How far in advance can you search on the online tool?

[disprincess2213]

We are waiting to get our member number and were wondering...

After getting access to the online booking site, how far in advance can you search per hotel? Is it 11 months at the home resort and then 7 at others? Or can you seen availability for the next 11 months for all? Can you check room types and resorts multiple times a day to see if anything opens up? Just trying to get an idea of how it works and the ease of checking availability at the hotels!! THanks everyone!!!

 

[NedsTJ]

We are waiting to get our member number and were wondering...

After getting access to the online booking site, how far in advance can you search per hotel? Is it 11 months at the home resort and then 7 at others? Or can you seen availability for the next 11 months for all?

Yes, you can see availability for all resorts 11 months out. You just can't book until the 7 month mark for other than your home resort

Can you check room types and resorts multiple times a day to see if anything opens up? Just trying to get an idea of how it works and the ease of checking availability at the hotels!! THanks everyone!!!

Yes, It will give you a list of "best availability" and "limited availability", for all room types and resorts you have listed. It now also lists the points you'll use for that stay.

 

[disprincess2213]

Oh Cool!!! Will it tell you specific days or just 'limited availability'?

For example:

If I owned at VGF and wanted to stay at BLT May 8-13, I can check every day the resort, desired room type and it will tell me if it is available each day I want or not? I am asking because I will book my vacations based on whatever is available and what I can get!

If the desired resort and room type I want is available, I can book it as long as I am within 7 months and I have enough points (weather present, banked, or borrowed)?

 

[hakepb]

Oh Cool!!! Will it tell you specific days or just 'limited availability'?

For example:

If I owned at VGF and wanted to stay at BLT May 8-13, I can check every day the resort, desired room type and it will tell me if it is available each day I want or not? I am asking because I will book my vacations based on whatever is available and what I can get!

If the desired resort and room type I want is available, I can book it as long as I am within 7 months and I have enough points (weather present, banked, or borrowed)?

If you click on the room type, it will bring up a calander showing available dates for that specific room type.

In playing around, I've set check in as the 1st of a month and checkout as the 31st to see available dates.

And yes to your 2nd question, as soon as your booking window opens in the morning you can online book, or wait for the phones to open.

 

[drusba]

The tool allows you to search all (default position and that includes non-WDW resorts) or just chosen DVC resorts and room sizes for your chosen period in the future 11 months. When the search is done you then get a long list broken down by resort and room types and they will be shown as available, partial availability (previously called limited availability, indicating at least one night is missing), or no availability meaning the room size is full for all nights you want. The list also shows points required for each room for the period you have chosen.

For partial availability, to find out what nights are actually available and missing in the time you want, you have to click the applicable room size in the particular resort in the list. It will then take you to a calendar for the month you have chosen which shows days that room size is open and closed. The calendar actually shows all availability for that month and not just the time you requested.You can then also click to the prior month or subsequent one (but not beyond that) and get availability for that room in those months. To check the partial availability of another room size in the resort or a room in another resort, you need to close the calendar which then takes you back to the list at the top of the page. If the resort is down the page like near the end, you must then scroll down to it to choose another room. What can take a long period of time is checking what the actual partial availability is if you want to check multiple room sizes or multiple resorts simply because you can only check the calendar for one room size in one resort at a time.

 

[DebbieB]

I noticed they changed "limited availability" to "partial availability". They also added the points per night to the calendar.

 

[zavandor]

Nice improvements, however I'd like another easy thing: a checkbox with the option "All WDW resorts", so it would be quicker to search them all excluding others instead of clicking each one.

 

[Msmithmd]

Availability tool is the best thing that's happened to the site since we became members.

It allowed me to plan ahead and successfully grab a AKV concierge level room at seven months this morning. No way would I have even considered that a possibility, before the tool showed me that it was open last week, as I was browsing seven month switch options.

 

[wendybeth75]

How early can we start booking on the website? I noticed that MS doesn't open until 9 EST but I was able to use the site. Any ideas when they release inventory for that day? Do I need to be a midnight stalker like I am with FP+? LOL

 

[Msmithmd]

How early can we start booking on the website? I noticed that MS doesn't open until 9 EST but I was able to use the site. Any ideas when they release inventory for that day? Do I need to be a midnight stalker like I am with FP+? LOL

8am online.

 

[disneynutz]

Availability tool is the best thing that's happened to the site since we became members.

Goes to show you what they can do and that they have the ability. Of course we paid for the feature, I wonder what it cost?

Bill

 

[disBOBney]

Nice improvements, however I'd like another easy thing: a checkbox with the option "All WDW resorts", so it would be quicker to search them all excluding others instead of clicking each one.

You already have the availability to check all, DO NOT CHECK any of the boxes and it reports all DVC resorts and room categories.

 

[disprincess2213]

Thanks everyone!! If a resort says 'limited availability", does that mean that not all the days you requested are available?

For example, If I typed in January 1-5 for a studio at AKL, does it mean that maybe a studio is available on Jan 1-3 and the 5th but not the 4th? WIll it tell you that? And in that case, can you book the that room for Jan 1-3 and then search for availability at, say, OKW for the 4th and 5th and just do a split stay?

 

[disneynutz]

Thanks everyone!! If a resort says 'limited availability", does that mean that not all the days you requested are available?

For example, If I typed in January 1-5 for a studio at AKL, does it mean that maybe a studio is available on Jan 1-3 and the 5th but not the 4th? WIll it tell you that? And in that case, can you book the that room for Jan 1-3 and then search for availability at, say, OKW for the 4th and 5th and just do a split stay?

Correct, some of your requested days are not available. You can't book from the search tool, you need to book from the reservation section.

Bill

 

[wdrl]

Thanks everyone!! If a resort says 'limited availability", does that mean that not all the days you requested are available?

For example, If I typed in January 1-5 for a studio at AKL, does it mean that maybe a studio is available on Jan 1-3 and the 5th but not the 4th? WIll it tell you that? And in that case, can you book the that room for Jan 1-3 and then search for availability at, say, OKW for the 4th and 5th and just do a split stay?

Yes, the Availability Tool will display specific day by day information. It actually will give you information for more days than you request. For example, if you ask for an AKV savanna view studio for January 1-5, it will display availability for that accommodation type for ALL of January, and possibly for December and February as well.

Keep in mind that when the Tool says "Partial Availability" you still need to click on the link to actually display the calendar that displays the days. Many people seem to forget to do that extra step.