Call every day????? :(

[Ms.Mouse]

This is my first time calling member services for info on how/when to book for next year 2007. We are planning to go 4/12-4/21 to BWV. I'm hoping for a 2 BR with BW view. Now... when I called, the woman told me I can start booking on 5/15 to book from 4/12-4/15. Then I have to call every day for a reservation from the 15th on. She said it's a crowded time of year with school break and that I'm taking a big chance otherwise of not being able to stay at BWV's.... Now my BIG question is that IF I call on 5/18 or so and try to book the whole vacation in one call, will I take that much of a chance that there will be "no room at the inn"???? AND IF I call every day, will that mean that in the end of it all, I have to keep changing rooms OR will I be able to stay in my own room that we started out in. Normally we go during busy times of the year.... School vacation, Christmas etc. and I didn't realize it would be a hassle (or sounding like a big hassle). I was under the impression that IF I booked my vacation (MY WHOLE VACATION IN ONE CALL), I could do that 11 mos in advance and basically have a guarantee of getting my own DVC home!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

[dianeschlicht]

This is my first time calling member services for info on how/when to book for next year 2007. We are planning to go 4/12-4/21 to BWV. I'm hoping for a 2 BR with BW view. Now... when I called, the woman told me I can start booking on 5/15 to book from 4/12-4/15. Then I have to call every day for a reservation from the 15th on. She said it's a crowded time of year with school break and that I'm taking a big chance otherwise of not being able to stay at BWV's.... Now my BIG question is that IF I call on 5/18 or so and try to book the whole vacation in one call, will I take that much of a chance that there will be "no room at the inn"???? AND IF I call every day, will that mean that in the end of it all, I have to keep changing rooms OR will I be able to stay in my own room that we started out in. Normally we go during busy times of the year.... School vacation, Christmas etc. and I didn't realize it would be a hassle (or sounding like a big hassle). I was under the impression that IF I booked my vacation (MY WHOLE VACATION IN ONE CALL), I could do that 11 mos in advance and basically have a guarantee of getting my own DVC home!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

The help your MS castmember was trying to give you is that for a busy time, and for a popular unit size, you are assured of getting what you want by booking day by day at the 11 month mark. You will NOT have to change rooms every day,, because your reservation will be marked as being booked day by day, and they will be linked so you just make the call as a formality each day. Do I think you could get this whole ressie at once on the final check out day? Sure, but why take the risk. I would always book day by day for holiday times. This would especially be true if you are looking at booking BWV standard view or boardwalk view. Regular preferred view might not have as much restriction, but I still would be safe and call day by day for a holiday season.

 

[CarolMN]

This is my first time calling member services for info on how/when to book for next year 2007. We are planning to go 4/12-4/21 to BWV. I'm hoping for a 2 BR with BW view. Now... when I called, the woman told me I can start booking on 5/15 to book from 4/12-4/15. Then I have to call every day for a reservation from the 15th on. She said it's a crowded time of year with school break and that I'm taking a big chance otherwise of not being able to stay at BWV's.... Now my BIG question is that IF I call on 5/18 or so and try to book the whole vacation in one call, will I take that much of a chance that there will be "no room at the inn"???? AND IF I call every day, will that mean that in the end of it all, I have to keep changing rooms OR will I be able to stay in my own room that we started out in. Normally we go during busy times of the year.... School vacation, Christmas etc. and I didn't realize it would be a hassle (or sounding like a big hassle). I was under the impression that IF I booked my vacation (MY WHOLE VACATION IN ONE CALL), I could do that 11 mos in advance and basically have a guarantee of getting my own DVC home!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Just adding to what Diane already posted -

You could get your whole vacation at the BWV with one call at the 11 month mark if you would be happy with a Preferred View - Pool/Garden view room.

Since you want a Preferred View - guaranteed Boardwalk view room, you do need to call day by day, especially if you are calling for a popular/busy time. If you don't call day by day, you risk having to use the waitlist and if it doesn't come through for you, you would have to move to a PV -Pool/Garden view room on the days that you couldn't get the Boardwalk view room.

You should also call day by day if you want a standard view room. Because those are less points, they book very quickly. Many times of the year, they book more quickly than the Boardwalk view rooms.

Best wishes-

 

[Ms.Mouse]

Thanks so much for the info

 

[jekjones1558]

I took a chance on booking our Dec. 2006 ressies for 2 BW view rooms with one call at 11 months and we ended up on the waitlist. I learned my lesson. Just be sure to tell MS when you call each day that you are doing day-by-day so they keep it open. Then tell them when you call the last day so they close the ressie and send your confirmation. It is a slight pain-in-the-a-- to do day by day, but if you love BW view (or low cost standard view) it is worth the annoyance.

 

[kmermaid]

A little question: When booking day by day when is the first day you can book? For example the op times are 4/12-4/21. Why is the first day 5/15? I'm guessing its its because some months have 31 days, right? Is there a calculator somewhere like they have for ADR's?

