Walking Reservations

[muppets3d]

Agree with the walking comments. Don’t think banning walking would improve availability. Getting rid of walking would simply move the advantage away from those willing to commit and lock points into a walk very early and instead give it to people running bots to auto book reservations as soon as window opens (mostly larger commercial renters with IT resources/expertise).

Finding a way to reduce the spec reservation market would probably do a lot more for availability. Maybe capping total annual lead guest changes per membership based on total points. After that, a rebooking would be required for lead guest changes.

I think if you limit lead guest changes you'll just find members leaving themselves as the lead guest for their renters. Some have reported on here that the member they rented from wanted to remain the lead guest on the reservation for a rental, in fact.

 

[muppets3d]

Well, if you have the points to book 1BR and then waitlist for a studio (without borrowing those points from next year, as you cannot return them after winning the lottery) lucky you. I still prefer mechanisms where I can work to achieve something to pure chance.

Btw, I don't need to walk as I travel at times when there is enough availability. But it gives me comfort that I could walk if I needed a week before Christmas.

You don't need to move all the way up to a 1 bedroom. Sticking with AKL, if the value studios are in a lottery, just book a resort view deluxe studio and enter the lottery for the value to save some points. More points yes but you aren't moving all the way up to a 1 bedroom.

If you only have enough points to book value studios, then you really must be a glutton for punishment.

 

[walt34]

You don't need to move all the way up to a 1 bedroom. Sticking with AKL, if the value studios are in a lottery, just book a resort view deluxe studio and enter the lottery for the value to save some points. More points yes but you aren't moving all the way up to a 1 bedroom.

If you only have enough points to book value studios, then you really must be a glutton for punishment.

Now try the same game for BCV studios...

 

[Tatebeck]

People also forget walking isn't completely fair in and of itself. It is very difficult to walk across use years so most members can only start a walk when their use year starts. And many members got whatever Use Year Disney gave them when they originally bought. Want to walk an early December reservation with a December use year? Well that isn't going to work at all. It also IMO is making it so that people are breaking the First Come First Served reservation rule at 11 months as described in the Home Resort Rules and Regulations.

Walking is in no way fair once you fully understand it as it give advantages to people with more points, better use years for certain dates, members with more knowledge of how to use the booking system and walking, etc. Will I maybe sometimes have to do it if something isn't changed, yes. Do I have to like it, no.

 

[muppets3d]

Now try the same game for BCV studios...

So you book a boardwalk or garden view and enter the lottery for the resort view.

 

[Tatebeck]

So you book a boardwalk or garden view and enter the lottery for the resort view.

That's BWV. I think maybe they are talking about how BCV has only the 1 view and studios still go quickly?

 

[muppets3d]

That's BWV. I think maybe they are talking about how BCV has only the 1 view and studios still go quickly?

Oh sorry I just didn't read closely enough. I don't think BCV studios are walked to the extent that some BWV and AKV categories are, so a lottery may not even be necessary in that case. Sort of like RIV. The resort and tower studios are walked there occasionally but not like they are at BWV or AKV. If there would be a lottery it would just be for a few seasons or portions of seasons, like early December.

 

[walt34]

Oh sorry I just didn't read closely enough. I don't think BCV studios are walked to the extent that some BWV and AKV categories are, so a lottery may not even be necessary in that case. Sort of like RIV. The resort and tower studios are walked there occasionally but not like they are at BWV or AKV. If there would be a lottery it would just be for a few seasons or portions of seasons, like early December.

BCV studios are very popular during food and wine. My point is that not having enough points for the next category up is quite different for AKV value vs other resorts (I agree that it would be irresponsible to just own enough points for AKV Value and to expect to get a reservation every time), with BCV being an extreme example at the other end.

Walking doesn't reduce capacity - it only does so temporarily for the weeks that are walked through (the effect of which a waitlist will resolve). But it gives owners a way to 'work' for a reservation that feels important to them. I prefer this to a lottery.

 

[Girlstar30]

Disney is very good at cracking down on things. They did it with people running tour companies in their parks and using DAS to get their clients on the rides without waiting.

They do it to people selling Oogie Boogie and other popular event tickets where it is against the rules to sell these tickets. They have a team of CM's whose job it is to pretend to buy these tickets and extract information from the person selling to figure out who it is and then invalidate their tickets, annual passes, fire CMs who resale merchandise they bought at Company D, etc.

They do this to people selling on Ebay and Etsy too and they do send out cease and desist letters.

They can easily investigate who is commercial renting. Its not hard to look thru these boards, social media etc and identify people and start their undercover work from there. I wouldnt doubt they are gearing up to do this, but since it is done across their parks successfully, I would like to see it done for DVC.

 

[muppets3d]

BCV studios are very popular during food and wine. My point is that not having enough points for the next category up is quite different for AKV value vs other resorts (I agree that it would be irresponsible to just own enough points for AKV Value and to expect to get a reservation every time), with BCV being an extreme example at the other end.

