Hiya, Brena!
Welcome back to planDisney from a fellow Disney Vacation Club Member. I think my favorite part of planning a
Walt Disney World Resort vacation is solving the puzzle to make all the pieces fit. Whether it's planning an itinerary that works for everyone in a big group, scoring a hard-to-get dining reservation at the last minute, or searching until the perfect room becomes available, I love the process of cracking the planning code! It sounds like you and your friends are in for an
amazing trip together, but first, you have a Vacation Points puzzle of your own to solve. I have a few ideas about how you might make this work, so let's jump in!
Vacation Points transfers are a great way for friends and family members who are also DVC Members to travel together. Here's the tricky part though ––
Members can only transfer OR receive transferred Points once per Use Year. And because transferred Vacation Points expire at the end of their Use Year, they cannot be banked for the future, making it tricky for three Members to combine their Points. It sounds like an impossible problem, but if you ask me –– and Walt, of course –– it's kind of fun to do the impossible. Here's how to make it work:
1. Begin by transferring Vacation Points from the current Use Year from Friend #1 to you (this will count as the one transfer allowed for each party for
this Use Year).
2. Borrow the remaining points needed for your trip from your upcoming Use Year (this will allow you to book your reservation).
3. Friend #2 will then transfer the number of Vacation Points you borrowed in step 2 from their upcoming Use Year to you (this will balance the points you borrowed and will count as the one transfer allowed for each party for the
next Use Year).
To begin a Vacation Points transfer, give Member Services a call at (800) 800-9800 and a Cast Member will be happy to help you through the process.
Your other option would be to transfer Vacation Points from one friend to book part of your stay and have the other friend book the remaining portion. I know you want to avoid the hassle of checking in and out, but you should be able to make that happen, even with separate reservations. The key is to make sure both reservations are for the same room type and view, and that you're using Disney's
Direct-to-Room service for online check-in. Once you arrive at the Resort, visit the front desk and let a Cast Member know that the two reservations are for a single group and that you would like to stay in the same room. I had a similar situation during my most recent trip and I was able to do this with no problem. I received an email with my hotel folio after "checking out" and notifications about "check-in" for my new reservation, but our party was able to come and go seamlessly using the
My Disney Experience app as our room key and didn't need to visit the front desk again. It was easy and convenient –– just the way I like my Walt Disney World vacations!
Thanks for visiting planDisney, Brena. I hope one of these strategies helps you and your friends have a magical stay during your upcoming vacation!
See Ya Real Soon,
Amy