My waitlist dates were available online

[Gymbomom]

Okay, so I waitlisted Nov. 12-19 yesterday at BCV studio because Friday and Saturday were sold out.
So, I just happened to look today around 1:00 to just check and was shocked to see the dates open online!!!! Look at waitlist and it still shows as waitlist(???)

So, I call member services and modify from BWV to BCV - it was still available when I called.

I am super excited, but so confused as to why my waitlist didn't come thru.

 

[Breyean]

This has been noticed a few times. A few months back, I was cruising online booking and found a the whole first week of July in a studio open at VGC. I grabbed a few days and posted a thread here that there were other days still open. That week had NOT been available for a long time since I had been checking each day for it.

Another member saw my post and thanked me because he grabbed a few more of the available dates, but he also commented that he had that week on a wait list, yet it didn't fill. He only got the days because they were there online for the taking.

A few days ago someone had the exact same situation and had a thread about it. Found days online available when he was waiting for a wait list to fill for those dates.

This is really just a new variation on the stories people have been posting forever about how they have a wait list, call MS and ask about it, and be told by a miracle the request just filled.

My theory is when someone cancels a reservation, the room shows as available immediately both online and what MS can see. BUT I bet the wait lists are only run vs the open rooms as a batch a few times a day, or maybe even at night. So a room can be canceled and stay open for some time before someone calls for it or books it online. Only if it's STILL open when the wait list comparison is run against open rooms would the wait list fill.

Even a couple of days ago, I canceled one night on a weekend during F&W at VWL. All the days before and after were completely booked. I checked back a few hours later and that room was still open on the online system. I have to believe SOMEONE had a wait list for that night, but maybe not. But I think it fits the pattern people are noticing here, which is following the same pattern as what we saw before online booking, except now it's more obvious.

 

[wishicouldgomoreofte]

Yes, I have had that happen twice now since online booking started.
Saw it online, and had a waitlist, so it should have filled my waitlist before going available online. Called, got the waitlist filled, but the CM could not answer why it didn't fill automatically. (Either they don't know, or aren't allowed to tell. I suspect the first. I think CMs are kept in the dark about alot of things intentionally. Too many of them, if they knew, something would slip and could get misinterpreted or misreported, etc.)
I believe they must only run once, overnight, to fill the waitlist matches.

 

[Gymbomom]

That does make sense, not overly fair....but maybe they will change the program at some point to make it fair.

 

[CarolMN]

T....(snip)......My theory is when someone cancels a reservation, the room shows as available immediately both online and what MS can see. BUT I bet the wait lists are only run vs the open rooms as a batch a few times a day, or maybe even at night. So a room can be canceled and stay open for some time before someone calls for it or books it online. Only if it's STILL open when the wait list comparison is run against open rooms would the wait list fill........

This is my theory as well. It best explains all the various reports we've heard about waitlists. I also wonder if MS can see some inventory that we can't and vice versa.

 

[Breyean]

This is my theory as well. It best explains all the various reports we've heard about waitlists. I also wonder if MS can see some inventory that we can't and vice versa.

I find it interesting how since the advent of online booking, the tone of reports has changed. I used to read very happy posts about getting a wait list filled by a random call to MS to follow up or inquire, which was typically, "Yea, I got my wait list while on the phone with MS!" .

Now, with the inventory sitting there for us to see, the curtain has been pulled back, and people are seeing their wait lists not filling while others are getting those dates by booking online at the right time. So now, the tone is, "Heck, I had a wait list and so and so just posted SHE got MY room."

But that's most likely how the system always worked, and we just didn't know about it, so we thought it was pixie dust when MS just happened to find the room to fill our wait list just as we were on the phone with them. Really, what were really the odds of that happening, anyway? And so often?

I also wonder, if this theory is correct, what the effect will be on getting wait lists filled. I mean, if open rooms sit all day on the online system for us to book directly, the people on the wait lists have another layer to wade through before they can can their room request.

A little bit of knowledge...

