On the Positive Side of Waitlisting ...

[ChickieToo]

I posted here a month or two ago about being able to get three studios for three nights a BCV during the third week of April, but wanting 5 nights total. The last two nights weren't available so I booked OKW for the two remaining evenings. But we really wanted BCV for the whole of our trip.

I came here to ask opinions about waitlisting, more specifically, if anybody thought I had a snowballs chance of getting three studios for my two remaining evenings during a travel time that is still Spring Break. During my five years of owning I had never waitlisted and quite frankly I was nervous about getting stuck with some rooms coming through for disjointed nights, etc.

The good folks here encouraged me to waitlist one day at a time and to take the days as they became available. I was quite nervous about that, but I was told by those more experienced than I that the chances were great over the next 5 months that my waitlist would come through.

I just want to tell other doubters that it is true: THE WAITLIST WORKS! I got a call a few weeks ago about one night becoming available, for one studio. It wasn't even the next consecutive night to the BCV stay--it was the second OKW night (if you can follow that). Reluctantly I took it thinking "here we go with one night here, one night there ..." Well last night I had a message from DVC to call them back by 5:00 tonight. At 4:40 today I remembered and although I was reluctant to keep taking these one night at a time, I decided I would take whatever they had. Turns out they had all the remaining nights for all the studios!

Just wanted to thank everyone here for encouraging me to do what I thought would be a disaster. I realize that time was on my side and that with 5 months to wait it out chances were better than if I just had 2 months until travel time. Also, I don't know what role the new restrictions and limitation on renting and point transfers played. But based on the advice of the dis community, my husband convinced me to "roll the bones ..." and now I have the vacation I wanted for DH, DD and I, with my extended family.

Thank you,

Joanne

 

[stenogoddess]

That's such good news. I'm so glad for you. I hope y'all have a super wonderful fantastic trip.

 

[mickey mouse lover]

Great news. We'll be down the first week of May. Can't wait. Love, love,love the Beach Club villas

 

[disneyleslie]

I actually did the opposite this time - we had a studio 4/8 - 4/12 and I waitlisted the entire time for a 1 BR and today the whole timeframe became available - I just didn't want to chance having to move this time and we are doing different hotels before and after disney - so this worked too! I've done it the other way on different trips and that works great too! I have had great success with the waitlist!

Leslie

 

[starbox]

Yeah!

I think the key to the waitlist is having a back-up reservation somewhere, so you don't stress.

Then, if you don't mind moving, do day-by-day waitlisting. If you'd rather just stay the same place, even if it's second choice, waitlist the entire thing and auto-confirm.

We've been very grateful for our waitlisting sucess. I've always just viewed it coming through as the 'icing" on my cupcake - but I will say that the WL has given me plenty of iced cupcakes!

 

[ClarabelleCow]

I waitlisted for a 2 bedroom for presidents week, forgot all about it, then went to the members site last week and realized it came through, no notificatin or anything. Worse part is its my fault, I forgot about it, and the other family is not coming with us! so I have a 2 bedrooom for the 4 of us, but no points for our New years trip next year!!

 

[castleri]

Got that call today that gave me my NYE studio. Had been waitlisted for several months and have gone from 2BR to 1BR to studio. Am amazed that I have gotten NYE-1/4 in just the last month or so. Waitlists do work if you are flexible. Now I have 33 points in holding that will just require another trip before August. Isn't that a shame? The pixie dust really worked for us. Now we don't have to change rooms during the last 4 nights of the trip.
Good luck to anyone who is still waiting.

 

[eyeheartgoofy]

I love these waitlist success stories! We love the resort where we bought (VWL), but would also like to try other resorts.

 

[ChickieToo]

OP here. I own at BCV because that's where I want to stay most of the time. I also own at VWL and have never stayed there, and don't think I ever will. I wasn't able to do as starbox suggested and keep the back-up ressie. I didn't have enough points to hang on to the OKW part of my reservation and still take the BCV ressies as they came up as I spent a lot of points on a trip in October. So I was going to have to take ressies for the various nights at the various studios as they came available, and hope that we all didn't end up hopping around. The uncertainty is a daunting thing for someone like me who usually plans these trips at least 8 months in advance. This trip came up within the 5-6 month timeframe, which is last minute to me, at least in terms of staying at BCV, so I knew getting it would be a stretch.

The bottom line is that with time on your side, the system works. People change plans and cancel all the time, and you just have to be on the waitlist to take advantage of that. I still wonder though, if the new enforcement of renting rules freed up any of these points. I guess we'll never know.

 

[LVSWL]

Glad to hear that your waitlist came through. Have a wonderful trip!

 

[Lexxiefern]

Congrats! I have had good luck with the waitlist also. I noticed it works better when you do day by day like you did.

 

[disnutt]