Anyone else wish they would stop allowing "walking a reservation" UPDATE POST#80

[DougEMG]

I'm of the opinion that every change should be a cancelation and rebooking and/or there should be some type of fee involved. I don't have any problems with members using what options are presented but the system is supposed to minimize abuses, at least those not contractually guaranteed.

I wouldn't like this at all. I've never walked a reservation, but I have booked a 2 week block and then added or subtracted days once I had my airline tickets booked. Right now I have my Sept trip booked (did it at 11 months), but Southwest doesn't even have their schedule up for that time yet.

Anytime you make changes to stop one thing, you had better be sure that it isn't going to make things a lot worst for something else.

Couldn't part of the problem at AKV be that there are more and more owners there as it is still in active sales, so there are more people want those very few value rooms.

 

[luckyman_apd]

I agree with Carol. We are not going in Early December because of the value season, we are going for Christmas season. Nov is an impossible time for us except Jersey week and the MVMCP is not always happening that week. We got lucky this year the first party was at the end of our trip. I'd actually much rather go the weekend of the 13th-15th. I will pay the points for whatever season they are in. The problem is the booking categories. Rooms are available. it's just the demand for the low point rooms is high with supply low. There are no problems trying to book lake view right now, so availability is not an issue. Viewing categories is. I would much rather prefer a single point category like BCV, but that is not the case. I try never to plan vacations with SV or Value in mind because I know the availability is tight. Plan B involves the cheaper point rooms if they are available. When we book BLT I expect to use LV points and if SV is available I consider it a bonus.

I did some whining on another thread Ill admit because our trip next December was not in our "5 year plan" so I was trying to save as many points as I can. But I can't argue for a points reallocation......unless it makes the summer cheaper

 

[rescuetink]

I had never heard of "walking" a reservation before reading this thread!! Intresting to read all the opinions and learning what it's all about!!

Odd, very very odd!!

 

[Dean]

Sorry Dean. You probably did. Mea culpa--I read the 1st and last page.

No problem, I just wanted to make sure that people didn't get the impression that my prime suggestion was fees though I'm not opposed to them if they are well placed and intentioned and slated to those that use the most services with a reduction of other fees. I look at this much like the free valet issue. Given that there were quite a few people that felt other members should pay (in fees) for their free valet parking to continue, I'm sure any extra fees would be contentious even if appropriate. However, IMO, items that aren't inherent to the functioning of a resort, that don't have a major discount by spreading the costs over the membership and can easily be enforced; really should be pay to play. Valet parking is the poster child for this division. Pools, parking lot, exercise room, front desk, basic housekeeping while not used by every one (or at least to the same degree) are reasonable to spread out to everyone because they are integral components of such a resort.

Personally, I don't know what the solution is, or if there is one, or if there should be one. All I know is it's completely frustrating. I ended my frustration (for the moment) and canceled my waitlists for Value rooms.

That's the issue and it's just like making a law in response to a specific issue, there also the law of unintended consequences and the caveat "careful what you wish for, you might get it" definitely applies.

How would this work for people who want to stay for longer than 7 nights, since you can only book 7 nights out from your arrival date at 11 months? Like me, who booked 7 nights yesterday and called this morning to add the 8th day to my reservation?

It's require a change in how the reservations are done. Other systems I'm aware of allow up to 14 days at a time. It's not an issue that would prevent such changes as I'm discussing but it would have to be addressed.

I wouldn't like this at all. I've never walked a reservation, but I have booked a 2 week block and then added or subtracted days once I had my airline tickets booked. Right now I have my Sept trip booked (did it at 11 months), but Southwest doesn't even have their schedule up for that time yet.

Anytime you make changes to stop one thing, you had better be sure that it isn't going to make things a lot worst for something else.

Couldn't part of the problem at AKV be that there are more and more owners there as it is still in active sales, so there are more people want those very few value rooms.

See my points above. Not everyone is going to like changes when they happen, I'll also reference the reallocations, another needed (required) change. The airlines risks are inherent to timeshares. As for the number of owners, no this shouldn't be an issue. DVC declares a resort by small sections called units, generally a few villas but as few as a single 3BR villa. We can only reserve what's declared. Actually active sales gives a small amount of excess inventory rather than too many people booking compared to the available villas.

 

[drusba]

It would seem that the easiest way to eliminate the perceived unfairness of the situation is to return to the old booking method, which allowed you to book 11 months out from date of departure from WDW. To beat that system members called daily and made one night reservations until they had all nights they wanted but even then everyone stood on equal footing in that someone with a lot more points than you who was walking a reservation could not book days or a week earlier and block you out before you even had a chance.

