Reservation Walking (dont be mad...hear me out)

[mdonald]

Hey! I have tracked over a number of year the VGC availability in the seasons we travel (works out to be the low season, SEPT/OCT). It seems that if you get up in the morning I could book 1br/2br right at 7 month window sometimes. My question in, how much success (or failure) have some of you had in walking reservations at the 7 month. I know that technically walking is not a thing as owners can book out one date ahead of the reservation and mess with the whole thing.

 

[Sandisw]

There issue with walking at 7 months is that an owner can come in and block you because they can book before the 7 month window.

Can it give you a jump? Sure can. Is it true walking in the sense that the 11 month one is? Not really.

In my opinion, doesn’t hurt to try. You will be no worse off than waiting if an owner does indeed come in and book.

 

[JETSDAD]

I successfully walked a BCV studio reservation at 7 months. While there is obviously no guarantee that it will work it at least gives you a jump on other non-owners at that resort. Also most owners are not waiting until the 7 month mark to make their home resort bookings (yes it happens, but most are going to make that reservation earlier on).

 

[Sandisw]

I successfully walked a BCV studio reservation at 7 months. While there is obviously no guarantee that it will work it at least gives you a jump on other non-owners at that resort. Also most owners are not waiting until the 7 month mark to make their home resort bookings (yes it happens, but most are going to make that reservation earlier on).

I have been blocked several times at VGF so it does happen with owners jumping in and rooms going that were there until the last minute.

Happened for both Marchand June trips. I was flexible for dates so I ended up finally getting it with stalking and waitlists.

But, I agree that it certainly can be a good thing!

 

[oufpat]

Due to COVID, we were able to get a LV studio at VGF for this past January in December. We were very excited to be staying there, but once was enough. I prefer our "home" at BLT, and at 7 months I prefer to "walk a reservation" at BWV.

 

[mdonald]

Great feedback thank! The VGC is such a hard one. We have 530 points total and it would be a shame to have to purchase points from another owner at 19-20 pp for the reservation we want. Its still the best option over paying rack rates or even rates for the Disney land hotel. It seems the "summer" high cost points does leave some availability open so my plan is the "walk" from august into the first part of September when we want to travel. Tricky part is getting it to sync with our planned Aulani trip. We own at Aulani and book the "hotel" room over the studio at 11 months but it'll suck if we have to go studio to fit the VGC reservation. I guess you gotta take the good with the bad.

 

[DebbieB]

I walked a VGC 1 bedroom for D23 in 2019 at 7 months and got it. It was the Sunday to Wednesday before. We moved to Paradise Pier on Thursday for the weekend.

 

[LilyJC]

Early September you might be ok if you’re trying to “walk” a 1 or 2 bedroom as mentioned in the OP. September and October are definitely the incredibly popular fall/Halloween time at DLR. Studios at VGC will be booked fairly quickly by owners starting with Labor Day and in anticipation of the Halloween parties if/when they return. Always worth a try, and if it doesn’t work out you could rent your Aulani points out to cover a stay at GCH, DLH, or one of the many many super close Harbor hotels.

 

[Evita_W]

Great feedback thank! The VGC is such a hard one. We have 530 points total and it would be a shame to have to purchase points from another owner at 19-20 pp for the reservation we want. Its still the best option over paying rack rates or even rates for the Disney land hotel. It seems the "summer" high cost points does leave some availability open so my plan is the "walk" from august into the first part of September when we want to travel. Tricky part is getting it to sync with our planned Aulani trip. We own at Aulani and book the "hotel" room over the studio at 11 months but it'll suck if we have to go studio to fit the VGC reservation. I guess you gotta take the good with the bad.

Another option is to look around and see if the are grand Californian owners that might want to trade with you at 11 months out. In other words you book for them, so they can get your home resort at 11 months and they book for you, so you get Grand Californian at 11 months. It does take some level of trust there, but as an owner at Grand Californian we have done this before.

 

[keishashadow]

My question in, how much success (or failure) have some of you had in walking reservations at the 7 month. I know that technically walking is not a thing as owners can book out one date ahead of the reservation and mess with the whole thing.

Not your problem if people get mad over a strategy that is well known, & apparently accepted, by DVC management.

This year will likely be an aberration of sorts as to patterns as to DVC room bookings

In the past we’ve been able to grab VGC studios decidedly off season (february), & only for varying number of mid week dates. Once early June di pan out for us. I consider that a fluke.

Just too many points out there than need to be used as people slowy are starting to travel. Not sure how many people will be cancelling travel plans now. Was surprised to see rooms open up rather last minute, a few months out, for latter dates I checked re studios.

