General Discussion Thread

[The DIS-DVC Team]

Welcome to the RRA board General Discussion thread

General Rules:
1. Since we will be using automated computer software to process data submitted by yourselves, it is necessary to limit all discussions to this single thread. We cannot allow any new threads to be started. If you attempt to start a new thread, it will not post to the board and will be automatically deleted by our software.

2. You may post in this thread if you have questions about how the Resort Reservation Availability Board works, have trouble interpreting the results or have suggestions for changes and improvements. Do not post your reservation results in this thread as it will not be found by the automated software.

3. Comments and/or questions on topics such as availability or waitlist chances or DVC Reservation Policies should continue to be posted on the Planning Forum.

Thanks for your cooperation.

Q & A (this list will be updated as more questions are discussed and added)

Q: Does the format have to be exactly as illustrated?
A: Yes. While a moderator could interpret what you mean, a computer can only evaluate an exact phrase. If you do not write your response exactly as required, the computer will ignore it and your information will not be included.

Q: DVC said there are no Studios at all for my dates. Can I just use "ALL" in the code.
A: No, the only Resort Codes allowed are as shown in the listings. We do not allow "All" because there can be a mistake in understanding what MS says. "All" could mean no Studios at all at a specific resort, or none at all in a specific category, or none at all in all of WDW, or none at all at VB, or HH.

Q: Can I add personal comments to the posting?
A: Please do not. The computer will try to interpret your comments as a report of resort availability. Since all submissions will be removed once they are processed and added to the report, any comments you make will not be seen anyway.

Q: Can I report multiple dates. For example if OKW has no Studios available for the 5-6 and also 12-13 can I combine them into a single 'code' such as OKW,A,5-6,12-13?
A: At this time, they cannot be combined as described. You will need to make two full inputs, either on the same line or on different lines. There are directions in the 'welcome' post. In this example your post could look like this: 8/14/08,OKW,A,5-6;8/14/08,OKW,A,12-13 and use a semicolon to distinguish between the two reports each of which contains the basic information.

We'll take a look and see about a future enhancement so a person can report multiple dates in a more simple format.

Q: Can I report dates for two months in one line? For example if BCV has no Studios available for Sep 28 through Oct 3rd, can I do it like this: 8/16/08,BCV,A,9/28-10/3
A: No since there is a separate thread for each month. Report Sep 28-30 in the September thread, and report Oct 1-3 in the October thread.

[mcorbo]

I have a question on this. Say for example, I called for availability for Oct 1-3 at AKV in a Studio and it is not available, I did not ask for just 1 or 2 or 3 (Lets say in this example, even though I did not ask, my selection was available for 1 and 2). Will his be reported as no availability for all 3 days, even though 2 of them are available?

So I report in the October thread, based on my inquiry

8/15/08,AKV,A,1-3

To make the database more accurate, i should have asked MS if any of the days were available and only reported

8/15/08.AKV,A,3

[Caskbill]

I have a question on this. Say for example, I called for availability for Oct 1-3 at AKV in a Studio and it is not available, I did not ask for just 1 or 2 or 3 (Lets say in this example, even though I did not ask, my selection was available for 1 and 2). Will his be reported as no availability for all 3 days, even though 2 of them are available?

So I report in the October thread, based on my inquiry

8/15/08,AKV,A,1-3

To make the database more accurate, i should have asked MS if any of the days were available and only reported

8/15/08.AKV,A,3

To be accurate only report days you know for certain are not available. If you did the first example (1-3) the program would mark all 3 as not available. So if you know for sure that only the last day is not available, then only report it, as in your second example above.

If you know ahead of time about this board and plan to submit, then it would be helpful to ask if the other two days were also not available. If not, then the first example you gave would be correct.

BTW, you had a typo in your 2nd example where you used a period instead of a comma. Unfortunately, if used that way, our program would 'read' it as an error so it's important everyone be aware of even a minor thing like that and be very careful in posting the correct 'code' so the computer can properly interpret it.

