RAT: Resort Availability Tool

[huskerfanatic7]

Does anyone know how this work? Do rooms open up instantly when reservations are canceled and pass through waitlist or does Disney refresh it at certain times throughout the day?

 

[supersnoop]

It doesn't seem to be real-time, but it's pretty close.

 

[KAT4DISNEY]

It has always seemed real time to me.

 

[ziravan]

Real time but the waitlist is finicky. Sometimes things go straight to the waitlist and sometimes it takes awhile.

Many ppl have had success finding their waitlisted stays by stalking the RAT. In other words, days that should have gone directly to their waitlist were put back into circulation.

Other times, I've canceled reservations where some of the days never showed back up. I assume they went directly to waitlist.

All this to say that things do seem to show back up in real time, but the wild card is the waitlist.

 

[n2mm]

I canceled a reservation last week for sept and I checked the rat right after and my days never made it to the rat, so waitlist grabbed it immediately.

 

[bobbiwoz]

I canceled a reservation last week for sept and I checked the rat right after and my days never made it to the rat, so waitlist grabbed it immediately.

I wish it always worked like that.

 

[wdw4rfam]

I wish it always worked like that.

Exactly. I have found and booked my waitlisted nights twice now before the system caught them.

 

[KAT4DISNEY]

I wish it always worked like that.

Funny thing is that for years I've had a habit of always checking after I cancel and without variance there are a few nights that never show up with every reservation. My assumption is to the waitlist.

 

[bumbershoot]

I canceled a reservation last week for sept and I checked the rat right after and my days never made it to the rat, so waitlist grabbed it immediately.

Or someone stalking got them. There are many of us out there and you never know just who might be looking for something at the same time you're cancelling.

 

[D-Trick]

Is there a possibility that the waitlist has a programming rule to not leave single days? If someone cancels a trip with dates 1-4, but someone is waitlisted for 1-3 or 2-4, it won't pick it up as a single day is not ideal.

Kind of like like reserving seats at a movie theater-- it won't let you leave one seat by itself.

 

[drusba]

Is there a possibility that the waitlist has a programming rule to not leave single days? If someone cancels a trip with dates 1-4, but someone is waitlisted for 1-3 or 2-4, it won't pick it up as a single day is not ideal.

Kind of like like reserving seats at a movie theater-- it won't let you leave one seat by itself.

It is currently an unknown how the system actually works (or does not work). My guess (speculation) is somewhat similar in that it works only with an exact match, e.g., if someone is waiting for one night in the particular type of room and that one night becomes available it goes to fill the wait list; however, if that one night becomes available and the wait list is showing only waits for two nights or more that include that one night, the room goes to regular reservations.

 

[KAT4DISNEY]

Is there a possibility that the waitlist has a programming rule to not leave single days? If someone cancels a trip with dates 1-4, but someone is waitlisted for 1-3 or 2-4, it won't pick it up as a single day is not ideal.

Kind of like like reserving seats at a movie theater-- it won't let you leave one seat by itself.

Highly unlikely and would not make any sense for a points system that allows individual days to be booked.

 

[cvjw]

I don't think it is automatic. I have stalked and reserved too many hard to get reservations at very busy times for it to be automatic. I booked a Jambo concierge studio for the week after Christmas a couple weeks before the trip. I have grabbed Poly studios for early December twice when they have been booked for months. I just recently grabbed a VGF studio for 9/29 and a CCR studio for 10/7 last week - those dates have been booked solid for a while.

I think it is run at certain times per day. If you are diligent and lucky, you can grab some great villas before the waitlist grabs them.

 

[KAT4DISNEY]

I don't think it is automatic. I have stalked and reserved too many hard to get reservations at very busy times for it to be automatic. I booked a Jambo concierge studio for the week after Christmas a couple weeks before the trip. I have grabbed Poly studios for early December twice when they have been booked for months. I just recently grabbed a VGF studio for 9/29 and a CCR studio for 10/7 last week - those dates have been booked solid for a while.

I think it is run at certain times per day. If you are diligent and lucky, you can grab some great villas before the waitlist grabs them.

That assumes that every room has a waitlist running for it. I think there are a whole lot of people who never waitlist - especially for the hard to get rooms. Or they do an all or nothing waitlist making it more unlikely to fill as it has to match up perfectly.

Concerning getting the concierge room 2 weeks before check in I also think most people will have a waitlist end at 30 days out so the closer in the less likely there's a waitlist running against a room. And again, the length and exact dates would have to match.