Confused with walking

[PoohBears#1fan]

Originally Posted by salmim

Well call me old fashioned but that all looks a bit dodgy / unfair (and to be honest a pain in the ar*e ! )

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I completely agree with you and have always been very anti walking, but sadly Shooby is spot on...

Originally Posted by Shooby doo

Unfortunately it's stick to your principles & not get a room at the inn or follow the rest! Maybe once the points are out of the system things will get back to "normal" but TBH blame DVD/DVC - take the Poly for example, not a great many Studios but only a mere 730 points/week difference to the next Room category!
SD

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It's such a common practice now that if you want certain dates or rooms that are very sought after, if you don't do it, you won't get them.

With any luck they'll crack down on it eventually.

[salmim]

Guess we must have been lucky. (Although we never stray far from OKW 😃 ) but in 30 years we've never "walked".
I just think if you're "holding" a date that you know you are not going to use aren't you possibly preventing a family from getting that date? Anyway not to fussed really, just find this bit strange and a heck of a palava. 😂

[mermaids1960]

Not wanting to get on my high horse but Morally is this the right thing to do 🤔

[2point]

Originally Posted by mermaids1960

Not wanting to get on my high horse but Morally is this the right thing to do 🤔

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Morally? No, it's 'cheating' of a kind.

But after I've paid $1400 dues a year and $32000 to buy in I'm not going to sit patiently while everyone else piles in ahead of me and I'm left with scraps.

There is enough capacity in the system for all members to get use of their points. Being based over here we can't economically use them for the odd weekend or short breaks, so it's probably more excusable for us to do so than more local visitors.

[YorkshireT]

Unfortunately there’s no question of morality, dodginess or anything else. It’s become more common, so you have to join them or potentially miss out. As usual, those who are tenacious enough to work the system gets the most out of it.
DVC has condoned walking for years. It’s only 2 years ago that you could do it online, before that you used to have to ring up, and the agents were doing it for you over the phone. One of my bugbears of the online system being changed to allow it, was it would proliferate walking- and guess what happened, it did! DVC could implement a ‘2 amendments to dates’ per booking rule but they don’t. So most walking like me, became reluctant walkers so not to be at a ‘competitive disadvantage’ as they say. However, given we book 1 beds, I only have to walk certain reservations and they are 7 month walks, so an owner could nip in at any time and kill my walk.

[catlady]

Originally Posted by 2point

Example.

I want 1 week from 19th November 2022.

I book today, 10th November 2021 for the 10th October 2022. I book up to 7 days. I have then locked out that room for the next 7 days from the 10th October 2022, no other booker can get in ahead of me until the 17th October (booked on 17th November 2021).

A few days later I update my booking to still be for 7 days but this time it's from the 13th October 2022, which no means the opportunity for another booker to get ahead of me has also moved from 17th November 2021 to 20th November 2021.

I keep updating my booking every few days until the start date is 19th November 2022 comes into my window.

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Thank you for your explanation, I think I get it? But if everyone is doing this what allows me to book from the 10th Oct? Haven't 7 days already been available by then? If you see what I mean?

Are you saying because the 19th November is Thanksgiving you wouldn't be able to get that on the 19th October? Unless you managed dead on opening?

Is walking still needed if you want a week and say Thanksgiving is in the middle if the week? 🤔.

Only ever travelled in the summer when availability is not an issue!

[MrsBrown]

Again today I tried to book my 4th night as the booking window opened (just to see if I could, I couldn't), it wasn't available, 2 hours later it was, as was every room type. I think so many are walking now that no one is really prevented from getting the dates the need as the walker moves forward and releases the day. So its not really cheating the system.
I totally get why you would want to secure a studio, etc, but with so many walkers do you not think you will get as the walkers drop off? Certainly in my scenario it seems to be working (so far, only another 10 nights to go).

[mermaids1960]

Do you ever find though that you can’t even walk it, say AK concierge or Value

[arielrocks]

Originally Posted by mermaids1960

Not wanting to get on my high horse but Morally is this the right thing to do 🤔

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It’s open for everyone to do should they wish. It’s up to each to walks if they feel they need to.

I have when I am desperate to get exactly what I want,
Other times I’ve taken what was open.

I don’t think it’s a ‘moral’ decision at all. It’s not dodgy, it’s just a way of securing your booking.

[Shooby doo]

We don't "walk" as such but do book our first week as soon as that 7 day booking window opens, this has changed as before We'd just wait & book the 3 weeks in one go. So to get 3 weeks I now amend twice. Now I don't think SSR will sell out at 11 months but I'm also not going to risk it either. I mean how far do you take it? Start "walking" the minute your points are available ? But here's the dilemma, if you can't get what you want at 11 months think how slim the pickings are at 7! On our last cancelled stay, at 7 months, there was AKV,SSR & OKW & that was only for 7 nights!
SD