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

[KAT4DISNEY]

IMO there are ways to effectively do a type of walking at 7 months but it is of limited value for obvious reasons.

Yes, it can be done but it's effectiveness is far less certain.

 

[supersnoop]

IMO there are ways to effectively do a type of walking at 7 months but it is of limited value for obvious reasons.

Yes, it can be done but it's effectiveness is far less certain.

The only effective walk at 7 months is a single-step walk. And maybe VGC.

 

[Dean]

The only effective walk at 7 months is a single-step walk. And maybe VGC.

You can do normal walking at 7 months and you're getting ahead of other 7 month owners. You could still be shut out by home resort owners or by a day that was not available in the walking chain. More effective is the process of owning different resorts where you reserve during the home resort window and then cancel and rebook using the none home resort points.

 

[AnnaKat]

Not to mention having to book FP 60 days out too for me.

What Bill said about it being too much work to book everything for a DVC Vacation these days.
i absolutely agree with
Bill.
i became acclimated to ALL the changes that make planning/booking
that much harder, & their resultant built-in stressors!!

We cancelled our 17 -night value studio stay which we would be there right now if we had kept it!

For that reservation,
i felt like I was forced to walk,
becuz the 1st night was always tied up!


We just got back from a short stay here in MN on Lake Superior.

It was so relaxing!!!
I realized that I liked not having to plan the heck out of everything!!!

So beyond our points, we will probably never extend our Trips by paying out of pocket.

We prefer to spend $$$ on some nights up north in MN

 

[ziravan]

What Bill said about it being too much work to book everything for a DVC Vacation these days.
i absolutely agree with
Bill.
i became acclimated to ALL the changes that make planning/booking
that much harder, & their resultant built-in stressors!!

We cancelled our 17 -night value studio stay which we would be there right now if we had kept it!

For that reservation,
i felt like I was forced to walk,
becuz the 1st night was always tied up!


We just got back from a short stay here in MN on Lake Superior.

It was so relaxing!!!
I realized that I liked not having to plan the heck out of everything!!!

So beyond our points, we will probably never extend our Trips by paying out of pocket.

We prefer to spend $$$ on some nights up north in MN

The more you plan WDW, the more you get out of it. I think it’s a reasonable trade off.

As DVC members, I normally have at least 2 trips in the pipeline. We normally go every 4-6 months. I usually don’t start planning the next trip (besides booking it) before I’m done with the one before.

That means I normally start booking dining about 5 months out. We ALWAYS go to Be Our Guest. It’s a must do. We never book it at 6 months out. A date always opens up. Always.

Booking FPs at 60 days out only matters for 3 attractions. Frozen, Passage, and 7DMT. Everything else can be fixed on the fly.

Honestly, the prep time for a WDW trip more than makes up for time saved while there. It’s a daunting task for someone new to WDW, to be sure. But if you’re reading this, theoretically you’re a veteran. Planning a WDW trip shouldn’t be your first rodeo and it shouldn’t be all that difficult.

I guess I don’t get the gripe. Especially as frequently as I see lost non-planners trying to make something out of their fantastically expensive vacations.

Here’s the thing, being a veteran planner makes me an uber-user of WDW. That planning, combined with secrets that I’ve learned over time, makes me a one percenter when it comes to WDW. I actually think that’s pretty cool.

 

[4luv2cdisney]

What Bill said about it being too much work to book everything for a DVC Vacation these days.
i absolutely agree with
Bill.
i became acclimated to ALL the changes that make planning/booking
that much harder, & their resultant built-in stressors!!

We cancelled our 17 -night value studio stay which we would be there right now if we had kept it!

For that reservation,
i felt like I was forced to walk,
becuz the 1st night was always tied up!


We just got back from a short stay here in MN on Lake Superior.

It was so relaxing!!!
I realized that I liked not having to plan the heck out of everything!!!

So beyond our points, we will probably never extend our Trips by paying out of pocket.

We prefer to spend $$$ on some nights up north in MN

The more you plan WDW, the more you get out of it. I think it’s a reasonable trade off.

As DVC members, I normally have at least 2 trips in the pipeline. We normally go every 4-6 months. I usually don’t start planning the next trip (besides booking it) before I’m done with the one before.

That means I normally start booking dining about 5 months out. We ALWAYS go to Be Our Guest. It’s a must do. We never book it at 6 months out. A date always opens up. Always.

Booking FPs at 60 days out only matters for 3 attractions. Frozen, Passage, and 7DMT. Everything else can be fixed on the fly.

Honestly, the prep time for a WDW trip more than makes up for time saved while there. It’s a daunting task for someone new to WDW, to be sure. But if you’re reading this, theoretically you’re a veteran. Planning a WDW trip shouldn’t be your first rodeo and it shouldn’t be all that difficult.

