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

[Sandisw]

How far can you go in the booking screen before 8am? I’ve struck out on a BWV standard room for the last 2 weeks. Seems literally impossible that anyone is clicking faster as it’s gone in a millisecond. I’ve tried so many different things from modifying an existing booking, booking a new reservation to grab that first night… starting at different points in the screen…. Using a computer, phone, different browsers….so just curious what your process was to get the 11th this morning?

I go only as far as the calendar where I choose the dates. I even unchecked the VGF as that is one of my home resorts and only want it to load RIV

Hit check as soon as it hit 8 am. Today was the first day I go it. I started on the 6th? But today was also the first day I was on my computer and not my phone or iPad.

 

[muppets3d]

I go only as far as the calendar where I choose the dates. I even unchecked the VGF as that is one of my home resorts and only want it to load RIV

Hit check as soon as it hit 8 am. Today was the first day I go it. I started on the 6th? But today was also the first day I was on my computer and not my phone or iPad.

That is exactly how I do it as well! Bring up the search window and pre-select everything I want - the resort to search, room category, dates - and click the search at exactly 8AM. If you search a mouse fart too soon, you won't be able to book anything - too early. A mouse fart too late - especially for high-demand rooms like AKV Value, you missed out.

 

[Minnie84]

I go only as far as the calendar where I choose the dates. I even unchecked the VGF as that is one of my home resorts and only want it to load RIV

Hit check as soon as it hit 8 am. Today was the first day I go it. I started on the 6th? But today was also the first day I was on my computer and not my phone or iPad.

Well I guess I’ll keep trying. I mean … who doesn’t love getting up at 6am everyday , having to be fully alert and with superhuman finger clicking speed

 

[muppets3d]

Well I guess I’ll keep trying. I mean … who doesn’t love getting up at 6am everyday , having to be fully alert and with superhuman finger clicking speed

It's ridiculous that this is what it's like trying to book a room. It needs to be fixed. Limit the number of modifications to each reservation to one. One modification, then you must cancel and re-book. Or at least you must call into MS and have them make further modifications. That would put an end to the chronic walking that makes these rooms hard to book.

 

[kes601]

It's ridiculous that this is what it's like trying to book a room. It needs to be fixed. Limit the number of modifications to each reservation to one. One modification, then you must cancel and re-book. Or at least you must call into MS and have them make further modifications. That would put an end to the chronic walking that makes these rooms hard to book.

It might put an end to chronic walking, but it would also put the end to getting a unicorn room that becomes available to somebody who booked at their home resort at 11 months and switched to something else at 7 months. Because there is your 1 modification.

Heck, for Christmas week we booked SSR at 11 months. At 7 months we grabbed a CCV 1 BR, then decided to try and build a 1 BR Standard at BWV, and finally grabbed a Resort Studio at VGF. So that is at least 3 modifications we made at 7 months.

Not everybody "does" DVC the same. Be careful what you wish for.

 

[muppets3d]

It might put an end to chronic walking, but it would also put the end to getting a unicorn room that becomes available to somebody who booked at their home resort at 11 months and switched to something else at 7 months. Because there is your 1 modification.

Heck, for Christmas week we booked SSR at 11 months. At 7 months we grabbed a CCV 1 BR, then decided to try and build a 1 BR Standard at BWV, and finally grabbed a Resort Studio at VGF. So that is at least 3 modifications we made at 7 months.

Not everybody "does" DVC the same. Be careful what you wish for.

No matter what rule change Disney implements, there will be people who are left behind. Look at the, what, 400 pages of people upset they can't use DAS anymore on here. Life goes on.

 

[kes601]

No matter what rule change Disney implements, there will be people who are left behind. Look at the, what, 400 pages of people upset they can't use DAS anymore on here. Life goes on.

True. I'm pointing out that your "fix" probably hinders more people than it helps. What about waitlists or merges or needing to shift your stay by a day or two because of flights or works? The "fix" potentially fixes one issue but opens up many, many others.

 

[muppets3d]

True. I'm pointing out that your "fix" probably hinders more people than it helps. What about waitlists or merges or needing to shift your stay by a day or two because of flights or works? The "fix" potentially fixes one issue but opens up many, many others.

As I said, in my example, you'd be limited to one DIY modification - but you could call MS to do additional ones. I agree that we don't want to lose the flexibility of DVC that we all love so much. A big selling point of DVC as a timeshare in general, is the flexibility. Many other timeshare systems don't allow any cancellations at all - or very few cancellations in a use year.

 

[kes601]

As I said, in my example, you'd be limited to one DIY modification - but you could call MS to do additional ones. I agree that we don't want to lose the flexibility of DVC that we all love so much. A big selling point of DVC as a timeshare in general, is the flexibility. Many other timeshare systems don't allow any cancellations at all - or very few cancellations in a use year.

You know full well that having to call MS means the room is probably going to be gone.

You also made my point for me. DVC differentiates itself due to the flexibility. You are taking that away for the most part.

 

[muppets3d]

You know full well that having to call MS means the room is probably going to be gone.

You also made my point for me. DVC differentiates itself due to the flexibility. You are taking that away for the most part.

DVC is also the only timeshare system where bots are snatching rooms exactly at the same time they are available for booking, and cancelling other rooms that didn't get rented to make room. So something has to be done.

If everyone is limited to one modification, then there would be less movement overall so less modifications would be necessary.

It's an idea at least. We can "but whatabout" this all day long but at the end of the day, it's frustrating for owners to use the product sometimes.

 

[Chuck S]

It's ridiculous that this is what it's like trying to book a room. It needs to be fixed. Limit the number of modifications to each reservation to one. One modification, then you must cancel and re-book. Or at least you must call into MS and have them make further modifications. That would put an end to the chronic walking that makes these rooms hard to book.

