Wait list option

[studog100]

I currently have a reservation at Saratoga (home resort) starting Dec14. Well I called early this morningat 9am hoping to get Day 1 since the 7 months window starts today. I wanted to switch to VWL (studio) and do this daily until all days are at VWL.

Well at 9:01am, there were no availability for Dec 14 in a studio. I was put on a wait list for that day.

Here's my question. Should I call daily and get put on a waitlist for each day not available or wait until May 24 to call and get on waitlist for my entire stay. A part of me says do it all at once that way I am safe. Another part of thinks that if I do it daily, my odds are better to pick up my all my days eventually before i go. It just seems to me that the likelihood of someone canceling and I get a 10 day block is not likely. But if I broke it out daily, I could. I dunno.

Anyone ever face this question? Am I making sense?

 

[LVSWL]

There is a December waitlist thread that you might want to look at to get a better idea about what your odds are. That is a very busy week with DVC that you would be waiting on. I agree that you might not want to have to move back and forth between resorts. VWL is also the smallest resort and the most requested during the holiday season. Good luck whatever you decide!

 

[goldenears]

I went back and forth with this same decision for my trip. I agree with you, your chances are probably better of getting your waitlist if you do a day by day waitlist, but as you mentioned, all of your days might not come through and then you would have to end up switching resorts. If there are plenty of SSR studios available for the time that you are going you could try the day by day and if it didn't work out you could switch back to SSR, but something tells me that SSR is also pretty booked for the time you are going.

 

[LVSWL]

I thought about my reply some more. If it were me, I would cancel the one day waitlist that you have and only waitlist for the ENTIRE time. Otherwise, you might get that one day, and have to move. I wouldn't try day by day, based on what I have been reading on the waitlist thread about this time. Good luck, and have a great trip!

 

[BirdsOfPreyDave]

This is really a matter of personal preference. Which is more important to you: not having to move mid-stay, or getting to try a different resort?

If you're going to try day-by-day bookings, you do run the chance that you're going to hit a day or two that isn't available. Then you're faced with the possibility that the days you've already changed are no longer available at the original resort. Day-by-day gives you a better chance of getting what you want, but opens you to the possibility of having to switch resorts mid-stay (or even multiple times in a stay).

If the prospect of having to pack up bags and change rooms or resorts isn't an issue, than I'd say go for the day-by-day and waitlist the days you can't get. (You need to judge the inconvenience of how many moves you'd have to make in the worst case if none of your waitlist requests come through.)

If one move doesn't sound bad, but you don't want to make multiple moves, call day by day until you hit a day that isn't available. Then, instead of booking day by day from that point on, alter your waitlist request day by day instead. So, for example, if you call for Sunday, Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday and are able to successfully get the new resort, but then Thursday isn't available, go on the waitlist for Thursday. On the next day, call back and add Friday to your waitlist request (even if Friday is available to be booked). Do the same for Saturday. This may make it a little less likely that those last days will come through on the waitlist, but ensures that you don't have to change resorts for one night, then move back again the next day.

If you only want to unpack your bags once for the trip and not move at all, a day-by-day booking may not be the thing for you. Give the waiting list a shot with an all-or-nothing request and simply enjoy your home resort if it doesn't come through.

 

[SuzanneSLO]

So, for example, if you call for Sunday, Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday and are able to successfully get the new resort, but then Thursday isn't available, go on the waitlist for Thursday. On the next day, call back and add Friday to your waitlist request (even if Friday is available to be booked). Do the same for Saturday. This may make it a little less likely that those last days will come through on the waitlist, but ensures that you don't have to change resorts for one night, then move back again the next day.

It has been reported on this board that if you waitlist for a block of days, but add each day at the 7 month window, you have the same priority for your WL as if you waited until the check out day of the last day. This makes sense because otherwise your WL priority would be based on reserving at some day before the 7 month window (for which presumably you were not eligible).

As a result, once you need to waitlist for one day, you might as well wait and call back to MS only once to WL for all remaining days. Otherwise, I thought BOPDave's strategy sounded good. Best of luck -- Suzanne