Sad day .. Just Sold our DVC Membership..

[FlynnRiderSwitch]

Sorry to hear, never realized it was that difficult to book BWV at 11 months. Since 1997, I would say you had an awesome run. We bought VGF in 2014 and used to book a week in a studio the first week or 2 of December. Don't even bother with December anymore because of the walking. I guess its similar at BWV.

Just curious, is there more walking in December? We love going to DW in December!

 

[DaveNan]

Just curious, is there more walking in December? We love going to DW in December!

Yes. The more likely a villa category is the book, the more likely walking will start. Dec is the highest demand time for DVC, so the weeks/months leading up to DEC are the times walking is most likely. Last Jan, the first 2 weeks of DEC were booked for many of the studio categories and for the low point rooms for many 2BR and some 1BR at the 11 month window. This drives the "need" for walking. For the high demand categories, even the dropped rooms are picked up quickly. Early DEC fills very near the 11 month window for many of the DVC resorts.

 

[disneydreamer781]

Wow! As much as I keep telling DH that I'm ready to sell, particularly in the last couple of years, I'm finding it hard to pull the trigger. I've had DVC since 1992 and it's just hard to let go. I'm soooo weak! I know the day will come soon that I may have to sell but only because of necessity. It doesn't help when I see the cost of WDW hotels and what it cost us for my birthday trip in May when DVC points were restricted. We did 6 nights and only did 2 park days and I really enjoyed relaxing a bit and having some downtime to do other things.

 

[DeeCee735]

I never had a problem booking our entire trip 11months to the day in one shot. After years of using BWV (our first home resort) and buying AKV in 2007 (second home resort), never had an issue with either. That being said, we like venturing out to other resorts as well, so in the case of looking to book at the 7th month window (or less) we embrace the opportunity to stay else where. So far, we’ve stayed at every DVC except BLT (by choice, just not our thing) and Beach Club Villas, due to proximity to BWV. And upcoming stay in Riviera will be our first time. We look forward to that. I’m sorry to hear so many have had issues and need to walk their reservations, but at least it can be done to get you your priority choices. Enjoy your planning and your trips!

Dee

 

[crisi]

It would solve the issue of walking for months, but it would give an advantage to people with a lot of points. They would be able to start booking a few days (or even weeks) in advance. It's a mitigation, not a solution and I'm against any system that would give an unfair advantage to only some people; at least now, as long as one has enough points to book two nights, he's level with anyone else.
Mind you, I'm often in banking mode, this means I could easily start booking my dates a couple of weeks in advance if I wanted to, so I'd be one of those who would get the unfair advantage and I'm still against it.

Also, the real issue for me is that I don't really trust DVC to mess with reservations. They actually gain money if points are lost (via breakage). So I bet any rule they'd introduce would make our life more difficult and cause a loss of points. I own another point system, there is no concept of banking and borrowing, points are available in the account to be spent for 5 years, points are deducted only at check-in, if I cancel (within the free cancellation period) they go back to their status. This makes my life much easier. There is no real reason to have banking and borrowing, except to hope that all those rules cause people to lose points. I don't want any more rule to complicate an already convoluted syst

But so few people have that many points that walking would cease to be a necessary thing. Sure, a few people could walk into in demand nights, but it would be such a small number of people with that quantity of home resort points it wouldn't create the mess that they have now. Or they could just do what Mistysue suggested and you can't modify the reservation until the whole thing is within eleven months.

And I get you on not trusting Disney to no lose points, but people who walk are inherently trusting Disney to modify reservations as are anyone who changes their reservations. This would REDUCE the chances Disney can screw up, since fewer people would be modifying reservations.

 

[Sandisw]

They could just stop people modifying reservations that go past 11 months. So for example if I book 4 nights 11 months from today, I could't modify it until I hit check in for the the first night that is not included (the 5th night). Right now people book 4 then modify on day 4 to stay ahead. It would stop people because right now if you cancel the whole thing to rebook a new trip someone might steal your room, and the entire idea of walking would fall apart at its foundation. People would simply be forced to try to book the trip they actually wanted.

They could but is it only when you book right at 11 months? Does 10 months and 28 days get the no modification rule?

