I am paying ALOT of money for this vacation so....

[vellamint]

I AM going to have CONNECTING rooms for my husband and 4 children.... At least that is what I am planning on telling the desk when we check in to the CBR in April. For a second time we were told there are no connecting rooms. For a second time I have scoured these boards (and others) and have found posts saying that there ARE connecting rooms. My question (and yes I know to fax them our requests 3-5 days out) is this. If we get there and there are no connecting rooms - WHAT DO I DO - live in another room than my hubby for 7 nights......have a "girl" room and a "boy" room? This is ridiculous for the expense of having 2 rooms to be told there AREN'T any! If there ARE connecting rooms and there arent any available we are willing to wait for availability.....will I need to haunt them all day....will they move me as soon as one becomes available!? Sorry - I dont even know if I am actually asking a question or just venting..this just doesnt seem right!

[Liz]

I seem to remember reading somewhere that if one room is to be solely occupied by children, the connecting room is guaranteed. If its 4 adults (2 in each room) for instance, then they will try to accomodate you. I hope you are able to get your connecting rooms, and I have no problem with you coming here to vent! :)

[cindyfan]

What ages are the children?
Like Liz said, I am pretty sure if it will be kids only in one room, you will be guaranteed connecting rooms.
They don't want the kids unsupervised! ;)
I suggest to call and verify this.

[all4wdw]

My confirmation from PO last year stated "guaranteed connection rooms for families" meaning in their words that they would not split a family up who could not be accomodated in 1 room. As I have 3 kids, my request for connecting rooms at the YC was" by request "as we could be accomodated in 1 room (2 queen beds and a daybed). I would ask about the guaranteed connecting rooms for families policy. From what I understand, Disney is great about not separating families.

[jdads2]

I just got connecting room at AKL. My parents are joining us this trip and my dad is in a wheel chair. I let them know that my mom might need some help and that 1 of my kids would be staying with them and I got the connecting rooms.

If 1 CM can't seem to help you call back and get another.

[oshun]

We have asked for connecting rooms many times and have always received them.

We asked at Contemporary Towers to be connected with my brothers room, we asked at Coronado Springs when there were two adults and 4 children, we asked at Port Orleans when there were 2 adults, 3 children, and our 19 yr old neice. Disney has always met our needs when booking our rooms.

You could always fax the request 4 days prior to checking-in as a back up.

Like jdad2 stated - if 1 CM can't seem to help call back and get another until you receive the guarantee for connecting rooms.

I truly believe that WDW tries to fill requests when possible so I would not worry. WDW would not want to seperate your family. They've never seperated mine.
Have a wonderful vacation!!!:)

[Grumpy92]

CSR does have connecting rooms. Here are some suggestions on how to handle this.

1. Make sure your request for connecting rooms is on your resv.

2. Fax your request a few days before your arrival. Something polite explaining your situation and put attn Room Assignment.

3. The next day I would call CSR front desk and ask to speak to the Room Assignment CM. Politely explain your situation and that you had faxed in the request. That way you can make sure they got your fax.

I understand your frustration I would be upset too. But from a CM point of view when the guests were really nice and understanding I tended to go out of my way to help them. If nothing else ask to speak to the front desk manager.

[poohbears5]

Last june they would not promise but we did recieve connecting rooms at cbr we have 5 kids and I really didn't want to have to split up either so good luck I think they really try for families .
We just reminded them at check in nicely.

[Rpsemont]

I'm not very good at links. Hopefully this will work. See the letter. I think it's a bit much, but you're probably more likely to succeed. I would plan to sweetly ask until you get there. (it might not hurt to end with with a typo that accidently leaves a "1" off of one of the teenagers ages (if you have teenagers) On my, did I say that?




http://www.wdwig.com/cro1.htm

[vellamint]

rooms at the CBR....it isnt even ON our reservations as a request....I am upset because I feel that they wont give us as much consideration due to this. Oh face it....I am just upset. For the kind of money that a large family like ours needs to lay out to stay in WDW ( and this is the first time we can due to a discount) I just dont think its right that they won't guarantee connecting. If we dont get it the first day.....will they let us know when one becomes available.....it is important enough to me that I will move.

[cforza]

I agree with you vellamint! I can't for the life of me understand why they can't guarantee connecting rooms? If you pay for the second room, I think it's a given that they should make sure you get it for your children. How difficult is it to assign you a connecting room, especially when you booked well ahead of time?

