Day-by-day booking in the ideal

[Tamar]

Okay, having just booked our std view BWV room for 10 days for the 2008 F&W festival day by day, I have to say I wish that MS could find a way to set it up so that someone trying to complete a reservation would get first dibs on keeping the room they have started booking without having to call first thing in the morning (still calling each day, but not having to worry that someone starting a trip could snatch a room out from under them if they happened to call earlier than the person with the res in process).

I suppose people would find a way to abuse it, but if people played fair it would benefit everyone to know as along as they called sometime during every day that their room res that had already been started would still be available to extend....

Thoughts?

 

[Tinkerdreams]

What would be infinitely easier would be to be able to call at 11 months out and book the entire trip with one phone call. Example: need to book a December 1 - 8, 2008 trip You would be able to call on January 2, 2008 and book all dates. That's what I call the KIS method.

 

[DebbieB]

What would be infinitely easier would be to be able to call at 11 months out and book the entire trip with one phone call. Example: need to book a December 1 - 8, 2008 trip You would be able to call on January 2, 2008 and book all dates. That's what I call the KIS method.

Problem is others who booked November 30 to December 8 using this method may already have the rooms and you get shutout. This would especially be a problem for limited rooms such as grand villas. Doing the day by day is a little inconvenient but it puts everyone on a level playing field for each night.

 

[Doctor P]

What would be infinitely easier would be to be able to call at 11 months out and book the entire trip with one phone call. Example: need to book a December 1 - 8, 2008 trip You would be able to call on January 2, 2008 and book all dates. That's what I call the KIS method.

That's what I'd call a recipe for disaster. There is a resort in our area that allows that and it has turned into a real game. The only way that it could possibly work would be if there was automatic cancellation of the ENTIRE reservation for ANY (and I mean ANY) change in the reservation AT ALL (and I MEAN AT ALL).

 

[Happy Birthday Cat]

I like the current system. We just reserved a GV at the BWV for next year doing day by day calling. It was a hassle on a couple of the days to make the call but at least it leveled the playing field for everyone. I have not heard of a better system yet.

HBC

 

[Dean]

Okay, having just booked our std view BWV room for 10 days for the 2008 F&W festival day by day, I have to say I wish that MS could find a way to set it up so that someone trying to complete a reservation would get first dibs on keeping the room they have started booking without having to call first thing in the morning (still calling each day, but not having to worry that someone starting a trip could snatch a room out from under them if they happened to call earlier than the person with the res in process).

I suppose people would find a way to abuse it, but if people played fair it would benefit everyone to know as along as they called sometime during every day that their room res that had already been started would still be available to extend....

Thoughts?

IMO there are several ways DVC could approach this that would be fair overall. Still, anytime you set up a system, people are going to use the system to their advantage. It's not abusing the system to use it as it's set up, it's just that some ways of approaching it might rub others the wrong way and may work out to one persons advantage more than to others. I do think DVC should do this with reservations up to two weeks long. In order to minimize some of the issues they should require things like any change to the reservation is a cancellation and/or require a minimum stay of (currently) up to 5 days though it could be changed under some circumstances. I don't think they could simply give a priority to one who holds the previous days reservation without some of the above type changes. While it would shift the curve in favor of some and against others, as does any and every change, I think it would be an advantage overall. Certainly allowing one to book the entire stay would favor one who can book earlier and stay longer but it does give a guaranteed stay with one phone call and avoid people getting part but not all their reservation. The other benefit is that this approach could significantly lower the number of personnel hours for MS, likely by as much as 30-40% of the number of FTE (Full Time Equiv) or even more with significant savings on dues IMO.

 

[Tamar]

I'm just saying....there's something to be said for having the peace of mind of knowing that once you start a reservation, you will be able to complete it IF YOU CALL EVERY DAY.

I get that you can't allow people to book the whole reservation at once, because lots of people would book extra days on the front end and cancel them later, but there should be a way to avoid the stress of each day knowing your room could be snatched out from under you by someone who calls 5 minutes earlier than you.

Maybe a compromise would be, if you start a day-by-day reservation and leave it open, the room is held for you until noon the following day, and if you don't call by then, it's open to anyone who calls.