Right now, we can’t book more than 7 nights at a time…but people stay longer so they modify a few days in to add more days to get what they want.

No modifications until check out day means those wanting more than 7 nights could lose out?

There are simply too many situations that have to be accounted for when trying to add rules to prevent walking that in the end, it’s easier to keep it as is since the majority of DVC owners don’t do it.

Even if they could stop walking, some rooms would still be difficult. AKV CL rooms are always gone and never show back up…which means there is no way to tell when someone walked or booked for real.

 

[crisi]

They could but is it only when you book right at 11 months? Does 10 months and 28 days get the no modification rule?

Right now, we can’t book more than 7 nights at a time…but people stay longer so they modify a few days in to add more days to get what they want.

No modifications until check out day means those wanting more than 7 nights could lose out?

There are simply too many situations that have to be accounted for when trying to add rules to prevent walking that in the end, it’s easier to keep it as is since the majority of DVC owners don’t do it.

Even if they could stop walking, some rooms would still be difficult. AKV CL rooms are always gone and never show back up…which means there is no way to tell when someone walked or booked for real.

10 months 28 days wouldn't need the no modification rule. People who are actually taking a trip eleven months after that day would get under those people.

And you could do not "no modifications" but "no dropping days" - you can add nights to the end of your reservation, you just can't drop days without cancelling the whole reservation until say 10 months out - I'm picking 10 arbitrarily, if I worked for Disney I'd do a data analysis. You might need as little as two weeks, you might need as much as eight months to change walking to being "not a thing." But seriously, it could be done without a lot of pain for people using the system who are not walking, and stop a lot of pain for those that just want to call and get a room at eleven months.

There would be a few people who would get stuck with valid issues - oops, I found out ten months and 20 days in that we will have to move that vacation by three days due to a wedding. Or, oops, I clicked the wrong days when I made the reservation and actually can't travel until Sunday, not Friday. Those cases should be pretty darn rare.

 

[mistysue]

They could but is it only when you book right at 11 months? Does 10 months and 28 days get the no modification rule?

Right now, we can’t book more than 7 nights at a time…but people stay longer so they modify a few days in to add more days to get what they want.

No modifications until check out day means those wanting more than 7 nights could lose out?

There are simply too many situations that have to be accounted for when trying to add rules to prevent walking that in the end, it’s easier to keep it as is since the majority of DVC owners don’t do it.

Even if they could stop walking, some rooms would still be difficult. AKV CL rooms are always gone and never show back up…which means there is no way to tell when someone walked or booked for real.

As Crisi said, it only matters for stopping people booking past 11 months out.
They could easily come up with a system where maybe you can add but not subtract days, plus a penalty if you add then later shorten the trip before X amount of time has passed.

Besides, not only are most DVC trips not going to completely fall apart if people have to swap rooms every 7 days, but having measures in place that stop people from walking will make it not as hard to get that second reservation right after your first one anyway. People having to swap rooms after 7 days on a trip is a whole lot less hassle than the fact that nobody can get the rooms they want because of all this walking nonsense that's happening.

 

[Sandisw]

As Crisi said, it only matters for stopping people booking past 11 months out.
They could easily come up with a system where maybe you can add but not subtract days, plus a penalty if you add then later shorten the trip before X amount of time has passed.

Besides, not only are most DVC trips not going to completely fall apart if people have to swap rooms every 7 days, but having measures in place that stop people from walking will make it not as hard to get that second reservation right after your first one anyway. People having to swap rooms after 7 days on a trip is a whole lot less hassle than the fact that nobody can get the rooms they want because of all this walking nonsense that's happening.

Any change and making owners suffer a penalty of any kind outside of 31 days is a big change to the program.

Could it stop walking? No. Could it curtail it some that people have to start closer?
Sure.

No matter what they do, owners will find a way to work it.. and larger point owners or those with multiple memberships will mostly end up with a real advantage.

Remember, it used to be book from check out day and not check in and they changed it because there were issues there..people were forced to book day by day or risk losing out

Sorry, but stating that anyone who wants to travel more than 7 days now can’t without a potential room change is a huge change to the system..many overseas travelers do weeks are a time..mainly because that 7 day limit is arbitrary..

