Why bother with waitlist?

[tidefan]

So, we always go to BLT for Labor Day weekend and this year was the very first time that I haven't been able to get a Standard View studio right at 8am EST at the 11 month mark as, apparently, this is a time for owners to walk. That said, I booked a Lake View studio and opened a waitlist for a Standard View studio. Fast forward a few days and I happened to go back in and check for that time period to see availability and lo and behold, all days available in the Standard View studio, however, my waitlist never filled. So, i just modified my original reservation, grabbed the Std. view, and cancelled the waitlist.

My question is, if the waitlist doesn't fill when the room becomes available for general booking, what's the point of having the waitlist?

 

[Sandisw]

The one thing is that you don’t know if your waitlist filled and was just waiting to be processed by a CM because the system doesn’t show that.

I have had that happen a lot. Book my second choice that shows up, cancel the waitlist, go back and first choice is now there.

If there were a lot of people walking , my guess is it did but you happened to catch a different released room.

There are definitely times that rooms do get through, especially if you want just a few nights.

But, I have also had the waitlist work plenty of times even when stalking g multiple times a day and my room never showed up.

 

[LadybugsMum]

It could be that the waitlist did fill but a CM had not gone in to confirm the reservation before you found the dates yourself. I do a combo of waitlist and stalking. I tend to get more with stalking, but have had several waitlists come through.

 

[GoingSince1990]

At first when you hear about the “waitlist” system, you assume that the DVC computer platform is continuously scanning for the availability you want, ready to instantaneously fill your request the second it opens up. But based on all the reports here, I’ve come to think of it as two old guys sitting in a room occasionally saying “hey Chuck, have you checked the waitlist this week yet?” “Good idea Hank, where’s that pile of printouts of the requests, I’ll get on it this afternoon”.

 

[RoseGold]

Depends on how much faith you have in Disney IT. Stalking can be better than waitlist, but that doesn't mean waitlist doesn't work.

 

[FrannyFrogs]

I'm a very dedicated stalker and the waitlist has found rooms I couldn't twice in the past month!

 

[kes601]

The one thing is that you don’t know if your waitlist filled and was just waiting to be processed by a CM because the system doesn’t show that.

That is assuming in this case that 2 standard view rooms opened. If the waitlist had filled and was waiting for the CM to process it then the room would have been pulled from inventory. In this case the room was still there for the OP to book.

That said, I've had the same experience as you -- cancel a waitlist and the room appears in inventory. New rule for us is to ask a CM on chat to see if it has matched or not before giving up.

Also, to the OP... the advantage of the waitlist is that you don't have to stalk to see if the room becomes available. If the system works as it should then if the room opens up you'll have it (assuming next in line for the Waitlist).

 

[Sandisw]

That is assuming in this case that 2 standard view rooms opened. If the waitlist had filled and was waiting for the CM to process it then the room would have been pulled from inventory. In this case the room was still there for the OP to book.

That said, I've had the same experience as you -- cancel a waitlist and the room appears in inventory. New rule for us is to ask a CM on chat to see if it has matched or not before giving up.

Also, to the OP... the advantage of the waitlist is that you don't have to stalk to see if the room becomes available. If the system works as it should then if the room opens up you'll have it (assuming next in line for the Waitlist).

It does and I have had that happen. Given how quickly this room showed up my guess is that it’s highly likely that several walkers walked in by.

 

[tidefan]

Thanks everyone. You know, we have been members since 2007 and have never had a waitlist come through (granted, we've only done it a handful of times). That said, this is the second time that I've seen something in general inventory just "stalking" that I've had a waitlist for. Just doesn't give me a lot of faith in the process.

 

[kes601]

Thanks everyone. You know, we have been members since 2007 and have never had a waitlist come through (granted, we've only done it a handful of times). That said, this is the second time that I've seen something in general inventory just "stalking" that I've had a waitlist for. Just doesn't give me a lot of faith in the process.

A few months ago we had a waitlist for Poly for a single night at Christmas that we were missing. I was stalking and saw it there on the initial search, by the time I clicked on the room and it showed the calendar it was gone. My wife got on chat while I continued to stalk and the system had pulled the room for our walitlist. So, it does work. It's just doesn't necessarily work the way we think it should.

Personally I think if somebody cancels a reservation (or rooms are added to inventory that were out for refurb, maintenance, etc) it should be scanned for waitlists BEFORE going back into inventory rather than the system scan inventory every x number of minutes (which I think is how it works) and then pull from inventory.

 

[crisi]

Thanks everyone. You know, we have been members since 2007 and have never had a waitlist come through (granted, we've only done it a handful of times). That said, this is the second time that I've seen something in general inventory just "stalking" that I've had a waitlist for. Just doesn't give me a lot of faith in the process.

