The online system has the same availability as the agents get, but there is a glitch that assumes you want the fall special so no availability means no availability for that deal. You have to switch to just looking for a room or package to see if rack rate rooms are available. Clunky. Or just call, as you guys say. They really need to improve the website. So flakey.
Not necessarily because in off times WDW hotels may be full, but the off property hotels (that feed the most people in the parks) are often pretty empty. So you could still have 4-7 on crowd calendars and have full WDW resorts. Disney does a good job of offering deals/incentives (free dining/larger room discounts) to stay on property during the slower periods. Also a lot of DVC members like myself visit during slower periods because it takes us less points to do so. We personally mostly travel Oct-Dec (minus Thanksgiving/Christmas week). So that fills up the Deluxe Villa resorts as well.
