Elephant in the room....

Nobody was trying to talk them out of walking but merely stating the obvious:

There are only a very small subset of rooms where it matters.

By the time you realize you should have walked, it’s already to late. Gonna start grabbing the first available room where I won’t cross my use year and book it. I’m glad y’all talked me into this. Thank you for helping me see the error of my ways.
 
Nobody was trying to talk them out of walking but merely stating the obvious:

There are only a very small subset of rooms where it matters.

If somebody here wants to walk a March AKV standard studio for 3 months, by all means do so. Just because it’s pointed out that that’s a complete waste of time doesn’t mean that walking is being discouraged.

Walking is a tool, one out of many. But like any tool, it’s only useful for what it’s designed to accomplish: securing rooms at 11 months where supply at that time exceeds demand. That’s a very few rooms.

Walking isn’t a hammer and every room isn’t a nail. Just because someone points out that a tool isn’t useful for what you’re trying to accomplish isn’t some grand moral proof that the person giving the advice knows deep in their heart that the tool is immoral. It probably just means that a specialty tool useful in a few applications probably isn’t the best tool to bang in every nail.

Where does it say anything about morality in what you quoted me saying? You know I find it strange that the only ones mentioning morality, honor, principles etc are the walkers responding to things me and others have said negatively about walking. It is pretty obvious you and others are just trying to paint those with a problem with walking in a certain light. Problem is I am not talking about morality. Where have I mentioned it? Saying walking has a negative effect on other members bookings is not a call on morality. It’s a fact. I mainly don’t like how walking is making people have to book. Piece meal and such. Why should it be harder for people to book than it was before walking was mainstreamed. As far as it appearing people are trying to talk people out of walking I just figured those who walk want to keep walking in check as to not make booking harder on themselves. Morality has nothing to do with it. That’s just words put in my mouth to hopefully make me look bad. But the walkers are saying it not me. Nice try though.
 
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Please respect the posting guidelines.

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That’s why my guaranteed week is over Halloween. Seriously.

Got ya beat.
If I might turn things back to the OP, I believe that owning a fixed week is going to be even more important to securing hard to get studios.

I wouldn’t buy CCV unless I bought a fixed week. And I wouldn’t buy Riviera with the goal of staying in a tower studio without a guarantee.

If DVC made two small changes to how they sold fixed weeks, they’d take off in sales.

1. Allow incentives to apply to fixed weeks. If they’re giving incentives to buy more than 150 points, why should they care if its to buy a fixed week?

2. Actually advertise the benefit of owning a fixed week.

IF you want a hard to get time in a studio, a fixed week can’t be beat. Trouble is, in most cases, by the time it was evident that a fixed week was truly an advantage, it was too late to buy.

And that brings up a 3rd way DVC could push fixed week sales, if they wanted:

3. Sell them on current direct point contracts on sold out resorts that have fixed weeks in their POS until the cap is reached.

If DVC allowed a fixed week VGF to be sold today, they’d move those points at the price they’re asking for direct VGF points.
 
As I’ve said earlier in this thread.
The old day by day booking solves the walking issues once and for all. It gives everyone the exact same chance to get the room.
Again, I have no dog in this fight, but I’m just offering a solution.
 


As I’ve said earlier in this thread.
The old day by day booking solves the walking issues once and for all. It gives everyone the exact same chance to get the room.
Again, I have no dog in this fight, but I’m just offering a solution.

I agree, it solves the problem, but it goes back to at least one reason why it was changed. Anyone wanting to book a multiday stay right at 11 months needed to call (now we can go online) daily. I'm sure there are members (gasp!) that are not computer literate, who don't book online. WHile I've never had issues getting what I've wanted at OKW at 11 to 8 months out, smaller more popular resorts would be a different story. Personally, I don't really like the idea of walking, but, it may not be a major problem for the system as a whole if people walk, and if I do happen to book right at 11 months, I do like not calling day by day. Only DVC knows if walking is causing issues, they have the data, anything else is simply speculation as we are all basically, on the outside looking in.

Another solution is the fixed week purchasing option.

But I still have to wonder, are we looking for solutions to a problem that does not actually exist.
 
As I’ve said earlier in this thread.
The old day by day booking solves the walking issues once and for all. It gives everyone the exact same chance to get the room.
Again, I have no dog in this fight, but I’m just offering a solution.
The perfect example of a cure worst than the disease.
 
