Upgrade Information

[Boston Girl]

Hi, does anyone have any idea how you can get an upgrade for free? I am staying at ASMu 10/24 to 11/1 in a prefered room with DH, DS 10 and DML and would love to get bumped up to a suite.
Please any ideas or info would help.
Also does anyone know if there is any free dining for this time frame?
Thanks.

 

[CR Resort Fan 4 Life]

Free upgrades from WDW are totally random and can happen to anyone at anytime, so you just got to be lucky.

 

[wdwrich]

And upgrades happen alot less frequently than most readers of these boards might believe. Folks are much more likely to post when they get one, but almost no one posts when they don't.

 

[Katesdad]

You want a sute, pay forit. Otherwise, you usually get what you ask for. When the unusual happens, you come to these boards and tell everyone else about your good fortune and everyone is very happy for you.

 

[RMulieri]

Upgrades actually do not happen as frequently as these boards lead you to believe, and upgrades to the family suites are probably less likely since they are usually almost always booked and in hot demand.Since there are not as many of them.Disney upgrades for few reasons, sometimes to spread pixie dust.But most of the time because of overbooking,room renovations, or some part of sales initiative( like when they upgrade to dvc resorts) Not saying it isn't possible, but not likely.

 

[tiger4me2]

MHO if you really want a family suite book it now & pay for it Upgrades for free are seldom there when checking in. Yes sometimes it happens but don't expect it. Might get upgrade if they have it but they will normally charge you. So if you really want it pay for it now then you won't be disappointed.

 

[pepe of ohio]

If you want something better than what you booked, pay for it. To get your hopes up for a free upgrade and then being disappointed when not receiving one can ruin a trip. If everyone went to WDW with the aspiration of getting comped for free there would be no room categories. Too many people trying for extras and asking for a free comp is a sure way of not getting one, they seem to want, CM's, to bestow the magic on unknowing people at any given time, pleading and demanding one is a sure back fire. We never request any location or room but up pay for a location, courtyard over standard and it's enough for us, we've been blessed a couple of times to be bumped up to concierge which is pixie dust in itself and a great way to start a WDW vacation and we've logged 41 trips to the World. The better views and up grade seem to come more in off and value seasons when occupancy is down.

 

[fla4fun]

I have made over 100 trips to the World, and only one time did we get a complimentary upgrade. It was totally unexpected, and I believe it was due to a timing issue. We were checking out on September 30th, and they were having a big press event on October 1 that year. They upgraded us from a standard wing room at CR to a one bedroom suite. It was fabulous, but I'm sure they did it because they wanted someone in there that would be leaving right when they needed that suite empty for some VIP.

I have occasionally received a better view than I booked, such as a water view instead of garden view, and sometimes it seems like it's the other way around (booked a water view, and had a sliver of water outside to look at), but that's the only time we got a different room type than what we booked. I book what I want when I book it, and I'm OK with that.

 

[KatMark]

It's just luck...there is no rhyme or reason to it. The first year we stayed at the Contemporary we paid for Garden View and were upgraded to Tower with view of the Castle and every stay after we got what we paid for; after our third stay at the Polynesian paying for garden view we were upgraded to a Lagoon view; we have paid water view only once at the CSR and every other year we have paid standard and have been given a water view (with the exception of this year for our 7th stay we were upgraded to a suite--we were there for our 25th anniversary).

Truthfully, we aren't all that concerned with the view as we aren't in the room much anyway...we are either at the parks or at the pool or walking the grounds. We are always pleasantly surprised when we get upgraded, but we never go in expecting or even caring if we get it.

 

[TheRustyScupper]

1) If you want an upgrade, pay for it.
2) And, upgrading to family suites doesn't happen.
3) The suites are booked almost all the time.

 

[stackyallred]

I see you have only posted a few times, so I thought maybe you were new to the boards- if so, welcome! In the last 7 months or so of enjoying the disboards, I have noticed that asking how to get free upgrades or anything else seems to be a bit of a hot or "sore" topic for some people. I think it comes from so many posts about people expecting to get something free and then complaining if they don't. I always feel bad when it seems like questions like yours are replied to with any harsh words, so in case you do get those replies, that may be why. I have never been upgraded, so I have no experience with it, but from what I hear it is pretty random and seldom. Hope your trip is great, regardless!

 

[Boston Girl]

To all who have answered thanks.
I was just curious and not trying to irriate anyone.
I have never stayed in Disney and was just asking.
We had to downgrade our room choice twice so that
we could enjoy. I have seen a few posts that people
were upgraded. I was just wondering how they got that.
Well thanks to those who were kind.
GO RED SOX and Patriots!

 

[Elmo888]

Also does anyone know if there is any free dining for this time frame?

Here are current package discounts...

http://www.wdwinfo.com/disneypackages.htm#current

There is some free dining offered, but it doesn't look like it is for your time frame and it is only for Disney Visa cardholders (which maybe you are!).

In case you aren't going with a package, here are room-only discounts (it does include your dates).

http://www.wdwinfo.com/discounts/discounts-resorts.htm#room

Have a great trip!

 

[hammie59]

Hopefully maybe you'll get lucky and at least get upgraded to a better view. (We did during our first stay on property @ CSR. It was a standard to a waterview and we were so thrilled). Just don't count on it. Pay for what you can live with. I don't know if any particular factor was invoved, but we checked in early (noonish), had a friendly CM, I did mention that it was our first stay on property, and we of course were very nice to them. Good luck.

***Just wanted to add that we DID NOT ask for an upgrade. We just got lucky.***

 

[bas71873]

Hopefully maybe you'll get lucky and at least get upgraded to a better view. (We did during our first stay on property @ CSR. It was a standard to a waterview and we were so thrilled). Just don't count on it. Pay for what you can live with. I don't know if any particular factor was invoved, but we checked in early (noonish), had a friendly CM, I did mention that it was our first stay on property, and we of course were very nice to them. Good luck.

This is exactly what happended to DD5 and I a week or so ago. I upgraded to WL standard room at the last minute and at check in, they upgraded us to a GORGEOUS courtyard view. WOW!!! I am spoiled for life. No clue how or why they did that for us, but if it's a marketing scheme, then it just may have worked. We will DEFINATELY be back at WL.....now I"m just trying to figure out when

 

[kaytieeldr]

Right! So the ten people in a given night who get upgrades come back here and report it, and the 26,990 Guests who don't get upgraded that same night DON'T report that... making it appear that upgrades are standard.

They are NOT. If you want a suite, you need to book and pay for a suite. It is HIGHLY unlikely that with a party of four you will get upgraded free from a unit that holds your party.

MHO if you really want a family suite book it now & pay for it Upgrades for free are seldom there when checking in. Yes sometimes it happens but don't expect it. Might get upgrade if they have it but they will normally charge you. So if you really want it pay for it now then you won't be disappointed.

 

[cvjw]

We have probably stayed on property 20 times, and only once were upgraded. We were upgraded from a woods view at WL to a courtyard bunk bed room. We never expect to be upgraded, and just take the room they assign to us, the one we paid for. I did not ask to be upgraded, we checked in early morning, and were pleasantly surprised. As another poster stated, if this was a marketing ploy, it worked for us also. We will definately stay at the WL lodge again, and pay for this exact type of room, it was our favorite room ever.

 

[Minniemom97]

I agree with the previous posters. Been to Disney many times - I think we were upgraded at WL when it first opened to a courtyard room, but at the time we really didn't know it was an upgrade because the resort was new and it wasn't very crowded at that particular time of year.

Anyhoooo, enjoy your trip!!!