Checking for availability question

[melindaPR]

I read on here about people "watching" resorts for availability prior to their booking window. I'm new to DVC, and I'm wondering how/if that's possible. For example, how can I--or can I--look at Christmas time 2013 (not yet within the 7 month booking window) in a non-home resort just to see and watch availability in order to gauge my chances? Thanks for the guidance!

 

[disneynutz]

You can't see availability online until your booking window opens.

Bill

 

[Muhlenberg]

While you can't look at availability for your actual dates, you can look at dates 7 months out from now. You can do that as often as you like up til your booking window opens. That will give you a feel for how things book up at 7 months out ahead of time.

The caveat is, it's not accurate for busy times. While there may be availability 7 months out from now, which would be Sept. 25th, there's no guarantee that if you check in another few weeks that there would be availability 7 months out from then. And you can't really predict how it would book up for your actual dates.

 

[intertile]

if you really want to know, you can simply call member services. They've told me in the past other resort availability even if I was ineligible to make a reservation.

 

[RobDoc]

if you really want to know, you can simply call member services. They've told me in the past other resort availability even if I was ineligible to make a reservation.

MS has not been looking at anything other than what a member is eligible to reserve for awhile now. You may find a rep that will still do that, but basically, if you can't see it yourself online MS won't do it either.

Some members have been able to look ahead since they own points at a resort even though they may want to use other points to make the actual reservation.

 

[luckyman_apd]

Technically the farthest out you can see is 7 months out plus 6 days. Since today is the 25th, and IF I wanted to book a reservation for Oct 1-7 I COULD go online today and see if October 1 had availability. However you could not book it unless you took sept 25-oct 1. And you wouldn't be able to see any days beyond the 1st. So you can basically view the rooms you want for a few days before you book.

 

[brettcw23]

I read on here about people "watching" resorts for availability prior to their booking window. I'm new to DVC, and I'm wondering how/if that's possible. For example, how can I--or can I--look at Christmas time 2013 (not yet within the 7 month booking window) in a non-home resort just to see and watch availability in order to gauge my chances? Thanks for the guidance!

There used to be a thread that showed what weeks were already booked based on members attempts to book. That was closed when they opened things up for online booking. There is another thread (I would insert it here if I had it handy) that basically leverages other members.

For example, if you wanted to know what AKV looks like a year out, but your home resort is BLT...you simply ask, "Are there any 2 BR, Savannah views available from February 22 - March 1?"

Then someone who has AKV as a home resort would reply.

 

[Sandisw]

There used to be a thread that showed what weeks were already booked based on members attempts to book. That was closed when they opened things up for online booking. There is another thread (I would insert it here if I had it handy) that basically leverages other members.

For example, if you wanted to know what AKV looks like a year out, but your home resort is BLT...you simply ask, "Are there any 2 BR, Savannah views available from February 22 - March 1?"

Then someone who has AKV as a home resort would reply.

Just an FYI, that type of thread does not exist here on the DIS. We have asked that members not look up and post availability since it changes so often that u less someone is ready to book, it really is of very little use.?

 

[melindaPR]

Thx for clarifying!

Sent from my iPhone using DISBoards

 

[brettcw23]

Just an FYI, that type of thread does not exist here on the DIS. We have asked that members not look up and post availability since it changes so often that u less someone is ready to book, it really is of very little use.?

Thanks for the heads up.

On the availability topic, it seems like there are more and more people being forced to split their stays between different resorts. I'm hoping in the future DVC finds a creative solution for that.

 

[Lynne M]

Thanks for the heads up.

On the availability topic, it seems like there are more and more people being forced to split their stays between different resorts. I'm hoping in the future DVC finds a creative solution for that.

There really isn't a solution for that on DVC's part; the solution is for guests to book their reservations in a timely manner. That 'forced split stay' really only happens when people wait too long to book.