Stalking Fatigue- anyone else?

[chicagodisneyguy]

Well, my first time having to "stalk" took 46 minutes to find what I needed We are doing a 4 night trip over Labor Day next year and tried for a STD studio at BWV. Got beat yesterday for the first night of our trip but was able to get the last 3 nights this morning at 8am. I then proceeded to wear out the refresh button on my computer while drinking my coffee. Around 8:45am one of the walkers must have woken up because the Friday showed up. As much as I think Disney IT is terrible, it is nice to be able to modify a reservation online...turning my 3 nights into 4 and not having to waste time calling in to merge two reservations together. If only FOP & SDD fastpasses were this easy!

 

[Sandisw]

Well, my first time having to "stalk" took 46 minutes to find what I needed We are doing a 4 night trip over Labor Day next year and tried for a STD studio at BWV. Got beat yesterday for the first night of our trip but was able to get the last 3 nights this morning at 8am. I then proceeded to wear out the refresh button on my computer while drinking my coffee. Around 8:45am one of the walkers must have woken up because the Friday showed up. As much as I think Disney IT is terrible, it is nice to be able to modify a reservation online...turning my 3 nights into 4 and not having to waste time calling in to merge two reservations together. If only FOP & SDD fastpasses were this easy!

I have to agree. While the online tool made it easier to walk reservations...and IMO, more and more people are doing it because it is so easy..., it makes is also very easy to check and change things. I have had the same luck with not being able to get something and then a short time later, it showing up because people adjusted what they had booked that I wanted!

Congrats!!

 

[bumbershoot]

So I absolutely know in my situation it was a minimum of 3 weeks+ to complete the manual match. YMMV.

That’s absolutely ridiculous of their system. Yikes.

 

[n2mm]

Got my one night waitlist for Saturday nov 16 at Bwv standard studio. Thought no way.....esp during F&W. I managed 2 weekends at Bwv in November. 3 nights were from stalking and one night waitlist. I’m doing a cruise in the middle.

 

[heapmaster]

After a conversation with MS about my complex reservation and waitlist process im doing and the match I got, it appears that the waitlist system does work without any issues. When someone cancels their reservation for the dates you have waitlisted and all days match the system searches right after the cancellation for any waitlists to fill, so if yours matched and no one is ahead of you with the same search then you will get a fulfillment. The reason the CM has to make it into a reservation is there has been complications corner cases in the past (and like the one im doing now) that the system cannot automatically handle such as the system taking the points from where its suppose to take them under certain conditions and cancelling one reservation for another, so a human doing it is safer for odd corner cases. For mine, they put notes into the waitlist so the CM that makes it into a reservation can do what I want correctly. I wish it would right away show you in your DVC area at least something like "Pending Reservation" so we know it matched but is waiting for a CM to push it to a reservation.

 

[js]

After a conversation with MS about my complex reservation and waitlist process im doing and the match I got, it appears that the waitlist system does work without any issues. When someone cancels their reservation for the dates you have waitlisted and all days match the system searches right after the cancellation for any waitlists to fill, so if yours matched and no one is ahead of you with the same search then you will get a fulfillment. The reason the CM has to make it into a reservation is there has been complications corner cases in the past (and like the one im doing now) that the system cannot automatically handle such as the system taking the points from where its suppose to take them under certain conditions and cancelling one reservation for another, so a human doing it is safer for odd corner cases. For mine, they put notes into the waitlist so the CM that makes it into a reservation can do what I want correctly. I wish it would right away show you in your DVC area at least something like "Pending Reservation" so we know it matched but is waiting for a CM to push it to a reservation.

I can tell you first hand and so can a few others that the system isnt flawless. There have been multiple times last January as well as this September where I had a date WL and through stalking got my day even though the WL was sitting right in my Dashboard. If you do a search in this thread as well as last December with my UN you will see. Good luck with your WL. Many people het their rooms that way and I hope it works for you!

 

[heapmaster]

I can tell you first hand and so can a few others that the system isnt flawless. There have been multiple times last January as well as this September where I had a date WL and through stalking got my day even though the WL was sitting right in my Dashboard. If you do a search in this thread as well as last December with my UN you will see. Good luck with your WL. Many people het their rooms that way and I hope it works for you!

