Day by day booking

[Wedgeh]

I'm almost certainly going to buy some points at the AKV shortly. I am concerned however how often I hear people talk of having to book day by day. Firstly how does this work exactly, do you say I've got x days booked in such and such a room, can I add another day on please?
Also does this suggest that the rooms are normally really hard to book. This is a particular concern of mine as I have a booking for Sept 2008 for AKL for my honeymoon and would obviously want to change this for staying at AKV if I bought in. 11 months is long gone, although I should be able to beat 7 months (at which point I can understand that it would get really hard to get a room). Am I worrying about nothing, or is it actually going to be tough to get a booking say 8 months out?

Cheers,

Tom

 

[Poohs Pal]

I wouldn't worry about day to day booking to much once AKV is completed except for a GV and concierge. I would then book day by day. I'm currently doing a day by day for SSR for a GV. The first day I called I told MS I was booking a GV day by day and she asked for my check out day. The next day I called I told MS I was adding a day to my existing ressie. I will do the same today. After you book your last day a confirmation will be sent to you. Susan

 

[drusba]

Usually you don't need to book day by day at 11 months out. AKV has not developed a pattern yet but likely not to be much different from others when there is a need and it applies only to categories where rooms are scarce. Likely for AKV:

1. Grand Villas (3BR rooms) are scarce and day by day calling at 11 months out may be needed for most time of year.

2. Likewise concierge rooms are scarce and thus you might need it for those.

3. The same might apply to value point cost rooms although likely most times of year those will be available using normal 11 month window (calling 11 months before expected date of departure from AKV).

4. There is currently a low number of standard view point cost rooms and you may consider day by day for some highly popular DVC times -- first two weeks of December, Christmas, Easter. There will be a lot more of those once Kidani is done.


In any event, September, other than time around Labor Day is a slow DVC time and likely you will be able to get Savannah view and probably even standard and value at 7 months out. Just for experience, I am long time owner at BWV and now also own at AKV. At BWV, I have had no problem getting a boardwalk view room (which are only 15% of the resort) by calling 11 months out (and even 10 months out) any time of year. moreover, I have been able to get preferred pool and garden view (which are 60% of rooms at BWV) at 5 and 4 months out for many times of year (exceptions -- holiday times, first two weeks of December, food and wine festival times).

If you do day be day, it works like this: assume first night is Sep 10 and last is 17. You call October 11, 11 months out from date of departure if you assumed Sep 10 was your only night there, and reserve Sep 10, next day call and reserve Sep 11, etc. Tell them what you are doing and at end all nights are linked and you have one continuous reservation.

 

[spiceycat]

would add Thankgiving to the list.

at AKV would do day by day for concierge or value.

BWV necessary for standard view.

that say Sept is one of the least crowded months in the year. that is why Disney does free dinning then to attract more people. Sept, May and January you should not have a problem.

although lately more people have been complaining about not getting in January. exception - NY, MLB - both holiday weeks and they will be crowded so get them 11 months in advance if possible.

 

[AdamJ]

Hi all:

Brand new member. Actually waiting for the paperwork to arrive, hopefully tomorrow. I have the same question about day by day booking, let me summarize and see if I understand.

Day by day booking is a technique used to try and reserve a room when essentially you have the following three things in play:

1) in demand resort
2) in demand, or short supply, or both, room type
3) in high demand time of year

I get how it works, you call on day one, book your first night, then call on the next day to book the second night, etc. etc.

My question is - why does this work? Is it because other people have booked continuous dates for the same time you're there? I guess I don't fully understand the inner mechanics of why this is done.

Geez, I hope made at least minimal sense.

Thanks.

Adam

 

[DisDaydreamer]

Hi all:

Brand new member. Actually waiting for the paperwork to arrive, hopefully tomorrow. I have the same question about day by day booking, let me summarize and see if I understand.

Day by day booking is a technique used to try and reserve a room when essentially you have the following three things in play:

1) in demand resort
2) in demand, or short supply, or both, room type
3) in high demand time of year

I get how it works, you call on day one, book your first night, then call on the next day to book the second night, etc. etc.

