New Reservation Policy

[Horizon93]

It has been reported on some Disney sites that as of today, the reservation policy for DVC has changed. We can now book our home resort 11 months in advance of our check in date instead of check out. The same will be true at the 7 month window for other than home resorts. Reportedly, Member Services has told members that this began today. They say that we can book the first day plus 6 days, meaning a 7 day stay.

This is not on the member site but is apparently being told to members by member services.

I didn't see this already reported here. I am not sure if this is an improvement on the current system.

Opinions?

[dlpmikki]

Nice in one sense but just an added complication in another. Cost saving for disney as people won't be ringing day by day to get their bookings but week by week.

[dephenn]

I think it makes a lot of sense. Who wants to call every day just to add another day to their stay. It should free up the phones at guest reservations and cut back on wait times. For me it's a thumbs up change, if some one else can find the negative please post it, there is probably something I'm missing.

[DVC Mike]

I think the majority of DVC members will appreciate the change, as it will be viewed as simpler. A lot of new members are always confused as to when they can call and book their reservation.

While I like that people won't have to book day-by-day, this change is actually open to abuse by certain members gaming the system to get a booking advantage over their fellow DVC members.

If I am booking Sunday - Thursday (5 nights), I can now call DVC and book Friday - Thursday (7 nights), and then call back a few days later and cancel just the Friday and Saturday night stays. I just got myself a 2-day booking advantage over those who waited until Sunday could be booked! That's not fair.

I think DVC has to focus on how they implement changes. There was no advance communication to members, and (as of now) still no notice on the DVC member web site. Apparently, DVC MS was notified of the change on Friday morning. To hear of changes like this from Disney fan sites and not DVC is bad.

[Horizon93]

Agreed. There are pluses and minuses and the potential for some abuses.

But at the very least, an email from DVC or a post on the member site would have been the right thing to do. In this age of communication, it is crazy to see them let the word get out the way it has.

But this is Disney, and they have done it this way for a reason. Maybe they are just testing this new policy?

[Tinkermom]

So do we HAVE to book a 7 night stay in order to be able to call 11 months out of the first day? I need to book a cottage at Vero Beach soon but I am only wanting 5 nights (Sun-Thurs). So do I have to call on Friday to book a full week? Then I would call and cancel Friday and Saturday?

Is this change a definite? Has anyone confirmed this?

My only problem with this is that I may have to borrow points in order to book a full week vs. 5 nights. Once I cancel Friday and Saturday now those points will end up in my current use year. Not thrilled about that.

Edited to add - I just read DVC Mike's post. I agree that DVC is setting us up to "work the system" by having this change. We own another timeshare and I just hate all of their rules about booking. With them, the more points you own the higher your membership. The higher your membership the earlier you can book. I have always liked that with DVC all of us have been on equal footing when booking. I had every intention of calling each day to get our cottage as they are VERY difficult to get. Now I am not sure what to do...

UPDATE!!!
I just called MS and found out that YES indeed the policy DID change as of yesterday. We now can book 11 months out from the first day of our stay UP TO 7 nights. You CAN book LESS than 7 nights but you CANNOT book OVER 7 nights. If you are staying longer than 7 nights you have to call back for the rest of your stay.

I am very happy about this change and that they did not make it that we HAD to book a full week to be able to call 11 months out on the first night of our stay. If that were the case DVC would have LOTS of people making dummy reservations and cancelling them which would totally mess up the system.

***ALSO they told me that the waitlist policy has changed. You can no longer waitlist for a night or two at a time. You must waitlist your ENTIRE stay or nothing at all.

[dlpmikki]

The more I hear the less I like it. Admittedly we tend to go for longer than those in the US but if that latest waitlist change is true it means I will never use it again. I just can't see several weeks all coming available.

Mike has pointed out a potential downside to the 7 day booking at 11 / 7 months and I can see people ringing up day by day 7 days in advance to get in now that he has suggested the couple of days option. Are they going to say you can't do more than one 7 day booking? If so how would that work for folks with longer trips. Day by day after the 7?

