WOW WL system is a joke.

[Millionaire2K]

So I have a WL for 4 nights in a 1 BR LV at BLT since March 15th.

1. Yesterday I decide to check the website and was SHOCKED to see the room was available.

2. I Call MS and quickly get a cast member. I called because I wanted to borrow/move/ cancel points and another room.

3. She checks and says "the room is available"

4. I get put on hold.

5. After 2 mins she comes back and says 2 of the nights are no longer available.

So long story short: I had a waitlist for the exact nights that became free. I randomly check and the nights were free and they did NOT confirm the waitlist.

WHY would they not give me my waitlist b4 releasing the rooms to the public!?!?!

The current WL system is a JOKE!!

 

[DisK]

Is it possible that someone else on the waitlist was ahead of you?

 

[Sandisw]

It can be frustrating and what is possible, with the online system, is someone had just canceled the room when you saw it, and within that time and when you called MS, the wait list picked it up and it went to someone else who was ahead of you on the wait list...maybe someone who only needed a few nights and that's why two of the nights were gone...or, someone did indeed grab it for booking...

I just had a wait list fill today for one night August 1st in a SV studio...I have been checking at least 3 times a day and even checked as late as 1:00 pm today and it wasn't available...I got the email that my wait list was filled around 5:00...

So, it does work..but I agree, when someone cancels, I think there is a little bit of lag time between it being matched to wait lists and showing up in inventory...

I think it is one of the issues we have to deal with in exchange for the convenience of online booking....here is some that it still fills for you...

 

[drusba]

The problem with the wait list, as has been reported before, is that human beings are required to initiate and do the process that matches openings to wait lists and no one does that until toward the end of the work day. The result is that anything that comes open during the day can actually be grabbed by someone else during the same day before there is any attempt to match the opening to a wait list. Not the best of systems.

 

[DebbieB]

So I have a WL for 4 nights in a 1 BR LV at BLT since March 15th.

1. Yesterday I decide to check the website and was SHOCKED to see the room was available.

2. I Call MS and quickly get a cast member. I called because I wanted to borrow/move/ cancel points and another room.

3. She checks and says "the room is available"

4. I get put on hold.

5. After 2 mins she comes back and says 2 of the nights are no longer available.

So long story short: I had a waitlist for the exact nights that became free. I randomly check and the nights were free and they did NOT confirm the waitlist.

WHY would they not give me my waitlist b4 releasing the rooms to the public!?!?!

The current WL system is a JOKE!!

Is it possible that someone else on the waitlist was ahead of you?

That was my first thought, who knows who was at the top of the list.

 

[Jennasis]

I work at a library and spend quite a bit of time explaining to people that even though they have a book on hold, it is likely that they are but one out of long list of folks who have that book on hold and may not be at the top of the list.

 

[KAT4DISNEY]

Is it possible that someone else on the waitlist was ahead of you?

That's very possible and so very possible that they came very close to catching the room before it was assigned over to the person ahead of them. Overall the WL process is not perfect but it can work and it's nice to have the option.

 

[lisaviolet]

Or it could have been an awful person like me who stalks and grabs what comes up/comes back in, knowing that it is/was probably someone's waitlist.

That's the system.

 

[Millionaire2K]

I work at a library and spend quite a bit of time explaining to people that even though they have a book on hold, it is likely that they are but one out of long list of folks who have that book on hold and may not be at the top of the list.

Yeah but you see a Library won't put the book back on the shelf for anyone to take.

The point of my post was not about me not getting my room. My point is that the room was available for anyone to take. ("WHY would they not give me my waitlist b4 releasing the rooms to the public!?!?!") They should fill ALL WL b4 anyone even has a chance to take a room. THAT is the joke about this system. Disney clearly does NOT care who gets it.

Imagine you go on a waitlist for season tickets for your fav sports team and the team starts letting anyone buy them when seats open up? That would never happen.

 

[CarolMN]

So I have a WL for 4 nights in a 1 BR LV at BLT since March 15th.

1. Yesterday I decide to check the website and was SHOCKED to see the room was available.

2. I Call MS and quickly get a cast member. I called because I wanted to borrow/move/ cancel points and another room.

3. She checks and says "the room is available"

4. I get put on hold.

5. After 2 mins she comes back and says 2 of the nights are no longer available.

So long story short: I had a waitlist for the exact nights that became free. I randomly check and the nights were free and they did NOT confirm the waitlist.

WHY would they not give me my waitlist b4 releasing the rooms to the public!?!?!

The current WL system is a JOKE!!

Pragmatically speaking, I sincerely doubt there is any incentive for DVC to "fix" the waitlist system. Not likely to happen anytime in the near future. The waitlist system is what it is, so all we can do is to develop whatever strategies we can to make the most of it.

We are much more likely to see other online booking enhancements. Had you been able to book what you want online, we'd probably be reading an entirely different account of your recent experience.

Hope you get what you want soon. I know waiting is stressfull

 

[SpaceMountain77]

Personally, I find it easier to check back regularly than to maintain a wait list request. Although I have been successful with wait list requests coming through, I have been equally successful with repeated searches.

