Still on a wait list....

[Sunshine1010]

Hi guys....

Just needed to vent....

I am STILL on a waiting list for ONE day. I was put on the wait list in MAY! It's for December 7th. And the one day is smack in the middle of my stay...so I'm gonna have to do all that packing and unpacking.

UGH.....

[fanofdisney]

I feel your pain. We are not missing a day in our week but we have been on the waitlist forever to try to get into a different resort. We are 3 days out and I keep calling to see if by chance anything has opened up and no luck. Oh well, at least we will be in Disney.

[Ian]

I feel you're pain. Same here.

We're waitlisted (for a different resort) for our November/December stay (the 30th through the 5th) and so far, nada.

We've been waitlisted since April or May, too. I'm pretty shocked that nothing has come open at BWV, BCV, or VWL in the last six months??

[DizneyRox]

I've had very good luck waitlisting. I wouldn't expect anything to open up though until there's a penalty for holding the reservation. Once there is a risk of losing points, people will cancel unless they are sure they are staying.

This is also a reason for getting your points at the resort you want to stay at. With all the sales at SSR and those people wanting to stay elsewhere, I can see this becoming more and more aggrivating for those not wanting to stay at their home resort.

I had a waitlist in place I think until 7 days prior, maybe even sooner. It did finally come through.

[lockedoutlogic]

We went on the waitlist for a stay at 9:07 on the day the 7 month window opened up for our stay last week....

Nothing....and i mean....nothing....ever came loose. In fact.....we called everyday for over two months and there was no movement of anykind.....and we only had a selection of OKW, SSR, and AKV when we called back in march.

I think you guys need to resign to the fact that waitlists are now completely unreliable....except in the offseaons......and the offseasons for DVC are few and far between...

It's just simple numbers: there are so many memberships sold now that the chances of getting anything is highly diminished....members booking stays for prime weeks and then "selling" them at their home resorts are shockingly on the rise....if you do a little research on the internet.

So i would say that you need to either go home resort outside of the 7 month window....or scramble for whatever you can on the first day of the 7 month window.

We have changed out booking proceedures from now on: As we will now book any week we think we might have a possibility of going as soon as possible....then cancel as our plans shake out.

I hate doing that....as we are more like 3 or 4 months out type planners.....but what can you do?

I hate calling and having the DVC operator try to convince me that Saratoga is where i want to go....and i hate going on 11 different waitlists (like we did for october) and not getting a nibble on any....

the world is changin'

[thumperbug]

I feel lucky. For our Feb 09 trip (presidents week) I booked our home resort of SSR for a 1 bedroom villa at around the 8th month mark and when the 7 month window came I called on a lark that they would have either WL, or OKW available and they not only had those but also BWV and BC. I was kind of taken aback as the CM just kept rattling off a list of what resorts were available for those dates. I never expected anything to be available let alone all those options.

The trip was originally a surprise for DH who loves WL so I went with that.

See all these posts about waiting lists and not being able to get first choices got me all paranoid and I just re-checked my confirmation to make sure its correct.

To all those on waiting lists...don't give up. Also, I would make a call here and there to DVC.

[lockedoutlogic]

I feel lucky. For our Feb 09 trip (presidents week) I booked our home resort of SSR for a 1 bedroom villa at around the 8th month mark and when the 7 month window came I called on a lark that they would have either WL, or OKW available and they not only had those but also BWV and BC. I was kind of taken aback as the CM just kept rattling off a list of what resorts were available for those dates. I never expected anything to be available let alone all those options.

The trip was originally a surprise for DH who loves WL so I went with that.

See all these posts about waiting lists and not being able to get first choices got me all paranoid and I just re-checked my confirmation to make sure its correct.

To all those on waiting lists...don't give up. Also, I would make a call here and there to DVC.

are you perhaps going the first week of february?

cause it's usually pretty dead till about the 15th of the month.....then conventions kick in and roll right through spring break....

sadly....the only non-"peak" times for DVC locations seem to be: spots in early and late january amd february, july through august, september, and perhaps the early part of november.....

not much to work with in a 12 month calender

[Aurora]

I feel lucky. For our Feb 09 trip (presidents week) I booked our home resort of SSR for a 1 bedroom villa at around the 8th month mark and when the 7 month window came I called on a lark that they would have either WL, or OKW available and they not only had those but also BWV and BC. I was kind of taken aback as the CM just kept rattling off a list of what resorts were available for those dates. I never expected anything to be available let alone all those options.

The trip was originally a surprise for DH who loves WL so I went with that.

See all these posts about waiting lists and not being able to get first choices got me all paranoid and I just re-checked my confirmation to make sure its correct.

To all those on waiting lists...don't give up. Also, I would make a call here and there to DVC.

Thumper, how many nights are you staying?

[Maleficent's Dad]

I feel lucky. For our Feb 09 trip (presidents week) I booked our home resort of SSR for a 1 bedroom villa at around the 8th month mark and when the 7 month window came I called on a lark that they would have either WL, or OKW available and they not only had those but also BWV and BC. I was kind of taken aback as the CM just kept rattling off a list of what resorts were available for those dates. I never expected anything to be available let alone all those options.

Wow, are you lucky...
We're going President's Week also.
We called for waitlisting at 7 month window mark also. As soon as phones opened up, mind you.

We've been on waiting list for BCV, BWV, and VWL with nothing moving at all.

I wish I spoke to your MS person!!!

