New Waitlist Policy as of 6/1

[lisareniff]

I think it would definately speed the waitlist up. Not having to call, leave a message and wait for the return call will make things move sooo much quicker. I hope your right Tim, about it being more automatic and 'filling in the holes' quicker. I'm all for a fair system. I just hope it is robust enough to handle qualifications that members wish to put on the waitlist confirmation. I think multilple waitlists are fine. What if you just want any room for your vacation?? You need to waitlist for all of the resorts/views.

 

[Starr W.]

I wouldn't be surprised if this was to cut down on the inbound calls to MS, how many calls fielded per day were to check on a waitlist vs. making or changing a reservation(non-waitlist issue).

Perhaps it has something to do with the booking patterns at the resorts, so you don't call in and find you can get the 1st 2 days of your trip and the last one, but the middle 2 are missing.

I have no problem doing the auto, it worked for us(cancelled existing, booked new and borrowed 13 points for the new one).

Now I think you'll be able to do multiple resorts, but will I think it will match the first one of your multiple resorts, if that is how it is set up, that comes available(that's how our auto was set up).

 

[DVCAmy]

It's funny I don't see it as decreasing the calls to MS each day I think it may increase the #. For a party like mine where automatic doesn't work I will now be calling every day to see if what I want is available instead of letting the system check and them let me know. So each day I will call to see if a GV opened up and if so then checking to see if there are the studios I also need at that resort and then change my reservation. If not I will have to call back tomorrow. What a pain!

Amy

 

[keishashadow]

In my case, I am waitlisted for 1 extra night @ WL, which would result in borrowing from the next UY...

Since I've got 2 homes (WL & BW) how would MS know which contract I want to borrow from to complete this ressie since my trip is slightly over a month away? BTW I selected the option to WL up to 7 days prior.

To the question as to why would you need a call to determine if you still want the room:

In our case we're booked @ the Royal Pacific for 3 nights after our Disney tirp. Their policy is that you must 1st cancel the existing ressie; then entirely rebook it if eliminating or changing dates. If my AAA rate is not available @ that time; i don't plan on rebooking @ rack rate for 2 nights and wouldn't need the extra night @ WL --- savy? I'm sure there are lots of other situations too.

Doesn't seem right to change the process mid-stream for those who have been waiting and not send a general email (or written info) indicating the change in policy...not as though DVC doesn't send out mountains of marketing material on a regular basis.

 

[tjkraz]

Doesn't seem right to change the process mid-stream for those who have been waiting and not send a general email (or written info) indicating the change in policy...not as though DVC doesn't send out mountains of marketing material on a regular basis.

Did anyone say for sure that they ARE changing the process mid-stream? All I have seen are reports of people getting different info with new waitlist requests.

Perhaps someone with a vested interest should call and find out what DVC has to say about the handling of existing requests.

 

[Merylj]

I hope this isn`t totally off topic - but can you view waitlist requests online?
We`ve got 19 days this Nov/Dec and so far got 3 resorts booked and wait listed for other days - but it would be nice to double check our waitlist requests. I feel I can only harass MS so much!

 

[disneynutz]

I hope this isn`t totally off topic - but can you view waitlist requests online?
We`ve got 19 days this Nov/Dec and so far got 3 resorts booked and wait listed for other days - but it would be nice to double check our waitlist requests. I feel I can only harass MS so much!

You can't view them online yet. I have been told by several DVC managers that they are aware of our frustrations with the MS website. They tell me that they are currently working on additional upgrades.

 

[barbarabini]

somewhere along the way, i did here that they updated the waitlist once a day, thereby indavertently allowing new callers to snag rooms that waitlist people wanted. Hence, my 50,000 phone calls to MS re: is there availablity in the resort I want, (even though i was waitlisted). On 3 occassions, I was able to get rooms that i wanted, -- even though i was never contacted my the waitlist people.

I think they are instituting this as a way to cut down on calls. However, my vacations require an algorithm to figure out because we travel with 10-14 people each trip, 3-4 rooms or larger rooms, under the same set of points, so who the heck knows what they will cancel.

 

[icydog]

Since I have a waitlist going for a grand villa at the BWV but I already have one reserved for OKW and I don't know if my friends want to pay more for the reservation I will simply cancel it. It was going to be a big surprise but with the new policy the surprise would be on me. I have to cancel the waitlist tomorrow. I just wrote it into my calendar.

 

[Dean]

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!

