Wait Listing Extra nights - changing rooms?

[MadAlice1025]

If you book a few nights, then wait list an extra night and get it, will you have to change rooms on that extra night? Because I noticed it is a different Travel Plan number. Thanks!

[bobbiwoz]

If it is the same type of villa, ask MS to link the reservation. I added a night before my existing BCV October stay, I asked MS to link, they added the night to the other reservation, the same reservation number.

[CarolMN]

I agree with Bobbi - call MS and ask to have the reservations linked. You will end up with just one travel number and that is how it will appear to the resort.

Congratulations on getting that waitlist.

[bobbiwoz]

I have re read the procedure for linking and copying it here:

We have cancelled your reservation xxxxxxxxxxxand modified your
reservation xxxxxxxxxxxper your request. Your reservation is now
confirmed as follows:

Resort:
DISNEY'S BEACH CLUB Villas

Room Type:
Deluxe Studio

Arrival: Wednesday, Xxxxxxxxx2013
Departure: Sunday, Xxxxxxxx 2013

The CANCELLED was surprising. I wonder if the reservation could have been lost in the process!

[CarolMN]

Originally Posted by bobbiwoz

I have re read the procedure for linking and copying it here:

We have cancelled your reservation xxxxxxxxxxxand modified your
reservation xxxxxxxxxxxper your request. Your reservation is now
confirmed as follows:

Resort:
DISNEY'S BEACH CLUB Villas

Room Type:
Deluxe Studio

Arrival: Wednesday, Xxxxxxxxx2013
Departure: Sunday, Xxxxxxxx 2013

The CANCELLED was surprising. I wonder if the reservation could have been lost in the process!

Not unless the CM didn't know what he/she was doing.

FWIW, I would email requests like this so that they either get handled by a more experienced CM or done when the CM isn't in a hurry to get you off the line, LOL. (I'm sure they have productivity measures to meet - can't think of any call centers that do not).

[LisaS]

The last time I did this was when I grabbed an extra night online and then called MS in the morning to have this new 1-night reservation linked to my original reservation. I was told they don't link reservations any longer in this situation. They cancel the second reservation and add the night(s) to the original reservation.

Maybe this is because with a linked reservation, guests must now check out and check in again when they transition from the original reservation to the second reservation.

They still have to link reservations that belong to different members but in this case where both reservations belong to the same member it appears they are doing a cancel and modify rather than linking them. I don't see a problem with this as long as there is ZERO chance that they could lose the nights from the cancelled reservation.

[bobbiwoz]

Yes, this was the reply to my e-mail request to link the reservations.

[mousefan1972]

Actually, if the reservations are for the same resort and villa type, "linked" is not the right word. "Combined" would be correct. OP is not looking to "link" 2 different reservations (i.e., those made by different member accounts), rather he is wanting one continuous reservation.

MS did this automatically for us just last week. I was trying to book a 5 night stay at BCV for June. I had the first 2 nights and the last 2 nights, with a waitlist for the lone middle night. Well, the waitlist came through, and by the time I checked our DVC account online, MS had combined the 3 separate reservations into one contiguous 5 night stay with one reservation number. Nothing was done on my part to have this done for us.

[Shelly S]

I had a one night wait list and four nights already reserved at VGC. Today the wait list came through and it was automatically combined to my original reservation. Today on the member website it shows June 19 to 24th instead of the 20th to 24th that had been showing. Also waitlist no longer shows active, but complete. Good luck on your wait list OP.

[cheese5]

Originally Posted by MadAlice1025

If you book a few nights, then wait list an extra night and get it, will you have to change rooms on that extra night? Because I noticed it is a different Travel Plan number. Thanks!

I had 2 reservations at AKV with a day missing in the middle. I waitlisted that day. When it came in everything was linked together!

In the past when a waitlisted day came in it had a separate reservation number and I always made a quick call to have it linked. It's NEVER a problem.

[LisaS]

Originally Posted by cheese5

I had 2 reservations at AKV with a day missing in the middle. I waitlisted that day. When it came in everything was linked together!

So you are saying you ended up with three separate reservations linked together rather than one continuous reservation?

[mousefan1972]

Originally Posted by LisaS

So you are saying you ended up with three separate reservations linked together rather than one continuous reservation?

I'm going to guess she means 1 continuous reservation, as I posted above. I wish people would stop saying "linked" when they mean combined.

[LisaS]

Originally Posted by mousefan1972

I'm going to guess she means 1 continuous reservation, as I posted above. I wish people would stop saying "linked" when they mean combined.

I wasn't sure if she was misspoke or was giving a counter example and actually did end up with three reservations linked together. I hope she posts again to clarify.

The last time I had a waitlist come through (a few years ago now), I did end up with the waitlisted night as a separate reservation that MS linked to my original reservation. I had two reservation numbers which wasn't too difficult other than not knowing which one to use when booking my dining reservations. Fortunately I did not have to check out and check in again on my transition day from reservation #1 to reservation #2.

Lately I've been reading that with the new reservation software, that is no longer the case and guests with linked reservations are having to check out/check in on their transition day. I'm wondering if this is why MS is going to the extra effort to cancel and modify rather than just link reservations when all of the nights are booked under the same membership.

[bookwormde]

Reservations can still be linked, but it is not the standard and is more of a note than the old system. I beleive that they finally created a structure in the reservation system that allow reservations to be combined without risking an inexperianced cm "loosing" a piece.

Some of the times when reservation might be linked are if they are from mutiple owners, changing guests or if you want to maintain the flexibiity to cancel portions on line without having to cancel the whole reservation. You can also just let the front desk know that you have a continuing reservation when you check in.

If you are waitlisitng you need to put a note on the waitlist that you do not want to combine with the existing reservation if you do not want to combine it (It used to be the opposite)

[maburke]

Originally Posted by bookwormde

If you are waitlisitng you need to put a note on the waitlist that you do not want to combine with the existing reservation if you do not want to combine it (It used to be the opposite)

I agree, the system seems to have changed. I had an interesting experience recently. I made a reservation for six nights and waitlisted a seventh night (at the beginning). I used current (2013) points for the reservation. A week or two later, I banked some points from 2012 into 2013. A few weeks after that, the waitlist came through. It showed the six nights cancelled, and the seven nights booked, and when it re-booked, it used my banked points first! It was exactly what I wanted done, and in fact, I called to reallocate the points, but found it was unnecessary.

For me, it worked out great, but I wanted to mention it, because it was NOT what I would have expected to happen based on previous experience.