Walking doesn't reduce capacity - it only does so temporarily for the weeks that are walked through (the effect of which a waitlist will resolve). But it gives owners a way to 'work' for a reservation that feels important to them. I prefer this to a lottery.

BCV studios are very popular during food and wine. My point is that not having enough points for the next category up is quite different for AKV value vs other resorts (I agree that it would be irresponsible to just own enough points for AKV Value and to expect to get a reservation every time), with BCV being an extreme example at the other end.

Walking doesn't reduce capacity - it only does so temporarily for the weeks that are walked through (the effect of which a waitlist will resolve). But it gives owners a way to 'work' for a reservation that feels important to them. I prefer this to a lottery.

I just feel like walking is not in line with the spirit of the rules, which says first come first served. I'm not willing to die on the hill because as you said waitlist can help folks get the rooms that walkers pass by. But at the same time, it's tough to plan ahead with waitlist. I mean, you don't want to book flights for a waitlist. But theoretically, you would know pretty quickly if your lottery entry matched. A lottery would be fair to all members, whereas walking rewards those who have the time to spend on the website and have the spare point to spend for a walking reservations throughout point seasons.

 

[walt34]

I just feel like walking is not in line with the spirit of the rules, which says first come first served. I'm not willing to die on the hill because as you said waitlist can help folks get the rooms that walkers pass by. But at the same time, it's tough to plan ahead with waitlist. I mean, you don't want to book flights for a waitlist. But theoretically, you would know pretty quickly if your lottery entry matched. A lottery would be fair to all members, whereas walking rewards those who have the time to spend on the website and have the spare point to spend for a walking reservations throughout point seasons.

If you are affected by walkers at the 11 months window, your waitlist would clear within 7 days. After that, the walkers have moved past your week. If there is still no availability, it's not walkers.

 

[Tatebeck]

If you are affected by walkers at the 11 months window, your waitlist would clear within 7 days. After that, the walkers have moved past your week. If there is still no availability, it's not walkers.

Unless the walkers were walking to the same dates you wanted, which since they usually target popular dates, is very possible.

 

[walt34]

Unless the walkers were walking to the same dates you wanted, which since they usually target popular dates, is very possible.

True, I was talking about walkers walking through. If they are aiming at the same week as you, then they would be competing against you in a lottery as well. Now whether it is better to be able to increase your chances by working a bit harder (but in a way that everyone can do) if you really need to or not is probably a matter of personal preference. I haven't needed it yet but I like that there is a way should I ever require it.

 

[tx911]

True, I was talking about walkers walking through. If they are aiming at the same week as you, then they would be competing against you in a lottery as well. Now whether it is better to be able to increase your chances by working a bit harder (but in a way that everyone can do) if you really need to or not is probably a matter of personal preference. I haven't needed it yet but I like that there is a way should I ever require it.

How are they competing against you in a lottery when they, in a hypothetical 7 day vacation, already have 6 out of the 7 days booked the day before you book?

 

[muppets3d]

True, I was talking about walkers walking through. If they are aiming at the same week as you, then they would be competing against you in a lottery as well. Now whether it is better to be able to increase your chances by working a bit harder (but in a way that everyone can do) if you really need to or not is probably a matter of personal preference. I haven't needed it yet but I like that there is a way should I ever require it.

With a lottery, it’s actual competition - with walking there’s no competition. The walkers win every time.

 

[Sandisw]

People are against walking because they believe it will reduce scarcity - which I don't believe it will. There will still be more people who want a room in the weeks before Christmas than there are rooms. The question is how these rooms are allocated. Today it's first come first served with walking making it possible to come very early if it's worth it to you. It's like getting in line the night before to get the new iPhone. People who want to walk up in the morning might not like it but they had the same chance and it just wasn't worth it to them.

In my opinion, a lottery wouldn't be better, because it can't take into account how important a specific date is to you. Is the date really important to you (you might be restricted in when you can take vacations, need to sync up with others, travel might be difficult to you) or are you just giving it a try?

This is all just my personal opinion. Others will disagree.

I completely agree that stopping walking and even spec renters who target specific rooms will make a meanginful difference to getting some of those rooms....sure, a handful of owners will now win who want them for those dates, but the vast majority will still lose....but, I get the notion for those owners who want them, it makes them feel its fairer.

The lottery though is one thing already in the rules that allows DVC to deal with high demand for certain rooms, resorts, etc. There are certainly downfalls to it, such as it only coming with one month home resort window vs. the 4 month (unless DVC updates the process), but its an option that already exists for DVC to use.

I don't see them doing that and based on their statements last year at the board meetings, I will be surprised to see them implement something like that or even major booking/modification rules....

But, with DVC, you simply do not know.