Waitlist not clearing even though room available?

[muppets3d]

I feel like the waitlist matching is an automatic process as rooms are released (that's an easy computer science problem), but they must be manually processed by a MS cast member because there are logic checks when fulfilling the waitlist that are difficult to automate. Maybe it's something they do between calls or chats.

I have had the experience in the past that shortly after I get off the phone for an unrelated issue with MS, I get the email that a waitlist has matched and my stay has been booked. So perhaps while on the phone with the MS cast member, they noticed my waitlist had matched but was waiting to be processed so they went ahead and pushed it through.

 

[Disfamwa]

I feel like the waitlist matching is an automatic process as rooms are released (that's an easy computer science problem), but they must be manually processed by a MS cast member because there are logic checks when fulfilling the waitlist that are difficult to automate. Maybe it's something they do between calls or chats.

I have had the experience in the past that shortly after I get off the phone for an unrelated issue with MS, I get the email that a waitlist has matched and my stay has been booked. So perhaps while on the phone with the MS cast member, they noticed my waitlist had matched but was waiting to be processed so they went ahead and pushed it through.

They definitely manually process a waitlist after a match. At least a couple of times I’ve been on the phone with member services for something unrelated and then at the end of the call they tell me a waitlist has matched and ask if I would like them to process it.

 

[VGCgroupie]

Had a WL setup, never cleared, was actually about to cancel it. Just randomly noticed it was available to book.

 

[Flash_Sloth]

Had a WL setup, never cleared, was actually about to cancel it. Just randomly noticed it was available to book.

Congrats that you found the room you wanted to book. However, it is really disappointing that the waitlist system is so dysfunctional that you had to grab it manually. I have had a waitlist match in the past, so the waitlist system isn't completely broken, but it really needs some improvement.

 

[VGCgroupie]

Congrats that you found the room you wanted to book. However, it is really disappointing that the waitlist system is so dysfunctional that you had to grab it manually. I have had a waitlist match in the past, so the waitlist system isn't completely broken, but it really needs some improvement.

I’ve had one match in the past but it’s been a very long time.

 

[airjay75]

Just adding. I recently had two different nights waitlisted in June for a RIV 2 BR Preferred Lock-Off. Found the days on my own before the waitlist came through. That said, after I secured the room and cancelled the waitlist, the room was still available in both cases. So, could well be that more than one room had opened up and that my WL had already pulled the room and was just waiting for MS to process it.

Just impossible to know how it works. I do wish we knew, for certain, whether there was actually a benefit to stalking the website. It could be that we're all wasting our time and that the WL would come through anyways OR, perhaps, it really is a way to snag a room and potentially jump in front of others on the WL. In the absence of knowledge, I suspect most of us will keep stalking the website when there is a WL we really want to come through.

 

[VGCgroupie]

Just adding. I recently had two different nights waitlisted in June for a RIV 2 BR Preferred Lock-Off. Found the days on my own before the waitlist came through. That said, after I secured the room and cancelled the waitlist, the room was still available in both cases. So, could well be that more than one room had opened up and that my WL had already pulled the room and was just waiting for MS to process it.

Just impossible to know how it works. I do wish we knew, for certain, whether there was actually a benefit to stalking the website. It could be that we're all wasting our time and that the WL would come through anyways OR, perhaps, it really is a way to snag a room and potentially jump in front of others on the WL. In the absence of knowledge, I suspect most of us will keep stalking the website when there is a WL we really want to come through.

Maybe they pulled CM that fulfill waitlist matches over to help with ROFR

 

[Pinnochio]

I've never had a waitlist come through... so who knows...

I've had more luck with stalking...

Same!

 

[Sandisw]

Just adding. I recently had two different nights waitlisted in June for a RIV 2 BR Preferred Lock-Off. Found the days on my own before the waitlist came through. That said, after I secured the room and cancelled the waitlist, the room was still available in both cases. So, could well be that more than one room had opened up and that my WL had already pulled the room and was just waiting for MS to process it.

Just impossible to know how it works. I do wish we knew, for certain, whether there was actually a benefit to stalking the website. It could be that we're all wasting our time and that the WL would come through anyways OR, perhaps, it really is a way to snag a room and potentially jump in front of others on the WL. In the absence of knowledge, I suspect most of us will keep stalking the website when there is a WL we really want to come through.

This has happened way too many times for me that I definitely think there are matches more than one knows.

I just wish they would find a way to change to pending. But, until then, stalking is the way!!

 

[Psymonds]

from this thread I'm feeling lucky that my WL matched in like 2 weeks earlier this year. LOL. I've also had waitlists never fill.

 

[Road_Dog]

I'm curious if there is a real difference between setting up a 1-night waitlist vs a waitlist that will modify a 4-night into a 5-night stay. Is it not functionally the same thing?

