I finally get why people walk reservations. Disappointed.

[thanxfornoticin]

They need to raise the cost of rooms in December and decrease it during the summer. Even the most difficult to book resorts usually have availability during the summer because nobody wants to deal with Florida heat but that is absolutely the reason why it should cost even less on the point charts.

I know what you're saying. I even agree with you to an extent, as we never travel to Disney during the summer heat - hate it. But we know so many people who only go during the summer, for various reasons - don't want to travel in potential bad weather, won't take the kids out of school, only time they get vacation. So even though you and I might not do it, there are a lot of folks traveling in the summer.

They've made points adjustments in the past. If travel patterns show it, they'll adjust again. I'm just not sure I see a significant difference in early December points coming.

 

[BrianLo]

VGF is going to be further exacerbated this year by the sheer bolus of savvy DVC members who added on this Fall. An extra heightened desire to stay at VGF with lots of non stripped contracts and in some cases prior year points. Though my magical beginnings promo probably helped reduce that.

As someone staying in that window, I’m not really eager for a rebalance. (Though everyone’s logic is sound). That option is already sort of available if you don’t luck out and snag a more expensive viewing category already.

 

[TinkB278]

After staying at vgf the second week of December this year, I’ll never do it again. The crowds at that hotel were so frustrating. Gaspararillas had hour waits for trying to put in mobile orders, the monorail always had lines, the busses were always crammed and after talking to those riding the bus with us, it turned out most weren’t staying at VGF but were going there to see the gingerbread house.

 

[AwfulWaffle]

I've been trying to get a standard studio at BLT. 4 days, 4 tries, 4 defeats. Just don't understand how people do it. I know it's a matter of nanoseconds, but boy someone has a fast computer.

Nah they have been walking them since November so they can log on anytime the following day and just move it up a day. All you can do is hope to pick up the scraps after the daily walking is done

 

[intamin]

I know what you're saying. I even agree with you to an extent, as we never travel to Disney during the summer heat - hate it. But we know so many people who only go during the summer, for various reasons - don't want to travel in potential bad weather, won't take the kids out of school, only time they get vacation. So even though you and I might not do it, there are a lot of folks traveling in the summer.

They've made points adjustments in the past. If travel patterns show it, they'll adjust again. I'm just not sure I see a significant difference in early December points coming.

Yeah I mean who knows, there's probably some reasoning by Disney that they'll get more breakage by keeping the point charts higher in the summer and as a result be able to sell more DVC rooms for cash. We probably are biased and really see it from the DVC owner perspective and if their goal was to make it so that every DVC owner uses 100% of their points they would increase the charts during December but I think have it as they currently do so that way they fill their low crowd times with DVC members.

 

[JETSDAD]

Nah they have been walking them since November so they can log on anytime the following day and just move it up a day. All you can do is hope to pick up the scraps after the daily walking is done

Rooms that are showing at 8AM and then immediately booked aren't walkers....that's just others being faster/luckier.

 

[intamin]

Rooms that are showing at 8AM and then immediately booked aren't walkers....that's just others being faster/luckier.

There's probably some people walking it and a few who are faster. The availability doesn't tell you how many rooms are up for grabs, just that there's at least 1. There could be 2 rooms available and 50 that have already been walked.

After staying at vgf the second week of December this year, I’ll never do it again. The crowds at that hotel were so frustrating. Gaspararillas had hour waits for trying to put in mobile orders, the monorail always had lines, the busses were always crammed and after talking to those riding the bus with us, it turned out most weren’t staying at VGF but were going there to see the gingerbread house.

Yeah it's insane at GF during the holidays. I get the appeal of the decorations but it's too accessible for MK crowds to stop by over there. I personally love staying at AK during the holidays. It was actually nice staying at BLT this past Christmas as well because hardly anybody was in there compared to the other monorail resorts and you could still go over to the other resorts whenever with a cheaper point chart.

 

[thanxfornoticin]

Rooms that are showing at 8AM and then immediately booked aren't walkers....that's just others being faster/luckier.

I know the conversation around this post is focused on 'walking'. But I expect you are mostly correct. I have no way to validate, but it seems most of the rooms go to the faster/luckier folks booking online. There are also likely a few folks walking some very specific rooms - but probably more the exception. Of course, with a post like this, more people will now be aware of the phenomenon called 'walking' - so we probably introduced more uncertainty into the booking equation!!

 

[tx911]

Nah they have been walking them since November so they can log on anytime the following day and just move it up a day. All you can do is hope to pick up the scraps after the daily walking is done

And that’s another difficulty with people walking. You no longer have a known day and time when reservations are going to be available. You’re at the mercy of when and whether someone walks their dates forward. It becomes a total crap shoot and you are dependent on stalking like crazy.

