The Boat may have sailed, but I continue to let Member Services know....

bobbiwoz

I'm happy to dance with you!
Joined
Aug 26, 2003
Just how much I hate this “walking” going on especially holiday times.

Yes, there were folks who did not like “day by day” booking, but it does seem fairer to me. Yes, there are folks who say the “fix” will not be palatable, but we have had this current reality for awhile now, let someone come up with a new idea we can try.

Usually there is a time to meet MS folks at the December meeting, usually I seek out Joy, she knows what I am going to say, but I still say it. We bought DVC resorts to be able to have an 11 month booking advantage, and some members prevent us from having that because they are walking.

Sincerely,
Bobbi
 
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Agree. IMO, all MS has to do is stop modifying any reservations until 10 months prior to arrival. The very few people who would be willing (and able) to tie up a month's worth of points to get a specific night would not be enough to cause a problem.

I suspect that MS will do something about this in the future. When day by day calling increased to the point where DVCMC was going to have to hire a lot of additional employees to handle the volume, they changed to the current system. Anecdotal evidence suggest that the calling for reservation modification /walking is definitely on the increase. When it gets to be too much, DVCMC will take action.

IMO, just making every change a cancel & rebook will not help UNLESS the waitlist system is changed to "real time". (There has to be a real danger of losing the reservation for cancel & rebook to work). I think that the cost to modify the waitlist program/process exceeds the benefit. YMMV.
 
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Something as simple as forcing a waiting period between cancelling and rebooking would solve the problem. Even 120 minutes between cancel/book would be sufficient to stop the walkers.
 


IMO Disney/DVC is no longer a relaxing vacation. Too much planning and work to vacation, 180 days do this, 30 days do that, book at 11 months, switch at 7 months, dual browsers, walk reservations, web sites down, book dvc event web site crashes spend 40 minutes booking, try to modify event, check several times per day no luck, call MS on hold told system down try later.

:earsboy: Bill

 
IMO Disney/DVC is no longer a relaxing vacation. Too much planning and work to vacation, 180 days do this, 30 days do that, book at 11 months, switch at 7 months, dual browsers, walk reservations, web sites down, book dvc event web site crashes spend 40 minutes booking, try to modify event, check several times per day no luck, call MS on hold told system down try later.

:earsboy: Bill

:grouphug:

I hope that at some point you and we all can forget the frustrations and enjoy. You know, sort of like the childbirth experience, or something you can relate to, paying taxes maybe?
 
IMO Disney/DVC is no longer a relaxing vacation. Too much planning and work to vacation, 180 days do this, 30 days do that, book at 11 months, switch at 7 months, dual browsers, walk reservations, web sites down, book dvc event web site crashes spend 40 minutes booking, try to modify event, check several times per day no luck, call MS on hold told system down try later.

:earsboy: Bill
I must be where Bobbi is. I enjoy DVC for where it’s at. I’ve always been happy when I got what I wanted, and worked to make the best of whatever if I didn’t.
I’m leaving for 6 days at SSR in under 4 weeks to spend Christmas “home.” I will always love DVC for that opportunity.
 


I can't think of a particularly good solution to this issue that won't be restrictive to the ownership interest. In other words, any new rules would be like a reduction in value or ability to use what you bought. People will game any system (ie. walking a reservation), but that's just how life is.

I'd hate to suggest dividing the ownership classes, but ultimately that may happen. Other timeshares sell different tiers of points that have more advantageous booking capability depending on how much you pay. DVC "suffers", in a way, from selling all equivalent ownership interests.

(footnote: I'm well aware of the various resale restrictions, but none of those are related to the ownership interest.)
 
So I know that the "walking" method is needed often to secure the value and club level rooms at AKV during most of the year, but are there other units that this might be needed for during the month of December? Or any other time of the year?
 
I for one have some different thoughts on availability and yes, I thought day by day was worse. Hated it. I don't hate walking but I do think people walk reservations too much. I will then catch rooms after they've walked past. Mostly I think the last 3 months are just popular and even if they didn't allow modifications there are going to be people who don't get the rooms they want because of that increased demand for that time of the year. Nobody wants the fix I think probably ought to happen with that - evening out point requirements across much of the year - just as I don't want a fix that prevents modifications for any amount of time. So, it's not perfect but in the end I wouldn't trade the flexibility of the system to guarantee me a particular villa.

Make certain you use the waitlist. If it is walking, and they walk past, then you're first in line to get the room - just at 10 months 3 weeks or so. I've had one fill within an hour or two when originally blocked at 11 months. Not positive on how long because I got up at 5am to book, was blocked, set up the waitlist, and by the time I opened up the website 5 hours or so later MS had even matched it up and I had my room.
 
I think DVC needs to take some of this blame. I know in the case of VGF studios, there are certain times of the year owners cant get reservations. It seems particularly hard with regards to this resort. Did they sell too many points? Did they create a points chart that forces most owners to book studios due to the higher points per night with one and two bedrooms? So as an owner, I want to get what I paid for.
 
I think DVC needs to take some of this blame. I know in the case of VGF studios, there are certain times of the year owners cant get reservations. It seems particularly hard with regards to this resort. Did they sell too many points? Did they create a points chart that forces most owners to book studios due to the higher points per night with one and two bedrooms? So as an owner, I want to get what I paid for.