I guess I don’t get the gripe. Especially as frequently as I see lost non-planners trying to make something out of their fantastically expensive vacations.

Here’s the thing, being a veteran planner makes me an uber-user of WDW. That planning, combined with secrets that I’ve learned over time, makes me a one precenter when it comes to WDW. I actually think that’s pretty cool.

Well, it's not just DVC it's any Disney trip. For me, it's the dining more than anything, and it is definitely a trade-off situation. We are pretty relaxed about what rides we get on and deciding when we will or will not spend 60 minutes in line, so FPs don't bother me too much. If they work out cool. If not, oh, well. The only exception being a new attraction that we "have to" try. Otherwise, if we want to go back to Epcot on Tuesday but that's not where our FPs are, whatever.

As for dining, I'm sorry, but I think it's pretty ridiculous. As a new DVC member, we've mostly done trips on free dining in the past. Our entire trip revolves around those TS meals, but it's the only way to eat where we want to and I have a family member (or two) that is hard to feed! The couple trips that we did not do many TS restaurants were 100x lower stress. However, we were soooooo sick of the food by the end of the week and I thought one DD was going to starve to death the whole trip. So, I'm not a fan of that aspect of our trips at all. It is always a tough decision.....to eat or not to eat. lol

 

[AnnaKat]

The more you plan WDW, the more you get out of it. I think it’s a reasonable trade off.

As DVC members, I normally have at least 2 trips in the pipeline. We normally go every 4-6 months. I usually don’t start planning the next trip (besides booking it) before I’m done with the one before.

That means I normally start booking dining about 5 months out. We ALWAYS go to Be Our Guest. It’s a must do. We never book it at 6 months out. A date always opens up. Always.

Booking FPs at 60 days out only matters for 3 attractions. Frozen, Passage, and 7DMT. Everything else can be fixed on the fly.

Honestly, the prep time for a WDW trip more than makes up for time saved while there. It’s a daunting task for someone new to WDW, to be sure. But if you’re reading this, theoretically you’re a veteran. Planning a WDW trip shouldn’t be your first rodeo and it shouldn’t be all that difficult.

I guess I don’t get the gripe. Especially as frequently as I see lost non-planners trying to make something out of their fantastically expensive vacations.

Here’s the thing, being a veteran planner makes me an uber-user of WDW. That planning, combined with secrets that I’ve learned over time, makes me a one precenter when it comes to WDW. I actually think that’s pretty cool.

Well, it's not just DVC it's any Disney trip. For me, it's the dining more than anything, and it is definitely a trade-off situation. We are pretty relaxed about what rides we get on and deciding when we will or will not spend 60 minutes in line, so FPs don't bother me too much. If they work out cool. If not, oh, well. The only exception being a new attraction that we "have to" try. Otherwise, if we want to go back to Epcot on Tuesday but that's not where our FPs are, whatever.

As for dining, I'm sorry, but I think it's pretty ridiculous. As a new DVC member, we've mostly done trips on free dining in the past. Our entire trip revolves around those TS meals, but it's the only way to eat where we want to and I have a family member (or two) that is hard to feed! The couple trips that we did not do many TS restaurants were 100x lower stress. However, we were soooooo sick of the food by the end of the week and I thought one DD was going to starve to death the whole trip. So, I'm not a fan of that aspect of our trips at all. It is always a tough decision.....to eat or not to eat. lol

Oh, I definitely agree with you!

I actually love to plan.
And I am naturally good @ it!

It NEVER seemed like too much work!
It was a labor of love!!

And we planned all kinds of flexiblity i i our Trips!
ALL of the planning meant we could cancel
an ADR, and/or cancel all our FPs @ one Park,
and get 2-3 more great FPs @ another Park, and
already know where we want to
dine!

The planning has made our Trips much better quality with much more time for spontaneity,
and flexibility!


Thank you for helping me to remember ALL this,

NOW i know WHY I felt that way-/
i am currently suffering from Adrenal Fatigue(makes it difficult to handle stress//even positive changes can feel stressful!)
Subconsciously,
I affiliated our 16-night WDW Trip in Nov./Dec. Trip WITH the Adrenal
Fatigue.
But it was already THERE.

We had a great Trip,
but I was super exhausted when we got home.
Definitely NOT from too much work in planning;

Quite the opposite;
ALL the planning made our Trip tons of fun!

Again, you are SO VERY right about more planning helping to make your Trip even better!
I attest to that!

Sigh.
Bill has a way of convincing me.
Sigh.

