Frustated about being locked out of 11 mos booking due to walking

[disneygrandma]

So I've checked availability several times and our dates were always open (BLT standard view). Then yesterday when I looked, the only day not available was 11 mos out from yesterday, and the rest of the days before and after, were all available. Sure enough today, the only day not available was our check-in day, 11 mos out. So I'm guessing this is from walking.

I never thought I would get involved with doing it, so didn't pay much attention to the how's of accomplishing it. I don't like having to call MS and wait. I would also feel like I was doing something a little shady. But now with modification possible online, can walking be done online? If so, then how? I tried to modify a different reservation today, and it looks like the system doesn't pay attention to your current reservation, but only looks to see if your new reservation dates are available. If so, then the system would be looking at the same availability as if someone else was looking to make a new reservation. Or am I wrong about that?

I know about the theory of walking, but would appreciate if someone would please explain again exactly how to accomplish it. I might need to use it on the following year's trip.

Thanks so much!

 

[jerseyduke]

You book a room for the week (or 2 weeks, or 3) before you want to travel.
5 days into it, you change your reservation, cutting the first 5 days off the front of your trip, and adding them to the end of it.
Repeat until its at the week you want.
Since the 1st day has to be available to book a room, your room is blocked from being booked.
This only works with certainty at your home resort when you start your walk before the 11 month mark opens

 

[KAT4DISNEY]

If it's walking then just let them walk past and book as the dates are vacated. There's far too much walking IMO that doesn't need to be done based on the fact that the rooms then reopen.

FWIW it's not just just nor even necessarily a symptom of walking but of the booking that allows you to book up to 7 days from your date of check in although since the nights are become available again then there's walking. So other members begining their actual stays up 6 days or more ahead of you can legitimately book the room before you have a chance. I like it because you know you have your room but it does mean you may not always get the room you most prefer. But if that were the case they would just be booked and not available again. And if it's unnecessary walking then as I said just book the days as the open up. The modify reservation tool online makes it very easy to take care of that now.

 

[DVCDisneyRunner]

You may want to look again... seems all days are available. The pic is for the studio, but 1 and 2 bed is also available.

 

[disneygrandma]

Yes, there are rooms. Just not the room that I wanted. So I went ahead and booked something else, and will check back later.

Thanks

 

[KAT4DISNEY]

Yes, there are rooms. Just not the room that I wanted. So I went ahead and booked something else, and will check back later.

Thanks

I just looked and see that the 2BR standard view is gone again but the PP said it was open when they posted and the 1BR and the studio standard view are also available. So you didn't want the standard view?

 

[disneygrandma]

Yes, I wanted the 2 BR standard view. I was able to book the lock-off, but I don't want a lock-off. So we do have a room, but it's not the room we wanted.

 

[KAT4DISNEY]

Yes, I wanted the 2 BR standard view. I was able to book the lock-off, but I don't want a lock-off. So we do have a room, but it's not the room we wanted.

I would waitlist it if you haven't as well as check back. As it was noted it was available again just a short while it could very easily fill on the waitlist quickly. And if you had it waitlisted it's very possible that it matched and that's why it's gone again. It gets finalized manually by a CM and sometimes that takes a little while to happen.

 

[71 Truck]

To me walking makes it harder for everybody to book what they need to get the days needed for their reservation. My wife and I live in Florida. We only book a few days at a time,never a full week. I would be very upset if at the 11 month booking window I was only able to book part of the days I needed especial if the missing days were in the middle of my reservation. This is exactly what has happens to several friends over the last few years and they have had to split their reservations. Usually they have to move to a different resort of a different room category.

I posted this last year in a thread about walking reservations and I still stand by it.

"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."

 

[crvetter]

I would be very upset if at the 11 month booking window I was only able to book part of the days I needed especial if the missing days were in the middle of my reservation.

