Does it help to call when you are on the wait list?

[bwvmary]

I have seen this question out there in several wait list posts. So how about it? I don't know how the system works - do wait listers get the rooms on a real time basis as soon as a cancellation comes in (In which case, calling would do no good; it would just take up time and clog the Member Services lines, which I don't want to do.) OR do cancellations come in and sit around available for a while so that a new caller might get the room before a wait list match is made.

If you know how this works or just have some experience of calling and magically getting a room that cancelled, even though you had not gotten a wait list call, I'd love ot hear about it.

Thanks.

Mary (Trying to decide whether to launch a calling campaign...

Mary
DVC Member BWV, HH
1976, 1985, 1989- Off property; 1990-91 - Disney Villas; 1993 - 2X - Disneyland; 1994 - Disneyland; 1997 - Beach Club; 1998 - All Star Music and Wilderness Lodge; 1999 - All Star Movies; 1999 - Boardwalk Villas; 2000 - Disney Institute and Yacht Club; 2000 - Contemporary and Boardwalk Villas; 2000 - Old Key West; 2000 - Hilton Head Island

 

[DVCDAVE]

According to the Members Guidebook, calling will do no good. MS will contact the next person automatically.

WDW:
76,77,78,87,FW
92,Offsite
95 POL
96(2), GF,Offsite
97,GF
98,99,00,FW
8/00 DVC member
3/2001 BWV
11/2001 BWV

 

[Josiah Harper]

I was waitlisted twice. The first time, I called for a couple of days, always asking if the cast member was *sure* I would be notified if something became available. After two different cast members assured me that there was no need to call repeatedly, I stopped--albeit reluctantly. Both times, Member Services came through, and left a message on my answering machine to call them within 24 hours if I still wanted the waitlisted room.

One caveat. If you're away from home at all during the time you're waitlisted, it's a good idea to call Member Services from your travel destination daily (unless you have an answering machine that you can check from a remote location). As you know, if you don't get the message and miss the 24-hour window during which to call, you lose the ressie.

So, my experience with the waitlist has been good--and MS seems to stick to its word about notifying you when something is available.

Joe

 

[RobDoc]

Your understanding is exactly how the waitlist is supposed to work....and it does work.

From a practical standpoint, if I call and cancel a reservation at 1 PM and you call at 1:05 PM for the same reservation, you are likely to get that ressie- since the waitlist has not had time to be contacted yet. The objective of MS is to make reservations and make members happy. In the example I used above, you will be pleased that you got the reservation and the waitlist will never know it was even available. If you had called at 12:55- you would have been added to the waitlist and someone else on the waitlist would have been contacted at 3PM- when the waitlist was reviewed. (I have no idea when the waitlist is reviewed- I'm just using these times as an example!! )

If you have some time before your requested reservation, be patient and give the waitlist a chance to work- it probably will. If you haven't heard anything several weeks before- I'd call frequently...even daily during the last couple of weeks. Good Luck!

Doc
doc@wdwinfo.com