I DESPISE DVC's Booking System!!!

[jelwallace]

The one problem with day by day calling is that you could get locked out of a day in the middle of your reservation. At least with the new system you know right away whether there is going to be a problem with your reservation or not (at least the first 7 days of it)

Question for the original poster: Since you couldn't get the first day of your reservation did they let you make the rest of the reservation or were you able to book the rest and then wait list the first day? Just curious.

Good luck with your reservation.

 

[SFD998]

Like a pp mentioned if you are not on a wl definitely put yourself on one. In addition I would call to see if the room you want is available as often as your schedule allows. I am on a wl for AKV CL. It started out for three days and by calling and checking I have twice found it available for single days. Now I am only waiting for a single day to come through. Wl are checked against availability at a certain time of day. People cancel all the time. If you call before the wl are checked you are in.

 

[JWG]

The one problem with day by day calling is that you could get locked out of a day in the middle of your reservation. At least with the new system you know right away whether there is going to be a problem with your reservation or not (at least the first 7 days of it)

Question for the original poster: Since you couldn't get the first day of your reservation did they let you make the rest of the reservation or were you able to book the rest and then wait list the first day? Just curious.

Good luck with your reservation.

We were not allowed to book the additional days at BWV for our needs. We couldn't get the 1st night and were told we'd have to call back the next day. We tried to book preferred view night 1 and then switch to standard view for 2-4 and couldn't. Had to call back the next day risking that it wouldn't be available either. That was even more frustrating. We wanted a reservation starting on the 19th, couldn't get what we wanted so were forced to wait to book the 20th-23rd. I'd have been happy if they'd just let us book the 19th in one view and change to a different view on the 20th, but since it was a separate booking category we weren't in the "11 month" window yet.

 

[jekjones1558]

We got tripped up by the new system last week also. Called right at 11 months for a GV and a 2 bedroom and a 1 bedroom and a studio. The GV was not available and MS told me the GVs were all booked until Oct 21. So I called yesterday and got all 4 rooms. But several in our party could not take off work for Friday thru Friday so I called again today and prayed that Saturday to Saturday would be available and all 4 rooms were. I am relieved.

 

[tomandrobin]

We got tripped up by the new system last week also. Called right at 11 months for a GV and a 2 bedroom and a 1 bedroom and a studio. The GV was not available and MS told me the GVs were all booked until Oct 21. So I called yesterday and got all 4 rooms. But several in our party could not take off work for Friday thru Friday so I called again today and prayed that Saturday to Saturday would be available and all 4 rooms were. I am relieved.

Congrats!

By the way, Love the pic with all seven dwarfs, My favorite. I have one from three years ago at the MNSSHP with all of the dwarfs and Snow White!

 

[DebbieB]

On a side note.....Online booking is coming. Hopefully reservations can be made more efficiently.

Don't hold your breath - they have been promising that for 10 years.

I think it would be even worse - people playing with the system on their own.

 

[castle1]

Like a pp mentioned if you are not on a wl definitely put yourself on one. In addition I would call to see if the room you want is available as often as your schedule allows. I am on a wl for AKV CL. It started out for three days and by calling and checking I have twice found it available for single days. Now I am only waiting for a single day to come through. Wl are checked against availability at a certain time of day. People cancel all the time. If you call before the wl are checked you are in.

Do you know what time of day the waitlists are checked?

 

[n2mm]

I agree with both arguments. The new system prevents daily calls to "add" days to a reservation, likely greatly reduces the call volume to Member Services and hopefully creates a better customer service environment.

That's not true or do I not understand what you're saying? I made a reservation on Nov. 16th for 7 nights (Oct. 16-22). On Nov. 17th I called and added a day, 10/23, then on Nov. 18th I called and added another day 10/24. I did this until I reached 10/29th checkout (today). Yes it was a pain in the butt, but I was trying to make a 13 night reservation for BWV-Studio-Standard and read THREE threads (I think yours was one) where BWV owners were shut out at the 11 month window for standard view. I called daily for 6 mornings because I knew if I had waited I would've missed out at the end and have to move -- it took 3 minutes as I often would watch to see how long it took. I too have called and was told that the view I wanted was not available. I also ask about the remainder of the week and had to wait until the next day to call and try to book. I don't mind moving on the first day and it's easier to book the remaining days and waitlist for the first day.

OP, I'm sorry to read that you didn't get your reservation. Out of curiousity, were you making a 7 day reservation or a shorter one. Last year I called and booked BLT for a standard view 2 bedroom for 4 nights and got it and now know I must've been lucky to get such a shorter reservation when so many others had at least a 3 day head start on me. I hope you waitlisted because many owners do move at their 7 month window.

I agree, there is no way walking could be prevented, but agree, a week wait would help. Booking 11 months out and not knowing what the airlines are going to offer would not be very fair. I'm sure most of us try to choose the best dates we can, but stuff happens and sometimes we have to make changes. Just recently I dropped a day from my May 2011 reservation. Airfare is much cheaper if I fly on Monday vs Sunday, so I dropped my first day and added a day to the end of that trip.

 

[Chuck S]

That's not true or do I not understand what you're saying? I made a reservation on Nov. 16th for 7 nights (Oct. 16-22). On Nov. 17th I called and added a day, 10/23, then on Nov. 18th I called and added another day 10/24. I did this until I reached 10/29th checkout (today). .

You didn't need to call day by day for the extension. Your room could not return to bookable inventory until Nov. 22, when a new reservation could be made for Oct. 22. You could have called on Nov. 21 and added October 23 to October 27, and then called once more to add Oct 28th and 29th.

