DVC Waitlist Tips: How to Improve Your Chances

I’m staying at a Treehouse Villa at Disney’s Saratoga Springs Resort, but it certainly wasn’t my first choice. I’m overprotective of my precious DVC Points and would rather not waste them. However, I need a room and have happily taken what I could get. I mean, who could ever complain about a reservation at a Treehouse Villa?

Why did I book this room? I set up several DVC Waitlists, and this was the first to execute. When you’re like me and need a room, you’re happy with anything. In my case, I managed to book a DVC reservation on a major holiday that was less than two months away, a herculean feat. 

How did I do it? I played the odds, and you can, too. Here are a few DVC Waitlist suggestions to give yourself a fighting chance.

Don’t Fixate on a Single Room Category 

You’ll only need a DVC Waitlist for one reason: you couldn’t get the room you wanted on the day(s) you needed it. So, the best way to trigger a Waitlist is to expand your options. 

When you place Waitlists, DVC allows you to do up to two per contract per Use year. For most people, your maximum number of Waitlists is two. So, you should set up Waitlists for a Studio AND a One-Bedroom Villa at most resorts. You’ve now doubled your chances of a room becoming available.

At resorts with multiple types of Studios, book one of each. For example, at Bay Lake Tower at Disney’s Contemporary Resort, schedule a Waitlist for a Standard View and a Lake View Studio. You’ll pay a few points more for the latter option, but you’re now twice as likely to get your Waitlist. 

Similarly, you can choose multiple resorts if you don’t care where you’re staying. A great example involves Walt Disney World vacations. Based on the percentage of Orlando resorts in the DVC program, you’re likely to take one of these at some point.

When you cannot get the room you want, you should fall back to Plan B. You should book a Waitlist at Disney’s Old Key West Resort. Then, you should follow that with a Waitlist reservation for the same dates at Disney’s Saratoga Springs Resort & Spa. 

These two resorts function as the fallback options for some DVC members. They’re also the last ones to book their entire inventory on many dates. So, you’re exponentially more likely to have one of two things happen. Either someone else’s Waitlist comes through elsewhere, freeing inventory here, or someone just cancels here. Either way, you’ll get the room that you want. 

Copper Creek 1 Bedroom Villa

Don’t Be Stingy with Your Points

When you schedule a Waitlist, you’re leaving the process up to fate. While I’d encourage you to check for availability on your own each morning, you’re trusting Disney to find inventory for you.

Earlier, I mentioned that you should try for One-Bedroom Villas as well. That’s a less heralded part of the Waitlist process because of booking trends.

Have you ever noticed how much more inventory each resort lists in the Studio category? Disney does this for a reason. The majority of DVC members target Studios for their vacations, and the reason why is obvious. They cost fewer points. 

When you’re desperate for a room, you’ll need to splurge a bit. Set up a Waitlist for a One-Bedroom Villa as well. The strategy works the same as with Old Key West and Saratoga Springs that I just mentioned. 

Some of the members currently booked in One-Bedroom Villas would prefer Studios. So, when their Waitlists execute, yours will, too. You’re doubling your odds this way. 

Yes, you will spend more points, but you’ll get the vacation dates that you need. Also, you’ll gain hidden bonuses like a full-sized kitchen and washer-dryer. These amenities may make you happy about the upgrade anyway.

Saratoga Springs 1 Bedroom Villa

Leverage Split Stays 

The hardest Waitlists to receive involve extended vacations. When you want to stay for five or more nights, you may struggle to book. Each day must become available for the Waitlist to trigger.

Split Stays can mitigate this problem, presuming you don’t mind them. I’ve done countless Split Stays over the years by staying at multiple DVC resorts during a single vacation. They work surprisingly well and make for a more efficient vacation, presuming you don’t mind the downside. 

You will be without a hotel room or access to your luggage for several hours. For this reason, some DVC members dislike Split Stays. Objectively, they are harder.

If you’re okay with that, split your vacation into two dates. Then, set up a Waitlist for the first half and another for the second half. You’ll have much better odds of getting each one than a single extended booking attempt.

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