New policy for reservations based on check IN date

[jdg345]

That would be my guess since the legal audit ending Dec, 2007 listed just over 110K members. Quote from the II exchange audit.
2007 should be available this week.

Fully paid though is probably a subset ... I would imagine a good number of folks financed and are still paying down.

I guess it's easy to make the numbers say whatever they want ...

 

[jarestel]

jarestel:

When I bought I clearly understood and was advised on how I would have to book reservations day by day for busy periods. I also clearly understood that members do not have access to inventory prior to 11/7 months. Under the new system members now do have access to inventory prior to 11/7 months over other members and that is the issue and problem for certain members who travel during busy travel periods.

But you're assuming that you will never again be able to book your desired resort during high demand periods. That just hasn't been proven yet. As I said, give the new system a fair shot before arbitrarily deciding that it sucks. You may be pleasantly surprised.

 

[jeankeri]

But you're assuming that you will never again be able to book your desired resort during high demand periods. That just hasn't been proven yet. As I said, give the new system a fair shot before arbitrarily deciding that it sucks. You may be pleasantly surprised.

Well, since I'm sure we're stuck with this until next year's holiday reservation window comes and goes, I will join you jarestel in your optimism. (but, I really, really, really don't like it, I really don't.....

 

[Dean]

Fully paid though is probably a subset ... I would imagine a good number of folks financed and are still paying down.

I guess it's easy to make the numbers say whatever they want ...

DVC gets their money from who it's financed with so it would not leave out those financing.

 

[bookwormde]

Jdg345

I would guess that they consider people, who have paid with a financing plan “fully paid”, typically the financing company is a separate (wholly owed) entity which pays the parent company in full and then collects from the financing individual

I think that those who are in the process of purchasing and have only paid a down payment would not.

bookwormde

 

[maminnie]

jarestel and jeankeri:

I can appreciate your optimism and as I have said I truly hope that I am wrong. I do know that for many years I have been making reservations under the old system and it was hard enough to deal with. In my opinion the new system clearly has issues that are going to make it even more difficult for those that travel during busy weeks and have multiple contracts/resorts. Everyone can certainly have their own opinions. I generally am a very optimistic person but I just don't have a good feeling about this one based on my personal experiences booking reservations.

Enough said, good luck to all. It will certainly be interesting.

Once again Happy 4th to all. Reading and responding has given me something to do today as I have been home with an ill child rather then at a holiday party.

maminnie

 

[simzac]

I too am one who is optimistically hoping the new system works the way DVC intends for it to do so. Change is something most people do not like, especially a major change such as this. This thread has shown how people will go out of their way to figure out why something won't work instead of spending the time to see if it will. I can't forecast the future and no one else here can either. Only time will tell if this was a monumental blunder by DVC or a brilliant move. I for one will give the new system a chance. Hope others will do the same. Happy 4th of July everyone.

 

[bookwormde]

I guess it is not in my nature to accept what are obvious inequities and wait for them to directly affect me before offering improvements. It is clear that short stay people and people trying to book a “special” day will be at a disadvantage to 1 week stay members if they do not walk their reservations under the new system.

With that said the reservations that have a moderate or high potential to be effected by these inequities is probably only about 10% of the total reservations (until BLT comes on line then for a short time it may jump to 20%)

The new rules already have had an impact on me in that I was very excited about buying into BLT for a few points to take my chances at a special day reservation. That is no longer worth doing with the obvious severe decreases in the percentage chance of getting the reservation I want.

bookwormde

 

[simzac]

I didn't get into this thread until post #1727. Just wanted to read and absorb as much info as possible before responding. I feel the real problems lie here on the DIS boards. In the past, new and existing members were constantly reading that they had to book DBD any time to get what they wanted. And lo and behold, it's happened again with this thread. Everyone who is against the new system is convinced that they will have to "walk" their reservations to get what they want when no one has any proof of that yet. What's going to happen, everyone will walk a ressie even though they don't need to. Nothing gained, still lots of calls being made for no reason at all. My thoughts are that if members continue to book as they have in the past, nothing should change as far as availability, most will get what they want. Some will be left out, but that happened with the old system too, just a fact with so many members. Everyone needs to step back, take a deep breath, and wait and see if it works. If it does, less phone calls could lead up to savings on our dues. And if it doesn't, DVC can always go back to the old system or try something else. JMO

 

[MagicalPins]

Whether your guide mentioned it or not, if you read your paperwork you would know that the ability to make reservations is always based on availability. If you assumed that DVC would never change, that was your bad. However, reservations are still based on availability. To somehow blame DVC because you made assumptions in perpetuity that just weren't accurate seems like trying to shift the blame for not understanding what you were buying from yourself to DVC.

I'm sorry, I haven't read every word of my contract and memorized it. I'm sorry for assuming that when they tell me the booking window starts on X day, if I call right when they open, I expect to have all their inventory available to me (except for what else might have been booked that same day). It is possible for a room not even to be available when the booking window opens.

How can someone be based on availability if it was never available when they said I could start booking?

 

[AKV707]

I didn't get into this thread until post #1727. Just wanted to read and absorb as much info as possible before responding. I feel the real problems lie here on the DIS boards. In the past, new and existing members were constantly reading that they had to book DBD any time to get what they wanted. And lo and behold, it's happened again with this thread. Everyone who is against the new system is convinced that they will have to "walk" their reservations to get what they want when no one has any proof of that yet. What's going to happen, everyone will walk a ressie even though they don't need to. Nothing gained, still lots of calls being made for no reason at all. My thoughts are that if members continue to book as they have in the past, nothing should change as far as availability, most will get what they want. Some will be left out, but that happened with the old system too, just a fact with so many members. Everyone needs to step back, take a deep breath, and wait and see if it works. If it does, less phone calls could lead up to savings on our dues. And if it doesn't, DVC can always go back to the old system or try something else. JMO

Well spoken.

