Best/worst times to waitlist?

[Mrs Bus Driver]

As I don't own DVC yet, I am curious to know what the best/worst times of year are for wait listing? Truly I wouldn't mind staying at my home resort (when I have one) but I was wondering when my best chances are for staying somewhere else and when it is just down right impossible to get anywhere else.
Thanks :mickey:

[Sunshine1010]

subscribing

[DizneyRox]

As you may have read, I'm a big proponent of buying where you want to stay. BUT, personally, I have never had a problem staying elsewhere. I usually go during peak times, we have been owners since 2000 and go during the 4th of July holiday.

We owned at Boardwalk and stayed there like three times. We've stayed at Beach Club, Wilderness Lodge, Saratoga Springs, and even used points at the Grand, Animal Kigdom Lodge, etc.

One time for Beach Club we had to waitlist on the short list, but it ended up coming through. The only one we got without the waitlist was Wilderness Lodge (except the regular resorts). So we do have experience with it.

BUT, lately it is becoming harder and harder to stay outside of your resort. I'm not sure what others are doing, but I call at the 11 month mark for checkout (it's now 11 months from checkin) and book my home resort, then at the 7 month opening, I'm on the phone again. If you are a last minute planner, I would totally expect to run into problems. We plan as early as we can.

[Here we go again...]

We booked a Thanksgiving stay at our 11 month window. My friend found out that she would be off an extra day for Thanksgiving so we wanted her to come stay with us. We tried to book her 2 nights, Thursday (Thanksgiving) and Friday 2 months out. Of Course everything was booked. We put her on the waitlist and about 3 weeks before arrival we receive the confirmation of her stay.
So, I know the waitlist will come through at Thanksgiving!

[DizneyRox]

We booked a Thanksgiving stay at our 11 month window. My friend found out that she would be off an extra day for Thanksgiving so we wanted her to come stay with us. We tried to book her 2 nights, Thursday (Thanksgiving) and Friday 2 months out. Of Course everything was booked. We put her on the waitlist and about 3 weeks before arrival we receive the confirmation of her stay.
So, I know the waitlist will come through at Thanksgiving!
Safe to assume this is SSR we're talking about right? SSR is relatively easy no matter what the date. I'm surprised you needed to wiatlist at all. But, glad it did come through.

[Ian]

Honestly, I'd buy where you want to stay. Even if, currently, some folks are able to get their waitlists I wouldn't count on that continuing as DVC grows and grows.

I think there will come a time sooner rather than later where you pretty much have to book at the 11 month window to get the room you want.

[lockedoutlogic]

Honestly, I'd buy where you want to stay. Even if, currently, some folks are able to get their waitlists I wouldn't count on that continuing as DVC grows and grows.

I think there will come a time sooner rather than later where you pretty much have to book at the 11 month window to get the room you want.


I'm sure i'm going to have to sell mine and buy at another location.

It frustrates me to no end. But i won't be happy if this continues (a general certainty) and I wouldn't deny my children or my wife DVC....

So we'll probably sell our saratoga at a loss and then spend another 50% getting something else.

I have said it before, so i won't bother again...but I have shown Disney as much loyalty as possible in a person's life at this point. And they probably didn't deserve it.

But i didn't do anything wrong. DVC and WDC didn't hold to their principles on this. They laid out choice and flexibility as their tenants in the early 90's.....they have intentionally eliminated choice.

Why? because they want people to expand their point banks with contracts at multiple locations.

That's it.

As far as the waitlist good/bad time goes....In the last year I'ved had 3 waitlists not come through....they were March 31- April 4, October 10-16, and this weekend, january 11-16...

what time is good for waitlists? beats the heck outta me....

[Ian]

Yep. Very well said. I agree 100%.

[DizneyRox]

Why? because they want people to expand their point banks with contracts at multiple locations.

Sorry to get off topic, buy why do people buy multiple contracts?

I have a hard time managing one contract, never mind trying to figure out how to book two or three or more locations at different days to string together a continuous trip.

Maybe I just plan differently... I'm all for resort hoping but I don't want to be forced. Which I understand is probably what people are complaining about. They don't want to resort hop, hence the waitlist. All of which is eliminated by only buying one contract.

I'll start a new thread if we want to break off into our own group on this...

[lockedoutlogic]

Sorry to get off topic, buy why do people buy multiple contracts?

I have a hard time managing one contract, never mind trying to figure out how to book two or three or more locations at different days to string together a continuous trip.

Maybe I just plan differently... I'm all for resort hoping but I don't want to be forced. Which I understand is probably what people are complaining about. They don't want to resort hop, hence the waitlist. All of which is eliminated by only buying one contract.

I'll start a new thread if we want to break off into our own group on this...


i wasn't trying to hijack this one with the quip...so i'll clarify....

i think disney wants every owner to buy into to every new sight....why wouldn't they? it's basically an influx of new operational cash from those that they already know will come to WDW often and drop lots of discretionary cash....

I know what other DVC members have mentioned....those that bought 250 points at Hilton Head in 98 feel like they are neglected much more than those that bought 150 at saratoga in 2005 amd then added on 75 at animal kingdom recently.....

