New policy for reservations based on check IN date

[jdg345]

I think its the "check-in date" that is affected. One call is fine for most dates. It's just some "premier season" dates may become very tough. There has to be parents with kids or teachers that will want to reserve thursday thru sunday of Thanksgiving, but just think how many members will be reserving the sunday before thanksgiving thru either friday or sunday, or maybe the friday before thanksgiving thru friday. To think Thanksgiving thursday will roll around (at 11 months) with plenty of vacancy would likely end in disappointment. Same goes for easter and NYE and XMAS.

I think "Premier Season" days should be excluded. Thats only about 3 weeks a year of day by day calling at 11 months, and another 3 weeks at 7 months.

IMO, it will be impossible to get a Thanksgiving Day Arrival with the new system. It just won't happen. Consider that 7 days worth of people have an advantage over you, and that you can only waitlist that single day if not available at exactly 11 months.

 

[farmergirl]

I couldn't wait any longer I had to call member services to find out what happens if you book a stay longer than 7 days. I think I got the nicest cast member I have ever spoken to ever. I wish they were all like that. After talking with her I have come to the conclusion I really don't like this new rule at all ! At the end of the call I asked if this was a trial run or permanent and sadly enough it sounds permanent.

 

[jdg345]

Suzanne,
So are you saying that Person 1 can book the 7 nights of Dec 19-25th (booked on Jan 19th). Then Person 1 can call back on Jan 20th and reserve Dec 26th, and so on and so on? While Person 2 who wants to reserve the 7 nights of Dec 26th - Jan 1 would have to wait until Jan 26th to begin their reservation?

If this is how it works, it is WRONG WRONG WRONG on so many levels!

EXACTLY!

Joe books the 19th - 25th.
Sally wants to arrive the 26th. She must wait until Jan 26th to call. Period.
Joe can call back on the 20th and get the 26th added on.
Fred can call on the 20th and get all the way through the 27th.
Cindy can call on the 21st and get all the way through to the 28th.

Suddenly, the options for Sally don't look so good, because if your first day is not available, you CANNOT book the next +7. Your first day MUST BE available to book the range.

 

[zulaya]

EXACTLY!

Your first day MUST BE available to book the range.

This is one part that really really worries me. You could be out of luck from the date you first call and your entire planned vacation time could be in limbo. All because of this new rule.

And yes, while I think it won't have a significant impact outside high demand times/units, I think we will see people at purported "slower" times being affected as well.

Yuck.

 

[dvcdisney]

I couldn't wait any longer I had to call member services to find out what happens if you book a stay longer than 7 days. I think I got the nicest cast member I have ever spoken to ever. I wish they were all like that. After talking with her I have come to the conclusion I really don't like this new rule at all ! At the end of the call I asked if this was a trial run or permanent and sadly enough it sounds permanent.

So, what did they say? What do you have to do to book stays longer than 7 days?

 

[jdg345]

That's where I sent it....TWICE! I did have the "." in there, and I also had DH try it from his office as well.

Try this: james.m.lewis@disney.com

Don't ask.

 

[KAT4DISNEY]

I'm putting this somewhat in the perspective of the 180+10 dining reservation policy (which I never agreed with for the same reason b/c people who start their reservation 1 or more days earlier and are staying longer than I am can book up all the dining for my shorter 4 or 5 day stay). For example I've read that LeCellier can be booked very quickly (ie, compare to AKV Concierge). And it's a place I've never been able to get a reservation - always booked. I called for our dining reservations for Dec. exactly at the 180 day mark of our check in. Immediately MS started preparing me for reservations that I wouldn't be able to make!!!!!! Well - I was lucky (this included Liberty Tree b4 MVMCP and CRT - dinner) and did manage to get all my ressies within 15-30 minutes of what I wanted. Not bad for the first time I ever tried at 180 days. But the thing that really gave me pause was how many times the CM expressed that I was SO LUCKY!!!!! Other quotes were that "this is your lucky day" and "other's haven't been so lucky today".

