Member Services Breaking 11 Month Rule!

[wbl2745]

I have a reservation for a Grand Villa at the Grand Californian for June 15 and 16 and want to extend it to June 17. Since today is the 16th of July, the earliest anyone can book is for June 16, 2021. The only way for someone to be able to book the 17th is to have a reservation for the 16th today.

When I went to add the 17th to my existing reservation I found that it was booked! Who has it? The only way to have a reservation for the 17th today, is to have a reservation for the 16th, which I have.

Just spend a lot of time with Member Services and there is someone who has a reservation on the 17th without having a reservation on the 16th. I can't get any more information than that! This is breaking the 11 month rule.

I am super upset about this. Trying to get a Grand Villa at the Grand Californian is a nightmare, even though this is our home resort. By the way, the new DVC property being built by the Disneyland Hotel will also only have two Grand Villas.

 

[past_or]

Perhaps they booked June 16-17 (or longer) and then turned around and altered their original reservation to cancel out the 16th? This would be a form of walking in the reservation I believe.

 

[miTnosnhoJ]

Walking is not foolproof. They can take a unit out of service for refurbishment, planned maintenance, etc.

 

[Sandisw]

Unfortunately they can take room out of service and there is even some language in the contract that may allow them to take with their own points beyond 11 months.

This has happened before when something is gone and it doesn’t seem like it should be.

The frontline CMs can only tell you there is nothing available. They do not have access to who is booked in those nights so they really don’t know why it’s not there, no matter what they may have said.

 

[wbl2745]

Walking is not foolproof. They can take a unit out of service for refurbishment, planned maintenance, etc.

Interestingly they won't tell me why the room is out of service. I've been talking with a supervisor who called the Grand Californian. They won't say a word. If it were for refurbishment I think they would say so. I'm still guessing it is some executive of the Disneyland Resort or DVC who wants to throw a party. Who else can book a room beyond the 11 month window?

 

[drusba]

In the past this has also happened simply because the computer system has a glitch. I called a couple times in the past asking why and MS really had no idea, once giving the response that it must be reserved but not knowing how that could be, but the rooms opened upon again later in the afternoon or a day or two later.

However, several years ago, I suspected this happened because Disney was cheating. That also involved Grand Villas, when I saw that AKV Jambo Grand Villas were shown as full for the Wed to Fri of Thanksgiving week at 11 months out from the Monday, and Monday and Tuesday were still open. I sent emails to DVC, including mentioning that I would find it hard to believe DVC was designating the rooms for being out-of-service for repairs for the dates involved, but DVC never gave a real answer. At least with the AKV GV's that has not happened again since.

 

[Maistre Gracey]

Curious.... how far in advance can someone book a cash reservation for a DVC property?

 

[drusba]

Curious.... how far in advance can someone book a cash reservation for a DVC property?

The POS documents for the resorts provide that both members and Disney are subject to the 11-month reservation rule, which was another fact I pointed out to DVC when I asserted the Thanksgiving AKV GV reservations should not be there.

 

[lovin'fl]

Nvrmd

 

[wbl2745]

Curious.... how far in advance can someone book a cash reservation for a DVC property?

I think that the cash reservations are either for units that haven't been declared, such as at the Riviera, or are in the last 30 days. The 17th being gone should not be available for cash, unless, of course, it is someone with A LOT OF CASH.

 

[ChipNdale8887]

I have a reservation for a Grand Villa at the Grand Californian for June 15 and 16 and want to extend it to June 17. Since today is the 16th of July, the earliest anyone can book is for June 16, 2021. The only way for someone to be able to book the 17th is to have a reservation for the 16th today.

When I went to add the 17th to my existing reservation I found that it was booked! Who has it? The only way to have a reservation for the 17th today, is to have a reservation for the 16th, which I have.

Just spend a lot of time with Member Services and there is someone who has a reservation on the 17th without having a reservation on the 16th. I can't get any more information than that! This is breaking the 11 month rule.

I am super upset about this. Trying to get a Grand Villa at the Grand Californian is a nightmare, even though this is our home resort. By the way, the new DVC property being built by the Disneyland Hotel will also only have two Grand Villas.