(We're checking in on Sunday, out on Saturday of that week.)

How long are you staying??? We have some SSR points and are heading down for a family wedding then. Not pleased that the waitlist seems to be a long lost dream at times...

[Maleficent's Dad]

I forgot to ask - what size accomodations did you get with no waitlist?

[ElenitaB]

I haven't had luck with waitlist in a long time!

And for our December trip, we're waitlisted for any size accommodation at VWL for the night we arrive, and then for a 1 bdrm (hoping to extend our stay in the same villa) for the last "day." Our flight doesn't leave until late and I need to rest every afternoon with my leg up for medical reasons or I'll have serious issues after the flight home. It's worth the extra points to me to have a place to hang out and rest than to end up in the hospital when we get home. It was manageable when we first made our plans but then JetBlue pushed back our flight until much later. Considering you can't get a late check out... please send some waitlist pixie dust to us for that last "day."

[MinnieMommie]

It seems as if you are flexible with the type of room you will take there is a better chance of getting a (some) room. We were waitlisted for all the DVCs on our last (last minute) trip this month and finally got something but it was a 1 bedroom rather than the studio we wanted.

We have been able to get BC at the 7 month window each January we tried. Maybe due to luck or maybe due to the time of year.

I know they say it doesn't make a difference but DH is convinced waitlists are more successful when I call every day. I have had CMs tell me that something has opened up while we are on the phone. Calling may not make a difference but I think it can't hurt.

[lockedoutlogic]

waitlists have become a generally unpleasant experience and a waste of time.....

if there is little or no chance of getting off a waitlist for large blocks of the calender year....then it might be nothing more than psychological torture to spend a portion of everyday for months and months "wondering" and "hoping" you get something.....

a really, really distasteful trend that is here to stay

[thumperbug]

Sorry for the delayed response folks.

We will be down there from Sun Feb 15 - Sat Feb 21.

We are staying in a 1 bedroom Villa at WL. I had booked SSR for those dates probably around the 8 month mark(?) and exactly on 7 month mark I called to see if by any miracle there were any other resorts available.

After reading some of the posts, now I realllly feel lucky.

Hey, I still would have been happy with my home resort of SSR...I'll be at Disney!!!!

[Simba's Mom]

Don't give up hope! My waitlist for the last night of my trip came through 2 days before I got there, 9 days before the night. I'd been on the waitlist for about 5 months and called to cancel the waitlist (at that point, I was resigned to staying at my back-up resort, although it meant packing and unpacking an extra time). What a pleasant surprise to learn that it had just come through!

[DizneyRox]

waitlists have become a generally unpleasant experience and a waste of time.....

if there is little or no chance of getting off a waitlist for large blocks of the calender year....then it might be nothing more than psychological torture to spend a portion of everyday for months and months "wondering" and "hoping" you get something.....

a really, really distasteful trend that is here to stay

But honestly, the problem is that people bought into DVC at a location they don't care to stay at, AND the resort just happened to be the biggest DVC resort currently.

I didn't buy into SSR because I have no desire to stay there.

[Sunshine1010]

I am the original OP.

My 'home' is SSR. I bought into that place because there was a BIG sale going on. Got the points for $80+ each through Disney.

One of the perks that the salesman 'pushed' was the fact that I could stay at all the DVC resorts by reserving the room at the 7 month mark.

Soooo, I'd like to use that perk. But it never seems to be feasible. And, with the DVC resorts I have stayed at in the past...it's been hard to get the room.

I LOVE SSR by the way....I LOVE IT. But, I'd like to stay at some other ones too sometimes.

So, I'm just praying that it will come through.

By the way - HAPPY HALLOWEEN everyone! (early)

[DizneyRox]

True.. Technically it's possible, and I don't want to say it's not probable, but the word "could" is one of those snag words.

Kindof like 'Up to 70% off".. All it means is that nothing is more than 70% off, not that everything is 70% off.

I do agree that it is mentioned as a perk, but I've always been aware that it's just a possibility. I could have bought Vero Beach or Hilton Head when we bought our Boardwalk points, but knowing the 11/7 month booking window told us that it's just not that easy.

But finally, don't give up on the waitlist. especially in this economy, I wouldn't be surprised to see tons of cancellations. There is/was another waitlist is the standard one doesn't come through. I think it goes to 7 days out, maybe even closer. that's where a lot of last minute sicknesses, etc will hit and you may find something at that point.

And "Boo to you" as well!

[TheRustyScupper]

. . . My 'home' is SSR. I bought into that place because there was a BIG sale going on. Got the points for $80+ each through Disney.

One of the perks that the salesman 'pushed' was the fact that I could stay at all the DVC resorts by reserving the room at the 7 month mark . . .

1) Just like other timeshare salesmen - 'trade anywhere, anytime".
2) This only works when unit-weeks sales are far below capacity weeks.
3) It is mathematical.
4) Unfortunately, there will be lot more waitlist weeks unfulfilled.
5) The prime reason to "buy where you want to stay".

NOTE: Guides are timeshare salespeople, and are licensed in Florida. Timeshare sales people always push the ability to trade. Since WDW guides can make $150k-$200k per year, it is to their benefit to push trading to other DVC's. And, lots of people fall for it.

[Aurora]

I wouldn't give up either. Our home resort is SSR and we waitlisted for a 1-bedroom at the BWV for a week in June and got it. We made ressies for my parents even later than ours and also got the BWV. BTW, I made my original ressies in March. It can be done.