 

[AnnaKat]

Oh, I definitely agree with you!

I actually love to plan.
And I am naturally good @ it!

It NEVER seemed like too much work!
It was a labor of love!!

And we planned all kinds of flexiblity i i our Trips!
ALL of the planning meant we could cancel
an ADR, and/or cancel all our FPs @ one Park,
and get 2-3 more great FPs @ another Park, and
already know where we want to
dine!

The planning has made our Trips much better quality with much more time for spontaneity,
and flexibility!


Thank you for helping me to remember ALL this,

NOW i know WHY I felt that way-/
i am currently suffering from Adrenal Fatigue(makes it difficult to handle stress//even positive changes can feel stressful!)
Subconsciously,
I affiliated our 16-night WDW Trip in Nov./Dec. Trip WITH the Adrenal
Fatigue.
But it was already THERE.

We had a great Trip,
but I was super exhausted when we got home.
Definitely NOT from too much work in planning;

Quite the opposite;
ALL the planning made our Trip tons of fun!

Again, you are SO VERY right about more planning helping to make your Trip even better!
I attest to that!

Sigh.
Bill has a way of convincing me.
Sigh.

To eat or not to eat.

Dining definitely is the stressor.
Period.

But i am always determined to make it work for us,
and it has wayyyyy exceeded expectations!!
Like the last minute BOG early Dinner we scored!
Off the charts in food and service
I had forgotten!!

 

[limace]

This is why I looove DL-other than booking the room, almost nothing needs to be planned in advance. We haven’t been to WDW for awhile-I cannot wait until I get to ask my husband “honey, where do you think you want to have dinner six months from now on a Tuesday?”. He will not be thrilled.

 

[KAT4DISNEY]

This is why I looove DL-other than booking the room, almost nothing needs to be planned in advance. We haven’t been to WDW for awhile-I cannot wait until I get to ask my husband “honey, where do you think you want to have dinner six months from now on a Tuesday?”. He will not be thrilled.

It's just sooooo much more relaxed. WDW used to be that way too.

 

[Matty B13]

We like the planning phase of the trips, because it gives us something to look forward to and our little ones get to give their input on where they want to go as well. But we only plan 1 big WDW a year.

 

[aoconnor]

I agree that 6 months in advance for dining is a little over the top. The window should open at the same time as fast passes IMO so you can coordinate plans.

That said, it probably gives us DVC'ers an advantage on reservations since the typical guest doesn't plan as far out as we do.

 

[ParkHoppers]

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

I couldn’t agree more. The word walking makes it sound so harmless but let’s call it what it is. Cheating other members. Walking is just some people thinking it is OK to just put themselves in front of other DVC members. Pretty sad.

 

[ziravan]

I couldn’t agree more. The word walking makes it sound so harmless but let’s call it what it is. Cheating other members. Walking is just some people thinking it is OK to just put themselves in front of other DVC members. Pretty sad.

How is it cheating to follow the rules as currently interpreted by the rule-makers? By definition, cheating means not following the rules. The current rules as interpreted allow it.

You might not like walking, but you have just as much chance as the walkers do to get the reservation you want.

In any ‘first come, first served’ system, the people willing to spend the effort to be first (walking, camping out early) will have a decided advantage.

You aren’t being cheated. You have the same options.

 

[supersnoop]

How is it cheating to follow the rules as currently interpreted by the rule-makers? By definition, cheating means not following the rules. The current rules as interpreted allow it.

You might not like walking, but you have just as much chance as the walkers do to get the reservation you want.

In any ‘first come, first served’ system, the people willing to spend the effort to be first (walking, camping out early) will have a decided advantage.

You aren’t being cheated. You have the same options.

I disagree. This is not in accordance with the rules. They made a concession to accommodate a shortcoming (the +7), and people are using it beyond its purpose to their individual advantage.

And other people don’t have the same ability. People with more points or fewer reservations have an advantage when booking more days than they intend to use.

Cheating may be a stretch, but selfish and inappropriate seem to fit.

 

[ziravan]

Cheating may be a stretch, but selfish and inappropriate seem to fit.

It might be a tad selfish, but I didn’t spend tens of thousands of dollars to hold the door open for my fellow timeshare owners.

It’s not inappropriate to maximize my use of a product that I paid a considerable amount to use.

The rules, as currently instituted, allow it. If you want to unilaterally disarm to the walkers because you don’t think it’s appropriate, that comes at your loss of flexibility.

I own at Poly and BCV and therefore have never needed to walk a reservation. I’m closing on a small AKV contract, but I’ll use that as an adjunct to the other two and probably not during Fall Frenzy. Who knows, I might try to walk a concierge room in the future. Currently though, walking is an academic concept for me, not a practical use one.

