Waitlist--has this ever happened to you?

[TLinden16]

I was on a waitlist for one night in a studio at the Boardwalk. I have been calling every few days to see if anything opened up at one of the other resorts (I had a room booked at Saratoga, but didn't really want to stay there).

Anyways, when I called up this morning, the cast member was going through the other resorts, and said, "It doesn't look good." Then she said, "Oh, I do have a room at the Boardwalk." I said, "I have that down as a waitlist."

I know for sure that I was on the waitlist--I had called the other day, and the cast member told me I was on the waitlist without me even saying anything.

So basically, I got the room by calling, and that room didn't go to me via the waitlist. I don't know exactly how the waitlist works, but wouldn't that room have been set aside to see if someone was waitlisting for it before going into the inventory? Or do they check the waitlist against the inventory say once a day to see if anything opened up for people?

I'm happy that I got the room, just a bit confused that it didn't go to the waitlist.

Karen

 

[TCPluto]

The way I understand it:

I call and cancel a reservation in the morning. You make a new call to member services and request that exact reservation. Since I cancelled it earlier in the day, it is available in the system and you can get it.

If it goes the day with out being reserved, it goes to the waitlisted guests.

Apparently it has to do with how they track the waitlist in the computer and how/when they "run" the current waitlists. I've heard it said that they run the waitlist in the evening.

This would seem to explain how you are on the waitlist, not notified of a vacancy, but call to find one. When it is cancelled in the system, it doesn't autmatically search for requests on the waitlist, so a new caller could find it available before it ever reaches the waitlist.

Doesn't seem right, but it does seem to make sense.

 

[TLinden16]

That's kind of what I figured happened, TCPluto. I'm glad I called and got it though Nothing like being able to roll back from my room after a night at Jellyrolls.

 

[bobbiwoz]

Yesterday, the 18th, I called for my December reservation. As soon as we cleared up the membership business, something must have popped up on the screen and the CM said that my waitlist has come through. This was for a SV studio for October 22nd. It was on automatic waitlist, and one day had already come through without any contact from me at all. I do not understand how the waitlist works, but it has come through for me more often than not.

Bobbi

 

[jekjones1558]

This would seem to explain how you are on the waitlist, not notified of a vacancy, but call to find one. When it is cancelled in the system, it doesn't autmatically search for requests on the waitlist, so a new caller could find it available before it ever reaches the waitlist.

That is disappointing. Seems unfair to waitlist folks and encourages OC people like me to bug MS everyday!

 

[BethA]

That does not seem fair!! I am on the waitlist for a day we couldn't get--the 19 of Feb--already have air!
I asked do I need to call back and they said no--now at 30 days I could have missed it by not calling!! We'll be sleeping in the car

should I give up at 30 day window?

 

[Dean]

Remember the wait list gets wiped clean at 30 days and started new. Then it totally is gone at 7 days out. I guess I don't know how they do the wait list from a tracking standpoint. Do they do it manually or is it tracked by computer?

 

[jdvm]

The same thing has happened to me several times. I don't know the exact mechanics of the waitlist system but I'll bet it's one of those things that's easy to describe but darned near impossible to get to work the way everyone would want it to. Maybe it only checks once per day, for example. So I never rely exclusively on the waitlist system. I couple it with periodic phone calls. Don't be too hard on the system.

 

[loribell]

The only experience I have had with the waitlist was for a day in the middle of a trip to VB a couple of summers ago. I kept calling back to check with nothing available. One day I called and the CM said nothing was available but asked me to hold while she tried to find something. When she came back she had a room for me. The only thing I could figure was that she got permission to pull an unbooked room from the WDW's inventory because we were only about 2 weeks out from our trip time.

Lori

 

[TLinden16]

That does not seem fair!! I am on the waitlist for a day we couldn't get--the 19 of Feb--already have air!
I asked do I need to call back and they said no--now at 30 days I could have missed it by not calling!! We'll be sleeping in the car

should I give up at 30 day window?

I was well into my 30 day window when I made this call. I'd suggest calling--it worked for me. I called every two or three days.

 

[BethA]

Since I never used the waitlist before I forgot it got wiped out at 30 days!! I'll be calling first thing this morning--thanks!

 

[Dean]

I was well into my 30 day window when I made this call. I'd suggest calling--it worked for me. I called every two or three days.

Had you gone back on the wait list at exactly 30 days? Everyone should remember that at 30 days it's a totally new wait list and has nothing to do with the order of the wait list previously. So those on the wait list should call at exactly 30 days FROM EACH DAY to get on the list again and be as high up the list as possible.

 

[dianeschlicht]

Dean, that makes the whole wait list thing even more complex than I was expecting it to be! I just can't imagine how they could make this system work easily.

 

[TLinden16]

Had you gone back on the wait list at exactly 30 days? Everyone should remember that at 30 days it's a totally new wait list and has nothing to do with the order of the wait list previously. So those on the wait list should call at exactly 30 days FROM EACH DAY to get on the list again and be as high up the list as possible.

In my case, I went on the wait list within 30 days. I was confirmed on the waitlist last week when I called to make a reservation for December--the cast member commented on it without any prompting from me.

 

[BethA]

I actually did not have to wait on hold this morning. The CM said someone had already continued my waitlist for me. She said there is someone constantly working the waitlist-that it is not a once a day thing. I hope we are able to get something, but with it being a busy week I am not feeling good about it!!

 

[Dean]

Dean, that makes the whole wait list thing even more complex than I was expecting it to be! I just can't imagine how they could make this system work easily.

Not really, you just have to understand how it works.

 

[BethA]

I got a call today that a 1 bedroom opened up for the 19th--we are booked at SSR for a 2 bedroom for the first three nights. Took the 1 bedroom and hope a 2 will show up instead. The CM said I should get something since i am at the top of the list--we'll see. Thanks for reminding me to call to get on the list today.
Beth

 

[Sammie]

That is disappointing. Seems unfair to waitlist folks and encourages OC people like me to bug MS everyday!

I agree and now that this has been reported on the Net, I am sure many will call.

 

[Alexander]

I got a call today that a 1 bedroom opened up for the 19th--we are booked at SSR for a 2 bedroom for the first three nights. Took the 1 bedroom and hope a 2 will show up instead. The CM said I should get something since i am at the top of the list--we'll see. Thanks for reminding me to call to get on the list today.
Beth

We'll keep our fingers crossed for you! At least you got a 1 bedroom!