I agree about possibly shorter waiting times on the phone but maybe it will just mean fewer operatives answering. It seems to me that most of the 'improvements' DVC have done recently have been cost cutting in a very thin disguise. Yes the banking rules are simpler but they were not rocket science before. Maybe it was the CMs who couldn't cope with the rules and not the members - lots less training needed the new way.

[Tinkermom]

The more I hear the less I like it. Admittedly we tend to go for longer than those in the US but if that latest waitlist change is true it means I will never use it again. I just can't see several weeks all coming available.

Mike has pointed out a potential downside to the 7 day booking at 11 / 7 months and I can see people ringing up day by day 7 days in advance to get in now that he has suggested the couple of days option. Are they going to say you can't do more than one 7 day booking? If so how would that work for folks with longer trips. Day by day after the 7?

.

The woman I spoke with today in MS addressed those who want to stay longer than 7 days. She specifically mentioned those who come over from the UK and how they like to stay for sometimes 14 days or more. After making your initial 7 day ressie you have to call back at the start of the next portion of your trip to book the rest.

Yes, I suppose folks can book longer stays and then cancel portions to ensure that they get the ressie they want. However, this would require extra points and as long as you have those in your use year that would work. I for one would not want to have to borrow points just to ensure that I get the days that I want. I think this fact would limit some trying to take advantage of the system.

We usually manage our points to maximize them to the fullest so we try to avoid weekends whenever we can. We also will stay at lower point cost resorts if we are trying to get several trips in one year. I imagine many people do this and would not necessarily have the extra points to make dummy reservations. I could be wrong though. I guess we will just have to see how this works. I for one like this new change.

[Horizon93]

I am starting to like the idea. The possibility of some members trying to work the system to gain an unfair advantage does exist, though. But I am not sure to any greater extent than under the check out date system.

And their are members out there with tons of points like a thousand or more. They could definitely work the system. But for those who have all of those points because they use all of those points, they would have no greater advantage than the rest of us.

As I said, I think I like the change, but I will see how the next reservation I make goes.

[Maleficent's Dad]

I am starting to like the idea. The possibility of some members trying to work the system to gain an unfair advantage does exist, though. But I am not sure to any greater extent than under the check out date system.
Exactly what I was going to say. I do agree with Ed - No matter what system is put in place, there will be those who try to circumvent the existing rules.

[DisneyWhirled]

This doesn't change a whole lot for us, but, I will say that I am VERY disappointed that I had to read this at 11 o'clock PM on my favorite Disney fansite almost two days after it is implemented. Where is the allegiance to the DVC Member? I get a million "wanna buy more" e-mails, how about an update about the booking changes.

I am saddend by their lack of notification.

[Horizon93]

I completely agree with Karen. How difficult would it be to send us an email. I haven't checked today, but is it even on the member site?

It is very disappointing that in this age of communication, DVC couldn't let members know about this.

[dlpmikki]

I guess I am less bothered by the 7 day rule than the waitlist issue. I don't see how they are going to make all or nothing work for longer trips.

[DVC Mike]

I've had some time to think about the policy change, and I'm now thinking the change is a positive thing. I'd rather know that I can get all of a 7-night stay than worry day-by-day that after I got 3 nights, I might not get night 4. I feel the same way with the new waitlisting policy.

Yes, there may be a small bit less fairness than the old method, but it won't have much of a negative impact to me. I don't tend to book extremely hard to get ressies, and I think this will have less impact to those that book at the 11-mo window (which I always do) than to those that book at the 7-mo window.

The biggest negative impact to me is the limitation of only being able to book up to 7 nights. If it was bumped up to 8-10 nights, I probably wouldn't have any complaints at all (except for the way DVC botched the rollout of this change).