Did you call MS first before cancelling the waitlist to see if it matched? You will see a room pop up in the RAT if two rooms come up for availability, the first room will be held by your waitlist even thorough it will show in your dashboard and the second room will appear in the RAT, this is my testing via cancelling (room shows up in RAT that wasnt before), RAT shows room then I book it and it disappears and then reappears in RAT when I cancel, waitlisting (cancelling room, room doesnt show up in RAT and MS says watilist got it) and watching the RAT.

 

[Sandisw]

Did you call MS first before cancelling the waitlist to see if it matched? You will see a room pop up in the RAT if two rooms come up for availability, the first room will be held by your waitlist even thorough it will show in your dashboard and the second room will appear in the RAT, this is my testing via cancelling (room shows up in RAT that wasnt before), RAT shows room then I book it and it disappears and then reappears in RAT when I cancel, waitlisting (cancelling room, room doesnt show up in RAT and MS says watilist got it) and watching the RAT.

That hasn’t happened yet for me. Got the room I wanted, booked, and then canceled the waitlist. Went back in and there was no availability for what I had wanted. So, if a room had been held for my waitlist, it was not released back when I canceled the waitlist.

 

[heapmaster]

That hasn’t happened yet for me. Got the room I wanted, booked, and then canceled the waitlist. Went back in and there was no availability for what I had wanted. So, if a room had been held for my waitlist, it was not released back when I canceled the waitlist.

Ya the room popping up after a waitlist cancel can take a while (even next day), I dont think its as instant as cancellation or not completing a booking when the room is held during the form fill out of the RAT, that I have seen.

 

[Sandisw]

Ya the room popping up after a waitlist cancel can take a while (even next day), I dont think its as instant as cancellation or not completing a booking when the room is held during the form fill out of the RAT, that I have seen.

Maybe it does take a while but if that is the case, one would not know if it was from a canceled waitlist or simply someone else canceling.

While it certainly can happen, most do not have a clear cut way of knowing for sure that some of the rooms get released before a wait list matches. It happens too often that people get rooms via stalking to say that somethings waitlist don’t work perfectly!

All I know is that I am happy we have the option now to do both!

 

[js]

That hasn’t happened yet for me. Got the room I wanted, booked, and then canceled the waitlist. Went back in and there was no availability for what I had wanted. So, if a room had been held for my waitlist, it was not released back when I canceled the waitlist.

Ditto.

 

[n2mm]

Stalking won yesterday for me. I had a waitlist and saw my day. I added the day to my reservation and canceled my waitlist. no availability after I was done. Normally the waitlist has been winning. Of course, don’t know what is going on behind the scenes. Maybe hold was released and it went to someone else.

 

[bobbiwoz]

Stalking won yesterday for me. I had a waitlist and saw my day. I added the day to my reservation and canceled my waitlist. no availability after I was done. Normally the waitlist has been winning. Of course, don’t know what is going on behind the scenes. Maybe hold was released and it went to someone else.

This is just encouraging me to check more often!

 

[PeterPanFan123]

I believe in signs. On a recent business trip to Florida, I passed on the highway this "Mickey Head" connecting power lines (see photo) and decided that maybe I should bother MS for the 15,000th time about our pending waitlist for the last remaining day we need to complete a continuous trip without moving. So I contacted MS via chat and the CM said, I'm sorry, I can't confirm via chat, but please call MS and they can "double check this information." Hmmm...interesting response since MS had previously confirmed a waitlist for me via chat. So I called MS and got a disproportionately grumpy CM to my celebratory and losing-it self...THERE WAS A MATCH!! I can't tell you how happy I was! All those hours of stalking just flashed before my eyes, but it was all worth it because I took an enormous mistake I made (remember I booked the wrong week? I know, I know ) and turned it into the vacation our family originally intended. And isn't that the whole point of stalking? (or waitlisting for that matter). You just want to build a trip and a memory with your loved ones. I can't thank you all enough for giving me great advice; sharing your own situations; and commiserating with me when you were also frustrated with stalking. The Dis family is the best, especially this DVC group.

