Are the Days of Walking a DVC Reservation Numbered?

[Lorana]

Super smart! That’s my one big regret when we bought direct. It was available and came right in on the point number we were looking to buy anyway. My guide already drew up our papers and I weighed how much do I even need it vs giving him extra work. Not my brightest moment lol.

Yeah, I had a similar regret when we bought into RIV, because I wanted to break it into smaller contracts so we could more easily downsize if we needed to AND to break it up evenly per number of children to pass on later on if we wanted to.

I had really wanted to add on at Poly to pick up week 49, and might have gone in even with the lack of incentives, but taking away Magical Beginnings was too much for me, and I picked up a 125-point resale contact at $150pp instead.

I am seriously debating if Reflections is all I want it to be of picking up a FW there, but maybe week 52. I'd rarely go then, but I'd love to not have to worry about snagging a room if and when we do.

 

[Maistre Gracey]

Which is simply the point some of us were making. If you did day by day instead of waiting until the check out day, which was the rule, chances of getting a room for days earlier in your trip were higher.

Again, according to the board, many owners were indeed doing day by day and not waiting once they realized it increased ones chances to get every day of your trip.

But because every member had the exact same access to that room, there was no advantage. That’s my point.

 

[AstroBlasters]

perception this, proof that, it's not expressly prohibited, etc, etc etc.

Surely you recognize that it is an advantage gained at the expense of others?

Is that not enough reason not to do it? Apparently not, for many.

I buy Lighting Lane, which is technically a paid advantage at others expense, and feel just fine.

I will also pay to use Standby Skipper when I go to WDW. It seems like a bargain, actually.

I also subscribe to touring plans and look at every room view and put in a request to have them send to Disney to increase my odds of getting the room we would most want.

This is a capitalist country, getting an advantage is just part of the game.

I’m not saying the system is optimal…. and am perfectly happy to play by different rules, but these are the rules of life in America that have been laid out for me.

 

[Tatebeck]

Is that the next thing folks are going to go after, waitlisting single days to piecemeal together a week? After all, unless I get lucky that someone cancels an entire period of rooms for the time I want, I have a greater advantage waitlisting individual days than an entire week. (While, yes, risking not getting that entire week if by chance someone canceled all the days I needed all at once). That said, I suspect outside of boards, most owners don't realize the advantage of booking single day waitlists and combining reservations over booking a large number of days all at once.

This is honestly one reason we bought a fixed week, was to guarantee a studio in December. Amusingly, we often cancel and book 1BRs or 2BRs instead, but I wanted to be able to get that studio if I wanted it without having to walk.

One could argue my fixed week is unfair. Because I had the financial means to purchase a guaranteed week, and now I come in before anyone else to grab that week -- which can interrupt walkers as much as deny owners booking at 8am on the 11 month mark. Because of fixed week, it's not necessarily true anymore that every room is available for everyone at the 11month mark, especially for hard to obtain rooms and weeks.

Hmmm, when were fixed weeks introduced? I'm wondering if there is ALSO a correlation of all the factors we've mentioned in this thread, AND the introduction of fixed weeks and the number being sold; certainly, they help exacerbate the problem at popular resorts in studios in popular times. I got weeks 47 and 48 in CCV studios explicitly because of the challenges of getting studios during those weeks.

(I'm not advocating to get rid of fixed weeks, just wondering if they are contributing to the perception of the problem of walking. Probably not as much as how commercial renting is contributing to the perception of the problem, however. Or the fact that popular resorts at popular times in popular categories will always be a competition at 8am at 11months, even without walking and commercial renting making it worse).

I have a couple fixed weeks for my direct contracts. But the biggest problems are at BWV and AKV which I believe didn't have any fixed week options, so that is not a big factor. Most people choose not to buy fix weeks anyway, and even then the amount of fixed weeks are limited so it can't sell out a room during a particular time period anyway

 

[gsdweller]

I do apologize if my words were misinterpreted. Certainly not my intent to suggest anyone else is less smart or slow.

I only intended to point out where my mind is at when I tackle these types of challenges that Disney likes to give us.

No worries. In reality, I am sitting with my leg in a tension brace bored out of my mind and just being an agitator because I'm feeling snarky. I have no real problems with walking a reservation. It typically takes so much dedication that most people don't bother with it, but still like to complain about it. I don't actually even know how to do it.

 

[TCRAIG]

If Disney really wanted to stop walking it is simple. Allow one change in a reservation and after that charge $50 per change. Try walking for 2 or three months and that would add up to a heck of a lot of $. Of course there would still be walking, but only for a few days until the second change with the charge.

