Here's a Twist on a Waitlist Question...

[kristenrice]

I'm looking ahead (waaay ahead) to 2021 and I'm tossing around a few ideas. My kids will be 18 and 16 in 2021 and they are already losing interest in the parks. The cost of tickets has already reached the breaking point for us so I don't think that a "park" trip is in the cards for us. I don't want to rule out a WDW trip entirely, though. We love the resorts and we can certainly have a great vacation without visiting the parks by enjoying Disney Springs and resort hopping, and perhaps an after-hours event if the timing is right.

On the other hand, we LOVE Hilton Head Island and we are booked for our Spring Break trip there in 2020. In 2021, I will have 187 points available to use for lodging and I sure would like to try to visit HHI in the summer. The problem is that my points are all AKV points so I'd have to try and snag something at 7 months...and a 1BR at that...which is going to certainly require a waitlist or some major stalking.

So here's my thoughts...I'm thinking that once we choose some dates, we could waitlist at HHI. At 7 months out, for a summer trip, I'm thinking that availability at WDW would be fairly open, especially for a 1BR, right? Would I be able to set up the HHI wait list so that it would CANCEL the WDW reservation if it filled?

 

[Chuck S]

I have no experience with offsite resorts, but I would think, as far the system is concerned, a waitlist is a waitlist, and which resort wouldn't matter.

 

[_auroraborealis_]

I am 90% positive that it works that way. Any other way would be an IT setup issue, and I think we all know how DVC IT is with one-off use cases.

 

[sleepydog25]

The waitlist works the same for all resorts--you can put in a waitlist for any resort at 7 months. That being said, the odds of a waitlist coming through for all your nights at HHI during the summer are extremely poor. It's akin to doing a waitlist for either resort at the Wilderness Lodge during the holidays; it's one of the tougher "gets" out there. We've tried for HHI for five straight years and never had a waitlist come through for summer. We DID manage to snag two separate nights this year by constantly checking what available online--one night in a studio and a second night in a 1BR. Best of luck!

 

[kristenrice]

The waitlist works the same for all resorts--you can put in a waitlist for any resort at 7 months. That being said, the odds of a waitlist coming through for all your nights at HHI during the summer are extremely poor. It's akin to doing a waitlist for either resort at the Wilderness Lodge during the holidays; it's one of the tougher "gets" out there. We've tried for HHI for five straight years and never had a waitlist come through for summer. We DID manage to snag two separate nights this year by constantly checking what available online--one night in a studio and a second night in a 1BR. Best of luck!

I know that the "summer" wait list would be a long shot. The nights we would be looking at would be the first week of June (5-10) since my oldest daughter will graduate high school at the end of May. I don't know what time "summer" season officially starts down there, but for us, any time in June is "summer". I am crossing my fingers that we could luck out and squeak in just before the rush begins. I see that the premiere season's first night is actually June 10 and that would be the day we check out. Of course, this is all hypothetical at this point, but I like to know if my plan is even possible. It sounds like it is, even though it may be a long shot.

 

[bobbiwoz]

I know that the "summer" wait list would be a long shot. The nights we would be looking at would be the first week of June (5-10) since my oldest daughter will graduate high school at the end of May. I don't know what time "summer" season officially starts down there, but for us, any time in June is "summer". I am crossing my fingers that we could luck out and squeak in just before the rush begins. I see that the premiere season's first night is actually June 10 and that would be the day we check out. Of course, this is all hypothetical at this point, but I like to know if my plan is even possible. It sounds like it is, even though it may be a long shot.

 

[CarolynFH]

I know that the "summer" wait list would be a long shot. The nights we would be looking at would be the first week of June (5-10) since my oldest daughter will graduate high school at the end of May. I don't know what time "summer" season officially starts down there, but for us, any time in June is "summer". I am crossing my fingers that we could luck out and squeak in just before the rush begins. I see that the premiere season's first night is actually June 10 and that would be the day we check out. Of course, this is all hypothetical at this point, but I like to know if my plan is even possible. It sounds like it is, even though it may be a long shot.

It’s worth a shot, and if it doesn’t come through you’ll still have a reservation at WDW, right? I’d go for it!