[MinnieMommie]

I called last week and was still getting the call back day by day instructions on how to book my January vacation so I am happy to learn of this new booking implementation. I can see that this will be a positive change for some circunstances but that there are drawbacks as well.
It wil be good to heard from intercotees as they use the new system to learn how it is working for them. It will not be too helpful for my upcoming trip because my trip will be more than 7 days and will have a break in the reservation dates due to staying at a resort for Friday and Saturday nights. :mickey:

[wendy*darling]

Interesting news. I think it should work out fine.
But I am extremely disappointed that I have still not heard this from DVC! As of 8:25 Sunday evening- it is STILL not on the website!
I will be writing to them.. again. :rolleyes:

[DWHUBBY]

From a purely logistical standpoint, since they finally changed it to calling 7/11 months from check-in, why not allow booking the guest's ENTIRE stay like you would do at any hotel chain? This makes it easier for guests to make all their plans knowing they will have a place to call "home" for their entire stay and not have to worry about if they will have a place to sleep on night 8. This would be especially helpful for guests travelling from overseas as they tend to stay longer than 7 days.

As far as the waitlist issue, the jury is still out for me on that one. We have tried it twice, once it worked and once it didn't. For me the "all or nothing" would be fine because I do not want to change resorts in the middle of my stay.

I also do not understand why DVC members were not notified of a policy change ahead of time. We are owners not just membership numbers after all.

That's my opinion, I welcome yours.

[OhToodles!]

So if this new policy of being able to call and make a reservation 11 months in advance of your first day, I can call July 4 for my June 4-9, 2009 trip. Is Member Servcies open on July 4? I believe it's only M-F, but wasn't sure about the holiday schedule.

[dlpmikki]

I've just had an email from DVC...... but it didn't mention this new policy. It was offering more points at OKW :mad:

[Momof2boys]

We book for longer than 7 days - not too crazy about having to call back again for the 2nd part of the stay but I guess we'll have to make do.

[MdmMim]

I usually book for more than 7 days, so I am not happy with this change. Also, I normally book standard view at the BWV in Oct and Dec. This is going to become difficult.

And NYE? Good luck!

[dlpmikki]

Finally from the DVC member site:

LATEST NEWS
Reservation Booking Enhancement
Thanks to a recent service enhancement, Members may now place a single phone call to request a full reservation of as many as seven-nights beginning on the first day of their booking window (11 months before check-in at your Home Resort or seven months before check-in at other Disney Vacation Club Resorts). As a result of this enhancement, waitlists are now available only for the full length of stay.

Enhancement? I think not, especially the waitlist.

[Horizon93]

I usually book for more than 7 days, so I am not happy with this change. Also, I normally book standard view at the BWV in Oct and Dec. This is going to become difficult.

And NYE? Good luck!

I don't see it that way. If we are all booking by the new rule, how will it be different than the old rule? I also like to book for longer than a week. We have an 11 night AKV stay coming up. So if I do that again, I will need to call on the first day of the window for the first of the final four nights. I can see that there might be a chance that there could be a slight issue there, but at the 11 month window, I think that I would be able to get what i wanted for the whole trip even calling twice to extend the original seven.

[Aurora]

So now DVC members staying more than 7 nights have an added inconvenience, as opposed to people who make cash ressies with one phone call. It doesn't make sense to me.

[Tinkermom]

So if this new policy of being able to call and make a reservation 11 months in advance of your first day, I can call July 4 for my June 4-9, 2009 trip. Is Member Servcies open on July 4? I believe it's only M-F, but wasn't sure about the holiday schedule.


MS is open 7 days a week, not sure about holidays though. You could always call in advance to see if they will be open on July 4th otherwise you can call on July 5th.

[Tinkermom]

So now DVC members staying more than 7 nights have an added inconvenience, as opposed to people who make cash ressies with one phone call. It doesn't make sense to me.

I really do not see this as an "added inconvenience" since you can still wait and call 11 months out from the last day of your stay and avoid calling back. This new change really helps people who are trying for a diffult ressie. Instead of calling every day for the length of your stay you can now just call once. If you are staying longer than 7 days then you just need to add one more phone call (unless staying longer than 14 days of course) to extend your stay. I really don't see it as a big deal.

