Relative to "walking", which of the following best describes your reservation activity?

[Meriweather]

I've never walked.....and don't plan to ever have to, but you never know

 

[DougEMG]

I use to walk our BWV standard studio for in the fall and early Dec. Don't have to do this anymore as we now book 1 bedrooms.

 

[wnielsen1]

I have never walked a reservation but I wouldn't hesitate to do so if I thought it was necessary.

 

[Genie+]

I’m walking all of my points for now on just for the fun of it. Lovely weather and they enjoy the fresh air.

 

[MerlinandtheMouse]

I’m walking all of my points for now on just for the fun of it. Lovely weather and they enjoy the fresh air.

We’re about to get a winter storm here, wouldn’t want to put my points through a walk like that, they’ll stay nice and comfortable in their 11mo window.

 

[lowlight]

I’m walking all of my points for now on just for the fun of it. Lovely weather and they enjoy the fresh air.

These points are made for walking, and that’s just what they’ll do. One of these days these points are gonna walk over your 2BR Boardwalk view.

 

[elgerber]

I tried to walk BWV standard studio, at 11 months for this November. No luck, Could never get the first day, not once. So I had to pick up day by day after they were discarded. I need 3 of the same for January, again, unable to even walk one so far, as I can never get the first day. I have owned for 22 years, and this has only become an issue in the last few years.

 

[crazywig]

I tried to walk BWV standard studio, at 11 months for this November. No luck, Could never get the first day, not once. So I had to pick up day by day after they were discarded. I need 3 of the same for January, again, unable to even walk one so far, as I can never get the first day. I have owned for 22 years, and this has only become an issue in the last few years.

My theory is one of the commercial renters has a script grabbing all the standards.

 

[LadybugsMum]

My theory is one of the commercial renters has a script grabbing all the standards.

That makes sense. I'm trying to get at standard 2 bed for late Jan/early Feb and I can't get the first day to start a walk. I knew that I needed to get past marathon weekend, but this is getting ridiculous.

 

[elgerber]

That makes sense. I'm trying to get at standard 2 bed for late Jan/early Feb and I can't get the first day to start a walk. I knew that I needed to get past marathon weekend, but this is getting ridiculous.

Not only can I not get the first day to start walking, the days are not coming back later in the day or the next day either.

 

[LadybugsMum]

Not only can I not get the first day to start walking, the days are not coming back later in the day or the next day either.

I noticed that too. So frustrating.

 

[CWTC]

Not only can I not get the first day to start walking, the days are not coming back later in the day or the next day either.

So then instead of walking is just supply/demand if the rooms are not popping back into inventory?

 

[elgerber]

So then instead of walking is just supply/demand if the rooms are not popping back into inventory?

Possibly. A few days ago they first day was coming back, but not the last few days.

 

[Sandisw]

So then instead of walking is just supply/demand if the rooms are not popping back into inventory?

When things don’t come back it means that people are booking and holding those dates because they want them.

That does not mean there are no walkers, because some may not move every day…but it does indicate that plenty of owners are booking for stays.

 

[skier_pete]

I don't like it as a practice, but have done it for the Boardwalk. We bought a small 75 point contract to use every year for 5-6 nights in the fall, and then they shifted the point charts to make that season more expensive, leaving us to be able to barely book 4 nights in a garden/pool view. When I bought I assumed getting a standard view would be tricky so I didn't want to count on it, but now we sort of NEED to use the lower-point standard view rooms if we want to get 5 nights....so I end up having to walk a reservation in order to get it. A major pain in the butt, but those standard views in Oct/Nov are almost impossible to get at 8 AM. This year I pieced together 6 nights without walking, but i had to make six 1-night reservation and hunt each day to get it. Sorry, in the future i'll probably be walking....

 

[Curiousporpoise]

I’ve walked to get the rooms that I want as my dates are pretty set with my kids in school. My BIL is an old time DVC member that has never walked a reservation and was incredulous that anyone would do so. He refused to wake up at 5am to get the first day of his walk in (I even offered to help him) and had to keep changing his dates until he got something he wanted. No easy feat when you have an August use year and need a 2 bedroom in July!

 

[AdamsMum]

I don't do it as a practice, but I needed a 2 bedroom Boardwalk View for this January. I had to stalk the website for a few weeks to get my first day at 11 months, and walked it for about 2 weeks to get to the dates I wanted. I think this was due to the renovations causing low availability. I found it stressful to say the least. Hope I never have to do that again.

 

[AwfulWaffle]

In the boat of a small walk for the 7 month mark if needed but we are a 1BR/2BR family so not too terribly difficult to get at the 11 month mark. Aulani at 7 though is a bit more of a challenge.

 

[Bearval]

I see this as a contract issue more than an ethics issue. Contract says we have equal shot to take our chance at 11 months. That’s not really true because walks are starting at 13 and 15 months out, forcing the act of walking to get that equal first come first serve footing at 11 months.

The second part to this debate is if the cure is worse than the disease. Well I think eventually the point comes where DVC feels a change is necessary. Cure is an abstract until DVC does anything. Does not necessarily mean the impact to owners is worse than the improvement to the system. This part comes down to whether we trust the ability of DVC to make wise decisions and whether we trust DVC not to put their own interests above owners.

If you are starting your walk "only" 13 to 15 months out you are starting late.

 

[LadybugsMum]

Not only can I not get the first day to start walking, the days are not coming back later in the day or the next day either.

I guess I had lightening fast internet this morning, but I was able to snag a standard 2 bedroom for Jan 2025 so I can start the walk for the end of Feb 2025.