Will Disney Resort ever guarantee connecting rooms?

[CanadianGuy]

Is there any liability issue therefore with not being able to get connceting rooms where you actually only have one adult in the party and the rest are minors? Surely Disney would not expect children to occupy a room all on their own without adult supervision.

If there have been reports of one adult/multiple children parties not getting connecting rooms what did they Disney do for them? Switch resorts?

The point the previous poster was trying to make - is that they are simply not guaranteed. We have been beating home that message for years.

If you MUST have everyone together like that - you should book a larger accommodation that allows for it. Disney itself doesn't do a great job of informing guests who book that this is the case.

I have no idea what was done in the past but I do remember some very irate posters telling the story after they got back. Irate in part because the CM's on the phone told them "Oh yes it's guaranteed" -- when clearly it is not.

Disney makes this a top priority after medical needs when assigning rooms. But sometimes when the resort is very busy - the tetris game of room assignment just won't allow connecting rooms for a given party.. hence why they are NOT guaranteed.

Knox

 

[taximomfor4]

Is there any liability issue therefore with not being able to get connceting rooms where you actually only have one adult in the party and the rest are minors? Surely Disney would not expect children to occupy a room all on their own without adult supervision.

If there have been reports of one adult/multiple children parties not getting connecting rooms what did they Disney do for them? Switch resorts?

Happened to me. Me and the kids (4 kids ages 2,5,6,11) spent HOURS in the lobby. I was at wits end, after my 18 hour drive. DH was only there for 2, MAYBE 3 nights out of our whole 8-day trip. They wouldn't move us elsewhere, nothing. NADA. I pushed and pushed, sat in the lobby, got manager, etc. Kids slept in the lobby. Then FINALLY we got connecting rooms that had been taken out of inventory due to having been sprayed for "something" and then the carpets cleaned...so the carpets were all wet for 2 days. We had to lay our heads somewhere, so we took the rooms.

Really, I think we were going to end up in 1 room with someone sleeping on the floor, leaving the other (non-connecting) room vacant for most of the trip.

ETA: we had mis-timed the drive, and ended up arriving by 3am!!! They let us pre-checkin at 4:30am, but couldn't give us room #'s yet. When we called in for the room numbers from the park at 3pm, they swore to us that there was a connecting door. They were mistaken!

 

[DisneyMim]

From my experience with Disney, they will only guarantee connecting rooms through the special needs department. They will also really try to do it if you have only one adult and many kids under a certain age. I forgot what the age was that the CM told us, but it wasn't very old. We have requested connecting rooms two times. The first time we got them, but the second time we didn't get them. They did put us into adjoining rooms which worked out, although not as great as connecting rooms. As everyone else has already said, requests are just that, requests. Sometimes you get them and sometimes not.

Enjoy The Magic!!

 

[KPetty725]

NO! Connecting rooms are NEVER guaranteed (I'm a former CM and have worked front desk in several Disney resorts, all deluxe). They will do everything in their power to honor requests but it can't be guaranteed. Concierge level guests will get their requests met more often simply because they have the itenerary planning services so you have more frequent (and earlier) contact with the resort. Definitely call about 5 days before you arrive and reiterate your request. Then call again the day before. And maybe again the day of!

 

[kaytieeldr]

The first time we got them, but the second time we didn't get them. They did put us into adjoining rooms which worked out,

And, respectfully to the OP, adjoining rooms by definition DO meet her stated need of being close to the room in which one of her children will be staying with other adults.

 

[Zeebs]

If we book two rooms, with a request of connecting if possible, and they can't accomodate that request. Can we cancel the extra room?

We would fit in 1 room, just not very comfortably by our standards but that would preferable to being in non connecting rooms.

Thanks in advance

Kirsten

 

[PrincessTiffany]

This subject comes up a lot. TECHNICALLY they can't "guarantee" connecting room, because there are only so many connecting rooms on property.

BUT, we are a family of 6 and we ALWAYS get two connecting room and have NEVER been turned down. If you are traveling at a very busy time like spring break or Christmas then there would be a slight chance of not getting the request. But, of all the hundreds and hundreds of posts I've seen on this subject her on the DIS, there are only a very small number of people who did not receive the connecting rooms request. Also, we have neighbors with 4 young kids that went to WDW a couple of summers ago and had two connecting rooms reserved at POP. When they arrived at POP there were no connecting rooms available and they upgraded them to two connecting rooms at CBR.

 

[dalt01]

the tetris game of room assignment Knox

that is a super point.........most people think that either a property starts at room one and fills numerically...or......just waits for people to request and say oky doke.....when actually they use a matrix and they fill by blocks....they may do some at the back then the front. might do a floor then go to the next building..........they seem to think there is a rhyme or a reason to it..............i have never found one.

 

[PrincessTiffany]

If we book two rooms, with a request of connecting if possible, and they can't accomodate that request. Can we cancel the extra room?

We would fit in 1 room, just not very comfortably by our standards but that would preferable to being in non connecting rooms.

Thanks in advance

Kirsten

Disney is very strict on the number of people allowed in one room. For example, you may have up to 4 people, plus one infant in a value resort and that is it.

 

[Zeebs]

Disney is very strict on the number of people allowed in one room. For example, you may have up to 4 people, plus one infant in a value resort and that is it.

We would only have 2 adults and 3 kids, one would be an infant. So we would legally fit in the one room we would just prefer the extra space. But if the rooms weren't connecting we would just take the one room option. But if I can't cancel the extra room if they can't accommodate the connecting rooms request I would just book the one room from the start.

Or we will go off site again.

