Frustrating call to Member Services

[dreaming4disney]

I am currently waitlisted for 4 night @ BC in September. My current reservation is BL for same time. I saw that 3 nights were available and so I call to see if I can book those and just waitlist the 1 day. I am told that I might lose both reservations if they try to do this. Supervisor confirms. Explanation is "limitation with computer system".

Wow! Called back to see if I could change my waitlist to the same 3 nights and by then the days were gone.

My relationship with Disney isn't always mutual......Sometimes they don't love me back

 

[JETSDAD]

Anytime you are dropping one reservation for another that is the case. They can't guarantee that the new reservation will still be there once they've dropped the original which is why they warn you.

 

[DSLRuser]

you just proved their point by calling back in. They have zero control on someone grabbing the days you want while they are in the process. it is how a relational database system works. they data is there and meets the criteria as designed, or it is not.

Sorry.

 

[bobbiwoz]

Having points to book both helps!

 

[dreaming4disney]

you just proved their point by calling back in. They have zero control on someone grabbing the days you want while they are in the process. it is how a relational database system works. they data is there and meets the criteria as designed, or it is not.

Sorry.

So, during my first conversation when speaking to a supervisor, it is a shame she didn’t talk about changing my waitlist, because if she did I would have gotten what I needed. If the database system works that way, I could have changed my waitlist to the three days available.

 

[erionm]

So, during my first conversation when speaking to a supervisor, it is a shame she didn’t talk about changing my waitlist, because if she did I would have gotten what I needed. If the database system works that way, I could have changed my waitlist to the three days available.

The only change that can be made to a wait list is the expiration (31 or 7 days prior to check-in). Any other changes would require a new wait list and you would lose your previous place on the wait list.

 

[dreaming4disney]

Having points to book both helps!

Yes. I wish I bought Beach Club all those years ago. But I didn't and I only own at Bay Lake, which I really do love but I wanted to be at Beach Club this time. I also wish I had more points.

 

[TexasChick123]

Yes. I wish I bought Beach Club all those years ago. But I didn't and I only own at Bay Lake, which I really do love but I wanted to be at Beach Club this time. I also wish I had more points.

There are tricks to this. You can do the "20 minute hold" while you cancel the other reservation if this happens again. Also, it is true that you cannot modify a wait list. You would have to cancel and create a new wait list request which puts you at the bottom of the list. I don't think this matters as much when you are doing it right at 7 months, but the closer your get to your travel dates, the less likely it will fill. I have heard that it is better to wait list a single day rather than multiple days and will illustrate why below. The scenario is as follows:

- You wait list September 1-4
- September 1-3 becomes available
- Your wait list cannot be only partially filled (no one's can), so the system moved on to the next person on the list for the dates
- If no one matches up exactly with what is available (Sept 1, 2, 3, or 1-2, 2-3, or 1-3) then the rooms are released in the RAT.

I do wish we could modify wait lists, but it kind of defeats the purpose of being "in line". Your place in line is only for the dates you requested. Any modifications, and it would be like "cutting" other people who are on the list for the same dates already. I'm currently in the midst of cancelling and re-booking wait lists, so trust me, I feel your pain. Best of luck, and I hope it comes through for you!

 

[dreaming4disney]

There are tricks to this. You can do the "20 minute hold" while you cancel the other reservation if this happens again. Also, it is true that you cannot modify a wait list. You would have to cancel and create a new wait list request which puts you at the bottom of the list. I don't think this matters as much when you are doing it right at 7 months, but the closer your get to your travel dates, the less likely it will fill. I have heard that it is better to wait list a single day rather than multiple days and will illustrate why below. The scenario is as follows:

- You wait list September 1-4
- September 1-3 becomes available
- Your wait list cannot be only partially filled (no one's can), so the system moved on to the next person on the list for the dates
- If no one matches up exactly with what is available (Sept 1, 2, 3, or 1-2, 2-3, or 1-3) then the rooms are released in the RAT.

I do wish we could modify wait lists, but it kind of defeats the purpose of being "in line". Your place in line is only for the dates you requested. Any modifications, and it would be like "cutting" other people who are on the list for the same dates already. I'm currently in the midst of cancelling and re-booking wait lists, so trust me, I feel your pain. Best of luck, and I hope it comes through for you!

If there was a waitlist for the 3 nights then it wouldn't be in RAT, right? So, I was going to cancel my waitlist and change it to the 3 nights that were available. So, instead of changing my reservation I was wanted to change the waitlist to the days I saw available. This would have gotten my those three days while still keeping my first day at BL. I didn't think of the 20 minute hold -I wish I thought of that while I was on the phone originally. thanks for the tips.
Personally, I think the system is lacking. It's not just with the DVC IT, but you can see issues throughout.

