in July? We usually vacation on the outerbanks of NC, but our friends want to use their points and take us to HHI. They have never been there before, and I just stumble across this thread. Maybe I should go ahead and book my OBX vacation after all.

 

[Plutofan]

Can you book cash outside of the 7 month window with MS? I think MS tried to book it all at once so she could book the entire trip. If she tried to book the first portion of the trip with points, then wanted to book the last night on cash she would have to call back at the 7 month window for that last night. I could be wrong though.

Cash reservations may be available as far out as 11 months.

 

[CMOORE185]

I'm trying to get a studio at HHI and called as soon as my 7 month window opened. Three of the four nights were available and the CM told me that I could book the fourth night on a cash reservation. So she got the one cash night all set up with my credit card and everything and then of course when she went to book the three nights on points they were no longer available.


We haven't had our membership very long and this is the second time this has happened. Why in the world don't they grab the point nights right away. I've learned my lesson and next time will insist. Now I just have to hope for a wait list but not holding my breath for HHI. I really wish they would allow for members to make reservations on line.

HHI is one of the hardest DVC resorts to get at seven months in the summer, so don't get to discouraged with booking at 7 monhs.

 

[CMOORE185]

I guess we were pretty lucky to get HHI 1 bedroom at the 7th month mark for may26- June 1! Good luck! It will be our first trip there.

It doesn't start getting really hard at 7 months until the second week of June, when most kids are out of school.

 

[CMOORE185]

Is HHI difficult to get reservations in July? We usually vacation on the outerbanks of NC, but our friends want to use their points and take us to HHI. They have never been there before, and I just stumble across this thread. Maybe I should go ahead and book my OBX vacation after all.

July is one of, if not the hardest time to get a reservation at HHI.

 

[BobH]

I read a previous post that stated 2 BR units were the most plentiful and that studios & 1 bedroms were thus harder to book. The size accomodation may make a difference in the booking success rate. I tried for summer reservations for a studio 2 years in a row at 7 months and could not get them. I got a 2 bed room unit last JUly at the 7 month window and also a studio when I took a large family trip. I had no problem getting the 2 bedroom but I had to give several sets of dates to get the studio and was told studios were in short supply.

 

[deedeetoo]

I tried to book last July at HHI at 7 month window. We had a two week timeframe that we could go and were willing to take a studio, one bedroom or two bedroom. Nothing at all was available for the entire two week stretch.

We would like to try a vacation at HH but I think we will be staying somewhere other than DVC. Our times are very limited because of kids school schedules.

 

[WilsonFlyer]

I tried to book last July at HHI at 7 month window. We had a two week timeframe that we could go and were willing to take a studio, one bedroom or two bedroom. Nothing at all was available for the entire two week stretch.

We would like to try a vacation at HH but I think we will be staying somewhere other than DVC. Our times are very limited because of kids school schedules.

I'm just guessing here but I would be willing to bet that a 2 week stretch at any DVC property except maybe OKW, SSR or AKV is going to be a crapshoot at best. Even those three are going to have times of the year when you can't do it there at 7 months either (F&W, Thanksgiving and Christmas come immediately to mind.).

2 full weeks is a lot to ask anywhere, except maybe your home resort booked early in the day at exactly the 11 month mark, IMO.

 

[Sandisw]

I'm just guessing here but I would be willing to bet that a 2 week stretch at any DVC property except maybe OKW, SSR or AKV is going to be a crapshoot at best. Even those three are going to have times of the year when you can't do it there at 7 months either (F&W, Thanksgiving and Christmas come immediately to mind.).

2 full weeks is a lot to ask anywhere, except maybe your home resort booked early in the day at exactly the 11 month mark, IMO.

I think the person meant they had a 2 week window in which they could book the trip--not that they wanted 2 weeks but rather had flexibility in which days it ended up being.

 

[WilsonFlyer]

I think the person meant they had a 2 week window in which they could book the trip--not that they wanted 2 weeks but rather had flexibility in which days it ended up being.

I'm sorry. I think you're right. I misunderstood. My mind's on other things. See my sig. We leave in about 8 hours.

 

[Anal Annie]

The one time we decided to book a studio at HHI (for mid-August) I started dialing the phone number a few seconds before 9:00 so that I would be ringing in right at 9:00. On a previous call that I had made a few weeks earlier during the course of the conversation the CM had hinted that HHI ressies at 7 months were easier to get if you started your vaca time with a Friday or Saturday because many people try to book the lower point Sun. to Thurs. timeframe there which leaves the weekends more available. Don't know if there's any truth to that one or not but we'd already been planning to go Sat. to Sat. so it worked out OK for us. Something to keep in mind when trying to book there - be willing to spring for the extra points required for the weekends if it's not your home resort.

 

[DVC SSR Owner]

We booked a one bedroom starting on a Saturday for that exact reason!

 

[awilliams4]

I will try to put this delicately.........

"this is the second time this has happened"

I would be much more upset at myself than at MS. If this already happened to you, why didn't you just say take the 3 days.....then ask for cash availability?

Curious, did you ask for cash availability after MS said that all days weren't available? If so, they were doing their job, answering your question.

 

[kamikazecat]

I'm just guessing here but I would be willing to bet that a 2 week stretch at any DVC property except maybe OKW, SSR or AKV is going to be a crapshoot at best. Even those three are going to have times of the year when you can't do it there at 7 months either (F&W, Thanksgiving and Christmas come immediately to mind.).

2 full weeks is a lot to ask anywhere, except maybe your home resort booked early in the day at exactly the 11 month mark, IMO.

We were able to book a 3 week vacation at 7 months last year and did not have to waitlist at all. We had 1 week at BCV and 2 weeks at VWL.

This summer we are booked for 2 weeks at kidani. We booked at the 7 month window and again, did not have to waitlist.

I should add that these were all June dates that extended over the 4th of July.