Waitlist Question

[shreddedshoe]

Hello everyone. Waitlist noob here. I have a trip booked for August 13-16 (Tues thru Thurs nite, check out Fri) in a CC walk-in studio. I would like to add an extra night, but need to waitlist it. If I am understanding correctly, my best bet is to waitlist the one extra night and stalk the site and if it comes thru, then call member services to merge the extra night with my current reservation, yes? I don’t want to replace or change my current dates, I just want to add on Friday night, so the reservation would be August 13-17 (Tues thru Sat, check out on Sat). I don’t want to waitlist the whole thing and replace the original reservation, right? Thank you!

 

[MerlinandtheMouse]

Yep, that’s exactly as I would do it! Waitlist the 1 night, stalk when you remember, and then have MS join the 2 reservations.

 

[shreddedshoe]

That’s what I thought based on reading similar posts here. I just wanted to make sure. Thank you so much!

 

[Genie+]

I’ve only done a few waitlists myself so far. You are allowed 2 and I would do 2 in this situation. One as you described, and another waitlist for all 4 nights (set that one to replace the 3 night trip). That could increase your chances.

 

[shreddedshoe]

Hmm. Good point. I will do this as well. Thank you.

 

[Sandisw]

I’ve only done a few waitlists myself so far. You are allowed 2 and I would do 2 in this situation. One as you described, and another waitlist for all 4 nights (set that one to replace the 3 night trip). That could increase your chances.

Actually, a one night waitlist will fill faster than a 4 night and there is no need to waitlist for nights already booked. It won’t increase chances at all because the chances of matching all 4 nights is so much less than just the one night n

 

[shreddedshoe]

Actually, a one night waitlist will fill faster than a 4 night and there is no need to waitlist for nights already booked. It won’t increase chances at all because the chances of matching all 4 nights is so much less than just the one night

 

[shreddedshoe]

Yeah, I ended up only waitlisting the one day. I didn’t want to complicate anything. Plus, it would’ve used extra points that I need to bank to make a reservation for next year. Thank you for the extra insight!

 

[Genie+]

Actually, a one night waitlist will fill faster than a 4 night and there is no need to waitlist for nights already booked. It won’t increase chances at all because the chances of matching all 4 nights is so much less than just the one night n

But wouldn’t it be more of a chance than just WL’ing one night?

You’d be getting that 1 night chance -plus- the chance a 4 night WL came through. Maybe I understand it wrong though.

 

[Sandisw]

But wouldn’t it be more of a chance than just WL’ing one night?

You’d be getting that 1 night chance -plus- the chance a 4 night WL came through. Maybe I understand it wrong though.

No because a waitlist is all or nothing. So, if one puts in a one night and a 4 night, then all that needs to open is the one night.

They won’t hold nights to fill a waitlist either. If one already has some nights, you only want the waitlist to reflect what you need

Some thing if the waitlist as one big long one but it’s really night. It’s all based on actual nights.

Let’s say that I want three nights, you want one and someone else wants one.

Let’s say just two nights open up…I get jumped and you and someone else get your room if those two nights match our waitlist

 

[Genie+]

No because a waitlist is all or nothing. So, if one puts in a one night and a 4 night, then all that needs to open is the one night.

Say the 4 nights open, won’t they replace the 3 night reservation? Where it would not happen with the 1 night WL because they’re not going to split apart the 4 nights if someone has those exact dates on the WL?

Having both the 1 and 4 night gives 2 shots:

one shot where just the extra night comes through and it’s added on to the existing 3 day reservation, and

Another shot if all 4 nights come through and that would replace the existing 3 night reservation.

Would a 4 night WL not get filled to someone who already is holding some of those nights if the WL is to replace an existing reservation? I’m not certain about that answer, and may be where I’m not understanding it correctly.

 

[Sandisw]

Say the 4 nights open, won’t they replace the 3 night reservation? Where it would not happen with the 1 night WL because they’re not going to split apart the 4 nights if someone has those exact dates on the WL?

Having both the 1 and 4 night gives 2 shots:

one shot where just the extra night comes through and it’s added on to the existing 3 day reservation, and

Another shot if all 4 nights come through and that would replace the existing 3 night reservation.

Would a 4 night WL not get filled to someone who already is holding some of those nights if the WL is to replace an existing reservation? I’m not certain about that answer, and may be where I’m not understanding it correctly.

Not if someone puts in a waitlist for 1, 2, 3, of those nights first. If someone cancels, the nights go back as individual nights, not as a group.

The only time a 4 night waitlist will match before a smaller one is if it was put in first.