[Disoriented]

I think that this change could make some of the harder to get ressies, like AKLV concierge and standard view BWV during food and wine even tougher to get. When you book at your eleven month window now poeple that will be starting their vacations a few days before you, could possibly have booked all availble units in the catagory that you want at the beginning of your stay before you are even eligible to call. I think there could be alot more waitlisting on the front end of vacations during more popular times of the year.

[dlpmikki]

Under the old system everyone had an equal chance for each day. Now if someone's trip starts a day or two before yours they get first dibs at any available rooms for your start date. I suspect it isn't going to be a huge issue except at prime times like Thanksgiving and Christmas. I hope it won't make early December any worse than it already is.

[MdmMim]

I don't see it that way. If we are all booking by the new rule, how will it be different than the old rule? I also like to book for longer than a week. We have an 11 night AKV stay coming up. So if I do that again, I will need to call on the first day of the window for the first of the final four nights. I can see that there might be a chance that there could be a slight issue there, but at the 11 month window, I think that I would be able to get what i wanted for the whole trip even calling twice to extend the original seven.

The way I see it, if I call to book a room at the 11-month window (normally a standard studio at BWV), under the old rules, I should have lots of availability. Under the new rules, at the 11-month window, the dates that I want could have already been booked days before my call.

I think the larger resorts will be OK, but the smaller ones (where I have my points and prefer to stay) could very well be booked at certain times of the year--F&W and early Dec, e.g. A member with a vacation commencing before another member has a jump on the 11-month window.

I guess we shall see how this all plays out.

[OhToodles!]

We're new to DVC and have only made one reservation so far (which I didn't call in to make - just made it after being transferred from my sales guide after confirming the payment had gone through), and therefore don't have any experience with the old system. I will say that calling every day to add a day onto your reservation seems crazy (I guess a lot of you have done that though) and I would have personally just called 11 months in advance of checkout day anyway, so I think this move is better since now I can call 11 months in advance of my check-in day. I also think I will prefer the waitlist for the entire time because personally I wouldn't want to change rooms midway through my vacation.
And as far as the waitlisting goes, don't all of you say "buy where you want to be", so you should be happy you at least have your home resort to stay at and not worry about waitlisting. And yes I would like to stay at other resorts too, but I don't think I'll be upset if I don't ever get to.

Just my :twocents:

[Tinkermom]

Under the old system everyone had an equal chance for each day. Now if someone's trip starts a day or two before yours they get first dibs at any available rooms for your start date. I suspect it isn't going to be a huge issue except at prime times like Thanksgiving and Christmas. I hope it won't make early December any worse than it already is.

Couldn't the same happen if you are booking on the last day? I am just trying to work through this in my head...
Using the old way - If I want June 1st - June 7th and call on July 7th to book then someone who was staying June 1st - June 6th could have just booked the same week, right? Potentially all I would be left with was June 7th.

Like others have said, we will just have to see how this plays out.:mickey:

[Horizon93]

Couldn't the same happen if you are booking on the last day? I am just trying to work through this in my head...
Using the old way - If I want June 1st - June 7th and call on July 7th to book then someone who was staying June 1st - June 6th could have just booked the same week, right? Potentially all I would be left with was June 7th.

Like others have said, we will just have to see how this plays out.:mickey:

I agree with Tinkermom. I keep going over this in my head and I don't see how this is a negative change. The people that I think will be most affected are those who, under the old system booked day by day.

For the rest of us, I think that it will be fine and the elimination of the day by day bookings should help reduce the number of calls to MS.

[DVC Mike]

I agree with Tinkermom. I keep going over this in my head and I don't see how this is a negative change. The people that I think will be most affected are those who, under the old system booked day by day.

For the rest of us, I think that it will be fine and the elimination of the day by day bookings should help reduce the number of calls to MS.