I think this is too restrictive - I don’t walk and I make lots of changes to my reservations at the 7-11 mark…I’ve been known to modify and drop dates in error and then rush to get my date(s) back asap before a wait list kicks in….or pick the wrong contracts for the reservation and just use modify to correct…
And even if you eliminate walking and commercial renting and modifications - 1500 owners going after a half dozen hard to get rooms at the most popular dates are not realistically going to be able to book if that number goes down 100 people…

 

[jcolvin5]

No worries. In reality, I am sitting with my leg in a tension brace bored out of my mind and just being an agitator because I'm feeling snarky. I have no real problems with walking a reservation. It typically takes so much dedication that most people don't bother with it, but still like to complain about it. I don't actually even know how to do it.

Really sorry to hear that. That's no fun. Hope it heals quickly. Positive vibes only!

 

[lowlight]

I’m just going to say it, I walk reservations for personal use and have zero concerns about it. It only means that I was dedicated enough to start the process of getting my room sooner and put in the work to keep it.

Living on the West Coast, there is no way I want to wake up in the middle of the frickin night to book a hard to get time of year. We already have to go through that BS with ADR’s, etc.

I probably don’t even have to walk because of the room types I am getting, but to me it means that booking a vacation doesn’t make me literally lose sleep over it.

I’ve got limited travel windows because of work, kid’s school, kid’s activities, etc. and I’m going to do everything I can within the system to optimize our travel within those windows.

This is the kind of comment I can respect- you know what you are doing is for your benefit at the expense of others, and you just don't care. It's much better than pretending the rules are some opaque concept written in a long lost language that nobody can decipher. I have been writing emails to Disney, asking them to fix the walking and spec rental issues. You should also send them emails telling them why walking is good, because you are working with narrow windows of opportunity and difficult time frames, whereas the rest of us can take a vacation any time we want with no consequence. I think it would be good if they heard from both sides of the issue.

 

[Nabas]

How does one gain an advantage without someone else being disadvantaged?

Someone who books at 11 months has an advantage over someone who books at 10 months and 29 days.

Someone who books online at 8 am has an advantage over someone who calls at 9 am to book.

Someone who starts walking 1 month in advance has an advantage over someone who walks 1 week in advance.

In all cases, someone has an advantage over someone else.

And in all cases, all DVC members have equal access to these advantages.

And in all cases none of these violate our contracts. None of these are against the rules.

Eliminate walking for everyone - great but it doesn’t solve anything when supply is greater than demand.

Eliminate walking and there still be those using their atomic clocks at 8 am and with faster fingers who still get the reservation you want before you.

Eliminating walking changes the nature of the problem - it does not solve the problem (which is demand for certain rooms is greater than supply).

 

[Tatebeck]

And in all cases none of these violate our contracts. None of these are against the rules.

That is the part that is incorrect. Walking IS technically against the rules (unlike the other examples), but the system just doesn't stop you from doing it. So calls for them to simply enforce the rules they set are 100% understandable

 

[AstroBlasters]

No worries. In reality, I am sitting with my leg in a tension brace bored out of my mind and just being an agitator because I'm feeling snarky. I have no real problems with walking a reservation. It typically takes so much dedication that most people don't bother with it, but still like to complain about it. I don't actually even know how to do it.

Ouch, that doesn’t sound fun. I hope you heal quickly!

 

[lowlight]

Someone who books at 11 months has an advantage over someone who books at 10 months and 29 days.

Someone who books online at 8 am has an advantage over someone who calls at 9 am to book.

Someone who starts walking 1 month in advance has an advantage over someone who walks 1 week in advance.

In all cases, someone has an advantage over someone else.

And in all cases, all DVC members have equal access to these advantages.

And in all cases none of these violate our contracts. None of these are against the rules.

Eliminate walking for everyone - great but it doesn’t solve anything when supply is greater than demand.

Eliminate walking and there still be those using their atomic clocks at 8 am and with faster fingers who still get the reservation you want before you.

Eliminating walking changes the nature of the problem - it does not solve the problem (which is demand for certain rooms is greater than supply).

5. First Come, First Served Reservations. Reservation requests for DVC Resorts are taken on a first come, first served
basis. All Vacation Homes are reserved on a space-available basis. To request a reservation at their Home Resort, Club
Members may call Member Services or make a reservation online via the DVC Website no earlier than eleven (11) months
prior to the desired check in day for a reservation of up to seven (7) consecutive days after the desired check in day.

