Advice on ‘walking’ at 11 months

[Siobhan]

I’m hoping for the impossible and want to book 3 x value studios at AKV for August 21 (it’s one of our home resorts). I imagine that to stand any chance of this I’m going to have to walk the reservation. I’ve never done this so looking for advice on when and how to do it.

[YorkshireT]

Pretty simple really book the three rooms when you can, then every few days go on and amend to cancel a few days and add a few on.

Personally as you recognise I think three value will be a real challenge. One maybe.

[Licoricelover]

I could not get any studios or 2 beds at all at 11 months for September this year (never had a problem before). I picked up the days as people dropped a day. I ended up with 10 single days. Probably have to cancel now. I sweated blood getting the days I needed. I found that by randomly looking several times a day I managed to get what I required before the waitlist. There are so few of these rooms people are walking weeks in advance.
Good luck with getting 3 studios. I have managed 2 before but that was a few years ago. I think there are only 8 value studios and 10 which form the 2 bedroom lock off.
Like you I think I will have to join the band of people walking their reservation otherwise I will have no chance next year. This year the rooms were showing as unavailable the day before my 11 month date so I had to pick them up daily.
Hope you have success!

[bighal]

Any reason why 3 studios and not a 2 bed?

[Siobhan]

Originally Posted by bighal

Any reason why 3 studios and not a 2 bed?

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I just feel it’s a bit unfair to ask one of my daughters and her husband to sleep on a sofa bed. Also 3 couples in such close proximity might be a bit overwhelming for some

[Custancia]

You'll need to start at least a couple of weeks before you want to stay. You'll also need to be logged in with your search/booking ready before 8am (US time). I walked a 2 bed value for this summer, it took me 8 days to get a foothold. Some days there was no availability (due to the studio part of the lockoff)... So you'd probably be better trying 3 separate bookings as the odds of 3 values being available on any morning is probably very low.

You need to be booking exactly on time, 15 seconds late and it will have gone. 0-5 seconds it's just the luck of the internet!

Once you have the initial booking, you can just modify it forward every few days until you reach your preferred dates.

Good luck! I may be competing with you for one of them, since I'll not be able to use my lovely 2 bed value this summer 😥

[Gelatoni]

Following as i'm going to have to do this. Can you modify every few days or does it have to be every day, shifting by 1 day each end for the harder to get rezzies?

[YorkshireT]

Originally Posted by Gelatoni

Following as i'm going to have to do this. Can you modify every few days or does it have to be every day, shifting by 1 day each end for the harder to get rezzies?

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Walking is fail safe at 11 months, but despite what you may read, does also greatly assist at 7 months as you lock your room out at 7 months from those other 7 month bookers.

So it gives you two advantages at 7- locks out other 7 monthers (although an owner can nip in and steal it between your first walking period ending and your actual dates) but also multiple attempts at the 7 month 1pm scramble for those hard to get rooms.

You also want to make the initial reservation to walk a full 7 days as long as you are not going to take points you want to bank outside your banking window and as long as you do not have to borrow to do so- then say if you only want really 3 days, you actually 'hit' your 3 days 4 days earlier thus reducing the risk someone who owns there and has 11 month banking windown steals your reservation. No need to do this though at the 11 months window.

If you are walking at 11 months, you only have to amend it before the period is up as no one can jump in and steal it. So if it is a 7 day reservation you may as well just do it every 6 days.

With 7 month walking I do it more often. This is because when that next day appears at the end of your 7 day booking ready to walk, that 11 month booker could jump in and take that next day. So ideally on a 7 month walk you will do it every day to minimise this risk.

I have 7 month walked numerous reservation and even at Grand Cali this never happened to me even though I was not amending every day, so the chance of it being done seems fairly low. I would still try to do it every day though on a 7 month walk.

Also as I say, it gives you an extra chance at that 7 month window (or 11 month in the case of some like Copper Creek studio at Xmas). So you may start walking 2 weeks before, and effectively have an extra 2 weeks of trying to get it at 1pm.

[Gelatoni]

Originally Posted by YorkshireT

Walking is fail safe at 11 months, but despite what you may read, does also greatly assist at 7 months as you lock your room out at 7 months from those other 7 month bookers.

So it gives you two advantages at 7- locks out other 7 monthers (although an owner can nip in and steal it between your first walking period ending and your actual dates) but also multiple attempts at the 7 month 1pm scramble for those hard to get rooms.

You also want to make the initial reservation to walk a full 7 days as long as you are not going to take points you want to bank outside your banking window and as long as you do not have to borrow to do so- then say if you only want really 3 days, you actually 'hit' your 3 days 4 days earlier thus reducing the risk someone who owns there and has 11 month banking windown steals your reservation. No need to do this though at the 11 months window.

If you are walking at 11 months, you only have to amend it before the period is up as no one can jump in and steal it. So if it is a 7 day reservation you may as well just do it every 6 days.

With 7 month walking I do it more often. This is because when that next day appears at the end of your 7 day booking ready to walk, that 11 month booker could jump in and take that next day. So ideally on a 7 month walk you will do it every day to minimise this risk.

I have 7 month walked numerous reservation and even at Grand Cali this never happened to me even though I was not amending every day, so the chance of it being done seems fairly low. I would still try to do it every day though on a 7 month walk.

Also as I say, it gives you an extra chance at that 7 month window (or 11 month in the case of some like Copper Creek studio at Xmas). So you may start walking 2 weeks before, and effectively have an extra 2 weeks of trying to get it at 1pm.

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This is really helpful, thank you. I'll be doing an 11 month walk at CC.

[YorkshireT]

Originally Posted by Gelatoni

This is really helpful, thank you. I'll be doing an 11 month walk at CC.

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As above you’ll likely be fine at 11 but do it 6 days early, then amend once on the proper day you should have booked.