No more different inventory calling within 7 day of arrival?

[disneyberry]

As far as I understood it, up until a few months ago before the DVC website booking system got it's overhaul, there was definitely a different room availability inventory that you could only check by calling in to Member Services on the phone once you're within 7 days of your arrival date.

It even used to say so on the booking portion (the old version with the yellow background) of the website.
I believe (but not sure of this) that the different room inventory used to come from cash inventory that got pulled back.


Now with the new booking site, I can't find any language anywhere that mentions this.
When I called into Member Services just now and tried to ask the advisor about checking to see if she had different availability since it was within 7 days, she insisted that there's nothing different about what she could see and what I could see on the website, and that they're really working on streamlining everything and making it so members can do everything themselves using the website.

Is it possible that the rooms that could potentially be pulled back from cash inventory are now displayed on our booking website and thus bookable on our own without calling in? I'm skeptical of this, which is why I'm posting to see if others might have recent experiences related to this.

 

[SL6827]

Interesting.

 

[DenLo]

It is hard to believe that inventory on the Disney cash website can also be available on the DVC member booking website at the same time. I would ask for a DVC supervisor and see if any inventory can be brought back from Disney's cash room website.

 

[js]

It is hard to believe that inventory on the Disney cash website can also be available on the DVC member booking website at the same time. I would ask for a DVC supervisor and see if any inventory can be brought back from Disney's cash room website.

I agree. I have been stalking January 4 as well as January 11 at SSR either a one/two bedroom vila for about three weeks ALL day during the week while at woek and nothing ever shows (although I do understand its a busy time and I could be missing it show) but if I go on to pay cash, I could book those dates/villas without a problem. I wish I could call and ask them if I can use my points but it only shows for cash.

 

[wuzzles]

I just got the run around on this myself.

I had a waitlist for the night of Monday the 8th of October for a room at Beach Club Villas. We are doing a split stay & I was looking to extend the BCV portion of the trip by one day. Once my waitlist expired at 7 days out, I tried calling member services a few times to see if any last minute availability opened up or if it was possible for them to pull back unused inventory. Member services kept telling me to go directly to the front desk & ask to extend on points. The front desk staff kept telling me I had to deal with member services to use points. I basically ended up in a loop where no one would assist me or actually even tell me a definite answer - no would have been a perfectly reasonable & acceptable answer. They just kept trying to pawn me off to someone else.

 

[OrangeCountyCommuter]

Hang up and call back.

For late bookings (less than 7 days in advance) What I do is check to see if my room type is available to book online. Then I call. If the CM says "no" quickly I hang up and try again. I am looking for one who will do a little digging, realize there's a cash room and see if they can get it. They never tell me that's what they are doing, but...

Now if there aren't any cash rooms then this trick probably won't help

 

[wuzzles]

Believe me I did. I received the same eun around response over multiple days from multiple people.

 

[DVC_B]

DVC does not pull cash inventory back. Those cash rooms are there for one of two reasons. The first being its part of the percentage of rooms that the state of Florida requires to be bookable as cash (something like 2%). The second reason you'll see cash inventory is when a direct purchase member books an exchange (A cruise for example) DCL does not take points as payment. DVC provides your inventory to the Disney Reservation Center to sell for cash to pay for the exchange. Speaking to a supervisor will not get someone to pull the room. The good thing is that within 7 days of arrival there are no wait lists to deal with so stalking can definitely work out.

 

[js]

DVC does not pull cash inventory back. Those cash rooms are there for one of two reasons. The first being its part of the percentage of rooms that the state of Florida requires to be bookable as cash (something like 2%). The second reason you'll see cash inventory is when a direct purchase member books an exchange (A cruise for example) DCL does not take points as payment. DVC provides your inventory to the Disney Reservation Center to sell for cash to pay for the exchange. Speaking to a supervisor will not get someone to pull the room. The good thing is that within 7 days of arrival there are no wait lists to deal with so stalking can definitely work out.

Thank you for this information, I learned something new.
So, I have my ressie but still looking for a last minute monorail cancellation in January. I have my WL to go up until 7 days (never understood why it was 7 but you just explained that to me) and once I am a week out, I can just consistently stalk to see if anyone has to pull out last minute before I arrive, is this correct? I am not in competition with any WL at that point, is that correct? Although, stalking worked for me this week over my WL. I got 8 nights (January 4-12) in a one bedroom preferred view at SSR that I also had waitlisted (I actually only had a week waitlisted so I did even better LOL).

Thank you again for your post, I appreciated reading it.

 

[Dean]

As far as I understood it, up until a few months ago before the DVC website booking system got it's overhaul, there was definitely a different room availability inventory that you could only check by calling in to Member Services on the phone once you're within 7 days of your arrival date.

It even used to say so on the booking portion (the old version with the yellow background) of the website.
I believe (but not sure of this) that the different room inventory used to come from cash inventory that got pulled back.


Now with the new booking site, I can't find any language anywhere that mentions this.
When I called into Member Services just now and tried to ask the advisor about checking to see if she had different availability since it was within 7 days, she insisted that there's nothing different about what she could see and what I could see on the website, and that they're really working on streamlining everything and making it so members can do everything themselves using the website.

Is it possible that the rooms that could potentially be pulled back from cash inventory are now displayed on our booking website and thus bookable on our own without calling in? I'm skeptical of this, which is why I'm posting to see if others might have recent experiences related to this.

To my knowledge there has never been a different inventory to use points that you had to call in for. There has been speculation that in some situations they could pull back breakage or other inventory from the cash system but I don't believe that thought has ever been formally confirmed. And it's possible they have used their owed inventory available in house that would have been available for cash direct through DVC. Even if it's happened, it'd always be case by case.