The bigger DVC gets, the more of a problem this will be for the rooms that are of limited quantities. The above would assure that everyone has the peace of mind that once they get day one they can complete their reservation without possibly having to waitlist.

 

[CarolMN]

I like the current system - first to call, first to get the reservation. I think everyone should have the same opportunity to book the same day, and it shouldn't depend on when the reservation begins or ends.

Don't see why someone who is calling to continue or complete a reservation should have priority over someone just starting their reservation if they are after the same day/unit type & size.

Snooze and you might have to waitlist. I don't like to waitlist either, but to me the current system is the only way to ensure all members have the same opportunity to book popular times & rooms.

 

[Dean]

I'm just saying....there's something to be said for having the peace of mind of knowing that once you start a reservation, you will be able to complete it IF YOU CALL EVERY DAY.

I get that you can't allow people to book the whole reservation at once, because lots of people would book extra days on the front end and cancel them later, but there should be a way to avoid the stress of each day knowing your room could be snatched out from under you by someone who calls 5 minutes earlier than you.

Maybe a compromise would be, if you start a day-by-day reservation and leave it open, the room is held for you until noon the following day, and if you don't call by then, it's open to anyone who calls.

The bigger DVC gets, the more of a problem this will be for the rooms that are of limited quantities. The above would assure that everyone has the peace of mind that once they get day one they can complete their reservation without possibly having to waitlist.

The reality is that can't do it that way. There is no way the could allow day by day reservations and give priority to one who has a room for the preceding day. They'd have to make some changes along the lines of what I posted above. Changes that could easily be done appropriately and fairly but would certainly hurt some people while helping others. Another approach they could take would be to increase the minimum stay and possibly to link days such as requiring 3 and 4 day reservations that fit together to make a full week, likely more negative for many than simply allowing one to book one or two weeks at a time.

 

[tjkraz]

I'm just saying....there's something to be said for having the peace of mind of knowing that once you start a reservation, you will be able to complete it IF YOU CALL EVERY DAY.

I get that you can't allow people to book the whole reservation at once, because lots of people would book extra days on the front end and cancel them later, but there should be a way to avoid the stress of each day knowing your room could be snatched out from under you by someone who calls 5 minutes earlier than you.

Maybe a compromise would be, if you start a day-by-day reservation and leave it open, the room is held for you until noon the following day, and if you don't call by then, it's open to anyone who calls.

So let's say that there are 100 Standard View rooms and you want to start booking for the night of December 1st. However, there are already 100 "open" reservations in the SV class for people who started booking their trips with check-ins on 11/30, 11/29, 11/28, etc. Are you saying it would be fairer (?) for you to call at 9am 11 months out from 12/1 and be told that there already is nothing available? That would be MORE comforting to you?

The system we have now isn't perfect, but I have yet to see suggestions that would improve it. Those who place the highest priority on getting their room will make arrangements to call 11 months out. Those who don't have as high of a preference or who don't mind rolling the dice will just wait until the end of the week.

Personally I think the biggest problem is people who are unjustifiably worried enough to call day-by-day at 11 months. If I were you, I'd call DVC next week (now that you are past your 11 month window for the entire stay), and ask them if you could still book at SV room for the entire period. My guess is the answer will be yes. Early-December may be insanely competitive, but the same is not true for the entire 6+ weeks of the Food & Wine fest.

The bigger DVC gets, the more of a problem this will be for the rooms that are of limited quantities. The above would assure that everyone has the peace of mind that once they get day one they can complete their reservation without possibly having to waitlist.

Not really true. At 11 months the only people you are competing with is fellow owners at your Home resort. That population cannot increase. It doesn't matter whether DVC has 7 resort or 70 resorts, you are only competing with owners at your Home during that 4-month window.

One of the things happening is that demand periods for DVC members are shifting and the points charts have never been revised to reflect that. DVC could help the situation by making adjustments to better bring the points in line with member demand (higher demand = higher points.) IMO, that would be justified in some cases. For special events like the Food & Wine Fest, popularity will ebb and flow over time. Ten years from now it may be one of the easier times to book a room (after Disney quadruples the cost and reduces all of the portions to bite-sized. )

 

[Tamar]

So let's say that there are 100 Standard View rooms and you want to start booking for the night of December 1st. However, there are already 100 "open" reservations in the SV class for people who started booking their trips with check-ins on 11/30, 11/29, 11/28, etc. Are you saying it would be fairer (?) for you to call at 9am 11 months out from 12/1 and be told that there already is nothing available? That would be MORE comforting to you?