Well if you are booking at exactly 11 months to your check in you either can or can't book your entire reservation that day. There is no partial booking that would be possible. So another person walker or not was simply quicker to booking your check in day. If it is truly walking a simple day by day waitlist approach (waitlist the 11 month day each day, likely it will fulfill the next day early in the morning) will help you get the room (and stalking the site even helps more)

As for short notice trips that simply isn't the nature of a timeshare and DVC was a bit different, from my understanding, in the beginning but it should have always been expected that a timeshare requires months in advance planning and/or extreme flexibility. I rent a Vistana timeshare quite frequentl. Likely shorter trips are getting harder to find for many reason: 1) Easier visibility into available rooms leading to maximum point usage, 2) renting leading to maximum point usage, 3) Disney in general requires at least 180 days of planning if you want that dining reservation, 4) cyclical nature of festivals and parties (which are increasing popularity), and 5) an extremely healthy economy. But none of the reasons for short notice trips being harder to get is because of walking. I would even say people being told buy where you want to stay (which is great advice) is leading to less availability at 7 months because people book right at 11 months and are happy where they are at.

Now I'm not a fan of walking but I did buy-in realizing right away the loophole existed and mentioned it during the sales pitch so I can't complain too much. But I really don't like it because it really is a self-driving system. People walk because they see availability disappear right at 11 months so they grab when they can which leads to more availability disappearing scaring more people; plus I think the boards and other similar places mentioning it as being necessary don't help either. But MS does know about walking doesn't care and in fact they bring it up to some, by accounts on here.

 

[SL6827]

I could never figure out how people walked the CL studios at AKL, I could never catch a time they were open to do it. (well except for when I got in for two nights, but that is a complete different story there)

 

[71 Truck]

Well if you are booking at exactly 11 months to your check in you either can or can't book your entire reservation that day. There is no partial booking that would be possible. So another person walker or not was simply quicker to booking your check in day. If it is truly walking a simple day by day waitlist approach (waitlist the 11 month day each day, likely it will fulfill the next day early in the morning) will help you get the room (and stalking the site even helps more)

As for short notice trips that simply isn't the nature of a timeshare and DVC was a bit different, from my understanding, in the beginning but it should have always been expected that a timeshare requires months in advance planning and/or extreme flexibility. I rent a Vistana timeshare quite frequentl. Likely shorter trips are getting harder to find for many reason: 1) Easier visibility into available rooms leading to maximum point usage, 2) renting leading to maximum point usage, 3) Disney in general requires at least 180 days of planning if you want that dining reservation, 4) cyclical nature of festivals and parties (which are increasing popularity), and 5) an extremely healthy economy. But none of the reasons for short notice trips being harder to get is because of walking. I would even say people being told buy where you want to stay (which is great advice) is leading to less availability at 7 months because people book right at 11 months and are happy where they are at.

Now I'm not a fan of walking but I did buy-in realizing right away the loophole existed and mentioned it during the sales pitch so I can't complain too much. But I really don't like it because it really is a self-driving system. People walk because they see availability disappear right at 11 months so they grab when they can which leads to more availability disappearing scaring more people; plus I think the boards and other similar places mentioning it as being necessary don't help either. But MS does know about walking doesn't care and in fact they bring it up to some, by accounts on here.

My wife and I visit Disney several times a year. We usually book based on what rooms are available not always by a certain time of a year so to us it is not a big deal. I have 2 friends who will get up first thing in the morning on their 11 month booking window. They will to try to book a full week and find that one day in the middle of their reservation is not available, both were in the middle of the week. This has happened to them multiple times. One friend finally got so fed up with it she had a very heated conversation with member services. They accommodated her needs but she found it very disappointing she had to do this. Others have had to book multiple reservations for the week. They will do a wait list but there is no guarantee.
I my self have been lucky. I just booked a tower studio at Riviera. I was on the computer at exactly 8am at the 7 month window, hit enter and got it. I was told how lucky I was due to at the time there were not many tower wooms in DVC inventory.
I think in the end walking benefits very few and makes it harder for most, even people who are doing the walking.
My biggest aggravation lately is trying to get Brunch at the California Grill.