Is there any logic to that?
There is...disney logic.....they have a short memory on sales....and they are always loyal to the recent sale most.

[Guapo]

We have multi contracts simply because we wanted to add on more points, but our original home resort was sold out. So now we have Contract-1, and Contract-2.

DVC was kind enough to assign the same “use-year” for both, so we don’t have to worry about managing our points at different times of the year.

Now, what we do is we alternate resorts every year, and we bank the points from the resort we don’t use into the next year. That way, we still utilize the 11 month booking window, and we’ll have double the points for the next time.

For example, let’s say we have 100 points each at DVC-A and DVC-B. At the start of each use-year, we get our allotted 200 points. In year one, we’ll use 100-A points and bank 100-B points. In year two, we now have 200-B points to use, and we’ll bank 100-A points. Year three, we have 200-A points to use, and we bank 100-B points. (lather, rinse, and repeat, in perpetuity….)

Since we are pretty happy and content with our 2 home resorts, waitlists do not present a huge challenge to us. (Off-topic, yes, but I wanted to respond to the earlier multi-contract inquiry)

[Hammer]

Back to the original question, I don't know if there is a good/bad time to waitlist which can be applied across the board, though it is near impossible to have a waitlist request come through during the Food and Wine festival for either Epcot area DVC. Here is what I found; the shorter the trip, the better the chance of your waitlist coming through. We booked a 1 br at VWL for a 1 night stay this past 12/21. We booked it at six months out. We went on the waitlist for a 2 bedroom at VWL, which came through. When we went on the waitlist for our weeklong stay in October (which happen to fall during the Columbus Day holiday) it did not come through and we went on the waitlist at exactly the 7 month mark.

[Ian]

One other thing that helps ... avoid weekends ...

[lockedoutlogic]

One other thing that helps ... avoid weekends ...


especially sundays....

sundays are nuts....i would presume due to florida DVC owners using the cheap poin "weekend" night to take little 3 dayers....

[Hammer]

especially sundays....

sundays are nuts....i would presume due to florida DVC owners using the cheap poin "weekend" night to take little 3 dayers....

Not necessarily...

The wait list that came through which I mentioned in the above post was for a Sunday night stay. Not to mention it was at VWL for the Sunday before Christmas (which is still value season).

[DizneyRox]

Thanks for the answer on the multi contract. It was more directed at DVC owers than Disney. I know that Disney would LOVE for me to own a little bit everwhere, BUT I just never fell for it.

I called my guide about adding on and he was all sorts of happy until he heard I was going to sell my other contract. So I'm curious why others don't do the same. The original contract went for more than I paid for it, and I ended up keeping everything in one place to make things easy. Didn't have a problem with minimum points, and incentives were all there based on a new contract. Actually turned out very well.

I really just can't imagine having 150 points, here, 50 points there, and 25 somewhere else. Granted use years are always the same, but it's very hard to use 25 points anywhere meaningful. Like a 32 point contract, maybe, which might cover a weekend and weekday someplace. Disney's point structure I'm sure was well thought out to maximize potential point waste...

Just trying to get a grasp on what people are thinking, cuz at a quick glance, I'm not so sure they are.

[Here we go again...]

We bought into SSR because we got a great deal and that was the only resort available at the time. I don't care what anyone says, I like SSR. We do have to deal with the occasional rude CM, but I guess that is at all of the DVC resorts.

THEN, I bought into Bay Lake because I just HAVE to own there. We only bought 100 points there and got the same use year so we will probably do what the other poster said, bank points and go every other year.

[DizneyRox]

I guess I'm just lucky that I don't like these "new" resorts. The contemporary is a bathroom break on the way over to the Hoop Dee Doo for me. SSR is so far out of the way, I guess it never occured to me to want to own there.

We did look at adding on in the past, but when they said, we don't have any Boardwalk points, we siad that you and walked away. Oh well... I did get a call a little late saying they did have some (I guess they did a ROFR on a lagre contract and was piecing it out). We dind't hav ethe cash to do it at that point.

I do see the every other year thing, that makes perfect sense, if you get enough.

[Here we go again...]

I guess I'm just lucky that I don't like these "new" resorts. The contemporary is a bathroom break on the way over to the Hoop Dee Doo for me. SSR is so far out of the way, I guess it never occured to me to want to own there.

This made me laugh because I remember standing at DTD watching the construction for SSR and making the comment "who would want to stay there? It looks like apartments"

After our first stay, I loved it. My husband loves being on the golf course and could think of nothing in the worl more relaxing than sitting outside on the balcony reading his book. I guess it kind of takes you away from the craziness that a Disney vacation can be.
We also end up at DTD so often that staying there is perfect for us.

As for the contemporary, I felt the same way until I stayed there. But for me, location for Bay Lake is worth it's weight in gold.

[Ian]

We bought into SSR because we got a great deal and that was the only resort available at the time. I don't care what anyone says, I like SSR. We do have to deal with the occasional rude CM, but I guess that is at all of the DVC resorts.

