does anyone else think that limiting waitlists by view category is rediculous?

[missycj96]

Hi - This is an issue that has bothered me and I am wondering if other members feel the same way (and hoping that if others agree maybe there can be change). First, let me say that I think limiting the number of waitlists a member can have going at one time is perfectly reasonable and I have no problem with limits.

What I don't understand is why do I have to take a chance on a particular view category. Why not limit it by resort and room category rather than making me pick views. For example, if I want to waitlist a studio at BLT, I have to pick 2 of the 3 view categories and that's it. So if I go with the odds and pick Lagoon View and MK view, if a standard view becomes available I am out of luck. This also affects waitlisting at AKV. If I want to waitlist a studio there, I have to go with the odds and pick savannah view and standard at either Jambo or Kidani, but if a value or concierge room comes up - again I'm out of luck. I find what I do is try to pick room categories with view types that have the most rooms but what I really want to do is waitlist a particular resort (for example, a studio at AKV). So this means that even though I have the 2 waitlists going, I still call for availability - which defeats the whole purpose for both the members and for the DVC reservation staff.

What do others think?

 

[bwvBound]

I agree the current implementation is ridiculous. My other points-system also restricts the number of waitlists permitted -- but allows any given waitlist to be as general as "date + resort" so that any unit type will match. Furthermore, that system allows me to specify accepting partial dates as a match.

Example of a better waitlist request, patterned after my other points-based system:
Resort: BLT
Dates: 1/12/2012 - 1/21/2012
Unit type: Stu, 1BR or 2BR; any view
Accept partial dates? Yes, please book if you find any 2 contiguous nights within my requested travel dates.

Edited to add: Of course it would be better if DVC allowed the request to say "any WDW property, any Stu/1B/2BR, any view, minimum stay 2 nights, dates 1/12/2012-1/21/2012."

 

[Donna M]

I agree the current implementation is ridiculous. My other points-system also restricts the number of waitlists permitted -- but allows any given waitlist to be as general as "date + resort" so that any unit type will match. Furthermore, that system allows me to specify accepting partial dates as a match.

Example of a better waitlist request, patterned after my other points-based system:
Resort: BLT
Dates: 1/12/2012 - 1/21/2012
Unit type: Stu, 1BR or 2BR; any view
Accept partial dates? Yes, please book if you find any 2 contiguous nights within my requested travel dates.

Edited to add: Of course it would be better if DVC allowed the request to say "any WDW property, any Stu/1B/2BR, any view, minimum stay 2 nights, dates 1/12/2012-1/21/2012."

I agree with you. Why does Disney have to be so limiting?

 

[ppony]

What I dislike even worse is if you want a 2BR, you have to choose LO or dedicated and the view. So really, your options just got cut in half. The way I see it anyway. I would have rather been able to say 2 BR TP or LV and be done w/ it. But I couldn't do it that way.
For us, we didn't care if it was LO or dedicated, so maybe we should have gone w/ the wait list that had the most probability to open up, I dunno.
I personally would like it less specific and would LOVE to get the option if partial dates opened up. We don't mind split stays at all.
Oh well, it is what it is.

 

[KAT4DISNEY]

Yes. At some resorts the number of categories that are available is crazy (AKV for example with dedicated, lock-offs, views, Kidani, Jambo, Value, concierge) and when all you want to do is get a room there, or sometimes just need any DVC room for a date the 2 limit waitlist is not helpful.

 

[dianeschlicht]

Well, I suspect all this started from people being so picky about their view. In response, DVC started offering more choices, so now they feel they have to offer that for the waitlists as well. I don't think there should be ANY special view booking or requests. I think it should be "you get what you get" and be done with the whole thing.

 

[psac]

Well, I suspect all this started from people being so picky about their view. In response, DVC started offering more choices, so now they feel they have to offer that for the waitlists as well. I don't think there should be ANY special view booking or requests. I think it should be "you get what you get" and be done with the whole thing.

Since the views impact the points, I think it's a good thing to be able to waitlist all of the specific categories, and give all of those choices. However, I think "all" should be an option for a lot of those categories! So those who need to be specific can be, and those who don't care could be more general.

 

[ckdsnynt]

You mean you can be on more than one wait list at a resort? This past summer, all I wanted was a 1 br or studio at BLT for one night. I didn't care about the view, just a room for ONE NIGHT so I didn't have to pay $500 OOP. But I was told I could only pick 1 kind of wait list to be on. Well of course I picked the wrong one and didn't get a room. Ended up paying the $500 OOP. Had no idea that I could be on several wait lists!
I still have a hard time believing that they didn't have one room come open for one night in 60 days!
So what are the rules on waitlisting? Can someone share?

 

[csharpwv]

While I find it totally reasonable that you CAN waitlist a view/category request - I do find it ridiculous that you HAVE to specify!

It seems that more members would at least be getting into the resort of their choice, and then if you want to waitlist a specific view/category you CAN do a 2nd waitlist for a specific view/category to open up.

DVC has to be flexible enough to meet the needs of most, and rigid enough to meet the needs of the few that 'simply HAVE to HAVE' a specific view or category to be 'happy'. "I wanted to see the SIDE of the building - not the front!"

I really think that some people need to chill out with such specific requests before life gets too difficult for the normal folks who are just happy to get in where they want without having such fussy and particular requests!

 

[kamik86]

I agree that the specific ones are nice sometimes but more general ones would be good too.