 

[Sammie]

Actually I think Wait list is only run once a day, so yes if you are waiting on a room it is a good idea to check online periodically.

 

[XGrumpy1]

Thanks for the info. I never would have thought about the dates becoming available if someone was wait listing the same dates.

 

[bbluvsdis]

I had the same thing happen a few weeks ago when I found my waitlisted room available online. I grabbed the room online and called MS so they could cancel a night so I could have the points for booking the new room. The CM told me that when a waitlist room comes up the system "holds" the room until the waitlist can be manually booked. I have a feeling that is not really the case based on what I am hearing here unless multiples are coming available at the same time.

 

[palhockeymomof2]

We had a wait list filled in the middle of the day....I had checked in the morning and we had a AKV standard studio booked....when I looked around 2pm our wait list for a savanna view had been filled

 

[disneynutz]

My understanding is that the matches are alerted by a software program, but the reservations are changed/made by CM's.

There are too many complicated situations for a software program to handle, borrowed points, hold inventory, cancel only certain dates, etc.

Bill

 

[garnet1240]

Had the same thing happen to me few weeks back. Wait listed a day in the middle of our ressie. Looked on line next day and room was available...my wait list was still active and not filled. I booked it, then called MS to link the confirmations together. I asked the CM as well... she had no clue why it didn't fill but said she has been seeing it happen...

Its all timing I guess. Glad you got your dates you needed!

 

[CarolMN]

I had the same thing happen a few weeks ago when I found my waitlisted room available online. I grabbed the room online and called MS so they could cancel a night so I could have the points for booking the new room. The CM told me that when a waitlist room comes up the system "holds" the room until the waitlist can be manually booked. I have a feeling that is not really the case based on what I am hearing here unless multiples are coming available at the same time.

We had a wait list filled in the middle of the day....I had checked in the morning and we had a AKV standard studio booked....when I looked around 2pm our wait list for a savanna view had been filled

My understanding is that the matches are alerted by a software program, but the reservations are changed/made by CM's.

There are too many complicated situations for a software program to handle, borrowed points, hold inventory, cancel only certain dates, etc.

Bill

This is my understanding of how the waitlist process works. I think it explains all the reports we have seen over the past several years:

Someone cancels their reservation.

The nights go back into inventory immediately. They are available to be booked by either MS or online.

A batch run is done (probably once per day during the overnight hours). Matches are put into a "MATCH FILE" At this point, the nights are no longer in the inventory available to MS or online.

A CM works the "MATCH FILE" & actually makes the reservation - as Bill says, there are too many variables for the system to do it automatically.

CMs work the waitlist "MATCH FILE" as they have time. Phones come first. The "MATCH FILE" is worked so that the matches of those who have stays coming up sooner get worked before those whose stays are farther in the future.

When those members who called and "miraculously" got their waitlist, one of two things happened:

1. The nights needed were in the inventory (cancellation came in and batch run not scheduled to run until later).

2. The match was already in the batch file, but not yet finished by a CM. The CM who answered the call happened to check the "MATCH FILE" (not all take the time or know how to do the work). That CM did the "finish" work & made the reservation. This is the most likely explanation for the "miracles".

Editorial/Opinion: If enough members complain about the batch process, perhaps DVC will change it to a real-time process. However, there is little or no financial gain to the system/members as a whole to spend the money to "fix" this. I do not look for it to change anytime soon. It's good enough & gets the job done. Tough to get waitlists still come through, so not everything is snapped up the instant it goes back into inventory. Very little about DVC reservations is perfect. And everyone's definition of "fair" is different.

 

[crisi]

My understanding is that the matches are alerted by a software program, but the reservations are changed/made by CM's.

There are too many complicated situations for a software program to handle, borrowed points, hold inventory, cancel only certain dates, etc.

Bill

Although it wouldn't have been hard to have a status of "holding" in addition to "booked" and "available." Cancelled rooms would go into "holding" until whatever waitlist processes exists were run against those days - then "released."

