New Waitlist Policy as of 6/1

[nuttylawprofessor]

According to member services, as of 6/1 all waitlist requests will go to an automatic confirmation system.

I got the info when MS called to ask if we wanted the WL studio we waitlisted for.

 

[keishashadow]

ALL existing waitlists going to automatic

or

NEW waitlists booked on or after June 1st?

 

[dbriggsq]

I tried to book BCV for 1-5 Oct today (switching from OKW)- no luck of course but I was told that if I waitlisted I would automatically be switched without being called if a match became available.

 

[CarolMN]

I think this is going to generate lots of complaints for those who don't have enough points to hold a back up reservation while waiting for a waitlist to come through.

For example, I'm not convinced that the auto waitlist system is robust enough to cancel days and reuse the points without creating problems. And I don't think it will be robust enough to handle getting points from more than one contract for a reservation.

I also think it will encourage more members to call daily to check on waitlists rather than wait to see what happens.

Won't it discourage members from waitlisting more than one resort for the same time frame? Can you imagine the messes that this could cause someone who isn't quite sure how it all works? YCK!

If this new mandate really happens, I am vey, very glad that I bought where I want to stay. IMHO, this mandate is going to make day by day waitlisting for the smaller resorts less popular ! Well maybe that means less will do it and so it will be easier to get a whole vacation via waitlist. We'll see.

 

[icydog]

I think this is going to generate lots of complaints for those who don't have enough points to hold a back up reservation while waiting for a waitlist to come through.

For example, I'm not convinced that the auto waitlist system is robust enough to cancel days and reuse the points without creating problems. And I don't think it will be robust enough to handle getting points from more than one contract for a reservation.

I also think it will encourage more members to call daily to check on waitlists rather than wait to see what happens.

Won't it discourage members from waitlisting more than one resort for the same time frame? Can you imagine the messes that this could cause someone who isn't quite sure how it all works? YCK!

If this new mandate really happens, I am vey, very glad that I bought where I want to stay. IMHO, this mandate is going to make day by day waitlisting for the smaller resorts less popular ! Well maybe that means less will do it and so it will be easier to get a whole vacation via waitlist. We'll see.

What happens to a waitlist already in effect. I have a waitlist for Nov that I do not want filled unless they call me. Will that become automatic now, and if it does can I cancel it. In other words will my waitlist be grandfathered. Is this written anywhere?

 

[Dean]

I think this is going to generate lots of complaints for those who don't have enough points to hold a back up reservation while waiting for a waitlist to come through.

For example, I'm not convinced that the auto waitlist system is robust enough to cancel days and reuse the points without creating problems. And I don't think it will be robust enough to handle getting points from more than one contract for a reservation.

I also think it will encourage more members to call daily to check on waitlists rather than wait to see what happens.

Won't it discourage members from waitlisting more than one resort for the same time frame? Can you imagine the messes that this could cause someone who isn't quite sure how it all works? YCK!

If this new mandate really happens, I am vey, very glad that I bought where I want to stay. IMHO, this mandate is going to make day by day waitlisting for the smaller resorts less popular ! Well maybe that means less will do it and so it will be easier to get a whole vacation via waitlist. We'll see.

I'm sure they'll worth that out either by asking you upfront how to handle it or to have it kicked out so they'll call you manually in those situations. What an automated system would do would be to look at multiple scenarios. Say I have X and want Y, you have Y and want Z and someone else has Z and wants X. An automated system should be able to do the round robin or at least alert MS to the situation so they could check with all parties.

 

[granmanh603]

What happens to a waitlist already in effect. I have a waitlist for Nov that I do not want filled unless they call me. Will that become automatic now, and if it does can I cancel it. In other words will my waitlist be grandfathered. Is this written anywhere?

Please explain why you wait list something you don't want???????

 

[snyderla]

I called today and booked OKW but waitlisted for BCV and was asked if I wanted automatic confirmation or wanted to be called first. I asked to be called first.

Lori

 

[ilovefh]

Please no flaming...I have an honest to goodness question! For those of you that like to be called about the waitlist what are your reasons for that? I've never really thought about it and I'm curious as to what others have to say. I always book whatever is available and then waitlist for what I really want, but I know I'll go whether the waitlist comes through or not. I'm not flaming anyone at all just curious since I've never really thought about it.

 

[DVCAmy]

I like to know before having it go through because we travel with a larger group so if 1 waitlist comes through we have to make sure all the details can work out. The example I used on the Mousellaneous board is our trip this Oct. We are nooked for 2 2BR and 1 studio at SSR but waitlisted a GV at OKW. we would only switch to the GV at OKW if we could also have 2 other studios there to accomodate everyone in our party. It also gets more confusing because some of the rooms are through my points and some through my sisters. Automatically changing to your waitlist could really screw us up and leave us at different resorts.

Amy

 

[ilovefh]

I like to know before having it go through because we travel with a larger group so if 1 waitlist comes through we have to make sure all the details can work out. The example I used on the Mousellaneous board is our trip this Oct. We are nooked for 2 2BR and 1 studio at SSR but waitlisted a GV at OKW. we would only switch to the GV at OKW if we could also have 2 other studios there to accomodate everyone in our party. It also gets more confusing because some of the rooms are through my points and some through my sisters. Automatically changing to your waitlist could really screw us up and leave us at different resorts.

Amy

Amy-

Thanks for the response! I'm glad I asked! This will be our first year traveling with two sets of DVC points since my parents bought in this year. That is something I probably would not have thought about! If we had two rooms I'd like to know that both could be booked and not have one be booked automatically and the other not have the waitlist come through!

