Walking “fix” implemented? Problems booking a high value Villa.

[robinb]

I have been trying to book a standard view 2BR at BWV at exactly the 11 month window every day at 8:00 am for the past 5 days (since Monday). A 2BR is a lock off and includes a hard to book SV studio. When I look the evening before, the current day is not available but the next day is so I set an alarm to book starting the next day on my iPhone and iPad since we are traveling now.

Each time I try to book at exactly 8:00 (and even a few seconds past) I get a “technical difficulty” notice or the Dwarves. I refresh and the Villa is gone but the previous day is now available. At first I thought I was just being late to tap “Continue” but then I went to my iPad and watched my phone count down to 8:00 am and see if that helped. It didn’t.

I think the sane thing is happening to a Boardwalk View studio, AKV value and concierge 1BRs. They have dates before and after the current 11-month check in date but not the date itself. AKV value studios snd concierge studios are still booked out but that may be a remnant of walking that was started earlier.

I really do want to book for late April and I have been picking up the days that pop up behind the lead date but it’s a PITB.

Has anyone else notice this?

 

[CarolMN]

I think it is BAU. This sounds like people are walking to me.

Hope you can get what you want by picking days up as the walkers move through, or vIa stalking/waitlist. I had luck doing that for my early December reservation at VGF

 

[kboo]

I don't think it's a "fix" for walking so much as the DVC site can't handle so many people getting on the site at the same time to book a new reservation at 8am. It happened at times when I was trying to book at 11 months for Christmas at VGF, and happened recently when I was trying to book (successfully) at 7 months for VGC. Because walking can happen well before 8am on the next day, because I already have that day booked. For example: today is May 24, I have a reservation already booked May 22-29. On the site, May 24 is already unavailable, but I'm already holding one of the rooms that's unavailable. since I'm occupying a room until the 29th, I can modify my stay any time today to go from the 24th - 31st, even though the 24th is showing unavailable for new bookings, because I'm already holding a room through the 29th. Hope that makes sense. If I had enough points and wanted to stay for more than 7 days, I could call any time and add another day at the end (I think? I've never done this part).

(That said, looking at Christmas reservations at various resorts, there are odd dates open which makes me think that some 7-monthers are trying to walk into January. )

 

[kboo]

I think it is BAU. This sounds like people are walking to me.

Hope you can get what you want by picking days up as the walkers move through, or vIa stalking/waitlist. I had luck doing that for my early December reservation at VGF

What's BAU?

 

[drusba]

Be aware that, for any 11-month out arrival date for the entire year for BWV, standard studios (and 2BRs since those are all lock-offs), tend to book full within nanoseconds after 8 a.m. That has been happening for many years. It was a problem for only part of the year for BWV until 2016. That is when DVD added the pull-out Murphy bed from a cabinet beneath the TV in the studio, raising the room capacity to 5 rather than 4, with the result that demand for studios became more extreme than it was before 2016.

What is usually happening is that the only studios actually open for any arrival date at 11-months out are the low number of rooms from which other members are checking out on that desired arrival date. The result is that right at 8 a.m. some get the room and everyone else trying gets blocked out. What then may happen for any given date is that some walkers may drop that date on the days following and you might find an opening. Note also that boardwalk view studios have the same issue for 11-month out reservations for stays in DVC's high to extremely high demand "fall" season, late Sep to marathon weekend in Jan.

 

[CarolMN]

What's BAU?

Business as Usual

 

[robinb]

I am absolutely aware of walking and the popularity of standard view studios. I’m a long time member who has walked before. This is not my first booking rodeo.

This is NOT walking because the previous day, which had been unavailable, suddenly becomes available. Walkers don’t release their previous dates at 8:00:05 am. At least not the smart ones. Walkers drop their previous dates at their leisure.
Things have changed since I looked just after 8:00
Am but there are still 3 villas with rooms available before and rooms available after but no rooms for today’s 11-month window. I’ll be up at 8:00 am tomorrow and see if it does the same thing.

Boardwalk:





Bay Lake

 

[_auroraborealis_]

A lot of the newer walkers do 8AM.

 

[robinb]

A lot of the newer walkers do 8AM.

I’ve never heard that people also drop at exactly 8:00 am.

 

[babyruth]

if you are rebooking to walk towards a day why wouldn't you drop the day you don't need at the same time? isn't that what walking is? changing it daily to get towards your date? I am looking at New Years week and I'm fairly sure I am watching someone walk a studio at 7 months. It is giving my anxiety as I wait for my 7 month to open.

 

[kboo]

I am absolutely aware of walking and the popularity of standard view studios. I’m a long time member who has walked before. This is not my first booking rodeo.

