Will we ever be able to search for availability on the DVC website?

[Jenn]

We love our DVC but it drives me crazy having to call them back over and over and over with different dates, different size rooms, etc. Life would be so much easier if we could search and book ourselves, like we can with every other travel arrangement we make.

 

[Granny]

This has been discussed a lot on these boards, and I think that many would agree that at least viewing availability would be somewhat helpful. But even that would probably be a first-thing-in-the-morning snapshot and not updated second by second during the day as reservations are made.

Here's an excellent post by Caskbill indicating the problems with programming on-line booking of DVC.

Life would be so much easier if we could search and book ourselves, like we can with every other travel arrangement we make.

I assume your other travel arrangements are for hotels or resorts? I think that's the trap that many fall into....their DVC resorts look a lot like other WDW resorts but the reservation process is infinitely more complex than reserving a room at a hotel.

It seems like a simple thing, but it's not. I'm not sure it ever will be done on-line in my membership lifetime.

 

[disney junky]

I'm not sure I'd favor that idea. Perhaps it's just the feeling I get knowing that I have spoken to someone who then should be responsible for making sure I'm taken care of.

 

[mikayla73]

I am OK with not being able to make the reservation online. It would be very convenient and I would be happy to be able to do it, but I understand what Caskbill wrote about why it would be very difficult to do. I like the "snapshot" idea, but I can see some flaws with it.

I think being able to view a snapshot of what is available could cut down on the amount of time MS spends on the phone with each person if we could look to see what was available before we called. People could check it out, make their decisions, and call with their exact needs/wants without having to ask MS to check for different dates, different resorts, etc.

Although if it is a "snapshot" there would still be the problem of what happens between the time the snapshot was taken, MS opens, and you actually call. There is alwasy the possiblity that what you wanted would no longer be there. So MS would go back to the checking different dates, resorts, etc anyway. So did it really save any time and resources?