I think this is generally a positive change. I fired off an email to DVC expressing my satisfaction at the new policy, except I asked them why they limited it to a maximum of 7 days, instead of length of stay.

[dlpmikki]

Couldn't the same happen if you are booking on the last day? I am just trying to work through this in my head...
Using the old way - If I want June 1st - June 7th and call on July 7th to book then someone who was staying June 1st - June 6th could have just booked the same week, right? Potentially all I would be left with was June 7th.

Like others have said, we will just have to see how this plays out.:mickey:
That's absolutely right except that you could have called day by day to get your dates rather than wait till check out day. Like I said earlier the main negative effect should only be felt around the really popular times of year.

I think this is generally a positive change. I fired off an email to DVC expressing my satisfaction at the new policy, except I asked them why they limited it to a maximum of 7 days, instead of length of stay.

I can see why they limited the number of days. Whether it is an arbitrary figure or based on average length of stays I don't know. I could get a benefit if they did length of stay - look at my next trip, I would have had no problem getting those prime first weeks of December! Not sure that would have been fair on everyone else though ;)

[Tink&Goofy]

Under the old system everyone had an equal chance for each day. Now if someone's trip starts a day or two before yours they get first dibs at any available rooms for your start date. I suspect it isn't going to be a huge issue except at prime times like Thanksgiving and Christmas. I hope it won't make early December any worse than it already is.
I agree. If I want to book starting New years eve, I should be able to call 11 months out and get that night. But now, others that start their trip before mine could fully book NYE before I even am allowed to call. Maybe the old way was incovenient to some, but it allowed everyone equal access to those hard to get days.

Couldn't the same happen if you are booking on the last day? I am just trying to work through this in my head...
Using the old way - If I want June 1st - June 7th and call on July 7th to book then someone who was staying June 1st - June 6th could have just booked the same week, right? Potentially all I would be left with was June 7th.

Like others have said, we will just have to see how this plays out.:mickey:
It could - if you were waiting to book your trip all at once at the check out date, but for those hard to book days, most would book day by day to ensure they got it. Now they won't even have that opportunity, unless their trip starts early.

This is very similar to the ADR bookings. Since you are allowed to book up to 10 days of ADRs at the 180 day mark, those days get filled. I tried for an ADR for my arrival day - right at the 180 days, and no luck. Also no luck for the following 2 days. I'm afraid DVC will become the same way...

[Horizon93]

I don't know. It seems to me that the new policy will only adversely affect those who book day by day. For those of us who don't use DBD, there really should be no difference.

My big complaint is that DVC couldn't take the time to send an email blast to all members announcing and explaining this change. There are many members out there who don't belong to boards like Intercot, who may not even know about this.

[lockedoutlogic]

I don't know. It seems to me that the new policy will only adversely affect those who book day by day. For those of us who don't use DBD, there really should be no difference.

My big complaint is that DVC couldn't take the time to send an email blast to all members announcing and explaining this change. There are many members out there who don't belong to boards like Intercot, who may not even know about this.

they also closed the day by day waitlist.....eliminating the day by day loophole that significantly reduces chances of getting a multiple day stay to come out of the waitlist....

that is a pretty significant change as well

[Horizon93]

they also closed the day by day waitlist.....eliminating the day by day loophole that significantly reduces chances of getting a multiple day stay to come out of the waitlist....

that is a pretty significant change as well

Significant in a positive or negative way?

[DVC Mike]

DVC posted an expanded explanation on DVCMember.com



New policy enhances reservation bookings and waitlist procedure.
In response to ongoing Member feedback regarding our reservation processes, last week we introduced a new policy designed to enhance booking guidelines and waitlist procedures.

The new reservation policy now offers Members the opportunity to place one single phone call to secure an entire Disney Vacation Club Resort reservation for as many as 7 nights, beginning on the first day of their booking window (which is 11 months before check-in at Members' Home Resort, or 7 months before check-in at other Disney Vacation Club Resorts). The previous policy required Members to call daily at the beginning of their booking window, piecing together their reservation one night at a time.

