Any Experience with the Wait List???

[Turtlemom]

This summer, we were hoping to take the August 4 Alaska ABD with friends of ours. Long story short, our friends (family of 4) booked the trip and we unfortunately waited a few weeks to book (due to a serious illness in the family and some financial uncertainty). Well, when things cleared up and I called to book, I was told there was no room on the trip! It is still listed on the boards, but apparently, there is only room for 1 or 2 more, and we are a family of 4--so that's not going to work.

We are now on the wait list. I was told not to bother to call to check up on it--don't call us, we'll call you if it opens up.

Anyone have any experience with the wait list? Do spots ever open up??? and if so--will I have to wait until final deposits are due to find out?

I asked whether we could put a deposit down on another trip and transfer it if the Alaska trip we really want opens up. I was told no can do. I would lose the deposit on the other trip and it would not transfer to Alaska.

Not feeling very Disney right now. Any advice????

 

[distravel]

This summer, we were hoping to take the August 4 Alaska ABD with friends of ours. Long story short, our friends (family of 4) booked the trip and we unfortunately waited a few weeks to book (due to a serious illness in the family and some financial uncertainty). Well, when things cleared up and I called to book, I was told there was no room on the trip! It is still listed on the boards, but apparently, there is only room for 1 or 2 more, and we are a family of 4--so that's not going to work.

We are now on the wait list. I was told not to bother to call to check up on it--don't call us, we'll call you if it opens up.

Anyone have any experience with the wait list? Do spots ever open up??? and if so--will I have to wait until final deposits are due to find out?

I asked whether we could put a deposit down on another trip and transfer it if the Alaska trip we really want opens up. I was told no can do. I would lose the deposit on the other trip and it would not transfer to Alaska.

Not feeling very Disney right now. Any advice????

My husband and I were placed on the waitlist for the Austria, Germany & Czech Republic trip in early October. The trip had completely filled one hour before I called by a group returning from another adult ABD trip. We decided to book another trip and to put our names on the waitlist for Austria, Germany & Czech Republic.

I was advised to call weekly by our ABD agent as sometimes there is a long delay before they start calling up those on the waitlist. I was also reassured that our deposit would transfer from one trip to another up until 90 days before the trip departure date.

About three and a half weeks after being put on the wailist I called and there was an opening. We were not called about this opening although we were first on the waiting list.

My advice is to call and speak to another CM. Unless they changed their policy in the past month the deposit is transferable to another trip up until the final 90 days. You will have to pay the price of the trip at the time you are taken off the waitlist not the price listed when you signed up for the waitlist unless you are a DVC member. Also, call weekly.It can't hurt.

You should only put a deposit on a different trip if you will be excited to go there as you may not get off the Alaska waitlist. Good Luck!!

 

[Turtlemom]

Thank you!!! That is great advice. There are a few other trips that we would definitely be excited about. My only disappointment was that we were hoping to travel with our friends. I think I will start calling back weekly. I really didn't like the answer I heard--unless they did change their policy to not allow deposit transfers. Its very nice to know that someone else did have a positive wait list experience though!

 

[pihanettie]

I, too, was put on a wait list and told they would call me if there was an opening. After a while I thought I would call again to see how things were going and I was told there was an opening. Apparently they do not call you. I second the recommendation to call yourself and not wait on them.

 

[Tozzie]

There was a couple on my Scotland trip that had been waitlisted for it, they booked China in case the waitlist didn't come through. The trip was originally sold out but apparenty when the final payment was due some people bailed and ABD did call them.

 

[Turtlemom]

I'm hoping that their deposit on China transferred to Scotland!
I didn't like the first answer that I got, so I'm going to start calling regularly.
Wish me luck!

 

[canter2u]

We tried to book on the Southeast Asia trip in mid June 2013 for the December 2013 trip. It was already full and I was told it had been booked solid since March. They told us January was open, but as a teacher, I can only go on school vacations so we booked for the December 2014 trip.
I asked how lucky we might be with the wait list and they said doubtful but sometimes it works, there were 6 families ahead of us on it. They said the final payment was due in August, so we wouldn't hear until after then. I called a couple times after August and was told we were still several families back. Then in October I got a cal saying there was an opening did we want it! I was so excited!
BUT even with a husband with over half a million frequent flyer miles, the only flights we could get were $3200 each, using no mikes because it was about 8 weeks out of the trip, and blackout dates, etc. it was the hardest thing to call and say we couldn't go....also we would have had to get the required Vietnamese visa pronto.
Just saying, despite the discouraging advice about the wait list we were called...but the later they call, plane tickets get expensive, especially around a holiday. GOOD LUCK!

 

[joeyandangiesmom]

As a family of 4 we were waitlisted for the Barcelona pre Med trip this past summer and recieved an email from ABD letting us know about the availability. Yes, it was after we made our airline reservations but it was SO worth it!!!