Yes, on Dec 1 it would be more comfortable to others, but for the next 9 days it would be more comfortable for me. That seems like a fair trade-off. I CAN'T call first thing every morning...I have a job, sometimes I'm on the road, etc. DH did the calling this trip, and more than one MS rep told him he was doing the smart thing calling day-by-day, as rooms for the previous week in our category were already sold out.

BTW we have a one bd 1/2 the trip and a two bd for the second half. I suspect there are no more than 15-20 2bd std view (if that).

Dean, I understand what you're saying about having to tweak some other rules, and that'd be fine.

tjk, if you think it's nuts to book day-by-day 11 months out, what dif does it make to you what the rules are for those who do?

 

[Doctor P]

Yes, on Dec 1 it would be more comfortable to others, but for the next 9 days it would be more comfortable for me. That seems like a fair trade-off. I CAN'T call first thing every morning...I have a job, sometimes I'm on the road, etc. DH did the calling this trip, and more than one MS rep told him he was doing the smart thing calling day-by-day, as rooms for the previous week in our category were already sold out.

BTW we have a one bd 1/2 the trip and a two bd for the second half. I suspect there are no more than 15-20 2bd std view (if that).

Dean, I understand what you're saying about having to tweak some other rules, and that'd be fine.

tjk, if you think it's nuts to book day-by-day 11 months out, what dif does it make to you what the rules are for those who do?

And exactly why do YOU think that priority should be given to those who will start their trip earlier? Suppose I want to take a trip that begins on NYE and extends for two weeks after that. What you are suggesting is that I should be thrown to the bottom of the barrel because all persons whose reservations start on the days leading UP to NYE should get first priority for the NYE reservation. That seems arbitrary, capricious, unreasonable, unworkable, and idiotic.

 

[tjkraz]

Yes, on Dec 1 it would be more comfortable to others, but for the next 9 days it would be more comfortable for me. That seems like a fair trade-off.

So, if you called at 9am on the first day you were able and the MS rep said "sorry, I can't give you a room because too many open reservations for people already in the process of booking", that would be OK with you? NOT getting a room at 9am on your first booking day is an acceptable trade-off?

As Doctor P pointed out, all you're doing is giving preferential treatment to those who book further out.

Statistically most people favor Sunday check-ins due to the lower points Sun - Thurs. Under your proposed system, getting a room in one of those difficult-to-book classes with a Monday or later check-in would be almost impossible. People who just happen to be starting their trips on Sunday or earlier would have "dibs". Where is the fairness in that?

tjk, if you think it's nuts to book day-by-day 11 months out, what dif does it make to you what the rules are for those who do?

I never said that I thought it was "nuts", I simply said that most of the time it is unnecessary. We've reached a point were, unfortunately, it IS necessary during some periods and for some room classes. And more than anything, I'm interested in having a system in place which is fair to all. In my mind, first-in, first-out remains the fairest system to all regardless of the warts.

 

[Tamar]

Wow, Dr P, I guess I hit a hot button for you, huh? It's not your ideal scenario, so it's idiotic? You have a point about NYE, maybe holidays are one of the exceptions, I don't know. You ask why "I" think people who've started to book should be given priority...because they're part way into a plan, and are still doing the "work" of calling every day.

Let's say our planned trips overlap by 5 days and we both want the same room...you could get through to MS first on Monday, and I have to waitlist. I could get through first on Tuesday, and you have to wait list. Then you get through first on Wednesday, and I have to waitlist. Then someone starting their vacation beats us both to the punch on Thursday, and we both have to waitlist.....do I need to go on? Neither of us has the reservation we want, and, if we're stubborn, we both end up moving several times during our trip.

OR....you got through first on Monday, so you have priority for the week, and I book a different, but similar room for the whole week and waitlist for what I really want. I personally think that's better for all concerned. I guess I'm idiotic!!