I think when they opened up VGF, most people bought only enough to get a studio at any given time...but at the end of the day, there are only 47 studios. Now whether DVC encouraged that line of thought or not, I don't know.
 
I think DVC needs to take some of this blame. I know in the case of VGF studios, there are certain times of the year owners cant get reservations. It seems particularly hard with regards to this resort. Did they sell too many points? Did they create a points chart that forces most owners to book studios due to the higher points per night with one and two bedrooms? So as an owner, I want to get what I paid for.
That would be just awful to own at the GF and not be able to get a reservation there when you want one. That shouldn't happen.
 
I think DVC needs to take some of this blame. I know in the case of VGF studios, there are certain times of the year owners cant get reservations. It seems particularly hard with regards to this resort. Did they sell too many points? Did they create a points chart that forces most owners to book studios due to the higher points per night with one and two bedrooms? So as an owner, I want to get what I paid for.

I also agree that more bought for studios there than may have been usual - especially for Christmas season. I don't recall any other resort that people were posting over and over that they had just done a small add on at VGF so they could stay in a studio for a few days in December - mostly early December. Add in the fixed weeks they sold (may have maxed out the early Dec weeks) and it was the so called perfect storm.
 
Apparently standard view BWVs are being walked through F&W as well as December, according to threads here.

We bought in 2003, BWV. I bought specifically to celebrate Mom’s 85 birthday at BWV in December 2004. We needed a 2 bedroom and 3 studios for 4-5 nights, and I wanted standard. Day by day calling, I got them all. Now, from what I read, I probably would not.

Our VGF points were bought for a December studio, and, I have gotten them after the dates passed, I guess because someone was walking. I look at that purchase as my one DVC mistake, we should have bought a fixed week if we really wanted to stay there. Thankfully, my husband and I love WL area even more than Grand Floridian area at Christmas.:santa: Copper Creek Cabins here we come!
 
Apparently standard view BWVs are being walked through F&W as well as December, according to threads here.

We bought in 2003, BWV. I bought specifically to celebrate Mom’s 85 birthday at BWV in December 2004. We needed a 2 bedroom and 3 studios for 4-5 nights, and I wanted standard. Day by day calling, I got them all. Now, from what I read, I probably would not.

Our VGF points were bought for a December studio, and, I have gotten them after the dates passed, I guess because someone was walking. I look at that purchase as my one DVC mistake, we should have bought a fixed week if we really wanted to stay there. Thankfully, my husband and I love WL area even more than Grand Floridian area at Christmas.:santa: Copper Creek Cabins here we come!

Yes, I bought an Oct UY @ BWV because we would ideally travel Oct - Jan. I'm pretty sure I'll never get a standard in October because I'd have to start walking in September (and I can't). I'm not even sure I can walk my way to November, December or January, because you have to "jump in" at some point and it's near impossible. Live and learn.
 
They can fix walking simply by refusing to modify reservations until all days fall in the window. Since walking involves calling MS, this isn’t even an IT change. Just tell MS CMs to disallow changes to a reservation until all days fall in the booking window.

“I’m sorry but your reservation has days that fall outside the booking window. In order to make a change, I’ll first have to cancel the entire reservation.”

Now. If you routinely book more than a week, you’ll need to book two separate reservations or add on a week later instead of “walking into two weeks”. But MS could give some deference with adding days at the end without allowing subtracting them from the beginning. Even so, that would allow large point holders to walk for at least a little while. Everything is a trade off.

My guess is that simply taking steps to discourage it by formally disallowing it would eliminate a good chunk of it.

All that said, walking doesn’t bother me. In any “first come, first served” system, there are going to be superusers that game the system. It’s the equivalent of camping out days before a major release.
 
Walking has had an impact on reservations. Not sure what can be done. Anyone who wants to work that hard, I say more power to you. But if dvc stops people from modifying reservations months after making a reservation then that I don’t agree. Booking a reservation 11 months out comes with a lot of unknowns. We all don’t walk, but life happens. Work schedules, school schedules, health and airline schedules come into play. If we get penalized or even a chance of losing a reservation because we have to drop a few days prior or at the end, then that is too restrictive. I’ve always had a hard time booking Bwv standard studio in October, even before walking became a thing. I booked September for 2018, because October is just too hard to book now and had no problem booking it at the 11 month window. I’m also a BLT owner and those standard studios are hard to book too.
 
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Apparently standard view BWVs are being walked through F&W as well as December, according to threads here.

We bought in 2003, BWV. I bought specifically to celebrate Mom’s 85 birthday at BWV in December 2004. We needed a 2 bedroom and 3 studios for 4-5 nights, and I wanted standard. Day by day calling, I got them all. Now, from what I read, I probably would not.

Our VGF points were bought for a December studio, and, I have gotten them after the dates passed, I guess because someone was walking. I look at that purchase as my one DVC mistake, we should have bought a fixed week if we really wanted to stay there. Thankfully, my husband and I love WL area even more than Grand Floridian area at Christmas.:santa: Copper Creek Cabins here we come!
They are definitely being walked. Even the boardwalk views are gone at 8am exactly 11mo on the dot. I've been trying for a week and just gave up. I'll go in January of 2019 instead.
 
The fact that DVC tolerates it is one thing, but what I REALLY get upset at is that some CMs actually encourage it, explain to callers how it can be done.
 

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