A solution to walking?

[MJ NH]

The elevators would then start threads of people complaining of increases in dues for elevators they didn’t need.

 

[bobbiwoz]

The elevators would then start threads of people complaining of increases in dues for elevators they didn’t need.

I remember when the slide was built!

 

[chicagodisneyguy]

For the record, I am walking reservations for the first time, at OKW, but only because we are looking at Thanksgiving week next year in a very limited unit type. I am not a huge point owner, I have 345 points. And while walking at OKW is generally unnecessary, in this instance I need a Grand Villa with either ground floor entrance or an elevator building. One of the people going totally shattered their femur in a fall a few months ago, and if there were stairs, she could not go at all. There are only THREE of these units at OKW, all of them are Handicapped units. All the rest of the GVs have entrances on the 2nd floor, and require climbing a flight of stairs.

I'm sorry if you don't like it...I'm not w

Walking has been discussed on the boards forever. There is no reason to close the threads or not permit them under our DISBoards guidelines, nor is it prohibited by DVC. In fact, it has been recommended in the past by DVC Member Services staff.

For the record, I am walking reservations for the first time, at OKW, but only because we are looking at Thanksgiving week next year in a very limited unit type. I am not a huge point owner, I have 345 points. And while walking at OKW is generally unnecessary, in this instance I need a Grand Villa with either ground floor entrance or an elevator building. One of the people going totally shattered their femur in a fall a few months ago, and if there were stairs, she could not go at all. There are only THREE of these units at OKW, all of them are Handicapped units. All the rest of the GVs have entrances on the 2nd floor, and require climbing a flight of stairs.

I'm sorry if you don't like it...I'm not wild about it myself...but there are instances that require it. Unless OKW were to add elevators to all buildings with GVs.

So do you think the fact a few MS cast members recommended walking would mean DVC management, if asked, would recommend members booking weeks at a time with 0% intention of staying there? It's not a rhetorical question....I'd like people who had one MS cast member encourage walking, tell me they think anyone with a parking spot at the DVC management office say they encourage walking.

And again, I'm sorry your friend has some mobility issues. And I can see how reserving a room for at least a week at a time for at least a month, blocking others from booking it, makes sense for you. Hopefully the people trying to book those HA villas the month before your checking can snag those rooms as you walk by.

 

[chicagodisneyguy]

I will raise my hand that I book a lot of rooms every year and hold them when I have no idea when I book if I will take the trip.

It is what I think is the best part of DVC. I have points to stay when I want, can book tentative dates, change, modify and cancel as long as it’s 31 days out.

As an owner, I am entitled to book a room as long as it is there, along with all the other resort owners. It’s what drew me to buying into DVC, knowing it’s all first come, first serve and sooooo flexible compared to other timeshares.

Now, if DVC institutes a penalty or fee for that, then I have to change how I do things or sell.

But, honestly, I do not think we should consider it selfish for any owner to use their points within the rules of the program and personally, as I said, walking to me is no different in terms of its effect on the system than what I do because I am keeping other owners from rooms until I decide to drop them.

That's where we differ. I've read many of your posts and you are very generous to your family and friends. I get the feeling that when you book a room, if you can find friends or family that want to go, that room will be filled. Walkers book rooms with 0% intention of staying in them. That's the one important distinction to me...intent on staying in the room. If someone has 0% intention from the second they book, I don't see how that benefits anyone other than those who want to legally circumvent the rules.

 

[Chuck S]

So do you think the fact a few MS cast members recommended walking would mean DVC management, if asked, would recommend members booking weeks at a time with 0% intention of staying there? It's not a rhetorical question....I'd like people who had one MS cast member encourage walking, tell me they think anyone with a parking spot at the DVC management office say they encourage walking.

And again, I'm sorry your friend has some mobility issues. And I can see how reserving a room for at least a week at a time for at least a month, blocking others from booking it, makes sense for you. Hopefully the people trying to book those HA villas the month before your checking can snag those rooms as you walk by.

I doubt it matters one way or the other to DVC Management, as long as the rules are being followed. People were walking long before it was possible to do so online, and they had to call regularly to do so, likely getting a different CM on each call...as having the extension for a specific CM is a relatively new thing. And if they do have a problem with it, and feel it is severely impacting availability, DVC/DVD would be adding elevators to the 10 other buildings with GVs, for a cost of about $750,000 or literally pennies per point, they have the right to do that.

