Is this a No-No??

[MaggieMollyMom]

I had read, some time back, about booking your vakay ahead of your actual dates and then calling back everyday to change and move up the date by one day at a time until your ACTUAL first day is first (ie your actual day is Dec 19 but you start calling on the 12th and call back on the 13 to have that one be the first day and cancel the 12 etc etc.). Any thoughts? I am on the fence because it is technically within rules but sort of "morally" questionable! Or am I just over thinking it?!?

thanks!

 

[Corinne]

I have no idea if it's a "no-no" but it gives me a headache thinking about it! lol Seriously, that would stress me out, I would rather just call on the actual day and hope for the best. Good luck!

 

[Chuck S]

What you are talking about is referred to on our boards as "walking" a reservation. In truth,
with very rare exceptions, it is not necessary. The exceptions would include those units that are extremely hard to get, such as a concierge level at AKV, or the most popular resorts during the major holidays. Nor would it require calling each and every day, since you can book up to a week at a time, you can wait a few days between calls.

Overall, for a normal vacation, it is not necessary. And if MS sees a consistent pattern of people doing it and if they are blocking out a lot of members by doing so. expect the rules to be changed again.

 

[LSchrow]

it's called walking a reservation
eta: i must've been typing at the same time as, but a lot slower than, chuck
there can still be a problem with it however: what if one of the dates is unavailable? you would have to stop there, and wait until the 7th month date anyway.
if you borrowed points, and/or cannot change the dates of the vacation, you would wind up on the same waitlist anyway.

i know ppl do that during busy times, but still don't always get what they want....personally, i find it easier and less stress-inducing to just buy points at where i want to stay

 

[sleepydog25]

To reiterate Chuck's point, with few exceptions, there is little need to walk a reservation. I've even had success at getting a 1BR at VWL seven months out for the Christmas break (before I bought there! ) Further, as LSchrow mentions, what if you run into snags and wind up being in the same boat or worse? The wait list often comes through, and it is so much easier than stressing and making repeated calls. Best of all, that way, you won't have a moral dilemma. Good luck!

 

[BUDDYBEAR]

I DONT THINK I WOULD DO IT THAT WAY YOU CAN GET WHAT YOU WANT MOST OF THE TIME

 

[crisi]

Its also fairly useless at seven months anyway, since there is always the chance that even walking you are going to come across a booked night in the middle of your reservation from someone who had the priority window.

 

[DMKEDM]

There are people who find the idea of "walking" somehow "suspect" (I'm not one of them...personally, I think anything that's within the rules is perfectly acceptable)...I've only walked a reservation once (BCV at T-giving) and I had my (for me compelling) reasons.

I don't find it any more or less fair or unfair than the reality that some people have more points than other people, and the more points you have, the easier it is to manage the logistics of "walking;" or that some people have jobs that allow them to go online or get on the phone at 8 or 9 a.m. on the day a booking window opens and others don't--life's just like that.

To this day I don't know if I "had to" walk that reservation to be sure of getting what I wanted/needed...but I do know I had zero flexibility with regard to what I wanted/needed...so I felt entirely comfortable doing what I had to do (within the rules) to make sure I could in fact book what I needed...

But, it really isn't at all effective except at the very beginning of your 11-month window (and to avoid the risk of unavailability in the middle of your reservation, you do need to book each day as it comes within the 11-month window)...On day 1 of your 11-month window, a 7-day reservation that starts a week earlier than your day 1 should close to always work...there's no way anyone else could "beat you" except those people who want your exact start date and then only if the number of people who want exactly what you want exceed the number of villas in the resort...

So if your plans are dependent on the exact location, villa size and date, and if you have enough points to reserve the higher-cost nights (weekends/high-point seasons) involved in your reservation, it really should work...

The one big exception is for very small inventory choices--e.g., concierge at AKV...there are so very few of those that all it would take is one more than the number of villas available doing the walking...I think there are only 10 concierge villas? So, if there are 11 people walking a concierge villa reservation, if all of them plus one go online at 8 a.m. on the first day of each date's 11-month window opening, one of them will have to W/L (and hope one of the others changes plans!)...then I guess it becomes a function of which among the 11 types the most slowly, or has the slowest internet connection?

But for virtually all resorts, villas & dates, if you're willing to go online at exactly 8 a.m. on each day the 11-month window opens, walking really should work...

Good luck!

