Walking a Reservation

[drusba]

Ok ,I read that summer is not a busy DVC season. But around the Fourth of July is it ? Should I walk my reservation ? Thanks . And what is the mechanics of changing your dates ? How is it done ?

Summer has historically been a low to moderate DVC demand time. That may begin to change some with the point shifts that have been made in the annual point charts to take some points needed per night out of the summer nights while raising them for high demand fall time. July 4 time is somewhat higher demand than other times in the summer but in comparison to the extreme demand that exists for the fall, it is moderate demand.

As to whether walking is necessary, be aware that for certain rooms whether it is July 4 time, fall time or many other times of the year, such rooms can be very difficult to get even if you attempt to book at exactly 8 a.m. online at 11-months out. For example AKV value and club level studios (and thus 2BRs.since all are lock-offs) can disappear right at 11-months out any time of year. Walking is thus considered necessary but it is even difficult to walk a reservation because of the inability to find any date open during the year right at 8 a.m. at 11-months out to begin a walk. Other rooms that have the problem include CCV studios (throughout fall season and 60% of the rest of the year), BWV standard studios (about the same as the CCV studios), BLT standard studios (throughout the fall and about 50% of the rest of the year), BWV boardwalk view studios (throughout the fall), VGF studios (some times in the fall). Riviera tower studios and standard studios have the problem much of the time in the fall season and about 40% the rest of year but it is still a developing resort since it is not sold out. BWV grand villas (only 6) also have the issue at times in the fall season and OKW grand villas in the Hospitality House booking category (only 2) have the issue year round. BLT dedicated standard 2BRs (small number) also have an 11-month issue often in the fall and about 40% of the rest of the year.

Typically in the past for July 4 time, the AKV value and club level studios (and 2BRs) have disappeared right at 8 a.m. at 11-months out, and sometimes even 1BRs. Also, BWV standard view, BLT standard view,and CCV studios (and as a result 2BR lock-offs) have filled at exactly 11-months out for that time period. Riviera tower studios did so for 2021. Likewise those Hospitality House area OKW GVs and BLT dedicated 2BRs. Other rooms have generally been open at 11-months out.

As to how walking works, you find a day before the time you want to begin a walk. You cannot start any earlier than reserving the beginning dates of the use year in which the trip will occur. Regardless of length of actual trip, you need at least enough points to cover two weekend nights between the time you start and complete a walk. The best way to describe a walk is by example.

Assume you own at BLT and want a standard view studio for July 1-5, 2022, and have enough points for those four nights. Though BLT standard studios can have the 11-month issue in the summer, you can sometimes find a date in April to begin a walk (you may also find a start date in May or June but April tends to be easier to find a start date). So at 11-months out on May 26, 2021, you find you can book 4-nights at BLT for April 26-30, 2022. You book those nights. What that does is lock in the studio you will have through the night of April 29, 2022. Anyone else who tries to reserve a studio at 11-months out with a start date of April 26 through April 29, cannot possibly reserve the studio you already have for April 26 through April 29, or any date at all after April 29.

Come May 29, 2021, you go online and modify your reservation by dropping April 26 through 28, 2022, and change it to April 29 to May 3, 2022. Then on June 2, 2021, you change it to May 2-6, 2022, on June 5, 2021, you change it to May 5-9, 2022, and continue that type of modification on a regular basis until you have your desired trip days, July 1-5, 2022.

 

[gisele2]

Ok , understood , thanks. It is some work . But I think 2022 will be hard to reserve . I do not want to take any chances.

Thanks .

 

[gisele2]

What happens if by walking I need to borrow points that I will not need for the final reservation ? They will stay in the use year that I borrowed them into ? If I borrow 2023 points into 2022 , they will expire like 2022 points ?

 

[JETSDAD]

What happens if by walking I need to borrow points that I will not need for the final reservation ? They will stay in the use year that I borrowed them into ? If I borrow 2023 points into 2022 , they will expire like 2022 points ?

Correct, they would stay in that UY. How many nights are you looking at booking and how many nights do you have points available for at the most expensive dates of the walk? You could likely just reduce the number of nights you are holding on the walk.

For example, I just walked a value 2 BR. I had just enough for 7 nights in January which is low season but had to walk through Christmas and New Years so at one point I was only holding 4 nights at a time.

 

[gisele2]

Correct, they would stay in that UY. How many nights are you looking at booking and how many nights do you have points available for at the most expensive dates of the walk? You could likely just reduce the number of nights you are holding on the walk.

For example, I just walked a value 2 BR. I had just enough for 7 nights in January which is low season but had to walk through Christmas and New Years so at one point I was only holding 4 nights at a time.

Oh!! I do not master everything .... so I can walk more and less depending on the dates to try to avoid having more points than my final reservation. I want to have a studio plus a two bedroom villa for 4 night around the Fourth of July . The most expensive is Easter .

 

[JETSDAD]

Oh!! I do not master everything .... so I can walk more and less depending on the dates to try to avoid having more points than my final reservation. I want to have a studio plus a two bedroom villa for 4 night around the Fourth of July . The most expensive is Easter .

As long as you can cover 2 nights into the 11 month window you can walk l...it just means modifying daily. The more nights you can cover the less often you have to modify.

 

[drusba]

Oh!! I do not master everything .... so I can walk more and less depending on the dates to try to avoid having more points than my final reservation. I want to have a studio plus a two bedroom villa for 4 night around the Fourth of July . The most expensive is Easter .

All you need to successfully do a walk is enough points to cover at least the two successive highest point nights that will occur during your walk. As long as you can book any two nights in a row, you can modify your reservation daily and prevent others from getting the room you already have. Thus for example, if you have enough points for five nights in July and start a walk that goes through the Easter dates, you do not need to reserve 5 nights during that Easter week; you only need to reserve at least two nights in a row to continue your walk.

On a different note, the one impossibility is to start a walk by reserving dates in the use year before the use year in which you intend to take the trip. Thus, for example, if you want July 2022 time for the trip, and you have a June use year, the earliest date you can reserve to start a walk is June 1, 2022. That is because your June 2021 points that you would use for any dates reserved before June 1, 2022, can be used for that July 2022 trip only if banked by January 31,2021. In other words, if one wants to buy DVC to always get first week of December, the highest DVC demand time of the year when many things disappear right at 11-months out, one should never buy a December use year, because it would be impossible to do a walk that begins with a date before Dec 1.

 

[gisele2]

Thanks, I read these forums since March and there are still things to learn .