What happens when you can't get what you want?

[lnb1230]

Yet another question - What happens if you decide to go to a resort which is not your home resort and attempt to get what you want at the 7 month window, but it is not available? What if you then try to go back to your home resort and it is not available either? Do members ever book their home resort at the 11 month window (to be on the safe side) and then call for another resort at the 7 month window and switch over their reservation? Is this allowed or is this considered a "questionable" practice? I thought I had seen a post where someone had done this and I did not know if this was standard strategy for DVC members?

Also, we will, for the next several years anyway, be reserving studios primarily. Are they easier or harder to get than other options?

Thanks as always for your tremendous help!

 

[tjkraz]

Many people do what you describe--book at home, and then try to switch to another resort at 7 months.

Member services will not cancel your current reservation unless a room is available at the new resort you want. If there is no availablibilty, you can go onto the waitlist. DVC will automatically make the changes for you when/if the days become available at your desired resort.

 

[bobbiwoz]

We've only been members since the fall, and haven't had problems booking what we want at less than 7 months. We also haven't gone for long vacations. However, many people report that they book their home resort at 11 months and then switch or try to switch to another resort at 7 months. Some do this on a day to day basis at 7 months, some wait until they can book the entire visit. Some are willing to move, in case they can't get all the dates, and some don't. Whatever you want to do, there are probably some who do it "your way" also.

I know that lots of people want to get into VWL for December time, so trading into that may be hard. Because we wanted a weekend in Dec. '03 in a studio, I was able to get one for the weekend of Dec. 19th only 2 months before the reservation. I was happy to get it, and people in this forum mentioned that the facts that it was for a weekend, and for a studio both helped me to get it. They felt a 1-bedroom or not using weekend points would have been impossible.

Bobbi

 

[Maistre Gracey]

Hi, lnb1230. Yes, many here book their home resort at 11 months then switch. This practice is not frowned upon.
If you can't get what you want right away, there is also the waitlist. Many here, including me, have had great success with it.
I am not certain how hard studios are to reserve in comparison to the others, but at VB the front desk cast member told us that 1br is the most popular.

Good luck!

MG

 

[wanna-b-Tink]

We do this each trip. Book at our resort, then try to change it when the other window opens up. We were put on a waitlist this last trip, but it worked out, and we got what we wanted.

As an aside, I like to do all of my bookings by e-mail so I have a record of what I asked for and got. I'm bad to lose those confirmations you get in the mail.

 

[colleen costello]

I always book at the 11-month window. We own at BCV but usually want to stay at OKW, which is more accesible for my parents. I never want to take a chance on not having SOME room, somewhere! The only confusion is the points. BCV is higher, so often I make just the nights I can afford, then switch us ot OKW for the whole week.

 

[kda]

Just keep an eye on what you'll do with the extra points if the resort you want at 7 months is less points. If a wait list comes through less than 30 days before your reservation, those extra points go into a holding account, I believe. If you've passed your banking window(s), you have to use those points before the end of your use year. Or, as Colleen plans it, book the reservation so you WON'T have any extra points to worry about.

 

[Simba's Mom]

I understand your concern. I also was a little worried about how this would be viewed the first time we did it. However, MS was so nice and made me feel so comfortable that they do it all the time, I now have no hesitation about the fact that everyone does it and it is quite acceptable.