Worried about my 1st Reservation

[JeffCD]

Hi All,
Took the plunge, and purchased DVC. Looking forward to many years at my "home away from home". However, little worried now. Went to check on availability our first visit (at VGC) for November 2025. (we purchased just enough points to our annual visit during the holiday). I knew I wouldn't be able to actually book the reservation until my 11 month window opened, but figured I should get used to searching and the booking process. Looked over the weekend, and everything looked good. Check yesterday, and a then yesterday the studios were all booked for 11/10. (we want to go 11/16 to 11/20). Okay, fine, not my week. Then today, I see that 11/10 is available, but 11/11 is blocked. I've read about "walking" and I'm now wondering if I'm going to be out of luck if someone is going keep moving the studio reservation forward everyday. Also not sure why just the studio would be blocked, I know the studios are lock offs, but it seems like there should be more than one available. (just thinking it is one person "walking" there reservation, can't imagine that the reservation is for all of the studios).

Advice and guidance would be very, very much appreciated!!!!

Jeff

 

[Mle8308]

Start walking if you can!

 

[JackosinDIS]

What you are seeing is people walking the studios. When a date is blocked out it means that all of the studios are booked - this a common at the most popular times of year.

Are you trying to book at exactly 8am EST 11 months out, or are you waiting until later in the day? If you are waiting then you will need to try at exactly 8am. If that still doesn’t get you the room, then the next step is to waitlist / pick up the days that the walkers drop as they go past towards their final dates.

Good luck!

 

[Disdreaming479]

If you aren’t able to get the first day, set a 1 day waitlist immediately at 8am. Continue this each day until you have your whole trip. Check throughout the day also. You might get the days before the waitlist fills.

 

[Simba's Mom]

That's a "prime time" of year for DVCers to go to WDW. So don't do what we did, and start panicking-"Are all our reservations going to be this hard? If so, maybe we shouldn't have joined." Our first stay was a real disaster, that was 23 years ago. Since that rough start, we've had many times that we've been very glad we joined. Hope everything works out!

 

[lilsonicfan]

Personally I'd try to book tomorrow and then walk it forward. Get your booking dates all set and hit search at exactly 8 am eastern, this should help.

 

[sndral]

Hi All,
Took the plunge, and purchased DVC. Looking forward to many years at my "home away from home". However, little worried now. Went to check on availability our first visit (at VGC) for November 2025. (we purchased just enough points to our annual visit during the holiday). I knew I wouldn't be able to actually book the reservation until my 11 month window opened, but figured I should get used to searching and the booking process. Looked over the weekend, and everything looked good. Check yesterday, and a then yesterday the studios were all booked for 11/10. (we want to go 11/16 to 11/20). Okay, fine, not my week. Then today, I see that 11/10 is available, but 11/11 is blocked. I've read about "walking" and I'm now wondering if I'm going to be out of luck if someone is going keep moving the studio reservation forward everyday. Also not sure why just the studio would be blocked, I know the studios are lock offs, but it seems like there should be more than one available. (just thinking it is one person "walking" there reservation, can't imagine that the reservation is for all of the studios).

Advice and guidance would be very, very much appreciated!!!!

Jeff

Congratulations, VGC is a lovely resort. It is also the smallest of all the DVC resorts (except maybe the new cabins at FW.) There are 2 grand villas, 23 dedicated two bedrooms, & 23 lock offs. Lock offs are composed of a 1 br. + a studio - so you are competing for the studio portion of one of those 23 lock offs. Note a couple of them are booked separately as handicapped accessible. To see that inventory you need to click on the tab that says other room types.
I took a look at VGC’s availability & it is odd to see just one day booked w/ several days before & after open.
11/11/25 is Veterans Day, maybe that’s why it’s booked .
Based on what I saw I think you’ll be ok, especially if 11/11 continues to be the only booked day. If 11/11 opens up but 11/12 is the only booked day tomorrow, then yeah, somebody’s walking one day (which seems very odd) & if that’s the case you’ll likely be able to pick up your days as they walk by.
I’d keep checking the next couple of days in the lead up to your 11 month window. Then set my alarm for a 4:40ish a.m. (assuming you live in PST time zone) wake up on 12/16 & be ready to book right at 5 a.m. (8 a.m. eastern time) when online booking opens.
Once you click on ‘book’, your studio is held for you as you go through putting in you & your guest’s names, addresses, email, etc., so no need to stress about losing it as you enter the info.. You only have to put in your info. as the lead guest to complete the booking & can go back online later to add your guests names & info. if you want.
The phone lines open an hour after online booking at 6 a.m. (9 a.m. eastern time) if you need help.
If you decide you want to start a mini walk as suggested by @lilsonicfan be aware that you’d be walking over Friday & Saturday nights which cost more points than your planned Sunday - Thursday stay - NBD unless points are tight & you don’t want to borrow points you don’t need to use for the stay you’re walking to.
Good luck .

