WWYD - Missing One Night Midtrip & Waitlist

[MNDisneyMommy]

Looking for some advice from more experienced folks -

We have Sat Oct 10th, and Mon Oct 12-Sat Oct 17 booked at BLT (home). 2 BR Lake.
We have Sun Oct 11th at AK and are waitlisted for this missing night at BLT.

What would you do in this situation?
How long do you typically wait on the waitlist & obsessively stalk the site before throwing in the towel?

I get that some of this is just our personal tolerance for risk - note that we do have two little kids, so resort switching is going to be less than ideal.

Problem is, I'm quite unsure how much risk I'm taking with leaving just one night waitlisted like this at this time of year...

Part of me says - it is just one night, October is a long way away, and surely the night will come through. On the off chance it doesn't, we can throw most of our stuff in the BLT closet and have a AK sleepover, so to speak. (Or try for the two nights at SS or something). Give it all the time you can.

The other part says - this is a really busy weekend and there will likely be a lot of competition for that night, being homeless two days would be a real problem, you never know when that Sat night at AK will book up and why play around with it, you'll have to take the bus to AK and HS anyway from BLT so there is really no loss of benefit there if you're not at BLT. Why risk it, just get that Sat night at AK too.

Opinions?

Thanks much

 

[Minniesgal]

I'd book the 10th at AK and have a split stay.

 

[CarolMN]

As one who hates to move, in this case I'd still book the one night at AKV (or somewhere) as a back up and I'd keep the waitlist at BLT until the bitter end. Yes, it's a popular weekend, but it's only one night and the points required for BLT are more than the 2 bedroom back up night at AKV, so there is no chance of points going into holding if the waitlist works at the last minute. I htink it will come through. People's plans change all the time.

I'd also check the website a couple of times a day at different times in hopes of seeing the night we needed. Sometimes you can catch a night you need before the waitlist program captures it.

If the waitlist doesn't come through, I'd schedule a resort day at AKV for Sunday / check-in day. The pools there are lots of fun for kids and there's a lot of other activities and fun things to do there. On check-out day for AKV, I'd pack up the overnight bag and give it to Bell Services to transfer to BLT and then go have fun in a park or Downtown Disney.

Good luck!

 

[tchrrx]

We woke up early this morning to book October 15-19. We ended up with AKL savannah view. I was hoping for anything near MK or Epcot, but there wasn't anything open. I don't like waiting at all, so I decided we would just change how we normally tour and let this be a different type of trip. We've never had any trouble at all booking what we wanted, so we hadn't made a plan B. Fingers are crossed that your wait,it's comes through soon!

BTW- I knew fall break would be busy with F&W AND MNSSHP, but I didn't know it would be this busy!

 

[n2mm]

I'm in a very similar situation. Just saying it's very stressful trying to decide what to do. Good luck.

 

[supersnoop]

Check if cash room is available. Book that while you wait for the wait list to come through.

 

[Judique]

Check if cash room is available. Book that while you wait for the wait list to come through.

This. Then you ask them to try and keep you in the same room.

Also, what are you doing with your 2nd waitlist?

Depending on number in the room, use your 2nd waitlist to waitlist another view at BLT for the first 2 nights or another room category. You could at least possibly be in the same hotel and usually when you are in the same hotel, they try to get you into your next room asap.

 

[MNDisneyMommy]

I really appreciate all the advice --

I checked cash, the exact option is not available - but there is a 2 BR standard view available. Not sure it would be worth it to book cash for a different view at BLT for that one night? How do I get the DVC discount? and did I read correctly I can cancel within 5 days of arrival and still and get a full refund?

I do think just changing rooms, while a hassle, would be better than moving to an entirely new resort if we did end up at just the one night.

I didn't think about the 2nd waitlist - I don't have points for much beyond a lake view even with borrowing but I did add a waitlist for the 2 BR lockoff at this view - since Im guessing that is more likely than a 2 BR standard view to come through at this point. (we do need a 2 BR). I believe the standard views are nearly impossible and I would need to buy OTU points for a MK view.

 

[CMNJ]

I really appreciate all the advice --

I checked cash, the exact option is not available - but there is a 2 BR standard view available. Not sure it would be worth it to book cash for a different view at BLT for that one night? How do I get the DVC discount? and did I read correctly I can cancel within 5 days of arrival and still and get a full refund?
.

You call DVC member services to book (I think it is 25% discount off rack rates if discount is avail for your date/room type) and 5 day room cancellation policy applies.

