New policy for reservations based on check IN date

[dianeschlicht]

I currently have 350 points at both boardwalk and old key west. I have always just booked a week stay at a time. In most cases I have only had to make one call to ms but then again I have always gone in the summer. I would think that one can always try to find a way to get around the rules but I doubt most members spend all that much time trying to figure out how to do that. It would be interesting to hear from ms on how many people book a week at a time and how many leave on the weekends.
Do you think they would ever provide that information to the membership.

You'd be singing a different song if you were trying to book an AKV concierge room for anytime or any unit spaning both the Christmas and New Year's holiday. Just because you don't now, doesn't mean you wont ever, and it's better to have the option than not.

 

[gkrykewy]

I have not read the entirety of this thread, but it seems as if a change that people were happy about on page 1 has become a cause for complaint on page 55.

Can someone please summarize the negatives in a sentence or two? It seems to me that unless you want a really hard to get room at a really hard to get time, this change is generally good. Am I wrong?

 

[jodifla]

I have not read the entirety of this thread, but it seems as if a change that people were happy about on page 1 has become a cause for complaint on page 55.

Can someone please summarize the negatives in a sentence or two? It seems to me that unless you want a really hard to get room at a really hard to get time, this change is generally good. Am I wrong?

Actually, I think this will be true for most people, most of the time.

But for people who have figured out how to get prime properties (GVs, standard BWVs) at prime times, it's going to be trouble.

Now, I just had NO trouble booking a Sunday -Saturday stay at OKW during MLK weekend, another busy time.

I may need the Saturday as well, but I started my ressie on the Sunday. I'll add the Saturday later...I figured that's more likely to be available with its high points.

 

[dianeschlicht]

It's also horrible for those of us who routinely book 10-12 nights instead of 7.

 

[mnra]

I understand that it might be hard to do my point was do you think ms would give us details of the type of reservations they get. I am not defending the change just pointing out that I have since 1993 never did the call day by day maybe I am lucky in the weeks I wanted. I have to admit I never have gone at christmas day but I have been in december. do you think reservations are getting harder to get with more sales happening.

 

[gkrykewy]

It's also horrible for those of us who routinely book 10-12 nights instead of 7.

Why is that?

 

[disneydisneydoo]

I believe that DbD booking was probably unnecessary for most guests that were using it. (I agree for special rooms/special times definitely needed.) However, because of these types of forums more and more people were booking DbD when it was not needed which resulted in more and more calls to MS. I have been a member since 2003 and take about three trips a year. I have called only once DbD and that was for NYE. Otherwise, I always called at my check-out date if I wanted to be sure to get my home resort - I never once had a problem. Sometimes I called past the check-out date and still managed to stay at BCV in October and December most of the time.

I like the old system better, but have a feeling we are going to have to live with this change. My concern is that now with all this talk of how to "work around" the new system once again people who don't really need to do that are going to "think" they need to and will. This will ultimately lead to more changes and additional reduced flexibility issues which may be worse. I mean looking at all these posts and people asking how to specifically work around this and that, I'm starting to think that I will need to figure out an alternate plan/work around and I've never needed to do that before.

 

[snackyx]

Okay...at what point do you stop doing this? So can a person just call eveyday for until they are at the actual dates they want?

Lets say I want a trip 12 months from now...Is anything stopping me from calling now and calling everyday until I actually reach my desired date? That is the part I am getting lost on.

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.

 

[Starr W.]

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.

We have a new phrase "walking a reservation"

New policy needs new buzz words!

From a fellow Red Wings fan!

 

[dianeschlicht]

Why is that?

Because with the new system favoring 7 night bookings, by the time I can call on day 8 to add to my week, it is possible that it has already been booked by someone else 6 days earlier. Since I don't normally do DBD booking, I would have to do that in order to get each day added to my existing 7 night ressie, and I couldn't do it until 11 months from check in of the 8th day. If I only wanted a special room and special week, I could book and "walk" the ressie, but because I want 10-12 days, I need to wait until many others have already had a chance to book that unit in their 11 month + 7 days booking window.

 

[snackyx]

StarrW:

Lets throw eveybody for a loop and start debating whether Brad Stuart should get more than the proposed $3mil/year. That'll stir things up!

 

[jade1]

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. .

I think that was the point. But how did you conclude 7 days was safe? How many others targeting NY EVE for example-will start 8 days early, or 9 days early etc. The point is, for a small resort at NYE-7 days out may be out of studios (or everything) for example. The question is just how early is too early and makes no sense. In theory, if you really want a SV studio at BWV for next 4th of July-you could start a studio today for 7 days (May 25-Jun 2) and roll it for the next 30 days and you would have it.

 

[jdg345]

This is an insanely large thread, and while the OP outlines the new policy itself, there are apparently side-effects that have been discussed throughout this thread, which a new poster won't readily be able to find. (For example, I found this thread via a link from a thread where someone asked about wait-listing. Using "Search This Thread" at the top of the page, and putting in the term "wait-list" returns nothing.) Is there a summary of all the side-effects compiled in one posting, somewhere?

Not that I'm aware ... perhaps the OP can build a summary? I'll try to put something together this afternoon if no one else does that maybe the OP can link to?

