New wait-list process designed to improve Member experience

[Disneyville]

Well for us, we called 11 months out at 9:00am to book a standard 2 bedroom at the Boardwalk and it was not available. Second choice was Boardwalk view and again not available. Booked a preferred view and was told to call the following day as there were standards available for the 28. When I called the next day, the standards were gone. Now we're on the wait list 11 months out. I also have a waitlist for April. Haven't booked anything for the summer as we don't have our dates yet but I hope it is available because I have used up our waitlist allotment!

 

[Simba's Mom]

This is probably totaly OT to this thread, but one of the unintended consequences of such a change would to make it much more difficult for those who fly to book at 11 months out. On many airlines, flights don't get posted until 330 days out, so it may be a week or 2 after your 11 month window before the return flight can be booked. And of course, these dates are much later if you like to fly SW. -- Suzanne

Exactly the situation I now find myself in with SW and 11 month booking. I booked BCV at 11 months for the F&W. When SW's schedule comes out, I may find arriving at WDW and leaving a few days off of what I reserved is much cheaper. I expect to have to go on the waitlist. Umm, I wonder how that's going to happen-last year only my last choice of resort was available (I had to do a similar thing) and I think I had about 8 waitlists going, so many choices would be preferable to me-4 at AKV, 4 at BWV, and 1 at BCV.

 

[OneMoreTry]

You are exactly right in how to get what you want. I was one of those members who used to call and book my reservation day by day 11 months out during the holiday times. It was very time consuming but I did get what I wanted. When they changed the rule to allow you to book a complete week from the first day of your stay, I thought what a great idea!
Well, I called Member Services at 9:00am on January 27th to book my week stay beginning December 27th, I was surprised to find out December 27 wasn't available. I didn't understand how this was possible but after thinking about it, anyone who booked the previous week and overlapped the week I wanted took from inventory.
My thought process for next time is to book a week 6 days before my desired date and then call back each day to add a day at the end and then cancel a day at the beginning until I get what I want. It's just like booking day by day but working under the new guidelines. Wish there was an easier way!

I called the same time and got a room at OKW, but I guess it would be very unusual not to get OKW at 11 mos even at that time of year. My dates included NYE. I don't know what NYE OKW reservations were like last night -- Jan 31.

I think the REAL consequence is that reservations will still be dog-eat-dog, every man for himslef, alls-fair-in-love-and-war, just with different rules.