I seriously think they are playing around with whats actually available for resort rooms.
I tried to book a room within hours of the AP rates being released online and was told that BC, YC, BW and AKL had all been booked. The funny thing was that the website was down for a majority of the night. I sent a polite email expressing my concern as an AP holder and I actually got a call back within 2 hours. The rep who called told me she was able to book me a room if I wanted. Shocker, considering that the 3 CM's I spoke with told me that the resorts were booked solid and there was NO way I could get a room.
Availability of rooms at WDW has always been prioritized for as long as I can recall. The central reservations office (CRO) sells discounted rooms in large blocks with time and date stamps to a large number of big travel companies such as AAA, Expedia and many others. And it's true that at any given time the Disney CRO may indeed not have any rooms available for the "average" stay. In reality, Disney is never "booked solid" as room availability is highly variable dependent upon the dates you book, length of stay, number in your party and, of course, the resorts you select.
And the CM's to which you spoke were telling the truth. There was most likely no way you could get a room, through them. The CRO computer most likely showed no rooms available. But you've got to realize that all those discounted rooms sold to travel agencies are not under the control of the CRO. As far as the CRO is concerned, those rooms are booked. And the CRO can't tell you, "Call Expedia because they've got plenty of WDW rooms".
Let me give you a specific example. It's not uncommon for WDW resorts to appear to be "booked solid" during certain holiday periods. If you try and book during that time, you'll most likely fail unless there is a fortuitous cancellation that coincides with your call. Let's say you're looking to book a room for 10 days during a heavy visitation period. Instead of just booking for 10 days, try booking the maximum of 30 days and I think you'll be surprised how "suddenly" rooms become available. Just checking in a day or two earlier or later or changing the number in your party can make a difference as to whether or not you get a reservation.
And remember, the purpose is to get the reservation. Once you've got it, you can always change it and downsize later.
Also, it's no secret that some travel agencies are better than others in securing WDW reservations. Kingdom Konsultants is highly regarded in getting WDW reservations.
Several years ago I was standing at the check-in desk at the Polynesian and was told that they had no rooms available. I stepped away from the desk and called AAA on my cell phone and made a reservation for the Polynesian. I walked back up to the check-in desk and my reservation was in the system and I got my room. I had the same experience at one of the All-Star Resorts as well.
Also, based upon my personal experience over many years, I have found that booking online via any Disney owned website is often an exercise in futility.
