Modifying at 7 months if there is only partial availability?

[dismedvc]

We have a 4 night reservation made at the 11 month mark with home resort points, and would like to modify it at the 7 month mark to use some non home resort points. If only 2 of the 4 nights are available at the 7 month mark, can I modify the reservation online and use the non home resort points for the 2 nights that are available, or will the system show the home resort points are "locked in" since there is only partial availability?

 

[sethschroeder]

Can't modify have to cancel and rebook to use other resort points.

 

[CarolMN]

If you make a reservation with home resort points, you can't modify it to use non-home resort points. As sethschroeder posted, it's a cancel and rebook (with no guarantee that you can keep the two nights without current availability).

Depending on what nights are available, you might be able to accomplish it with very little risk, though. For example, if the first two nights of the reservation are available, you could book those with the non home resort points and then modify the original reservation to drop the first two nights. Same thing if the available nights happen to be the last two nights of your original reservation (but but at least the first of those last two must be within the 7 month window). If the available nights are in the middle of your original reservation, you're stuck with a cancel and rebook if you want to use the non-home resort points.

 

[Grumpy by Birth]

If the nights are in the middle of your stay and require cancelling/re-booking, is there less risk by calling MS and having them change it? Do they have a way to temporarily hold the nights while cancelling so someone else doesn't snag them in those few intervening seconds?

 

[CarolMN]

If the nights are in the middle of your stay and require cancelling/re-booking, is there less risk by calling MS and having them change it? Do they have a way to temporarily hold the nights while cancelling so someone else doesn't snag them in those few intervening seconds?

Not AFAIK.

 

[ldo]

MS will not "hold" to use different points. Only if they're being reallocated from same contract.

 

[Grumpy by Birth]

MS will not "hold" to use different points. Only if they're being reallocated from same contract.

Hmmm... so it sounds like they could do it (i.e., have the technical capability to do so), they just won't?

 

[ldo]

no idea. but, swapping at 7 months to get the 11 month home resort priority is not allowed. otherwise, people would buy a smaller contract at a popular, hard to book resort, book at 11 months, then use their sleep around points to swap, repeat for next trip.

 

[LSchrow]

If the nights are in the middle of your stay and require cancelling/re-booking, is there less risk by calling MS and having them change it? Do they have a way to temporarily hold the nights while cancelling so someone else doesn't snag them in those few intervening seconds?

MS cannot hold a room once canceled.
What you can do yourself (or have MS do if the CM is knowledgeable enough - i had two CMs tell me it was impossible ) is:
- open 2 separate windows on the DVC website
- have window 1 set up to cancel the booking, and window 2 already through Plan/Book and ready to "Search" for the date(s).
- the second you hit cancel in window 1, go over to Window 2 & "Search". If the cancelled reservation does not show up, refresh immediately, & continue to refresh as needed. (Instead of the previous Window 2 step, your other option is to already have the search done, then refresh the second you cancel in Window 1)
- Complete the reservation (i usually just put the lead Guest, me, in, then go back later to add the others. I just don't trust the system being its usual wonky self or going down in the meantime).
- Breathe deeply & calm your pulse rate

There is still the risk that the waitlist or another member grabs the room in the millisecond it takes you to switch & grab, but I have done it a few times with success (mine have been with 2 different BWV Memberships). Just make sure you have a back-up plan in case you lose the room entirely.

 

[Sandisw]

I have been able to get my reservation to take non homes resort points when days were available at the beginning of the trip.

It did show locked but pulled for the number of nights that were there at 7 mOnths.

 

[dismedvc]

If you make a reservation with home resort points, you can't modify it to use non-home resort points. As sethschroeder posted, it's a cancel and rebook (with no guarantee that you can keep the two nights without current availability).

If all 4 nights are available does it still need to be a cancel and rebook?
It currently is 4 nights in a BLT standard, where only 2 of the nights are available.
However, if I modify it to a BLT lake view, all 4 nights are available. Will it let me do that modification using non BLT points without a cancel and rebook?

Alternatively, if I modify the reservation to a lake view using only BLT points at the 7 month mark, can I later have MS swap points from BWV, since the new "modified" reservation was made for all 4 nights at the 7 month mark?