 

[jdg345]

DVC gets their money from who it's financed with so it would not leave out those financing.

I thought Disney financed these purchases themselves. I didn't think they used an external third party?

 

[jdg345]

jarestel and jeankeri:

I can appreciate your optimism and as I have said I truly hope that I am wrong. I do know that for many years I have been making reservations under the old system and it was hard enough to deal with. In my opinion the new system clearly has issues that are going to make it even more difficult for those that travel during busy weeks and have multiple contracts/resorts. Everyone can certainly have their own opinions. I generally am a very optimistic person but I just don't have a good feeling about this one based on my personal experiences booking reservations.

Enough said, good luck to all. It will certainly be interesting.

Once again Happy 4th to all. Reading and responding has given me something to do today as I have been home with an ill child rather then at a holiday party.

maminnie

Here's some pixiedust for the little one! I hope s/he gets better quickly!

 

[jdg345]

I didn't get into this thread until post #1727. Just wanted to read and absorb as much info as possible before responding. I feel the real problems lie here on the DIS boards. In the past, new and existing members were constantly reading that they had to book DBD any time to get what they wanted. And lo and behold, it's happened again with this thread. Everyone who is against the new system is convinced that they will have to "walk" their reservations to get what they want when no one has any proof of that yet. What's going to happen, everyone will walk a ressie even though they don't need to. Nothing gained, still lots of calls being made for no reason at all. My thoughts are that if members continue to book as they have in the past, nothing should change as far as availability, most will get what they want. Some will be left out, but that happened with the old system too, just a fact with so many members. Everyone needs to step back, take a deep breath, and wait and see if it works. If it does, less phone calls could lead up to savings on our dues. And if it doesn't, DVC can always go back to the old system or try something else. JMO

I'm more inclined to think they'll just make more money on them, rather than lessen them.

 

[WDWguru]

I frankly don't see a difference at all. As it is you either get up early or go to bed late, and that wont change with online booking. Just WHO does which will change.

My point exactly.

 

[bookwormde]

Simzac

I have spent a lot of experience making statistical predictions with a high success rate, so I have a lot of confidence in my conclusions.

While for the group of members booking length (short or special day) of stay and time/size/service classes (which have typically fully filled in the first day or 2 of the booking window) I outlined may not always be affected it clear that they will likely be affected within 1,2 or 3 attempts with the chances of not being affected growing exponentially.

When things are statistically this obvious they have quite real consequence even if they have not yet happened.

For those making reservations 7 days or longer their odds have gone up proportionally to the loss of ability of the members I specified, so for them wait and see is an easy thing to do.

bookwormde

 

[simzac]

Simzac

I have spent a lot of experience making statistical predictions with a high success rate, so I have a lot of confidence in my conclusions.

While for the group of members booking length (short or special day) of stay and time/size/service classes (which have typically fully filled in the first day or 2 of the booking window) I outlined may not always be affected it clear that they will likely be affected within 1,2 or 3 attempts with the chances of not being affected growing exponentially.

When things are statistically this obvious they have quite real consequence even if they have not yet happened.

For those making reservations 7 days or longer their odds have gone up proportionally to the loss of ability of the members I specified, so for them wait and see is an easy thing to do.

bookwormde

And I'm not saying that your wrong and I'm right, just that the panic I see in this thread is over something that hasn't happened yet, and may not happen at all.

 

[squirrlygirl]

Do rule changes such as this one have to be filed with the county/state and mailed to the members? Or does this not work anything like a condo assocation would?

As someone that firmly believes that a person that started their vacation 3 days before me has more right to an inventoried room than I do, I feel the new rules righted a problem. For someone else to move in the middle of their vacation because I had a faster finger seems wrong. For them to move in the middle of their vacation, possibly making someone else move in the middle of their vacation, which made someone else move in the middle of their vacation, which made someone else stay at SSR in the middle of their vacation just seems completely wrong. Makes much more sense to let everyone have their vacation, and the person at SSR can be happy and enjoy it (like me ) or waitlist for another resort. Think of all the mousekeeping being used when people resort jump due to room-sniping!

I also really think that the number of rooms in inventory will not change due to the booking change . The same number of people will find availability in the same number of rooms. And Jane Jumpingbean, who for the past 3 years booked DBD to get her special room and STILL ended up missing a night might not have to move on day 5 of her holiday reservation for once.

 

[simzac]

Thanks squirrlygirl, a very well thought out post. I believe that DVC had your thoughts in mind when they changed the reservation policy. Only time will tell.

 

[Starr W.]

Do rule changes such as this one have to be filed with the county/state and mailed to the members? Or does this not work anything like a condo assocation would?

As someone that firmly believes that a person that started their vacation 3 days before me has more right to an inventoried room than I do, I feel the new rules righted a problem. For someone else to move in the middle of their vacation because I had a faster finger seems wrong. For them to move in the middle of their vacation, possibly making someone else move in the middle of their vacation, which made someone else move in the middle of their vacation, which made someone else stay at SSR in the middle of their vacation just seems completely wrong. Makes much more sense to let everyone have their vacation, and the person at SSR can be happy and enjoy it (like me ) or waitlist for another resort. Think of all the mousekeeping being used when people resort jump due to room-sniping!

I also really think that the number of rooms in inventory will not change due to the booking change . The same number of people will find availability in the same number of rooms. And Jane Jumpingbean, who for the past 3 years booked DBD to get her special room and STILL ended up missing a night might not have to move on day 5 of her holiday reservation for once.

Well said!