Question from a first-time "waitlister"

[DizGirl20]

I currently have 2 active waitlist requests. Even though I know they are sitting out there waiting, I still like to check a few times a day. Can someone explain how these waitlists work?

It's driving me crazy - I saw 2 out of the 5 days I waitlisted open yesterday. Those days are now gone but the other 3 are now open. Ugh! Should I be grabbing what I can when I see it?!

 

[disneynutz]

IMO you need to do what's necessary to not use waitlists. We bought additional contracts at our favorite resorts after having bad luck. It didn't make sense to spend thousands of dollars to stay at a resort that we really didn't like.

Waitlists are a roll of the dice, the system doesn't work well. Often Disers post that they got their dates on their own by checking availability several times per day.

Bill

 

[rpk1951]

I too am a first time waitlister. I needed 3 nights. The second two were open so I took them and am waitlisted for the first night. I look occaisionally, but not every day and certainly not multiple times a day. If it does not come through I will look at other resorts when I get to 7 months or stay off site for day 1. I am not sure there are other options.

 

[rpk1951]

We usually book at 11 months. This trip was less as we found we had enough points that were going to expire that we added 4 days to a beach trip. Otherwise I do not think I would have needed a waitlist.

 

[tjkraz]

Waitlisting is always a risk. If you had grabbed nights that were available, there is a risk the others would never have opened-up.

The DVC reservation system will only match a wait list request if ALL of your days open-up simultaneously. It does not hold days waiting for more to be freed-up. Unless there is a 100% match, the available days will remain available for other guests to book.

Success usually hinges on specifics. If your trip is 7 months away and you're trying to get 2 or 3 nights in a large resort, you have a high likelihood of success.

But if you're a month away and you hope to get a full week in a small resort (or small room category / view), the odds are slim.

I would never book scattered nights in the middle of my trip. That's not a risk I'm personally willing to take.

But, if the trip is a long one and I find 2-3 days available at either the beginning or end of my stay, I might book those at another resort. Worst case would be a split-stay where I have to change resorts one time mid-trip. And it leaves you with fewer days to place on the wait list for the desired resort.

In 10 years we've used the wait list maybe 6 or 7 times and only once did we not get what was requested. It's not a perfect system but it works fairly well.

 

[LisaS]

I currently have 2 active waitlist requests. Even though I know they are sitting out there waiting, I still like to check a few times a day. Can someone explain how these waitlists work?

It's driving me crazy - I saw 2 out of the 5 days I waitlisted open yesterday. Those days are now gone but the other 3 are now open. Ugh! Should I be grabbing what I can when I see it?!

I don't know for sure how the wait list process works but it seems that it is run as a batch process one or more times a day. Cancelled nights that match an existing WL are not set aside as a reservation is cancelled so it's possible that every night you need for your WL could be sitting there available but your WL will not fill until the next time the WL process is run. Unfortunately for you, someone else can grab those nights online or by calling MS before that happens.

Your best chance at getting what you want is to do the same thing: monitor availability online and if you see any of your nights available, grab them and modify your WL for the remaining nights you need. Be aware that when you modify your WL, you probably go to the end of the list. However since your WL is now for fewer nights your chances of a match increase because your WL has to fill in its entirety.

 

[DizGirl20]

Thanks everyone! This is the first time we have wait listed in 7 years. I always book at the 11 month mark but due to a change in my kids school schedules we had to switch things around at 3 months out. Fingers crossed... Worse case, we're still at a DIsney!

 

[DebbieB]

I had a similar situation last fall. I planned the week of Nov 9, BWV boardwalk view studio. Around September, my boss tells me there is an important work conference that week. So I change my trip to the following week, all I could get was AKV. Then a couple of weeks later, she tells me it is switched to the next week! Nothing was available. I was able to get an AP rate for BWV studio and I waitlisted it for points, 5 nights Sun-Thurs nights. I was checking the website a couple of weeks later and Tues, Wed & Thurs nights were open (garden view). So I booked it and changed the waitlist to Sunday & Monday nights. Then a couple of weeks later, Monday night was open, so I booked it and changed the waitlist to Sunday night only. I didn't touch my AP reservation, waiting to see if the waitlist came through. Less than a week later, about 28 days out, I got an e-mail that my Sunday night waitlist came through and they automatically joined it with the other 2 reservations I had, so I had my 5 nights (they didn't link them, they actually cancelled the other 2 and modified it to one 5 night reservation). Then I cancelled the AP reservation ($284 a night w/tax!). So I had my dates back for points but not my boardwalk view. But that was better than paying all that money for the AP rate. And I ended up with a 5th floor pool view about 4 doors from the elevator, not bad!

 

[gdrj]

- I saw 2 out of the 5 days I waitlisted open yesterday. Those days are now gone but the other 3 are now open. Ugh! Should I be grabbing what I can when I see it?!

I would have grabbed the two days and adjusted wait list. I've past success with that. I also think it would give you a better chance to secure the rest of the nights.

 

[scottashackleton]

My wife and I have tried to use the waitlist system in the past for BW rooms during F&W. Both times, we still continued to check multiple times per day and booked what we could when it was open. Even if the nights are available, the waitlist doesn't always respond quickly enough.

The only thing about altering your waitlist is each time you will be dropped to the bottom of the list.