What are the disadvantages of making a Home Resort Reservation and then Switching?

[merrybee]

I am making my first reservation with our DVC points. I am wondering if I should make a reservation at 11 months at my home resort and then switch to the resort we are actually wanting at 7 months?

Or, should I just wait until 7 months and call for what I want?

What would be the advantages and disadvantages of doing this?

Specifics: October vacation, studio, own at VWL and want to stay at BCV or BWV.

Thanks!

 

[WeLoveAriel0505]

I am making my first reservation with our DVC points. I am wondering if I should make a reservation at 11 months at my home resort and then switch to the resort we are actually wanting at 7 months?

Or, should I just wait until 7 months and call for what I want?

What would be the advantages and disadvantages of doing this?

Thanks!

It depends on what time of year you're look at. We would always prefer to know that we'll get the dates we want at our home resort at 11 months and then try to switch some of the reservation to another resort at 7 months. The disadvantage of waiting is that you could be locked out of all resorts if it's for a busy time of year (Easter, Christmas, Spring Breaks).

 

[kerickson]

Can you provide more specifics? All depends on the resort/dates you are looking at.

If you won't go if you have to stay at your home resort, then wait until 7mo. If you'd be fine with your home resort, they my suggestion is to book that now, then switch if possible. That way you can make your other travel plans earlier if needed.

If/When you switch at 7mo:
If you don't have enough points to hold the 11mo ressie while you book the 7mo ressie, then you could risk not having somewhere to stay if you cancel the 11mo and by the time they go to book the replacement it's gone. Probably rare, but could happen during peak DVC times...

 

[chalee94]

I am making my first reservation with our DVC points. I am wondering if I should make a reservation at 11 months at my home resort and then switch to the resort we are actually wanting at 7 months?

Or, should I just wait until 7 months and call for what I want?

What would be the advantages and disadvantages of doing this?

i agree with the other poster.

the advantage of making a reservation at 11 months is that you have a room at wdw (assuming you don't own at HH or VB). there is no disadvantage.

if you wait, you might wind up getting locked out altogether.

 

[anonymousegirl]

October is smack in the middle of the Food and Wine Festival and the two Epcot resorts are usually booked well in advance by their owners. I would certainly book your home resort and then try to change at 7 months.

 

[dvcdisney]

October is smack in the middle of the Food and Wine Festival and the two Epcot resorts are usually booked well in advance by their owners. I would certainly book your home resort and then try to change at 7 months.

Definitely agree! October is a very busy month for the Epcot resorts. If it was me, I would book my home resort to ensure a room and then try to change it at 7 mths.

 

[bwvBound]

If/When you switch at 7mo:
If you don't have enough points to hold the 11mo ressie while you book the 7mo ressie, then you could risk not having somewhere to stay if you cancel the 11mo and by the time they go to book the replacement it's gone. Probably rare, but could happen during peak DVC times...

Related question ... if you don't mind. We own points for ~1.5 WDW visits per year (based on our typical stay; more than one week, less than two). We bank points each year.

If we booked our home resort at 11 months then tried to switch at 7 months:

• The initial reservation at 11 months uses the banked points.
• The new reservation at 7 months, if I have sufficient points available, uses current year points. Canceling the original reservation releases my banked points ... which cannot be banked again.
• If I don't have sufficient points to book the new before canceling the old ... I must cancel the old first. On the up side, my new reservation uses my oldest points. On the downside, I might not be able to book my new reservation if availability diminishes during the time needed to complete the transaction.

The latter situation (cancel then book) is ok. It is the first situation (releasing the original reservation after booking the new) that concerns me. How might I avoid consuming current year points before banked??

FWIW, I book our known annual visit at 7 months and don't even try to swap reservations. However, I've been stuck twice in the "old points/new points" situation having booked speculative reservations. The one time I tried asking MS to swap the points I ended up with 108 points in holding. Arg.

 

[bobbiwoz]

The only advantage as I understand it, is if there is nothing available you have a reservation already in place. However, it's at a resort you want to switch from, so what's the point? If you have to cancel your home reservation to book the new one you stand the chance of losing both, it happens.

A waitlist for me recently came through for one night. I had mentioned that I wanted to use points from the contract that the original reservation came from. Well, MS booked the new without at first cancelling the old, so the points came from a different part of my contract. That was done so I didn't lose the new reservation.

If you have the points to hold both, then yes, book your home, and then get the other, but I think you take a chance if you have to cancel and then book.

Bobbi

 

[hakepb]

Related question ... if you don't mind. We own points for ~1.5 WDW visits per year (based on our typical stay; more than one week, less than two). We bank points each year.

If we booked our home resort at 11 months then tried to switch at 7 months:

• The initial reservation at 11 months uses the banked points.
• The new reservation at 7 months, if I have sufficient points available, uses current year points. Canceling the original reservation releases my banked points ... which cannot be banked again.
• If I don't have sufficient points to book the new before canceling the old ... I must cancel the old first. On the up side, my new reservation uses my oldest points. On the downside, I might not be able to book my new reservation if availability diminishes during the time needed to complete the transaction.

The latter situation (cancel then book) is ok. It is the first situation (releasing the original reservation after booking the new) that concerns me. How might I avoid consuming current year points before banked??

FWIW, I book our known annual visit at 7 months and don't even try to swap reservations. However, I've been stuck twice in the "old points/new points" situation having booked speculative reservations. The one time I tried asking MS to swap the points I ended up with 108 points in holding. Arg.

That may be too much an issue (now) to first book home resort with borrowed points. It seems that the MS rules have changed enough that the swap (of reservations with correct borrowed points) may not be as guaranteed or seamless as the past.

I think the old MS system used to allow an agent to "hold" the new reservation while they cancelled your old one so the correct borrowed points could be used. Now, they reportedly? cannot "hold" a reservation, so they have to cancel your home resort and hope there is still availability when they book the new one with your borrowed points.

I'd almost bet there's a BWV/BCV owner out there that would probably love to make their home resort 11 month reservation in October for you If you got them a December VWL reservation in exchange. I'm not sure if this board allows that, though.