Room Upgrades? - The DIS Discussion Forums

robandkelly13 · 06-28-2009, 07:49 AM

We've never been blessed with a room upgrade, but we typically stay on our DVC points, and book the view and room size we want. However, we'll be staying for 3 nights at GF this summer (tacked on to our AKV stay on points). We booked a lagoon view at GF, but it would be awesome to get an upgrade to MK view or concierge (a dream and a shot in the dark, I know), but I was wondering if anyone who has gotten a room upgrade of this sort has any tips or is it just plain luck. Did you ask for a possible upgrade or were you just surprized with one?

*Don't get me wrong, I'm excited about the lagoon view, but just curious about the posibility of an upgrade.

Lynne M · 06-28-2009, 02:07 PM

It's purely a matter of luck, and asking will pretty much kill any chance you have of getting one. It really turns the CMs off.

Most upgrades are done for the resort's operational needs - freeing up rooms for maintenance, that sort of thing. An upgrade of this type would be assigned before you even arrive at the resort.

Less commonly, CMs will sometimes have the option of giving a 'pixie dust' upgrade at check-in. Just a nice surprise for a guest.

There's a lot of talk of upgrades on these boards, but they're really not common, and the vast majority of WDW guests will never see one. Thousands of guests check into Disney resorts every day, and only a small handful of those are upgraded. it's really just a matter of being in the right place at the right time.

CR Resort Fan 4 Life · 06-28-2009, 02:35 PM

When it comes to getting free upgrades I say if there is a specific room or view that you want, then you should see if you can switch your reservations because if you don't get upgraded then you won't feel disappointed. Now even if you read various threads on here of people saying we got a free upgrade, well don't forget your not reading about all the other guests who never got upgraded. Also upgrades are determined a few days before by the Cast Member who is doing room assignments. So if they select a guest to get upgraded a message will come up in the computer when they are checking in after their name gets entered into the computer, which makes it a totally random selection.

RMulieri · 06-28-2009, 05:11 PM

I am about to have my 22 and 23 trips to WDW staying onsite.I have NEVER received an upgrade. Despite all the posts here to the contrary , they are not as abundant as they seem. Remember , the disboards only represent a very small fraction of disney goers, of which most never receive an upgrade of any kind. It is ok to hope, and maybe pixie dust will befall you, but mostly it doesn't happen.If it is going to be a huge disappointment to you, always book the room category you want.

Lynne M · 06-28-2009, 05:55 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by RMulieri

I am about to have my 22 and 23 trips to WDW staying onsite.I have NEVER received an upgrade. Despite all the posts here to the contrary , they are not as abundant as they seem. Remember , the disboards only represent a very small fraction of disney goers, of which most never receive an upgrade of any kind. It is ok to hope, and maybe pixie dust will befall you, but mostly it doesn't happen.If it is going to be a huge disappointment to you, always book the room category you want.

And I think I'm over 25 trips now. Only 1 upgrade, in all that time.

DEA · 06-28-2009, 08:41 PM

We booked a Garden View room at the Poly last June. Our check-in process dragged out for a while, and they did not have a room for us by 3pm. We kept checking in at the front desk, and eventually got what we assumed was the first room that became available. We trudged down to the Tahiti building, and lo and behold, out the sliding glass door of our third floor room: The Castle. Our three year-old was ecstatic.

So, to me, this seemed like a payback to us for not having a room ready by 3pm. We didn't ask for an upgrade, free or otherwise. We went back this year, and paid back Disney's kindness by booking the Magic Kingdom view room up front. I remarked how the CM last year had made Disney some money this year by upgrading us. This, however, did not lead to us getting booked into a Club Level MK view room.

We ran into a couple in the Tambu lounge who had a similar story this year. It was their first trip to WDW, and had booked a Garden View room. They got the upgrade without asking; just a free bump to the swankiest room.

What I gathered from this is that they will bump the guests at the lower level rooms, but not the ones in the higher level rooms. The sample size is small, but I will continue to do research.

I have heard of others getting upgrades for a nominal fee at check-in. You might try asking how much it would be to upgrade to the room that you want when you check in. It might be a $50 upcharge for what would have been a $250 difference had you booked the better room, originally.

TammiMcMan · 06-29-2009, 04:07 PM

You could also just try requesting a corner room. Many of them (not all) are larger than a standard room and come with a 2nd, smaller balcony. That balcony would give you an MK view. I'm pretty sure Boca Chica has some of these corner rooms, but you could always ask over on the GF FAQ thread to see if someone knows for sure.

