Are the Days of Walking a DVC Reservation Numbered?

[Tatebeck]

But you really can walk to infinity

...and beyond?

 

[ehh]

Walking is a tool/process to increase the odds of booking success for rooms that have more demand than supply.

Some also do it 'just in case' and don't gain an advantage. For these members, I suspect they do it in fear of losing out at exactly 11m.

In some cases, no advantage is gained but inconvenience is caused to others (example: 'walking past' a high-demand date, temporarily taking inventory others want at the expected booking time, and then settling on a later date with lower demand).

For the rooms where an advantage is gained and odds of booking success are truly improved by walking, it's implicit that some members will be unhappy with any booking process as there's a supply/demand imbalance. Said another way: some members who want the room and make an effort to book it will not get it, regardless of the booking process implemented.

I posit this: any members losing out at 8AM ET is bad. In fact, I'd go as far as saying that it's bad if any members are unsuccessful at any point during the 11-month date; every room-night should be bookable for at least 24 hours for owners. And most room-nights should even make it to the 7-month mark, albeit in low quantities.

Instead of fruitlessly changing the booking mechanics, let's tear the bandaid off and address the supply/demand imbalance: get rid of the 7 Seasons on the points charts and dynamically price every night of the year. They pretty much already do this on the hotel side, ticket prices, and LL prices.

• Make adjustments nightly up/down each year based on booking velocities for the equivalent dates (weekend/holiday adjusted) in the years prior
  • And do it right such that it's not chasing an equilibrium lol
• Follow the 20% rule or whatever limitations are contractually written about how much a room-night can be changed in any given year
• Keep the total points in the resort the same
• Maybe break some eggs to make this omelet and move points across Units/categories 'for the greater good'
  • Disney's Legal department isn't busy these days, right?
• Build in other guardrail rules, such as:
  • 'Better' room categories for the same view are always at least 1 point higher for any given room-night
  • 'Better' view categories in the same room category are always at least 1 point higher for any given room-night
  • Maybe a guardrail/rule to smooth out sequential night-to-night changes, like no more than a 25% difference between sequential nights
• Allow members to buy smaller contracts to adjust their ownership (revenue, baby!)
  • Wake up the ROFR monster to support this
• Release the points/night two full years out, on a rolling basis, so members can better plan alternate dates

This is loaded with unintended consequences (sorry early December + Studio fans!), including potentially pricing out A LOT of existing members, but systematically addresses the underlying problem.

Changing the booking mechanics doesn't solve members not being able to book what they want. It might not even change who loses out, just how.

 

[Pooh12863]

You can book a reservation across use years, pretty sure you points won't go with you. Current use year points will expire as you cross and borrowed points are stuck in the year you borrowed them to.

But hey, feel free to try,

 

[Tatebeck]

You can book a reservation across use years, pretty sure you points won't go with you. Current use year points will expire as you cross and borrowed points are stuck in the year you borrowed them to.

But hey, feel free to try,

When you would call and switch use years on the reservation, it's still around 11 months out from the end of your use year. You would still have around 11 months to use those points that previously held that reservation in the first of the two use years. They would expire only if you didn't do something with them by the end of that use year, like all points

 

[SeanW]

I don’t walk now but if DVC made changes such that we need to book based on checkout day rather than checkin - I sure as you know what would be booking day by day…and with 1500+ points - I’d be booking a butt load of days!

If you don't mind me asking, why would you book based on the checkout day rather than check-in?

 

[Pooh12863]

When you would call and switch use years on the reservation, it's still months out from the end of your use year. You would still have months to use those points that previously held that reservation in the first of the two use years. They would expire only if you didn't do something with them by the end of that use year, like all points

I guess we'll have to agree to disagree.

 

[CarolynFH]

If you don't mind me asking, why would you book based on the checkout day rather than check-in?

That question came up because originally, that's how DVC reservations were made, by calling 11 months from checkout date. For example, if you wanted to check in on December 1 and check out on December 8, you called on January 8 to book those dates. So at that time, walking (which was done, but I think was rare) consisted of calling on January 2 to book Dec. 1-2, then calling on Jan. 3 to book Dec. 3, calling on Jan. 4 to book Dec. 4, etc. However, the process was changed (I can't remember when, but it was before we were able to book online) to calling at 11 months from checkin date and being able to book up to 7 nights at that time.

 

[Tatebeck]

I guess we'll have to agree to disagree.

Huh? If you are continually walking a reservation, you are keeping it booked around 11 months ahead of the current date. it's not really an opinion, that's just what long term walking is...

 

[Genie+]

...and beyond?

Only if you buy MMB+

Lol that one unlocks infinite rolling

 

[TCRAIG]

If you don't mind me asking, why would you book based on the checkout day rather than check-in?

I wouldn’t - but that’s the way bookings were way back when - prior to online booking and that’s the process some are now proposing DVC go back to in order to combat walking…
DVC changed the process because the unintended outcome was members calling MS everyday to book day by day reservations in order to make sure they secured the dates they really wanted….