 

[MaggieMollyMom]

Thanks everyone....good advice from all...as usual

 

[VLee]

When walking a reservation at AKL Concierge, do you have to call back each day or just on the day BEFORE your departure date? I know they have very limited rooms, five 2 BRs, I believe.

 

[Chuck S]

When walking a reservation at AKL Concierge, do you have to call back each day or just on the day BEFORE your departure date? I know they have very limited rooms, five 2 BRs, I believe.

If you're talking about booking at exactly the 11 month window timeframe, you should not need to call back everyday, as the room can not be returned to DVC bookable inventory for anyone until 11 months before your departure date.

If you're trying to book at anytime after that, then all bets are off, and walking really has no advantages, as someone else may already have booked the room.

 

[mousefan1972]

I called on January 19th of this year to book a standard view 1 BR at BLT for Dec. 19th-26th. This was the day online booking started but I did not have the link until that evening. The CM at MS, who I spoke to right at 9 a.m., said the night of the 19th was not available. Huh. Ok. So I went online the next day at 8 a.m. and booked the 20th-27th. I then waitlisted the 19th. It came through 5 days later. So, I am certain someone walked a ressie, probably for NYE. As a result, I was initially denied the reservation I really wanted at the 11 month mark. While I was a bit peeved at the time, all's well that ends well.

 

[VLee]

If you're talking about booking at exactly the 11 month window timeframe, you should not need to call back everyday, as the room can not be returned to DVC bookable inventory for anyone until 11 months before your departure date.

If you're trying to book at anytime after that, then all bets are off, and walking really has no advantages, as someone else may already have booked the room.

Yes, I should have been more clear, I am referring to reservations made at the 11-month window. Thanks.

 

[Dean]

There are people who find the idea of "walking" somehow "suspect" (I'm not one of them...personally, I think anything that's within the rules is perfectly acceptable)...I've only walked a reservation once (BCV at T-giving) and I had my (for me compelling) reasons.

I don't find it any more or less fair or unfair than the reality that some people have more points than other people, and the more points you have, the easier it is to manage the logistics of "walking;" or that some people have jobs that allow them to go online or get on the phone at 8 or 9 a.m. on the day a booking window opens and others don't--life's just like that.

To this day I don't know if I "had to" walk that reservation to be sure of getting what I wanted/needed...but I do know I had zero flexibility with regard to what I wanted/needed...so I felt entirely comfortable doing what I had to do (within the rules) to make sure I could in fact book what I needed...

But, it really isn't at all effective except at the very beginning of your 11-month window (and to avoid the risk of unavailability in the middle of your reservation, you do need to book each day as it comes within the 11-month window)...On day 1 of your 11-month window, a 7-day reservation that starts a week earlier than your day 1 should close to always work...there's no way anyone else could "beat you" except those people who want your exact start date and then only if the number of people who want exactly what you want exceed the number of villas in the resort...

So if your plans are dependent on the exact location, villa size and date, and if you have enough points to reserve the higher-cost nights (weekends/high-point seasons) involved in your reservation, it really should work...

The one big exception is for very small inventory choices--e.g., concierge at AKV...there are so very few of those that all it would take is one more than the number of villas available doing the walking...I think there are only 10 concierge villas? So, if there are 11 people walking a concierge villa reservation, if all of them plus one go online at 8 a.m. on the first day of each date's 11-month window opening, one of them will have to W/L (and hope one of the others changes plans!)...then I guess it becomes a function of which among the 11 types the most slowly, or has the slowest internet connection?

But for virtually all resorts, villas & dates, if you're willing to go online at exactly 8 a.m. on each day the 11-month window opens, walking really should work...

Good luck!

As long as it's allowed, I have no problems the members using it. However, I feel that every change should be a cancelation and rebooking. This practice requires extra work on part of MS and therefor cost and gives an advantage to some members over others, unnecessarily so IMO.

 

[MsTessP]

I agonized about whether or not to "walk" for our Dec. 31st-Jan 3 BWV 2 bedroom ressie. I figured that it would certainly be completely booked before I would have a chance to reserve at 8 am on Jan 31st.

I logged on at 8 am (and I mean the "stroke" of 8 am EST) and was amazed to be able to reserve a 2 bdrm Boardwalk view with a check-in date of NYE!

I'm sure walking is still beneficial in some circumstances, but in my case it was not necessary.