This is NOT walking because the previous day, which had been unavailable, suddenly becomes available. Walkers don’t release their previous dates at 8:00:05 am. At least not the smart ones. Walkers drop their previous dates at their leisure.
Things have changed since I looked just after 8:00
Am but there are still 3 villas with rooms available before and rooms available after but no rooms for today’s 11-month window. I’ll be up at 8:00 am tomorrow and see if it does the same thing.

Boardwalk:

View attachment 862605

View attachment 862606

Bay Lake

View attachment 862607

This is the pattern I've seen around Christmas (2024) for people walking into January. So long as the start date isn't bookable, you can't add any new reservations (or new walkers), so there's the most pressure for someone trying on that day to start their reservation. Not every (walker) is covering the days before and after the 11mo day but every walker has to cover the 11mo day before 8am on the day that it becomes the 11 mo day.

 

[kboo]

if you are rebooking to walk towards a day why wouldn't you drop the day you don't need at the same time? isn't that what walking is? changing it daily to get towards your date? I am looking at New Years week and I'm fairly sure I am watching someone walk a studio at 7 months. It is giving my anxiety as I wait for my 7 month to open.

That is how you walk, but you don't need to do it day by day. If I'm trying to book Dec 25-30 with the least number of modifications, for example, I could have booked Dec 10-17 on Jan10, then on Jan 16, modify that reservation to Dec 16-23, and on Dec 22 modified to Dec 22-29. Then anytime after Dec 23 (you can still only book 7 nights at a time), extend my stay to Dec 30, and then any time within 30 days of the reservation start ((i.e. Nov 23) drop the 2 days on the front end.

Edited: by the way - I know how to walk but the only time I've walked was the first time I tried to get VGF standard view at 11 months over Christmas. Other times, I've just booked at 8am and gotten lucky, or waitlisted, or booked piecemeal and modified later.

 

[babyruth]

That is how you walk, but you don't need to do it day by day. If I'm trying to book Dec 25-30 with the least number of modifications, for example, I could have booked Dec 10-17 on Jan10, then on Jan 16, modify that reservation to Dec 16-23, and on Dec 22 modified to Dec 22-29. Then anytime after Dec 23 (you can still only book 7 nights at a time), extend my stay to Dec 30, and then any time within 30 days of the reservation start ((i.e. Nov 23) drop the 2 days on the front end.

Edited: by the way - I know how to walk but the only time I've walked was the first time I tried to get VGF standard view at 11 months over Christmas. Other times, I've just booked at 8am and gotten lucky, or waitlisted, or booked piecemeal and modified later.

well I have never thought of that! And I should have done that!!!

 

[Sandisw]

I am noticing that more and more people are going on right at 8 am to change rooms, whether walking or not.

As noted, this specific room has this happen every day of the year, so walking or not, it is going to be tough to get at 11 months. The good news is that if walking is the culprit, then those rooms are showing back up for you to grab.

 

[HyperspaceMountainPilot]

I know there aren’t many rooms available but I also think sophisticated software used by commercial renters could explain this phenomenon— if you’re in intensely competitive situations (like BWV standard) you want to walk to the next week as soon as you can, and you can program software to grab it for you at 8:00:01 and it will release the prior day you don’t need anymore in order to extend another 7 days. If you’re starting at 11mo, this probably isn’t necessary but if you have points you walk at 7mo it’s more critical to avoid getting walk-blocked…so they could just use the system for everything.

In theory, the silver lining is that you should be WL the days you get locked out off by 8:01 and many will clear within a week.

 

[robinb]

It happened again this morning. a SV 2BR showed booked for 4/24 at 7:59. At exactly 8:00 am, it was released and available to book. Which I did.

 

[JackosinDIS]

It happened again this morning. a SV 2BR showed booked for 4/24 at 7:59. At exactly 8:00 am, it was released and available to book. Which I did.

It is very strange that the prior days are being released right at 8am. Can’t quite get my head round what is going on here!

 

[robinb]

It is very strange that the prior days are being released right at 8am. Can’t quite get my head round what is going on here!

Me either. It's very strange. Perhaps @HyperspaceMountainPilot is on to something. Perhaps someone has automated booking and the program drops the previous 7-day start date once it acquires the current one.

 

[JackosinDIS]

Me either. It's very strange. Perhaps @HyperspaceMountainPilot is on to something. Perhaps someone has automated booking and the program drops the previous 7-day start date once it acquires the current one.

Perhaps, but why would they risk losing the walk by not having at least one overlapping day…. There is always a risk that the program doesn’t grab the first day of the walk for the next 7 day period

 

[robinb]

Perhaps, but why would they risk losing the walk by not having at least one overlapping day…. There is always a risk that the program doesn’t grab the first day of the walk for the next 7 day period

There is no risk at the 11-month window. They already have the current date blocked and they are simply modifying the 7-day window one day forward.