 

[Sandisw]

If all 4 nights are available does it still need to be a cancel and rebook?
It currently is 4 nights in a BLT standard, where only 2 of the nights are available.
However, if I modify it to a BLT lake view, all 4 nights are available. Will it let me do that modification using non BLT points without a cancel and rebook?

Alternatively, if I modify the reservation to a lake view using only BLT points at the 7 month mark, can I later have MS swap points from BWV, since the new "modified" reservation was made for all 4 nights at the 7 month mark?

It has allowed me to do this in the past. I always modify my trips and it allows me to choose different ones.

 

[drusba]

If all 4 nights are available does it still need to be a cancel and rebook?
It currently is 4 nights in a BLT standard, where only 2 of the nights are available.
However, if I modify it to a BLT lake view, all 4 nights are available. Will it let me do that modification using non BLT points without a cancel and rebook?

Alternatively, if I modify the reservation to a lake view using only BLT points at the 7 month mark, can I later have MS swap points from BWV, since the new "modified" reservation was made for all 4 nights at the 7 month mark?

To modify the entire trip time from BLT standard to lake view is not an attempt to swap home resort points with non-home resort points in the reservation. It is instead an allowed attempt to do a complete change of reservation, e.g., it is no different than trying to switch from your home resort reservation to another resort at 7-months out. That you can attempt to do using the online modification tool and existing reservation remains in place until the new one is complete.

Moreover, if BLT standard were actually separately open for all four nights when you attempt the change, you can use the modification tool to reserve the same category of room you have, BLT standard, and change the points used.

 

[dismedvc]

Moreover, if BLT standard were actually separately open for all four nights when you attempt the change, you can use the modification tool to reserve the same category of room you have, BLT standard, and change the points used.

Update:
Went in today at the 7 month mark. We had a 2 BR standard lock-off at BLT. Today when I went in to modify, both the lock-off and dedicated 2 BR standard were available for all days. When I went in to modify and keep the 2 BR standard lock-off, the BLT contracts showed as locked. However, when I modified to the 2BR standard dedicated, it let me use BWV points. I made that modification and then after that was confirmed, I remodified that reservation from a 2BR standard dedicated to a 2BR standard lock-off and it once again let me use BWV points.
Not sure if that is the way it should have worked, but I got what I wanted.

ETA: We like to stay 4 days at BLT followed by 4 days at BWV. However, we have more BWV points than BLT points, plus BLT costs more points per night, so I make both reservations at the 11 month mark and then try to modify the BLT reservation at the 7 month mark to use some BWV points so I can bank more BLT points for next years reservation. With the new borrowing restrictions being able to do that is now even more important.

 

[LSchrow]

Update:
Went in today at the 7 month mark. We had a 2 BR standard lock-off at BLT. Today when I went in to modify, both the lock-off and dedicated 2 BR standard were available for all days. When I went in to modify and keep the 2 BR standard lock-off, the BLT contracts showed as locked. However, when I modified to the 2BR standard dedicated, it let me use BWV points. I made that modification and then after that was confirmed, I remodified that reservation from a 2BR standard dedicated to a 2BR standard lock-off and it once again let me use BWV points.
Not sure if that is the way it should have worked, but I got what I wanted.

You saw the lock-off as fully available as you had it booked (lock-off & dedicated are separate booking categories). Then you actually released the lock-off (fortunately, it wasn't grabbed by the WL or another member before you got it) when you modified to dedicated, and then when back & grabbed the same room you had released. If you ever need to do it again, I would highly recommend using 2 windows (as above) - same result, but a few seconds (cancel, refresh, book) is less risky than the time it took you to do the maneuvering of cancel, home/plan, search/book, search/modify in a single window.
Have fun!!

 

[dismedvc]

You saw the lock-off as fully available as you had it booked

Thanks. That makes sense, but I am not sure it is the case in my situation. Before attempting the modification I went into "plan a vacation" on the member website, and it showed availability for the lock-off for all 4 days, so it appears I could have booked a second lock-off.

Even later, after I made my modifications the lock-off is showing as available for all 4 days under plan a vacation. It was only showing 2 days were available a few days ago when I originally posted my question.

ETA: Just speculating, but even if there is availability at the 7 month mark, if you modify a reservation originally made at 11 months, at the 7 month mark, for the same booking category, the system might lock the contracts that must be used.