Wondering if anyone has any ideas on how to increase chances of getting the room we are hoping to book at the 7 month window.
Currently we have two studios x4 nights each (which is the length of the stay). I am hoping to change the second two nights to a 1BR at another resort for a split stay when the window opens, but will have to buy 8 one time use points to make up the difference. Because it is breaking the current reservation into a split stay and then going from two studios to 1BR, it’s not as easy as just checking at 8am at the seven month window and swapping if available. I know I could call member services, but they don’t open until 9 and worried that hour may make the difference because it is a runDisney weekend.
Do I ask member services now to break up our current reservation so it makes it easier then? Is there an easy way to book a 1BR from two studios without potentially losing one if the room sells out or to purchase the one time use points earlier?
I feel like the safest thing is to call Members services at 9am on the seven month window, but was wondering if there was an alternative I haven’t thought through to be able to book at 8am online. Thanks!
You can buy the one time use points now by making a fake booking for a room. It must be in the same use year as the real one you want to use them for, and be over 31 days from when you book to avoid holding.
So you want to check availability and then call and ask Member Services to buy the points and make the reservation for you.
Then you can cancel it and the OTUPs will be in your account ready to use.
You definitely also need to split those reservations now. I would call Member Services and ask if they can do that for you. I don’t know if they can hold the room during the cancellation and rebooking; they can see the number of rooms available though, so it’s a little safer.
The switch is tricky. There’s no easy way to do it. It’s probably safer to ask Member Services to do it, but you will be an hour later.
I think what I’d do is consider booking the 1-bedroom now at your home resort, so that you can switch it yourself. If that works for your plans. I’d get MS to do that, ie: modify the studios and book the 1-bed.
But I also realise it might not work for your plans.
Where are you trying to get? 1-bedrooms aren’t usually wicked difficult. But I agree with @Nicky_S that you need to edit your current stay into two pieces now if you can.
I thought about switching to a 1BR first, but if it falls through getting what we want it won’t really work as well.
We currently have boardwalk studios x2 for 4 nights each, want to swap to BLT 1BR for the second two nights - I typically hate split stays, but will make family easy access to see the races. The reason we don’t want a 1BR at BW is because we need the two bathrooms, so if we can’t get the 1Br at Bay Lake, will probably just keep the BW studios.
These are amazing but I also don’t think they are super hard to get at 7 months so I would not worry too much!
I actually think I misunderstood your original booking though. You have BW studio x2 for 4 nights. What you want to end up with is BW studio x2 for 2 nights and one BLT 1-bed for 2 nights? I think it might be trickier to split two reservations in two but maybe MS can do it for you.
Yes, that’s exactly what I am trying to do. My only concern about availability is because it’s a runDisney weekend, so I know a lot of availability is already limited.
I guess splitting the reservation would be to make each studio two nights each (for a total of four reservations) and then try to combine the second two into one with member services if still available - that seems to be the most straightforward way?
I think even MS is going to have to cancel one and modify the other. Would you have enough points with the OTU points to do lake view? I think that would be easiest.
I think the preferred view is actually the only one available even now
Yes, I think they have done that before when I have had to call, they can’t hold the room but have had it blocked when buying one time points until it completes the reservation.
Just an update - talked to DVC and they said there is no way to split the reservation up prior because the room is currently unavailable for rebooking. Not sure I understand why their system can’t accommodate that because I already have the room/reservation, but that kind of takes trying to make a split stay happen a huge gamble of losing half of our stay at the 7 month window.
Has anyone ever had them actually split up a reservation prior?
That’s what she said - only because the rooms are currently unavailable. Kind of crazy that the system is so limited, but kind of on par for Disney IT. Will probably just have to call at the seven month window and hope for the best. At least they should be able to have an idea of how many open rooms at that time so there isn’t such a gamble.
Question for anyone who’s around… We’re booking our DS17’s HS Grad Trip with extended family, 13 or more people in total, end up using 2yrs worth of points, so we’re up against it. Needing to book 3 rooms @ 4 nights each at our home resort to start June 6, 2027. Our 11mo booking window opens tomorrow. HOWEVER… if we book them today for 5 nights… then modify tomorrow afternoon and drop the first night (Sunday), so they’re all 4 nights, Mon-Fri…
Will there be any problems this creates for us (other than borrowing the extra points, which we will be doing already, since I’ll book another single room, 4 night stay for Fri-Tues as soon as that window opens up on Sat). Anyone done anything like this before? Anyone experienced any problems? This SHOULD avoid having to wait on a CM to do anything, right?
This should not create any problems for you. The only downside would be tying up the points or borrowing extra points that you would then have to use, but it sounds like you are planning to use them anyway for the second part of the trip.
I have done this before when my booking window was on an inconvenient day with work and had extra points to play around with. Since you are well outside of your 30 day window, you should be able to make all the modifications online without talking to anybody.
Is the second part of the stay for the single Room going to be the same room type?
If so, you can probably do your plan for today and tomorrow and then just extend one of the rooms and add the days with those points tomorrow instead of waiting, unless there is a reason it needs to be a separate reservation.
Yes… but the EVENTUAL goal is to do a split-stay, 4 nights @ AKL then 4 nights @ RR. Getting these rooms @ RR is the “backup” - Can’t afford to be skunked @ 7mo if we can’t find anywhere for all 12-13 of us at same resort. We did that before and it wasn’t convenient.
Brilliant, thank you! I honestly, can’t believe I hadn’t thought of it like this before. 8a tomorrow morning is going to be a LITTLE busy… we have VBS all week. eek!