In the end, hard to get rooms that are walked now will still be hard to get rooms and just don’t believe any change to the system to penalize owners for modifications..whether it’s dropping or adding..to reduce walking right at 11 months would be a better system for the membership as a whole.

 

[bobbiwoz]

I have always thought that walking should be stopped. Just my opinion, of course.

 

[Ronaldo17]

Been there. We bought VWL way back, got out in 2015. We still went every year for the next 5 years and repurchased BRV in 2020, same use year as original.
I agree the planning is insane now. We we started going (late 90's), you could walk up to most restaurants and get in within 1/2 hour- 45 minutes.
Sept.-Oct. were slow times. attractions were 5-15 minute stand by times. Same with January. Original FP paper machines worked well and gave us
options on park strategy as crowds steadily increased.
The current park reservation system and Genie, LL, Virtual cue, ADR's etc. is completely time consuming and exhausting. I can see where you've had enough. Sad to see long time Members leave, but I get it.

Yeah, me too.

 

[RoseGold]

Even timeshares that charge booking fees, a very timeshare-y thing to do, allow you to modify for free.

Charging to modify would be a really, really timeshare-y thing to do. And Disney has been very timeshare-y with the resale restriction, but hasn't charged weird timeshare-y fees for much, now that I think about it. There are charges that I would pay, like a 1PM check out, or a 11AM check in. There are circumstances those rooms are already available and are being allocated for free.

 

[mello]

I never had a problem booking our entire trip 11months to the day in one shot. After years of using BWV (our first home resort) and buying AKV in 2007 (second home resort), never had an issue with either. That being said, we like venturing out to other resorts as well, so in the case of looking to book at the 7th month window (or less) we embrace the opportunity to stay else where. So far, we’ve stayed at every DVC except BLT (by choice, just not our thing) and Beach Club Villas, due to proximity to BWV. And upcoming stay in Riviera will be our first time. We look forward to that. I’m sorry to hear so many have had issues and need to walk their reservations, but at least it can be done to get you your priority choices. Enjoy your planning and your trips!

Dee

Same! We own at similar resorts to you and have also enjoyed trying them all (though we do gravitate toward our home resorts in general). We also have tried all but BLT.

No problems at 11 months either, but we have had to change plans when trying to get something we had in mind at 7 months on occasion.

Lately we've been gravitating more toward offsite - I love Vero and HH - so relaxing and no jumping through park hoops, dealing with excessive crowds, etc. I'd go to Aulani more if we lived on the west coast.

Enjoy your stay at RIV! We did it last year and it was very pretty.

 

[smjj]

So sorry to see you go and we have been thinking the same but for us we bought in so long ago and at OKW we just can't give it up at this time. I agree that the price is just so high and the benefits are sure not what they use to be I can't imagine how people afford it now. Maybe a few years down the line for us..

 

[GAN]

I suppose for me, all the changes haven’t broke me yet. Do I figure on visiting less …probably? But the avenues for renting out points are so easy now, that I can’t see ever selling. Even if I never use my points again, the value I’d gain from renting all my points far exceeds cost/Maint fees ….then I can take that cash and book a beach vacation somewhere, or Europe next year .

 

[ITGirl50]

Everyone can walk reservations, its not like only some people can and others cannot. You just need enough points to do it. It’s not worth the penalty to regular changes to stop it. I’ve had to change reservations multiple times the same day to get the points adjusted correctly and not lose my reservation.

 

[RAD]

We’re right behind the OP. Xxxx since 1999 and our contract is up for sale, just waiting for someone to buy it. Just tired of all the planning it now takes to have a vacation plus the prices are just insane.

Edited by mod. Resort name removed

 

[Nursemanit]

Any change and making owners suffer a penalty of any kind outside of 31 days is a big change to the program.

Could it stop walking? No. Could it curtail it some that people have to start closer?
Sure.

No matter what they do, owners will find a way to work it.. and larger point owners or those with multiple memberships will mostly end up with a real advantage.