My question is - why does this work? Is it because other people have booked continuous dates for the same time you're there? I guess I don't fully understand the inner mechanics of why this is done.

Geez, I hope made at least minimal sense.

Thanks.

Adam

You got it. Except you have to call 7 months from the day you would check out not the day you would check in.

You can book a whole week at a time if you wish, but you would have to wait until the check-out day of the last day of your stay. I believe it is what makes DVC different from many other TS and makes the playing field level between small owners and mega owners. Otherwise mega owners would just gobble up all the good dates.

I hope that made minimal sense too.

 

[AdamJ]

It seems to me that at first you would always try to book your continuous visit, right? And if that whole block was unavailable, then you would do the day by day trick, right? Otherwise I don't see what the point is behind the hassle of booking one day at a time.

I swear I feel like a Jedi knight in training...

Adam

 

[DisDaydreamer]

It seems to me that at first you would always try to book your continuous visit, right? And if that whole block was unavailable, then you would do the day by day trick, right? Otherwise I don't see what the point is behind the hassle of booking one day at a time.

I swear I feel like a Jedi knight in training...

Adam

That's the trick. You can't reserve that last day in the block until last day comes. So, why take the chance... just reserve each day in the block as it comes. It's not a guarantee, but it is much safer than waiting until the last day.

 

[AdamJ]

DisDayDreamer - gotcha!

This technique gives you a better chance of getting your whole trip because you are attempting to book each day at the earliest possible date. It also seems to me that you increase your likelihood of getting the whole trip booked because the likelihood of just one day being already booked is lower than all the days put together, right?

I assume that you tell the CM that you are doing day by day booking at the beginning and end of the process - so it is all linked together?

Wow, soon I won't be a padawan learner any more. Are we allowed to post Star Wars references on these boards? There is a SW ride at MGM so its probably kosher.

Thanks!!

Adam

 

[DisDaydreamer]

DisDayDreamer - gotcha!

This technique gives you a better chance of getting your whole trip because you are attempting to book each day at the earliest possible date. It also seems to me that you increase your likelihood of getting the whole trip booked because the likelihood of just one day being already booked is lower than all the days put together, right?

I assume that you tell the CM that you are doing day by day booking at the beginning and end of the process - so it is all linked together?

Wow, soon I won't be a padawan learner any more. Are we allowed to post Star Wars references on these boards? There is a SW ride at MGM so its probably kosher.

Thanks!!



Adam

The force is with you....

And yes they do link them together.

 

[LisaS]

If you use Poohs Pal's method, there is no need for MS to link anything. On your first call you make a 1-night reservation. On your second call you modify your existing reservation to add the second night, and so on for each night of your stay. At the end of the process, you have just one reservation that has been modified several times rather than several one-night reservations that must be linked. I expect this also makes your subsequent calls to MS shorter since all you are doing is modifying an existing reservation rather than creating a new one-night reservation on each call.

 

[DisDaydreamer]

If you use Poohs Pal's method, there is no need for MS to link anything. On your first call you make a 1-night reservation. On your second call you modify your existing reservation to add the second night, and so on for each night of your stay. At the end of the process, you have just one reservation that has been modified several times rather than several one-night reservations that must be linked. I expect this also makes your subsequent calls to MS shorter since all you are doing is modifying an existing reservation rather than creating a new one-night reservation on each call.

See Adam I'm still learning too. One thing you must know though... LisaS is a Jedi-Master. She has nearly unmatched knowledge and resources.

When Lisa "enhances" your post, you thank her.

 

[PatMcDuck]

I just did a day by day booking @ 7months for VAK concierge, and you DO tell the DVC CM what you are doing , a day by day reservation. Why? Because they wait until you are done to mail out the confirmation. I called at 9am each day, because I knew I was pushing it trying for VAK concierge at 7 months. But, I got it.

 

[LisaS]

I just did a day by day booking @ 7months for VAK concierge, and you DO tell the DVC CM what you are doing , a day by day reservation. Why? Because they wait until you are done to mail out the confirmation. I called at 9am each day, because I knew I was pushing it trying for VAK concierge at 7 months. But, I got it.

Congratulations!! I hope you have a wonderful trip!