 

[DebbieB]

A little question: When booking day by day when is the first day you can book? For example the op times are 4/12-4/21. Why is the first day 5/15? I'm guessing its its because some months have 31 days, right? Is there a calculator somewhere like they have for ADR's?

4/12 checks out on 4/13, so 11 months would be 5/13. However, 5/13 is a Saturday so member services is not open. So on Monday 5/15, you could call for 4/12, 4/13, 4/14.

 

[kmermaid]

4/12 checks out on 4/13, so 11 months would be 5/13. However, 5/13 is a Saturday so member services is not open. So on Monday 5/15, you could call for 4/12, 4/13, 4/14.

Thank you!

 

[Daitcher]

I have to say if the program gets to the point where calling day by day is necessary I'll sell immediately. Who wants to waste hours on the phone to secure a ressie? I book seven months out and have nver even done that day by day. Hopefully they will get some form of online booking set up so it will speed things up a little. Calling day by day..... won't see this guy doing it. I'll skip the trip then sell if that happens 11 months out.


DAVE

 

[Dean]

I have to say if the program gets to the point where calling day by day is necessary I'll sell immediately. Who wants to waste hours on the phone to secure a ressie? I book seven months out and have nver even done that day by day. Hopefully they will get some form of online booking set up so it will speed things up a little. Calling day by day..... won't see this guy doing it. I'll skip the trip then sell if that happens 11 months out.


DAVE

For high demand resorts and room types, it's already there for a portion of the year. These would tend to include HH summer, BWV (GV, standard and BW view, and the entire resort part of the year), BCV (2 Q 2 BR, certain times of the year), VWL (esp xmas), GV most any resort other than VB & HH for off season. That's not to say it won't work out sometimes but if you must have a certain reservation, it can be important at the 11 months window and is a must for some. For the 7 month at WDW, it's likely well over 50% of the unit weeks other than for SSR & OKW excluding GV that will be an issue if you wait and try to book all days at less than 7 months.

 

[CarolMN]

I have to say if the program gets to the point where calling day by day is necessary I'll sell immediately. Who wants to waste hours on the phone to secure a ressie? I book seven months out and have nver even done that day by day. Hopefully they will get some form of online booking set up so it will speed things up a little. Calling day by day..... won't see this guy doing it. I'll skip the trip then sell if that happens 11 months out.


DAVE

For some time now, it's been necessary to call day by day for standard view and Boardwalk view rooms for certain times of the year. I've been calling day by day for my early December standard view (and occasional BW view) since 2000. It's really not that big of a deal. (It is a big deal to me to have a SV or BW view room).

If you call right at 9 Eastern, it takes about 3 -5 minutes each day for 5 days to get a week's reservation. I wouldn't bother calling day by day for any time of the year if I wanted a PV-Pool/Garden. No need.

Can't believe anyone will have a problem booking a home resort at the 11 month window, so no need to worry about selling. But wait! Aren't you the one who never wants to stay at your home resort?

So maybe we will see you sell because IMHO, day by day is going to become more of a norm for those who book at the 7 month window and want VWL, BWV or BCV. Those who don't do day by day at the 7 month window will either get used to the waitlist or end up staying elsewhere.

Best wishes -

 

[YoMickey]

Not an encouraging thread for a potential buyer. BW has the most listings on the re-sale site, actually tied with OKW. May be a trend of disgruntled day by day callers??? Would you pay extra to lock in a week a lose the flexibilty?

 

[Dean]

Not an encouraging thread for a potential buyer.

It depends. If you're willing to plan, learn the system and call day by day for the required items; no big deal. And the biggest one is to be prepared to stay routinely at your home resort just in case other options don't work out. You should be fine in purchasing.

 

[DebbieB]

I have to say if the program gets to the point where calling day by day is necessary I'll sell immediately. Who wants to waste hours on the phone to secure a ressie? I book seven months out and have nver even done that day by day. Hopefully they will get some form of online booking set up so it will speed things up a little. Calling day by day..... won't see this guy doing it. I'll skip the trip then sell if that happens 11 months out.

DAVE

I've done it many times for BWV either standard or boardwalk view for early December. The first day takes about the same time as a normal reservation. The following days take no more than 5 minutes, including wait time. Once you get the rep on the phone, it's about a minute. They usually know right away why you are calling, your record is noted. I usually wait until about 10:00 when the phones calm down. It's not that bad.

I have reservations this year for the weeks of June 18 and October 22, I called at 8 months and 11 months (from the final checkout) and had no problem getting the boardwalk view.