 

[rlovew]

You are looking for a day in one of the worst weekends for booking where there has been little if any movement or openings at all past May in the past year and even SSR is generally booked up before June for that whole weekend. Unless I wanted to move twice I would have a plan I expected to stay in place and be satisfied with before the end of May- if your waitlist does not come through by then based on that past 3 years experience with that weekend I would not expect it to come through and have a plan you can live with booked.

 

[cvjw]

Check the DVC availability tool multiple times per day. Rooms will open up, but they will be snatched up quickly for busy times - by the waitlist tool and by other members. I put together a 4 night stay right before Christmas last year at only a month out. There was zero availability when I started, but by the time of our trip, I could have put together my 4 night stay in a multitude of DVC resorts - booking one night at a time.

Availability does fluctuate, but you need to be constantly checking.

 

[lovin'fl]

For Oct 2013 (mid Oct and 3 weekday nights) we booked SSR in a studio and waitlisted BLT and BWV (studios) at 5 months out. After about 2 weeks on the WL, we got BLT (lake view is what we waitlisted). I would suggest you give it more time and if need be, at the last minute, you can change your 1st 2 or 3 nights over to SSR or whatever is available. I'd give it, at least, until June (4 months out) and then re-evaluate based off of what is available then.

 

[Fastpassminus]

Can you get the 2 nights 10th & 11th at AKL? I would plan on a split stay. Maybe make the 10th a resort day & do AK on the 11th?

 

[nalajms]

I'm in a similar situation. Sun night was gone before 7m. I booked Sat & Mon and waitlisted Sun hoping things will move around at the 7m. It didn't. The Halloween party runs on Sunday nights and that's most likely the reason it was booked prior to 7m. I have another room booked for the weekend, and will wait to see if Sun night becomes available, but I'm not holding out much hope on the waitlist or checking daily.

If you can borrow points or use 1 time use points to book Sat night at AKV, I would do so soon. Another alternative is so book at CR, shorter move than AKV.

Good luck!

 

[lovin'fl]

My BLT WL that came through, that I mentioned above, was a 3 night stay and one of the nights was a MNSSHP party night (we went to it...fun). My WL came through about 4 months out. You guys should hang in there, it will possibly come through.

 

[n2mm]

My BLT WL that came through, that I mentioned above, was a 3 night stay and one of the nights was a MNSSHP party night (we went to it...fun). My WL came through about 4 months out. You guys should hang in there, it will possibly come through.

Im so excited for you! That was a hard one to get. Im on 2 months now for my 1 night WL at BLT 1 bedroom standard view for Monday August 3rd and I'm losing faith. During my 10 years as a DVC member I've only ever gotten 1 waitlist and that was at OKW for 1 night move from a regular 1 bedroom to a HH 1 bedroom. I must be a waitlist failure for sure. But happy to see someone have success!!

 

[lovin'fl]

Im so excited for you! That was a hard one to get. Im on 2 months now for my 1 night WL at BLT 1 bedroom standard view for Monday August 3rd and I'm losing faith. During my 10 years as a DVC member I've only ever gotten 1 waitlist and that was at OKW for 1 night move from a regular 1 bedroom to a HH 1 bedroom. I must be a waitlist failure for sure. But happy to see someone have success!!

Standard view at BLT has less rooms than lake view so I WL lake view (as well as Pool/Garden view at BWV because that view has the most number of rooms there). Could you set up another WL for lake view? Fingers crossed for you!!!

 

[n2mm]

Standard view at BLT has less rooms than lake view so I WL lake view (as well as Pool/Garden view at BWV because that view has the most number of rooms there). Could you set up another WL for lake view? Fingers crossed for you!!!

I already have 4 nights at BLT 1 bedroom standard, plus one day prior to the waitlist. I only need 1 night (which is the second night) to have a 6 night reservation. I'm hoping not to have to switch since we are traveling with our 3 granddaughters that trip. I will have to book a backup and have to switch. I really need that second bathroom at BLT vs booking BWV 1 bedroom, especially with 3 girls and the 2 of us.

 

[River Country]

Its a holiday weekend so it is popular. I would hold on to the waitlist and book the room cash if it fits into a budget

 

[MNDisneyMommy]

Well, after discussing with our travel party and covering everyone's advice here (which was really helpful - good to hear from everyone and know that this was indeed a tough decision!), we chickened out on trying for that missing Sunday and we're now booked for Sat and Sun at AK and waitlisted for either Sunday or Sat-Sun at BLT. If it comes through, great, and I will still idly check...but if it doesn't, we're all pretty happy with that.

It really boiled down to how much we really, really wanted to avoid two homeless days and how we all were actually pretty interested to spend some time with a Savannah view even though the split stay has some less than ideal factors.

So, I really hope someone has picked up that Sat night at BLT and it completed their stay!

Thanks so much everyone!