 

[BroganMc]

Not sure I like that policy at all. When I've waitlisted before (for VWL last Dec), I got called a couple days later with news it was available. The catch was no one checked with special services first to see if a roll-in shower HA room was available. I had MS check that (discovered the answer was no) and declined the wait list. If it's automatic, I run the risk of losing my booked HA room to a computer!

 

[dbriggsq]

I wasn't told I had the option of being called first. The lady just said there is now a new policy which means that when a match is found your reservation is automatically changed - no option of being called first.

 

[alldiz]

Please explain why you wait list something you don't want???????

Please no flaming...I have an honest to goodness question! For those of you that like to be called about the waitlist what are your reasons for that? I've never really thought about it and I'm curious as to what others have to say. I always book whatever is available and then waitlist for what I really want, but I know I'll go whether the waitlist comes through or not. I'm not flaming anyone at all just curious since I've never really thought about it.

My 1st DVC trip is a perfect example....
I booked a few months ago.....for 5-22 to 5-29....
Only thing available was SSR....my last choice....

I put anything else on waitlist....

After reading up on SSR....I got really excited to go there.....
We will be there memorial day weekend.....we are not going
to the parks.....I thought SSR would be a great place to hang...
I figure with DTD so close.....we do a lot of resort dining
and will take advantage of the buses at DTD....

Enter free dining.....Booked a trip for 3 nights at BCV before free
dining starts....then I switch to POFQ...

MS asked do I still want my waitlist for may
I forgot I was on auto....I am brand new DVC member though....

I planned my whole trip around being at SSR...I didnt want
to change...Glad it didnt come through....

Anyway....I'm glad to be at SSR in May...
and happy to go to BCV in Aug.....with a great pool.
Sorry that was long
Kerri

 

[VrBchJ]

I called MS yesterday to wait list for WLV in Dec. I have a BWV reservation for the same days. I asked to be called if WLV came thru. MS said all wait lists will be auto confirm and original reservation will be cancelled at the same time. We don't have the option of being called. I foresee many problems with this as the system now seems to be run. I agree it will be more important than ever to buy where you want to stay.

 

[joelly2103]

Ok, I am on a wait list for an add on reservation at either VWL, OKW, SSR for the first week in December. I asked to be called when it is available.

I see possibly that things could get messed up. I want to keep my original reservation and add the studio for more people going. Well we are willing to take first available. I know that they told me that would put me on each list. First call I get is the room we take.

So if it is automatic, will they take the points immediately - without confirmation. If it is keyed in wrong they might even cancel my original reservation.

hmmmm....sounds like there is a possibility for problems. I hope they have it figured out completely before they introduce it.

 

[sk8belle]

Uh-oh. If they are automatically canceling original reservations, this may be a problem for families who have mutiple people on a contract. I think there're a few of us who co-own with family members.

My mother and I have the same name, different middle initial, and are on the same contract. We sometimes head to WDW for the same time period and do tell the CMs which one of us it is when making our ressies. However, we've occasionally had to waitlist one of our ressies due to lack of availability at the preferred resort. With the new policy, wouldn't we run the risk of having ALL original confirmations canceled? This has happened to us before. Only by pure luck did I discover that my reservation had been canceled in error before heading down to WDW. By even better luck, I managed to get another reservation last minute!

 

[Robo-Daddy 3000]

I'm new to DVC but I think there must a reason why they are instituting this change to the waitlist policy. Is it possible they are trying to cut down on too many people on multiple waitlists? Perhaps too this will cut down on people who have no intention of using the vacation club except as a way to make money for themselves.

 

[lisareniff]

Please no flaming...I have an honest to goodness question! For those of you that like to be called about the waitlist what are your reasons for that? I've never really thought about it and I'm curious as to what others have to say. I always book whatever is available and then waitlist for what I really want, but I know I'll go whether the waitlist comes through or not. I'm not flaming anyone at all just curious since I've never really thought about it.

I have an example from our last trip....

We reserved BCV for Pres. Week (popular time) and then wanted to change to a split stay at VWL(5nights) and BWV(3nights) at 7 months. By calling day-by-day got the first 4 nights at VWL but had to waitlist for the 5th night. I decided to not to call day-by-day for the 3 nights at BWV, but all at once since we were already booked at BCV and one move was enough. I waitlisted for those three nights in all three BWV views.

This is the part that I would need a call back about.... I also waitlisted for that 5th night of our trip at BWV that I wasn't able to get at VWL, but I only wanted that IF I gotten the other three nights AND I hadn't gotten the VWL night. Also I wouldn't have wanted my waitlist canceled at VWL for that night since that was were I orignally wanted to stay. I don't know if I could do that type of working the waitlist with an automatic confirm system.

BTW it did take that one night at VWL a loooonnng time to come through.

 

[tjkraz]

This is 100% speculation but I wonder if part of this isn't an attempt to increase waitlist success.

Up until now, it's my understanding that whatever program manages the waitlist system was only run once per day. Around 3-4PM they would run this program which tries to match newly-cancelled rooms with waitlist requests. DVC would then proceed to adjust bookings and contact people who asked to be notified first.

The downside was that this process left holes in the system. A room freed-up by a cancellation at 10am could get taken by a new caller before the waitlist program was run.

I wonder if perhaps they won't try to process the waitlist multiple times per day now. If they are, I can see where personally contacting people would be very cumbersome, yet the new system would have its benefits.

That's just speculation, though.

In another thread someone mentioned that members would only be able to waitlist for one additional resort at a time. Can anyone confirm that change? Personally I've always felt it was a little unfair to allow members to be on the waitlist for multiple resorts at a time. That's kinda like keeping a foot in every grocery store checkout line simultaneously. Pick one and if you decide you want to try and switch again later, you're free to do so.