OKW - No Luck Booking at 11 Months!

[modified-54]

Called today at 9:00am on the dot exactly at the 11 month mark. MS said they had availability for our desired room. Then she said "Oh no, it just dropped off the screen". Apparantly, someone else was booking the same room at the same time and their MS rep was faster at locking in the room! So, we had to wait list. Now I realize that there are a limited number of GV's at OKW and it being for December and all, but I figured I could get one at 11 months at 9am. No such luck! I am not holding my breath for the wait list either. Anyone else have any problems getting their preference at 11 months? Also, we booked a studio and 2 bedroom as a back up plan. OKW is a huge resort and I am just hoping that we don't end up on opposite sides of the resort!

 

[spiceycat]

next time might try walking it.

 

[DebbieB]

Called today at 9:00am on the dot exactly at the 11 month mark. MS said they had availability for our desired room. Then she said "Oh no, it just dropped off the screen". Apparantly, someone else was booking the same room at the same time and their MS rep was faster at locking in the room! So, we had to wait list. Now I realize that there are a limited number of GV's at OKW and it being for December and all, but I figured I could get one at 11 months at 9am. No such luck! I am not holding my breath for the wait list either. Anyone else have any problems getting their preference at 11 months? Also, we booked a studio and 2 bedroom as a back up plan. OKW is a huge resort and I am just hoping that we don't end up on opposite sides of the resort!

The problem is there is no longer "11 months at 9:00am". People arriving 1 to 6 days before you could have booked all the rooms before you had a chance. Did you ask if any of your dates were available? Maybe arriving a day later and just waitlisting the first day?

 

[bookwormde]

It is not that 27 GVs were all rented at 9am but that members who’s vacations started days before yours had first shot at your initial days long before you called.

bookwormde

 

[teacher2525]

Called today at 9:00am on the dot exactly at the 11 month mark. MS said they had availability for our desired room. Then she said "Oh no, it just dropped off the screen". Apparantly, someone else was booking the same room at the same time and their MS rep was faster at locking in the room! So, we had to wait list. Now I realize that there are a limited number of GV's at OKW and it being for December and all, but I figured I could get one at 11 months at 9am. No such luck! I am not holding my breath for the wait list either. Anyone else have any problems getting their preference at 11 months? Also, we booked a studio and 2 bedroom as a back up plan. OKW is a huge resort and I am just hoping that we don't end up on opposite sides of the resort!

I think that the 2 bedroom and the studio shold be near each other. We had 2 studios in December of 2008 and we didn't check in until 1:30 in the morning. I was afraid we would be far apart despite my request to be as close as possible because we had a grandparent and 2 kids in one studio and my husband and I with one child in the other. We were on different floors but one studio above the other

 

[modified-54]

Thanks Teacher 2525. That sounds promising. I would hope that we would at least end up in the same building. That's good to hear that it worked out for you. Wow, 1:30am, that is a late check in! Thanks for replying.

 

[drusba]

Christmas through New Year's is the ultimate test for whether the new reservation system, which allows calling 11 months before date of arrival rather than date of departure from WDW under old rule. There is a running thread called New Reservation Policy on this same page and you may want to put your results there also so it gets counted in the group. Thus far, it looks like the problems are with the specialty rooms that are few in number such as your GV issue and AKV concierge.

 

[RobDoc]

OKW has 27 GVs total. Since many owners like to arrive on Sunday, many of those GVs were likely reserved yesterday - for up to 7 nights. It does sound like there was one still available at 9am today, but the other caller might have gotten thru a few seconds faster than you did.

I'm glad you went on the waitlist, since there is good likelyhood that something will become available later.

Your backup plan also sounds good. While it won't be guaranteed, DVC resorts do make an effort to honor "nerby" requests when multiple villas are involved, so I think you will probably at least be in the same building.

Good luck with your waitlist - those GVs are great!

 

[KeepSwimmingDory]

next time might try walking it.

Can you explain what this is? We have never had a problem yet because we go in an off time when we have been able to get resorts we don't own at 7 months out. Just curious what it means and figure sometime soon we'll want to go at a busy time and would like to be prepared.

Thanks!

 

[modified-54]

Thanks Doc! I did call yesterday which was exactly at the 11 month mark for a Sunday checkin. Started dialing at 8:59am. I guess they were all tied up from guests that were arriving earlier than us. They actually did have one left, but it was snapped up by a faster MS Rep.
We were really looking forward to the GV, but did realize that it was going to be hard to get for this time period. So, we have our backup plan and are looking at it on the bright side, "we're going to Disney World"!!!