Thanks for your input.

[mcorbo]

Just out of curiosity, how often are the posts added to the master list for each month?

[Caskbill]

Just out of curiosity, how often are the posts added to the master list for each month?


Right now we're doing it daily. It all depends on how often people make reply posts. We're currently 'semi-automated' but expect to be fully automated in about a month.

The plan is to process the information daily, but at most it might just be once every 3 days or so.


Even when fully automated, it will take a moderator to 'initiate' the processor program.

[dzorn]

I think I found my answer. Sorry

Denise in MI

[jdg345]

This is excellent! Thank you all for your hard work! I think this will be a huge help for planning vacations going forward especially with the new booking policy in play!

[lilsydney]

Not sure how to report this-

Called for Oct 16-20 2008 at ANY WDW DVC resort- studio
nothing available (AK, SSRS, BCV, BWI, WLV)

wait listing at this time- will book direct without points

[Caskbill]

Not sure how to report this-

Called for Oct 16-20 2008 at ANY WDW DVC resort- studio
nothing available (AK, SSRS, BCV, BWI, WLV)

wait listing at this time- will book direct without points

At this time it's necessary to list each combination separately. It's also important to use the correct abbreviation. AKV, SSR, BCV, BWV, VWL. You did not mention OKW so I assume there is still availability at that resort for your dates, unless you meant to include it.

When MS says there's no availability it's important to be sure you understand exactly what they are including. For example if you're saying there's nothing available at AKV, does that mean nothing in any of the 4 different categories for Studios, from Value to Concierge?

If that's the case then you can report each, but each requires a separate input.

8/23/08,AKV,A,16-20
8/23/08,AKV,D,16-20
8/23/08,AKV,G,16-20
8/23/08,AKV,K,16-20

The same would be done for the other resorts. There would be a total of 10 to 12 lines reporting.

We do expect future program enhancements where multiple resorts or dates can be reported more easily.

For now we're letting everyone report separately to help avoid mistakes. Even with this, I see a member reported no December availability for some AKV Kidani villas. Which of course don't even open until next spring/summer.

Thanks for asking, and for contributing.

[tomandrobin]

BCV had 1 bedroom availability for 1/31 thru 2/7, and 2/22 thru 3/1.

[MLC2002]

I posted on the October thread this afternoon. I apologize for the first post, as I added spaces after the commas. Hopefully my second post was done correctly.

We currently have a reservation for the nights of 9/28-10/3 (checking out 10/4) for a 1BR at OKW. We are on the WL for a 1BR at BCV, BWV, and VWL for these same dates. When I called today, I asked about individual nights at each of these resorts during my stay. In addition to finding out about no availability on the October dates mentioned in my post on the October thread, I was also informed that there IS some availability for a couple of dates in September at BWV (dates which are currently listed as NOT available on the September thread).

As of this afternoon, a 1BR Std at BWV is available on 9/28 and a 1BR BW view at BWV is available on 9/30.

Seeing that availability is always changing due to cancellations, it seems impossible to keep an accurate list of what is/isn't available. Thus, I'm a little confised as to the purpose of these threads. Can you shed a little light on what the data obtained via these threads is used for? (My guess is that the data is not to be used as a way to check availability but, that you are hoping to track approximately when unit types tend to fill at each resort... for example, at 11 months, 7 months, 5 months prior, etc.)

Thanks for compiling the info... no matter what the purpose, I'm sure it will be helpful to us all in some way!

[poohj80]

I only see one thread for November 2008. How about starting one for Dec please?

[vicki_c]

You must have missed it -- there's lots of reports for December in this thread for December:
http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=1920559

[poohj80]

DUH! I forgot that the default setting was to show threads with posts from teh last day only. Sorry!

[ArtieMcD]

Is there way to correct the reporting? IE, the board shows October 20th as booked for a studio at SSR, but this date is available.