06-28-2009, 07:49 AM	#1
robandkelly13 DIS Veteran Join Date: Aug 2008 Location: North Carolina Posts: 983	Room Upgrades? We've never been blessed with a room upgrade, but we typically stay on our DVC points, and book the view and room size we want. However, we'll be staying for 3 nights at GF this summer (tacked on to our AKV stay on points). We booked a lagoon view at GF, but it would be awesome to get an upgrade to MK view or concierge (a dream and a shot in the dark, I know), but I was wondering if anyone who has gotten a room upgrade of this sort has any tips or is it just plain luck. Did you ask for a possible upgrade or were you just surprized with one? *Don't get me wrong, I'm excited about the lagoon view, but just curious about the posibility of an upgrade. __________________

06-28-2009, 05:11 PM	#4
RMulieri DIS Veteran Join Date: Jul 2001 Location: Tom Sawyers Island Posts: 18,885	I am about to have my 22 and 23 trips to WDW staying onsite.I have NEVER received an upgrade. Despite all the posts here to the contrary , they are not as abundant as they seem. Remember , the disboards only represent a very small fraction of disney goers, of which most never receive an upgrade of any kind. It is ok to hope, and maybe pixie dust will befall you, but mostly it doesn't happen.If it is going to be a huge disappointment to you, always book the room category you want. __________________ Going Back to the DarkSide -Universal Orlando August 2013

06-29-2009, 04:07 PM	#7
TammiMcMan Hai Majide Join Date: Jun 2002 Posts: 6,163	You could also just try requesting a corner room. Many of them (not all) are larger than a standard room and come with a 2nd, smaller balcony. That balcony would give you an MK view. I'm pretty sure Boca Chica has some of these corner rooms, but you could always ask over on the GF FAQ thread to see if someone knows for sure. __________________

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06-28-2009, 02:07 PM	#2
Lynne M Join Date: Nov 2001 Posts: 8,036	It's purely a matter of luck, and asking will pretty much kill any chance you have of getting one. It really turns the CMs off. Most upgrades are done for the resort's operational needs - freeing up rooms for maintenance, that sort of thing. An upgrade of this type would be assigned before you even arrive at the resort. Less commonly, CMs will sometimes have the option of giving a 'pixie dust' upgrade at check-in. Just a nice surprise for a guest. There's a lot of talk of upgrades on these boards, but they're really not common, and the vast majority of WDW guests will never see one. Thousands of guests check into Disney resorts every day, and only a small handful of those are upgraded. it's really just a matter of being in the right place at the right time.

06-28-2009, 02:35 PM	#3
CR Resort Fan 4 Life DIS Veteran Join Date: May 2006 Location: Toronto, Ontario Posts: 39,674	When it comes to getting free upgrades I say if there is a specific room or view that you want, then you should see if you can switch your reservations because if you don't get upgraded then you won't feel disappointed. Now even if you read various threads on here of people saying we got a free upgrade, well don't forget your not reading about all the other guests who never got upgraded. Also upgrades are determined a few days before by the Cast Member who is doing room assignments. So if they select a guest to get upgraded a message will come up in the computer when they are checking in after their name gets entered into the computer, which makes it a totally random selection.

06-28-2009, 08:41 PM	#6
DEA DIS Veteran Join Date: Apr 2009 Location: Northern VA Posts: 1,394	We booked a Garden View room at the Poly last June. Our check-in process dragged out for a while, and they did not have a room for us by 3pm. We kept checking in at the front desk, and eventually got what we assumed was the first room that became available. We trudged down to the Tahiti building, and lo and behold, out the sliding glass door of our third floor room: The Castle. Our three year-old was ecstatic. So, to me, this seemed like a payback to us for not having a room ready by 3pm. We didn't ask for an upgrade, free or otherwise. We went back this year, and paid back Disney's kindness by booking the Magic Kingdom view room up front. I remarked how the CM last year had made Disney some money this year by upgrading us. This, however, did not lead to us getting booked into a Club Level MK view room. We ran into a couple in the Tambu lounge who had a similar story this year. It was their first trip to WDW, and had booked a Garden View room. They got the upgrade without asking; just a free bump to the swankiest room. What I gathered from this is that they will bump the guests at the lower level rooms, but not the ones in the higher level rooms. The sample size is small, but I will continue to do research. I have heard of others getting upgrades for a nominal fee at check-in. You might try asking how much it would be to upgrade to the room that you want when you check in. It might be a $50 upcharge for what would have been a $250 difference had you booked the better room, originally.