 

[tidefan]

We were lucky. We were at WDW when VGF went on sale to existing owners (2013 maybe?, and at $145/pt!) and we purchased over at the office at SSR. Two days later, they opened the booking window for owners (of which there weren't many at that time), so we were able to grab a Standard View Studio (now Deluxe Studio) over NYE that year.

Much different now...

 

[TCRAIG]

They need to raise the cost of rooms in December and decrease it during the summer. Even the most difficult to book resorts usually have availability during the summer because nobody wants to deal with Florida heat but that is absolutely the reason why it should cost even less on the point charts.

They did raise them a few years back - IIRC, December use to be in the cheapest points tier but has evolved to mid points now…Oct points have also gone up…offset by lowering summer and May points…which is why May in particular, has become a bit harder to book…
That said, I can see where the points chats may need another ‘realignment’…

 

[intamin]

They did raise them a few years back - IIRC, December use to be in the cheapest points tier but has evolved to mid points now…Oct points have also gone up…offset by lowering summer and May points…which is why May in particular, has become a bit harder to book…
That said, I can see where the points chats may need another ‘realignment’…

Yeah I know it was even worse before. Idk if anybody remembers that absurd VGF Grand Villa fixed week that was on sale awhile back but it was like 1300-1400 or something in that range for July, meaning the charts were like 1200 for a week in July. I think it's currently sitting at about 1,000 for the same week now so they've definitely dropped the price of summer for DVC but I think they need to do it even further.

 

[jo-jo]

Nah they have been walking them since November so they can log on anytime the following day and just move it up a day. All you can do is hope to pick up the scraps after the daily walking is done

But nothing shows up after. I've checked a few times (not 50 times) a day and see nothing the first few days. To my understanding I can't walked from Nov, because I have a Dec use year. I seem to remember some years back trying to book a 6 day trip crossing use years and got an error message.

 

[intamin]

But nothing shows up after. I've checked a few times (not 50 times) a day and see nothing the first few days. To my understanding I can't walked from Nov, because I have a Dec use year. I seem to remember some years back trying to book a 6 day trip crossing use years and got an error message.

Yeahh unfortunately a Dec UY is probably the worst one to have if you're trying to walk December just because I imagine these rooms have been walked for weeks if not months.

 

[TikiRob]

8:00am booking is harder than RotR virtual queue back in the day. You better have all your systems checked... if the room is even available.

 

[Philsfan77]

Rooms that are showing at 8AM and then immediately booked aren't walkers....that's just others being faster/luckier.

Bingo...Walkers already have the room, they aren't the reason it drops at 8AM, thats simply internet speed/faster fingers and maybe only 1-2 rooms left in that particular category at that time.

 

[Sandisw]

Yeah I mean who knows, there's probably some reasoning by Disney that they'll get more breakage by keeping the point charts higher in the summer and as a result be able to sell more DVC rooms for cash. We probably are biased and really see it from the DVC owner perspective and if their goal was to make it so that every DVC owner uses 100% of their points they would increase the charts during December but I think have it as they currently do so that way they fill their low crowd times with DVC members.

They have made changes over the past 5 years to shift points from early December to summer. They are limited to how much they can change each night from year to year.

And, they are only going to go so far in making the seasons different because they are still constrained by total.

The goal is to equal out demand as best as they can…but there is no way you are going to be able to make summer and early December have the same demand.

 

[grahf1234]

Bingo...Walkers already have the room, they aren't the reason it drops at 8AM, thats simply internet speed/faster fingers and maybe only 1-2 rooms left in that particular category at that time.

Used to blame those walkers (ahemm) when I was panicking as the 11-month december booking window was approaching, but when I looked at the room numbers open before and after people walk, what opens up after walkers pass is extremely limited in the room types/views I was interested in (3 rooms left at best, mostly 1s and 2s).
Maybe I'm mistaken, but would've assumed that more rooms would open up as walkers pass. To me this looks like genuine demand

 

[JackosinDIS]

Yeah I know it was even worse before. Idk if anybody remembers that absurd VGF Grand Villa fixed week that was on sale awhile back but it was like 1300-1400 or something in that range for July, meaning the charts were like 1200 for a week in July. I think it's currently sitting at about 1,000 for the same week now so they've definitely dropped the price of summer for DVC but I think they need to do it even further.

I wonder if that one ever sold?! It disappeared pretty quickly so maybe!

I would happily take a summer price drop! We only go May to August. Love that heat

 

[RichVIII]

Given the desire to visit during the holidays, even if they adjusted them, would that actually deter people from booking? Maybe? I am not switching to summer since the points got more expensive in Dec. lol