Waitlisting Without a Reservation

[DizBub]

Quick question.

Can someone get on a waitlist without having an already existing reservation? For instance if I want to go at a time that is booked solid and can't get a room. Can I then get on a waitlist for something, anything that becomes available? I don't think this is a possibility but am curious.

 

[dvcterry]

you do have an option to waitlist that time without an existing reservation. you may have two active waitlists per use year.

 

[CarolMN]

Quick question.

Can someone get on a waitlist without having an already existing reservation? For instance if I want to go at a time that is booked solid and can't get a room. Can I then get on a waitlist for something, anything that becomes available? I don't think this is a possibility but am curious.

Yes, you can waitlist without having an existing reservation. However, you are limited to two active requests. You cannot just waitlist for anything that may become available. You have to select two booking categories. Note that at some resorts, the same size villa may have several booking categories. For example, if you wanted a studio at AKV, you could have up to 2 of these 6 possibilities waitlisted: Jambo value, Jambo standard, Jambo savanna, Jambo concierge, Kidani standard, Kidani savanna.

When the waitlist comes through, you must have enough available points to book it (if you planned to borrow, you must have authorized borrowing when the waitlist was set up). You cannot waitlist planning to buy one-time use points to cover some or all of the points needed.

If you do not have enough valid points available to use at the time the waitlist comes through, your waitlist request will be canceled. You will not get a call. Any availability will go to the next waitlist request that matches or if there is no match, it will be returned to general inventory for anyone to book.

 

[DizBub]

Thanks for the very prompt replies. I did not know this. Looks like I'm still learning.

 

[dvcterry]

in addition if there is a match with your waitlist, the reservation will become confirmed. in other words, it will become a reservation for the dates, booking categories you waitlisted for. ms will not call you prior to confirming this.

 

[Dean]

in addition if there is a match with your waitlist, the reservation will become confirmed. in other words, it will become a reservation for the dates, booking categories you waitlisted for. ms will not call you prior to confirming this.

This includes that they usually cancel the existing reservation if they is one and will borrow any agreed upon points that are needed which cannot be returned to the next UY.

 

[Deb & Bill]

Most members will book their home resort at 11 months out and then put in a waitlist at seven months out for another resort that they want just to make sure they have something if the waitlist never comes through.

We've waitlisted twice (we also had a reservation at our home resort). But neither waitlist ever came through.

If you don't have any reservation, you might not get anything at all if the waitlist doesn't happen.

 

[jakers]

How often do waitlist requests come through? I suppose it depends on the resort and the time of year, but is there a strategy for booking them?

 

[maburke]

My experience is that the fewer days you are waiting for, the better your chances. You don't have the choice to waitlist day-by-day anymore, but just knowing that has helped me make waitlist decisions.

 

[DebbieB]

With the online booking, you can designate if you want to replace an existing reservation if the waitlist comes through or not. I have an extra night waitlisted for VGC at the end of September, I checked that I did not want to cancel the existing.

 

[gripp35]

you may have two active waitlists per use year.

Hi all, is this correct? This initially makes me think that if I had a reservation for February 2013 and one for August 2013 (with a Dec UY), that if I did two waitlists for the Feb trip, I would not be able to start anymore waitlists in March for the Aug trip. But the keyword seems to be active.

So does this actually mean that if I had Nov 2012 and Feb 2013 trips (with Dec UY) that I could have 4 active waitlists at once if two of those were for the Nov 2012 trip (2011 UY) and two were for the Feb 2013 trip (2012 UY)???

Thanks for the education!

 

[Dean]

Hi all, is this correct? This initially makes me think that if I had a reservation for February 2013 and one for August 2013 (with a Dec UY), that if I did two waitlists for the Feb trip, I would not be able to start anymore waitlists in March for the Aug trip. But the keyword seems to be active.

So does this actually mean that if I had Nov 2012 and Feb 2013 trips (with Dec UY) that I could have 4 active waitlists at once if two of those were for the Nov 2012 trip (2011 UY) and two were for the Feb 2013 trip (2012 UY)???

Thanks for the education!

It's 2 active waitlists per UY at a time as I understand it. Remember though that each view or unit type is a separate wait list. So a WL at BWV for a dedicated studio and a lockoff studio for a single view would be your two.

 

[dvcterry]

It's 2 active waitlists per UY at a time as I understand it. Remember though that each view or unit type is a separate wait list. So a WL at BWV for a dedicated studio and a lockoff studio for a single view would be your two.

Dean is correct. It is 2 active waitlists per UY at a time. You may de-activate a waitlist at anytime & authorize a waitlist to replace an existing reservation. gripp35 if i'm assuming you banked UY 2011 points for 2012 and waitlisted, during that UY, still you may only have only 2 active waitlists at any given time. Even if you borrowed points from 2013, UY 2012 may only have 2 active waitlists. Only 2 active waitlists may seem like a more definitive answer.

 

[Kathi OD]

How often do waitlist requests come through? I suppose it depends on the resort and the time of year, but is there a strategy for booking them?

It does depend on the resort and time of year. The only strategy is to get on the list as soon as possible.

FWIW, we've had much a much different experience with the waitlist than Deb, as we've waitlisted for every one of our last 5 trips and they've always come through. However, I have to add to that, that DH and I are not picky about where we stay and our preference is OKW, which makes our chances of getting what we want much greater than someone who wants say BWV or BCV in October or November.

 

[Deb & Bill]

It does depend on the resort and time of year. The only strategy is to get on the list as soon as possible.

FWIW, we've had much a much different experience with the waitlist than Deb, as we've waitlisted for every one of our last 5 trips and they've always come through. However, I have to add to that, that DH and I are not picky about where we stay and our preference is OKW, which makes our chances of getting what we want much greater than someone who wants say BWV or BCV in October or November.

We waitlisted a two bedroom at SSR for a week in October a few years ago. We had a one bedroom, but we wanted more room for my husband's sister. That one didn't come through. We waitlisted it about four months before the trip started.

The other one was for a BLT one bedroom in January for four nights around the marathon about five months out. Lake view, too.