Can you request a transfer to another resort after check-in?

citivas · Aug 29, 2015

We are checking into the Bay Lake Towers tonight for 8 nights. Unfortunately the first hurricane to hit Florida in a decade is now forecast to cut right through Orlando during the middle of our stay. Also, I just starting reading this week about how BLT has a particular problem lately with extremely poor wi-fi/Internet, confirmed by numerous people who have stayed there recently. It doesn't sound like something the hotel staff are capable of fixing either from other reports. Numerous frequent DVC members have said its worse than at Disney's other resorts. We wouldn't have booked there in the first place if we had known it was particularly bad for Internet. We were prepared to live with it under the premise we wouldn't be in the rooms much. But with the hurricane there is now a chance we will be rained-in a couple days.

My question is, does Disney every allow guests to transfer to another resort if they are unsatisfied with the one they are staying in? If they can't fix the Internet (many have reported it is so bad that your pages time out, so basically no connectivity at all), they are not able to provide one of the amenities they promoted. So it seems reasonable to accommodate letting a party that prioritizes that amenity to go to a resort where it is available.

Anyone try this before?

lovin'fl · Aug 29, 2015

With DVC there has to be availability and there probably won't be. You can ask at check in but it's not likely they'll move you and if they do it may be to SSR. I've tried to get a different room size at check in (and I had the points to use for it) but they told me that I'd have to call MS as they claimed not to have access to DVC booking. And then there's the issue of points being different. Good luck and have a nice trip. We had 3 nights at BLT once and used the internet...don't remember it not working.

rlovew · Aug 29, 2015

I don't have any experience with this but I doubt they would do this as if you leave early you forfeit all your points still part of the stay. You would also have to take whatever rooms are left which are probably only SSR at this point if that is even available for your room size for your whole stay- you might have a better chance if you called MS and tried to switch through them before you check in but again anything would be subject to availability and if you have a lower point cost room all your leftover points will be put into holding if not forfeited.

If you are on cash you would have a slightly better chance of switching but be prepared to pay at rack rate for wherever you switch too as well as losing any savings if you switch to a lower cost room.

Being unhappy with the internet is not a reason they would move a DVC member. They will tell you to use the lobby.

wdrl · Aug 29, 2015

Erika has pretty much dissipated as of Saturday morning, so there is very little chance you'll experience hurricane conditions during your stay. You might have some rainy days, but nothing that a good poncho couldn't take care of.

We were at BLT in May 2015 and had a villa on the 5th floor. Wi-fi was very good.

citivas · Aug 29, 2015

That's interesting about Erika. Up here it's still claiming as of just now that it may still be a tropical storm or hurricane through Florida. But good to know. That sounds promising. We've been to Disney plenty of times with rain and each have a couple ponchos packed.

To clarify, we didn't use points. We bought the room through Disney like you would any hotel room.

Since they specifically advertise in-room wi-fi Internet, I wouldn't consider using the lobby comparable to the promised amenity. It's really surprising they seem to have a problem with it when so many hotels that re larger and with more guests and rooms don't.

Glad to hear it worked well in May. There are quite a few people who have been there very recently or who are there now saying it is as good as completely out and that they could only get Internet using their phone's cellular connections.

DebbieB · Aug 29, 2015

If you booked through Disney, you could ask to be moved to any hotel available. It's not a DVC reservation. Many Disney resorts have wifi problems, it varies room to room.

The report I just saw said it has been downgraded and the projected path is west of Florida.

paults · Aug 29, 2015

change resort because of maybe no internet, what happens it the next resort has a bad connection. are you moving again. If the storms is close enough that you need to stay in your room, it's a good 50/50 chance the internet won't be working either.

citivas · Aug 29, 2015

paults said:
change resort because of maybe no internet, what happens it the next resort has a bad connection. are you moving again. If the storms is close enough that you need to stay in your room, it's a good 50/50 chance the internet won't be working either.

Different priorities for different people. In my case, I have a chose between not going at all, or going and accepting the trade-off of doing a few work meetings that require Internet connections. So, yes, I would move again if the next resort had no Internet connectivity. Some people here may think of it as a luxury item, but for more and more travelers its as essential as running water in the priority for their rooms features, or a bed for that matter. Many hotels know that and cater to that. There have been many articles in the WSJ, NYT, etc., about how important internet service has become and how hotels that don't keep up have seen a decline in sales and scramble to upgrade. And for the most part I can't recall the last time I stayed at a hotel that had a sustained complete lack of Internet service for a prolonged period as appears to be happening at BLT now per other posts online. Many people are reporting using their mobile data plans is the only connectivity they got at BLT other than in the lobby, and that it is worse than they have experienced at the other WDW Resorts. And it sounds like a systemic issue for them as opposed to something their techs are able to address. I paid about $850/night for this room so it's not unreasonable to expect Internet access.

Simba's Mom · Aug 29, 2015

I wonder about this. Recently I stayed at Kidani for a week, after many trips I'd loved at Jambo. Well, after the first day at Kidani, I really wanted to move back to Jambo (just not a Kidani kinda person, I guess). But because I didn't know if I could, I just stayed put and said nothing.