 

[TexasChick123]

If there was a waitlist for the 3 nights then it wouldn't be in RAT, right? So, I was going to cancel my waitlist and change it to the 3 nights that were available. So, instead of changing my reservation I was wanted to change the waitlist to the days I saw available. This would have gotten my those three days while still keeping my first day at BL. I didn't think of the 20 minute hold -I wish I thought of that while I was on the phone originally. thanks for the tips.
Personally, I think the system is lacking. It's not just with the DVC IT, but you can see issues throughout.

I think you would have more success with the "20 minute hold" since you cannot modify a WL request. All it takes is 1 person ahead of you that only needs 1 night, and those three nights have now become 2 nights, possibly split. If there are others ahead of you looking for the other nights, then your new WL wouldn't fill. However, if you held the reservation while you cancelled your previous reservation, as long as the system doesn't time out on you, then you would be fine. I just did this today when a studio at PVB opened up for the date I was looking for. I didn't have a WL on it, so I held it while I cancelled the other night I had to BWV. Sure enough, it was probably only one room as there was no availability after I booked the room. My BWV room went back on the RAT. I was going to post about it on the message boards, but someone or the WL already snagged it by the time I got around to it (about an hour later). Sometimes there is a glitch where you can book a room that should have gone to the WL. You've been a member for longer than me and probably know some of this stuff already, but I am learning a bunch of tricks along the way.

 

[ziravan]

If there was a waitlist for the 3 nights then it wouldn't be in RAT, right? So, I was going to cancel my waitlist and change it to the 3 nights that were available. So, instead of changing my reservation I was wanted to change the waitlist to the days I saw available. This would have gotten my those three days while still keeping my first day at BL. I didn't think of the 20 minute hold -I wish I thought of that while I was on the phone originally. thanks for the tips.
Personally, I think the system is lacking. It's not just with the DVC IT, but you can see issues throughout.

I think that you’re wrong about this. The waitlist isn’t always instantaneous. Often times, rooms will appear on the RAT for minutes and hours before going to the waitlist.

There are several threads about how stalking the RAT beats the waitlist.

There has been some improvement in the waitlist lately, but there are still gaps.

I just don’t think that it’s a given that if the days were on the RAT that means nobody was on the waitlist. There’s too much anecdotal evidence that disputes that assumption.

 

[bumbershoot]

If there was a waitlist for the 3 nights then it wouldn't be in RAT, right?

Nope. The waitlist isn’t that smart or fast. plenty of people here have stalked the site and grabbed stays that they had waitlists for.

 

[bumbershoot]

Having points to book both helps!

Yes. I wish I bought Beach Club all those years ago. But I didn't and I only own at Bay Lake, which I really do love but I wanted to be at Beach Club this time. I also wish I had more points.

Since you’re able to change right now, Home resort isn’t important, right? Seems like you're in the 7 month window.

If so, all that’s important is the number of points. If you don’t have enough to book both temporarily then you don’t have them. But if you did you could have booked the new and then cancelled the old.

 

[TexasChick123]

I have both a wait list request and a site that is checking for my dates and desired room. I will definitely report back if/when I get the room I want and let everyone know if stalking or the wait list worked.

 

[Minniesgal]

If there was a waitlist for the 3 nights then it wouldn't be in RAT, right? So, I was going to cancel my waitlist and change it to the 3 nights that were available. So, instead of changing my reservation I was wanted to change the waitlist to the days I saw available. This would have gotten my those three days while still keeping my first day at BL. I didn't think of the 20 minute hold -I wish I thought of that while I was on the phone originally. thanks for the tips.
Personally, I think the system is lacking. It's not just with the DVC IT, but you can see issues throughout.

Even if you were able to change the wait list it is highly unlikely this would have worked. You are assuming you are at the top of the list which may well not be the case.

The wait list is not instantaneous.

 

[rlk]

I have both a wait list request and a site that is checking for my dates and desired room. I will definitely report back if/when I get the room I want and let everyone know if stalking or the wait list worked.

My 11 night spring break trip started with our having to move 7 times due to planning only 75 days out. I managed to get it down to one move after a combination of waitlist (2 came through), a site checking my dates (3) and my own stalking (1 ).

 

[cvjw]

You should have cancelled your current reservation and then grabbed the 3 nights at bcv that were available. Then set up the one night waitlist yourself.

This is also a risk because someone else could grab the available nights before you and then you would be left with no reservation.

Member services was correct in what they told you about losing your reservation during the resort switch. It has happened to me before. There is always a risk in changing a booking.