Now I don't go to Disney for the dining but am comparing this to the new DVC reservation system as it's a similar check-in + system. I believe that there are going to be a lot more people getting dissapointed in not getting the accomodations that they would most prefer to have because now they are not on the same level playing field. And there's no way it's a level playing field if someone can reserve the type of room I want for my shorter stay b/c they happen to decide to arrive one day earlier.

And now - if they are allowing people to add on the 8th, 9th, 10th days.....well, this really ends all fairness. BUT I wouldn't ever like to see restrictions on cancellations. Life happens and things change.

Old system still wins with me!

 

[farmergirl]

So, what did they say? What do you have to do to book stays longer than 7 days?

What she told me after she put me on hold to look into it further is after the seven days on the 8th day you would call and make an entire new reservation for the next 7 days or whatever it may be and then after they will link your reservations together providing availability. I mentioned I was concerned that I may have to switch rooms half way through my trip and she just stated that it is on a first come first serve basis and they were doing it because the booking day by day was too time consuming.

 

[kimberh]

Try this: james.m.lewis@disney.com

Don't ask.

Let us know if this works...he'll be flooded with emails and change his email real quick! I'm sure he is not wanting to really hear from us, the ones that help pay his salary.

 

[jdg345]

Of course, the flip side of this is if they go back to the old system, they might have to raise MF's.

 

[toesmom]

EXACTLY!

Joe books the 19th - 25th.
Sally wants to arrive the 26th. She must wait until Jan 26th to call. Period.
Joe can call back on the 20th and get the 26th added on.
Fred can call on the 20th and get all the way through the 27th.
Cindy can call on the 21st and get all the way through to the 28th.

Suddenly, the options for Sally don't look so good, because if your first day is not available, you CANNOT book the next +7. Your first day MUST BE available to book the range.

Your first day HAS to be available before you can book the other 7 days? This policy is sounding worse and worse.

Hopefully Sally can call week before her desired arrival date and then book day by day dropping each day as she needs.

I'm really glad my dh won't travel over Christmas, because we'd never be able to book what we really wanted.

 

[kimberh]

EXACTLY!

Joe books the 19th - 25th.
Sally wants to arrive the 26th. She must wait until Jan 26th to call. Period.
Joe can call back on the 20th and get the 26th added on.
Fred can call on the 20th and get all the way through the 27th.
Cindy can call on the 21st and get all the way through to the 28th.

Suddenly, the options for Sally don't look so good, because if your first day is not available, you CANNOT book the next +7. Your first day MUST BE available to book the range.

So, if your Sally... you have to WL your whole trip? Then what if someone is "gaming the system" really doesn't want the 26th they are trying to get the 30th and 31st, cancelling day by day to get what they really want, Poor Sally and the other DVC owners that really didn't want to stay on the 25th are out?
We would never stay on the 25th, but NYE is a possible. This is just unfair to the fullest degree.

 

[SuzanneSLO]

So, if your Sally... you have to WL your whole trip? Then what if someone is "gaming the system" really doesn't want the 26th they are trying to get the 30th and 31st, cancelling day by day to get what they really want, Poor Sally and the other DVC owners that really didn't want to stay on the 25th are out?
We would never stay on the 25th, but NYE is a possible. This is just unfair to the fullest degree.

Unless they have made further changes (which is always possible) Sally should be able to waitlist for the first night becuase it is within her Home Resort Priority Period (now 11 months from check-in). What is unclear is if she can waitlist for other nights after that (days 2-6). It also seems to be the case that she cannot book night 7 (which is available) because she does not have reservation for days 1-6.

So when Joe cancels Day 1, Sally should get her waitlist and get the day.

Also, while we have talked about NYE and walking your reservation forward from mid-December, early Dec should be even crazier because it follows Thanksgiving, another peak time. Will those who want to book limited category rooms in early Dec need to start their bookings in mid-Nov? -- Suzanne

 

[zulaya]

I'm putting this somewhat in the perspective of the 180+10 dining reservation policy (snip)

Old system still wins with me!