THEN, I bought into Bay Lake because I just HAVE to own there. We only bought 100 points there and got the same use year so we will probably do what the other poster said, bank points and go every other year.:ditto:

I could have posted this same thing almost word-for-word ...

Except we loved BLT so much we bought 200 points. ;)

[Here we go again...]

Except we loved BLT so much we bought 200 points. ;)
OMG... You got the plaque??? I am so jealous.
I just could not talk my DH into 160 points. He is the logical one in the family. If we could not pay cash then we could not get it.... We had only saved enough for 100 points. Oh well, 100 is better than zero! :party:

[Ian]

Yeah, we ended up financing our BLT purchase. But we do get the plaque! ;)

[lockedoutlogic]

Yeah, we ended up financing our BLT purchase. But we do get the plaque! ;)

wait a second.....

What's that monster eating for lunch today?:secret:

[Ian]

What's that monster eating for lunch today?:secret:I don't know, but I'm sure he's eating well on my 10.25% interest payments. ;)

[lockedoutlogic]

I don't know, but I'm sure he's eating well on my 10.25% interest payments. ;)

that's what i'm saying.....

they're never going to worry about you pulling your business....

and you're a critic

guess we'll never see Fire Mountain or chinese pandas in Animal Kingdom....

oh well....still psyched for AI

[Aurora]

We've never had a problem with waitlists and we've stayed during various seasons.

Our last try was last year, first full week in June, we got the Boardwalk for the full week (we are SSR owners). We did not call at the 7-month window, I think it was more like 3 months out.

Then my parents wanted to join us and we called about a month out and their waitlist also came through for the Boardwalk.

One thing we do on the waitlist is have several resorts going at the same time (last time we had VWL, BCV and BWV), so our chances will be better. It's logical that BWV came up first because it's the biggest of the three.

To determine when the best season would be, without actual Disney data (which you won't get), it's reasonable to assume that it would be harder in the overall busiest Disney seasons -- Easter, summer and Christmas. Also as already posted the Epcot area seems pretty tight during Food and Wine.

One thing you can't ignore, however, is that DVC owners might use points in the low seasons as well, in the same year, to get more bang for their buck. It's hard to say whether this would affect the waitlists though.

One thing I know for sure -- don't count on getting any Bay Lake Tower Magic Kingdom views on the waitlist. For a loooooooonnnnnnng time. According to the last guide I talked to, BLT's MK view rooms make up only 20 percent of the resort. Yeah, lake views will be awesome, but I don't see 80 percent of owners asking for lake view as their first choice, even for fewer points. :)

[Aurora]

Read that last post and what I meant to say in terms of traditional busy seasons was spring break from mid-February to late April (which includes Easter), summer, and the holiday season (which includes Christmas but is really from Thanksgiving until New Year's).

[lockedoutlogic]

There are tons of times/locations where members are going to get STONEWALLED on waitlists.....

And with every new contract or resale...it's gonna get worst.

This isn't somekind of Chicken Little (the classic story....not the subpar Disney flick) or conspiracy theory....

the numbers are going to become obvious soon enough....they is no sustainable solution as long as sales continue in a fixed time frame....and we have that scenario....365 days a year.

The water is filling up....the levy is starting to grunt and grown a little....

(wow...that's alot of analogy in one quip)

There are only 2 possible solutions:

1. More units with no sales....which is a big fat NEVER
2. New properties that don't sell well when they are already operational (a possibility...as in the early years of DVC)....but that is only a temporary fix

Disney Vacation Club will not be able to control themselves until they have altered the entire identity of the sale (already underway)....they are beholden to the most addictive, dangerous substance in the history of mankind (like 99.9% of everyone else): money

[DVC Mike]

the numbers are going to become obvious soon enough....they is no sustainable solution as long as sales continue in a fixed time frame....and we have that scenario....365 days a year.

The water is filling up....the levy is starting to grunt and grown a little....

(wow...that's alot of analogy in one quip)

There are only 2 possible solutions:

1. More units with no sales....which is a big fat NEVER
2. New properties that don't sell well when they are already operational (a possibility...as in the early years of DVC)....but that is only a temporary fix

Disney Vacation Club will not be able to control themselves until they have altered the entire identity of the sale (already underway)....they are beholden to the most addictive, dangerous substance in the history of mankind (like 99.9% of everyone else): money

I don't understand your complaint. DVC works like every other vacation club or timeshare out there. If you're unhappy with the way vacation clubs work, why did you buy in?

Your idea to have the developer build more units and donate them to the members was a joke, right? What other timeshare developer does that?

[lockedoutlogic]

I don't understand your complaint. DVC works like every other vacation club or timeshare out there. If you're unhappy with the way vacation clubs work, why did you buy in?

Your idea to have the developer build more units and donate them to the members was a joke, right? What other timeshare developer does that?

You don't understand the complaint?

DVC was designed and presented to be exactly UNLIKE every other timeshare and vacation club.....

That's pretty straightforward.

It would not be a problem if they hadn't drove it into everyone's head like a spike....

But they did. And now they've made some poor choices for locations......that is a huge, irreversible mistake.

Shall I buy a contract at 6 locations?

really? is that reasonable (no offense)?