Home-Resort Reservations at Peak Times

[Popouri DVC]

Very sad this morning.

Got up to be online exactly at 8 a.m. so I could book my home resort for a stay over the New Year Holiday for 2021-2022.

I went through the entire process, encountering the usual bog-downs when Disney's IT system has a lot of traffic at a particular time. I selected my room, chose my contracts, entered my guest information, got to the final screen where I had to "agree to the DVC policies" and selected the green "Book this Reservation." and ended up at the Seven Dwarves. By the time I was able, more than five minutes later to log back in to the site, my dashboard does not show the booking. And of course, the room is now no longer available.

Owners, is this the new DVC reality? Home Resort owners cannot book for Peak Times without walking reservations?

If so, it is a sad reality.

 

[Sandisw]

Very sad this morning.

Got up to be online exactly at 8 a.m. so I could book my home resort for a stay over the New Year Holiday for 2021-2022.

I went through the entire process, encountering the usual bog-downs when Disney's IT system has a lot of traffic at a particular time. I selected my room, chose my contracts, entered my guest information, got to the final screen where I had to "agree to the DVC policies" and selected the green "Book this Reservation." and ended up at the Seven Dwarves. By the time I was able, more than five minutes later to log back in to the site, my dashboard does not show the booking. And of course, the room is now no longer available.

Owners, is this the new DVC reality? Home Resort owners cannot book for Peak Times without walking reservations?

If so, it is a sad reality.

I think it is a reality if it and for next year in particular you have people who may be choosing to book those higher peak times because they have extra points.

I am sorry that that the system crashed on you. It sounds like you would have been one of the lucky ones if it was there at 8 am and you got that far.

Just keep trying and put in the waitlist because if this is indeed walking and people are not intending to keep the room, then it will show back up.

But, it could also simply be too many owners wanted it.

 

[Popouri DVC]

Thanks Sandi,

I have never had much luck with the waitlist.

I also feel that walking reservations is poor behavior (my opinion), but once in the 50 years that I own my contract I would like to do a New Years stay.

I'm just sad about this reality and the fact that Disney's IT is so bad, I have a new MacBook Pro, so its not the speed of my computer.

Just came here to

 

[Sandisw]

The fact that you got it and got that far does seem to indicate that walking, even if being done, didn’t impact you. It was the crash of the system and I do think it happens more often than it should with Disney.

One thing I have noticed too is that sometimes, rooms will show up 20 minutes later when that happens to me. I snagged a room, got far, and it crashed. Went back and it was gone...this was not an 8 am scenario at 11 months either.

When I checked that short time later, it back and was able to book, It seems like the system had kept it as reserved from my initial attempt.

Good luck!

 

[_auroraborealis_]

I have a new MacBook Pro, so its not the speed of my computer.

Internet speed is more important here and doesn't rely on the hardware you are using to personally connect to the network.

 

[JETSDAD]

This isn't a walking issue but rather a Disney IT issue. Someone walking a room would already have the current date reserved prior to today in their +7. I've never really been one to worry about hurrying to complete the reservation with only the lead guest and then adding others later but that may be the safer route right now.

 

[bobbiwoz]

I got BLT yesterday, no walking. I am fine with Lake view.

 

[CarolMN]

New Year's Eve has been (and probably will continue to be ) the most difficult night of the year to book. It's especially hard if you want one of the less expensive booking categories or one of the vey limited specialty views such as concierge or Boardwalk, etc.

Keep trying & it can't hurt to waitlist. Good luck!

 

[Popouri DVC]

Internet speed is more important here and doesn't rely on the hardware you are using to personally connect to the network.

Have fast internet too, so that’s not it.

Its just frustrating to get all the way to the end and NOT get the room because Disney’s IT is inadequate.

THAT is the root of my frustration. I did everything right and didn’t get the reservation due to a combination of poor luck and Disney’s sub-par IT and reservation booking engine.

 

[4luv2cdisney]

What were you trying to book?

As others have said, set up a waitlist, always keep looking that first hour, and then stalk on your own, too. If you still don't have it by 7 mo, try again that morning as a lot of people try moving around.

It does suck, but is to be expected for certain rooms and times. Going forward, I imagine at resorts that offer fixed weeks, the holiday weeks will be nearly impossible for regular points owners.

 

[Popouri DVC]

New Year's Eve has been (and probably will continue to be ) the most difficult night of the year to book. It's especially hard if you want one of the less expensive booking categories or one of the vey limited specialty views such as concierge or Boardwalk, etc.

Keep trying & it can't hurt to waitlist. Good luck!

So how DOES one book home resort for NYE? Be lucky? I would have taken ANY room, except the Grand Villa; when I ”refreshed” availability at exactly 0800, at VGF, only the one bedroom was available. By the time I entered all of the information to complete the booking, experienced the system crash, kept getting 504 errors or Seven Dwarves for another five minutes or so, everything was gone.

