What happens if I make the ressie & then have to change it?

[MELSMICE]

I have been hesitating on making ressies for our first trip home because I don't have any flights yet. However, now I am getting nervous because I don't want to get shut out at OKW over Veteran's Day in Nov. 2003.

We are planning on flying Southwest because we have a FF ticket & should be getting another one within the next few weeks. I know SW only books about 6 months prior for flights but I really don't think I should wait that long to book OKW.

What if I make the ressie at OKW & then can't get the exact days I want for my flights? What happens to my points/ressie? Can I change it? Some of the points we will be using are banked ones (we bought a resale w/ banked pts). Would I lose these?

Before I make the ressie I just want to know if I would be able to change it & if I can if there would be penalities. Thanks for all the replies. I'm new at the whole DVC thing.

 

[Chuck S]

Ressies at DVC resorts can be canceled/changed up to 31 days in advance without penalty - those points will be returned to your use year. Within the 31 day window, points will go into a holding account and will be good only for ressies made 60 days in advance. Points are considered "Used" on the first day of the ressie, so if you don't cancel or change at least 24 hours in advance, your points will be lost.

If any points were borrowed for the ressie, they will NOT be returned to their original use year - points can not be un-banked or un-borrowed.

 

[richiebaseball]

Do the points in the holding account expire at the time they usually would or is there a different expiration for these points?

Richard

 

[Cruelladeville]

Isn't Veterens Day in November??? If so, you have tons of time, so don't worry so much. OKW is a large resort, and, because of that, it takes longer to fill up. It's true that fall is a big time for DVC because of the low points needed for ressies, but you can even book as late as 3 or 4 months before and still get in. Now, if you have to have a certain room size, like a grand villa, then you may need to book soon, but if you have extra points available, and it sounds like you do, then you could always book 2-two bedroom units or 4 studios as an alternative. If you are flexible on your dates, that's even better. Book your desired accommodations, as Chuck mentioned above, and then alter them when you get your flights if you need to. It's a good thing you bought into DVC, you sound like you are all stressed out, and need a vacation--hey, maybe you could book TWO vacations, one now to try out your new purchase and then the big vacation in November!! Oh, fun

 

[DebbieB]

Originally posted by richiebaseball
Do the points in the holding account expire at the time they usually would or is there a different expiration for these points?

Richard

They expire at the end of your use year.

MELSMICE - I would go ahead and make the ressie, it can always be changed. I have trips booked for May and December and don't have airfare yet for either. Last December we used FF miles and couldn't get a FF reservation on the Saturday we were reserved to arrive at BWV, so we went Friday and added a night at BWI with an AP rate.

 

[CarolMN]

Originally posted by MELSMICE
I...(snip)....What if I make the ressie at OKW & then can't get the exact days I want for my flights? What happens to my points/ressie? Can I change it? Some of the points we will be using are banked ones (we bought a resale w/ banked pts). Would I lose these?...(snip)...

As others have posted, as long as you make the changes 31 days or more ahead of arrival, your points will be returned to your account. The "current" use year points will expire at the end of their use year unless you use them or bank them. The points that were banked cannot be banked again, so they will expire at the end of the use year into whcih they were banked unless you use them.

For example, let's say you have an August use year. That means your 2002 use year runs from 8/1/2002 through 7/31/2003. If you (or the previous owner) banked 2002 use year points into 2003, they are now good for stays betweeen 8/1/2003 and 7/31/2004. Let's suppose you made a reservation for November, 2003 and need to make a change - maybe start your vacation sooner, or maybe add or subtract a day. Assuming there is availability and the total number of points for your new stay do not change, you have no problem at all as long as you make the changes more than 31 days ahead of your arrival. If you need more points for the new ressie and don't have enough left in your 2003 use year, you can borrow some from your 2004 use year.

If your changed ressie costs less than the original ressie, the "extra" points will be returned to the 2003 use year. In that case, be sure to have MS "free up" the banked points because they will expire at the end of your use 2003 year (which is 7/31/2004 in the example). You can still bank the "regular" 2003 use year points into 2004 if you think you will not need them before 7/31/2004. For an August use year, you would have until 1/31/2004 to bank up to 100% of your 2003 use year points. Of course, if your use year is something other than August, you will have to figure out the banking deadlines for that use year. Ask again if you need help with that.

It's a lot of words, but I though it would help to reassure you to know there is an excellent chance you will not lose any points even if you make the ressie now and have to change it because of airfares.

FWIW, I make our DVC reservations 11 months in advance and then start looking for airfare. Sometimes the dates for the best airfare do not match my ressie. Sometimes I can change my ressie and sometimes due to availability I have to stay elsewhere a day or two at the end or beginning of my trip. When that happens, I look at it as a good chance to visit some non-WDW attractions.

Best wishes!

 

[MELSMICE]

Thanks so much for all your replies. I feel much better & less stressed out now.

Cruelladeville - I like your idea about the 2 vacations. I'm certainly up for that!