New policy for reservations based on check IN date

[jdg345]

I have a walking question. Let's say I start to "walk" a reservation by calling 7 days out from my first expected check in day and nothing is available but the last day (which is the real first day I want), can I then waitlist those previous days and drop each as I add to the end, or will they not let me drop the waitlisted days? I'm so confused about this. My plan was to call for Kilamanjaro Club level 7 days ahead of my preferred check in day to secure the first day (which would be the last day of the original reservation), and then start walking forward until I get what I really want. The stickler is what if the earlier days aren't available and I have to waitlist? Has that been discussed elsewhere in the thread?

You have to WL the entire stay, which will become active after the last day. So if that happens, you can call in, WL Day-1, call the next day, try to book/WL Day-2, call the next day, etc. The good news is that if you get your first day, then you should be able to easily walk forward from that point on.

 

[jdg345]

I had a problem yesterday and I am devastated! We were planning our first trip to Vero Beach. I bought a Vero on resale about 4 months ago. I planned and planned.

I was the first caller of the day(9am. I wanted to book June 21st for 7 nights. They told me that it was sold out until June 26th. I asked her how that could be since it was the first day of the booking window( I missed the change on here). She said that I should have called sooner. I was very upset. I told her that this is not a fair plaing field anymore and that this was ruining my trip. She said everyone else is thrilled the change. I asked for a manager.

The manager said that I was the only complaint that they ever had from anyone who owns DVC. That they informed everyone. I said that I never got any notification. She said that it was been on the web site for weeks. I explained that I have never successfully gone on the web site and that was not a way to notify people. I also told her that people will start complaining as soon as they are unable to get something they want.

I am considering reselling my Vero. The only reason I want it is for the Beach Cottage and I am disgusted with Disney right now.

Day by Day booking may have been a pain, but it is fair. This is not.

Sorry to hear about your situation ...

It is interesting that they told you to call sooner, perhaps suggesting that you arrived earlier for your stay or that you 'walked' the reservation? I'm also surprised that they told you there haven't been any complaints. That just seems, odd. I'm sure that as the new system starts to step on more and more reservations, there will be more and more complaints.

 

[KAT4DISNEY]

I am considering reselling my Vero. The only reason I want it is for the Beach Cottage and I am disgusted with Disney right now.

Day by Day booking may have been a pain, but it is fair. This is not.

So sorry for what happened to you.

I haven't yet attempted a booking but still am extremely disappointed with Disney making this change that so affects the fundamental elements of DVC. And the response you received from MS makes no sense at all and is also false.

 

[bcpage]

With 3000-plus posts, call me lazy, but I don't want to read through them all to find this out.

Can someone explain what this is?

 

[jdg345]

With 3000-plus posts, call me lazy, but I don't want to read through them all to find this out.

Can someone explain what this is?

Basically, it's a process by which you book at 11 months plus 7 days, but you book it so that the last day is really the first day you want.

For example, let's say you want to book the 21st through the 28th:

You call at 11 months to the 14th and book the 14th through the 21st
Call the next day, add the 22nd, drop the 14th.
Call the next day, add the 23rd, drop the 15th.
etc, etc

You can also start even earlier if you wanted and book the whole period outside/before days you really want and walk the same way -- which, frankly, is one of the new problems this new system incorporates: how soon is soon enough?

 

[Ragtime Gal]

That is just NOT accurate. It's been my experience that you cannot buy airline tickets 11 months out from the date of your flight. Checking Jet Blue today, you can only buy tickets for about 7 months out from now. Please tell me which airline you book tickets for 11 months out?

Jet Blue and Southwest are two of the few airlines that don't open their schedules at the typical 330 day out mark. All major airlines (AA, Delta, Continental, etc.) open their bookings at 330 days (roughtly 11 months) out.

 

[Judy WI]

I just booked Feb 22 -28, Sunday home saturday. I know this is not the busy times people are worried about but it sure was nice to call at noon today and book the whole 6 days up front instead of doing it backwards.

 

[bcpage]

Basically, it's a process by which you book at 11 months plus 7 days, but you book it so that the last day is really the first day you want.
...
You can also start even earlier if you wanted and book the whole period outside/before days you really want and walk the same way -- which, frankly, is one of the new problems this new system incorporates: how soon is soon enough?

Thanks!

It does seem like MS should not allow this to occur...maybe allow a day or two, but once someone tries to cancel more than two days at the beginning of a ressie in combination with adding days at the end, then they should be stopped (specifically when it is being done at 11-months out).

They could limit this to the 11-month window and 7-month window, so if someone was legitimately trying to change their ressie, at say 8-months or 6-months, then it would be allowed. That way no one would get an unfair advantage right at the two important booking milestones.

 

[jdg345]

I just booked Feb 22 -28, Sunday home saturday. I know this is not the busy times people are worried about but it sure was nice to call at noon today and book the whole 6 days up front instead of doing it backwards.

Did you ever have an issue booking this based on departure in the past?

 

[waltfan1957]

. I don't believe one should be able to tie up rooms then decide later about air fare without some risk if they do have to change their reservations. Besides you can always get air at 11 months out, the only question is then the price and itinerary.

under this brilliant plan of yours, (cancelation complete rebook or pay for change) who do you call 1st DVC or the airline, call DVC then cant get the flight, get the flight then cant get the room, either way we lose under your way

 

[dianeschlicht]

You have to WL the entire stay, which will become active after the last day. So if that happens, you can call in, WL Day-1, call the next day, try to book/WL Day-2, call the next day, etc. The good news is that if you get your first day, then you should be able to easily walk forward from that point on.

