Disney Files magazine arrived today....

[Disneypirate85]

From the Desk of Jim Lewis (Summer edition)

"...We hope to launch an online-reservation system by early next year".

Well seems they have been listening but how in the heck are they gonna keep it running when they have such a darn time with dinning ressies and just keeping DVC resort ressies straight or member website for that matter?
I SO HOPE THIS WORKS...for all of us
Shawn

 

[Goofy's apprentice]

Although I really think an online reservation system is needed...this actually scares the heck out of me ! I can only imagine what new waitlist rules etc....will have to be enacted to simplify the programming....usage of points...

Well, it is a good direction to move in. Let's just hope it gets tested really well ! As long as you can still call and reserve the old way.

 

[Disneypirate85]

It concerns me ALOT, seems there IT Dept is a little lacking especially lately with messed dining ressies and then losing ressies at resorts
But maybe they will be able to stream line like there cash ressies site. Be happy to help'em QA or even Beta it for free!

 

[keishashadow]

i had the same misgivings when i read it, hope it doesn't open things to abuse or thought that system might crash due to heavy volume for popular dates

i posted a couple of weeks ago that i was disturbed to get a call from MS as to how they changed the ressie # of a vacation i booked for a guest.. I did get the new confirmation in hand yesterday (much speedier turn around than last couple of transactions-yea!) and nothing was changed other than the number. Still puzzled by this though, told it was an internal accounting issue, wonder if isolated or part of this re-structuring.

 

[rcortese711]

I've got mixed feelings on this. For one thing, I never understood why MS is only open to such restricting hours. For those who work majority of the day, it is really a feat to get a hold of them. Why can't they be open till 9pm or however late the normal reservation line is open?

But for online reservations, I can see many things going wrong. Like a poster already said, their IT department leaves much to be desired. Who knows though, maybe they thought of something really good. I guess we can just keep looking on the brightside and hope for the best. And as we can tell with the online dining system, it will probably take some time before they can perfect the DVC ressie system. But yes, as the OP mentioned, it is about time.

 

[jekjones1558]

I will NOT be using online reservations until I see that it is working. I have no confidence whatsoever in any technology Disney uses except fluffy stuff like graphics.

 

[Chuck S]

Actually, they were talking about "online reservations within a year" at the annual meeting I attended several years ago, I think the first year Jim Lewis was the DVC VP. Don't hold your breath. Even if it comes to fruition, it will likely not be too user friendly or overly functional. Phone contact will probably be necessary for anything except the simplest of reservations. In fact, it was the same annual meeting where they announced that OKW would be getting a pool side...and the slide has been completed several years.

 

[Simba's Mom]

Actually, they were talking about "online reservations within a year" at the annual meeting I attended several years ago, I think the first year Jim Lewis was the DVC VP. Don't hold your breath. Even if it comes to fruition, it will likely not be too user friendly or overly functional. Phone contact will probably be necessary for anything except the simplest of reservations. In fact, it was the same annual meeting where they announced that OKW would be getting a pool side...and the slide has been completed several years.

Thank you for saying that. I think I was at that same annual meeting, and I thought I remembered him saying that.
With the present "slight imperfections" in the IT system, I have no confidence in anything that uses the computer at Disney. Ever since we had our reservations at HHI inexplicably cancelled , which we found out standing at the check-in desk, I'm not using online check-in, online, dining ADRs, and no way, would I want to try online reservations.

 

[bookwormde]

I am glad that they are planning on implementing on line next year, especially since I am not going to be trying to make a reservation next year. Good luck to all you WDW IT Guinea pigs.

bookwormde

 

[Chuck S]

Thank you for saying that. I think I was at that same annual meeting, and I thought I remembered him saying that.

Yes you were! And yes, he said that.

I was brave, I tried the online check-in. I'll let you know in a few weeks how it went

 

[mikeandkarla]

I will NOT be using online reservations until I see that it is working. I have no confidence whatsoever in any technology Disney uses except fluffy stuff like graphics.

exactly! I want to speak with a person to verbally hear my ADR #'s. I do not trust ANY WDW website, what a mess they are, especially when they first launch.

 

[tjkraz]

While Disney's IT does seem to be unreliable (too many outages and other little quirks), booking a reservation seems like a pretty low-risk proposition. Walk thru whatever booking wizard they design and if a reservation is confirmed at the end, then it worked.

If not, pick up the phone and call.

These scattered reports of reservations being lost are troubling. But given the thousands of DVC rooms available for booking now the issues are still quite rare. And since they are happening with telephone reservations, web bookings could end up being MORE reliable. It's entirely possible that human error on the part of MS CMs is responsible for many of the current problems.

I probably wouldn't use the web to book a particularly time-sensitive reservation like early-December or AKV Concierge (unless the web gives me an advantage!) But for 95% of the dates/resorts/room classes I'd try the web first and only call if problems arose.

 

[Granny]

Yes you were! And yes, he said that.

I was brave, I tried the online check-in. I'll let you know in a few weeks how it went

Brave indeed! I'm struggling to see a member benefit in online check-in.

I am also in the camp of "I'll believe it when I see it" regarding online reservations. I also am not sure how they will do it to be fair to everyone. Will we all have to be up at midnight Eastern time to place on-line reservations at the 11/7 month marks?

 

[tjkraz]

I also am not sure how they will do it to be fair to everyone. Will we all have to be up at midnight Eastern time to place on-line reservations at the 11/7 month marks?

I have no idea what time they will choose to open reservations but to the issue of fairness, we don't have a fair system now. When the phones open at 9am eastern it's 6am on the west coast. Is that fair? It's 5am in Alaska and 3am in Hawaii. And DVC has many international members who also may be forced to call in the middle of the night.

I have even seen east-coasters objecting to the current 9am call time...people who work in professions which preclude them from being on the telephone at that time.

No single time is going to be fair to all--we'll just have to adapt accordingly just as so many other members have in the past.

 

[twinklebug]

I predict the need for MS to aid with booking will not go down, but rather change so that they're in the position of fixing up the messes people make of their own points and reservations.

 

[Chuck S]

Brave indeed! I'm struggling to see a member benefit in online check-in.

Back in ye olden days, when DVC was new, you could call the OKW front desk and do a Members Express Check-in. You gave them the same basic info that the online check-in requires, CC #, names of guests, etc. When you arrived, you went to the express window, picked up your packet, your room was usually ready (and pre-assigned), very fast and simple. I'm hoping the online version is basically the same thing.

 

[Chuck S]

I predict the need for MS to aid with booking will not go down, but rather change so that they're in the position of fixing up the messes people make of their own points and reservations.

Absolutely.

Website may say something like "Click here to verify you wish to borrow points to confirm this reservation."

I can see people calling to say "I really didn't mean to borrow those points, I was just checking availability cause I'm thinking about making a ressie a month from now." Or, "I had to borrow those points to check availability for a renter, and the renter backed out, I didn't mean to actually reserve the room." Throw the DDP options, linking reservations, and location requests into the mix, and even more problems will occur.

 

[bobbiwoz]

There are so many parts to my contract and they are not in "order." In other words, not bunched together by resort. I sometimes tell the CM to use the VWL from .12 and .17 for this reservation. Even then, sometimes, especially at 7 months, I find that when I'm done and go online, the number of points that they say and I agree on are correct, but the places where my points are, are not where I want them.

As far as on line check in, we've done it once, but because the place I was to go wasn't evident to me, I asked the CM at the desk, and she just took care of me.

Bobbi

 

[Disneypirate85]

well I will try it, as i'm sure most will, but will definately follow up with MS via phone. Shawn