"splain Wait Listing to me, please

[SusieBea]

We have a reservation at SSR; I subsequently called to request OKW for the exact same dates. My understanding is that the only way I will be notified of the success of my wait list request is by periodically checking on the DVC website - calling will not make any difference. Is this correct?

 

[goofy4tink]

We have a reservation at SSR; I subsequently called to request OKW for the exact same dates. My understanding is that the only way I will be notified of the success of my wait list request is by periodically checking on the DVC website - calling will not make any difference. Is this correct?

Yep, that's right. The best way to check is to log on to the DVC site and check your 'vacation details'. That's what I did. It was so nice seeing that my wait list had come through. Calling every other day isn't going to make much difference. It won't make a villa suddenly appear.

 

[chalee94]

some people have reported that they got their waitlist when they called...(maybe the computer doesn't match waitlist requests except at certain times of day?) IMO it's not worth it to call on a regular basis but it has worked in some cases...

 

[Granny]

Yep, that's right. The best way to check is to log on to the DVC site and check your 'vacation details'. That's what I did. It was so nice seeing that my wait list had come through. Calling every other day isn't going to make much difference. It won't make a villa suddenly appear.

Actually, that's exactly what has been reported on these boards over the years many times. People call to check on their waitlist and magically it just happens to be the day something opens up.

I've waitlisted four times (all but one exactly at the 7 month window) and am batting 0 for 4. I don't call to check on them.

Some have speculated that villas become available throughout the day as reservations are cancelled and waitlists are filled on an overnight batch run. So someone calling in gets the cancelled villa since they have a live CM who sees availability and books it before it even makes it to the waitlist.

Disney was supposed to have fixed that issue but I believe it is still being reported from time to time.

Personally, I'm not a fan of calling and tieing up MS to check on waitlists. But then again, I am never that concerned about it since I am always happy to "settle" for my original reservation at my home resort.

 

[disprincessatheart]

Ok, I'm on my first waitlist and have another question. Should I be able to see the WL on the member website or do I just see what I'm booked in and that will update if the WL comes thru? The person I spoke with at MS was very hard to understand and I just want to make sure my WL is really there.

 

[jdg345]

Actually, that's exactly what has been reported on these boards over the years many times. People call to check on their waitlist and magically it just happens to be the day something opens up.

I've waitlisted four times (all but one exactly at the 7 month window) and am batting 0 for 4. I don't call to check on them.

Some have speculated that villas become available throughout the day as reservations are cancelled and waitlists are filled on an overnight batch run. So someone calling in gets the cancelled villa since they have a live CM who sees availability and books it before it even makes it to the waitlist.

Disney was supposed to have fixed that issue but I believe it is still being reported from time to time.

Personally, I'm not a fan of calling and tieing up MS to check on waitlists. But then again, I am never that concerned about it since I am always happy to "settle" for my original reservation at my home resort.

This is my understanding of the process as it stands today.

 

[chalee94]

Should I be able to see the WL on the member website?

no.

do I just see what I'm booked in and that will update if the WL comes thru?

yes.

 

[disprincessatheart]

no.



yes.

Thanks!

 

[Tink-aholic]

Actually, that's exactly what has been reported on these boards over the years many times. People call to check on their waitlist and magically it just happens to be the day something opens up.

I've waitlisted four times (all but one exactly at the 7 month window) and am batting 0 for 4. I don't call to check on them.

Some have speculated that villas become available throughout the day as reservations are cancelled and waitlists are filled on an overnight batch run. So someone calling in gets the cancelled villa since they have a live CM who sees availability and books it before it even makes it to the waitlist.
Disney was supposed to have fixed that issue but I believe it is still being reported from time to time.

Personally, I'm not a fan of calling and tieing up MS to check on waitlists. But then again, I am never that concerned about it since I am always happy to "settle" for my original reservation at my home resort.

I've just done my first waitlist and this doesn't match my experience. Since we were approaching the 31 day cancel-or-points-go-into-holding window, I called every day, sometimes multiple times. I called early yesterday and my waitlist had not come through, but I checked the website in the evening and it had.

Member Services actually suggested that I call multiple times each day. Of course, I was checking for any available villa and could only carry two waitlists at one time.

I placed the request for the waitlist last Tuesday for Christmas week. The final day of the three waitlisted days came through yesterday.

 

[SusieBea]

Well, my wait list did come through, thank you very much. After reading your responses, I did call and was told there was nothing available. Then, about 3 days later and 15 days out from arrival, I checked on my DVC and the reservation had been changed from SSR to OKW. So, I don't know about random pixie dust (or phone calls to MS) but, we were successful. Thanks much for all the info and shared stories.