Minniesgal · Aug 29, 2015

The wifi isn't the best at BLT but it isn't unusable and I think it highly unlikely Disney would move you just because you don't like the connectivity

lovin'fl · Aug 29, 2015

citivas said:
Different priorities for different people. In my case, I have a chose between not going at all, or going and accepting the trade-off of doing a few work meetings that require Internet connections. So, yes, I would move again if the next resort had no Internet connectivity. Some people here may think of it as a luxury item, but for more and more travelers its as essential as running water in the priority for their rooms features, or a bed for that matter. Many hotels know that and cater to that. There have been many articles in the WSJ, NYT, etc., about how important internet service has become and how hotels that don't keep up have seen a decline in sales and scramble to upgrade. And for the most part I can't recall the last time I stayed at a hotel that had a sustained complete lack of Internet service for a prolonged period as appears to be happening at BLT now per other posts online. Many people are reporting using their mobile data plans is the only connectivity they got at BLT other than in the lobby, and that it is worse than they have experienced at the other WDW Resorts. And it sounds like a systemic issue for them as opposed to something their techs are able to address. I paid about $850/night for this room so it's not unreasonable to expect Internet access.

Paying cash then I'd think they could move you subject to availability. I know exactly what you're saying about needing connectivity as my DH also has to work while on vacation and not having a connection would really be problematic for him. We were at BLT in Oct 2013 and had no issues that I can recall. That was a long time ago though.

cvjw · Aug 29, 2015

I posted in the BLT wifi thread about having no wifi on the 16th floor, end villa. The CM did tell me to bring my party of 7 down to the lobby to use the internet, but after I told her that wasn't acceptable, they must have added another router to our area of the 16th floor.

We had internet after the first day. Not great wifi, but usable. If you get a villa with no wifi, just be firm and they can and will (if you push them) fix the problem

DebbieB · Aug 29, 2015

I stayed at WL last year in a courtyard view and we had problems. My friend called tech support and they rebooted a router and it was a little better. The big problem was in the late afternoon, when people were returning from the parks for a break. Maybe they should do like they do on airplanes, block people from streaming so that everyone can get better service.

supersnoop · Aug 29, 2015

When staying on points (and this is the DVC forum, after all), there is a fee for changing rooms. While I doubt a resort change is even possible, I'm certain it would be costly if it is.

citivas · Aug 29, 2015

The reports were correct. Internet is nonexistent. I ran numerous speed tests. In a majority of cases they timed out and couldn't return any speed. When they worked, they averaged 0.05mbps. That's 1/225th the speed I get from here on my mobile phone connection. It's slower than dial-up over a phone line (remember that?) and 1/1,000th what I get at home. There's clearly a hotel-wide issue given all the reports but they officially say it's fine.

kam1011 · Aug 29, 2015

I've been moved twice. The most recent was about two weeks ago. They refunded the points completely for the night and put us up in a 3br grand villa at Saratoga for the duration of our stay. The first time we were also moved to SSR.

Yardbird · Aug 29, 2015

This past June we checked into GFV to find a view of the rooftop on the second floor. The absolute worst view of any I have ever had at Disney. We immediately called the front desk, was told that there were no other rooms available at GFV. We then requested that they call Poly (villas), a studio was available, and we moved right away. Loved the studio at the Poly, happy that it worked out. So yes, it can be done if there is availability. We were not charged a fee for changing rooms/resort.

crisi · Aug 30, 2015

citivas said:
The reports were correct. Internet is nonexistent. I ran numerous speed tests. In a majority of cases they timed out and couldn't return any speed. When they worked, they averaged 0.05mbps. That's 1/225th the speed I get from here on my mobile phone connection. It's slower than dial-up over a phone line (remember that?) and 1/1,000th what I get at home. There's clearly a hotel-wide issue given all the reports but they officially say it's fine.

We've had the same issues trying to work from Disney and have pretty much decided it can't happen using Disney's connectivity. We end up hotspotting our phones or bringing a mobile hotspot if we need to work, otherwise we tell people we are going on vacation to somewhere where internet is iffy.

And frankly, having tried to set up enough bandwidth and WAPs for a high schools internet usage, with all the students on their phones - I can appreciate Disney's challenges. Keeping up with the wifi needs of a hotel full of people on cell phones trying not to use up their 4G connections, trying to stream video to a tablet for their three year old, AND those of us trying to stay connected to work must be a challenge.

Can you request a transfer to another resort after check-in?

Mouseketeer

DIS Veteran

DIS Veteran

DIS Veteran

Mouseketeer

DIS Veteran

HOME IS WHERE BWV IS

Mouseketeer

<font color=green>everything went to "H*** in a ha

DIS Veteran

DIS Veteran

DIS Veteran

DIS Veteran

What time is the three o'clock parade?

Mouseketeer

Mouseketeer

DIS Veteran

DIS Veteran

Share this page