 

[ClaraOswald]

I suspect many may be walking for the Candlelight Processional weekend (early December.) And if that's the case, your days will likely be available once the walkers have passed.

But like others said, you might want to get on at whatever time 8am EST time is for you. and just start "walking" for yourself. Sadly, studios do seem to go quickly at VGC.

 

[JeffCD]

Everyone, thank you so, so very much for the advice!! As of today, the 13th and 14th are booked. This seems to make a little more sense to me, if someone wanted to go for the first day of the holiday season, I can see starting with Monday, and moving the reservation forward until Thursday, and then booking Friday night.
I do have a question about the walking. Right now, if I were to borrow points, I could cover a reservation from Wednesday the 20th through the following week on the 19th. On the DVC site, it seems like it would let me make that reservation, even though the 13th and 14th are booked. (the site says both: Your Nights Are Available & Continue to Waitlist) I would only need to add the night of the 20th for my trip. Could I make the reservation for the 20th through the 19th, even if two days are waitlisted, and then remove the days I'm not really interest in, and add my last day?
Jeffrey

 

[ClaraOswald]

If you borrow points, they get stuck in the year you move them too. So you'd need to figure out if that would be a problem.

As for the rest of the question, not sure. Hopefully someone else will know.

 

[JeffCD]

Wow, thank you so much sndral!!! You really went above and beyond to check for me, and it is very much appreciated.
So the "wait list" would stop the booking of the available nights? I guess what I'm asking is if any day within the time period I select is unavailable it means unless the wait list for the day(s) is cleared, I don't really have a reservation for any days. In other words, if I went ahead and hit the continue button and joined the wait list, I'm not booking the nights that are available.
Jeffrey

 

[Sandisw]

Wow, thank you so much sndral!!! You really went above and beyond to check for me, and it is very much appreciated.
So the "wait list" would stop the booking of the available nights? I guess what I'm asking is if any day within the time period I select is unavailable it means unless the wait list for the day(s) is cleared, I don't really have a reservation for any days. In other words, if I went ahead and hit the continue button and joined the wait list, I'm not booking the nights that are available.
Jeffrey

Correct…a waitlist does not hold what is there. That is why some will book what they can..when they are able…and then waitlist for fewer nights so they can piece it together.

 

[JeffCD]

Thank you Sandisw!!! Fingers crossed...

 

[sethschroeder]

Walking might happen at which point you need to just put in a wait list (I would put one in for a single day as well as the full trip + adding as you possibly get them filled).

You need to be on at 7am EST though otherwise you will be out of luck. You can't wake up at 8am PST and expect to get a room in a studio likely in the fall to December timeframe

 

[sethschroeder]

Waitlist clarification (this is for when booking right at 11 months and missing):
Waitlist #1 -> Put in your full stay
Waitlist #2 -> Put in only Day 1

What you might find is that come the morning of Day 2 its still all blocked which is why having Waitlist #2 in place is a stop gap in case that first day opens up randomly and you are not only.

If you then get Day 1 through the waitlist you can update the wait lists as the week continues.

I recently had this work where I missed the opening morning but then put in a waitlist at which point the following day the whole week waitlist came through.

Best case if you are absolutely required to travel specific dates in a specific room though is walking.

 

[sndral]

Wow, thank you so much sndral!!! You really went above and beyond to check for me, and it is very much appreciated.
So the "wait list" would stop the booking of the available nights? I guess what I'm asking is if any day within the time period I select is unavailable it means unless the wait list for the day(s) is cleared, I don't really have a reservation for any days. In other words, if I went ahead and hit the continue button and joined the wait list, I'm not booking the nights that are available.
Jeffrey

You’re welcome, I can think of nothing happening at DL/CA that would make the week you want especially in demand, & w/ what I saw checking 2 days ago & again today w/ things being booked & then opening up a couple of days later, I’m hopeful that if you don’t get your studio right when online booking opens on the 16th you’ll be able to get what you want in a couple of days as the walkers go by. I’m also west coast based & those very early a.m. wake ups to get things booked make it extra challenging .
If you need to waitlist, shorter waitlists are more likely to match than longer ones, hence the advice to make a waitlist for that first day & your second wait list (you can do two) for your whole stay. Also waitlists are prioritized by who waitlisted first. In addition to waitlisting check the site several times a day - called stalking, because sometimes things pop up. https://www.disboards.com/threads/stalking-pays-off.3954427/#post-65743451