[cinderella97]

Where are the rest of the months? I'm only seeing January listed. I'm calling Monday for my Easter trip and was wondering if anyone is having any luck.

[poohj80]

Where are the rest of the months? I'm only seeing January listed. I'm calling Monday for my Easter trip and was wondering if anyone is having any luck.

I had a similar problem. Below the threads is a box called Display Options. Change the "From the" box to something longer than Last Day (which is the default).

[janni518]

I just added a report to April. When I typed it I posted the info in CAPS just as the example shows. I noticed that when it actually posted all the letters had been changed to lower case. Is this a glitch in the system and does it have an effect on the program?

[Jeremy&Susan]

Is this post board actually working? It seems far from correct. first week of december has no open 2 Bdrm units anywhere according to member services. I have been on the wiatlist for ANY 2Bdrm from Nov 29-Dec 7 for over a month now.

[JaxFLBear]

Is this post board actually working? It seems far from correct. first week of december has no open 2 Bdrm units anywhere according to member services. I have been on the wiatlist for ANY 2Bdrm from Nov 29-Dec 7 for over a month now.

This has only been in place for a month and it's user submitted data.

[poohj80]

Is this post board actually working? It seems far from correct. first week of december has no open 2 Bdrm units anywhere according to member services. I have been on the wiatlist for ANY 2Bdrm from Nov 29-Dec 7 for over a month now.

Please post the specifics in the appropriate theead by month using the format provided.

[DanenRox]

9/16/08 BWV standard A 1/12-1/15

[JaxFLBear]

9/16/08 BWV standard C 1/12-1/15

You have to post this in the Jan 2009 thread to have it update the availability.

[DanenRox]

OK. Thanks.

[Jeremy&Susan]

Please post the specifics in the appropriate theead by month using the format provided.

Too many rules and Formats for NO benefit to me. I already know what rooms I cant get.

WHY would people fill this board with information they already know and who would trust this board (if they were looking for info) over a call to member services?

[CarolMN]

I just added a report to April. When I typed it I posted the info in CAPS just as the example shows. I noticed that when it actually posted all the letters had been changed to lower case. Is this a glitch in the system and does it have an effect on the program?No problem - when the posts are processed, it will work just fine.

[OneMoreTry]

DUH! I forgot that the default setting was to show threads with posts from teh last day only. Sorry!

How do I change this default?

[OneMoreTry]

Is this post board actually working? It seems far from correct. first week of december has no open 2 Bdrm units anywhere according to member services. I have been on the wiatlist for ANY 2Bdrm from Nov 29-Dec 7 for over a month now.

Did you post it?

[OneMoreTry]

Too many rules and Formats for NO benefit to me. I already know what rooms I cant get.

WHY would people fill this board with information they already know and who would trust this board (if they were looking for info) over a call to member services?

That's the spirit!

[Buzz's Buddy]

Too many rules and Formats for NO benefit to me. I already know what rooms I cant get.

WHY would people fill this board with information they already know and who would trust this board (if they were looking for info) over a call to member services?

Why would you bother to even post this??? It's a resource...feel free to use the information or to ignore it. But why would you complain about it?

I for one am happy to have this information. Would it prevent me from calling member services myself? Of course not! But it does give me an idea of what I might encounter when I do try to call.

[CarolA]

So how do you report a change? I called yesterday and got "open" dates for SSR in Dec that are showing "sold out"

[Caskbill]

Send me a PM and I can manually change the data in the database.

Thanks

[ricthemic]

Is it just me or what? Can't get a studio anywhere Jan 11-14. Could not get anything first week of Dec 08 either. How many DVC members are there?

[sasmmb]

Is there a reason that there is no October 2009 thread? September and November yes, but it skips October.

[AshleyMWC]

Is there a reason that there is no October 2009 thread? September and November yes, but it skips October.

I'm glad someone asked, because I was starting to think that I was just missing something. We are closing today (hopefully) on our new BWV contract, and planning a 2 week October Disneymoon, so I would love to know what we might be looking at availability-wise!