 

[Granny]

Why would you KNOW someone is walking a reservation? The booking window now is for the end of October, Halloween week. Probably a pretty popular time for BLT with the Halloween parties and all. Plus Food & Wine, and BLT is connected to EPCOT by monorail.

You may not like the new booking system, but I wouldn't blame your inability to book on people waling a reservation into the future, they may truly be booking for themselves for those dates.

Chuck...that's possible, but the OP indicated that she tried to book the reservation exactly at the 11 month window. Not sure if she called right at 9:00 a.m. but in any event even with F&W I would be surprised to see those dates being completely booked only by people starting their vacation on that day.

I'm not a fan of the new system but whatever the rules are, we'll make them work for us.

 

[Chuck S]

Chuck...that's possible, but the OP indicated that she tried to book the reservation exactly at the 11 month window. Not sure if she called right at 9:00 a.m. but in any event even with F&W I would be surprised to see those dates being completely booked only by people starting their vacation on that day.

I'm not a fan of the new system but whatever the rules are, we'll make them work for us.

But they wouldn't necessarily be starting their reservation that day, many would have continuing reservations from a few days earlier, but not necessarily walking the reservation.

 

[Sammie]

You weren't competing with 300,000 members for dates

And that my friend in my opinion is the main problem.

 

[Halle]

Day by Day was the old system of calling, we liked it. It meant more work on our end, but we got our rooms.

The new system only benefits MS and large point owners. MS cause there is less work for them. Large point owners cause they can "walk" any reservation they want, as long as they have the points.

I am in total agreement. I wish they'd go back to the 'old' way of booking.

 

[nolanboys]

I don't know BLT well, but doesn't it only have a few standard rooms - kind of like AKV. Could that be part of the problem as well?

 

[dis-happy]

You're only missing the first day of your reservartion? Book what you can and waitlist the missing first days, the chances of them coming through are extremely, extremely high. I wouldn't be stressing about it at all.

 

[pmcpmc]

I don't know BLT well, but doesn't it only have a few standard rooms - kind of like AKV. Could that be part of the problem as well?

BLT - 0 Dedicated Studios - 0 Dedicated 1BR villas - 148 Dedicated 2BR villas - 133 Lockoffs - 14 Grand Villas = 295 Units / 428 Max. Available Rooms
from webmasterdocs stickey resources centre

SSR - 0 Dedicated Studios - 0 Dedicated 1Bdrm - 360 Dedicated 2Bdrm - 432 Lockoffs - 60 THV - 36 Grand Villas = 888 Units / 1320 Max. Available Rooms

 

[Granny]

But they wouldn't necessarily be starting their reservation that day, many would have continuing reservations from a few days earlier, but not necessarily walking the reservation.

I'm not really referring to walking reservations as being the issue.

I agree that many would have been continuing reservations from a few days eariler under the old system by calling day by day. But the number of people who did that compared to the number who now book any given day prior to that day's 11/7 month mark is tiny.

Like I said, it's not a big deal to me. But it will be interesting to see if MS ever suggests walking a reservation the way they used to suggest booking day by day.

 

[KerTggr]

You didn't need to call day by day for the extension. Your room could not return to bookable inventory until Nov. 22, when a new reservation could be made for Oct. 22. You could have called on Nov. 21 and added October 23 to October 27, and then called once more to add Oct 28th and 29th.

Interesting thread to say the least. As a new owner and a west-coaster, I never lived through and wouldn't like the day-by-day option, personally. That being said, we usually go during the less busy times of year since we don't have to worry about school schedules (we are currently DINKs) and stay @ our home resort (SSR) so we haven't run into any issues - yet.

However, I don't quite understand the above comment about rooms returning to bookable inventory a month later. Can someone explain this or point me to a thread on this?

 

[Chuck S]

Interesting thread to say the least. As a new owner and a west-coaster, I never lived through and wouldn't like the day-by-day option, personally. That being said, we usually go during the less busy times of year since we don't have to worry about school schedules (we are currently DINKs) and stay @ our home resort (SSR) so we haven't run into any issues - yet.

However, I don't quite understand the above comment about rooms returning to bookable inventory a month later. Can someone explain this or point me to a thread on this?

They aren't returned to bookable inventory a month later, they are returned to bookable inventory 11 months before check-in date. If someone calls Nov 1, 2010, and books a room October 1 to 7, 2011, that room can not be booked by anyone else until November 7, 2010. So if the person that called and booked on November 1st, 2010, wanted to extend the vacation to include October 7, 8 and 9, 2011, they could call on November 6, 2010, and be guaranteed to be able to extend the reservation. But new person calling wouldn't be able to book the room for October 7, 2011, until November 7, 2010.

 

[RobDoc]

Interesting thread to say the least. As a new owner and a west-coaster, I never lived through and wouldn't like the day-by-day option, personally. That being said, we usually go during the less busy times of year since we don't have to worry about school schedules (we are currently DINKs) and stay @ our home resort (SSR) so we haven't run into any issues - yet.

However, I don't quite understand the above comment about rooms returning to bookable inventory a month later. Can someone explain this or point me to a thread on this?

Basically, with the current policy allowing members to reserve a villa for their arrival date plus 6 more nights, that room cannot be reserved by anyone until the 7th day since it has already been commited to your reservation. I you have reserved a villa (at your Home Resort) 11 months ahead for October 16 - October 22 (10/23 departure) no one else has an opportunity to reserve that villa until November 23. As long as you call to add additional dates by November 22, you can extend the reservation without any competition.

On November 23, that specific villa returns to bookable inventory and is available to anyone calling on that date. Even though you (or even DVC) knows exactly which villa you will be staying in on October 16, 2011, you have a lock on a villa for those dates and no one else may reserve that villa so as long as you add more days to the reservation before November 23, you will be able to do so.