Would like some help with options for Thanksgiving 2014

[dparksfan]

I know this would be speculating, but looking for those with experience booking during Thanksgiving.

We will be going Thanksgiving week of 2014. There will be 8 of us, 4 adults and 3 teen boys and 1 preteen boy, bringing friends who have never been to WDW this trip. We own BLT, and if I book a 2 bdrm, we will have to use 2 years of our points just to get a standard view, which I know is a longshot because last time I tried the same time of year, right at 11 mos and I could only get lake view. Also, we will be going Monday to Monday, so I'm pretty sure I would have to walk the reservation.

My question is if I would have options at other resorts, at 7 mos for that time period for a 2 bdrm, and since it's Monday to Monday, what might my options be?

My son wants the Treehouses, and I'm open to anything. Also, would prefer not to use all of our points for 2 years, so that I may use some for VGC.

Do I try to book BLT at 11 mos and then try to exchange at 7 mos? Also, what resorts might be available at 7 mos and which ones would be such a longshot that I should rule those out?

Thanks in advance for any help or suggestions.

 

[TSMMANIAC]

Are you using banked points or borrowing? I would book BLT at 11 months. At 7 months you may find availability at AKV, SS, and OKW. If you switch to a reservation requiring less points you need to make sure MS uses the correct points first those banked/borrowed. Then if within banking deadlines you bank leftover current year points into next year.

 

[dparksfan]

Thank you, that's the response I was needing. We have 4 banked pts, using regular pts and borrowing the rest. We only have 160 pts, so getting a 2 bdrm that time of year, uses a lot.

 

[amypetecar]

I have booked thanksgiving stays the past 3 years including the upcoming 2013 holiday.

All 3 years, I have booked at my home resort, then tried to switch right at 7 months. Twice at BLT and once at Boardwalk.

While you can get all, or almost of the days surrounding t-day.... Thanksgiving night itself is very, very, very challenging to find anything.

The last 2 years, the only option of all resorts for Thanksgiving night at 7 months was Saratoga Springs, and that option only lasted 1-2 days until after the 7 months window opened, then everything, and i mean everything was booked.

i have tried waitlisting, and even with individual night wait lists, we have been successful at getting everything EXCEPT thanksgiving night.

I have successfully booked a standard view studio at BLT last year by walking the reservation. When i tried to book a 2nd standard studio right at 11 months (didn't have enough points to walk both) I was too late.... had to do lake view.

Moral of the story is:
You will probably stay at your home resort on Thanksgiving
You will probably have to walk your reservation at/before 11 months to get the standard view accommodations you are seeking.

 

[dparksfan]

Thanks for the response. Unfortunately we are stuck going this time of year due to our kid's school and sports. I'm pretty sure I will book BLT, pretty sure to stay there but try the others. Would love to someday stay elsewhere.

 

[GrumpyPOTFH]

We are also looking at the same time in 2014. Looking at BLT and a 2-Bedroom. Was wondering which is harder to get the Standard or the lock-out. I can use either really do not need the second bed in the standard 2-bedroom (the studio bedroom). Also do not have to have lake or MK view. Also how much in advance should one plan on walking a reservation, 8 days or more?

 

[dparksfan]

I just figured that walking the reservation for a week was enough. When I booked this a few years ago, I called exactly when I could at 11mos and standard was gone! I would prefer lake or theme park view, but it's so many points! We had to borrow a lot to get lake view last time and stay 1 night at All Star Sports to be able to work it out.

 

[Starr W.]

5 Thanksgiving trips under our belts. I just book our home resort(SSR) at the 11 month window and am done with it. Been successful with 2brs and Grand Villas.

A major holiday is not when I try to get cute with the 7 month window

 

[staceymay00]

Thanksgiving weekend is not an easy time to switch resorts. We've been a few times that week since we travel during school breaks and have the entire week off. Two years ago I booked an OKW 2br at 11 months. I then wait-listed an AKV 2BR standard view right at 7 months and it never came through, which was fine since I was undecided about wanting to stay at OKW or switch to AKV. I could have gotten savannah view at 7 months that year, but did not want to use that many points. This year I switched to BWV for part of Thanksgiving week....but...had to change our days from Sun-Thurs to Sat-Wed. The Wednesday before Thanksgiving is also tough to get at 7 months. Availability for thanksgiving and the day prior was very limited at 7 months this year. I think OKW and SSR had availability right at 7 months, but I'm not 100% sure; might have been able to snag AKV at some point that day, but definitely not a sure thing. The Tuesday before Thanksgiving at BWV was gone later in the day right at 7 months. The other resorts were pretty much booked solid except a night here and there, if I recall. I would book your home resort and not count on being able to switch at 7 months, except maybe to OKW and SSR. You probably know this, but if you borrow points at 11 months you can't "unborrow" them at 7 months if you find something that requires fewer points.

Sent from my iPad using DISBoards

 

[GrumpyPOTFH]

5 Thanksgiving trips under our belts. I just book our home resort(SSR) at the 11 month window and am done with it. Been successful with 2brs and Grand Villas.

Thanks, since BLT is our home resort and where we want to stay this time with our 2 year old granddaughter, I hope as with you it works out. We want a 2-bedroom, do not care if is lock out or not, kind of want the lock out do not need the second bed. Talking to DVC they seem to say the lake view is more available then the standard, other then 30 extra points I do not care which one we get.

 

[GrumpyPOTFH]

Thanksgiving weekend is not an easy time to switch resorts. We've been a few times that week since we travel during school breaks and have the entire week off. Two years ago I booked an OKW 2br at 11 months. I then wait-listed an AKV 2BR standard view right at 7 months and it never came through, which was fine since I was undecided about wanting to stay at OKW or switch to AKV. I could have gotten savannah view at 7 months that year, but did not want to use that many points. This year I switched to BWV for part of Thanksgiving week....but...had to change our days from Sun-Thurs to Sat-Wed. The Wednesday before Thanksgiving is also tough to get at 7 months. Availability for thanksgiving and the day prior was very limited at 7 months this year. I think OKW and SSR had availability right at 7 months, but I'm not 100% sure; might have been able to snag AKV at some point that day, but definitely not a sure thing. The Tuesday before Thanksgiving at BWV was gone later in the day right at 7 months. The other resorts were pretty much booked solid except a night here and there, if I recall. I would book your home resort and not count on being able to switch at 7 months, except maybe to OKW and SSR. You probably know this, but if you borrow points at 11 months you can't "unborrow" them at 7 months if you find something that requires fewer points.

Sent from my iPad using DISBoards

Thanks, good to know about the borrowed points. This will be the first time I will have ever borrowed points, 17 if it a standard view 2-bedroom or 48 if it lake view.