Strategy for Booking Popular Rooms at 7-Months

[PurpleKomodo]

I asked on Facebook and got a couple of different answers, so I am coming to the group of experts. When you book online at 8am EST at 7-months, how much can you do before hitting go at 7am? For example, can I search my dates, get to the room I want and hit book at 8am? Or do I need to hit search my dates at 8am? My goals are lofty, so being quick will be essential and I want to have the best odds I can. Help!!

 

[kes601]

You have to either search at 8:00a or hit reload at 8:00a (what I do). If you have the search up earlier than 8:00a and try selecting your room it will tell you that you are too early.

 

[Cyberc1978]

Same strategy as for 11 month window.

at 08.00.00am you hit search, and book your room. If you have searched and are ready to book before 08.00.00am then the system will tell you that you are too early.

if the resort and dates are important and inflexible then I'd advice NOT to use your cellphone as the connectivity might not always be good and for this task you need the best you can get. So use a laptop or desktop computer preferably with a LAN cable but god wifi connection will do and remember to use a mouse - my experience using a trackpad has been poor but with a mouse I normally always get what I want.

And as with everything else, don't THINK you have good LAN or Wifi connectivity KNOW you have it, otherwise every time you try to book you will get the answer you don't want, "room is not available"

If you don't know, maybe ask your son or daughter if they are gamers, they normally care about the connectivity because their games will start to lag if the connection is poor.

Oh and another thing, if you use wifi, be as close as you can to your access point - wifi signals can be disturbed by other radio signals and you are avoiding that by being as close as you can to the access point. When I need to book, I normally sit below mine. Mine is mounted on the ceiling in my kitchen.

 

[DebbieB]

It will also timeout if you do it too early.

 

[kes601]

It will also timeout if you do it too early.

Keep reloading every 5 minutes and that won't happen.

 

[CarolynFH]

In preparation for possible competitive booking a few months from now, I want to be sure I have the process down -

At, say, 7:55 AM Eastern, I enter Travel Party, Travel Dates, Room Type and Resort.
At precisely 8:00:00 AM Eastern, I click Check Availability.

Do I have that right?

TIA!

 

[kes601]

In preparation for possible competitive booking a few months from now, I want to be sure I have the process down -

At, say, 7:55 AM Eastern, I enter Travel Party, Travel Dates, Room Type and Resort.
At precisely 8:00:00 AM Eastern, I click Check Availability.

Do I have that right?

TIA!

That will work. Alternatively you can hit search earlier and then at 7:59 and 58 seconds you can hit reload. That's been my trick.

 

[CarolynFH]

That will work. Alternatively you can hit search earlier and then at 7:59 and 58 seconds you can hit reload. That's been my trick.

"Search" = "Check availability," right? Hmm, I might try your technique!

 

[kes601]

"Search" = "Check availability," right? Hmm, I might try your technique!

Yep, that's correct.

 

[sjdrr1313]

Did you have any luck? I've been trying to book Aulani every morning at exactly 8 am and haven't been able to get anything. I am trying to modify a reservation, I wonder if that is slower than booking a new one. I've tried clicking continue at 8, got the too early message. I clicked continue early on purpose and got to the "close and refresh results" box and hit THAT at 8 am... that was the closest i got to success, my room was still there, I clicked book, it said "you're almost there!" and then an error has occurred... this morning I tried hitting "update" on the search page right at 8 but I guess I was too slow. my phone froze so I hit it on my laptop but the rooms were gone. I was hoping once the point values went up the last week of June the availability would get easier but so far that's not the case

 

[Cyberc1978]

Did you have any luck? I've been trying to book Aulani every morning at exactly 8 am and haven't been able to get anything. I am trying to modify a reservation, I wonder if that is slower than booking a new one. I've tried clicking continue at 8, got the too early message. I clicked continue early on purpose and got to the "close and refresh results" box and hit THAT at 8 am... that was the closest i got to success, my room was still there, I clicked book, it said "you're almost there!" and then an error has occurred... this morning I tried hitting "update" on the search page right at 8 but I guess I was too slow. my phone froze so I hit it on my laptop but the rooms were gone. I was hoping once the point values went up the last week of June the availability would get easier but so far that's not the case

My experience is that modifying a reservation at the 8am mark to get another resort is a drawback. Its as if the system need more time to process the modification and that's time we don't have.

