Hello Maria,
Welcome to planDisney and thanks for asking a great question about vacation planning.
I love the flexibility that comes with a
Disney Vacation Club Membership, allowing me to tailor each Disney vacation to fit my needs. Since my travel party size often changes, I appreciate having a variety of accommodations to choose from and the chance to experience different resorts. When travelling with different parties, I sometimes plan vacations on shorter notice, which can mean gaps in resort availability for the dates I need.
I have made waitlists several times over the years and have always had luck on my side. My family enjoys staying at all of the
DVC Resorts so we are very flexible when waitlisting a resort. Our waitlists have always been for larger resorts such as
Disney's Saratoga Springs Resort & Spa and Disney's Old Key West Resort, increasing the chances of a waitlist coming through. These two resorts have the largest number of Deluxe Studios at Walt Disney World Resort.
After creating a waitlist, keep an eye on resort availability. Plans frequently change, and you might find an opening with the dates you need. I wish I had the foresight of Rafiki but unfortunately, I don't have the exact answer you're looking for. You can, however, have up to 2 active waitlist requests per Membership each
Use Year. These waitlists are active up until 31 days or up until 7 days before your Check-In date. If a Waitlist goes through, you'll receive an email that your initial reservation has been cancelled and then you'll receive another email with the new reservation.
If your full dates are unavailable, you can always book a split-stay (I love doing a split-stay since it allows us to experience two resorts during one vacation). If your waitlist becomes available, you can cancel your second reservation. When doing a split-stay, we head to
Bell Services first thing in the morning and drop off our luggage. They can either hold your luggage or they can move it to your next resort for you. If you do this, I highly recommend packing any medication or important items in a small bag that will be kept with you since you may not have access to your luggage later in the day.
Maria, I hope you’re able to secure the perfect reservation for your travel party, and if you join a Waitlist, it comes through for you! If you have any other planning questions or need more DVC advice, please don’t hesitate to revisit us at
planDisney. We’re always here to help!
Welcome Home,
Candace