As to how much of a problem this is, someone mentioned that it exists many times of year for AKV value, AKV concierge and BLT standard, the main categories affected right now. That is only partly true. This problem of not being able to get what you want exactly 11 months out first thing in the morning does exist for AKV concierge a number of times of year but this is the only time of year it exists for AKV value and BLT standard. From my tracking of reservations, the first week of December is in fact the highest demand week of the year followed by Christmas week (which is to be expected regardless of points required) and the second week of Dec. A suggestion above that raising the points for the first two weeks of Dec would likely resolve the issue is probably true but who really wants that. I mean some day all of us might want to go once this time of year and take our chances with high demand and possibly not get those AKV value or BLT standard views but we will live with the problem if we can get lucky once. The other suggestion that all reservation changes should require a cancellation of everything and then a rebooking would undoubtedly stop walking but I doubt there are many us who want that. I have had to modify reservations in the past because of issues that arise such as work, I have never walked a reservation, and don't feel I should have to risk losing an entire reservation because unforeseen problems develop.

 

[luckyman_apd]

The other suggestion that all reservation changes should require a cancellation of everything and then a rebooking would undoubtedly stop walking but I doubt there are many us who want that. I have had to modify reservations in the past because of issues that arise such as work, I have never walked a reservation, and don't feel I should have to risk losing an entire reservation because unforeseen problems develop.

I agree. We ALL have reasons to change plans, and 11 months out anything can happen. Sometimes you need to cut a day short. You want to add a day, you hit the wait list. I haven't walked a reservation, and while I di get annoyed I didn't get Dec 5th yesterday, we have some flexibility in our plans and I got the 6th this morning. We are planning 5 days but we very well could end up only being able to do 3. I would be VERY unhappy if I had to cancel the whole thing because I had to cut out a day or two short. Or worse...end up paying five days of points and only using 3. I hate taking up a room if we don't use it, but its no like any of us cancel last minute.

Member services has actually told me about walking on the phone. It was at the 7 month mark (which I see less of an issue with as home resort owners get first priority anyway). I don't see it ever changing if MS is actually promoting it to people. They actually informed me to start looking at the dates I wanted at the 7 month mark a week ahead of time to see availability.

 

[jekjones1558]

They actually informed me to start looking at the dates I wanted at the 7 month mark a week ahead of time to see availability.

How can you see availability at a non-home resort more than 7 months out?

 

[drusba]

How can you see availability at a non-home resort more than 7 months out?

Since you can book up to 7 nights from date of arrival you can view the availability of the first night you may actually want 7 months plus 6 days before then.

 

[jekjones1558]

Since you can book up to 7 nights from date of arrival you can view the availability of the first night you may actually want 7 months plus 6 days before then.

Okay, you can see first night but by the time you can book the first night, the following nights could be unavailable. Somehow it is hard for me to imagine that "walking" at 7 months is really worthwhile.

 

[drusba]

^You can try to walk the ressie at 7 months but I agree that would seem to have minimum utility since unseen days later in your desired period while walking could already be booked by owners of the resort.

 

[Dean]

It would seem that the easiest way to eliminate the perceived unfairness of the situation is to return to the old booking method, which allowed you to book 11 months out from date of departure from WDW. To beat that system members called daily and made one night reservations until they had all nights they wanted but even then everyone stood on equal footing in that someone with a lot more points than you who was walking a reservation could not book days or a week earlier and block you out before you even had a chance.

As to how much of a problem this is, someone mentioned that it exists many times of year for AKV value, AKV concierge and BLT standard, the main categories affected right now. That is only partly true. This problem of not being able to get what you want exactly 11 months out first thing in the morning does exist for AKV concierge a number of times of year but this is the only time of year it exists for AKV value and BLT standard. From my tracking of reservations, the first week of December is in fact the highest demand week of the year followed by Christmas week (which is to be expected regardless of points required) and the second week of Dec. A suggestion above that raising the points for the first two weeks of Dec would likely resolve the issue is probably true but who really wants that. I mean some day all of us might want to go once this time of year and take our chances with high demand and possibly not get those AKV value or BLT standard views but we will live with the problem if we can get lucky once. The other suggestion that all reservation changes should require a cancellation of everything and then a rebooking would undoubtedly stop walking but I doubt there are many us who want that. I have had to modify reservations in the past because of issues that arise such as work, I have never walked a reservation, and don't feel I should have to risk losing an entire reservation because unforeseen problems develop.

The problem there is that there are significant costs to calling day by day or calling to link individual days. Plus it wasn't uncommon under the old system that high demand options would be held by different people each seeking what the other had. The change to allow 7 days (14 would have been better) was a reasonable, and likely necessary, change.

Don't forget that part of the reason for the change up front WAS cost related. While there is less calling overall with this system even with walking I'm sure, there's still more than there should be to control costs. Making it more difficult and more risky and/or expensive to make such changes also saves money on the fees front even with the fixed management costs.

 

[luckyman_apd]

Sorry....double post

 

[DebbieB]

Got my BWV boardwalk view studio for Dec 7 to 13 at 8:00am this morning. I was a little nervous since I saw the days before were soldout when I checked yesterday.

I like to go around this time not because of the low points but because I love the Christmas season. When my mom was alive, we did it every year but lately I've been doing either Disneyland or Food & Wine in the fall, this will be my first Dec trip since 2009.