I am almost certain that ten years ago the waitlist was done via batch process and rooms were released real time and it was completely possible to stalk and get a room before it was matched to the waitlist.

I'm less sure now - there seems to be evidence that they system has been improved so that stalkers aren't grabbing rooms before they get matched but are getting "excess" rooms after the matches have been made - but there seems to be a delay between the room getting tagged for match and you seeing the reservation change.

 

[aceshigh73]

Just had a waitlist NOT fill for a single BWV room, yet was available to book via "stalking". Unsure how long it was out there, and im glad we found it, but it is kinda silly that a waitlist takes a back seat to someone just logging on and checking.

 

[wdw4rfam]

So, we always go to BLT for Labor Day weekend and this year was the very first time that I haven't been able to get a Standard View studio right at 8am EST at the 11 month mark as, apparently, this is a time for owners to walk. That said, I booked a Lake View studio and opened a waitlist for a Standard View studio. Fast forward a few days and I happened to go back in and check for that time period to see availability and lo and behold, all days available in the Standard View studio, however, my waitlist never filled. So, i just modified my original reservation, grabbed the Std. view, and cancelled the waitlist.

My question is, if the waitlist doesn't fill when the room becomes available for general booking, what's the point of having the waitlist?

Been my gripe for years. Can’t tell you how many times I have stalked and grabbed it before waitlist caught it. Have also got club level AKL by just being on at the right time and knowing that I’m sure someone was waitlisting that. I don’t understand why it doesn’t scan for waitlists BEFORE the room is released to book to everyone. I put waitlists in but I stalk too because I have zero faith in it.

 

[wdw4rfam]

I am almost certain that ten years ago the waitlist was done via batch process and rooms were released real time and it was completely possible to stalk and get a room before it was matched to the waitlist.

I'm less sure now - there seems to be evidence that they system has been improved so that stalkers aren't grabbing rooms before they get matched but are getting "excess" rooms after the matches have been made - but there seems to be a delay between the room getting tagged for match and you seeing the reservation change.

We just snagged 5 days club level AKL by just randomly checking at 3 months out. I seriously doubt someone didn’t have it waitlisted

 

[cherylmc]

You guys are going to love this... I'm not here very often, but I drop by occasionally to catch up. And tonight, I have something to contribute...

For the first time in over 10 years of membership, I used the waitlist last month. I managed to book a unicorn of a Saturday night studio at VGC at 7 months, but even with my 4:55am wake up plan, I wasn't able to get the previous Friday night, so I waitlisted it. I don't have time to stalk, but after reading this thread, I thought, "I should just give stalking a try tonight". So, I logged into my account, and to my SHOCK, my Friday night waitlist had already booked!

So now my questions...

1. Was I supposed to get some notification via email? (I never received anything!)
2. Is there any way to tell when the waitlist cleared by looking at the reservation? - Figured it out: looked at my Vacation Points Activity Stmt. Waitlist cleared on October 1st.
3. I remember reading something about "linking" reservations previously, but can you confirm that I need to call member services in order to get the two separate bookings "linked" so we don't have to change rooms?

Just to stay on topic.... THIS is why one would bother with the waitlist!! (I'm still in SHOCK.) Whoo Hoo!

 

[LadybugsMum]

Yes to contacting MS to link the reservations. I like to use chat so I don't have to call, but calling works too. I usually get an email with any reservation that has the reservation number even when it's a waitlist. Congrats on getting the night you need!

 

[CarolynFH]

@cherylmc, congratulations! Yes, call MS. If the two villas are the same size/view etc. and booked under the same membership number, you can ask MS to merge them into one reservation number, and you won’t have to move. If they are booked under different membership numbers then you’d ask for them to be linked as a continuing stay and not have to move.

 

[cherylmc]

@cherylmc, congratulations! Yes, call MS. If the two villas are the same size/view etc. and booked under the same membership number, you can ask MS to merge them into one reservation number, and you won’t have to move. If they are booked under different membership numbers then you’d ask for them to be linked as a continuing stay and not have to move.

Thank you so much! (I was wondering what the difference was between 'linked' and 'merged'.) I need Merge.

 

[PrincessKL]

I usually receive an email when the waitlist is fulfilled. But did anyone receive a letter in the mail about a stay booked through waitlist? I am shocked that I received a letter about the BRV stay i waitlisted. It’s just a white piece of paper about the details of the stay. Not those fancy booklets. I wonder why they do that. We don’t even get a letter about a DVC stay we usually book.

 

[AZMermaid]

I never get an email when my waitlist fills. Sometimes my husband gets it despite the fact he’s probably never logged onto the DVC site. Sometimes it never comes.