BWV stand booking brutal

[DebbieB]

I'm planning on the last week of October and have been watching to possibly start a walk for either standard or boardwalk view. For both standard and boardwalk view studios, the 4th and 5th are gone, which mean it's impossible to start a walk. I did notice the days behind are opening up, so I'm hoping for that when I get to the end of the month. I only have 64 points left for 2020, so I was hoping for a standard but I know that's unlikely. 6 nights would be exactly 64.

 

[ParkHoppers]

I have to wonder how those who said walking would never have a huge negative effect on booking at the 11 month window feel about the issue now. This issue should have been nipped in the bud long ago by DVC. Chickens have come home to roost on walking. It is a real shame.

 

[Brianstl]

I have to wonder how those who said walking would never have a huge negative effect on booking at the 11 month window feel about the issue now. This issue should have been nipped in the bud long ago by DVC. Chickens have come home to roost on walking. It is a real shame.

The only way to stop it is to institute some kind of sliding scale cancelation penalty. Something like one free no charge cancelation and then an increasing penalty for each additional cancelation.

 

[lovin'fl]

Honestly the chickens that have come home to roost are those of all the folks that expect to get cheapest studios every time. Sometimes it works out and sometimes it doesn't. So you cannot expect that it will always happen. I, personally, don't want them to do anything about walking because whatever they do will be worse than the walking. And we tend to modify and cancel resies often...with 3 elder parents who have been having medical issues and 3 20-something kiddos...we can't always stick with plans made 11 months out. So I like the ability to modify/cancel.

 

[Sandisw]

Honestly the chickens that have come home to roost are those of all the folks that expect to get cheapest studios every time. Sometimes it works out and sometimes it doesn't. So you cannot expect that it will always happen. I, personally, don't want them to do anything about walking because whatever they do will be worse than the walking. And we tend to modify and cancel resies often...with 3 elder parents who have been having medical issues and 3 20-something kiddos...we can't always stick with plans made 11 months out. So I like the ability to modify/cancel.

I completely agree with you. Being able to modify and adjust reservations without penalty is one of the biggest benefits we have, I can’t tell you how many times I have modified trips as things change.

Last year I wanted a room at BWV for F and W. Went on at 11 months, only got pool/garden, Kept checking and within a week was able to get it changed to BW view, Most likely due to walking, but if there were penalties for changing, I would have to incur it because the room I wanted was now available.

Do I think walking is worse than it was? Yes because it’s so easy with online booking, but the fact is that now that many are doing it when they don’t need to, you just adjust.

Like you said, planning 11 months ahead isn’t always possible to be 100% set and flexibility sometimes happens.

 

[snappy]

Edited:

I agree life happens and you may have to modify your reservations. We had to modify this year due to a serious health problem requiring both procedures and restrictions by his MD.

Instead of early May which was booked at exactly 11 months in a boardwalk view villa in March of this year we had to reshedule to late July. Only 5 day consecutive stay was at Poly, nothing at all at BW.

We had no idea this health problem would crop up when we booked the May trip in June 2018.

 

[Sandisw]

I agree life happens.
Not sure though that it happens at 11 months though.

Confused.

 

[Pooh12863]

The only way to stop it is to institute some kind of sliding scale cancelation penalty. Something like one free no charge cancelation and then an increasing penalty for each additional cancelation.

If I were prone to walking a reservation I would look at a penalty as the cost of doing business, it won't solve the problem.

 

[vacationer1954]

I think you underestimate the fear of paying-for-something-and-not-getting-anything-for-it on the part of many Americans.

 

[zavandor]

Man, is trying to get a standard view studio at BWV at 11 months brutal. Don't even have a shoot at it as the 11 month day is already unavailable before the window even opens. Have been trying for over a week with no luck at all. At least I have a lot of flexibility and can go anytime in Oct, Nov or Dec. it has been a few years since I have gone at this time of year, but I don't remember it ever taking me more than one or two tries before I got the room. Definitely summer is way easier, which is when I have been going the last few years.

It could be worst, think about trying to get a Tower Studio at Riviera in 10 years time (when 10% of the resort will be owned by resale purchasers) for F&W.

I, personally, don't want them to do anything about walking because whatever they do will be worse than the walking.

I couldn't agree more.

 

[FRANKTSJR]

One of the problems with the BWV studios is the 5 point difference between standard and garden/pool view. I was forced to get a garden/pool view studio last year and had the wonderful view of a tree. Makes you feel like you are throwing your points away.