Then the system should just keep a queue of requests and should go though and find the first match when something opens up.

Specific views are good for when you have a view but want a different one. Generic ones are great when you just want a place to stay.

 

[disneynutz]

When the wait list rules were changed, we weren't told why and if I remember correctly there wasn't a formal announcement. Disney seems like they don't care what members think so I doubt if we can get the rules changed.

I guess we should be happy that we can wait list and that we don't have to pay for the privilege.

Bill

 

[dis-happy]

I figured out just today: one advantage to having pts. in 2 different UYs is that I can double my w/l options. Here's hoping for October!

 

[hakepb]

Thinking about w/l from a customer service and IT perspective, I can somewhat understand limitations. I think AKV somewhat became the final straw with too many categories. (And now BTL and worse Aulani...)

What if you call up hoping to get an AKL standard view room. Nothing's available, so you go on a waitlist for any 1BR thinking using too many points (taking away from next year) on savanna view is better than nothing. Well, the impossible happens and a concierge room opens up, and now you are wondering if you can do a trip next year.
Or what if multiple rooms open up, how do they know what to put you in? Would you like to get a parking lot view value room, when you heard a few other Dis'ers got Kidani 1BR savanna views on w/l on the same day?
There's too many members to hold all until you confirm. And if every option were available in the system, you would swear Jack Bauer took over MS.

I do think 2 total categories are too few.
Perhaps for each of the 2 (still hampers speculation) resort/date combinations, have the option of sub-categories 1-5 so your priorities are known and acceptable.

 

[Breyean]

We've run into a somewhat different issue with the 2 wait lists.

We have a vacation all set for January to WDW. We needed a GV at OKW but they didn't have one for our entire stay, so we took what they had and wait listed for the other days (booked a 2 bedroom for those days).

We then tried to get another vacation booked at VGC for later in 2012. We only needed a studio, but would prefer a 1 bedroom. Nothing was available.

So. Two vacations. Two resorts on opposite sides of the country. One resort is so small that while wait lists do get filled sometimes, it certainly increases the chances if you can wait list both room types. Whichever comes up first I'd be happy to take.

So we decided to stick with the GV since that's a big gathering of friends, and only wait list a studio at VGC.

Then the GV came through! So we were able to wait list the 1 bedroom at VGC, but the wait to get on the list probably pushed us further down.

My point is, just like the hotels at DLR are exempt from the $95 fee, VGC, being so small, should also have an exception to the wait list rules so you don't have to tie up both on the chance of getting a very scarce room there.

 

[tjkraz]

It's a double-edged sword. If they did allow more waitlist requests...there would be more waitlist requests across the board. That means more people ahead of you in line at every turn.

I get that allowing more requests would give folks more coverage when they aren't picky about room size, view or even resort. But again, all members would have more requests in the system, making the lists exponentially longer than they are now.

 

[Garthilk]

Still it doesn't really make sense, limiting waitlists.

Really, it's pretty simple. You get two waitlists.

• Date/s
• Resort/s
• Room Type/s
• View/s

Should be simple. I mean, select the dates. Choose the resorts where you'd be happy to stay. Select the room type and the appropriate view/s. With the only required field being the date. I should be able to waitlist a 2br for anything at the resort on a given day provided I have the points to field any resort.

 

[ckdsnynt]

Still it doesn't really make sense, limiting waitlists.

Really, it's pretty simple. You get two waitlists.

• Date/s
• Resort/s
• Room Type/s
• View/s

Should be simple. I mean, select the dates. Choose the resorts where you'd be happy to stay. Select the room type and the appropriate view/s. With the only required field being the date. I should be able to waitlist a 2br for anything at the resort on a given day provided I have the points to field any resort.

Why would there be two lists?
What are the rules now on waitlisting?

 

[Inkmahm]

Hmmmm... this may expain why I was able to get BLT two bedroom Magic Kingdom view for 3 nights next March at the 7 month mark. I first asked for lake view and that was available. Then, just for fun but not expecting it to be available, I asked for MK view. That was also available! I got a 2bd MK view dedicated villa at the 7 month mark. I have no idea if the available 2 bd lake view was a LO or dedicated because I never asked and didn't care.


But with 3 different view options and then also dedicated vs LO for each option (I think), someone would have 6 different choices to try to cover for their waitlist at BLT for a 2 bedroom. Maybe I snuck in at the 7 month mark while someone else was still on a waitlist for those dates?

 

[DizDays]

It would most certainly be easier if you didn't have to waitlist with such specificity and be limited to 2 requests. You probably wouldn't need more than 2 requests if you can put in more generic preferences. I'm sure on the DVC side there is some logic to it, but I would love to see this simplified.

 

[Chuck S]

Many threads here have, over the years, demanded more specific view and specific booking categories. With that, there is also the downside of limiting overall availability. You can't please everyone, and it seems those that had to be able to book "the perfect room" often made life miserable for front desk staff...demanding that their "requested" views be honored.

Thus more and more bookable room categories have been created. This is especially true of resorts like AKV and Aulani, but OKW also added a guaranteed near Hospitality category.

I agree with Diane, if people had simply been willing to accept pre-assignments or simply chose a room from what may be available at the time, rather than feel entitled to a specific request, booking would be easier for all members.

But now that so many categories have been created, they pretty much have to have those booking categories included in the waitlists. And as others said, having unlimited waitlists can also clog the system.