For those of you still stalking and/or waitlisting and just as an FYI, out of our 10 night vacation, I had 3 nights; since February I stalked and booked 5 nights; and waitlist came through for 2 nights. And on the 56th day out from our arrival, I got our last day through waitlist. The take-away...please don't give up!! We're visiting after Thanksgiving into the first week of December (a very busy DVC time) and all things are possible with some serious and dedicated stalking! Good luck everyone!

 

[emchen]

Got my one night waitlist for Saturday nov 16 at Bwv standard studio. Thought no way.....esp during F&W. I managed 2 weekends at Bwv in November. 3 nights were from stalking and one night waitlist. I’m doing a cruise in the middle.

I will being doing something similar in the Spring. Just curious, how did this affect getting fast passes? ...having a cruise in the middle.

I've read the suggestion to obtain tier 1 FPs on park days towards the end of your vacation first. Then work backwards toward the 1st day. That's because of the nature of rolling FP reservation window-openings. Are you able to treat your cruise in the middle as continuation of your WDW visit and reserve tier 1 FPs on the last day(s) following the cruise or does that become a separate visit?

 

[n2mm]

I will being doing something similar in the Spring. Just curious, how did this affect getting fast passes? ...having a cruise in the middle.

I've read the suggestion to obtain tier 1 FPs on park days towards the end of your vacation first. Then work backwards toward the 1st day. That's because of the nature of rolling FP reservation window-openings. Are you able to treat your cruise in the middle as continuation of your WDW visit and reserve tier 1 FPs on the last day(s) following the cruise or does that become a separate visit?

it was hard to get some FP. Since my days were to relax it was ok. I never got FOP even at 61 days out. I did manage slinky dog, but days later when I was checking and one popped up. I still keep checking fop for just 1, but no

 

[wdwsue]

We decided in September to go to Disney after Christmas for New Year's. We were able to piece together a two bedroom at OKW and a one bedroom at OKW, the only problem was some were by hospitality house and some were not. I have been stalking multiple times a day to get all the reservations the same. I looked this morning and they had a Grand Villa available for 2 nights. While I was trying to decide if I should change my reservations my daughter told me that 5 of the 6 nights were available. I immediately called member services and was able to cancel my previous reservations, which was booked under two different contracts with borrowed points. I then was able to book the 5 nights that were available in the grand villa. While I was on hold the 6th night popped up so I immediately grabbed that. When the cast member got back on the line with me she was able to link all the reservations so we do not have to move. Boy did we get Disney Magic today,

 

[js]

I believe in signs. On a recent business trip to Florida, I passed on the highway this "Mickey Head" connecting power lines (see photo) and decided that maybe I should bother MS for the 15,000th time about our pending waitlist for the last remaining day we need to complete a continuous trip without moving. So I contacted MS via chat and the CM said, I'm sorry, I can't confirm via chat, but please call MS and they can "double check this information." Hmmm...interesting response since MS had previously confirmed a waitlist for me via chat. So I called MS and got a disproportionately grumpy CM to my celebratory and losing-it self...THERE WAS A MATCH!! I can't tell you how happy I was! All those hours of stalking just flashed before my eyes, but it was all worth it because I took an enormous mistake I made (remember I booked the wrong week? I know, I know ) and turned it into the vacation our family originally intended. And isn't that the whole point of stalking? (or waitlisting for that matter). You just want to build a trip and a memory with your loved ones. I can't thank you all enough for giving me great advice; sharing your own situations; and commiserating with me when you were also frustrated with stalking. The Dis family is the best, especially this DVC group.

For those of you still stalking and/or waitlisting and just as an FYI, out of our 10 night vacation, I had 3 nights; since February I stalked and booked 5 nights; and waitlist came through for 2 nights. And on the 56th day out from our arrival, I got our last day through waitlist. The take-away...please don't give up!! We're visiting after Thanksgiving into the first week of December (a very busy DVC time) and all things are possible with some serious and dedicated stalking! Good luck everyone!

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Fabulous!!! So, so happy for you and I remember when you made the mistake thinking Thanksgiving was a week earlier LOL
Great work!

 

[PeterPanFan123]

Fabulous!!! So, so happy for you and I remember when you made the mistake thinking Thanksgiving was a week earlier LOL
Great work!

Thank you!

 

[DSLRuser]

booked 4 months ago .....my stalking git me what i wanted 5 days from check in. keep looking.