 

[smjj]

OK,ok, I read this thread and still do not understand how "walking" works. What are the rules? Just 2 weeks ago we online booked our 6 night stay at OKW in a grand villa for next Thanksgiving and had no problems. Am I missing something here?...smjj

 

[Chuck S]

OK,ok, I read this thread and still do not understand how "walking" works. What are the rules? Just 2 weeks ago we online booked our 6 night stay at OKW in a grand villa for next Thanksgiving and had no problems. Am I missing something here?...smjj

With OKW, it is doubtful you'll ever need to use "walking." I've never had a problem booking there using my 11 month priority. But for those resort that have a very limited number of select room types, AKV Value and Concierge, for example, it may be necessary during popular travel times.

Basically, walking works this way.

At the 11 month window at your home resort, you book your desired room type a week or so before your actual travel dates, then call to drop the first day and add the next day until you have you desired reservation.

This should work because with the "check-in plus 7" day booking scheme, a room can not released for the next reservation until 11 months from your check-out day. Say I wanted December 6 to 13. I would call on January 1st and book December 1 to 7, then call January 3rd and modify the reservation for December 3rd (dropping Dec. 1 and 2) and adding December 8 and 9, and so on, until I reach the desired travel dates. Unless a room is previously scheduled for rehab/maintenance, you should be guaranteed of this...edging out people that would call on January 6 to book December 6 to 13.

To me, it wouldn't be worth my time, unless it was an absolute MUST to have that specific room type on very specific dates.

 

[drusba]

As to necessity of walking, it generally is not needed any time of year for most things. AKV concierge is the only one that creates the risk of not getting your room 11 months out unless you walk several times per year. The risk also exists for AKV value, BLT standard, and OKW GVs at the Hospitality House (not elsewhere), for first week of Dec and possibly Christmas week, respectively the highest and second highest demand weeks of the year..

 

[dianeschlicht]

I just want to say I HATE that walking exists, but the only real fix for it is to go back to "'day of check out" booking, and that had its issues too. I'll just refuse to walk a ressie and take what I can get at 11 months and waitlist if needed. I refuse to walk a ressie just on the principle of it!

 

[BirdsOfPreyDave]

Be careful of what you ask for, because the only way to prevent walking reservations would be to change the rules and put new restrictions on booking and cancelling.

DVC doesn't have a history of being subtle when they change rules to solve a "problem." An example of DVC adding overkill rules is the cumbersome one-transfer-per-year rule that we all need to live with now. (A rule, by the way, that doesn't even seem to have curbed the practice they were supposedly addressing.)

I'd hate to see a similar overkill rule of this scale applied to booking procedures -- rules that perhaps make it impossible to cancel nights without cancelling an entire reservation; or eliminate the ability to add nights or link reservations.

I vote for leaving the sleeping lion lie and not ask Disney to review the process of walking reservations.

 

[rlduvall]

OP here with an update:

Today is the day that I needed to start my true and actual 12/7 reservation for an AKV Value Studio. Per my initial post, for the last 2 weeks I have been monitoring and considering "walking" it myself - with no luck EVER. I could not believe it when a value studio was still available at 7:30 a.m. EST this morning. Of course, I booked it. I even checked again an hour later and it still showed available, but by 9:00 a.m. the first day was sold out. Hope everyone has this kind of luck, the good part, not the bad part.

I really don't think my issues had anything to do with "walking" after all. I think there is a computer glitch that makes it look like the next day there will be availability, but there really isn't. If it was "walking" then it seems like every now and then it would show a few days past the opening date.

I admit, while happy about my luck I am feeling a little bratty about whining. BUT, I have sincerely enjoyed all the conversation this created. I've never started a thread that lasted this long.

 

[luckyman_apd]

OP here with an update:

Today is the day that I needed to start my true and actual 12/7 reservation for an AKV Value Studio. Per my initial post, for the last 2 weeks I have been monitoring and considering "walking" it myself - with no luck EVER. I could not believe it when a value studio was still available at 7:30 a.m. EST this morning. Of course, I booked it. I even checked again an hour later and it still showed available, but by 9:00 a.m. the first day was sold out. Hope everyone has this kind of luck, the good part, not the bad part.

I really don't think my issues had anything to do with "walking" after all. I think there is a computer glitch that makes it look like the next day there will be availability, but there really isn't. If it was "walking" then it seems like every now and then it would show a few days past the opening date.

I admit, while happy about my luck I am feeling a little bratty about whining. BUT, I have sincerely enjoyed all the conversation this created. I've never started a thread that lasted this long.

I was of the believe of a computer "glitch" as well showing availability when it doesn't exist because it's outside the window, but that was proven by another poster that they actually saw a room as unavailable that was ahead of their availability. When you look at the calendar, Thanksgiving is the latest it can be I believe next year, so that first week of December is immediately after thanksgiving....a very popular time with high point requirements. It's probably just Thanksgiving overflow making the earlier days in the week impossible to get. In the end, I may get frustrated every now and again by it, but I would hope they don't change the way you book it. If someone is willing to walk it, then by all means, spend your time and energy on the phone walking your reservation. For me, I was just hoping to save a few points, but in the end 12 points is not worth that much extra time and effort. However, having a penalty/fee or canceling my reservation if I had to make a change???? That would get me enraged. Life happens, plans change. Nobody is ever that concrete all the time that far in advance.