Anyone watching has known for a long time that if you call in at the right moment, you slip in before a waitlist request. You can't tell me that in August there isn't a waitlist for Boardwalk View over F&W for pretty much every night, but every so often someone will post that they called and got that room. The only conceivable reason is that cancellations go straight to the availability pool without taking a trip to a hold status to see if there is someone waiting.

 

[tjkraz]

Yes, it has always been a batch process. My understanding is that the matches are made more than 1x per day but not in realtime (as cancellations occur.)

If a realtime process was used, the main issue would be that longer duration wait list matches would be nearly impossible. With a batch process, multiple cancellations can be pooled to meet longer duration trips.

For instance, imagine I am wait listed for 7 nights AND I am first in line on the waitlist. Someone else cancels 6 of those nights. With the current batch process, if a second member cancels that 7th night before the batch is run, all of my dates are then available and my wait list is fulfilled.

However, if everything was done in realtime, the 6 cancelled nights would not match my trip and would drop to someone else further down on the wait list. The only way my dates would ever be matched is if a single cancellation matched my exact wait list request.

Neither approach is perfect. All I can say is that the wait list process has worked quite well for me over the years. We'll have to see if that holds up now that people can pop online 20 times per day and see if anything has opened up before the batch is run.

 

[Canadian Disney Mom]

I was told by a CM last week that the wait list program is constantly running and as soon as a reservation is cancelled, it is automatically snapped up by any outstanding wait lists before the room hits the available inventory.

I know for a FACT that she was wrong - I had the same thing happen to me as the OP. I did not feel like arguing with her though.

Right now I am booked at AKV Kidani on July 5 but we really want Jambo. I have it wait listed, but I still check availability online multiple times a day because I figure I will likely see an available room before the wait list picks up.

I have had success with wait lists in the past though!

 

[Scoobypop]

Same situation here, with a slight variation. I was waitlisted for a few nights in Oct, but continued to check it every day. Miraculously, I saw all my nights suddenly become available online. I called MS because I wasn't sure exactly how the whole cancel/change/use extra points thing would work online. MS said she did NOT see it available on her end, and didn't know what I was looking at. I hung up and went ahead and booked it myself online, and got the whole week I was wanting. I had the theory that it was going to be my wait list and would have happened at the end of the day, since I was seeing it, and she wasn't. But now not exactly sure of the process, just glad I was able to book it after all.

I'm continuing to check daily online for another wait list as well.

 

[Mamiamjo]

We had a waitlist for 3 nights (Wed-Fri) in June for my In Laws to join us at BCV. We booked them an available room at BWV and waitlisted either a studio or 1 bedroom at BCV.
After a couple of weeks I found availablility online to get them BCV for two days, but not the first day. I called MS and made the changes to the ressie and adjusted the waitlist to be for either a Studio or 1Bd at BCV for Wed.
I have continued to check online almost every day to see if any availability showed up, but usually only the Friday night would be available (or nothing at all). Then, this afternoon, I checked and to my surprise all three days were available in both a Studio and a 1 Bd. I noticed that my waitlist didnt come through, so I called MS and had them make the change. She must have apologized 4-5 times that the Waitlist didn'y pick up the availability, saying that it "should have picked it up automatically, as soon as the room became available".
Whether that's true or not, I don't know, but she sure seemed to think so.
Anyway, I am very happy to get my ressie the way I wanted, but caution anyone that has a waitlist to not rely on it going through automatically if it becomes available.

 

[2binak]

We had 1 night in the middle of our 2011 BWV stay waitlisted. A month or so later we decided rather than wait it out, we would just do a split stay with AKV so I called MS to make the change. AKV savannah views were booked and then the CM said, "do you not want to stay at BWV for the entire week?" I told her that we did, but that 1 night was waitlisted. She said, "Well, there's a room matching the rest of your stay available. Do you want me to book it" She was surprised that the system didn't assign that room to a waitlist as soon as it became available. Now we know to constantly check any waitlist you might have.

 

[Canadian Disney Mom]

I am driving myself crazy checking for July @ AKV Jambo. I check at least 10 times a day. DH thinks i am a nutjob