Hey There, Carol!
I'm so glad you've found your way to planDisney with a question about your
Disney Vacation Club Membership. Thanks so much for stopping by. If you ask me, the only thing better than a visit to Walt Disney World is a LONG visit to Walt Disney World –– how exciting that you're planning a big adventure for next October! Like you, I've never had the chance to spend more than seven consecutive days at The Most Magical Place on Earth, but it sounds like a dream come true! Let me share a few details about making reservations for a longer DVC stay to help you prepare for booking your next visit.
If you're planning to stay at your Disney Vacation Club Home Resort for a visit beginning October 17, 2023, your
11-month Home Resort Priority period will begin at 8 AM EST on November 17, 2022. As it sounds like you've already heard, once that window opens, you'll be able to book a stay of up to seven consecutive nights. Since you're planning to stay longer than that period (yay!), you'll need to book a second reservation for the latter part of your trip once the 11-month window for those dates opens up, as well.
While this makes a little extra work in the planning department, booking those reservations separately doesn't necessarily mean that you'll have to change rooms during your stay (unless you want to, of course). What I recommend is to make sure that you book both reservations as the same room type with the same view. Then, once you arrive at the Resort, stop by the Front Desk to request that you stay in the same room throughout your visit. While being able to do this is never guaranteed, I've had to do this several times in the past (usually when I've had to piece our reservations together with a Waitlist request) and Cast Members have always been able to accommodate us. If you're planning to use this method, the one thing I suggest is to make sure that you're using
Walt Disney World's Online Check-In service, available through the
My Disney Experience mobile app, for both reservations. That way, you'll be automatically checked in for your next reservation, saving you the time and effort of standing in line at the Front Desk. In fact, there's a great chance that you won't even notice that you're switching to the second reservation –– it's seamless and convenient, just the way a great vacation should be!
Thanks so much for visiting planDisney, Carol. I hope this helped to answer your question and I'm wishing you lots of pixie dust for your upcoming visit to Walt Disney World Resort!
Happy Planning,
Amy