You REALLY want online reservations?

[Warren W]

REALLY?

I just spent several frustrating minutes trying to do online check in.

The email address that Disney sends junk to all the time "Please enter a valid email address" My work email "Please enter a valid email address" And of course EVERY time you have to re-enter the credit card data.

After 4 tries I quit.

Why are we asking for "new"???? They can't do what they have NOW

 

[jekjones1558]

I am with you. The member website is impossible to navigate. I can't imagine the problems that could arise from online booking. Let's hope we are both wrong and Disney has hired a great IT team to do this right....

 

[disneynutz]

I's a 2 edge sword. We would like to see website improvements and maybe online booking but as members are running a business. It costs money to implement these things and people are already upset about the dues increase.

If online booking results in a cost savings and the software works then great.

We have to remember that Disney doesn't pay for anything to do with the DVC. We pay for everything either directly or indirectly.

Online check in is not our software, it's Disney's and we have limited functionality because it was not made for the DVC. I am sure that we pay a fee to access it but the trade off is suppose to be a reduction in Front Desk costs because the room packets are made up the night prior to check in and the rooms are pre-assigned. The intention was for guests to pick up their packet and go without asking for a different room, causing a assignment cascade and taking up the CM's time.

Bill

 

[jimmytammy]

We will still be using the phone until we no longer can

 

[n2mm]

Yes, their website is not easy to navigate, but they have to start somewhere. I remember when AP holders could not book online and worse, I remember when cast members could not book online. I made it through both of those startup websites and while they had their issues, both are now useable tools. Though we no longer have access to the cast member site now, so can't really comment on how they are doing. Really! does any of Disney's website work well? What makes us think that the DVC website is worse than any other Disney website. They all stink and always have issues, whether it's logging in and finding something. But they have to move forward. I love being able to take care of my own things online, whether its ordering tickets, or renewing tickets, paying my dues, and banking, so this will be a new horizon. No, I'm not optimistic that this will work well and I hope it doesn't eat anyone's points, but it's the future.

 

[nunzia]

We will still be using the phone until we no longer can

Ditto..I cringe whenever I see them talk about on line reservations

 

[dianeschlicht]

REALLY?

I just spent several frustrating minutes trying to do online check in.

The email address that Disney sends junk to all the time "Please enter a valid email address" My work email "Please enter a valid email address" And of course EVERY time you have to re-enter the credit card data.

After 4 tries I quit.

Why are we asking for "new"???? They can't do what they have NOW

I totally agree with you on this one! I think online reservations are going to be a joke at best and a nightmare at worst!

 

[BeccaG]

I would adore a working online reservations system.... It's the working part I don't have a ton of confidence in. But I'm trying to be optimistic!

 

[bobbiwoz]

I am concerned because I have 22 parts to my contract at 7 resorts. 11 month reservations will be OK, but I need to be aware of which contract they take my 7 month or less points out of.

 

[rentayenta]

I have no interest in online reservations. Or check in. I like to get a name of who booked for me and that interaction.

 

[Granny]

We will still be using the phone until we no longer can

I agree with you Jimmy, but the problem is we don't know how on-line booking will work. Is it a 24/7 kind of thing? So the 11/7 month windows open on-line at midnight? If so, waiting until the morning to call MS might make it too late to get those hard-to-get reservations.

Will on-line booking allow people to "walk" reservations (drop a day/add a day)?

I can't say whether I will use on-line booking until I see the "rules" they use with them. I can't imagine you would be able to do everything you currently can with MS.

I have never pushed for on-line booking. I remember Caskbill had a multi-paragraph "problem list" that any booking program would have to overcome.

Hopefully they will start it simple and expand capabilities as they go. Given Disney's track record with IT, I doubt they will do that though.

 

[dvcdisney]

It's quite strange, but I'm quite optimistic about it.

And I am a "glass half empty" kind of person.

I guess I would prefer to do everything myself and really hate relying on the CM to do what I request. Even if it's not a hard-to-get resort or dates, I'm still quite nervous that there'll be a problem since I'm not the one doing it.

I am one of those people who, if I was at a retail counter, have gotten quite close to asking if I can go behind and do it. Of course I would be very polite, but I'm always quite sure I can fix the problem myself (and to be honest, I have on some occasions given them suggestions to fix it).

 

[bumbershoot]

It's quite strange, but I'm quite optimistic about it.

And I am a "glass half empty" kind of person.

I guess I would prefer to do everything myself and really hate relying on the CM to do what I request. Even if it's not a hard-to-get resort or dates, I'm still quite nervous that there'll be a problem since I'm not the one doing it.