I think you missed my question. I don't really WANT day 1. I want my first day to be day 7 of my original call. So...If I have a waitlist that has days 1-6 on it, how do I walk forward? Can I still call day by day and cancel one WL day and add a real day on to the end of my ressie?

 

[dianeschlicht]

.

I have a walking question. Let's say I start to "walk" a reservation by calling 7 days out from my first expected check in day and nothing is available but the last day (which is the real first day I want), can I then waitlist those previous days and drop each as I add to the end, or will they not let me drop the waitlisted days? I'm so confused about this. My plan was to call for Kilamanjaro Club level 7 days ahead of my preferred check in day to secure the first day (which would be the last day of the original reservation), and then start walking forward until I get what I really want. The stickler is what if the earlier days aren't available and I have to waitlist? Has that been discussed elsewhere in the thread?
]
If only the last day of the reservation is available, and you waitlist for the entire week, your waitlist does not become 'active' until that last day, which could have been booked by another member. You have no hold over the room that was available on you first call. You can only 'walk' a reservation that you have been able to book, not waitlist.

Okay, so that is my problem. It looks like they wont let me book my first day 7 days out if the first 6 are unavailable. That comment the MS agent made about calling earlier has me thinking that they WILL let us book a room 7 days ahead of the booking window. Now it is REALLY confusing! So you are saying there really is no way to WALK unless you have teh points to book two full weeks. I was thinking you could call and add day 8 on day 2 when you cancel day 1, etc etc. Since it's pretty certain that my concierge room isn't going to be available on day 1 of my window, it essentially blocks me completely, since I can't waitlist and still continue to add to my reservation day by day.

 

[dianeschlicht]

Quote:
Originally Posted by jdg345
You have to WL the entire stay, which will become active after the last day. So if that happens, you can call in, WL Day-1, call the next day, try to book/WL Day-2, call the next day, etc. The good news is that if you get your first day, then you should be able to easily walk forward from that point on.

I think you missed my question. I don't really WANT day 1. I want my first day to be day 7 of my original call. So...If I have a waitlist that has days 1-6 on it, how do I walk forward? Can I still call day by day and cancel one WL day and add a real day on to the end of my ressie?

Okay so which is it...I CAN walk forward even if my day 1 is waitliested or I can't? I understand i can walk if I get my first day, but that seems unlikely. Bedsides, the REAL first day I want is my original 7th day.

 

[Judy WI]

Did you ever have an issue booking this based on departure in the past?

No just using the check out date seems back wards to me.

 

[jdg345]

I think you missed my question. I don't really WANT day 1. I want my first day to be day 7 of my original call. So...If I have a waitlist that has days 1-6 on it, how do I walk forward? Can I still call day by day and cancel one WL day and add a real day on to the end of my ressie?

Hmm ... yes, I understood you wanted Day-7 to be the day you really wanted. But the issue is that Day-1 needs to be available for you to book. If not, your only options are to WL Day-1 or for the Period. Either way, WL doesn't necessarily make sense because the WL won't become active until after the last day of the period.

Now, what you could do is WL the period, then on the next day, WL a separate period, then on the next day, WL a separate period, etc. The WL won't become active until after the last day, but, doing it this way you can 'maybe' get them to leave you with a DBD WL.

 

[jdg345]

Okay, so that is my problem. It looks like they wont let me book my first day 7 days out if the first 6 are unavailable. That comment the MS agent made about calling earlier has me thinking that they WILL let us book a room 7 days ahead of the booking window. Now it is REALLY confusing! So you are saying there really is no way to WALK unless you have teh points to book two full weeks. I was thinking you could call and add day 8 on day 2 when you cancel day 1, etc etc. Since it's pretty certain that my concierge room isn't going to be available on day 1 of my window, it essentially blocks me completely, since I can't waitlist and still continue to add to my reservation day by day.

Your option then would be to start walking earlier than what you need then to give you more opportunities to find an empty Day-1.

 

[jdg345]

Okay so which is it...I CAN walk forward even if my day 1 is waitliested or I can't? I understand i can walk if I get my first day, but that seems unlikely. Bedsides, the REAL first day I want is my original 7th day.

Let's try this with actual days ...

Let's say you really want the 14th to the 21st ... so you want to start booking from the 7th, right?

So you call on the 7th, and the day is not available. You can WL the period.
So you call on the 8th, not available, so you can WL the period as a separate 7 day reservation -- I don't know if they will let you adjust the first WL ... never tried this; or you cancel the first WL Period and just have a second.

This is the thing, if they don't allow the former option (which could give you a DBD waitlist), then there's no point in WL for the days you don't want as the WL won't become active until the last day anyways, which in your case would be the 21st. The earliest you could WL for the 21st would be the 14th, aka your actual desired LOS.

If you end up in that situation, you can call DBD (several times per day) and try to book the 14th through the 21st a day at a time and manually fill in your WL. This means, of course, that you could book days that someone else WL for days or weeks before hand -- and you still get the days before they do. FCFS Indeed.

So you call on the 9th, not available, etc.
So you call ont he 10th, available! So you book +7, cancel any WL's.

Now you're in ... you own the 10th thru the 17th, so you can just keep walking.

 

[jeankeri]

Your option then would be to start walking earlier than what you need then to give you more opportunities to find an empty Day-1.

So back to that great question- where do you start your day one, or how soon do you walk? And my follow up- how does this create less calls than DBD?

 

[jdg345]

No just using the check out date seems back wards to me.

Isn't this how airlines work though? There are quite a few other Timeshares that are booked based on departure too.

 

[jdg345]

So back to that great question- where do you start your day one, or how soon do you walk? And my follow up- how does this create less calls than DBD?

I've been saying this for 200 pages now.