As I’ve said earlier in this thread.
The old day by day booking solves the walking issues once and for all. It gives everyone the exact same chance to get the room.
Again, I have no dog in this fight, but I’m just offering a solution.
IMO, the best & easiest "solution" is to make every date change a cancel and re-book (with real-time waitlist checks before inventory is released back into the system). But that's not going to happen, either (thank goodness)!
 
IMO, the best & easiest "solution" is to make every date change a cancel and re-book (with real-time waitlist checks before inventory is released back into the system). But that's not going to happen, either (thank goodness)!
If DVC thought the pushback against the 2020 reallocation was bad, I can only imagine the calls they’d get about making every change a cancel/rebook.
 
I don't really think walking is all that much of a problem. I strongly agree with others' comments that 99 percent of room inventory does not need to be walked. Some categories are always going to be high demand as they are very limited. Nothing is going to change that. The current system as is allows everyone an equal opportunity at those rooms and maintains great flexibility in its model. In my mind, this is very positive. I think the best solution to reducing walking overall is a point reallocation to increase point totals for popular times i.e., late fall. One more point I would make to anyone seeing increased walking over the last few months is to keep in mind that is a busy time anyway and it also is corresponding to when SW is likely to open...
 
I don't really think walking is all that much of a problem. I strongly agree with others' comments that 99 percent of room inventory does not need to be walked. Some categories are always going to be high demand as they are very limited. Nothing is going to change that. The current system as is allows everyone an equal opportunity at those rooms and maintains great flexibility in its model. In my mind, this is very positive. I think the best solution to reducing walking overall is a point reallocation to increase point totals for popular times i.e., late fall. One more point I would make to anyone seeing increased walking over the last few months is to keep in mind that is a busy time anyway and it also is corresponding to when SW is likely to open...
Agree. 100%+

FWIW, this topic comes up every year when it's time to make 11 month early December reservations. It has done so for as long as I can remember and I've been around the DIS since the late 90's. The only difference is that this topic used to be about day by day calling, but the upset and emotions and repetition of arguments ad nauseam was virtually the same.

The change to 11+ 7 didn't happen until it looked like the call load on MS would lead to more staffing and cost Disney more. IMO, call loads & it's impact on staffing is also why we can now modify online. It wasn't complaints! This is is why I doubt DVCMC will do anything about walking. YMMV.
 
Nobody was trying to talk them out of walking but merely stating the obvious:

There are only a very small subset of rooms where it matters.

If somebody here wants to walk a March AKV standard studio for 3 months, by all means do so. Just because it’s pointed out that that’s a complete waste of time doesn’t mean that walking is being discouraged.

Walking is a tool, one out of many. But like any tool, it’s only useful for what it’s designed to accomplish: securing rooms at 11 months where supply at that time exceeds demand. That’s a very few rooms.

Walking isn’t a hammer and every room isn’t a nail. Just because someone points out that a tool isn’t useful for what you’re trying to accomplish isn’t some grand moral proof that the person giving the advice knows deep in their heart that the tool is immoral. It probably just means that a specialty tool useful in a few applications probably isn’t the best tool to bang in every nail.

I agree with most of what you say, and some of your analysis is really spot on. However, if it is true that there are only a very small subset of rooms where it matters, then what is the big deal? Why are people complaining? If it isn't necessary, then those rooms should STILL be available at the 11 month and 7 months window. The fact that there is a lack of availability in general for the most desirable rooms means that it IS a problem. Now, I might also be persuaded that if NO ONE had started Walking in the first place, then everything would be available and no one would be having room issues at 11 months. I doubt it, but that MIGHT be the case. However, the reality is that there is an Arms Race among Walkers, and all the Walkers are really competing with OTHER Walkers. So, they can't back off.
 
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Boy how things have changed. My wife and I bought DVC back in January 1997 when we lived up north. By August 1999 we were living in Florida 15 minutes from Disney World. Up until several years ago I could call on a Wednesday for that weekend and find several resorts with studios to choose from. I could do this just about any time of the year. Now it seems like a competition just to find a room at your own home resort 3 to 4 month out. My wife and I have not booked more than 3 to 4 night at a time in almost 20. We mostly book for 1 to 2 night. We have never had problems finding a room when we book 6 to 7 month out. We do not have any kids so we do not have to book during school vacations. This gives us a lot of flexibility.