If you can try and use unused points instead.

 

[sjdrr1313]

My experience is that modifying a reservation at the 8am mark to get another resort is a drawback. Its as if the system need more time to process the modification and that's time we don't have.

If you can try and use unused points instead.

I'd have to cancel the original reservation. Which is fine, the dates no longer work for me. I was able to book may 29-june 5 and now we have concert tickets the weekend of June 1, so I need to switch dates. It's just that mental security blanket that at least I have something booked currently.

 

[Rick195275]

I'd have to cancel the original reservation. Which is fine, the dates no longer work for me. I was able to book may 29-june 5 and now we have concert tickets the weekend of June 1, so I need to switch dates. It's just that mental security blanket that at least I have something booked currently.

You actually have to cancel your original reservation and rebook, that’s probably why you’re having issues every day. For non WDW resorts you can’t modify the reservation, it’s an issue with the system. It’s the same when trying to book the Disneyland resorts.

 

[kes601]

My experience is that modifying a reservation at the 8am mark to get another resort is a drawback. Its as if the system need more time to process the modification and that's time we don't have.

If you can try and use unused points instead.

Once you get off of the first screen the room is locked and nobody else can (in theory) get it. Modifying a reservation should not put you at a disadvantage. It doesn't actually process the change until you get to the next to last screen (the one before the confirmation).

 

[sjdrr1313]

You actually have to cancel your original reservation and rebook, that’s probably why you’re having issues every day. For non WDW resorts you can’t modify the reservation, it’s an issue with the system. It’s the same when trying to book the Disneyland resorts.

You mean right at 8 am you can't modify? Because I've definitely already modified it with no issues at other times. I had a couple of nights booked for a different view and modified to ocean view when it was available. It's just these rooms are booking up in seconds as soon as the 8 am window opens, there are a couple of threads about it in the DVC Facebook groups and the Aulani group.

 

[kes601]

You mean right at 8 am you can't modify? Because I've definitely already modified it with no issues at other times. I had a couple of nights booked for a different view and modified to ocean view when it was available. It's just these rooms are booking up in seconds as soon as the 8 am window opens, there are a couple of threads about it in the DVC Facebook groups and the Aulani group.

You can modify WDW -> WDW, HHI, or VB and you can modify VDH / VGC -> VDH / VGC. Aulani can't be modified to/from unless it is to another room type or dates at Aulani.

 

[sjdrr1313]

You can modify WDW -> WDW, HHI, or VB and you can modify VDH / VGC -> VDH / VGC. Aulani can't be modified to/from unless it is to another room type at Aulani.

Ok thanks, that's what I'm trying to do. I just want to change dates at Aulani. But at 8 am it's been cut throat when the 7 month window opens, so just making sure I'm not doing something to slow myself down

 

[kes601]

Ok thanks, that's what I'm trying to do. I just want to change dates at Aulani. But at 8 am it's been cut throat when the 7 month window opens, so just making sure I'm not doing something to slow myself down

Yep, you will be able to modify with no issues (assuming availability).

 

[Cyberc1978]

Once you get off of the first screen the room is locked and nobody else can (in theory) get it. Modifying a reservation should not put you at a disadvantage. It doesn't actually process the change until you get to the next to last screen (the one before the confirmation).

I agree that IF you get passed the first screen then you hold the new resort and dates but until you get there you don’t.
My experience is that when modifying a reservation at the 8am mark that is a draw back if the new dates and resort is highly sought after.
It just takes more time after you click the button to try and book the new dates.

 

[kes601]

I agree that IF you get passed the first screen then you hold the new resort and dates but until you get there you don’t.
My experience is that when modifying a reservation at the 8am mark that is a draw back if the new dates and resort is highly sought after.
It just takes more time after you click the button to try and book the new dates.

I'm not questing your experience, but I'm still not understanding where you are saying the slow down happens. If you only select the resort you want before hitting check availability then it will be at the top of your screen.

Also, if you actually look at your point activity if you are "modifying" a reservation, the original gets cancelled and the new one gets booked (so nothing is actually being "modified"). There should be no difference between a new reservation and modifying. Again, not questioning what you've seen, it just does not make sense to me.