Marathon Weekend Wait List Strategy

[Tardisblue]

We're brand new DVC Members or, rather, Purchasers and just received our membership information and points this week. We have 14 points banked from 2015 and all 200 points for 2016. I've booked a week for next May at BWV and would really like to try to book 4 nights for marathon weekend in January, but nothing is currently available (no surprises there, right?). So, I went ahead and got on the wait list for a studio at BWV for my trip there.

My question for the experts is should I cancel that and get on the wait list at another larger resort that might have a chance at more cancellations (i.e. OKW, SSR or AKV)? I'm a complete noob at this and would love to hear from some of you who have years of experience.

Thanks!

 

[_auroraborealis_]

What type of Studio? Pool/Garden would be a maybe, but if you did Standard Studio, tough waitlist for that.

Might have a better shot at a larger resort, yes.

 

[hakepb]

BWV garden is a fairly large category, standard and Boardwalk views are much smaller categories (and more difficult to get)

You are allowed 2 active wait lists for a use year. I would probably add SSR standard or AKV Kidani Savanna view (as those are probably the largest categories) as the 2nd wait list choice.

In addition to the wait lists, you should also "stalk" the website by regularly checking for availability. If you find 2 or 3 nights, book them, then change the wait list to the remaining nights.

 

[Deb & Bill]

Make sure you have a Disney reservation just in case your wait list doesn't come through. But I would waitlist SSR standard or OKW studios.

 

[Tardisblue]

Make sure you have a Disney reservation just in case your wait list doesn't come through. But I would waitlist SSR standard or OKW studios.

I forgot to mention in my original post that I've already booked 4 nights at All Star Music as a fall back.

BWV garden is a fairly large category, standard and Boardwalk views are much smaller categories (and more difficult to get)

You are allowed 2 active wait lists for a use year. I would probably add SSR standard or AKV Kidani Savanna view (as those are probably the largest categories) as the 2nd wait list choice.

In addition to the wait lists, you should also "stalk" the website by regularly checking for availability. If you find 2 or 3 nights, book them, then change the wait list to the remaining nights.

I've deactivated my BWV waitlist request and submitted one for SSR and another for AKV Kidani - Standard View, not Savannah. Each had 1 night available - not sure if that's good or bad, but I wait listed each for the full 4 nights. I'm also taking your advice to stalk the website each day going forward to see if multiple nights show up.

 

[mustinjourney]

The other thing you can do is break your waitlist up into single nights. Much better chance at getting it that way. Drawback is that you can only do 2 waitlists at a time on your account though.

 

[hakepb]

I forgot to mention in my original post that I've already booked 4 nights at All Star Music as a fall back.



I've deactivated my BWV waitlist request and submitted one for SSR and another for AKV Kidani - Standard View, not Savannah. Each had 1 night available - not sure if that's good or bad, but I wait listed each for the full 4 nights. I'm also taking your advice to stalk the website each day going forward to see if multiple nights show up.

FYI the wait list won't hold those available nights for you, but it is easier to grab a 1st or last night and build a reservation.

 

[zavandor]

In my experience Saturday night is the most difficult one. Two years ago it was the last night to be filled in at OKW when I waitlisted the marathon week end. If one night is available, book that one and then waitlist one night at each side of the available night. And build from there.
Unfortunately you're against everyone who waitlisted rigth at 7 months, so it may still be hard to get what you want. Good luck!

 

[Anal Annie]

In addition to waitlisting stalking the website multiple times a day is a pain but can work if one is lucky in order to piece together 1 or 2 days at a time. Marathon weekend is a tough one. We don't run but we ARE going the 1st week of January again this year while our DS is home from college. I booked our SSR nights at probably 10 months and stalked other resorts leading up to 7 months but studios on the 5th, 6th & 7th have been gone at all resorts since well before the 7 month window. The Thurs. & Fri. filled up first followed by Saturday. I decided to just leave it at SSR even tho we like to resort hop. Just easier and less stressful. Plus the points are reasonable in the standard category and it's our home so we like it fine. In the future if you want to go for marathon weekend book your home resort EARLY!!

DH and I are going in Sept. for F&W. Initially booked at OKW for just 4 nights but then a few weeks ago DH got a wild hair to stay an extra night. OKW was not available so I would have had to either waitlist OKW or book SSR or AKV to have a guaranteed night - and we would have had to borrow. I didn't really want to move resorts for one night nor did I want to borrow to do that. Instead I started stalking the website and within a week I lucked into THE ONE NIGHT we needed in a studio at OKW so I called & snagged it. It was the only one open becuz as soon as I booked it I checked and the availability was down to zero again.

 

[KAT4DISNEY]

I've deactivated my BWV waitlist request and submitted one for SSR and another for AKV Kidani - Standard View, not Savannah. Each had 1 night available - not sure if that's good or bad, but I wait listed each for the full 4 nights. I'm also taking your advice to stalk the website each day going forward to see if multiple nights show up.