Even though the earliest anyone can book a starting date is the 16th they can still book 6 days past the 16th. So for us we currently have June 16th and checking out June 23rd at copper creek. So there just could have been 7 or 10 more reservations that booked 5 nights in a row and booked up the 17. The 11 month out date is really 11 months + 6 days out you can book up too.

 

[SL6827]

Money talks.

 

[drusba]

Even though the earliest anyone can book a starting date is the 16th they can still book 6 days past the 16th. So for us we currently have June 16th and checking out June 23rd at copper creek. So there just could have been 7 or 10 more reservations that booked 5 nights in a row and booked up the 17. The 11 month out date is really 11 months + 6 days out you can book up too.

Yes, members can book rooms up to seven nights, but OP already had the nights of June 15 and 16 in a GV by reserving on July 15. Thus, no one else reserving on or before July 16 could possibly reserve the room he already has for any dates after June 16.

For example, VGC has two GVs. If two members reserved those on July 14 for a week beginning June 14, it would have been impossible for OP to get the GV for June 15 and 16. The GV he did reserve on July 15 for June 15 and 16 could not possibly be reserved by anyone else for dates after June 16 until July 17.

 

[ChipNdale8887]

Yes, members can book rooms up to seven nights, but OP already had the nights of June 15 and 16 in a GV by reserving on July 15. Thus, no one else reserving on before July 16 could possibly reserve the room he already has for any dates after June 16.

Is there only 1 GV?

 

[SL6827]

Sounds shady. Who you know I guess.

 

[drusba]

Is there only 1 GV?

VGC has two GVs. See post #11 here https://www.disboards.com/threads/the-disney-vacation-club-resorts.3655410/#post-58627477

 

[drusba]

Perhaps they booked June 16-17 (or longer) and then turned around and altered their original reservation to cancel out the 16th? This would be a form of walking in the reservation I believe.

That is actually not possible. You cannot modify a reservation to have only nights that are more than 11-months out. For example, someone with a June 15-22, 2021, reservation could today, on July 16, 2020, modify to drop the night of June 15 but could not drop the night of June 16 and and keep June 17 and after. Reserved date of arrival can never be more than 11-months out in any reservation.

 

[Alice Sr.]

In the past this has also happened simply because the computer system has a glitch. I called a couple times in the past asking why and MS really had no idea, once giving the response that it must be reserved but not knowing how that could be, but the rooms opened upon again later in the afternoon or a day or two later.

However, several years ago, I suspected this happened because Disney was cheating. That also involved Grand Villas, when I saw that AKV Jambo Grand Villas were shown as full for the Wed to Fri of Thanksgiving week at 11 months out from the Monday, and Monday and Tuesday were still open. I sent emails to DVC, including mentioning that I would find it hard to believe DVC was designating the rooms for being out-of-service for repairs for the dates involved, but DVC never gave a real answer. At least with the AKV GV's that has not happened again since.

I had a similar situation happen at AKL several years ago, I also thought someone was cheating the system. To add credence to my theory I was also locked out of booking one of the AK tours for our group (for that same resv time). I called in at the opening second and the CM could not get the system to take my resv, he was baffled also and made some calls but could not book it. I always assumed it was Disney's concierge service available to the rich and famous that was able to pre-book a second before the general public.

 

[DaveNan]

Same thing happened to me on a std studio at BWV. I had a room for 1 day past the 11 month booking window but 11 months and 2 days was unavailable. I never got an explanation from MS, and the CM I was talking to could not grasp that a unit had to be out of service or booked beyond 11 months. They kept saying that other members had already booked the rooms. No matter how many times I said "They can't have booked 11 months and 2 days unless they also had 11 months and 11 months and one day, and I have one of those rooms reserved. You must be taking a room out of service or booking rooms beyond 11 months" They just replied that other members must have already reserved the room before me.

 

[wbl2745]

I was online this morning (July 17) right at 8:00 AM EDT (6:00 AM MDT) to see if there was any change in the availability of the 17th so I could continue. Behold! The 17th was available and I booked it. I might actually get the Grand Villa for all the dates that I want. I've been a member owning at the Grand Californian since 2010. I've only been able to get a Grand Villa once. Albeit, if I were trying to get it for the middle of March there would be no problem, but June is very busy. April through June are already booking up for a Grand Villa.