Has this happened to anyone else ?

[bellazachmom]

OK, bear with me as this might be a bit long ...

I have never had the luxury of making our reservations 11 months in advance before now. I have been calling MS for the last few days and doing a day-by-day booking for a dedicated 2BR at BCV starting 28 April 09 through 6 May 09. When I called this morning the CM stated that the computer wouldn't let her add a day to our reservation because it was outside of the 11 month window. I asked her to clarify and she said that since today is 31 May 08 and I am looking to book 30 April with a checkout on 1 May 09 that the computer sees this as 12 months out so I will need to call tomorrow.

Does this mean when I call tomorrow that I will be able to book 2 nights?!?!?

Any input would be appreciated. Thanks! Jennie

 

[CarolAnnC]

I would call back and try another MS rep just in case. If that is a fact, then nobody can book that day. However, if it is misinformation, then others can be booking right now.

Good luck!

 

[goldilocks_63]

Today is May 31.

You should be able to add May 30 today. Call MS back, and get different rep.

Goldi

 

[simzac]

Sounds like the CM is right to me. Reservations made exactly at the 11 or 7 month timeframes are based on checkout days, not checkin days. The night of April 30th would have a checkout day of May 1st, thus the reason you have to wait til tomorrow. And no, you won't be able to book 2 days tomorrow as there is no April 31st.

 

[DVC Grandpa]

I had the same problem in February while booking day-by-day for February of 09. At the time I had two consecutive days on which I could not book the February 09 room. Everything worked out in the end., we will be there for the month of Febreary.

 

[CarolMN]

I wouldn't worry about it - your dates are not all that tough to get, so even if you want the dedicated 2 bedroom with 2 queens in the second bedroom, you'll get what you want tomorrow.

 

[bellazachmom]

Thanks for the replies!

I went ahead and called back, just to make sure, and the first CM was correct. Also, as the PP stated, I can only book one day tommorrow ... just a glitch in the system based on the 11 month/7 month policy.

It just gets soooo confusing with the 180 day prior for ADRs and things since you actually count back days and then room reservations being months.

Thanks for the help! Jennie

 

[Deb & Bill]

It's not a glitch in the system. It all goes by checkout day. So it doesn't matter that you would be checking in for that day on April 30, it just matters than your check out day would be May 1. So you can't book that day until June 1.

It's really bad in February if you want to reserve for Jan 28-31. You call on Mar 1 for Jan 28, 29 and 30.

On Jun 1 you can only book for April 30. You have to wait for Jun 2 to book for May 1.

You don't even consider the day you would check in. Just the day you would check out.

 

[bellazachmom]

It's not a glitch in the system. It all goes by checkout day. So it doesn't matter that you would be checking in for that day on April 30, it just matters than your check out day would be May 1. So you can't book that day until June 1.

It's really bad in February if you want to reserve for Jan 28-31. You call on Mar 1 for Jan 28, 29 and 30.

On Jun 1 you can only book for April 30. You have to wait for Jun 2 to book for May 1.

You don't even consider the day you would check in. Just the day you would check out.

I guess I used the wrong word because, your right, it's not really a "glitch" but it sure is frustrating! Just when I think I finally understand and am on top of how to handle my DVC reservation I find out something new! Silly me ... you think you can call day-by-day and make day-by-day reservations and all of a sudden the number of days in a month can cause you all kind of grief!

Thanks for the help! Jennie

 

[Caskbill]

....
It's really bad in February if you want to reserve for Jan 28-31. You call on Mar 1 for Jan 28, 29 and 30.

Actually their computer system does not match the true policy. They've been ignoring this point for years.

The actual policy is that if there is no corresponding date for the month being reserved, then the last day of the month is to be used for making the reservation.

Thus at 11 months if you want to reserve Jan 28th (check out on the 29th), you can call the preceeding Feb 28th and make that reservation since there is no 'equivalent' date, meaning there is no February 29th (assuming it's not a leap year).

You would also make the Jan 30th reservation on Feb 28th.

I've got it correct in my DVC-Planner program and have written to DVC twice to have them clarify the policy, both times I have never received an answer.

This is not a difficult thing to program in their computer system.

 

[CarolMN]

......(snip)...I've got it correct in my DVC-Planner program and have written to DVC twice to have them clarify the policy, both times I have never received an answer.

This is not a difficult thing to program in their computer system.

Doesn't sound like they're interested in fixing it.

I really don't care much about this particular issue as long as the rules are the same for everyone. If MS starts allowing some to reserve according to the POS, but not all, then I would have a BIG problem with it.

 

[TyRy]

Same thing happened to me last year while booking our Sept/Oct trip day by day - everything went smooth until I tried for 9/30, checkout date of 10/1. I called on 10/31 and I was told on my first call that we could not make a ressie. First CM thought it was a glitch as it was 11 months from checkout. So I take the Disboards advice and call back again so I can get a different CM who knows how to fix it, doesn’t work..uh-oh – third call and no luck. Called again and still nope. I finally got a Dis member who pointed out that I needed to wait until 11/1 to call as my checkout at that point would have been 10/1 not 9/31 as that does not exist. It was confusing!

The next day rolls around and bingo – no problem, I can make the ressie now. We figured out that happens four or five times a year and that’s why the CM’s didn’t remember it.

Ty

 

[Caskbill]

Same thing happened to me last year while booking our Sept/Oct trip day by day - everything went smooth until I tried for 9/30, checkout date of 10/1. I called on 10/31 and I was told on my first call that we could not make a ressie. First CM thought it was a glitch as it was 11 months from checkout. So I take the Disboards advice and call back again so I can get a different CM who knows how to fix it, doesn’t work..uh-oh – third call and no luck. Called again and still nope. I finally got a Dis member who pointed out that I needed to wait until 11/1 to call as my checkout at that point would have been 10/1 not 9/31 as that does not exist. It was confusing!

The next day rolls around and bingo – no problem, I can make the ressie now. We figured out that happens four or five times a year and that’s why the CM’s didn’t remember it.

Ty

The difference is based on what month your check-out date will be. If there is a corresponding date at the 11/7 month mark, then you use that date.

In your case you were checking-out on the 1st of the month. Every month has a 1st, so there is a corresponding date. So a checkout date of 10/1 has a corresponding date of 11/1.

It's when it happens the other way around, that there is no corresponding date to the checkout date. It only happens a few times a year. The best example is for reservations for the end of January. The 11 month window is the preceeding February. If you want to reserve Jan 30th, checking out on Jan 31st, then you would call on Feb 31st. But that's a non-existant date. The CM's will tell you to wait until March 1st to call. But March 1st is the corresponding date for February 1st, not January 31st. So they're making you wait longer, meaning you are past the corresponding date.

Thus they have published that in this case, you would call on Feb 28th to make the January 30th reservation (which has a January 31st checkout). Likewise you would call on Feb 28th to make a Jan 27th, Jan 28, or Jan 29th reservation, checking out on Jan 28th, 29th, 30th respectively.

I would love to get a reply from DVC, but my best guess is they wrote their computer systems different than what they published as to how things are suppose to work.