Example:

I had a 5-night stay booked at Aulani from 5/23 to 5/28. The real dates I wanted were 5/22 to 5/27 (already had flights booked months earlier, had a great deal compared to the other dates).

It was recommended to me on this forum to book the single night (5/22) as a 1-night reservation. However, I didn't have enough points to do that. I needed to modify my 5-night to the dates I wanted. Alternatively, I was told to just book the 4-nights and keep a waitlist for the 1-night. It prompted the question of "what is the difference?" Because all that's actually happening is I'm dropping 5/28 for 5/22.

I did end up getting the 5-days I wanted, spent about 2 weeks on the waitlist once the 7-month window opened. Assuming I just got caught by some walkers for a little bit. I stalked heavily and never saw the opening, so I was happy the waitlist worked as intended.

 

[VGCgroupie]

I'm curious if there is a real difference between setting up a 1-night waitlist vs a waitlist that will modify a 4-night into a 5-night stay. Is it not functionally the same thing?

Example:

I had a 5-night stay booked at Aulani from 5/23 to 5/28. The real dates I wanted were 5/22 to 5/27 (already had flights booked months earlier, had a great deal compared to the other dates).

It was recommended to me on this forum to book the single night (5/22) as a 1-night reservation. However, I didn't have enough points to do that. I needed to modify my 5-night to the dates I wanted. Alternatively, I was told to just book the 4-nights and keep a waitlist for the 1-night. It prompted the question of "what is the difference?" Because all that's actually happening is I'm dropping 5/28 for 5/22.

I did end up getting the 5-days I wanted, spent about 2 weeks on the waitlist once the 7-month window opened. Assuming I just got caught by some walkers for a little bit. I stalked heavily and never saw the opening, so I was happy the waitlist worked as intended.

This is a great question.

 

[CarolynFH]

I'm curious if there is a real difference between setting up a 1-night waitlist vs a waitlist that will modify a 4-night into a 5-night stay. Is it not functionally the same thing?

If you WL only the one night, when that one night becomes available your WL will fill.

If you WL a 5-night stay, even if you set it to "replace" the 4-night stay, my understanding is that the WL will not fill unless all 5 nights become available. I could be wrong about that, but if I needed only one night, I'd set up a 1-night WL.

 

[Road_Dog]

This is a great question.

Yes, because I currently have a waitlist set up for 1-night in a Deluxe Resort view at Poly. It's supposed to be a 5-night stay, so the rep booked me the 4-nights and waitlisted the 1-night, and if it's succesfully they'll "link them together". And I asked, "why not just set up the waitlist to modify into a 5-night stay from my 4-night? Is it not effectively the same thing?" and the rep didn't really give a clear reason why she didn't set it up this way, she just seemed convinced that 1-night waitlists come through much more often than doing it my way. But again, I don't think it makes sense.

 

[Road_Dog]

If you WL only the one night, when that one night becomes available your WL will fill.

If you WL a 5-night stay, even if you set it to "replace" the 4-night stay, my understanding is that the WL will not fill unless all 5 nights become available. I could be wrong about that, but if I needed only one night, I'd set up a 1-night WL.

But even their own booking system doesn't support that logic. Let's say an entire week is booked up. And I have 4 of those nights and I'm waiting for a waitlist on a 5th night at the frontend. If I go in to "modify" my 4-night reservation, it will show me availability for the 4-nights I have booked. That's because I currently have them, so of course it shows me that those 4-nights are free, whereas it wouldn't show that same availability to someone else searching. The reason it shows them as being available is (I'm assuming) the system will let me adjust this down to a 3-night or smaller stay.

So by that logic, no matter what since I already have the 4-nights booked, as soon as the 1-night on the front-end becomes available, the system should be able to convert it to a 5-night stay just as easily as simply adding on a 1-night. Unless I'm missing something!

 

[CarolynFH]

So by that logic, no matter what since I already have the 4-nights booked, as soon as the 1-night on the front-end becomes available, the system should be able to convert it to a 5-night stay just as easily as simply adding on a 1-night. Unless I'm missing something!

Yes, maybe it does work that way, but I personally wouldn't want to take the chance that I'd lose that one night. And of course you remember that Disney IT logic (programming) doesn't always match what we consider logical!

 

[Brian Noble]

So by that logic, no matter what since I already have the 4-nights booked, as soon as the 1-night on the front-end becomes available, the system should be able to convert it to a 5-night stay just as easily as simply adding on a 1-night. Unless I'm missing something!

The Waitlist is not a modification of an existing booking. It is a new booking that can optionally replace an existing booking.

If you are worried about the linking thing, you can have Member Services "combine" consecutive reservations so long as they are in the same unit size and view. Then they will appear as a single reservation. This can sometimes take a few days, but it is easy to do.