If walking reservations is the only way, I either need to learn that skill or accept the fact that I might not be able to ever stay at my home resort on NYE.

 

[JETSDAD]

What were you trying to book?

As others have said, set up a waitlist, always keep looking that first hour, and then stalk on your own, too. If you still don't have it by 7 mo, try again that morning as a lot of people try moving around.

It does suck, but is to be expected for certain rooms and times. Going forward, I imagine at resorts that offer fixed weeks, the holiday weeks will be nearly impossible for regular points owners.

They cap the number of guaranteed weeks sold for any given week so there will always be availability for regular point owners.

 

[drusba]

So how DOES one book home resort for NYE? Be lucky? I would have taken ANY room, except the Grand Villa; when I ”refreshed” availability at exactly 0800, at VGF, only the one bedroom was available. By the time I entered all of the information to complete the booking, experienced the system crash, kept getting 504 errors or Seven Dwarves for another five minutes or so, everything was gone.

If walking reservations is the only way, I either need to learn that skill or accept the fact that I might not be able to ever stay at my home resort on NYE.

In normal years, the VGF risk of not being able to book at 11-months out for NYE time has historically been limited to the studios. This year, I am noticing more rooms than usual for some of the resorts disappearing right at 11-months out for NYE time in 2021, including all room sizes at VGF. Walking is likely not the issue. The problem may well be just one applicable to NYE time in 2021 and not years thereafter, resulting from large numbers having now banked points that were not used for cancelled reservations for NYE 2020 (and other times), and that VGF will be getting a refurb beginning sometime in 2021 and some rooms may be on the hold list for that in late 2021.

 

[_auroraborealis_]

There may very well have been only a few units due to people arriving earlier in the week, too.

 

[4luv2cdisney]

They cap the number of guaranteed weeks sold for any given week so there will always be availability for regular point owners.

At 35%. I understand they don't take them all, but that reduces availability significantly.

CCV has 78 studios. If they sell all the GW, you're competing for 1 of 50. Doesn't Riv have even less to begin with? I think you would be competing for 1 of 20 something over there.

I don't think anyone should count on booking those during the busiest weeks. Consider yourself lucky if you get one. Just like they tell everyone buying BWV not to expect a SV studio (and there are whopping 53 of them - lol). Obviously, some people get them.

 

[JETSDAD]

At 35%. I understand they don't take them all, but that reduces availability significantly.

CCV has 78 studios. If they sell all the GW, you're competing for 1 of 50. Doesn't Riv have even less to begin with? I think you would be competing for 1 of 20 something over there.

I don't think anyone should count on booking those during the busiest weeks. Consider yourself lucky if you get one. Just like they tell everyone buying BWV not to expect a SV studio (and there are whopping 53 of them - lol). Obviously, some people get them.

I'm used to playing the games for AKV Value & Club rooms so those numbers sound pretty good! lol

 

[Popouri DVC]

Might just not be at the top of the luck wheel right now. I've been a DVC member since 2014 (was one of the last group to buy VGF when that was the "new" resort). In our second year of ownership I was able to get a standard view studio in the first week of December, so maybe I used up my luck allotment for a few years.

I decided to go ahead and waitlist.... if it doesn't come through, I'll take a different vacation. There are never enough points!

They do need to fix their Information Technology though. Aside from my trouble with booking today, we just got home yesterday from a Festival of the Arts stay, and the Disney wifi was worse than ever. I should be able to stream video in my own damn room.

 

[bobbiwoz]

So how DOES one book home resort for NYE? Be lucky? I would have taken ANY room, except the Grand Villa; when I ”refreshed” availability at exactly 0800, at VGF, only the one bedroom was available. By the time I entered all of the information to complete the booking, experienced the system crash, kept getting 504 errors or Seven Dwarves for another five minutes or so, everything was gone.

If walking reservations is the only way, I either need to learn that skill or accept the fact that I might not be able to ever stay at my home resort on NYE.

VGF has been awful difficult to book this year, and there’s a thread about days being booked when they shouldn’t have been, It has been very frustrating for most owners trying to book December. I booked November, and feel lucky.

Here’s the thread about booking problems at VGF, and MS was not straightforward in their answers in my opinion.

https://www.disboards.com/threads/odd-booking-issue-with-vgf.3821964/

 

[TLPL]

The system crashed right around 8 am yesterday, but today it is working fine. But of course I wasn't fast enough and didn't get the room I am hoping for. Oh Well.

 

[bobbiwoz]

I was able to get a Standard studio at BWV for just NYE. We actually have a DCL cruise going out that day, this is just in case the cruise doesn’t go. No walking, very happy. If the cruise doesn’t go, I will be booking VB for following nights. That’s the closest thing to a cruise, OVIR at VB.