New policy for reservations based on check IN date

[Simba's Mom]

I still don't totally understand the waitlist situation. I know I can't waitlist day-by-day at one resort. However, what about this scenario? Suppose neither BCV nor BWV is available when I want to go, so I book OKW for my entire trip (say it's 6 nights). But I don't mind changing resorts and I REALLY want the Epcot resorts area (maybe it's F&G time). In the past I've waitlisted for BWV for the 6 nights, BCV for the 6 nights, and BWV-3nights/BCV-3 nights (come to think of it, that was 2 waitlists-BWV/then BCV; BCV, then BWV). If this makes any sense to anyone, now can I only waitlist at one resort for the entire time? No split waitlists?

 

[SuzanneSLO]

Example: OKW has, I believe, 16 GV's. If 16 people start this process for booking at a popular time a week before they actually want it, THEN the call to book day #8 (and cancel day #1) would be limited to those 16 people with "rolling" reservations AND anyone who is trying to book your day #8 as their day #1. You still must be on the phone at 9am!

Using your example, on Day 2 all 16 rooms are already booked. Member A has one of those reservations.

Member X calls at 9 AM on Day 2 and wants to arrive that day in GV and book days 2-8, but there he cannot make the reservation becuase Day 2 is already fully booked. Member X should be able to WL for Day 2 but not for any other day.

When Day 2 is not available, the only way to book Day 8 is to already have a reservation for days 1-7. Numerous members have already done the Day 8 booking on Day 2 since this change happened last Friday.

This is key: on Day 2, the entire universe of members who can book Day 8 is those 16 members with the existing reservations and those 16 members are competing for 16 rooms!

Because Member A has a reservation already, Member A can book Day 8, Member A now has Day 1-8. Member A can also cancel Day 1 if he would like and then have Day 2-8.

So Member A has exactly the reservation that Member X wanted. Member X was shut out becuase Member A started the reservation the day before.

This is how you "walk" a reservation and why starting your reservation on a day when you don't have to WL is so important. -- Suzanne

 

[danielle782001]

In theory you can start this procession months out, but why? The trick is to identify what the earliest key dates of your vacation you want are? NYE eve and NY day? Christmas Eve and Christams day? Whichever day comes earliest go seven days ahead of that date and book a seven day stay with the last day of that booking the FIRST date you MUST have...then start the "rolling" or "walking" reservation. Doing this "cancel day 1/add day 8" weeks or months out it alot of work for nothing...unless, of course, EVERYONE is doing the exact same thing for the same dates for the same room type for the same resort. Start the "walking" reservation seven days out and you will be fine--as long as DVC allows us to cancel day 1/add day 8, then cancel day 2, add day 9, etc. without any restriction or penalty--which is yet to be seen.

This explanation makes things more clear...But I still have one question...

Are we dropping day 1 and adding day 8 on day 2 and so on? I agree starting a week early makes sense...

But it is like doing day-to-day booking all over again

 

[mom3sonstt]

How do you figure that? I can only book 7 nights to begin with. I can't touch night 8 until 11 months from that day. Many other people can book the same room catagory from 1-6 days ahead of that, so there is no guarantee "my" room will still be availble then.

But nobody else can touch it either on the 8th night. You are in it on the 7th night - so if their ressie starts before yours ends they are not going to be in the room with you so they can't get "your" room on the 8th. The only people who can get your room on the 8th are people arriving on the 8th. If they arrive before the 8th they are in a different room.

 

[farmergirl]

Using your example, on Day 2 all 16 rooms are already booked. Member A has one of those reservations.

Member X calls at 9 AM on Day 2 and wants to arrive that day in GV and book days 2-8, but there he cannot make the reservation becuase Day 2 is already fully booked. Member X should be able to WL for Day 2 but not for any other day.

When Day 2 is not available, the only way to book Day 8 is to already have a reservation for days 1-7. Numerous members have already done the Day 8 booking on Day 2 since this change happened last Friday.

This is key: on Day 2, the entire universe of members who can book Day 8 is those 16 members with the existing reservations and those 16 members are competing for 16 rooms!

Because Member A has a reservation already, Member A can book Day 8, Member A now has Day 1-8. Member A can also cancel Day 1 if he would like and then have Day 2-8.

So Member A has exactly the reservation that Member X wanted. Member X was shut out becuase Member A started the reservation the day before.

This is how you "walk" a reservation and why starting your reservation on a day when you don't have to WL is so important. -- Suzanne

.....

 

[snackyx]

Example: OKW has, I believe, 16 GV's. If 16 people start this process for booking at a popular time a week before they actually want it, THEN the call to book day #8 (and cancel day #1) would be limited to those 16 people with "rolling" reservations AND anyone who is trying to book your day #8 as their day #1. You still must be on the phone at 9am!

