13 Month Reservations Online?

[hipslo]

I have always made my 13 month consecutive unit reservations by phone. In preparing to make my reservations for 2014, I noticed that there is now an option to make concurrent or consecutive reservations 13 months out on the mvci website. I dont recall there previously being an option to do so online. Has anyone made 13 month reservations online, and if so, what was your experience like?

 

[Saintsfanfl]

I have always made my 13 month consecutive unit reservations by phone. In preparing to make my reservations for 2014, I noticed that there is now an option to make concurrent or consecutive reservations 13 months out on the mvci website. I dont recall there previously being an option to do so online. Has anyone made 13 month reservations online, and if so, what was your experience like?

That option is an illusion. All it does it open a request form (as of last week). Hopefully it will do more in the future but for now I would not use it.

 

[MOXJO7282]

I have always made my 13 month consecutive unit reservations by phone. In preparing to make my reservations for 2014, I noticed that there is now an option to make concurrent or consecutive reservations 13 months out on the mvci website. I dont recall there previously being an option to do so online. Has anyone made 13 month reservations online, and if so, what was your experience like?

Really? I have to go check that out. I was just thinking how much we need an on-line system for the 13 month window because the phone system is just not working well. I was on yeserday at the stroke of 9am and got locked out until 9:30am at which time I was only able to get my 3rd choice of dates on a few of my units.

 

[SueDonJ]

We talked about this a little bit last week beginning with Post #3 in this thread. It looks to me like the "Use My Week" option in our my-vacationclub.com accounts has been newly revamped to include at least an explanation of all of the available options, while not necessarily allowing instantaneous processing of them all. I'd guess this new 13-mos thing is just a revamp of the option we've always had to click a link somewhere online to send a request for 13-mos reservations, which went into a queue and weren't processed immediately when the windows opened. (Which is why it wasn't utilized very often!)

It'd be great to have 13-mos instant online reservation capability but I'm skeptical that this is it. Can anybody confirm that they've done it?

 

[hipslo]

That option is an illusion. All it does it open a request form (as of last week). Hopefully it will do more in the future but for now I would not use it.

Thats what I thought, but I wonder what would happen if the form is completed and submitted prior to the window opening? What would they then do with the requests once the window opens? Would they be handled before phone requests? After? Never? Its impossible to tell from the website, which is why I was looking for some real world experience.

 

[windje2000]

I was on yeserday at the stroke of 9am and got locked out until 9:30am at which time I was only able to get my 3rd choice of dates on a few of my units.

Same 30 minute wait here.

Also got a new (at least to me) warning from the VOA that any of the 13 month reservations cancelled more that twelve months prior to check in date would result in cancellation of all the 13 month reservations.

 

[SueDonJ]

Thats what I thought, but I wonder what would happen if the form is completed and submitted prior to the window opening? What would they then do with the requests once the window opens? Would they be handled before phone requests? After? Never? Its impossible to tell from the website, which is why I was looking for some real world experience.

It's possible that things are different now but with the old option a request would be sent to Owner Services and placed in a queue which appeared to be reviewed individually by reps when there was a lag time in the phone queue, after the Reservation Windows had opened. It wasn't ever suggested as a viable mechanism unless the consecutive/concurrent Weeks we were trying to get were lowest demand.

 

[hipslo]

It's possible that things are different now but with the old option a request would be sent to Owner Services and placed in a queue which appeared to be reviewed individually by reps when there was a lag time in the phone queue, after the Reservation Windows had opened. It wasn't ever suggested as a viable mechanism unless the consecutive/concurrent Weeks we were trying to get were lowest demand.

Thanks, thats good to know. I will stick with phone reservations. My 13 month call in date is next Monday, Jan 14th. Guess we'll see how it goes, I have always gotten in immediately in the past.

 

[hipslo]

Also got a new (at least to me) warning from the VOA that any of the 13 month reservations cancelled more that twelve months prior to check in date would result in cancellation of all the 13 month reservations.

I know we've been over this in the past, but if that is in fact the case, I wonder whether they would treat a rental back to marriott, or a deposit to II, as a "cancellation". The prior thinking, based on chat responses from marriott reps and some real world experience, was that neither of those would be treated as a "cancellation", if I recall correctly.

 

[pwrshift]

I can't see it working without a live person, in my case. I book my 2 BeachPlace weeks buy taking a LO the first week, a 1 BDRM the second and third weeks, and a LO the 4th week. Gives me 4 weeks for 2 in smaller quarters but a month in the sun! Can't wait.

http://www.sunny.org/webcam/

Brian

 

[SueDonJ]

I know we've been over this in the past, but if that is in fact the case, I wonder whether they would treat a rental back to marriott, or a deposit to II, as a "cancellation". The prior thinking, based on chat responses from marriott reps and some real world experience, was that neither of those would be treated as a "cancellation", if I recall correctly.