One year my mom, sister and my kids stayed at POR. We requested connecting rooms so my sister and I could go out at night and my mom could watch the kids. They could all go to sleep with the door between the rooms open. Well, when we arrived, they gave us adjoining rooms, but they weren't connecting! This policy has always bothered me. I just don't understand why they can't guarantee it.

Vellamint, instead of just requesting the room, get the name of the General Manager of the CBR, then call, e-mail or fax a letter to THEM telling them that you know there are connecting rooms and it is IMPERATIVE have one. I'm sure the manager can arrange that for you. Print out a copy of your request and take it with you. If you arrive and they don't have the connecting rooms, tell them you would like to be moved to another Disney resort that does. I'm sure there will be a resort somewhere in Disney with connecting rooms that can accomodate you (for no extra charge of course).

[disney4us2002]

I'm not sure if there is a difference or not, but I have been told 'we don't have connecting rooms, but we have adjoining rooms." What the heck is the difference? Perhaps it is just a difference of vocabulary? I would call the hotel directly, not CRO and just ask them what the policy is because your children cannot be separated from the parents due to their ages, etc.

[CarolMN]

Originally posted by disney4us2002
I'm not sure if there is a difference or not, but I have been told 'we don't have connecting rooms, but we have adjoining rooms." What the heck is the difference? Perhaps it is just a difference of vocabulary? I would call the hotel directly, not CRO and just ask them what the policy is because your children cannot be separated from the parents due to their ages, etc.

Connecting rooms have a door between the rooms. You would NOThave to go outside or into the hotel corridor to get between the rooms.

Adjoining rooms are next to each other. Connecting rooms are adjoining, but adjoining rooms are not necessarily connecting.

I've never stayed at the CBR. Perhaps this moderate only has adjoining rooms and that is why vellamint is having such a problem with CRO.

I think the suggestion to call the hotel directly is a good one. I'd recommend calling NOW and asking to speak to the Room Assigner. That individual should absolutely know what kind of rooms the hotel has. If the Room Assigner says that they do, indeed, have connecting rooms (and I bet that they DO), I'd recommend calling CRO back and asking for a supervisor.

Good luck!

[skiwee1]

CBR does have connecting rooms. When we went in 2000 we had two connecting rooms at CBR. We were in Martinique. My mother had a corner room and we had the room next to it. These were waterview rooms and had a door inside the rooms that we went through without having to go outside.

[eeyore0062]

We stayed at CBR last year, and while we didn't have connecting rooms, didn't need to, they are available...there was DEFINITELY a door to the next room from our room.

I agree that the best way to handle this is to be polite and concerned for your kids safety and it wouldn't hurt to mention that you wouldn't want your kids in one room unsupervised...they should take the hint. Call back, you may get a CM at CRO more familiar with taking room requests. Please remember that many people who are working there right now are being placed there from other places in the park, and may not be as familiar with each situation.

We all pay alot for our Disney vacations, and believe me, they know that, so that line really doesn't work. Politeness and a concern for your kids and their property might, though.

Call back, and just say that you forgot to let then know that you will be needing connecting rooms, one for the parents and one for the kids, and my bet is that you will get it!

Good luck:)

[NancyIL]

Is your heart set on staying at the Caribbean Beach? Perhaps if CRO tells you one more time that they can't guarantee connecting rooms - you can insist that they move you to a resort that WILL accommodate your requests - for the same discounted rate.

[SeaSpray]

Call the CBR Front Desk at 407-934-3400 and talk to THEM. CRO basically just takes the reservations, its the Front Desk CMs who assign you to the rooms. Call them and explain your problem, CRO telling you there are no connecting rooms at CBR. They will be able to confirm the presence of connecting rooms at CBR and also let you know the likelyhood of them giving you connecting rooms at check-in, since you have children. Good luck! :)

[ducklite]

Originally posted by vellamint
I AM going to have CONNECTING rooms for my husband and 4 children.... At least that is what I am planning on telling the desk when we check in to the CBR in April

I think you'll catch a lot more flies with honey...

You aren't paying any more for your vacation than anyone else (in fact you are staying at a moderate, so you're actually paying a lot LESS than MANY people, especially if you got a code!!), so using that line isn't going to get you anywhere...other than maybe laughed at behind your back.

You need to stop and think about how you sound before you start giving the desk clerk a hard time during check in. The rooms are already assigned before you get there. You need to call a couple days ahead of time and speak to the room controller. Be nice and explain that you don't think it would be a good idea to have the kids in a room that didn't have a connecting door. That should get you what you want.