 

[Pooh12863]

I think you underestimate the fear of paying-for-something-and-not-getting-anything-for-it on the part of many Americans.

I think you underestimate how far people are willing to go to get the room they want when they want it. A couple hundred dollars Isn’t even a blip on the radar of a Disney vacation. I’ll concede you will slow it down some, but you won’t stop it or fix the problem.

 

[Brianstl]

I think you underestimate how far people are willing to go to get the room they want when they want it. A couple hundred dollars Isn’t even a blip on the radar of a Disney vacation. I’ll concede you will slow it down some, but you won’t stop it or fix the problem.

I think a part of the walking problem is people using their points as a rental business. Penalties will eat into the margins and make only holding points to operate a rental business less attractive.

 

[vacationer1954]

Doesn't walking indicate that the points aren't balanced? If the points were balanced, then every point would be as attractive as every other point. If people are using walking to get a specific category of room, then why doesn't Disney just reduce the points of the other categories by x and increase the points of the more desired category of room by y? Problem solved.

 

[lovin'fl]

Doesn't walking indicate that the points aren't balanced? If the points were balanced, then every point would be as attractive as every other point. If people are using walking to get a specific category of room, then why doesn't Disney just reduce the points of the other categories by x and increase the points of the more desired category of room by y? Problem solved.

This is good point as is above mention of paying for P/G view to look at tree. I think the 3 views should be different point costs like standard cheapest then P/G and then BW being most. I always hated getting P/G view for same points as BW view.

 

[lovin'fl]

It could be worst, think about trying to get a Tower Studio at Riviera in 10 years time (when 10% of the resort will be owned by resale purchasers) for F&W.

Soon as resort almost sells out, owners will have tons of trouble trying to get, what are there?, the 25 tower studios. We are discussing the difficulty with getting standard view at BWV and there are 52 of those.

 

[Philsfan77]

Same issue going on at CCV right now...pretty sure everyone is walking to Columbus day to make sure they get it...I unfortunately got to the party too late (tried to start walking this sunday...but no luck). I too am flexible with my dates, so if I can't get Columbus Day weekend...it's not the end of the world.

 

[CarolMN]

I think a part of the walking problem is people using their points as a rental business. Penalties will eat into the margins and make only holding points to operate a rental business less attractive.

I really don't think very many BWV owners are walking SV studios for rentals. Yes, there are a few who will book reservations on spec for highly desirable times (like NYE), but IMO, it's not very common. In general, it's just as easy to find renters for P/G villas, so why would an owner do the extra work of walking a "cheaper" villa when they could make more with less effort? That doesn't make much sense to me.

 

[Brianstl]

I really don't think very many BWV owners are walking SV studios for rentals. Yes, there are a few who will book reservations on spec for highly desirable times (like NYE), but IMO, it's not very common. In general, it's just as easy to find renters for P/G villas, so why would an owner do the extra work of walking a "cheaper" villa when they could make more with less effort? That doesn't make much sense to me.

Well one of the rental sites was walking standard studios at BWV for September. I tried to book a week rental for a standard studio at the eleven month mark from one company and they said it was already unavailable. Checked with another site same thing. It still hasn’t opened up for either of those sites.

Saturday, I decide to check out a third rental place that bombards me with emails. It isn’t either one of the two biggies. Guess what? They had the standard available. Not only that, they had dates virtually the whole month I could book through them.

 

[keishashadow]

OP book something, last few years have found the other studios tend to disappear soon too for this time period

As suggested, try to pick up the discarded walking days.

If this is a product of walking vs. just cheap rooms in high demand, a waitlist should get you something as people let go of the rooms.

Personally, I think it’s a product of both and just such a good deal!

Never did wrap my head fully around how DVC is able to reallocate points, so I could be way off base; but I’m surprised that DVC hasn’t changed the point requirements for both these BW & the AKVJ-Value studios.

I realize many may have added on at these resorts with the intent to book only the cheapest units, but it would have to help weed out more than a few vying for the reservations during the more popular times of the year

I think a whole lot of the current BWV walkers are aiming for Columbus week/weekend. That is a common school break for a lot of schools as well as a popular time for Food & Wine visits.

True, we’ve visited the first or 2nd week in October for at least a decade. Once online booking came into play, IMO it became increasingly more difficult to book at 11 months.

Owners there & @ AK, since I first checked this year mid-september, were obviously walking reservations. I absoutely lucked out getting AKV for next year, had no such luck with BWV.