As a result of this change, Disney Vacation Club has also streamlined the manner in which Members can make waitlist requests, now allowing Members to make requests for the consecutive nights they require to complete their desired length of stay (from one night up to as many consecutive nights needed or requested by the Member). Previously, Members would place requests on the waitlist for intermittent nights that historically had high cancellation rates and would tie up inventory in an inefficient manner, negatively impacting the overall booking process.

In addition to providing greater Member convenience, the simplification of the reservation process also provides the benefit of reduced call volume to Member Services, thereby shortening Members' wait times and making more efficient use of Member Services resources, which are supported by Members' Annual Dues.

Since the introduction of this new procedure, many Members have expressed excitement about the new policy and the greater convenience and time savings it provides. However, in the past week, some of you have contacted Member Services asking for additional clarification on how the new reservation policy works, the changes to the waitlist process, and Disney Vacation Club's plans to monitor Member activity.

Therefore, to provide additional clarification please review the following frequently asked questions and answers:

Q: Why were 7 nights chosen as the maximum length of stay permitted to book by check-in date at the start of the Home Resort Priority window?
A: Our research has shown that more than 92% of Disney Vacation Club Resort reservations are for a length of stay of 7 or less consecutive nights.

Q: What if a Member would like to reserve more than 7 consecutive nights at the start of the Home Resort Priority booking period?
A: This can be accomplished in more than one way. A Member may call at the start of the reservation booking period to reserve the first 7 nights, and then add to the reservation one night at a time until they reach their desired check-out date. Or, a Member may wait until 11 months and 7 days from their desired check-out date to reserve the entire length of stay in one call.

Q: Can Developer Vacation Points received as an incentive offer also be used to make reservations by the check-in date?
A: Yes. The change in booking guidelines applies to all reservations, including incentive reservations.

Q: Is there a minimum number of nights for which a Member can be placed on the waitlist?
A: No. Members can have a waitlist of only 1 night, if only 1 night is missing from their stay.

Q: Can you explain how Disney Vacation Club will address Member misuse of the policy?
A: Disney Vacation Club is committed to ensuring that rules and procedures are fair and balanced for the entire Membership. Therefore, as with all procedures, our Cast Members are closely monitoring reservation activity to ensure there is not potential misuse, and will modify the rules if needed to protect the overall Member experience.

[Horizon93]

Well, at least DVC has finally put out something to explain the new system.

When I spoke to member satisfaction, I asked how DVC would communicate with members about the policy.

[lockedoutlogic]

Well, at least DVC has finally put out something to explain the new system.

When I spoke to member satisfaction, I asked how DVC would communicate with members about the policy.

Finally? what's it been...a week?

but i see your point nonetheless....

as far as the waitlist changes go....i think it is a SIGNIFICANT improvement.....

as now you have to go for the whole stay.....at least that's the way i read it.

as it should be......you shouldn't be pass over again and again on a waitlist because you choose to guarantee your stay somewhere else and then went on a waitlist location.....

i had this conversation with MS last week.....because we are on it for an upcoming stay for 5 nights.....we can be bypassed forever as single nights within that window become available.....which isn't how a waitlist should work....

there is a downside.....as some who legitimately arent' trying to work the system might have a more difficult time with shorter stays......

but i think the net yield here is a positive.

[Horizon93]

Finally? what's it been...a week?

but i see your point nonetheless....

I didn't mean to imply that it had been a while. I really meant to say that an email to members would have been quick, and inexpensive.

[lockedoutlogic]

I didn't mean to imply that it had been a while. I really meant to say that an email to members would have been quick, and inexpensive.

i got you....it just sounded a little melodramatic.....

it was tongue in cheek.....no offense:secret:

[Horizon93]

i got you....it just sounded a little melodramatic.....

it was tongue in cheek.....no offense:secret:

Absilutely none taken!