In this situation I could see where the long standing principle contact would come into play. I think people are over reacting until we know more. I believe that these concerns many people have will be easy to control under the system. II uses a similar system. If they mess up they can cancel the match and put you back at the same place in line. You're only risk is the units that might have matched in the interim.

 

[keishashadow]

Did anyone say for sure that they ARE changing the process mid-stream? All I have seen are reports of people getting different info with new waitlist requests.

Perhaps someone with a vested interest should call and find out what DVC has to say about the handling of existing requests.

I plan on playing dumb (quite good @ it) mea maxima culpa ; until i see it in writing from DVC i'm sticking my head in the sand...

and that's my final answer

 

[Goofy's apprentice]

Previously we were always on auto confirm but MS set it that the original would not be cancelled. They must still have this option because if they didn't...what if you actually did want two rooms at different resorts since you were with a group and not all were staying at the same resort? We have travelled with friends where our reservation is at BWV's and theirs is at OKW, both on our contract.

Perhaps someone else has already asked them this question? I did skim through this thread quickly (as the panic started to mount!) so I may have missed the answer. My apologies if that is the case.

 

[DVC4US]

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.

According to what I was told yesterday you could still waitlist for multiple resorts but whichever one came available that is the one you would get and then the other waitlist would be cancelled. If you still preferred the waitlist that was cancelled you could then call and do another waitlist for that resort. For example: I have a reservation in Nov at SSR with a waitlist for BWV and BCV. If the BCV comes available my reservation would be switched and then the waitlist for BWV would be cancelled. If I really preferred BWV I could then call back and do another waitlist for BWV.

I have two reservations that were made before June 1st(both with waitlists) so I will try to call tomorrow and see if those are included in the new policy or if this goes into effect for reservations made after June 1st.

 

[sk8belle]

Just got off the phone with MS and had a great chat with the CM about the waitlist while making a new ressie. I explained to her my concerns about potentially getting canceled by mistake (see my previous post), and she said that a note can be put on the reservation that is waitlisted as to which reservation number should be canceled if the waitlist comes through.

She also mentioned that the new policy is being instituted in order to speed up the waitlist. Apparently, they were calling people who had waitlisted ressies, only to be told that the members didn't want the ressie after all. MS is hoping the new system will encourage members to not waitlist reservations unless they really want them.

 

[pilk706]

We called last week and was given the option for automatic waitlist or a call first... maybe someone is giving out bad info over the phone???

 

[sk8belle]

No, they are definitely going to auto confirm as of June 1. I think it's just right now we still have the option of getting called first.

 

[granmanh603]

I made ressie last week for 3 weeks in Oct (only place available was SSR) but still was missing 2 days , 2 separate Thursdays and was put on wait list for both of them No option given to call me, only if I wanted be kept on wait list up to 30 days or 7 days before reservation. I already have both days .....looked on site and checked ressie. No call from them to let me know. Very easy.

 

[icydog]

I just got off the phone with MS and this is what I was told. The waitlists I have in effect before May 31st will still be handled in the same way as before. That is, they will call first if that is how you set it up and they will fill it in automatically if you wanted that option.

As of June 1st, 2007 any reservation (made on or after that date) will be made with the new automatic fill process of automatically giving you your first choice on the wait list.

They will no longer call on Reservation made After JUNE 1st, 2007

They will however continue with the old waitlist policy for resorts waitlisted before June 1st. So the last reservation under the grandfathered waitlist policy will be for the night of May 30th of 2008.

 

[DVC Mary]

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.

Ok, that makes sense except what if you are waitlisted multiple places?

I've got 2 nights at BCV & I'm waitlisted for the other days I want.

I'm also on a waitlist for the entire trip BWV.

I'm also on a waitlist for the entire trip for VWL.

How does this work for me? Will they have me staying at possibly 4 different resorts during my one stay, if rooms become available in diferent places??

I'm so confused......

 

[icydog]

Ok, that makes sense except what if you are waitlisted multiple places?

I've got 2 nights at BCV & I'm waitlisted for the other days I want.

I'm also on a waitlist for the entire trip BWV.

I'm also on a waitlist for the entire trip for VWL.

How does this work for me? Will they have me staying at possibly 4 different resorts during my one stay, if rooms become available in diferent places??

I'm so confused......

If you have already placed these properties on a waitlist it will not affect you. It would only affect someone who made a similar request AFTER May 31, 2007. Your waitlist requests (the ones already on the books as of May 31st) will be handled exactly as they have been in the past.