 

[lisaviolet]

Yeah but you see a Library won't put the book back on the shelf for anyone to take.

The point of my post was not about me not getting my room. My point is that the room was available for anyone to take. ("WHY would they not give me my waitlist b4 releasing the rooms to the public!?!?!") They should fill ALL WL b4 anyone even has a chance to take a room. THAT is the joke about this system. Disney clearly does NOT care who gets it.

Imagine you go on a waitlist for season tickets for your fav sports team and the team starts letting anyone buy them when seats open up? That would never happen.

And this unrepentant stalker was just stalking away and I looked over and noticed my point count was down.

I got another two days BY WAITLIST.

Oh the irony and the joy.

 

[disneynutz]

So I have a WL for 4 nights in a 1 BR LV at BLT since March 15th.

1. Yesterday I decide to check the website and was SHOCKED to see the room was available.

2. I Call MS and quickly get a cast member. I called because I wanted to borrow/move/ cancel points and another room.

3. She checks and says "the room is available"

4. I get put on hold.

5. After 2 mins she comes back and says 2 of the nights are no longer available.

So long story short: I had a waitlist for the exact nights that became free. I randomly check and the nights were free and they did NOT confirm the waitlist.

WHY would they not give me my waitlist b4 releasing the rooms to the public!?!?!

The current WL system is a JOKE!!

Just so you and others reading understand MS, I have been told by DVC management that most MS Advisors can not put inventory on hold. That's how someone swooped in and snagged your dates.

I have also been told that the waitlist matches are done after close of business each night by computer, inventory is held waiting for a CM to manually work the list the following day. Prior to the program being run each night, inventory that opens up is fair game for anyone to take.

We have never had luck with the waitlist system, our work around was to buy contracts where we want to stay. Maybe that's why Disney doesn't improve the system, increased sales?

Bill

 

[Millionaire2K]

Maybe that's why Disney doesn't improve the system, increased sales?

Bill

I have been thinking this. They gain nothing by making it work better.

I also added on to get 11 month priority.

 

[KAT4DISNEY]

Or it could have been an awful person like me who stalks and grabs what comes up/comes back in, knowing that it is/was probably someone's waitlist.

That's the system.

Oh Lisa! You bad bad evil stalker. Serves you right to get a room the old fashioned waitlist way.


Honestly OP - I've had decent results with the waitlist. Not every time but I think I'm better than 50% on it. And I also cancelled a room once in a limited room category and within 48 hours a person was excitedly posting that their waitlist had filled for that time. I think it's likely it came from my cancellation.

 

[Dean]

I have been thinking this. They gain nothing by making it work better.

I also added on to get 11 month priority.

I suspect everyone would agree the WL could use some improvement, however, I don't think this is a DVC conspiracy. The question is does it cost anything to make it work better and the answer appears to be yes from what I can see. One way around this is to own enough points such that you can hold the current room and WL separately then reserve when you see it online without having to call or cancel the existing. I know it can be quite an investment to do so but I once bought a second Marriott week simply for the extra month reservation priority to the tune of almost $20K (resale), one of the best timeshare investments I've made.

 

[MinnieGi]

The problem with the wait list, as has been reported before, is that human beings are required to initiate and do the process that matches openings to wait lists and no one does that until toward the end of the work day. The result is that anything that comes open during the day can actually be grabbed by someone else during the same day before there is any attempt to match the opening to a wait list. Not the best of systems.

Guess I never realized this! Thought a computer was matching waitlist requests as the day goes on - maybe this is why we have only had ONE waitlist come through in many, many years! Now we also go during popular times, however I will now become a stalker and check for myself as I have two waitlists out there for Nov.

 

[Minniesgal]

The waitlisted certainly isn't perfect I totally agree with that however it does work sometimes so it is better than not having the facility at all.

I suspect not improving the waitlisted has more to do with not increasing operating expenditure than a conspiracy to get people to add more home resorts.

 

[lisaviolet]

Oh Lisa! You bad bad evil stalker. Serves you right to get a room the old fashioned waitlist way.

I know, eh? How dare they steal my fun from me by granting my waitlist.

And I got it very close to the 31 days. I also wonder if a lot of people thought it was impossible to get a WL granted at GFV on a holiday weekend because even I was surprised that it came in. I expected way more competition.

Competition. Laughing. Insert smile.

however I will now become a stalker and check for myself as I have two waitlists out there for Nov.

I'm sure you'll snag it. Good luck.

The waitlisted certainly isn't perfect I totally agree with that however it does work sometimes so it is better than not having the facility at all.

I suspect not improving the waitlisted has more to do with not increasing operating expenditure than a conspiracy to get people to add more home resorts.

on all of it.

My situation just proved that it certainly works.

But best to do both. I have three nights booked just over a month out. One from stalking, two from waitlist.

 

[TagsMissy]

OP while you may have not gotten your WL yet, doesn't mean you won't and it doesn't mean there weren't other people before you on the WL either.

There's only been 1 waitlist that we didn't get and that was for a Treehouse Villa when they first opened so I am not surprised it didn't go through.

There's still time and hopefully you will get what you are looking for.