In the interest of accuracy, I am quoting myself to show the error of my ways, thanks to others who did make this clear:

You are NOT competing with anyone who is trying to book your day #8 as their day #1 because, and this is the money shot: THEIR DAY #1 (YOUR DAY #8) CANNOT BE BOOKED FOR ANOTHER WEEK. Remember--your day #8 is at the end of your reservation and the system now starts on the beginning of your vacation.

So, you want New Years Eve in a GV at AK? Call member services now--today (if you have enough points) and book it for a week. Then call tomorrow and cancel day #1 and add day #8, repeat every morning at 9am until December 24 and you will be set! Have a nice vacation.

I have a headache.

 

[jdg345]

Does anyone think this will be a problem for booking say a savanna view in slower times like the beginning of November? Or even possible to get concierge? I know everyone seems to be mentioning busy times being a problem but what do ypu all predict for slower times if there really are any slow times anymore.

CL is going to be tough almost always, imo, as there are only (6) Total Rooms, I believe. There's a thread somewhere around here that has the breakdown.

 

[jdg345]

But ... if you can do a "rolling reservation" the people whose "Day 1" is your "Day 8" can't book that for another week. Let's take 12/24 - 12/30 for example as days 1-7 and 12/31 for day 8 ..

2/24: book "Day 1 - Day 7" 12/24 - 12/30.
2/25: cancel "Day 1" 12/24 and add "Day 8" 12/31

The person who really wants 12/31 as the start of their vacation can't book until 3/1. The only people you are competing with on 2/25 are people who already have 12/30 booked in the same category you do!

*EXACTLY* So your chances of locking up Day-8 are really pretty good.

 

[mom3sonstt]

Wow - I never knew what I was missing by not being here at DIS. I didn't know I was supposed to try to work the system and beat everyone else out of the rooms I wanted. I just planned, scheduled, and took vacations not realizing there was a contest or that the rooms were a prize. I think I will probably continue on that way.

 

[jdg345]

I still don't totally understand the waitlist situation. I know I can't waitlist day-by-day at one resort. However, what about this scenario? Suppose neither BCV nor BWV is available when I want to go, so I book OKW for my entire trip (say it's 6 nights). But I don't mind changing resorts and I REALLY want the Epcot resorts area (maybe it's F&G time). In the past I've waitlisted for BWV for the 6 nights, BCV for the 6 nights, and BWV-3nights/BCV-3 nights (come to think of it, that was 2 waitlists-BWV/then BCV; BCV, then BWV). If this makes any sense to anyone, now can I only waitlist at one resort for the entire time? No split waitlists?

I believe you can still do a split, but the whole period has to be inside 11/7 Months.

So, you can:

WL for BWV 6 nights and BCV 6 nights, but if one of these triggers, the other will automatically cancel.

WL for BWV-3 + BCV-3, as they are separate resorts.

But, keep in mind, as soon as one triggers, it'll cancel any other WL's matching the same dates/category, so if only one half of the 3+3 triggers, it *might* clip the 6 night WL's too as they overlap.

 

[waltfan1957]

I agree. The DIS DVC boards are busy with Disney/DVC fanatics, and may not be representative of DVC members as a whole.

I think the average DVC member will greet this new change with appreciation.

Hi Mike we consider ourselves average dvc members, we live in the uk like to come for xmas and new year 16-17 nights and have done so for the past 5 years, how do you propose we could book this now, we don't appreciate this at all

 

[jdg345]

This explanation makes things more clear...But I still have one question...

Are we dropping day 1 and adding day 8 on day 2 and so on? I agree starting a week early makes sense...

Yup, it sounds like you've got it. You can drop Day-1 and add Day-8 to walk, or keep Day-1 and Add Day-8 if you want to extend. Something to think about: If you think starting a week earlier makes sense, and everyone agrees with you, don't you now need to start 8 days earlier to make sure you get ahead of them?

But it is like doing day-to-day booking all over again

Ironic, isn't it? Plus, if you start booking a day or two before then, as above, going 8, 9, 10, etc days ahead ... then you're even generating more call volume!

 

[jdg345]

Hi Mike. I was actually the poster who brought up the dramatic increase in membership (according to DVC promo DVDs I've seen since I bought, we've gone from 100,000+ members to 300,000+ members in somewhere between 3-4 years at most). Regardless of the precise count, that's a staggering growth in members!

Yes, we DIS board posters do make up for a very small minority of the total DVC membership. This booking policy change will help the majority of DVC'ers. I even wrote a letter to the DVC Member Satisfaction Team praising them for this change and advising them of several ways they can close the "walking reservation" loophole strategy this being discussed as a workaround to defeat this new policy. MS needs to spend a lot of time/training/staffing/money to keep up their call center with this increase in membership - and we all benefit from not having their telephones tied up with increasing numbers of day-by-day bookers.