In your reply to fellow mod Sandisw, you said:

That's where we differ. I've read many of your posts and you are very generous to your family and friends. I get the feeling that when you book a room, if you can find friends or family that want to go, that room will be filled. Walkers book rooms with 0% intention of staying in them. That's the one important distinction to me...intent on staying in the room. If someone has 0% intention from the second they book, I don't see how that benefits anyone other than those who want to legally circumvent the rules.

This GV is not a speculative rental, I will be staying in it with family and friends. In fact, I have NEVER rented my points, but have always used them for myself or family and friends in 28 years of ownership. And with only one exception, I have been with them on every single trip. Not all walkers are walking forward rooms in which they have no intention of staying. And remember, here on the DIS, we prohibit existing reservations (spec rentals) from being offered more than 30 days prior to check-in date unless you pay a fee of $200.00, if your problem with walking truly is with the spec rental market. You should be complaining on those websites that DO allow spec rentals without any fees or other requirements.

 

[Sandisw]

That's where we differ. I've read many of your posts and you are very generous to your family and friends. I get the feeling that when you book a room, if you can find friends or family that want to go, that room will be filled. Walkers book rooms with 0% intention of staying in them. That's the one important distinction to me...intent on staying in the room. If someone has 0% intention from the second they book, I don't see how that benefits anyone other than those who want to legally circumvent the rules.

Yes, I am generous, but honestly, I cancel more than I keep for high demand times, It is the benefit of having so many points

I do see your point that intent should matter , but as soon as you start trying to define reasons that are or are not valid for modifying dates, isn’t that now changing the true nature of the program?

Aren’t owners who book high demand rooms for the purpose of renting doing it with zero intent of using it? Is that really much different than a walker? One does it for profit and one does it to get a room they will eventually use.

This did get me thinking today and reminds me of the Black Friday sales, Store opens at 6 am but people start lining up the night before so they can be in line when the tickets begin to be handed out. And I know lots of people who don’t like it and think they should find a fairer way since many cant or feel they shouldn’t have to do that,

But, I do think it’s a good topic because new members do learn and in many instances, if you have a particular travel time every year, you figure out how and when to get it via wait list, or just waiting a week and let the walkers go on by.

I walked a tower studio last year for January starting about 3 weeks ahead of time, But, what I learned is that I didn’t need to so from now on, I won’t.

 

[jarestel]

There is no new information or argument in this thread that hasn't been mentioned in past years, either..

I suspect if you had a dime for every question you have answered repeatedly over the years you would be quite wealthy today, LOL! The boards would die pretty quickly if only new and original thread topics were allowed.

 

[DL1WDW2]

I was wondering if the Availabilty / non availability is related to the Fixed Week removing the day by day search. Also wonder if a guide can book a certain time frame in advance to secure a sale .
Just thinking a lot about the walking disappearing and nobody knows Why?

 

[Sandisw]

I was wondering if the Availabilty / non availability is related to the Fixed Week removing the day by day search. Also wonder if a guide can book a certain time frame in advance to secure a sale .
Just thinking a lot about the walking disappearing and nobody knows Why?

DVC can help secure a new direct buyer with a reservation that might not be available at a resort like RIV where there is a lot of unsold points foe the declared inventory.

In terms of the sold out resort, they can’t make a room appear I’d they are all booked by owners already, For example, they can’t secure something like a AKV concierge room if members have booked them all.

 

[MonkeyKnifeFight]

What would be the solution for those that book more than 7 days in a row? At the 11 month mark you can only do 7. Under the current system I come back every couple days to add more nights. I wouldn't be surprised if the reason DVC hasn't made a change to curb walking is by doing so they would hurt more normal customers than walkers with possible changes.

 

[zavandor]

What would be the solution for those that book more than 7 days in a row? At the 11 month mark you can only do 7. Under the current system I come back every couple days to add more nights. I wouldn't be surprised if the reason DVC hasn't made a change to curb walking is by doing so they would hurt more normal customers than walkers with possible changes.

Some people are suggesting that you cannot remove days at the beginning of the reservation, but you can continue to add additional days at the end. To remove days at the beginning of the reservation you have either to cancel the whole reservation and rebook or wait 2-3 weeks.
The former would be a huge change that would remove a lot of the flexibility of DVC.
The latter would allow people with enough points to book 3 weeks at a time to continue walking, which for some obscure reason they consider fairer.