Walking A Reservation

[ParkHoppers]

Sounds like people are tying themselves in knots to explain why they walk. A justification is not usually needed when one feels good about something they are doing. Just saying. Walking is using the system in a way NOT intended to gain an advantage over others using the system as it was intended.

 

[ziravan]

Sounds like people are tying themselves in knots to explain why they walk. A justification is not usually needed when one feels good about something they are doing. Just saying. Walking is using the system in a way NOT intended to gain an advantage over others using the system as it was intended.

If you're referring to me, I'm not in any knots.

The system is what it is. It not only allows walking, for certain limited rooms, it penalizes NOT walking. If I weren't walking the room that I'm walking, somebody else would be doing so, and I would have no chance at the dates I'm seeking.

I know that some here believe that walking is unethical. I don't believe that to be the case and so, I'm not particularly bound by any moral dilemmas related to walking. In fact, if people wish to be ethically bound not to walk, they just put themselves at a disadvantage to the system as it is currently implemented.

It is the system, intended or not. Walking is a well known tactic to DVC and not only have they not attempted to curtail it, they've made it much easier via online modification. DVC CMs have been known to advocate the practice. If not for that method to gain an advantage, I'd still have an advantage because I'm a superuser in that I have an inherent advantage related to taking the time and effort to understand the system. I think that's likely true to some degree or another for anybody reading this post.

 

[DVC Sue]

I don't like walking, but I do it. Sometimes I want to stay in a BWV Standard View Studio during Food and Wine or an AKV Value Studio. Walking is the ONLY way I've ever been able to get the dates I want.

 

[71 Truck]

To me allowing the practice of booking vacation days people have no intention of ever using just to get what you want is wrong. This means people are tying up days that other people may need to book their vacation and either don't know how to or are unwilling to cheat the system . Just because DVC allows it does not mean it is right. I have been a DVC member going on 22 years. Up until a few years ago I never had problems getting the days I wanted. This sound like the main reason I have heard so many complaints from friends about them not being able to book their home resort 11 month in advance. A friend was furious when member service told her she could not book all of her vacation days with point but could pay cash. My wife and I moved to Central Florida several years after becoming members. It was not uncommon for me to get on the phone on a Wednesday and book a Friday to Sunday reservation. Now it is almost impossible. You would think as DVC builds more resorts it would be easier to get rooms but this appears to not be the case.

 

[Mickeynutty]

To me allowing the practice of booking vacation days people have no intention of ever using just to get what you want is wrong. This means people are tying up days that other people may need to book their vacation and either don't know how to or are unwilling to cheat the system . Just because DVC allows it does not mean it is right. I have been a DVC member going on 22 years. Up until a few years ago I never had problems getting the days I wanted. This sound like the main reason I have heard so many complaints from friends about them not being able to book their home resort 11 month in advance. A friend was furious when member service told her she could not book all of her vacation days with point but could pay cash. My wife and I moved to Central Florida several years after becoming members. It was not uncommon for me to get on the phone on a Wednesday and book a Friday to Sunday reservation. Now it is almost impossible. You would think as DVC builds more resorts it would be easier to get rooms but this appears to not be the case.

As others have said, building more resorts does not bring about more availability because MANY buying those new resort points want studios (or even 1 or 2 bedroom units) and these newer resorts sell scads of points created by the bungalows or cabins. That puts all those new points in play with owners wanting the smaller units.

 

[jimim]

It has deff become harder at the 11 month window. It used to be easy to get in Jambo House at 7 months in a regular room. This summer st 7 months I had to stay at kidani and not even a regular room I had to take a savanah view which was an utter waste of points.

That is the reason I’m walking now. First time I had to but no way I’m wasting points on a view I don’t want for where I want to stay at my 7 month window.

 

[jimim]

Well I was able to walk beach club for the summer in June. I was really surprised I got a 10 days. It took a while to get a run without a waitlist day. My neighbor did the same for 10 days. It really opened up for mid June over the past week. So we r happy. Only stayed there 1 other time. Only 2 time we didn’t stay at our home base actually.

 

[ziravan]

Well I was able to walk beach club for the summer in June. I was really surprised I got a 10 days. It took a while to get a run without a waitlist day. My neighbor did the same for 10 days. It really opened up for mid June over the past week. So we r happy. Only stayed there 1 other time. Only 2 time we didn’t stay at our home base actually.

Congrats for knocking down BCV at 7 months. Although Star Wars might stress lots of categories come next Dec, BCV has never needed - to my knowledge - walking to secure a reservation at the 11 months window.