It’s not my job or obligation to yield courtesies to those competing with me for a finite resource. I have every right to take advantage of every tool to maximize my paid usage. Nobody should be made to feel bad for following the rules as constituted.

The OP has it right; contest the current interpretation of the rules. Until DVC makes a change, walking is fair game.

 

[Dean]

I disagree. This is not in accordance with the rules. They made a concession to accommodate a shortcoming (the +7), and people are using it beyond its purpose to their individual advantage.

And other people don’t have the same ability. People with more points or fewer reservations have an advantage when booking more days than they intend to use.

Cheating may be a stretch, but selfish and inappropriate seem to fit.

IMO it is inappropriate and it likely is outside the rules to a degree. It's certainly outside the spirit of the rules even if DVCMD (which has 100% authority in reservations process) has been allowing it. My interpretation is they didn't think about this when they made the 7 days at at time change but since it wasn't outside the ways they normally did things in general, they decided not to try to fix it at that time. I suspect they will eventually but they'll screw that up too because they'll do something that nibbles at it rather than come up with an absolute solution like all changes are cancelation/rebooking and/or a fee for such cancelations/changes. I do not believe they purposefully created this situation. But I do agree that as long as it is the way it currently is, it is an options and I think DVC is who to be upset with, not the other members. Still when they do fix it, I'm going to enjoy the board discussion on the subject. Here's an analogous items that I suspects bothers more people but is clearly within the rules, that of spec renting high demand times which is 100% within the rules assuming volume isn't sufficient to invoke commercial renting (currently 20 reservations a year).

But let's be honest what this does. This creates more work and thus more cost for DVCMC and thus the membership dues, inappropriately IMO. It also locks out a certain number of members trying to reserve day one 11 months out, that's it's specific purpose. That those rooms come open later, even a few hours, doesn't change that fact. It's likely going to be a different set of members that gets those days later. I do agree with Ziravan that timeshares in general, other than those that are fixed weeks, is you against me for reservations by their very nature.

My solution, make each change a cancelation and rebooking in every situation which makes it fair for everyone and puts everyone on equal footing. BTW, this is how DVC works in every other reservation aspect whether it be a different booking category, villa size or resort. The other options is to charge change/cancelation fees, maybe with a certain SMALL number per year free, maybe 3 or 1 per 100 points or something similar. I think any in between option that tries to just fix this limited situation and nothing else will be as bad or worse than walking and won't really help anyway. Regardless, I do feel the current situation with 7 days at a time even with walking is better than 1 day at a time before.

 

[Cyberc1978]

I couldn’t agree more. The word walking makes it sound so harmless but let’s call it what it is. Cheating other members. Walking is just some people thinking it is OK to just put themselves in front of other DVC members. Pretty sad.

I strongly disagree, its not cheating as long as you follow the rules. Its not like you are "hacking" the system to get your reservation. You may not like the fact that it is possible to walk but cheating it is not.

I disagree. This is not in accordance with the rules. They made a concession to accommodate a shortcoming (the +7), and people are using it beyond its purpose to their individual advantage.

And other people don’t have the same ability. People with more points or fewer reservations have an advantage when booking more days than they intend to use.

Cheating may be a stretch, but selfish and inappropriate seem to fit.

Can you find anywhere in the rules that "walking" is not allowed?, if you can then I would agree with you its not allowed.

IMHO "walking" is just another way to use the booking system even though that it wasn't the intended use.

 

[montrealdisneylovers]

If the waitlist would work like it should then walking would be less of an issue. A member is locked out on day 1 by walkers, they put in a wait list. After the walker "walks by" the reservations get filled on a first come first served basis (in the same order they were created on day one 11 months out).

 

[zavandor]

I suspect they will eventually but they'll screw that up too because they'll do something that nibbles at it rather than come up with an absolute solution like all changes are cancelation/rebooking and/or a fee for such cancelations/changes.

I'd rather keep the walking issue than having any of those rules.
I can bet that less than 0.1% of calls to MS are related to walking a reservation. If it were more, they'd have implemented self service editing reservations online.
The proportion of rooms that may require walking is minimal out of the total number of DVC rooms, as it may be needed only for the room categories that have the smallest number of units and just for a few crucial days. The wast majority of members cancel or edit reservations for legitimate reasons, creating problems for them just to fix something that is only perceived as an issue would be a monumental mistake.
And wouldn't improve things anyway. Rooms like AKV value and concierge or BWV standard during F&W are very hard to get anyway. Remove walking and you'd have members keeping an eye on an atomic clock to hit the button as 8am ticks. They are difficult to get and they'll always be because they are in high demand.