Remember, it used to be book from check out day and not check in and they changed it because there were issues there..people were forced to book day by day or risk losing out

Sorry, but stating that anyone who wants to travel more than 7 days now can’t without a potential room change is a huge change to the system..many overseas travelers do weeks are a time..mainly because that 7 day limit is arbitrary..

In the end, hard to get rooms that are walked now will still be hard to get rooms and just don’t believe any change to the system to penalize owners for modifications..whether it’s dropping or adding..to reduce walking right at 11 months would be a better system for the membership as a whole.

This is a high school level problem for a software developer- if DVC wanted to solve it.

But they don’t. Nor do they claim that walking violated the rules in my conversation with them. So if they have not stopped it in the past 20 plus years you just have to play the game.

 

[Sandisw]

This is a high school level problem for a software developer- if DVC wanted to solve it.

But they don’t. Nor do they claim that walking violated the rules in my conversation with them. So if they have not stopped it in the past 20 plus years you just have to play the game.

I wasn’t referring to a big change to the software..but a big change to the DVC program…

So, they have not amended the rules because, IMO, all the potential rule changes to modifications to a reservation would create unintended consequences that would be seen as not acting in the best interest of the membership.

As I posted, it use to be book from check out and not check in...which resorted with people calling every day, and then modifying and adding a new check out day…which was a work around that some owners figured out because they were ending up with holes in their trips if they waited until actual check out day to book.

They changed it in 2008, I think, to be check in day plus 7 so peoole didn’t have to deal with that,,

If it is true walking, you can go in, and just put in a waitlist for the trip, and 99% chance it will fill if people are walking on by those dates.

No system is going to be perfect and at least right now, the rules do not favor higher point owners or those with multiple UYs.

 

[crisi]

I wasn’t referring to a big change to the software..but a big change to the DVC program…

So, they have not amended the rules because, IMO, all the potential rule changes to modifications to a reservation would create unintended consequences that would be seen as not acting in the best interest of the membership.

As I posted, it use to be book from check out and not check in...which resorted with people calling every day, and then modifying and adding a new check out day…which was a work around that some owners figured out because they were ending up with holes in their trips if they waited until actual check out day to book.

They changed it in 2008, I think, to be check in day plus 7 so peoole didn’t have to deal with that,,

If it is true walking, you can go in, and just put in a waitlist for the trip, and 99% chance it will fill if people are walking on by those dates.

No system is going to be perfect and at least right now, the rules do not favor higher point owners or those with multiple UYs.

Changing the system so you can't drop days at the beginning of the reservation for some period of time isn't a big change to the system. Its a policy change that isn't any different than the change from "day by day" booking to book the whole thing at eleven months from the check in day (which they stopped not because you could get locked out mid trip, but because it was increasing their costs dramatically as people had to make a phone call for each day of their stay - I do not buy that it had anything to do with the members - it wasn't sustainable for Disney). Or giving us access to online booking (which was a pretty major change because online booking has different hours than phone booking - and that extra hour is not at all at a convenient time for West Coast members). Its much less of a change than making Fall more expensive. Or changing the point cost of studios. Or even putting the bedding for five in a studio which has decreased storage and increased room wear and tear. But hey, for people who want five in a studio, its been great.

People aren't happy with the walking situation. A lot of us don't want to waitlist (in 20+ years of ownership, I have never waitlisted, I either make the reservation I make, or I move on. I don't trust the waitlist, since we know its possible for me to get a room by stalking that you have a waitlist already in place for - it disturbs my sense of fairness and justice. They could fix that as well - again, that's a pretty simple data base change to add a room status "open" "reserved" and "released" - released rooms aren't available for booking - i.e. don't change to open - until the wait list has been run against them - but they haven't) Disney isn't likely to do anything about it. But they COULD do so and saying they can't without ruining the system isn't at all accurate - its an excuse either on behalf of Disney or on behalf of the members who like walking.

It is quite possible that the members who like the situation with walking outnumber those who are not happy, and change it would not increase member satisfaction. Personally, I would lay money on it being the case of more members would be happy with a change such as the one I proposed and the virtual end of walking (as has been pointed out, a few members with a ton of points might still choose to do it, but honestly, when it isn't necessary because so few people do it, those people aren't very likely to bother for anything other than VAKL Concierge rooms or something like that).