Let me start with the most important sentence of this article: There is enough room in WorldMark for all of us.

At this time of year many owners are trying to book a summer reservation, only to find their desired resort is unavailable. If you’ve been unsuccessful with a booking, it may seem there is not enough inventory to go around. But the simple fact is this: Even if every WorldMark owner utilized all their annual credits in a use year, there would still be many nights left over. To provide time for maintenance and Bonus Time only 48–51 weeks per year are registered to sell in each resort. Look at last year’s occupancy statistics:

Total Unit Nights Available 2006: 1,680,209
Total Unit Nights Utilized in 2006: 1,438,560
Total Unit Nights Empty in 2006: 241,649

These 240,000+ unoccupied unit nights—mostly midweek and off-season—indicate there was plenty of opportunity for a getaway. Even in prime season, there are many tools and tips available to help book a great vacation.

Plan ahead
Particularly for high-demand locations and seasons—Maui and Cabo, summer and holidays—plan your trip well ahead. Call or book online 13 months in advance.

Ask to be waitlisted
Forty percent of all reservations end up being cancelled. Before any space is released into general availability, it is first cycled through the waitlist. Over 52,000 waitlist requests were matched and offered to owners in 2006.

60-day booking window extended to 90 days
This year the booking window for a less than seven-night stay in Red Season was extended another 30 days. You can now book a weekend up to 90 days before your arrival date.

Online booking
Online booking is available 6 a.m.–11:30 p.m. PT daily. Features include:

• Four-Month-at-a-Glance Calendars. Pop in the desired resort and unit type to view four months of availability.
• Specific Date Search. Insert your specific vacation dates into the resort or region you are interested in and hit the Search Now button. All available units will fill the screen.
• Bonus Time Search. Click on Bonus Time Search, and any available resort unit will populate the screen. Click the Book Now button to finalize your reservation.

Check back often
After cycling the waitlist for matches, any unmatched inventory drops back into general availability daily. Any cancellations that occur within 14 days of arrival immediately drop into general availability. Keep checking online or by phone during booking hours.

Grouped Reservations
Grouped reservations—which can be booked 13 months ahead—allow you to vacation at multiple resorts as long as the stays are continuous and, in total, meet the seven-night minimum.

These tips and many more are shared in Owner Education workshops around the country. WorldMark is available for all of us. With these tools and a little determination you can have all the vacations you want. Enjoy!