As far as walking this is what I have posted in the past and I still stand by this. I am sorry if people don't agree even though Disney allows it to happen.

This is what I posted back in November 2018 "Walking A Reservation"
To me allowing the practice of booking vacation days people have no intention of ever using just to get what you want is wrong. This means people are tying up days that other people may need to book their vacation and either don't know how to or are unwilling to cheat the system . Just because DVC allows it does not mean it is right. I have been a DVC member going on 22 years. Up until a few years ago I never had problems getting the days I wanted. This sound like the main reason I have heard so many complaints from friends about them not being able to book their home resort 11 month in advance. A friend was furious when member service told her she could not book all of her vacation days with point but could pay cash. My wife and I moved to Central Florida several years after becoming members. It was not uncommon for me to get on the phone on a Wednesday and book a Friday to Sunday reservation. Now it is almost impossible. You would think as DVC builds more resorts it would be easier to get rooms but this appears to not be the case.
 
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By the time you realize you should have walked, it’s already to late. Gonna start grabbing the first available room where I won’t cross my use year and book it. I’m glad y’all talked me into this. Thank you for helping me see the error of my ways.

I know you are being sarcastic, but the need to walk is real. And it is completely determined by how much you need a particular reservation, and how hard you are willing to work for it. If it doesn't matter enough to work for it, then you shouldn't do it. And you shouldn't complain when you don't get what you want. Once you decide you are going to put in the work, you need to realize that you are NOT working against the average person, who either doesn't care very much, or who just doesn't know very much. You are working against the other Walkers. Who is able to work more, and more effectively.

The way to determine if you need to walk is by starting to check availability of your desired room type, every day, at some point before. For most reservations this could be 5 days. But starting 2 weeks before will be necessary for some popular times. More than that I really don't want to think about it. If it is available every day, at the cusp of the 11 month window, then you are fine. But if it isn't, then you will need to start walking. Doing this does NOT require you to walk, if it is available. But it is still work, and time consuming every day.
 
Agree. 100%+

FWIW, this topic comes up every year when it's time to make 11 month early December reservations. It has done so for as long as I can remember and I've been around the DIS since the late 90's. The only difference is that this topic used to be about day by day calling, but the upset and emotions and repetition of arguments ad nauseam was virtually the same.

The change to 11+ 7 didn't happen until it looked like the call load on MS would lead to more staffing and cost Disney more. IMO, call loads & it's impact on staffing is also why we can now modify online. It wasn't complaints! This is is why I doubt DVCMC will do anything about walking. YMMV.
I remember those arguments about day-by-day callers back in the day.
 
what is it about social media that brings out the moral superiority in people? Or is it just that those who want to feel morally superior are drawn to social media because it allows them to throw stones without anybody seeing their glass houses?
 
I know you are being sarcastic, but the need to walk is real. And it is completely determined by how much you need a particular reservation, and how hard you are willing to work for it. If it doesn't matter enough to work for it, then you shouldn't do it. And you shouldn't complain when you don't get what you want. Once you decide you are going to put in the work, you need to realize that you are NOT working against the average person, who either doesn't care very much, or who just doesn't know very much. You are working against the other Walkers. Who is able to work more, and more effectively.

The way to determine if you need to walk is by starting to check availability of your desired room type, every day, at some point before. For most reservations this could be 5 days. But starting 2 weeks before will be necessary for some popular times. More than that I really don't want to think about it. If it is available every day, at the cusp of the 11 month window, then you are fine. But if it isn't, then you will need to start walking. Doing this does NOT require you to walk, if it is available. But it is still work, and time consuming every day.

It takes about 45 seconds once a week to modify a reservation, I think I'm up for the work load. :D
 
Is there something within the booking system that would eventually block a walk? Like use year crossover or Something?

If not, then looking at the blt standard studio (for example), the most points for a week is 183. Given potential points fluctuations let’s say someone owned 400 pts. If at some point in the year they are able to snag two rooms for one week could they technically walk that Reservation for the life of the contract?

If that person leapfrogged the reservation they would essentially own a fixed week at any point they choose for the life of the contract. Whenever they decide to stay they still have the other room they are walking for the next year and at any point just pick up another walk.

I’m not being cheeky but just genuinely curious as to what the limit would be.
 

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