 

[KeepSwimmingDory]

Called today at 9:00am on the dot exactly at the 11 month mark. MS said they had availability for our desired room. Then she said "Oh no, it just dropped off the screen". Apparantly, someone else was booking the same room at the same time and their MS rep was faster at locking in the room! So, we had to wait list. Now I realize that there are a limited number of GV's at OKW and it being for December and all, but I figured I could get one at 11 months at 9am. No such luck! I am not holding my breath for the wait list either. Anyone else have any problems getting their preference at 11 months? Also, we booked a studio and 2 bedroom as a back up plan. OKW is a huge resort and I am just hoping that we don't end up on opposite sides of the resort!

Sorry to hear you didn't get what you wanted. When we did a 2BR and 1BR with our relatives with us, they were able to get us pretty close to each other. Good luck with your waitlist.

 

[hakepb]

Can you explain what this is? We have never had a problem yet because we go in an off time when we have been able to get resorts we don't own at 7 months out. Just curious what it means and figure sometime soon we'll want to go at a busy time and would like to be prepared.

Thanks!

I believe "walking" is booking a week or so earlier (at the 11+7day window) than you will arrive, then day-by day- add days 8, 9, 10...
When you finally get the real days you will stay, then cancel the earlier days you will not use.
Another variation is book early, next day add day 8 and cancel day 1. There was a report of a "commercial" filter that may get you if you make more than 20 cancellations in a year, though..

Walking theoretically works because if you get your days 1-7 at the exact 11+7 day you get booked for, say room 101. The next day anyone that books your days 2-8 cannot start their trip in your room 101, it would have to be in a different room. Once you get days 1-7 You are guaranteed to continue your reservation to the end of your trip in room 101 as long as you add on day-by-day and have points...

 

[modified-54]

Wow, that all sounds very confusing! I wish we had the points to reserve all those extra nights, but unfortunately we don't. Also, I wouldn't want to tie up those nights for someone else who really wanted them. It seems like there should be a better or easier way of doing it. Thanks for explaining it though...

 

[Scott]

I believe "walking" is booking a week or so earlier (at the 11+7day window) than you will arrive, then day-by day- add days 8, 9, 10...
When you finally get the real days you will stay, then cancel the earlier days you will not use.
Another variation is book early, next day add day 8 and cancel day 1. There was a report of a "commercial" filter that may get you if you make more than 20 cancellations in a year, though..

Walking theoretically works because if you get your days 1-7 at the exact 11+7 day you get booked for, say room 101. The next day anyone that books your days 2-8 cannot start their trip in your room 101, it would have to be in a different room. Once you get days 1-7 You are guaranteed to continue your reservation to the end of your trip in room 101 as long as you add on day-by-day and have points...

I was under the impression that you can't cancel specific days without cancelling the entire reservation In fact, it was a MS rep that told me this a few weeks ago! Was I misinformed? I was booking a room for my MIL, and she wasn't certain which day she would arrive. I figured it would be safe to reserve for an earlier night and then just cancel the first night if it didnt work with her schedule. I was told that if I did this they would have to cancel the entire reservation and start over.

 

[KeepSwimmingDory]

It is very confusing. Sometimes I am not sure how I made it through school.

Thanks for the explanation. I think I see what you mean. I guess I should just be glad so far we have been able to travel when we could get the dates we need. We have never adjusted our dates either so I don't know about canceling a day without canceling the whole reservation.

 

[Mich Mouse]

I was under the impression that you can't cancel specific days without cancelling the entire reservation In fact, it was a MS rep that told me this a few weeks ago! Was I misinformed? I was booking a room for my MIL, and she wasn't certain which day she would arrive. I figured it would be safe to reserve for an earlier night and then just cancel the first night if it didnt work with her schedule. I was told that if I did this they would have to cancel the entire reservation and start over.

We cancelled a few days of our August reservation and added other days...no problems. Unless plolicy has changed since September the CM you dealt with was uninformed.

Can anyone else confirm this?

 

[Scott]

We cancelled a few days of our August reservation and added other days...no problems. Unless plolicy has changed since September the CM you dealt with was uninformed.

Can anyone else confirm this?

I booked it 2 weeks ago for a December '09 reservation. I too would like to know the policy. It actually made sense to me since it prevents folks from booking dates they have no intention of using simply to get their reservation in before others.

 

[jdg345]

I booked it 2 weeks ago for a December '09 reservation. I too would like to know the policy. It actually made sense to me since it prevents folks from booking dates they have no intention of using simply to get their reservation in before others.

You can cancel off the front and off the back without affecting the reservation as a whole. Chopping days out of the middle gets more complicated. Walking works.

 

[Maistre Gracey]

I held my head high as I proudly walked my October ressie. I don't see the need to call day by day because it's tied up for a whole week. I started a couple weeks early and cancelled the chunck of days, then added a chunck. Repeat.

MG

 

[fishermouse]

Also, we booked a studio and 2 bedroom as a back up plan. OKW is a huge resort and I am just hoping that we don't end up on opposite sides of the resort!

Tell them it's a magical gathering they will keep the rooms close