Would it? Owners with a lot of points could book a second reservation with new dayes before cencelling the first reservation and so on, always juggling two reservations. I doubt it would have any meaningful impact at all.

 

[muppets3d]

Would it? Owners with a lot of points could book a second reservation with new dayes before cencelling the first reservation and so on, always juggling twp reservations. I doubt it would have any meaningful impact at all.

A walk blocks anyone else from trying to book a room, so yes it would have an impact. If that member with tons of points wants to start a second reservation, they do not have the advantage of being able to just modify an already booked reservation to extend it out. They are on the same playing field as everyone else that morning, bots notwithstanding.

 

[Chuck S]

DVC is also the only timeshare system where bots are snatching rooms exactly at the same time they are available for booking, and cancelling other rooms that didn't get rented to make room. So something has to be done.

If everyone is limited to one modification, then there would be less movement overall so less modifications would be necessary.

It's an idea at least. We can "but whatabout" this all day long but at the end of the day, it's frustrating for owners to use the product sometimes.

While it is possible they are bots, there is also no direct evidence of it. For all we know, it could be fixed weeks, snatching them out of inventory day by day.. Or maybe even waitlists grabbing them. For instance, say I want to reserve a 7 night stay from June 1 to June 6...and that a LOT of other members do too. I get June 1st to June 4 reserved on May 1, but June 5 isn't available because someone snagged it earlier, say on May 30 or May 31. So I'd waitlist it. The people with the May reservaton change their minds, and cancel during the night of June 4. Then the waitlist script runs looking for rooms the morning of June 5th, and snatches that room.

 

[muppets3d]

While it is possible they are bots, there is also no direct evidence of it. For all we know, it could be fixed weeks, snatching them out of inventory day by day.. Or maybe even waitlists grabbing them. For instance, say I want to reserve a 7 night stay from June 1 to June 6...and that a LOT of other members do too. I get June 1st to June 4 reserved on May 1, but June 5 isn't available because someone snagged it earlier, say on May 30 or May 31. So I'd waitlist it. The people with the May reservaton change their minds, and cancel during the night of June 4. Then the waitlist script runs looking for rooms the morning of June 5th, and snatches that room.

I know I only took one semester of a computer science curriculum in college but you just described a bot...the only difference is it's a bot owned by Disney. I doubt that Disney needs a bot to walk reservations though, and I don't think they need to wait until 8AM to take a room out of inventory for a fixed week. And there's no way somebody could waitlist a room before 8AM anyway so the waitlist thing doesn't make any sense.

Given the amount of money involved in DVC rentals, and the fact that brokers own thousands of points and I have witnessed the rooms go away at precisely 8AM many times, it's obvious they have bots helping them book these rooms. How sophisticated are the bots, nobody knows for sure but them. Maybe it's just an autoclicker bot - Disney could just move the buttons on the website around and fool them for a few days while they reprogram it.

 

[kes601]

I know I only took one semester of a computer science curriculum in college but you just described a bot...the only difference is it's a bot owned by Disney.

Your example of 1 modification doesn't fix the issue then since the "bot" is owned by Disney.

 

[muppets3d]

Your example of 1 modification doesn't fix the issue then since the "bot" is owned by Disney.

Disney doesn't need to wait until 8AM to take a room out of inventory. And an owner can't waitlist a room until at least 8AM anyway, so the waitlist thing doesn't make any sense either.

 

[Sandisw]

It's ridiculous that this is what it's like trying to book a room. It needs to be fixed. Limit the number of modifications to each reservation to one. One modification, then you must cancel and re-book. Or at least you must call into MS and have them make further modifications. That would put an end to the chronic walking that makes these rooms hard to book.

Definitely would not want that to happen at all. Remember, this issue of getting locked out is only happening for the very hard to get rooms and not all of them at the resort.

I would have had no issue getting PV rooms at RIV at 8 am. They are still there. Its only SV that are going this quickly. IMO, as long as one can book something at their home resort the morning of the 11 month window, then the system works for the FCFS nature of it.

 

[Sandisw]

A walk blocks anyone else from trying to book a room, so yes it would have an impact. If that member with tons of points wants to start a second reservation, they do not have the advantage of being able to just modify an already booked reservation to extend it out. They are on the same playing field as everyone else that morning, bots notwithstanding.

Except, if you are talking only one modification, someone might book several rooms over several start dates until they know which one is going to work.

So, instead of holding one room at a time, maybe they are holding three? But, as already mentioned, we are talking very few room types and views that have the right at 11 month booking issue of being gone....no need to upset the apple cart for that.

 

[JackosinDIS]

Weirdly, I have managed to get a studio room 11 months from today (11th) for a CCV studio, but the 12th (tomorrow) is unavailable. 13th onwards all available. What could be the reason for that? It seems strange for Disney to take just one night out?

 

[davidhr]

Weirdly, I have managed to get a studio room 11 months from today (11th) for a CCV studio, but the 12th (tomorrow) is unavailable. 13th onwards all available. What could be the reason for that? It seems strange for Disney to take just one night out?

it's not necessarily Disney taking only one night.

it might be people with bookings starting during the days leading to it. All rooms are booked for the 12th, but at least one is checking out on the 13th.

Disney can also be pulling one or more rooms for one or more nights.

if there are 10 rooms and Disney is taking 3 for a month for refurbishment, 7 people might have reservations using the 7 rooms during the 12th, but at least one is checking out the 13th.

It's hard to know how many rooms are available. There's a way to check, but I don't know how it's done.