[Caskbill]

Not sure what happened when October 2008 was closed. We somehow missed activating the October 2009 version.

It's fixed now so if anyone has any dates to report for October please do so.

Thanks.

[Raivyn]

Hello,

I'm trying to post availability for AKV. There is both Jambo and Kidani. How do you format to distinguish between the two? Thanks!

[Raivyn]

I figured it out. I hope the computer reads it. I posted in June 2009 for AKL. TIA!

EDIT: Well, I butchered my posting. Sorry to make it so bad....I'll send a message to a mod.

[Liljam]

I just called about dates for 1-6 of March 09 and posted on the correct board for the two places I asked about, but I wanted to note that I asked specifically about Jambo Value which is what I posted and she stated no studios at all available for AKV during those dates. Should I go ahead and post for those dates when I get that info from MS? Also, I noticed a poster above me posted that no studios were available in SSR for the same dates and today MS said she could put me in a studio at SSR for 1-6 of March. I decided to hold off on grabbing one for now though since I'm undecided because of crowd levels.

[thefirebuilds]

today MS said she could put me in a studio at SSR for 1-6 of March. I decided to hold off on grabbing one for now though since I'm undecided because of crowd levels.


those stingy *******s! They told me no go.

[Liljam]

those stingy *******s! They told me no go.

Lol, exactly! You may want to call back and double check those dates at SSR because she specifically told me they were available even though I did not inquire. I'm guessing she mentioned SSR since it's my home resort and since I didn't inquire about it. Or it's possible that between yesterday and today there were cancelations.

[TinkTatoo]

I've posted some BLT info on the August thread even though it's not set up as a resort yet

[1000th happy haunt]

Just so everyone is aware, only the resorts you own at can be posted before the 7 month mark. I asked about availability at AKV for October, but since I don't own at AKV the system wouldn't let the CM check it.

[spiceycat]

when are you adding BLT?

there are several posts on BLT already.

[DVCGeek]

It doesn't look like many of the months have been updated for several days despite having new posts reporting dates in them. Is the system working properly?

Also, it looks like VGC, BLT, & THV have NOT been added to all the months yet that they should be open for; maybe that is part of the problem?

For example, December 2009 has all three of the new locations, but January 2010 doesn't have any of them?

[DVCGeek]

Just so everyone is aware, only the resorts you own at can be posted before the 7 month mark. I asked about availability at AKV for October, but since I don't own at AKV the system wouldn't let the CM check it.

In my opinion that is where something like this is so valuable; you get an unofficial picture to have some idea ahead of time what to expect.

Glad this is here!

[Dizz42]

In my opinion that is where something like this is so valuable; you get an unofficial picture to have some idea ahead of time what to expect. Glad this is here!

Yes, I just found this thread and I think it's great! I'm waiting to book at a 7-month window. 'Course I will call MS when my time comes but this helps keep me informed.

[Caskbill]

It doesn't look like many of the months have been updated for several days despite having new posts reporting dates in them. Is the system working properly?

Also, it looks like VGC, BLT, & THV have NOT been added to all the months yet that they should be open for; maybe that is part of the problem?

For example, December 2009 has all three of the new locations, but January 2010 doesn't have any of them?


Currently we are still doing some manual processing to the reported posts as a number of users aren't using the correct format. Rather than have the automatic processor reject those listings, we are editing them first so they meet the required format.

Since this takes time, we are only running everything once every several days.

The program was updated to include BLT and THV when the specific thread is updated. These changes were made on Feb 13th. The reason January 2010 doesn't show is because that thread didn't have any new posts so the old thread text was still showing.

I'll go ahead and process January 2010 even though there's no new posts, and it will update the display.

Thanks for pointing that out.

Caskbill

[DVCGeek]

Currently we are still doing some manual processing to the reported posts as a number of users aren't using the correct format. Rather than have the automatic processor reject those listings, we are editing them first so they meet the required format.

Since this takes time, we are only running everything once every several days.



