RS Tour Waitlist how long would you wait?

Decide whether to wait further in March.

We had two tours set up for 2022: May and September. We have cancelled the May tour because we are not sure if the virus situation will be better by then. May 9th is the last day to cancel the September tour and get our deposit back. We will not be making any flight or pre/post tour arrangements until it is clear that we are going on the September tour.

LF
Just curious…how do you know that you’re next on the wait list, should there be an opening?
I was under the impression (I called RS with a question about the waitlist) that once a spot opens up that everyone who is waitlisted gets an email to notify them of the availability for the tour. At that point it is up to you to sign up and get into your tour.

Linda, I dont think that is correct. I was on a waitlist. My understanding is that people are notified in time-stamp order if there is an opening. I rec'd an email saying there was an opening and that I had 24 hours to say I wanted it before they moved on to the next person on the list. Otherwise it would be madness,

Thanks stan

I’ve thought many times about the info I received about the waitlist and didn’t think it seemed fair or made sense. You’re right it would be madness. Most likely I misunderstood. Thanks for the clarification.

LF. You can see that I posted a similar concern about being wait listed and what the chances are of getting in. I’m hopeful of our selected tour and I’m also hopeful that those who have many tours will soon be weeding them out , to open up the possibility for more travellers. I did contact the RS office and was told that 10% dropout was the average. Fingers crossed.. maybe if you posted a question on who may be interested in switching dates, you would get some feedback?

The confirmation email that I received, acknowledging my waitlist request, says:
"If seats open up, we'll send an email to everyone on the waitlist and the seats will be filled on a first come, first served basis."

Vickie, that is the information that a Rick Steve’s associate conveyed to me. You phrased it much better than I did. Thank you.

Wow. I am sorry I must have misunderstood the situation. When I called to discuss my status in November, they told me I was "high on the list" therefore implying it was a ranked list, and the email offering space implied that as well.

If you are that close to the top you will most likely get on.

When we were waitlisted several years ago, we were told where we stood on the list. And when 2 spaces opened up, they emailed us (and called, I think) to let us know we could get on.

I recently heard from a Forum friend who was waitlisted for the Scandinavian tour for 2022; she received an email saying places were available, and she had 24 hours to accept or decline. She accepted.

Perhaps someone from the RS organization could clarify this.

Hey, I was able to find the email from RSE regarding my waitlist:

.** Dear Stan,
*Great news! We have an opening on your waitlisted tour. You have 24 hours from the time we sent this email to reserve the following tour: . . . .
*To guarantee these seats, please complete your reservation by following this link:
(link) . . . . .
*If we don’t hear from you, we’ll need to offer these seats to another traveler.**
If you have any questions, please email us: tour@ricksteves.com.
We look forward to receiving your reservation . . . .*

It wouldn't make sense to have a waitlist, if you just throw it open to whoever fist sees it.

Stan
Thanks for sharing this email from RS it really clarifies our questions. Vickie and I must have talked with the same RS representative, lol.

The other day I asked an RS person how the tour waitlist notifications are handled when a seat opens up given how long some of these waitlists must be. He said that people on the waitlists are notified in order of their waitlist place and given 24 hours to reply to claim their spot. However, he said that if new spots were to open up now for a tour taking place in February, they’d likely notify all the people on that tour’s waitlist at once because the tour would be starting so soon.

I was waitlisted for a tour in May. RS emailed me Thanksgiving eve a spot had opened up and I had 24 hours to accept and sign up. I did sign up. So, now I am on 2 tours back to back in May. Poland then Scandinavia! I will be gone for almost a month. Exciting.

Well, my family is waitlisted, on the same tour we are currently booked for and we have been told they “as family waitlisted, to travel with family alumni (RS tour alumni) they are at the top of the list. I hope so…note - they did not wait list recently, they did immediately when the tours were announced. Fingers still crossed..