That's the language. There isn't a list of what is "against the rules", because everything that isn't "the rule" IS against "the rule". No earlier than 11 months prior to the desired check in day. It's not an inclusive rule, it's an exclusive rule. It doesn't have to say that rolling reservations are prohibited, because it clearly spells out the only valid way to make a reservation- first come, first served, at 11 months prior to the desired check in day.

 

[Chili327]

Standby Skipper when I go to WDW

What does that do.. Notify you of ideal time slots available top modify to? (i assume)

 

[AstroBlasters]

What does that do.. Notify you of ideal time slots available top modify to? (i assume)

It will book the LL for you and notifies you that it was booked!

 

[AstroBlasters]

5. First Come, First Served Reservations. Reservation requests for DVC Resorts are taken on a first come, first served
basis. All Vacation Homes are reserved on a space-available basis. To request a reservation at their Home Resort, Club
Members may call Member Services or make a reservation online via the DVC Website no earlier than eleven (11) months
prior to the desired check in day for a reservation of up to seven (7) consecutive days after the desired check in day.

That's the language. There isn't a list of what is "against the rules", because everything that isn't "the rule" IS against "the rule". No earlier than 11 months prior to the desired check in day. It's not an inclusive rule, it's an exclusive rule. It doesn't have to say that rolling reservations are prohibited, because it clearly spells out the only valid way to make a reservation- first come, first served, at 11 months prior to the desired check in day.

I would like to show you one of my favorite places called the “Gray Area”…. It’s a place where many things are possible and exists in the land between getting everything you could ever want and the attorneys who don’t want you to have anything…..

 

[Tatebeck]

It will book the LL for you and notifies you that it was booked!

Wow! I would expect that to get shut down eventually, like they shut down the unofficial tour guides helping people out. Maybe followed by an official paid option for them to do the same thing themselves, of course

 

[Tatebeck]

I would like to show you one of my favorite places called the “Gray Area”…. It’s a place where many things are possible and exists in the land between getting everything you could ever want and the attorneys who don’t want you to have anything…..

I don't think it's a gray area in this case at all. The rules says what you are explicitly allowed to do, anything else is technically not allowed. There is simply not enough room in the world to list all of the things that you are NOT allowed to do.

EX: If a rule says that "this must be signed in BLUE pen"
it is not at all a "gray area" to say that "Well they didn't EXPLICITLY say that I CAN'T sign in black pen"

 

[tx911]

I buy Lighting Lane, which is technically a paid advantage at others expense, and feel just fine.

I will also pay to use Standby Skipper when I go to WDW. It seems like a bargain, actually.

I also subscribe to touring plans and look at every room view and put in a request to have them send to Disney to increase my odds of getting the room we would most want.

This is a capitalist country, getting an advantage is just part of the game.

I’m not saying the system is optimal…. and am perfectly happy to play by different rules, but these are the rules of life in America that have been laid out for me.

Ok, but then put in in the documents, have the guides say it, shout it from the rooftops.

Tell every DVC member that they need to be walking to get difficult reservations, and how to do it.

Then, and only then, will all members be on the same playing field. Then we will all be doing it, and the advantage will be gone.

 

[Sandisw]

But because every member had the exact same access to that room, there was no advantage. That’s my point.

They did not if they followed the rule…if you and I both want the 13th to the 20th and I book day by day to grade all my nights one by one and you wait and book when you were supposed to check out day, I have myself a head start for the nights of the 13th to 18th…by the time you start those nights might be gone.

Why do you think day by day was happening and increasing…because it gave owners a head start.

So, yes, day by day booking gives owners a head start to be the one to get a room over someone waits to book when the rules tell them to book

 

[tx911]

Someone who books at 11 months has an advantage over someone who books at 10 months and 29 days.

Someone who books online at 8 am has an advantage over someone who calls at 9 am to book.

Someone who starts walking 1 month in advance has an advantage over someone who walks 1 week in advance.

In all cases, someone has an advantage over someone else.

And in all cases, all DVC members have equal access to these advantages.

And in all cases none of these violate our contracts. None of these are against the rules.

Eliminate walking for everyone - great but it doesn’t solve anything when supply is greater than demand.

Eliminate walking and there still be those using their atomic clocks at 8 am and with faster fingers who still get the reservation you want before you.

Eliminating walking changes the nature of the problem - it does not solve the problem (which is demand for certain rooms is greater than supply).

Same response as above # 338