Certain resorts I’m just not interested in visiting. I’ve found studios in general at WDW much more difficult this year at even the 11 month window. This at the more popular resorts, even walking AKV Value ones

 

[DaveNan]

I have walked several times at 7 months. There is never a "guarantee" like walking at 11 months. I am usually successful, but I have had some "interrupted" by availability disappearing due to home resort owners (or other walkers getting to days first). The key is to always grab the next day ASAP. The key differences you need to employ are
1) Maximize the number of nights you are walking. If you have enough points to hold 7 nights, then do so. Even if you are just staying 2-3 nights have 7 in the reservation you are walking. If someone else is walking and there is only one open room 7 days out, you want to get it before anyone else. Once you have the nights you want, you can just drop days off the front as each day passes.
2) Walk the reservation every day and walk right at 8am, not just when there is "one day left" like you can for an 11 month walk. Again if day 7 is available you want to grab it immediately (or before anyone else).

 

[Mazz519]

All depends Ive walked at 7 months and had success also got blocked out right in the middle of walking... we always make our initial stay at a Home resort and then use pts at 7 months trying to walk

 

[Pinnochio]

Can someone explain "walking"?

 

[drusba]

Can someone explain "walking"?

Its creating a reservation before the time you actually want to go and then you "walk" the reservation to the time you actually want to go by continuously modifying the reservation to drop days at the beginning of the reservation and adding them to the end the reservation.

Example with the 11-month window: BWV standard view studios are very often impossible to get even at 11-months out for time in October (they can fill within nanoseconds after the 11 month window opens at 8 a.m. Eastern for online reservations). They are difficult even in summer but at times in Aug or even sometime sin Sep, you will find that you can reserve them right at 8 a.m. at 11-months out. So, for example, you reserve Aug 15-22 at 11 months out but really want Oct 15-22. At 11 months out from Aug 21, you modify the reservation to Aug 21-28. At 11-months out from Aug 27, you modify the reservation to Aug 27-Sep 3, and you continue doing that type of modification every 6th day until you have the Oct 15-22 reservation.

Why does doing that work? Once you have reserved a room at 11-months out, no one else can possibly reserve that same room for any future time at all until 11 months out from the designated departure date in your reservation.

Why it usually does not work when trying to reserve at 7-months out? No matter what dates are initially reserved, any owner of the resort will still be able to reserve the same room for any time beginning after your reservation.

That does not necessarily always rule out using it for a 7-month out reservation. What it does likely rule out is getting any reservation for any class of room that usually disappears well before 7 months out, such as the BWV standard studio. Moreover, attempting any "long" walk, like over a two month period, has a very high chance of failure. But there are times and for rooms that it can sometimes work. An example is July 4 time. Often you will find BLT lake view or BWV pool/garden view rooms open when checking time for last week of June and through July 5 at 7 months out from the last week of June. If you start a reservation with a June 25 start date at 7 months out, you can possibly walk it to the getting all of the first week of July. However, if you wait until until 7 months out from July 1 to make the reservation, you ar likely to find that at least July 3 and 4 are already gone.

 

[Pinnochio]

Great explanation, thank you!

 

[KAT4DISNEY]

Hey! I have tracked over a number of year the VGC availability in the seasons we travel (works out to be the low season, SEPT/OCT). It seems that if you get up in the morning I could book 1br/2br right at 7 month window sometimes. My question in, how much success (or failure) have some of you had in walking reservations at the 7 month. I know that technically walking is not a thing as owners can book out one date ahead of the reservation and mess with the whole thing.

I own at VGC and have been known to book a reservation in that week or two before the 7 month window because I have just realized it was about to open and I need to get it done. And I have taken the last room. If that happens - so sorry!

 

[harmon54]

So if you already see that the two days before the two days you want are booked then essentially you can’t walk it to your dates correct - because as soon as you hit the booked date you are done?

 

[JETSDAD]

So if you already see that the two days before the two days you want are booked then essentially you can’t walk it to your dates correct - because as soon as you hit the booked date you are done?

Correct. Any holes kill a 7 month walk.

 

[Sandisw]

So if you already see that the two days before the two days you want are booked then essentially you can’t walk it to your dates correct - because as soon as you hit the booked date you are done?

That is correct! It is the reason why at 7 months it doesn’t work to the same way it does at 11 months,

I just watched a potential 7 month walk I was going to try for October so I could try to get some nights at RIV using my SSR points get stopped literally the day after I considered it, Some RIV owner came and took them the morning I was going to do it,

Now, I do have the room I wanted booked, since I own RIV, but had hoped to be able to use the other points! Lol

 

[mort1331]

So 2 years back we were successful at a 7month walk at VGC. It was for end of Aug, so a bit before your times. We actually were able to snag 7 days. Started about 4 weeks out. Now we did not book flights until we knew the rooms were confirmed. But were very happy we were able to get. Had a great time...Good Luck