They began saying a version of what windje reported sometime during the last year, year and a half, that if we use the 13-mos window and then make changes prior to the 12-mos window opening, then all reservations made at the 13-mos mark would be canceled. That included any deposits to II but I don't remember anyone mentioning Weeks given to Marriott for their rental program. Since they began saying it, TUGgers have suggested that you don't do anything with 13-mos bookings until after the 12-mos window opens. TUGgers have confirmed that II deposits after the 12-mos window have not resulted in 13-mos reservations being canceled, but I don't remember anyone being brave enough ( ) to try II deposits before the 12-mos window opened.

 

[BocaBoy]

They began saying a version of what windje reported sometime during the last year, year and a half, that if we use the 13-mos window and then make changes prior to the 12-mos window opening, then all reservations made at the 13-mos mark would be canceled. That included any deposits to II but I don't remember anyone mentioning Weeks given to Marriott for their rental program. Since they began saying it, TUGgers have suggested that you don't do anything with 13-mos bookings until after the 12-mos window opens. TUGgers have confirmed that II deposits after the 12-mos window have not resulted in 13-mos reservations being canceled, but I don't remember anyone being brave enough ( ) to try II deposits before the 12-mos window opened.

I guess I am your brave one, although I did not realize I was being brave. In mid-December 2011, I locked off my 3 BR Las Vegas week for 2013 and booked 2 consecutive weeks starting mid-January 2013. At the same time, I locked off my two Maui weeks (new towers oceanfront) and booked 4 consecutive February weeks immediately following the two Vegas weeks. So in total I booked 6 consecutive weeks 13 months ahead of the first week. The next day I deposited the 2 Las Vegas weeks in II and requested a trade of the 2BR Vegas week for a week at Newport Coast. The Newport Coast trade actually came through prior to the 12-month mark. There have been no issues. When I made the reservations, I was assured by the VOA that this was fine and that an II deposit was not treated as a cancellation for this purpose and would not jeopardize my other reservations. This was important to me because we will be personally using our four Maui weeks next month.

I hope my experience continues to be legitimate because I find that the only way I can reliably get multiple Maui weeks for late January or February is to have a couple of other weeks to book at the 13-month mark so my Maui reservations are actually 13 1/2 to 14 1/2 months ahead. This year we are not doing this because we will be going to Maui in 2014 after Thanksgiving rather than in our normal February time frame.

 

[SueDonJ]

I guess I am your brave one, although I did not realize I was being brave. In mid-December 2011, I locked off my 3 BR Las Vegas week for 2013 and booked 2 consecutive weeks starting mid-January 2013. At the same time, I locked off my two Maui weeks (new towers oceanfront) and booked 4 consecutive February weeks immediately following the two Vegas weeks. So in total I booked 6 consecutive weeks 13 months ahead of the first week. The next day I deposited the 2 Las Vegas weeks in II and requested a trade of the 2BR Vegas week for a week at Newport Coast. The Newport Coast trade actually came through prior to the 12-month mark. There have been no issues. When I made the reservations, I was assured by the VOA that this was fine and that an II deposit was not treated as a cancellation for this purpose and would not jeopardize my other reservations. This was important to me because we will be personally using our four Maui weeks next month.

I hope my experience continues to be legitimate because I find that the only way I can reliably get multiple Maui weeks for late January or February is to have a couple of other weeks to book at the 13-month mark so my Maui reservations are actually 13 1/2 to 14 1/2 months ahead. This year we are not doing this because we will be going to Maui in 2014 after Thanksgiving rather than in our normal February time frame.

Interesting, Boca, thanks for posting. I hope your experience stays the same, too, because I have to do the same thing you do in order to get the two weeks straddling Memorial Day every year, which is to book three in a row and then make changes to the first. For 2013 I booked all three like usual but then waited until the 12-mos window opened to cancel the first in the string and convert the Week to DC Points.

I think, though, that I still won't try to make any changes within that 13/12-mos time frame unless I'm up against high demand or deadlines or something like that. I'm not nearly as brave as you. :rofl:

 

[BocaBoy]

Interesting, Boca, thanks for posting. I hope your experience stays the same, too, because I have to do the same thing you do in order to get the two weeks straddling Memorial Day every year, which is to book three in a row and then make changes to the first. For 2013 I booked all three like usual but then waited until the 12-mos window opened to cancel the first in the string and convert the Week to DC Points.

I think, though, that I still won't try to make any changes within that 13/12-mos time frame unless I'm up against high demand or deadlines or something like that. I'm not nearly as brave as you. :rofl:

After reading this I may not be so brave next time either.