Help with reservation please! Walking?

[Elephantay]

Trying to book BC 2 br in June...dates starting the day after I can book ( 7 months) are available, but the date we can book, one day before, are not?
Think people are walking? If we book 2 days a week earlier, then there are two days not available, then they are....what do we do? Thanks!

 

[Chuck S]

Wait a day or two after your window opens, then try to book. Those doing daily walking would likely have moved on. But remember, that there still may not be availability for you entire trip, as a BCV owner may have taken them at the 11 month window for their own vacation. Walking only really works for a resort owner at their home resort at 11 months, otherwise you can still end up with unavailable dates. I always recommend booking your home resort at 11 months. If something else becomes available at 7 months, great, but if not, you still have a place to stay. Also, studios will be the toughest, if you can try for a 1 bedroom or larger unit, you may have better success.

 

[JETSDAD]

There might be walking going on but more than likely it is just getting booked up as the 7 month window hits. As @Chuck S mentions, if it is walking you could pick up days as they are dropped but I'm guessing it is just being booked up. There may only be 1 room available to start a reservation each day and it gets booked quickly.

 

[lovin'fl]

Walking is ineffective at 7 month window as owners can book at any time plus many days are unavailable so flipping a resie (walking) can't be done. Really only right at 11 months. For example, I am BWV owner and have been grabbing the days dropped by walkers for Oct (in stand view studios). I just look and see what days are open a few days into the 11 month window and grab 3-4 consecutive. Then I wait a few days and check again. I am aiming to get to around Halloween. But we are flexible empty nesters so I can take whatever I end up with (and actually DH doesn't want to go so we may cancel or rent). But there are random days missing so I cannot just walk/flip. I have to wait until days get dropped by the walkers. Like yesterday Oct 20, 21 and 22 were missing so I did Oct 17-20...then today I ws able to modify to Oct 18-22 as just Oct 22 was missing (I only want 3-4 nights anyway).

But my point is, by the time you get to 7 month window there will be random days missing so you cannot truly walk. Today you might be able to book June 22-26 but in a few days you may not be able to flip to June 26-30. As June 27 and 28 might be missing AND an owner can just book those dates now before that 7 month window opens. Maybe folks are doing what I am and just grabbing dates at 7 months but really wanting later dates but are flexible and just want to be sure to have something so they are grabbing and then later modifying if they can.

 

[Elephantay]

It has availability the day AFTER we can book every day - so today June 23+ is open. But yesterday, June 22+ was open....At this point we booked BL but would love BC, or even a split stay, and days are flexible but were just getting nothing on the actual booking day.
Thanks for trying to help!

 

[Elephantay]

Is there a way to see WHAT is available? I swear at one point I was able to see that there were 3 studios, or 4 1BR, lake view, etc...but can't find that now.

 

[Chuck S]

Is there a way to see WHAT is available? I swear at one point I was able to see that there were 3 studios, or 4 1BR, lake view, etc...but can't find that now.

No, to my knowledge there never has been. And as quickly as availability changes, it would probably be kind of pointless.

 

[lovin'fl]

Likely someone is walking it but really isn't effective. If you look ahead end of June to early July....are there random days missing? If so then they won't be able to flip it. Guessing the may be aiming for July 4th. I am going to go look at the RAT now. This has me curious.

 

[JETSDAD]

Walking is ineffective at 7 month window as owners can book at any time plus many days are unavailable so flipping a resie (walking) can't be done. Really only right at 11 months. For example, I am BWV owner and have been grabbing the days dropped by walkers for Oct (in stand view studios). I just look and see what days are open a few days into the 11 month window and grab 3-4 consecutive. Then I wait a few days and check again. I am aiming to get to around Halloween. But we are flexible empty nesters so I can take whatever I end up with (and actually DH doesn't want to go so we may cancel or rent). But there are random days missing so I cannot just walk/flip. I have to wait until days get dropped by the walkers. Like yesterday Oct 20, 21 and 22 were missing so I did Oct 17-20...then today I ws able to modify to Oct 18-22 as just Oct 22 was missing (I only want 3-4 nights anyway).

But my point is, by the time you get to 7 month window there will be random days missing so you cannot truly walk. Today you might be able to book June 22-26 but in a few days you may not be able to flip to June 26-30. As June 27 and 28 might be missing AND an owner can just book those dates now before that 7 month window opens. Maybe folks are doing what I am and just grabbing dates at 7 months but really wanting later dates but are flexible and just want to be sure to have something so they are grabbing and then later modifying if they can.

Walking can be effective at 7 months but not a guarantee. It does get you ahead of other non-owners so improves your odds. Most owners are not waiting until the last moment at 7 months (yes it happens but most will have already booked what they want by then).

 

[Pooh12863]

Is there a way to see WHAT is available? I swear at one point I was able to see that there were 3 studios, or 4 1BR, lake view, etc...but can't find that now.

If you check after midnight it will tell you what will be available at 8:00 am EST, but unfortunately not how many of each.

 

[Sandisw]

When you see the day gone exactly at 7 months, but everything else available, it is just telling you that others got a jump on you starting the vacation that day.

If you start seeing days open back up after it was unavailable into the 7 months, then walking could be happening. But, if yesterday was gone, and so is today, then it’s probably not walking but just others wanting what you want.

One thing to do is check back through the day to see if it opens up. If there are BCV owners who are trading out at 7 months, those rooms won’t show up until those owners switch. I have had that happen at VGF. Not available at 8 am but an hour later, it was.

 

[Sandisw]

Walking can be effective at 7 months but not a guarantee. It does get you ahead of other non-owners so improves your odds. Most owners are not waiting until the last moment at 7 months (yes it happens but most will have already booked what they want by then).

Possible, yes, but I watched VGF SV in June. Wanted it for the 21st for 4 nights. The last night was gone prior to the first week in June but all other nights were available prior to that so I booked, thinking maybe I should walk for 2 weeks to at least get 3 nights. About 5 days in, random nights disappeared and stopped the walk, including a few of what I wanted

So I canceled it and just hoped for the best, Oddly, the day I went to book, three of my four nights were available Again. Weird, but it made me realize that walking at 7 months, when I know my dates are fixed and not flexible, is more of a hassle then just waiting.

 

[Bullseye]

OP I tried to do the same thing for mid May (2BR at BC) and experienced the same thing. Every day the first couple days of the walk would be unavailable making the rest of them beyond the seventh month mark. This happened on a daily basis and I was on line the very second it opened. I finally gave up. Staying at my home resort instead.