For example, we both want June nights. if I have a two night wait list put in on Feb 1st and you have one for 4 nights put in on Feb 10th and all 4 nights open, they fill my two nights because it’s an exact match for me and I was on the list for those nights before you. Even though it would have matched yours as well, I get mine because I requested before you did. Those other two nights will go back into inventory or go to the next person on the list who has those exact two nights.

In this case, you have to wait until those nights open again and no one else was ahead of you for any of those nights.

What someone has booked plays no role. That’s why you don’t waitlist for rooms you already have.

Iif OP has three nights they don’t want to waitlist all 4 because the system isn’t going to match unti all 4 of those nights open up again and won’t even consider the three the OP has.

Basically waitlists are filled in order they are requested based on what opens. It’s why shorter waitlists have a much better chance of filling.

 

[SLACG]

Not if someone puts in a waitlist for 1, 2, 3, of those nights first. If someone cancels, the nights go back as individual nights, not as a group.

The only time a 4 night waitlist will match before a smaller one is if it was put in first.

For example, we both want June nights. if I have a two night wait list put in on Feb 1st and you have one for 4 nights put in on Feb 10th and all 4 nights open, they fill my two nights because it’s an exact match for me and I was on the list for those nights before you. Even though it would have matched yours as well, I get mine because I requested before you did. Those other two nights will go back into inventory or go to the next person on the list who has those exact two nights.

In this case, you have to wait until those nights open again and no one else was ahead of you for any of those nights.

What someone has booked plays no role. That’s why you don’t waitlist for rooms you already have.

Iif OP has three nights they don’t want to waitlist all 4 because the system isn’t going to match unti all 4 of those nights open up again and won’t even consider the three the OP has.

Basically waitlists are filled in order they are requested based on what opens. It’s why shorter waitlists have a much better chance of filling.

@Sandisw, can I pick your brain some more on waitlists?

I am looking at making a reservation Dec 15-19 and want to have a plan in place to get this going first thing on 5/15 when the 7mo window opens.

Currently, there's availability for the 15, 17, and 18 but not the 16th. What do you think is best?

1. Waitlist the whole thing on the 15th? So all 4 nights 15th-18th

2. Assuming things still look the same on 5/15, book 12/15 when the window opens, waitlist 12/16 on 5/16 and then book 12/17 and 12/18 on 5/17? My concern with this second option is that by 5/17 I could loose the availability of 12/17 and 12/18, but if MS doesn't hold those nights either way with the waitlist then I guess I am not any worse off?

Thanks for any input you might have!

 

[Sandisw]

@Sandisw, can I pick your brain some more on waitlists?

I am looking at making a reservation Dec 15-19 and want to have a plan in place to get this going first thing on 5/15 when the 7mo window opens.

Currently, there's availability for the 15, 17, and 18 but not the 16th. What do you think is best?

1. Waitlist the whole thing on the 15th? So all 4 nights 15th-18th

2. Assuming things still look the same on 5/15, book 12/15 when the window opens, waitlist 12/16 on 5/16 and then book 12/17 and 12/18 on 5/17? My concern with this second option is that by 5/17 I could loose the availability of 12/17 and 12/18, but if MS doesn't hold those nights either way with the waitlist then I guess I am not any worse off?

Thanks for any input you might have!

I would do option two because MS is not going to hold nights. Plus, you are trying at 7 months. There is a good chance that there are already waitlists in place for some or all of those nights that were made by home resort owners.

What I would also do is check later in the day on the 15th because things can and do change as others modify to different resorts. I have found a few hours after the window I got my nights because more owners changed.

 

[SLACG]

I would do option two because MS is not going to hold nights. Plus, you are trying at 7 months. There is a good chance that there are already waitlists in place for some or all of those nights that were made by home resort owners.

What I would also do is check later in the day on the 15th because things can and do change as others modify to different resorts. I have found a few hours after the window I got my nights because more owners changed.

Awesome! Thanks for your help! Fingers crossed!

 

[DisTravels]

Yeah, I ended up only waitlisting the one day. I didn’t want to complicate anything. Plus, it would’ve used extra points that I need to bank to make a reservation for next year. Thank you for the extra insight!

You may consider waitlisting a different room type as plan B in case the first waitlist doesn't come through.

 

[TheDailyMoo]

Waitlist the 1 night, stalk when you remember,

Great advice. I've had waitlists fill before so I know they work but I just recently got two hard to get rooms by stalking and I had them both on separate single day waitlists. I find it kinda crazy that I had an open waitlist twice and twice I see the rooms just hanging out there flapping in the breeze lol. I really feel like it should be an automated process where as soon as availability is seen by the Disney computers it instantly matches waitlists in order. I know I know...Disney IT...yeesh.