 

[crvetter]

My wife and I visit Disney several times a year. We usually book based on what rooms are available not always by a certain time of a year so to us it is not a big deal. I have 2 friends who will get up first thing in the morning on their 11 month booking window. They will to try to book a full week and find that one day in the middle of their reservation is not available, both were in the middle of the week. This has happened to them multiple times. One friend finally got so fed up with it she had a very heated conversation with member services. They accommodated her needs but she found it very disappointing she had to do this. Others have had to book multiple reservations for the week. They will do a wait list but there is no guarantee.
I my self have been lucky. I just booked a tower studio at Riviera. I was on the computer at exactly 8am at the 7 month window, hit enter and got it. I was told how lucky I was due to at the time there were not many tower wooms in DVC inventory.
I think in the end walking benefits very few and makes it harder for most, even people who are doing the walking.
My biggest aggravation lately is trying to get Brunch at the California Grill.

If it is a day truly missing in the middle (not the first date) when booking right at 11 months that is DVC pulling inventory that day for a reason not walkers (as the days prior would have to be missing too since you can't have your checkin date be later than the 11 month window allows).

I have found dining reservations super easy using Mouse Dining. Have to wait but usually something comes through.

 

[71 Truck]

If it is a day truly missing in the middle (not the first date) when booking right at 11 months that is DVC pulling inventory that day for a reason not walkers (as the days prior would have to be missing too since you can't have your checkin date be later than the 11 month window allows).

I have found dining reservations super easy using Mouse Dining. Have to wait but usually something comes through.

Thanks for the information about Mouse Dining. I am looking at it right now.

 

[KAT4DISNEY]

My wife and I visit Disney several times a year. We usually book based on what rooms are available not always by a certain time of a year so to us it is not a big deal. I have 2 friends who will get up first thing in the morning on their 11 month booking window. They will to try to book a full week and find that one day in the middle of their reservation is not available, both were in the middle of the week. This has happened to them multiple times. One friend finally got so fed up with it she had a very heated conversation with member services. They accommodated her needs but she found it very disappointing she had to do this. Others have had to book multiple reservations for the week. They will do a wait list but there is no guarantee.
I my self have been lucky. I just booked a tower studio at Riviera. I was on the computer at exactly 8am at the 7 month window, hit enter and got it. I was told how lucky I was due to at the time there were not many tower wooms in DVC inventory.
I think in the end walking benefits very few and makes it harder for most, even people who are doing the walking.
My biggest aggravation lately is trying to get Brunch at the California Grill.

I'd agree there is some other reason why your friends are having issues. Walking could not be causing a missing day only in the middle of the reservation right at 11 months.

 

[Chuck S]

I'm trying to figure out why people would be waling an 11 month reservation...IN JUNE? Is there something special happening in 2020 that they are willing to walk from May to whenever? Seems like way to much work for me to bother with. Everyday I'm happier and happier that a own at a large, less popular WDW DVC resort.

 

[crvetter]

I'm trying to figure out why people would be waling an 11 month reservation...IN JUNE? Is there something special happening in 2020 that they are willing to walk from May to whenever? Seems like way to much work for me to bother with. Everyday I'm happier and happier that a own at a large, less popular WDW DVC resort.

It was Standard dedicated 2 beds at BLT that was being discussed as possible walking. So just a small, cheap category which is my guess why it was walked, if that is indeed what was happening.

 

[KAT4DISNEY]

I'm trying to figure out why people would be waling an 11 month reservation...IN JUNE? Is there something special happening in 2020 that they are willing to walk from May to whenever? Seems like way to much work for me to bother with. Everyday I'm happier and happier that a own at a large, less popular WDW DVC resort.

Standard view 2BR's and Standard view studios at BLT are very popular and can get booked immediately at many 11 month windows. But I agree that walking isn't needed for that time. Of course I don't think it's much of the year but people are just convinced it's needed all the time and since it's easy to do they take the time to do it I guess.

 

[crvetter]

but people are just convinced it's needed all the time and since it's easy to do they take the time to do it I guess

Yep the self fulfilling prophecy of walking. I really dislike it for this it creates anxiety basically which causes more and more to do it.

 

[KAT4DISNEY]

Yep the self fulfilling prophecy of walking. I really dislike it for this it creates anxiety basically which causes more and more to do it.

Exactly.