Waitlist question

[skierrob]

Just curious about how "on top of" Disney is when it comes to waitlists. I've had several times in the past few years where I've made a waitlist, and then found the reservation I was looking for by stalking the DVC Member website BEFORE the waitlist "hit". So my question becomes -- would the waitlist have "hit" regardless? Does Disney automatically hold a room for me the second it becomes available until someone processes the waitlist? Or -- as I suspect might be the case -- can someone that is "quicker on the trigger" than Disney grab my room away from me by using the online booking engine, even though I had a waitlist for it?
It would be nice to know how often Disney checks for waitlist matches -- does a computer do it every 5 seconds? Once a day? Once an hour? Or is there a manual component to it?
Note I did once ask if a waitlist came through when I saw it available for booking, fearful that I'd end up with two rooms if I booked the one I saw available. The reservation agent looked and said the waitlist had "hit" but that the reservation had not yet been processed, and that she could do that for me. Did it really "hit"? Or was she just checking availability and seeing it available as I had done?
Long story short -- if you have a waitlist in the system, should you still "stalk" the DVC website for that reservation availability every few hours of every day hoping to find a match? Or can you confidently just sit back and relax, knowing Disney has it under control?

 

[Sandisw]

No one’s knows for sure how often the system runs for waitlist matches. One thing that definitely happens…which has happened to me way too often to be a coincidence is that a match has happened, and the room is there, but has not been finalized by the CM yet.

Since the website doesn’t show that you have it, the rooms you snag can be an additional one that showed up. I have had one in place, grabbed my 2nd choice, canceled, and then released the waitlist, only to have my first choice show right back up.

Beyond that, I think there are times when rooms show up in between the searches. But, I have also canceled a room trying to pick it right back up using my other membership, and have only one of the two nights show back up…so, I got burned…lol

I always stalk. just in case…even though I have had a lot of success with waitlists and more often than not, they match since I usually have only one or two nights at a time waitlisted.

 

[MyDogTink]

I’m curious, too. Today is the second time I snagged a room on my waitlist by staking the website. The first time (May), I called to book when I saw the room pop up and and the CM said she was surprised my waitlist didn’t get matched. The second time (today), I modified a reservation I had with a backup room and swapped it for my desired WL room. My waitlist was still active, I called MS to have them confirm my modification and remove the WL. I commented that I was able to snag a room ahead of my WL matching. She didn’t comment back.

Is the initial WL match done via AI and then a CM manually confirms and pushes it through?

 

[supersnoop]

I recently found a room I had waitlisted by stalking. I booked it and the inventory disappeared, and then I released my waitlist ... and the inventory showed back up. So, it seems like the waitlist hit and a second room was available.

The system seems to be very on top of it now. It didn't use to be this way, but I'm pretty sure it's constant now.

 

[laocoholic]

I'm trying to book my trip today at the 7 month mark only to see that "walking" has wiped out today's inventory. So now I'm stalking and using waitlists. Anyone have any clue how this would work out when the booking reopens tomorrow morning at 8am against my waitlist?

 

[sndral]

I'm trying to book my trip today at the 7 month mark only to see that "walking" has wiped out today's inventory. So now I'm stalking and using waitlists. Anyone have any clue how this would work out when the booking reopens tomorrow morning at 8am against my waitlist?

If your waitlist is for more than a couple nights & walking is truly the culprit, then it likely won’t match since all your days must be available & walkers are only going to release a day or two at a time as they walk by. Conventional wisdom is that people walk at 11 not 7 months since a 7 month walk can be blocked at any time by someone w/ home resort booking - but who knows.
Are you seeing previously booked days open up for last week, if so then I‘d guess it’s walkers, but rooms disappearing when the 7 month window opens & staying unavailable just means a lot of folks were competing for those rooms & others grabbed them more quickly.

 

[laocoholic]

Yes, the previous days rooms are opening up. It's for Aulani memorial week.

 

[Sandisw]

Yes, the previous days rooms are opening up. It's for Aulani memorial week.

I’d just book them as they show back up if you can.