When the resort you want is booked :(

[lovethesun12]

We are going in July and made the mistake of thinking we could manage an offsite stay. At the last minute we decided to book at Disney instead for multiple reasons (mainly transportation and how easy our past vacations have been there).

We really wanted to stay at Beach club in a standard room but it wasn't available. I did manage to (luckily) book Boardwalk and while I'm happy with it the pool isn't zero entry (we have a toddler and preschooler) and there's no sand (I think) which are the main reasons we would really prefer beach club.

Does anyone have any tips or tricks to snagging a reservation after they've sold out? (I'm thinking similar to tricks with dining reservations like reservation finder, etc). Should I keep searching 24/7? travel agents? Is there a cancellations thread somewhere? Wait and search at 30 days out? I was hoping with the announcement of part of SW opening in August there would be some cancellations but no dice

 

[reluctantredhead]

Yes...the trick is to keep obsessively checking online for availability! I've gotten rooms this way on our last 2 trips...and with substantial discounts even! You just have to be really, really persistent. It's not guaranteed, of course, but we scored WL during Christmas week at less than a month out (with a discount that saved us $1400!) and the GF. I checked first thing in the morning, during lunch, after dinner, and right before I went to bed pretty much every day, lol.

You could also try looking on Expedia/Orbit etc...I've read that some people have had luck there.

Good luck! My fingers are crossed for you!

 

[lovethesun12]

Yes...the trick is to keep obsessively checking online for availability! I've gotten rooms this way on our last 2 trips...and with substantial discounts even! You just have to be really, really persistent. It's not guaranteed, of course, but we scored WL during Christmas week at less than a month out (with a discount that saved us $1400!) and the GF. I checked first thing in the morning, during lunch, after dinner, and right before I went to bed pretty much every day, lol.

You could also try looking on Expedia/Orbit etc...I've read that some people have had luck there.

Good luck! My fingers are crossed for you!

Ok this is exactly what I needed before I start crazily persistent checking - hope! LOL. I've gotten CRT and BOG dinners a week out and actually changed a FOP fastpass to a preferable time. I can do this!!!! Thanks!

I've noticed reservations for single nights here and there but not the entire trip. How crazy would it be to try to book each night separately...

 

[Azjenn]

Have you tried yacht club? You would have access to the same pool and the resort is right next to beach club. Just a bit of different themeing

 

[lovethesun12]

Have you tried yacht club? You would have access to the same pool and the resort is right next to beach club. Just a bit of different themeing

Thanks! I have tried Yacht Club too. Basically the only rooms left at Beach Club and Yacht club are higher level so more expensive. All that's left at Beach club is the lagoon view which is $100/night more than my offer (which is a lot since we are going for 11 nights AND have the CAD dollar conversion to worry about) and the only Yacht club room left is $200/night more (it's club level).

I'm the type that would be happy staying in a cardboard box at Disney so am super happy with the boardwalk of course. I realize this is a huge first world problem! Since the boardwalk is costing me $1100 cheaper than a current beach club room and over $2000 than the yacht club (not to mention the room is the same size) I can't justify the switch.

I could KICK myself for not booking earlier but we thought our parents might have been going at the time. We also missed the free dining July promo even though that's the time period we are going .

Come on Star Wars land people. Start cancelling your July Beach Club reservations for August!!!

 

[rdaky]

I agree with obsessively checking. I've scored less expensive rooms several times this way. People book trips and cancel them, or they change resorts so it opens up availability. You just have to catch it at the right time, which is where checking obsessively comes into play.

 

[lovethesun12]

Thanks! I kind of feel I might have seriously lucked into the Boardwalk reservation so I'll be happy either way. I had been checking for a while and nothing deluxe I was super interested in was available and all of a sudden saw it BWV pop up at a great price (over 30% off!!!). I grabbed it right away but had an issue booking (error message about my kids ages) so I had to call. When I called she couldn't find a standard room available but transferred me to a manager (?) who secured one at the price it was showing for. So I am super happy with what I have but will definitely keep looking. Thanks all for the advice

 

[Hi Pluto]

Also check with a few magical travel agents. They may have something they are holding onto.

 

[Ksquared]

Did you look into renting points at Beach Club Villas? You might find openings there.