I'd pick one of those and book the night if it's still there. Likely SSR or else if one of them is for the Saturday night I'd choose it. Then I'd use my waitlists to set up individual nights either surrounding that night or the nights just before or after. And then stalk for the 4th night. If one of the waitlists fills then set up a new one for the last night.

 

[maburke]

PPs have said to waitlist SSR std over preferred, is that because there are more std rooms? Personally, I found out about 8 months out that my nephew is running the Dopey. None of my home resorts had availability then, so I booked the only thing that was available at 7 months out -- SSR preferred. I wonder if preferred is more likely to come up on a waitlist than standard because it was the last to fill (so people there might shift to other choices)?

 

[Tardisblue]

I'd pick one of those and book the night if it's still there. Likely SSR or else if one of them is for the Saturday night I'd choose it. Then I'd use my waitlists to set up individual nights either surrounding that night or the nights just before or after. And then stalk for the 4th night. If one of the waitlists fills then set up a new one for the last night.

1 night booked, 3 to go.

 

[Anal Annie]

PPs have said to waitlist SAR std over preferred, is that because there are more std rooms? Personally, I found out about 8 months out that my nephew is running the Dopey. None of my home resorts had availability then, so I booked the only thing that was available at 7 months out -- SSR preferred. I wonder if preferred is more likely to come up on a waitlist than standard because it was the last to fill (so people there might shift to other choices)?

There likely are more rooms in standard than in preferred bcuz std is 3 sections of the resort and preferred is only 2 sections. We personally prefer the Grandstand section anyway which is in std. plus we like the points savings now that they've distinquished and separated them. I'm sure we're not the only ones who'd prefer to save points so I think that's why std. books up first leaving preferred as last to book up.

 

[Tardisblue]

In addition to waitlisting stalking the website multiple times a day is a pain but can work if one is lucky in order to piece together 1 or 2 days at a time.

To confirm - the website is updated periodically throughout the day if a cancellation comes through? It's not update just once overnight with the current days cancellations?

 

[Anal Annie]

To confirm - the website is updated periodically throughout the day if a cancellation comes through? It's not update just once overnight with the current days cancellations?

Are you asking if it's updated in real time? I believe it updates current availability as it occurs. But I think that perhaps the waitlists are only filled periodically throughout the day - not automatically or immediately as the openings occur. (This is how I think it works - I can't confirm that.)

I just know that I was recently searching for an additional day to add onto our Sept. trip at OKW - I didn't want to waitlist it tho because I was in a borrowing state plus I would need to change flights too so I either wanted to confirm I could get it or just let it go and forget about it. I just kept hawking the availability tool and one day there it was - the one day I wanted to add. So I quickly double checked the flight prices then called MS & added it then I went & looked at the availability again & the night I'd JUST booked was gone. So that part updates immediately for sure. If I had waitlisted tho I might have been behind someone else (it's during F&W) and it may have filled without me ever knowing it was open at all.

 

[Simba's Mom]

Are you veterans of Marathon weekend at WDW? DH thought BCV was the best DVC for the Dopey because after each of 4 days, the return trip to BCV was the shortest bus ride. But it seems that every DVC resort has great transportation to the start, so he's going with OKW for the 1/2 Marathon this year. Last I looked, OKW had availability still for some of the days, and since it's a large resort, waitlisting there shouldn't be bad. And for morning jogs to keep the legs loose, OKW is great (but then so are most resorts).

 

[Deb & Bill]

Just remember, wherever you book, you will need to get the bus to the start at the main bus stop. Like at OKW, you can't get the bus to the marathon start at Turtle Pond, Millers Road, Peninsular Road or South Point. You can only catch it at the Hospitality House. Probably the same at SSR, you need to get to the Carriage House. These are large charter buses driven by charter bus drivers who don't know their way around WDW. My husband got on a bus to the start once and the driver started going towards the airport.

 

[Simba's Mom]

Just remember, wherever you book, you will need to get the bus to the start at the main bus stop. Like at OKW, you can't get the bus to the marathon start at Turtle Pond, Millers Road, Peninsular Road or South Point. You can only catch it at the Hospitality House. Probably the same at SSR, you need to get to the Carriage House. These are large charter buses driven by charter bus drivers who don't know their way around WDW. My husband got on a bus to the start once and the driver started going towards the airport.

Oh, Oh! Now I'm a little nervous! Although, if we request and get Miller's Road area, maybe it won't be too far and hopefully the driver will know to head towards Epcot.

 

[Deb & Bill]

Oh, Oh! Now I'm a little nervous! Although, if we request and get Miller's Road area, maybe it won't be too far and hopefully the driver will know to head towards Epcot.

If the driver doesn't turn onto Buena Vista Dr towards the Boardwalk and then turns right on World Drive towards Epcot, tell him the right way. If he gets on I-4, you need to turn him around. I think that's what the passengers did on my husband's bus. But that was a long time ago.

If you get Miller's Road, you need to walk to the Hospitality House to get the bus. They won't go on Miller's Road.