why can't we ....?

[goldilocks_63]

Why can't we reserve rooms like we reserve seats on an airplane?

And then we'd know if we had smoking / non-smoking, 1st floor, HA, etc...

I bet Caskbill could do it!

GOldi

 

[Chuck S]

Because the resort needs flexibility, if a room goes down for emergency maintenance or if a member trades out to the Disney Collection a room has to be turned over to CRO. They also need to be flexible because of the way one bedrooms and studios convert to two bedroom lockoffs.

 

[tjkraz]

Because with airline seats (and cruise cabins, too) everyone has the same arrival and departure days. With a timeshare system like DVC, that's not the case.

Imagine a hotel with just two rooms.

Guest #1 wants to stay Sunday to Tuesday.
Guest #2 wants to stay Wednesday to Saturday.
Guest #3 wants to stay Sunday to Saturday.

If the hotel is assigning rooms, obviously they put Guests 1 and 2 in the same room (#2 takes the room after #1 departs.) Guest #3 would get the second room.

But if you let them choose, what happens if Guest 1 chooses one room and Guest 2 chooses the other room? Now you've got two rooms that are open just a few days here and there instead of being able to accommodate someone wanting a full week.

That's an oversimplification, but it would happen on a much larger scale if we were allowed to pick our own rooms. Scattered all over the resort would be rooms sitting empty for 1-2-3 days because of the schedules of arriving and departing guests who have selected the room.

I think you'd also see the birth of a new form of rental business. People would quickly identify the most desired rooms at each resort (Epcot view at BCV, close to elevators at BWV, odd-shaped rooms with extra large balconies, etc.), book them exactly 11 months out, and start auctioning them off to the highest bidder.

 

[jemiaule]

OP, did you mean reserve seats like picking an actual unit? Or did you mean like being able to make a reservation online just like you can for regular rooms on the WDW site?

I wish we could make reservations online, I don't need to pick a specific unit. Just let me book that I want an X type of unit on these dates. The resort can figure out what exact unit to put me in just like they do when when I have to call MS and make a reservation.

If they can do it for the hotels I do not see why they cannot do it for the DVC resorts.

 

[crisi]

OP, did you mean reserve seats like picking an actual unit? Or did you mean like being able to make a reservation online just like you can for regular rooms on the WDW site?

I wish we could make reservations online, I don't need to pick a specific unit. Just let me book that I want an X type of unit on these dates. The resort can figure out what exact unit to put me in just like they do when when I have to call MS and make a reservation.

If they can do it for the hotels I do not see why they cannot do it for the DVC resorts.

I think eventually online booking will come, but I think there are a lot of complexities on DVC bookings - are you borrowing points? Where are these points coming from? We seem to think that the system DVC uses is in need of upgrade (it has problems tracking the origin of point transfers without manual comments) that require humans to interface between the system and the policies.

As to why we can't book a specific room, tjkraz has it. Specific rooms only work when everyone comes and goes on the same day OR when you are willing to have lower occupancy rates or possibly when late bookers are willing to move around the resorts (which happens now, but not nearly as much as it would happen if you needed to move from studio 3233 at the BW to studio 3747 because someone had booked the Wednesday-Friday of your trip in 3233 and someone had booked Monday and Tuesday in 3747 before you called.

(Can you imagine the scenes at the front desk?)

 

[spiceycat]

besides Disney want the right to change your room when a VIP shows up and wants it.

they won't if pre assigned.

besides I fly Southwest - no pre assigned seats - like it better. these planes are just about guaranteed to take off on time. If you want a great seat you get their early.