As members aren't we entitled to a fair Wait List system?

[mjc2003]

As members, aren't we entitled to a fair accounting of how the wait lists actually works?

I have been wait listed for a 2BR at BCV for one night in October since the morning of the 7 month window. Just one night. 3 times the room has been available on the website, I didn't call the first time b/c I wasn't able to but the last 2 times I did call and it was booked by the time I got MS on the phone (including once yesterday morning when I was on hold for 25 minutes).

What infuriates me is that somebody is coming along and grabbing a room that I've been waiting 3 months for. Is that fair? Hardly. Should I have to do all this work, constantly checking the site and spending time on the phone with MS, in order to compensate for the deficiencies of the system? No. So since it's increasingly looking like I am going to lose out on a room to somebody who got lucky/opportunistic, I have begun to wonder if this is an equitable system, or if a change to the wait list system isn't in order?

This all ties back to Disney's archaic, embarrassingly inadequate IT/web infrastructure that makes the abacus look cutting edge.

I get that we are not "entitled" to have all our wait lists come through. However, the one night that I am waiting for HAS categorically been available at least 3 different times, and has been booked (presumably) by somebody who (through no fault of their own) "cut the line".

 

[justcruisin]

If you saw the room was available on the website why didn't you book it on the website?

I think we can all agree the waitlist fulfillment is in dire need of revamping. A simple task as a confirming email isn't even consistent.

 

[disneynutz]

The wait list computer program is run at night. If a room is made available during the day and someone books it, the wait list software will never see it.

That is the way that the system works. Since coming up with better software is costly and owners pay for it, I doubt if things will change.

Disney reduced the active wait lists to only 2 at one time a couple of years ago. They could take all wait lists away if they wanted to.

Bill

 

[mjc2003]

Before I get flamed for basically crying that the system doesn't work because my wait list hasn't come through, let me clarify that I am simply saying it would be nice to know how the system actually works. There is endless speculation, but I don't quite get why they couldn't at least reveal--warts and all--how the system operates?

I'm a big fan of transparency.

 

[OrangeCountyCommuter]

Next time you see it BOOK IT! Then go cancel the waitlist. That's what I did!

 

[mjc2003]

If you saw the room was available on the website why didn't you book it on the website?

I think we can all agree the waitlist fulfillment is in dire need of revamping. A simple task as a confirming email isn't even consistent.

I had to buy 9 points to book any 2BR for that night b/c we were short on BCV points, hence me having to wait til the 7 month window to book that one night. I was told the one time points would not go back into my account if I canceled so I didn't want to risk canceling the one night in order to book what was available on the website without doing it through MS.

 

[crisi]

I don't use the waitlist, but I agree with you. If the system changes cost us more money, to me its worthwhile to have a fair waitlist system that isn't bypassed by phone calls. And frankly, it would likely pay for itself when people stop calling all the time to try and sneak in on the waitlist.

 

[disneynutz]

Before I get flamed for basically crying that the system doesn't work because my wait list hasn't come through, let me clarify that I am simply saying it would be nice to know how the system actually works. There is endless speculation, but I don't quite get why they couldn't at least reveal--warts and all--how the system operates?

I'm a big fan of transparency.

I don't think that it's a secret, you just have to know who to ask.

Computer finds matches at night and holds inventory. CM's manually work the list the next day making changes to the reservations.

Bill

 

[mjc2003]

Next time you see it BOOK IT! Then go cancel the waitlist. That's what I did!

Wish I could have, but like I mentioned to the PP, I was out of points.

I don't think that it's a secret, you just have to know who to ask.

Computer finds matches at night and holds inventory. CM's manually work the list the next day making changes to the reservations.

Bill

Bill, is that confirmed or is that just the working theory, because I get different answers when I ask MS.

Also, it would take very little tweaking to allow for the program that finds the matches to run concurrent to the open online booking window, and hold inventory for any resort with a certain percentage of rooms booked. In other words, if a 1BR at BCV is cancelled and the computer notices that it's the only 1BR available for that night/period why not hold the room immediately assuming there is a WL to fill instead of leaving it dangling for hours and hours?

It reminds me of the Nat Geo special on the baby turtles. 100,000 are born on a beach and only 30 make it to the water. I suspect there are plenty of waitlists bypassed all day, and only a few getting filled at night, ESPECIALLY now that people can book online.

 

[antree]

Can you call MS and re book one of your nights using the one time purchase points and then have the cancelled points put back to your acct. So if it poops up again you can book it on your own?: It won't hurt to ask.

I too, was on the wait list, I did get 2 nights through the wait list. Then when I added more days I got the other 2 nights buy booking it my self and then cancelling my wait list.

 

[mjc2003]

Can you call MS and re book one of your nights using the one time purchase points and then have the cancelled points put back to your acct. So if it poops up again you can book it on your own?: It won't hurt to ask.

I too, was on the wait list, I did get 2 nights through the wait list. Then when I added more days I got the other 2 nights buy booking it my self and then cancelling my wait list.

If I cancel the one night that uses the one time points, I lose those points unless they are immediately applied to the current WL. I was told only MS can make this switch.

 

[cvjw]

Isn't it already fair enough? We are all entitled to put in 2 waitlists that will be filled as Disney runs their program periodically during the day. We are all also entitled to check the website as many times as we want during the day and pick up any rooms that we find available.

Sorry you didn't have the points available, but that doesn't mean that someone who did have the points available should be penalized. They could've also been on the same waitlist as you for that BCV room - they also could have been BCV owners who couldn't book that room before the 7 month mark.

I personally don't think that Disney is capable of coming up with a system that would match waitlists 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. I am grateful that we can go online and handle our own waitlists/check availablity without having to call MS every time.