 

[Daitcher]

Honestly guys the paranoia is running high. I've never had to call day by day at the 7 month mark and I never will. I'll sell and you'll read it here first. This doom and gloom has not played out as of yet. Dean's predictions make me nervous because the guy is usually right on. If I do sell it won't be done with any hard feelings on my part. I have enjoyed the program and will continue to do so until I can't get 7 month ressies. At that time I'll think fondly of my DVC experiences and look elsewhere. A guy with the screen name brownsoup just picked up a BCV resale. He then was able to make a ressie yesterday for BCV from Dec. 9th - Dec. 16th. This was done at less than 9 months. December has been reported as a very busy month. These boards and MS have led to an increase in the paranoia. I read a post on here about someone being told to book SSR day by day for December. Come on, this was such nonsense I almost fell off my chair. So far the program works and I hope it continues to work. People saying, "calling day by day is no big deal" is pretty funny. It is a big deal to someone who realizes time is money. Forget how long it takes to deal with MS, what about the wait time to get through. I will not spend 1 hour to make a ressie for a week vacation. People who don't participate on this forum in some ways are better off. They are the ones who book whenever it is convenient for them, don't book day by day and don't sweat getting a ressie. They think we are all crazy. I meet guests all the time who booked 4 months out, 5 months out and didn't even give it a second thought. Maybe ignorace is truly bliss. I am the one who books only at 7 months by the way, I don't stay at my home(SSR). Only time will tell. If it doesn't work out you won't see me becoming like Mikesquared, a guy who bad mouths the program becuase it doesn't meet my wants or needs. DVC is still great. Yomickey, keep reading and lurking to decide if this program is for you. Don't let this thread scare you off. You only ned to book at 11 months for the busiest of times.


DAVE

 

[Dean]

Honestly guys the paranoia is running high. I've never had to call day by day at the 7 month mark and I never will. I'll sell and you'll read it here first. This doom and gloom has not played out as of yet. Dean's predictions make me nervous because the guy is usually right on. If I do sell it won't be done with any hard feelings on my part. I have enjoyed the program and will continue to do so until I can't get 7 month ressies. At that time I'll think fondly of my DVC experiences and look elsewhere. A guy with the screen name brownsoup just picked up a BCV resale. He then was able to make a ressie yesterday for BCV from Dec. 9th - Dec. 16th. This was done at less than 9 months. December has been reported as a very busy month. These boards and MS have led to an increase in the paranoia. I read a post on here about someone being told to book SSR day by day for December. Come on, this was such nonsense I almost fell off my chair. So far the program works and I hope it continues to work. People saying, "calling day by day is no big deal" is pretty funny. It is a big deal to someone who realizes time is money. Forget how long it takes to deal with MS, what about the wait time to get through. I will not spend 1 hour to make a ressie for a week vacation. People who don't participate on this forum in some ways are better off. They are the ones who book whenever it is convenient for them, don't book day by day and don't sweat getting a ressie. They think we are all crazy. I meet guests all the time who booked 4 months out, 5 months out and didn't even give it a second thought. Maybe ignorace is truly bliss. I am the one who books only at 7 months by the way, I don't stay at my home(SSR). Only time will tell. If it doesn't work out you won't see me becoming like Mikesquared, a guy who bad mouths the program becuase it doesn't meet my wants or needs. DVC is still great. Yomickey, keep reading and lurking to decide if this program is for you. Don't let this thread scare you off. You only ned to book at 11 months for the busiest of times.


DAVE

Certain resorts, unit types and times of the year will likely never be a problem. But, IMO, the curve is shifting and will continue to do so. I'd guess that by about 2 years after SSR is sold out, there will be around 50% of the time where one needs to call at 7 months OR BEFORE frequently day by day, to be successful to get much of anything. And for many options day by day at 11 months. And for certain resorts and room types, it will likely be 80% of the time or more. And I guess that's where we look at it differently. To me this is not doom and gloom, it's just realizing the landscape and reacting accordingly. I own now 2 weeks at Marriott's Grande Ocean resort. I bought one and then went out and bought a second mainly for the privilege of booking 13 months out (you can only book 12 months for one week), so I could get what I wanted, usually around the 4th of July. So $17K plus yearly fees of $750 mainly to get a reservations advantage. Now obviously we use it for more than that but I tell you honestly that was the main reason for the purchase.

 

[DebbieB]

Not an encouraging thread for a potential buyer. BW has the most listings on the re-sale site, actually tied with OKW. May be a trend of disgruntled day by day callers??? Would you pay extra to lock in a week a lose the flexibilty?

Keep in mind those are the 2 oldest WDW DVC resorts. The longer people own, something in their life is more likely to happen to make them sell. Divorce, kids grow up. Also, they are the 2 largest DVC resorts other than SSR.

What surprises me is the number of SSR listings so soon after it opened. I bought BWV in late 1999, it was just over 3 years old and there were very few BWV resale listings, everything was OKW. There was an SSR listing before the resort even opened, someone bought during the pre-sale and sold before it opened.

 

[Dean]

Keep in mind those are the 2 oldest WDW DVC resorts. The longer people own, something in their life is more likely to happen to make them sell. Divorce, kids grow up. Also, they are the 2 largest DVC resorts other than SSR.

What surprises me is the number of SSR listings so soon after it opened. I bought BWV in late 1999, it was just over 3 years old and there were very few BWV resale listings, everything was OKW. There was an SSR listing before the resort even opened, someone bought during the pre-sale and sold before it opened.

I think a number of people bought to take advantage of several specials then wanted to sell their points right away. Take the freebies and run so to speak. Many of the SSR packages I've seen listed have corresponded with the minimums for some of the incentives.