Looking to book 2 rooms at 7 mo

[KSR0330]

Any special tips for booking 2 rooms at 7 mo? Would love to stay at BLT in mid Jan for a large family trip. Need a 2 br and studio and right now lake view are available. If they are still there at 7 mo, I assume there's no way to book both at once, correct (this is my first DVC booking)? If not, should I book the studio first and then the 2 br? Also, I'll have to borrow about 20 points from next year. I can do that all together, correct? TIA!

 

[Sandisw]

No way to book at once. What I do is book one room starting a day earlier. Then I book the other one for the right starting date.

Once both are secured I move the first room forward to the real dates.

Yes, you can borrow during the process. If you do just want to do it the same morning, only enter the lead guests name. Don’t change the address or add the additional guests. Just get it booked because you can update that all later once you have what you want!

 

[KSR0330]

No way to book at once. What I do is book one room starting a day earlier. Then I book the other one for the right starting date.

Once both are secured I move the first room forward to the real dates.

Yes, you can borrow during the process. If you do just want to do it the same morning, only enter the lead guests name. Don’t change the address or add the additional guests. Just get it booked because you can update that all later once you have what you want!

Thanks so much! Okay just to clarify- If my dates are 1/10-1/15, go on the morning of 6/9 and book for 1/9-1/15 for one of the rooms. Then go on 1/10 and book the other room, and then move the first room to 1/10-1/15.
Is there any reason to not try to make reservations for both rooms on a day earlier this way, and then modify both dates the next day? It seems like it would give me a better chance for getting both rooms (and why doesn't everyone do this all the time?). Thanks again!

 

[Marionnette]

Thanks so much! Okay just to clarify- If my dates are 1/10-1/15, go on the morning of 6/9 and book for 1/9-1/15 for one of the rooms. Then go on 1/10 and book the other room, and then move the first room to 1/10-1/15.
Is there any reason to not try to make reservations for both rooms on a day earlier this way, and then modify both dates the next day? It seems like it would give me a better chance for getting both rooms (and why doesn't everyone do this all the time?). Thanks again!

It's called walking and it should work for short-term walks (like moving up one night). But unlike walking at 11 months, at 7 months someone who owns at that resort can swoop in at the last minute and book that next night before you can walk it forward.

 

[Sandisw]

Thanks so much! Okay just to clarify- If my dates are 1/10-1/15, go on the morning of 6/9 and book for 1/9-1/15 for one of the rooms. Then go on 1/10 and book the other room, and then move the first room to 1/10-1/15.
Is there any reason to not try to make reservations for both rooms on a day earlier this way, and then modify both dates the next day? It seems like it would give me a better chance for getting both rooms (and why doesn't everyone do this all the time?). Thanks again!

No risk to do both. Just means you have to change both

Ideally, if you had the points to book the first room with an extra night and then drop. For example, book studio 1/9 to 1/15 so you cover it all.

Then book 2 bedroom like normal. Honestly, I think with LV you should be fine for the 2 bedroom.

 

[nordkin]

The other thing to do when making the reservation is to only enter the info for one person to complete the reservation and then move to the next room and do the same. Do not waste valuable time entering information you can add later.

 

[drusba]

Note that whether you go with walking one day or just waiting til June 10 to book both, you should do the studio first. Lake view dedicated 2BRs invariably book full after studios have done so, so if both are shown as open do the studio first.

 

[BillPA]

Book the studio first, as they go fast. Then book the 2 BR. Granted it will only be a few minutes, but that may be needed. Also to speed up the booking process, just put 1 person in each unit. You can later MODIFY the reservation to add names.

 

[KSR0330]

Thanks everyone for all of the great tips! I didn't know you could just book for one and go in later to add the party. Also good to know to book the studio first. Thanks, again! There's quite a learning curve to DVC bookings!

 

[thanxfornoticin]

The only minor risk if you're walking a reservation by a day is if your initial reservation includes a weekend day that might require more points - if you need to borrow points, and then you change to a weekday night, you might have a few points moved into your current use-year. If the dates you mention above are the actual dates, it looks like the reservation is for weeknights, so this concern probably doesn't apply.

I also agree with the recommendation to grab the studio first. They'll go quicker.

 

[thanxfornoticin]

Now that I look at your actual scenario, borrowing might be an issue. If you need to borrow to cover a 5-night reservation, you'll need to borrow even more for the 'walking' 6-night reservation. You might not want to do that, do to the borrowing. You'll need to borrow more than 20 points, and you probably don't want to do that. Make the initial reservation for 1/9-1/14, then go in the next day and modify it to 1/10-1/15. I hope that makes sense.

 

[10CJ]

Is your home resort at WDW? f so, I would book the rooms you want at your home resort now and then modify them at the 7 month mark.

 

[KSR0330]

The only minor risk if you're walking a reservation by a day is if your initial reservation includes a weekend day that might require more points - if you need to borrow points, and then you change to a weekday night, you might have a few points moved into your current use-year. If the dates you mention above are the actual dates, it looks like the reservation is for weeknights, so this concern probably doesn't apply.

So when you borrow points and cancel they get returned to your current UY, even if all your current UY points are banked?

 

[Marionnette]

So when you borrow points and cancel they get returned to your current UY, even if all your current UY points are banked?

Yes. Borrowed points get returned to the UY that they were borrowed into. The status of your other points have no bearing on that. Borrowing is a one-way street.

 

[drusba]

So when you borrow points and cancel they get returned to your current UY, even if all your current UY points are banked?

Two possibilities:

-- if you cancel 31 days or more from date of arrival, all points in the reservation get returned to your account the same way that they went into the reservation. Current use year points remain current, and banked or borrowed points in the reservation remain banked or borrowed.

-- if you cancel 30 days or fewer before arrival, all points from the cancelled reservation go into 'holding," with the result that all must be used for a reservation that ends by the end of the current use year, and you can use the points only by making a reservation 60 days or fewer before date of arrival.

For about a year during Covid, the above rules were modified to do away with holding, and thus there was no penalty if you cancelled 30 days or fewer before arrival, and to send borrowed points from a cancelled reservation back to there original use year. Those Covid related changes to the usual rules expired on April 30, 2021.