 

[bumbershoot]

If I cancel the one night that uses the one time points, I lose those points unless they are immediately applied to the current WL. I was told only MS can make this switch.

I could be wrong but I don't think that's how the one time use points work.

 

[disneynutz]

Wish I could have, but like I mentioned to the PP, I was out of points.



Bill, is that confirmed or is that just the working theory, because I get different answers when I ask MS.

Also, it would take very little tweaking to allow for the program that finds the matches to run concurrent to the open online booking window, and hold inventory for any resort with a certain percentage of rooms booked. In other words, if a 1BR at BCV is cancelled and the computer notices that it's the only 1BR available for that night/period why not hold the room immediately assuming there is a WL to fill instead of leaving it dangling for hours and hours?

It reminds me of the Nat Geo special on the baby turtles. 100,000 are born on a beach and only 30 make it to the water. I suspect there are plenty of waitlists bypassed all day, and only a few getting filled at night, ESPECIALLY now that people can book online.

This is what I was told by a manager last week. I have been told the same info before.

Having a program that dynamically continuously scans all reservations for changes and all wait lists for a match is more complicated than it seems.

MS advisers don't even have the ability to hold inventory while they are making changes so a better wait list program is a long way off.

Wait lists are such a small part of running the DVC, I think it is done as a courtesy. They don't have to have wait lists at all. I am sure that Disney would prefer that everyone buy and book at their home resort 11 months out.

Bill

 

[LisaS]

If I cancel the one night that uses the one time points, I lose those points unless they are immediately applied to the current WL. I was told only MS can make this switch.

You don't lose those points but you won't see them when booking online, just as you don't see transferred points that do not match your home resort and UY. So making a dummy reservation with OTU points and then cancelling it won't help you book the night you need online. You would still need to call MS to use the returned OTU points for that night.

Having a program that dynamically continuously scans all reservations for changes and all wait lists for a match is more complicated than it seems.

It also raises some interesting issues as pointed out by tjkraz in previous waitlist discussions. For example, let's say I'm waiting for just one night but I am pretty far down the WL while everyone above me on the list needs more than just one night. By running the WL sporadically, all of the nights cancelled throughout the day are consolidated, increasing the odds that those above me on the list who are waiting for multiple nights will get them.

They could fix that problem by setting aside any nights needed for any waitlist request but what if someone wants seven nights and the full set never comes through? How long should those nights be held in hopes that WL can eventually be filled? Should they be held until 31 days from check-in? Holding nights and then releasing them 31 days out would benefit those who can make last-minute plans over those who would have grabbed those nights months ago if they had been made available.

Wait lists are such a small part of running the DVC, I think it is done as a courtesy.

I think you're right about this. It works out some of the time (probably less often than it did before online booking) but overall the system favors making room nights available to everyone to book and filling the WL if it just happens to work out at the end of the day.

 

[luckyman_apd]

As Bill has said, the whitelist is a convienance to us, and I have learned to do the dirty work to get what I want. Wait list is a tricky thing when it comes to "fair". As Lisa stated, is it fair that someone wait listed two nights where i only want one that if the one night I want becomes available, should that be reserved for you wanting 2 nights while waiting for the second night to come around? I don't think DVC cares who or why they get filled, they just want them filled. So if you want two nights, I want 1 and that one becomes available, I believe it's just quicker, easier, and fills the room for them.

Is this fair? Maybe, maybe not, but the room is filled and that's the bottom line.
As far as when/how wait lists get filled is beyond me, but I do know single nights are more likely to come through than anything else. I'm surprised it hasn't come through for you.

 

[CarolMN]

DVC has a different definition of "fair" than most individual members do.

DVC wants the system to operate cost effectively, efficiently and to have occupancy at or near capacity every night of the year. Thus DVC doesn't much care which individual member is actually in a particular room as long as someone is.

IMO,that's why it doesn't hold individual nights waiting for others to become available, why it stopped allowing members to waitlist day by day, why it changed from reserving from check-out to check-in and probably why it limited waitlists to 2. Holes in a desired reservation often result in last minute cancellations, extra cleaning (due to unwanted room /resort changes) and single nights here and there with empty rooms.

Bottom line is that paying to make the waitlist system match the individual's idea of "fair" is not in the best interests of the membership as a whole.

P.S. In Minnesota, the "fair" is at the end of August. In Iowa, it's the place you take your pig.

 

[Breyean]

Before there was on line booking available, there were members who posted in threads how they kept calling MS quite often to check on their wait list.

The reason most people posted afterward was to happily report while on the phone with MS, the Cm checked and their wait list magically had just come through.

Seems no different from we as members can do ourselves now on line.

Cancellations open inventory which shows up as available immediately. Call MS or check on line and if you're lucky you can grab that room.

On line booking has just eliminated the need to call MS all the time to check and lets us eliminate them from the process of grabbing a room in many cases.

 

[KAT4DISNEY]

I don't think that it's a secret, you just have to know who to ask.

Computer finds matches at night and holds inventory. CM's manually work the list the next day making changes to the reservations.

Bill

I also don't think it's any great secret. About the only thing that is secret is where you are at on the waitlist and sometimes that could be nice to know. But other than that we know that it isn't doing a constant sweep so that people can pick up dates that are released before those dates can be used to fill a waitlist.

 

[BillPA]

Just a thought, there may have been people on the wait list for 8, 9 or 10 months. They would have been ahead of you. Oct is a very high demand time for the EPCOT resorts.
I don't mean to say there isn't a problem with the wait list/CM handling of the list, but looking for another possibility of what may have happened.