Anne

[MKingdom]

Regardless of where I've stayed, I've always called the resort and gotten the name of its general manager months before my trip. Then I would write him/her a letter with my room request. They've always honored my requests.

Keep in mind that it is possible that connecting rooms are already booked by others with the same needs during "your" week. Don't let it ruin your vacation. You could always ask to be moved should a connecting combo open up during your stay. Worst case scenario, you could have Disney babysit your kids for an evening (or several evenings!) while you enjoy some time off.

Best of luck!

[jaret]

We just returned fromPO and had connecting rooms with my brother.His room ended up with termites and we had to move.The new rooms did not have a connecting door and the front desk told us they did not have any other alternatives.We asked for the manager and he found us rooms that connected.He came to the new rooms we were in and took us to another building to see what we would find acceptable.We did have contact with this same manager before we left and knew his name.So don't accept what they tell you demand what you want.At one point they were checking other resorts for us.

[Chuck S]

Originally posted by vellamint
I AM going to have CONNECTING rooms for my husband and 4 children.... At least that is what I am planning on telling the desk when we check in to the CBR in April.

And as we all know, the best way to get what you want at Disney is to scream, holler and make a scene at the front desk :rolleyes:

Why not just rent a two bedroom villa at a DVC resort?

[danacara]

Great advice by SeaSpray. And you'll definitely catch more flies with honey. :D

[barbnbrian]

We had connecting rooms at the CBR back in Dec. 1997. Think we were in the Martinique section. One room was me, DH, DS & DD. Connecting room was Sister, her DH & DS. I think they will give you connecting rooms.

[vellamint]

Geez, some people on these boards can be so nice but..... anyways I do not have the intention of yelling and any poor CM that does not have control over the situation and I certainly am not going to start our vacation by yelling at the manager either....thank you for the suggestion of getting the GM names and faxing my info and request directly to him!

We cannot afford to stay in a Villa...wish we could. We actually tried for All Stars but not available at the time we need to go. I am just trying to keep my family together on a family vacation. I certainly would NOT put my four kids in a room alone if they had to go outside and KNOCK on our door in order to get to us.

Thanks to all of you who UNDERSTAND my frustration and to those of you who dont - well I guess you either dont have four children, dont mind being separated as a family or can afford the luxury resorts ... it is not an option for this family.

[DancingBear]

I understand your great desire to have this issue cleared up before you get there; however, if they can't guarantee the connecting rooms, wouldn't you rather know in advance, and have the opportunity to switch to a resort where this CAN be guaranteed?

Room assignments are a complicated thing. Many people may want, and have great reasons to get connecting rooms. People are constantly checking in and checking out, so it is not always easy to keep the connecting rooms available for those who request them. And perhaps there are just relatively few connecting rooms at CBR, so they don't want to overpromise. I'd much rather have this situation than have them say "no problem" and find out otherwise when I arrived.

And by the way, I often see the language on my hotel reservations anywhere that the hotels will try to honor requests, but they are not guaranteed (except perhaps smoking preference).

On the other hand, if they have lots of connecting rooms, and it is possible to guarantee them, and you're just getting bad information, there's no excuse for that.

[DancingBear]

I understand your great desire to have this issue cleared up before you get there; however, if they can't guarantee the connecting rooms, wouldn't you rather know in advance, and have the opportunity to switch to a resort where this CAN be guaranteed?

Room assignments are a complicated thing. Many people may want, and have great reasons to get connecting rooms. They also want certain floors, certain buildings, certain views, etc.

People are constantly checking in and checking out, so it is not always easy to keep the connecting rooms available for those who request them. And perhaps there are just relatively few connecting rooms at CBR, so they don't want to overpromise. I'd much rather have this situation than have them say "no problem" and find out otherwise when I arrived.

On the other hand, if they have lots of connecting rooms, and it is possible to guarantee them, and you're just getting bad information, there's no excuse for that.

[Cindybell]

Isn't it funny how we all get different answers from different CM's? I called to to make my ressies at ASMo and AKL. I and my to children are going with my sister and her two children in June. I didn't ask for connecting rooms because we didn't really need them but the CM making my ressie insisted. He told me that was one of the room request that Disney would guarantee. I explained that each of the two children would be with an adult but he said that as far as Disney was concerned there were 4 children with 2 adults on the same ressie so they would gaurantee me connecting rooms. He told me that Disney did this for families not only because of the safety issue but that they understood that some people had to purchase an extra room because the maximum ocuupancy rule is strictley enforced. I would call again until you get the answer you want.