 

[CarolMN]

....(snip)..... It was not uncommon for me to get on the phone on a Wednesday and book a Friday to Sunday reservation. Now it is almost impossible. You would think as DVC builds more resorts it would be easier to get rooms but this appears to not be the case.

This problem isn't due to walking - it's due to the rental market. There are many members renting points now, so you are competing with the general public for that "last minute" space. Before the rental market got so popular, many of those same members were letting points expire. That's not happening anymore - the rental brokers have made it very easy to get value from points members can't use for their own vacations.

 

[CarolMN]

Congrats for knocking down BCV at 7 months. Although Star Wars might stress lots of categories come next Dec, BCV has never needed - to my knowledge - walking to secure a reservation at the 11 months window.

Agree. I've been around the DIS since the 90's. Nothing at WDW except the very limited booking categories** have ever needed to be walked at 11 month and that is still true today EXCEPT for studios at VGF and NYE at the near-park resorts.

** AKV value & concierge - studios, 1 & 2 bedrooms
** BLT standard - studios & sometimes 1 bedrooms
** BWV standard & Boardwalk view studios only

 

[KAT4DISNEY]

This problem isn't due to walking - it's due to the rental market. There are many members renting points now, so you are competing with the general public for that "last minute" space. Before the rental market got so popular, many of those same members were letting points expire. That's not happening anymore - the rental brokers have made it very easy to get value from points members can't use for their own vacations.

Is it really correct to say it's the rental markets fault? Isn't it just that the owners are getting smarter with their points since renting as been allowed from day one. Also that WDW visitors are more aware of being able to rent a DVC reservation from an owner? That they weren't before and that there were expiring points was more a perk for other owners vs it being a fault of the rental market and brokers.

I also think there's a lot more that plays into the availability changes and for me I don't feel renting is the largest part. As original buyers who were sold whatever was selling at the time get rid of their contracts they are being substituted with new owners who are buying for where they want to stay. So more bookings at 11 months. Next, online shows what is available and 7 months is no longer having to call, sit on hold and then ask a CM to work their way thru checking various resorts. It's all on the owners computer right in front of them - so more pressure on the 7 month window vs when people didn't want to bother to ask or just assumed that it wasn't available. Also, as booking continues to tighten it will create earlier booking. Get shut out at 6 months? Then book at 7 months. Get shut out then? Gotta book at 8 months and so on.

 

[KAT4DISNEY]

Agree. I've been around the DIS since the 90's. Nothing at WDW except the very limited booking categories** have ever needed to be walked at 11 month and that is still true today EXCEPT for studios at VGF and NYE at the near-park resorts.

** AKV value & concierge - studios, 1 & 2 bedrooms
** BLT standard - studios & sometimes 1 bedrooms
** BWV standard & Boardwalk view studios only

BLT standard has been tough from day 1 and that was back when you had to phone in. I was shut out right at 9am at 11 months whenever I tried but I learned to love the theme park view. It drove home for me the point of not counting on booking the cheapest room categories when you purchase. Doing that was going to lead to a lot of booking angst during ownership.

 

[ParkHoppers]

Would be nice to see Disney put a $100 fee for every res change. They could even say it was bacause of walking and the fact that walking is negatively affecting how the system is supposed to work. If all we needed was Rules in life than no one would have ever come up with Ethics as an important part of having a well functioning society. Doing something you know negatively effects others is wrong. DVC says you can book your home resorts at 11 months. Yet people walking are booking at 12 months or more in some cases. Disney needs to try to curb this bad behavior.

 

[JETSDAD]

Would be nice to see Disney put a $100 fee for every res change. They could even say it was bacause of walking and the fact that walking is negatively affecting how the system is supposed to work. If all we needed was Rules in life than no one would have ever come up with Ethics as an important part of having a well functioning society. Doing something you know negatively effects others is wrong. DVC says you can book your home resorts at 11 months. Yet people walking are booking at 12 months or more in some cases. Disney needs to try to curb this bad behavior.

So if you wanted a 2 week reservation at 7 months you're happy paying an additional $700 as you add on each day? Same with 11 month bookings adding additional days. Or having to pay to move a reservation a couple of days due to flights? Or paying because you have to cancel due to whatever reason after having made your reservation? The solution sounds worse than the 'problem'.

 

[jimim]

Congrats for knocking down BCV at 7 months. Although Star Wars might stress lots of categories come next Dec, BCV has never needed - to my knowledge - walking to secure a reservation at the 11 months window.

Thanks! I know it’s hard to get in a 7 mths. It really freed up this past week it seemed.

 

[madduck]

Whoever wants to pay to make changes has too much money. Golden Oaks still has availability.

