Booking Partial Stays vs. Waitlists

[Jetsetter42]

So, newbie DVC member (VGF home) here. I just went this morning (at 8am ET) to book a 2-night VGF stay for the first week in December 2014. Only one of my two nights was available. Is it better to book the 1-night and wait list the other or wait list both nights? I grabbed a wait list for both nights, but I'm second guessing that strategy now and would like to hear from the more experienced members. Our dates are not flexible.

 

[Deb & Bill]

So, newbie DVC member (VGF home) here. I just went this morning (at 8am ET) to book a 2-night VGF stay for the first week in December 2014. Only one of my two nights was available. Is it better to book the 1-night and wait list the other or wait list both nights? I grabbed a wait list for both nights, but I'm second guessing that strategy now and would like to hear from the more experienced members. Our dates are not flexible.

At this point a one night stay is very possible with the wait list. But if the night that is available isn't the first night of your stay, you can't book it anyway unless it is 11 months out or less.

 

[Jetsetter42]

I'll go ahead and delete the wait list request and then try again tomorrow morning. The two nights I'm looking for are Dec 6 & 7. Dec 6 is obviously gone now (hence my problem) and Dec 7 shows available but outside of the 11-month booking window, until tomorrow. I assume if I'm able to get Dec 7 tomorrow then I can just put a waitlist request in for Dec 6. How does that work if the waitlist confirms at a later time? Would they combine them into 1 reservation or leave it as 2 1-day reservations?

 

[Deb & Bill]

I'll go ahead and delete the wait list request and then try again tomorrow morning. The two nights I'm looking for are Dec 6 & 7. Dec 6 is obviously gone now (hence my problem) and Dec 7 shows available but outside of the 11-month booking window, until tomorrow. I assume if I'm able to get Dec 7 tomorrow then I can just put a waitlist request in for Dec 6. How does that work if the waitlist confirms at a later time? Would they combine them into 1 reservation or leave it as 2 1-day reservations?

Tomorrow, Dec 7 might be gone. So maybe you'll get Dec 6 tomorrow if someone is walking their reservation.

 

[Jetsetter42]

Tomorrow, Dec 7 might be gone. So maybe you'll get Dec 6 tomorrow if someone is walking their reservation.

"walking their reservation"? Not familiar with that one.

 

[Deb & Bill]

"walking their reservation"? Not familiar with that one.

If a member wants what is considered a difficult time to book, like first week of Dec, Christmas, etc. they start booking the reservation a few days or a week before the actual start of their reservation or as soon as they get the full week they need. Then they call MS the next day and drop the first day and add the last night. And so on, until they get all the nights they need.

In the old days, when members booked by check OUT day of the reservation, they would call for one night (11 months out from their first night) and then call the next day and add another night. Walking is just the variation on adding on day by day with the change from checkout to checkin day.

 

[Jetsetter42]

Oh interesting. I hadn't even thought about that possibility. Thanks! I'll try tomorrow and see what happens.

 

[rkold]

I'm not sure if this is allowed here but...

I'm actually walking a reservation, because I really need 12/7-12/11 or 12/12 so tomorrow I'm calling up MS to cancel my reservation for 12/6 and 12/13 ^^; (As I was in a rush this morning and just grabbed 12/6-12/13.) So I'd keep checking the site, since I've heard the days show up there before they show up for the waitlist.

 

[Jetsetter42]

I'm not sure if this is allowed here but...

I'm actually walking a reservation, because I really need 12/7-12/11 or 12/12 so tomorrow I'm calling up MS to cancel my reservation for 12/6 and 12/13 ^^; (As I was in a rush this morning and just grabbed 12/6-12/13.) So I'd keep checking the site, since I've heard the days show up there before they show up for the waitlist.

Well, that's encouraging! I'll try tomorrow morning to get 12/6 & 12/7. My understanding about the waitlist requests is that they are not processed all the time so often availability can be missed by the waitlist manager. Is that true?

 

[rkold]

Well, that's encouraging! I'll try tomorrow morning to get 12/6 & 12/7. My understanding about the waitlist requests is that they are not processed all the time so often availability can be missed by the waitlist manager. Is that true?

Like you, I'm new here too. But going by some threads I read on waitlists, yes it appears a day can show up to be booked by a member even if the same day is one someone's waitlist. Someone posted they grabbed a day they needed via regular booking and it never went to their waitlist.

It's a little confusing which days are actually available sometimes. If you want the 7th, I would try at literally 8 am. I booked my reservation today at 8:00 am sharp. I felt bad taking the extra days, but was so afraid I wouldn't be able to get starting the 7th otherwise.

I can't cancel the 6th until MS opens tomorrow. I hope to do it in the AM before the wait times get crazy long. Since Thanksgiving, every time I call the wait time is 45+ minutes. It's frustrating because back in early November, I was getting 10-15 minute wait times. I was so worried I was going to be waitlisting my reservation and I want 4-5 nights.

 

[KAT4DISNEY]

What I'd do is keep the waitlist you've set up for 2 nights but tomorrow check availability and book the 7th if it's available (and the 6th if it became available and I'm fairly certain you'll have to be quick and don't miss the 8am mark). If the 6th happened to open up today because someone changed their mind you might get the entire reservation. And if you get the 7th tomorrow then you can just cancel the 2 night waitlist and set up an individual one for the 6th.

There obviously have been some walkers (even confirmed above ) and I would not assume that just because you don't get it immediately that you won't get it at all. You might even get something within a few days as walkers walk. But also be prepared that you might be trying to book somewhere else at 7 months.

 

[bobbiwoz]

I would also keep the wait list as is unless you can book one of the days tomorrow. Keep checking.
December 29 at BWV was not available for me when I was booking last January, but the next day my wait list came through.
I am on record as hoping MS puts a stop to "walking."

 

[Sandisw]

I agree that keeping the waitlist in place is important while you try and secure the nights on your own. If you do, then cancel the waitlist...the fact that today was the first day for the 6th, your place on the waitlist will be near the top so a good chance of getting it.

Just keep trying!!

 

[Jetsetter42]

Thanks for the advice everyone. I did cancel the waitlist yesterday instead of keeping it active. But this morning I was able to grab the 7th, so now I'm going to try between 9-10am ET to grab the 6th perhaps after any of the "walkers" try dropping it with MS to get a later date. If I'm not successful, I'll just reinstate a waitlist request on that date alone and sit tight.

 

[Jetsetter42]

Sure enough, I was able to grab the 1st date I wanted (December 6th) the next day after another member must have walked their reservation forward. Thanks for all the assistance on this.

 

[VrBchJ]

I had to go thru this same process for my Oct. BWV std view studio. The room wouldn't be available the first day it opened for booking. I tried again the following day and the first day was there. I eventually got my whole week but it was a total pain. I wonder how much of the delay in getting thru to MS on the phone is because of people canceling and rebooking as they walk their reservations.

 

[mejo]

I'm going the 6-13 too, I checked on the 6th at 8 cst and the 6th was booked, I went ahead and waitlisted the entire week hoping someone would drop it. I was so excited to see my week booked the next morning when I went to check.