Just curious, but what were your recommendations here? I'm curious to see if/how those additional changes would perhaps negatively affect other members.

 

[Simba's Mom]

I believe you can still do a split, but the whole period has to be inside 11/7 Months.

So, you can:

WL for BWV 6 nights and BCV 6 nights, but if one of these triggers, the other will automatically cancel.

WL for BWV-3 + BCV-3, as they are separate resorts.

But, keep in mind, as soon as one triggers, it'll cancel any other WL's matching the same dates/category, so if only one half of the 3+3 triggers, it *might* clip the 6 night WL's too as they overlap.

Thanks so much for the explanation.

 

[jdg345]

Wow - I never knew what I was missing by not being here at DIS. I didn't know I was supposed to try to work the system and beat everyone else out of the rooms I wanted. I just planned, scheduled, and took vacations not realizing there was a contest or that the rooms were a prize. I think I will probably continue on that way.

And this is exactly why just keeping DBD as it was would have been an easier solution. Of course, it's most important for certain room types at certain times.

Oh, and something for everyone to consider ... how hard is it going to be for spec renters to get several weeks altogether now over Christmas and NYE under the new system? These folks have the most incentive to book earlier and walk the ressie, don't they? If they start early enough, they can pretty much guarantee anything and everything they want.

 

[LadyKay]

I usually handle change well. However, this one has left me feeling powerless when it comes to booking exactly what I want out of my DVC membership. Our future travel dates are left up to fate. We are booked 6 night @ AKV 2 bdrm Concierge and then moving over to BCV 2 bdrm (Queen in 2nd rm) for another 6 nights at the beginning of March. Can't help but feel this trip will be one of its kind . We purchased points at AKV due to the fact that they offer concierge service. I am opposed to the new changes.

 

[snackyx]

Wow - I never knew what I was missing by not being here at DIS. I didn't know I was supposed to try to work the system and beat everyone else out of the rooms I wanted. I just planned, scheduled, and took vacations not realizing there was a contest or that the rooms were a prize. I think I will probably continue on that way.

You, like the vast majority of DVC members, will most likely not be impacted by this change. If you are booking a limited room type at a very high volume time it will require some planning. Of course, the issue of mid-week arrival vs. those who arrive on the weekend could be another matter.

 

[danielle782001]

Yup, it sounds like you've got it. You can drop Day-1 and add Day-8 to walk, or keep Day-1 and Add Day-8 if you want to extend. Something to think about: If you think starting a week earlier makes sense, and everyone agrees with you, don't you now need to start 8 days earlier to make sure you get ahead of them?



Ironic, isn't it? Plus, if you start booking a day or two before then, as above, going 8, 9, 10, etc days ahead ... then you're even generating more call volume!

Thank you very much for helping me understand

I believe you can still do a split, but the whole period has to be inside 11/7 Months.

So, you can:

WL for BWV 6 nights and BCV 6 nights, but if one of these triggers, the other will automatically cancel.

WL for BWV-3 + BCV-3, as they are separate resorts.

But, keep in mind, as soon as one triggers, it'll cancel any other WL's matching the same dates/category, so if only one half of the 3+3 triggers, it *might* clip the 6 night WL's too as they overlap.

Okay, this is like advanced calc...I don't get what you are saying...

If you want to do a split stay, is it treated as two different check-in dates...In other words if you want to stay at WL for three nights, do you call from the day of that check-in then call back in three days to add the three additional nights at BWV on the day of that check-in...OR can you do it all at once?

Sorry...I feel so stupid...I actually have to Masters degrees and I am not getting this new policy..Call it "Mommy Stupids", just to make me feel better

 

[LisaS]

If you want to do a split stay, is it treated as two different check-in dates...In other words if you want to stay at WL for three nights, do you call from the day of that check-in then call back in three days to add the three additional nights at BWV on the day of that check-in...OR can you do it all at once?

A split stay is two separate reservations. You can book each one starting 11/7 months prior to your check in date for that reservation. So in your example you would call to book your 3 nights at VWL and then 3 days later you would call to book your BWV stay. If it wasn't a busy time of year you could call when booking opened for your BWV stay and book both at once.

 

[castleri]

Thank you very much for helping me understand



Okay, this is like advanced calc...I don't get what you are saying...

If you want to do a split stay, is it treated as two different check-in dates...In other words if you want to stay at WL for three nights, do you call from the day of that check-in then call back in three days to add the three additional nights at BWV on the day of that check-in...OR can you do it all at once?

Sorry...I feel so stupid...I actually have to Masters degrees and I am not getting this new policy..Call it "Mommy Stupids", just to make me feel better

Yes this is how it would work. It worked the same before in that each is a separate reservation as they are at different resorts. You could always call at the second three day mark and make both reservations at once if it is a period that might not be heavily booked.