Caskbill- that makes a lot of sense. I certainly appreciate this service and am glad you are running it. I just hope I do my part to keep posts formatted properly so you don't have to manually process me. I'll try!

[ammo]

This forum is a great idea, and I love that you have posted past months on a sub-forum. Thanks for your effort -- it is greatly appreciated!

[ammo]

I have a suggestion/request for enhanced information on the Past Months history threads. The "live" months are a good real-time indication of availability. But I assume that the past months only reflect the final availability.

In studying the past months (which I have probably done too much), it would be helpful to distinguish between room types that were booked during the home resort priority period and those that were still available (and subsequently booked) after the opening of the 7-month booking window.

Perhaps the room types that book up during the 11-month window could be indicated in red, and rooms that were available at the beginning of the 7-month window (and then subsequently booked) could be shown in black or blue or some other color. This might be something that could just be coded into the initial recording of the information, but what do I know about programming?

Regardless, this is a great resource. Thanks.

[DVCGeek]

Perhaps the room types that book up during the 11-month window could be indicated in red, and rooms that were available at the beginning of the 7-month window (and then subsequently booked) could be shown in black or blue or some other color. This might be something that could just be coded into the initial recording of the information, but what do I know about programming?

Regardless, this is a great resource. Thanks.

WOW! I *LOVE* that idea, both for current and past information. I hope it could be implemented!!!

[redrosesix]

Just wanted to say how helpful the history has been for us -- we were planning on buying in the fall, but had decided to put it off until Feb. 2010 when we are in WDW since we didn't think anything would be available if we tried to book in the fall. According to the history threads, there is hope for us.

Thanks.

[Amor4Pooh]

for a specific date?
I called and was waitlisted for a specific group of dates, but I was told that for one date there were no studios anywhere on property available. How would I post that without typing in every resort separately?
Amor4pooh

[Chuck S]

for a specific date?
I called and was waitlisted for a specific group of dates, but I was told that for one date there were no studios anywhere on property available. How would I post that without typing in every resort separately?
Amor4pooh

Currently, there is no way to do that without listing each resort code on a separate line of the post, something similar to:

5/1/09,AKV,a,16
5/1/09,BLT,a,16
5/1/09,okw,a,16

and so on

[Amor4Pooh]

unfortunately I didn't do it then, but I was told that for a few dates (now I can't remember them), so I will try to get to it next time.
Amor4Pooh

[pjweakly]

Researching becoming a DVC member and I love the RRA thread and the general discussion thread as a resource. Thank you all.

[disneyvacalover]

Anyone with any info for February 2010. I am waiting for ROFR and need to book for President's week. Probably wont be closing until late November if I am passed. Looking for a 1 bedroom at SSR. Anyone gander to guess my chances of being able to book so late?

[CarolMN]

Anyone with any info for February 2010. I am waiting for ROFR and need to book for President's week. Probably wont be closing until late November if I am passed. Looking for a 1 bedroom at SSR. Anyone gander to guess my chances of being able to book so late?SO far there are no reports that SSR is full for any dates in February, 2010 so that's in your favor.

SSR is the largest DVC resort and 1 bedroom villas tend to sell out after the studios and 2 bedrooms, so that is in your favor, too.

Not in your favor - you want a popular Holiday week and you are booking well after the 7 month window.

I think you will be able to get your 1 bedroom. Do not be afraid to waitlist if necessary. Good luck getting through ROFR. :)

[disneyvacalover]

SO far there are no reports that SSR is full for any dates in February, 2010 so that's in your favor.

SSR is the largest DVC resort and 1 bedroom villas tend to sell out after the studios and 2 bedrooms, so that is in your favor, too.

Not in your favor - you want a popular Holiday week and you are booking well after the 7 month window.

I think you will be able to get your 1 bedroom. Do not be afraid to waitlist if necessary. Good luck getting through ROFR. :)

Thanks for the info. I hope there is a Feb. update soon. I am so impatient.