 

[KAT4DISNEY]

Would be nice to see Disney put a $100 fee for every res change. They could even say it was bacause of walking and the fact that walking is negatively affecting how the system is supposed to work. If all we needed was Rules in life than no one would have ever come up with Ethics as an important part of having a well functioning society. Doing something you know negatively effects others is wrong. DVC says you can book your home resorts at 11 months. Yet people walking are booking at 12 months or more in some cases. Disney needs to try to curb this bad behavior.

This solution is kind of a Rules of life one also in thinking that everyone books and uses DVC the same and fees for changes would negatively affect some owners also. Probably more than the very few who can't get their standard view exactly when they want. As mentioned, what about those who stay for more than 7 nights and so have to modify? Or realize they forgot the basketball game going on? Or some other absolutely benign reason for requiring a change to a reservation? The DVC system never promised it would have the exact room you want on the exact day you want. It did promise flexibility and sometimes that means it requires flexibility. Now it does have an option to guarantee you a particular room for a particular week but it also has you pay more for that.

 

[ziravan]

Would be nice to see Disney put a $100 fee for every res change. They could even say it was bacause of walking and the fact that walking is negatively affecting how the system is supposed to work. If all we needed was Rules in life than no one would have ever come up with Ethics as an important part of having a well functioning society. Doing something you know negatively effects others is wrong. DVC says you can book your home resorts at 11 months. Yet people walking are booking at 12 months or more in some cases. Disney needs to try to curb this bad behavior.

Walking isn’t bad behavior. It’s using the rules as inplemented by DVC.

Walking isn’t unethical. It’s a real stretch to suggest that walking is upending the very rules of polite society.

To the extent that walking negatively affects someone, it also positively affects someone else, so that’s a wash. The whole point of walking is that supply is outstripping demand. A walker might upset the equilibrium by walking through but at the end of the day, some people got rooms and some didn’t because there was more demand than rooms. It might change the winners and losers but it doesn’t change the fact that there ARE winners and losers.

Walking simply is - and it will be until DVC changes the rules. And IF they ever do, other strategies exist to obtain a competitive advantage; you aren’t going to get rid of the knowledge-edge. Nor are you going to shame people out of taking advantage of knowledge that they spent the time and energy to learn where others didn’t.

 

[CarolMN]

Is it really correct to say it's the rental markets fault? Isn't it just that the owners are getting smarter with their points since renting as been allowed from day one. Also that WDW visitors are more aware of being able to rent a DVC reservation from an owner? That they weren't before and that there were expiring points was more a perk for other owners vs it being a fault of the rental market and brokers.

I also think there's a lot more that plays into the availability changes and for me I don't feel renting is the largest part. As original buyers who were sold whatever was selling at the time get rid of their contracts they are being substituted with new owners who are buying for where they want to stay. So more bookings at 11 months. Next, online shows what is available and 7 months is no longer having to call, sit on hold and then ask a CM to work their way thru checking various resorts. It's all on the owners computer right in front of them - so more pressure on the 7 month window vs when people didn't want to bother to ask or just assumed that it wasn't available. Also, as booking continues to tighten it will create earlier booking. Get shut out at 6 months? Then book at 7 months. Get shut out then? Gotta book at 8 months and so on.

The quote I responded to said they can no longer call on Wednesday to book the following weekend.

Yes, renters can only get a DVC room if members book it. That said, demand for rentals has increased SIGNIFICANTLY in the past several years, and most of that demand is concentrated well within the 7 month window. Members who used to let unused points expire are now letting the brokers rent them. Without the demand from non-members, it would be easier for members to book closer to arrival. Can't rent your points without that demand from non-members.

I think we are saying the same thing, but from different sides of the "chicken or the egg" question.

 

[KAT4DISNEY]

The quote I responded to said they can no longer call on Wednesday to book the following weekend.

Yes, renters can only get a DVC room if members book it. That said, demand for rentals has increased SIGNIFICANTLY in the past several years, and most of that demand is concentrated well within the 7 month window. Members who used to let unused points expire are now letting the brokers rent them. Without the demand from non-members, it would be easier for members to book closer to arrival. Can't rent your points without that demand from non-members.

I think we are saying the same thing, but from different sides of the "chicken or the egg" question.

Call Monday to book the weekend? Isn't that called booking a hotel room?! haha I totally skimmed that!! Nothing to do with walking. That could get into a whole other realm just of the popularity of Disney vacations. It wasn't all that long ago that Disney was bemoaning their hotel occupancy rates. If they couldn't fill rooms they would not have been pulling back the same number of rooms for breakage either if they couldn't rent them out. So more last minute availability.