I am one of those people who, if I was at a retail counter, have gotten quite close to asking if I can go behind and do it. Of course I would be very polite, but I'm always quite sure I can fix the problem myself (and to be honest, I have on some occasions given them suggestions to fix it).

You said everything that was in my brain on this subject.

I figure...if something's going to be messed up, I'd rather be the one messing it up.

 

[mgodfre3]

Ohh Ohh looks like its time for me to apply for an IT job with DVC. haha I would love to redesign they DVCMember website. 2001 called they want their web design back. And please take away that stupid music/video flash plugin.

I have been working on an iPhone app because frankly the ones out there suck, the only one that comes close is D-Point, but there interface is clunky and they need more features. Like Restaurant reviews, maps, perhaps wait times, trading locations, show schedules and if Disney would let us Online Reservations that work. Also a countdown with photos of each resort, booking reminders and of coarse point tracking.

Online reservations are not hard, but Disney is making it so. I think a total overhaul of the website is in order.

 

[lilpooh108]

Does anyone remember the Disney Dining debacle of 2010?

Disney was "updating" their dining website and reservation system in Fall 2010...and the old system failed to transfer over dining reservations made by guests to the new system....this caused massive panic on the dining boards and made everyone double book ressies they thought they'd lost (but reappeared later). Can you EVEN imagine if that happend w/DVC reservations?

The dining/reservation system failed during the week before Christmas in 2010. We were checking into AKV and had lots of fun w/that...OH and the system "ate" all of our DDP meal credits, causing members of our party to not be able to eat on the DDP credits. We had to resolve all of this while our DD was in the pediatric care unit in downtown Orlando Hospital.

Fun times.

 

[Starr W.]

Does anyone remember the Disney Dining debacle of 2010?

Disney was "updating" their dining website and reservation system in Fall 2010...and the old system failed to transfer over dining reservations made by guests to the new system....this caused massive panic on the dining boards and made everyone double book ressies they thought they'd lost (but reappeared later). Can you EVEN imagine if that happend w/DVC reservations?

The dining/reservation system failed during the week before Christmas in 2010. We were checking into AKV and had lots of fun w/that...OH and the system "ate" all of our DDP meal credits, causing members of our party to not be able to eat on the DDP credits. We had to resolve all of this while our DD was in the pediatric care unit in downtown Orlando Hospital.

Fun times.

Yes, I had T-giving week ADR's I was worried about.

I remember the beginnings of online ADR's, system crashed at 6am 180+10 days out from T-giving that year. Of course I had all mine in and went to finish at that moment.

I'm glad that I don't need to book anything until May 2012.

 

[CarolMN]

Somewhere, someplace, I remember reading or perhaps was told that MS has been testing the new online system for the past several months as members call for reservations. If so, I am not nearly as worried as I used to be. I'm only worried about server capacity.

I also believe that the 11 month and 7 month windows will be exactly the same for online and MS and thus will "roll" to the new day at 9 am Eastern.

Eventually, we'll see.

 

[MickeyMcMouse]

Just logged in to pay dues and on front page there is a notice saying online bookings starts from 19th Jan for a limited number of members slowly increasing to everyone

David

 

[palhockeymomof2]

Just logged in to pay dues and on front page there is a notice saying online bookings starts from 19th Jan for a limited number of members slowly increasing to everyone

David

I wonder how they are deciding who are the limited members who are able to book online on 1/19

 

[Disbroads]

Somewhere, someplace, I remember reading or perhaps was told that MS has been testing the new online system for the past several months as members call for reservations. If so, I am not nearly as worried as I used to be. I'm only worried about server capacity.

I also believe that the 11 month and 7 month windows will be exactly the same for online and MS and thus will "roll" to the new day at 9 am Eastern.

Eventually, we'll see.

I agree on both points, Carol,
I was once told there are about 200 MS CMs. How many hundred thousand members have website access? I expect it'll crash a lot at first due to the people "playing" when they don't really need to book. I hope they'll consider doing that at night after MS closes so as not to impact normal operation.

It wouldn't make sense to make server capacity to meet the early, unreal load. As previously posted, it's our money, so size it to meet true capacity.

And yes, I don't think it would be fair to open the 7 and 11 month windows 9 hours prior to when you can book by phone. Members in Europe could book over morning coffee right at midnight Eastern time.

While I agree that reservation systems in general are pretty simple, not so much for DVC. Points, use years, booking windows for home and non home resort, holding points. There's a lot more to it than a standard credit card authorization/refund.