 

[Tamar]

So, if you called at 9am on the first day you were able and the MS rep said "sorry, I can't give you a room because too many open reservations for people already in the process of booking", that would be OK with you? NOT getting a room at 9am on your first booking day is an acceptable trade-off?

Yeah, that's what I'm saying. What's so difficult about that? I see it as cooperating with other members instead of every man for himself.

I could waitlist, and either at the end of that day (in one scenario) or at noon that day (in the other scenario) my waitlist would be filled if at least one of the "in process" bookers hadn't called to add that day.

 

[LisaS]

Maybe a compromise would be, if you start a day-by-day reservation and leave it open, the room is held for you until noon the following day, and if you don't call by then, it's open to anyone who calls.

I believe this approach would increase the number of calls to MS. People who are desperate to book at a busy time would call a few days early to try to book a temporary night just to get themselves into the "priority queue". For example let's say I want to book a Sun-Thu stay during a busy time. I know that weekends are easier to book so I could start calling a few days early to try to book the Friday preceding my stay. I call back the next day before noon and book the Saturday night preceding my stay and cancel the Friday night to get my points back. I call back the following day before noon to book the Sunday night (the first night of my actual stay) and cancel the Saturday night. I keep calling every day before noon until my entire stay is booked. Bottom line: I end up making extra calls to MS so that I can get into the priority queue a few days early to be assured of booking my trip. In other words, we all end up back where we started but we're making more calls to get what we want.

 

[Tamar]

Lisa, I know that might be a problem, and so I don't disagree that changes to a reservation made this way might need to result in total cancellation of the reservation, as Dean mentioned.

As it stands now, someone who really wants to start their vacation on a Thursday, Friday, or Saturday and stay for a week (and needs one of those hard to come by rooms) might lose the ability to complete a reservation they already started. I think that stinks, and even if I end up losing out on the room I want because of the change I suggested, I still think it's more fair to someone who's already called 1,2,3 days and then can't complete their res because someone else beat them to the punch in the middle of their booking window.

We booked 10 days starting on a Sunday, and the most stressful day was the second Monday we had to call...we'd book Sun-Sat, what if someone called and messed up our ability to book the Sun-Thurs we still needed to complete our trip?

 

[shellbelle1971]

How about this...MS could only open one day per year, giving all who wish to try to make any reservation for the upcoming year an equal shot at all days, all unit types, and all lengths of stay!

 

[Dean]

I believe this approach would increase the number of calls to MS. People who are desperate to book at a busy time would call a few days early to try to book a temporary night just to get themselves into the "priority queue". For example let's say I want to book a Sun-Thu stay during a busy time. I know that weekends are easier to book so I could start calling a few days early to try to book the Friday preceding my stay. I call back the next day before noon and book the Saturday night preceding my stay and cancel the Friday night to get my points back. I call back the following day before noon to book the Sunday night (the first night of my actual stay) and cancel the Saturday night. I keep calling every day before noon until my entire stay is booked. Bottom line: I end up making extra calls to MS so that I can get into the priority queue a few days early to be assured of booking my trip. In other words, we all end up back where we started but we're making more calls to get what we want.

To implement any type of system along these lines where you either got a priority if you were booked the day before OR got to call day 1 and book the entire reservation up to 7-14 days, you'd have to have where any change was a cancellation and rebooking. You could even make it so you couldn't rebook the same points on the same phone call or even the same day. I agree that it makes no sense to give one a priority but require day by day calls. Allowing booking all at one time would reduce the # of calls, the question is how much and to what total benefit. Giving a priority would not increase the number of calls unless it increased the number of people booking day by day which has increased a lot the last couple of years anyway As the system stands you could hold the last unit for a given resort for a given day and I could hold it for the next day while we're both wait listing. It then becomes a game of chicken to see who gives up first.

 

[Doctor P]

If you want to solve this problem, I can SOLVE it VERY easily. You cannot book your trip until the checkout day of your last night. That absolutely solves the problem the OP was complaining about. I would not like this system, and would not advocate it, but it does solve the problem. IMHO, it is also not fair, but it solves the problem. I guess, "be careful what you wish for, because it might come true." For me, I'll stick with the present system, as imperfect as it is.