The deal with the Dining is different. It's well known that they don't release all tables or times at 180+10. At 180, there is more availability because more tables, in general, are released.

So it's a little apples and oranges, but I know what you are trying to say.

And FWIW, I agree with you on the old system.

 

[zulaya]

Your first day HAS to be available before you can book the other 7 days? This policy is sounding worse and worse.

Totally agree with you and that is a serious concern for me, no matter what time of year I travel. If my first day is not available, I feel like I'm up a creek, not just without a paddle, but without a boat, too.

 

[zulaya]

Unless they have made further changes (which is always possible) Sally should be able to waitlist for the first night becuase it is within her Home Resort Priority Period (now 11 months from check-in). What is unclear is if she can waitlist for other nights after that (days 2-6). It also seems to be the case that she cannot book night 7 (which is available) because she does not have reservation for days 1-6.

So when Joe cancels Day 1, Sally should get her waitlist and get the day.

Also, while we have talked about NYE and walking your reservation forward from mid-December, early Dec should be even crazier because it follows Thanksgiving, another peak time. Will those who want to book limited category rooms in early Dec need to start their bookings in mid-Nov? -- Suzanne

If they are going to keep this policy, then all cards need to be on the table. If you are trying to check in for up to 7 days on a given date, if those dates had rooms, they'd book you. So it stands to reason that they should waitlist you for your 7 day reservation when you call 11 months out from checkin.

I can see where individual days on the waitlist are going to happen and if they aren't allowing that anymore, more people will be in a holding pattern.

How is it that DVC itself cannot perceive these problems?

Or do they see them and deem them not important enough to worry about?

 

[jodifla]

Well, I just booked my January vacation...here's what I did:

We want to be at OKW for MLK week. I booked Jan. 18-25, which is 7 nights, in a 2-bedroom. I MAY want the Saturday night, the 17th, and the night of the 25th, but I'm not sure yet.

So when I have my flights, I'll make the call to have the days added. Since I'm adding days, they don't need to cancel anything.

Worst comes to absolute worst, we'll stay offsite the 1st and last night, or in a studio someplace.

 

[kimberh]

Totally agree with you and that is a serious concern for me, no matter what time of year I travel. If my first day is not available, I feel like I'm up a creek, not just without a paddle, but without a boat, too.

See, this is turning into a nightmare. If, I can't get Day 1 at the 11 month window, I am going to figure that someone really has it that doesn't want it. I thought, I read earlier in this Thread that we can't WL one day... My eyes have crossed with all this reading. Someone please help me out here. If, I call and Day 1 is not available, then I will call the next day and so on to try to book my trip. We are more flexible most of the time than most. The only time we are not flexible is when I am working around my grandchildrens school schedule, in the fall. I book a Thur- Mon checkout for a 2 bedroom. I do hope this is not going to be hard to get. I also book this is Mid Dec. I have never had a problem getting this room at the two small resorts that I have booked it at. I am not interested in the the ones that I don't own at either. No offense to you that own there. If, I wanted to stay there, I would have bought there.

 

[simmons_m]

LATEST NEWS
Reservation Booking Enhancement
Thanks to a recent service enhancement, Members may now place a single phone call to request a full reservation of as many as seven-nights beginning on the first day of their booking window (11 months before check-in at your Home Resort or seven months before check-in at other Disney Vacation Club Resorts). As a result of this enhancement, waitlists are now available only for the full length of stay.

Mike

 

[KAT4DISNEY]

The deal with the Dining is different. It's well known that they don't release all tables or times at 180+10. At 180, there is more availability because more tables, in general, are released.

So it's a little apples and oranges, but I know what you are trying to say.

And FWIW, I agree with you on the old system.

Yes - thank you for figuring out what I was trying to say! I too recognize that it's not a one for one comparison but feel that both systems with a check in+ setup have the same problems/flaws.