New DVC member with waitlist question.

[D2the5]

We are brand new DVC members and joined early this month. My DD and I are looking at a short trip for along weekend beginning Nov. 11. We are waitlisted for a studio. Our home resort is BLT but since that is so busy I decided to waitlist for BWV and AKV. We are flexible so if it comes through great, if not, "sigh". Are they resorts that you are more likely to get when wait listed for a last minute trip?
This was my first call to MS, so I wasn't even sure where to start. I was willing to wait list anywhere but I had to choose 2. I would welcome any pointers.

Another question, MS said that if I got reservations it would show up online before I received an email. Where online? Under view vacation details?

Thanks from a newbie.

 

[DisneyTravelers2008]

We seem to always have luck getting in at SSR...it never hurts to call member services and asked what else they have....

I think AKV can be hard to get into....I would seriously conseider changing one of your wait lists to SSR...it is a big resort so they have lots of rooms

 

[*Meagan*]

But once you change the waitlist you go back to the bottom of the list!

OKW seems to come through a lot.. but Im not a huge fan of OKW. We are SSR owners and really like it.. last time I called though not the same dates.. there was not a single place available even SSR... But it does not hurt to try. November 11th is not very far away.. are you booked at bLT?

 

[D2the5]

No, we are not booked at BLT. There was no studio available anywhere so it was a wait list no matter what we chose. I picked BWV because we have always wanted to stay at BW and AKV because they had availability for one night. I did not take the one night because I didn't want to end up with one night and then somewhere OOP. If the wait list comes through we will go if not we will stay home.

 

[jekjones1558]

BWV is not one of the biggest resorts, so that may not have been the best option. Rather than change your waitlist and go to the bottom of the list, your best bet might be to keep the waitlist you have and just keep calling (every day, if you can, even multiple times a day) to see if you can get a room at any resort. There is definitely a luck factor involved with waitlists. There may be a lot of people ahead of you on the list but if a room becomes available it needs to be an exact match for dates/resort/room size/view, so you might get lucky even at one of the smaller resorts.
Regarding checking: Yes, check "Vacation Details" and if you see a reservation, you are a winner.
Welcome Home , and welcome to the DIS!. Here's some pixie dust that your first trip home will happen on Nov. 11!

 

[tjkraz]

If you want to get a room and don't care where you are, I would waitlist for SSR and OKW (the non Hospitality House category.) Those are undoubtedly the two most likely to come available on short notice.

BoardWalk has 3 separate booking categories (views) and AKV has 6 that I can think of. Out of those 9 combinations, DVC will only waitlist you for two. The two you selected will play a big role in determining your success.

BWV Garden / Pool view and AKV Kidani Savanna View have the most units available. Those would maximize your odds.

If you are waitlisted for something like BWV BoardWalk View or AKV Concierge, you have almost zero chance of getting anything.

You could always waitlist OKW/SSR now and if you get something at one of those two locations, call back and start a new waitlist for AKV/BWV.

 

[D2the5]

Thanks for the pointers and the pixie dust. Next time I will remember SSR & OKW for wait listing. I will hold the places I have and see what happens. Maybe I will get lucky. My guide checked in with us this week. He seemed to think that there was a good chance. Then again what else could he say.

I will know either way in 12 days. It all started with a wish.

 

[jekjones1558]

One other point regarding waitlists: I assume that you were asked if you wanted to stay on the waitlist until 7 days before your visit. MS asks this because the other option is for the waitlist to expire at 31 days out. Also, all waitlists expire 7 days out, so if you can still go at that point it is REALLY helpful to start calling every day. All vacancies due to cancellations that are 7 days or less from checkin will go to the lucky person who happens to call. Good luck!

 

[D2the5]

Thanks again for the info. It is interesting to think about calling. All the DVC info asks that you not call after placing a wait list.

Since we are flexible I will call if I have no luck after my wait list expires 7 days out.

 

[Deb & Bill]

You can only waitlist for two types/locations of villas. So you cannot be waitlisted for BLT, BWV and AKV. There are three booking categories at AKV, two at BWV and three at BLT for a total of eight. Six too many.

If I were you, I'd waitlist OKW (non-HH location) and SSR. Those will give you the best possibilities of anything coming through.

 

[jekjones1558]

All the DVC info asks that you not call after placing a wait list.

It had been reported numerous times on these boards that MS has ENCOURAGED members to call if they need to fill a waitlist!

 

[castleri]

I called today hoping to get a studio or 1BR at OKW or SSR for 12/5. The only availability was for AKV standard view at Jambo which I took. I am now waitlisted for the other two so you can't count on SSR or OKW being the ones most likely to be available. I know this is a really busy time for DVC so was just happy to get anything. The last trip we took I got BWV SV when I couldn't get BCV, BLT or AKV (Sept trip) when we booked less than 4 months out. I am also hoping to get to HH next week as a stopover on our drive down to out winter home but at present the only thing available is a 2BR or GV for Wednesday. I will be calling MS daily hoping that someone will cancel a studio since it will be just two of us but if not maybe we will take the 2 BR. I am hoping to be able to plan further ahead in the coming year so I can avoid being on a waitlist again.

 

[TisBit]

I called today hoping to get a studio or 1BR at OKW or SSR for 12/5. The only availability was for AKV standard view at Jambo which I took. I am now waitlisted for the other two so you can't count on SSR or OKW being the ones most likely to be available. I know this is a really busy time for DVC so was just happy to get anything. The last trip we took I got BWV SV when I couldn't get BCV, BLT or AKV (Sept trip) when we booked less than 4 months out. I am also hoping to get to HH next week as a stopover on our drive down to out winter home but at present the only thing available is a 2BR or GV for Wednesday. I will be calling MS daily hoping that someone will cancel a studio since it will be just two of us but if not maybe we will take the 2 BR. I am hoping to be able to plan further ahead in the coming year so I can avoid being on a waitlist again.

I think people are advising that they are the most likely, an opening could pop up anywhere...it just depends on where that person was booked and if there was a pending wait list. OKW and SSR are the largest resorts and are generally easiest to book, so just by odds alone they are most likely to have a cancellation or have someone fulfill a waitlist elsewhere and the opening to roll over to one of those two resorts.

If I were trying to get a room ANYWHERE, I would waitlist these two resorts, plus call as much as possible checking availability elsewhere.....

 

[D2the5]

I am still wait listed for Nov. I have been calling, but it does seem that things are solidly booked. I did go ahead and book for the end of May at BWV. If my Nov wait list does not come through I will try to upgrade my May reservations since I won't have used those points in Nov. Then I am planning for October 2011 and January 2012. Thanks for all the advice.

I have become a regular visitor to the boards. But I am still trying to get the hang of the abbreviations.