 

[robinb]

Can someone please summarize the negatives in a sentence or two?

1. Members who book "specialty" booking categories (BWV Boardwalk View, BWV Standard View, AKV Concierge) are at a disadvantage because people who have booked vacations starting earlier may have scooped up all the rooms before the member even has an opportunity to book their vacation. This will effect people with shorter vacations or ones that start on or near a holiday more.

2. The work around (aka the"walking reservation") for this requires people to book a whole week with the last of their initial 7 days to really be the very first day of their desired vacation. Then the person calls day-by-day to drop the first day of their current vacation and add another day to the vacation until they have the vacation dates they desire. This work around will work best for people who have a lot of points. Those of us who bought smaller add-ons do not have the number of points to "cover" the extra days that we will eventually cancel.

3. People who book vacations longer than 7 days will need to call day-by-day anyway after their initial call (if made on 11-month mark) to extend their vacation.

It seems to me that unless you want a really hard to get room at a really hard to get time, this change is generally good. Am I wrong?

No, you're right. This won't effect most DVC owners but it will effect me on my yearly NYE reservation at BWV.

 

[jdg345]

While that "walking" the ressie is my reason for concern about this policy, I do NOT think they should try to "fix" it. We all know what happens when DVC "fixes" something....It becomes worse than it was in the first place. Any attempt to avoid the booking and canceling and rebooking day by day will ultimately effect the average member who just needs to change their dates more than it will the " walking speculator". In reality, all this new policy does is make day by day booking more complicated. It doesn't get rid of the need to book day by day....just makes you think a bit more about how to do it. I hate it! I hope DVC goes back to day of check-out again making everyone equal once again, but if this is the way they leave it, I'll have to live with and and learn how to work within the rules. Frankly, I think this thread has outlived its usefulness. I think it's time to give it a rest.

Case in point ... DVC tried to 'fix' DBD bookings ... and here we are.

 

[SuzanneSLO]

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.

Actually, your should start walking your resrvation on the day 7 days before your must have date, or sooner if that first day is likely to be sold out by earlier bookings. A prime example is NYE. If you don't start walking until 12/25, you may find that day is unavailable as it is also a must have dtae for other members. So you may need to start as early as the week before 12/25 to get 12/31.

With this system, once you get 7 nights booked, you are virtually guaranteed to ge the next night, then the next, then next, as long as you can DBD. You don't even need to call first thing in the morning as you have essentially blocked anyone else from booking your room, as you are already reserving it for Day 2. I haven't really thought it through, but once you have a 7 day ressie in hand, you may not even need to call DBD as long as you call before Day 8.

On the other hand, if the first day you call yields only a WL, you are forced to the worst kind of DBD purgatory, calling evey day as early as possible so that you can be top of the list in case that day is checkout day for another member, but without any guarantee that there was ever any inventory available for that day!

--Suzanne

 

[Laurabearz]

Because with the new system favoring 7 night bookings, by the time I can call on day 8 to add to my week, it is possible that it has already been booked by someone else 6 days earlier. snip.

But YOUR room can't have been booked 6 days earlier... another room the same size as yours could, but not the one you have already booked, since you cant, at 11 months plus 7, waitlist the first 6 days day and book the last day, the new reservation would have to have availbility the whole time.

With that said, I dont like this change... I was fine with the old way.

 

[dianeschlicht]

But YOUR room can't have been booked 6 days earlier... another room the same size as yours could, but not the one you have already booked, since you cant, at 11 months plus 7, waitlist the first 6 days day and book the last day, the new reservation would have to have availbility the whole time.

With that said, I dont like this change... I was fine with the old way.

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.

 

[jade1]

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.

I think thats right Diane, at least I hope so. Day 8 at 9AM should be the first moment your room is available-I cant see how a WL or anything could interfere, still will be an important call to get in right away.

 

[MichiganMouse1967]

I believe that DbD booking was probably unnecessary for most guests that were using it. (I agree for special rooms/special times definitely needed.) However, because of these types of forums more and more people were booking DbD when it was not needed which resulted in more and more calls to MS. I have been a member since 2003 and take about three trips a year. I have called only once DbD and that was for NYE. Otherwise, I always called at my check-out date if I wanted to be sure to get my home resort - I never once had a problem. Sometimes I called past the check-out date and still managed to stay at BCV in October and December most of the time.

I like the old system better, but have a feeling we are going to have to live with this change. My concern is that now with all this talk of how to "work around" the new system once again people who don't really need to do that are going to "think" they need to and will. This will ultimately lead to more changes and additional reduced flexibility issues which may be worse. I mean looking at all these posts and people asking how to specifically work around this and that, I'm starting to think that I will need to figure out an alternate plan/work around and I've never needed to do that before.

I feel the same as you. I'm a fairly new member so I don't have as much experience as most, but so far I've been able to secure reservations for the dates I wanted without any problems and without using DBD, including Christmas and New Years. I would just call at my check-out dates at the 11 month window. Granted I own at SSR where there are plenty of rooms available, but after reading all of these posts, I'm wondering if I'll need to come up with a plan to outsmart other members wanting the same dates as me.