 

[Tatebeck]

When you would call and switch use years on the reservation, it's still around 11 months out from the end of your use year. You would still have around 11 months to use those points that previously held that reservation in the first of the two use years. They would expire only if you didn't do something with them by the end of that use year, like all points

And if my math is correct, I think they are actually still bankable at that point as well.

My use year is September. If I had (in Oct) made a reservation for September 1st 2025 (using 2025 points)...
Walked the res forward until it was at the End of August 2025 (still on 2025 points)...
Finished switching it across use years over the phone as early as possible around October 1st 2025 for a reservation September 1st 2026 (on 2026 points now)

It is now October 2025 and I have my reservation in 2026 points, and I have my 2025 points that I can use by August 31st 2025 or bank by April 30th 2026 into my Sep 2026 use year...

 

[pzw90]

Someone earlier on the thread mentioned a previous idea of mine- the Thunderdome. Two members enter, one member leaves. I’d be happy with that as the booking mechanic also.

I brought it up, and I have been hoping it would get mentioned again, its not right how much thought I put into it outside of the post.

Disney could have another revenue stream by broadcasting it. If you lose you get a 10% discount at AoA since you trekked all that way. The PhotoPass opportunities. etc.,

I do see people complaining about it "I'm an original owner, I cant fight someone younger who just bought recently". Well, better have someone in good shape on your reservation.

 

[Maistre Gracey]

She may have been referring to not being able to book a multi-day reservation right at the 11 month mark, because we were supposed to book 11 months from the check-out day, so if you tried to start booking 11 months before check-in day, yes, you had to book one day at a time. I always just waited until check-out day and never had a problem, but if you had issues, like some members were reporting even years ago, Member Services did recommend calling every day for hard to book rooms. But it was not part of the official booking rules that you had to book one day at a time.

Thank you for reiterating this.

 

[Maistre Gracey]

That question came up because originally, that's how DVC reservations were made, by calling 11 months from checkout date. For example, if you wanted to check in on December 1 and check out on December 8, you called on January 8 to book those dates. So at that time, walking (which was done, but I think was rare) consisted of calling on January 2 to book Dec. 1-2, then calling on Jan. 3 to book Dec. 3, calling on Jan. 4 to book Dec. 4, etc. However, the process was changed (I can't remember when, but it was before we were able to book online) to calling at 11 months from checkin date and being able to book up to 7 nights at that time.

Correct except…. There was no walking.
Walking was actually impossible to do under the old checkout booking system.

 

[Chili327]

What if They originally booked Booked Nov 18th for 7 days. Then they modified to Nov 20th for 7 days, then Nov 21st for 7 days then continued on until they had the week of Christmas? That's the easy and simple way to kill it. In that example, with nearly daily modifications it's pretty easy to see the original intent wasn't the 18th of November, epecially if they started 11 months +7 for that original booking.

What if that vacation was yours and some weird work schedule or kids school sports schedule or whatever forced you to make those changes?

 

[AstroBlasters]

What if that vacation was yours and some weird work schedule or kids school sports schedule or whatever forced you to make those changes?

One poster earlier in the thread specifically said they didn’t care if the changes made the entire program worse for everyone, they only care about stopping the ability to walk. I think that tells you a lot about SOME of the people we are dealing with.

 

[AstroBlasters]

I’m about to trade some paint with @AstroBlasters

You won’t catch me, I started the race 3 months before you even got to the starting line!

 

[AstroBlasters]

I brought it up, and I have been hoping it would get mentioned again, its not right how much thought I put into it outside of the post.

Disney could have another revenue stream by broadcasting it. If you lose you get a 10% discount at AoA since you trekked all that way. The PhotoPass opportunities. etc.,

I do see people complaining about it "I'm an original owner, I cant fight someone younger who just bought recently". Well, better have someone in good shape on your reservation.

It sounds like something people in Florida would do…..

 

[Nabas]

This is clearly not true. If people are walking, they leave rooms behind that can be swept up in a waitlist or by stalking. Or, even by the not-entirely-on-the-ball owner who just happens to look for a room at exactly the right time.

This is me!

For our AKV-Club stay earlier this year, during a drive home from Saturday shopping my significant other said, "Why don't you book us a club room?" I said, "They are never available." "Check away", I was told. After we got home, I sat down with my laptop and did a quick search. Boom! Two nights in August (about 9 months away at the time) were magically available. Of course I booked it immediately, nervous it would disappear in the few seconds it took me to select those dates.

I suspect it would not have been there 5 minutes sooner or later.

With only 5 Club Studios, I would not be surprised if this is how most members get to stay there.

 

[lowlight]

One poster earlier in the thread specifically said they didn’t care if the changes made the entire program worse for everyone, they only care about stopping the ability to walk. I think that tells you a lot about SOME of the people we are dealing with.

Don’t be shy, it was me that said I’ll gladly take a Pyrrhic victory. I will take whatever negative changes have to come so that you personally can’t ever walk again. You can quote me on that and take it to the bank.