 

[lovethesun12]

Did you look into renting points at Beach Club Villas? You might find openings there.

Really? I've thought of that but figured after the 7 month window they would be toast?

 

[lovethesun12]

Thanks! I've actually looked into that, and they said they could only quote prices after I've transferred the reservation. They also said once the reservation was transferred only the travel agent could make any changes. So my fear is that I'd transfer, obsessively check, and be unable to book...

 

[mickeynut1]

We are going in July and made the mistake of thinking we could manage an offsite stay. At the last minute we decided to book at Disney instead for multiple reasons (mainly transportation and how easy our past vacations have been there).

We really wanted to stay at Beach club in a standard room but it wasn't available. I did manage to (luckily) book Boardwalk and while I'm happy with it the pool isn't zero entry (we have a toddler and preschooler) and there's no sand (I think) which are the main reasons we would really prefer beach club.

Does anyone have any tips or tricks to snagging a reservation after they've sold out? (I'm thinking similar to tricks with dining reservations like reservation finder, etc). Should I keep searching 24/7? travel agents? Is there a cancellations thread somewhere? Wait and search at 30 days out? I was hoping with the announcement of part of SW opening in August there would be some cancellations but no dice

I agree to keep checking daily, multiple times a day if possible as availability can change. A day or two after I booked our June trip (under AP discount), we had to adjust our dates by one day. When I looked at availability, our original room category wasn't available at that time, but after a few days, it did show up (along with other categories that weren't available before). It's not guaranteed that what you want will become available, but there's still enough time before your trip for availability to change .

I've noticed reservations for single nights here and there but not the entire trip. How crazy would it be to try to book each night separately...

If single nights is all you can find, you can book them all separately, but you do run the risk of having to change rooms a lot and you'd have to pay a deposit (or in full if it's one night), for each reservation made. With that said, I have read posts of people booking a few nights separately and then calling guest services and asking if the nights can be merged into one reservation. I don't know if that's something that's easily (and willingly) done, but it's worth a try if you choose to go that route. I will say, though, that BWI is a beautiful resort, so if BC doesn't work out, I think BWI is a nice alternative .

 

[DisneyWishes14]

Really? I've thought of that but figured after the 7 month window they would be toast?

It's worth asking. You can also search in the WDW inventory to see if anything is available at BCV and, if so, simply book through them.

 

[NotTheBatesMotel]

Agree re: keep checking! I just had a similar scenario (didn’t book when I first saw it) and was able to book BC for our April Spring Break stay after weeks of only CL and 1 BR availability which was way out of our budget. I almost fell over when I saw availability again.

 

[FSU Girl]

Your best bet is to just keep checking. I did that for my wedding week when I decided I wanted to stay at the Grand Floridian Villas, which I think are the hardest to get into and one morning the room I needed came available for all my dates. People do cancel, you just need to be online to find it. And I’d keep checking for Yacht Club too Incase that comes available cheaper as well. They’ll both give you access to the pool

 

[terri33inne]

You may have luck closer to the 30 day mark when the final payment is due on packages... People may have plans change, or they may have booked 2 resorts with a $200 deposit, and will end up dropping one.

I'm not sure why a travel agent won't give you a quote if they have a special running for your dates? Then you would just book through them, and cancel your existing one. They are correct that only they can change/alter your reservation, but if they have BC for your dates & in your budget why would you want to change?

 

[DISNEY1975]

Some travel agencies book a block of rooms and may still have vacancy. Expedia is known for this, What are your dates? I can look in my system.

 

[lovethesun12]

Some travel agencies book a block of rooms and may still have vacancy. Expedia is known for this, What are your dates? I can look in my system.

We are going July 12 - 23 Even if I could get the last 5 or 6 days together I'd do a split stay =) Thanks!

 

[lovethesun12]

Agree re: keep checking! I just had a similar scenario (didn’t book when I first saw it) and was able to book BC for our April Spring Break stay after weeks of only CL and 1 BR availability which was way out of our budget. I almost fell over when I saw availability again.

So happy for you that you were able to do that! Hopefully the same happens to me =)

 

[DISNEY1975]

Beach Club Villa is available ($444 per night), but your deal with BWI in incredible. ($332). I dont think youll find anything that low at BC/YC. Ill keep looking though!!