Kirsten

 

[PrincessTiffany]

We would only have 2 adults and 3 kids, one would be an infant. So we would legally fit in the one room we would just prefer the extra space. But if the rooms weren't connecting we would just take the one room option. But if I can't cancel the extra room if they can't accommodate the connecting rooms request I would just book the one room from the start.

Or we will go off site again.

Kirsten

We are a family of 6 and we always get two connecting rooms. We have ALWAYS gotten the connecting rooms request. The chances of not getting the request are miniscule and I never worry about it.

 

[maxiesmom]

We are a family of 6 and we always get two connecting rooms. We have ALWAYS gotten the connecting rooms request. The chances of not getting the request are miniscule and I never worry about it.

I wouldn't go so far as the say the chances of not getting that request are miniscule. Out of 4 times requesting them we have not received them one time. So a 25% failure rate to get connecting rooms.

It is one of those things that rarely happens, but when it happens to you it is a big pain.

 

[PrincessTiffany]

I wouldn't go so far as the say the chances of not getting that request are miniscule. Out of 4 times requesting them we have not received them one time. So a 25% failure rate to get connecting rooms.

It is one of those things that rarely happens, but when it happens to you it is a big pain.

No, I will stick with miniscule. We have been 5 times as a family and have received the connecting rooms request 100% of the time. In fact, of all the friends and families we know that get two connecting rooms at WDW, none of them have ever not received the connecting rooms request.

You are only going to have a slight chance of not getting the connecting rooms if you are traveling at a VERY high crowd/holiday time frame.

 

[maxiesmom]

No, I will stick with miniscule. We have been 5 times as a family and have received the connecting rooms request 100% of the time. In fact, of all the friends and families we know that get two connecting rooms at WDW, none of them have ever not received the connecting rooms request.

You are only going to have a slight chance of not getting the connecting rooms if you are traveling at a VERY high crowd/holiday time frame.

Actually we were denied connecting rooms during October, not a known high crowd or travel time.

I'm not sure why you keep insisting chances of not getting connecting rooms are miniscule. You have been very lucky. My family not so. Again while the chance of not getting connecting rooms may be small (not miniscule) the chance IS there. And it is best to know that ahead of time and be prepared. I wouldn't feel right if I insisted another Disboarder would get connecting rooms, knowing I had no way of knowing FOR SURE that was true, and knowing I would not be the one stuck dealing with the problem if it did come up.

 

[PrincessTiffany]

Actually we were denied connecting rooms during October, not a known high crowd or travel time.

I'm not sure why you keep insisting chances of not getting connecting rooms are miniscule. You have been very lucky. My family not so. Again while the chance of not getting connecting rooms may be small (not miniscule) the chance IS there. And it is best to know that ahead of time and be prepared. I wouldn't feel right if I insisted another Disboarder would get connecting rooms, knowing I had no way of knowing FOR SURE that was true, and knowing I would not be the one stuck dealing with the problem if it did come up.

Yes, I guess we and everyone we know that have always gotten their room requests are just "lucky."

You are the only person I have EVER heard of not getting their room request 4 times and at low season to boot. Maybe you are the anomaly and everyone else is the norm.

The chances of not getting your connecting room request are small and, in my opinion, not worth all of the worry and stress that you put out about this subject EVERY time it comes up.

 

[maxiesmom]

Yes, I guess we and everyone we know that have always gotten their room requests are just "lucky."

You are the only person I have EVER heard of not getting their room request 4 times and at low season to boot. Maybe you are the anomaly and everyone else is the norm.

The chances of not getting your connecting room request are small and, in my opinion, not worth all of the worry and stress that you put out about this subject EVERY time it comes up.

I said I didn't get connecting rooms one out of four times. So 25% of the times I asked for them, I didn't get them.

While it may not be the norm, it does happen. And it is something to keep in mind when booking your Disney resort. Some families may not want to take that chance, even if it is a small one. Best to let people know that it can happen and then let them decide if it is a chance they want to take or not. But it does no one any good to simply deny that it may happen.

 

[PrincessTiffany]

I said I didn't get connecting rooms one out of four times. So 25% of the times I asked for them, I didn't get them.

While it may not be the norm, it does happen. And it is something to keep in mind when booking your Disney resort. Some families may not want to take that chance, even if it is a small one. Best to let people know that it can happen and then let them decide if it is a chance they want to take or not. But it does no one any good to simply deny that it may happen.

"Out of 4 times requesting them we have not received them one time" Sorry, but that wording is slightly confusing.

I have NEVER denied it or said it wasn't a slight possibility - but that's the point, it's a slight possiblity and I think that fact has more than been covered. But, for me and probably most other people, it's not worth cancelling my trip over or paying $1,000 to $3,000 more for my vacation to get a suite or a villa. I mean there's a slight possiblity that we might get hit with a hurricane during free dining in September and there's a slight possiblity that our plane might crash on the trip down to Orlando, but I'm not going to worry about that either.

 

[taximomfor4]

I said I didn't get connecting rooms one out of four times. So 25% of the times I asked for them, I didn't get them.

While it may not be the norm, it does happen. And it is something to keep in mind when booking your Disney resort. Some families may not want to take that chance, even if it is a small one. Best to let people know that it can happen and then let them decide if it is a chance they want to take or not. But it does no one any good to simply deny that it may happen.

PP, I try to make sure families know it CAN happen to them, too. I was one of the families who took the words "Guaranteed Connecting Rooms for Families" on my paperwork as gospel. And in all my pre-trip Disboard reading, read all about how for multiple kids with only 2 adults, you WILL get connecting rooms. It didn't work out for us.

So now, I ONLY book "guaranteed connecting rooms" if we are WILLING to split up if we don't get that magical connecting door. If we cannot, or will not, split up if necessary, I do NOT book connecting rooms.

Does it happen often, that a family has to split up? I bet not. But does it happen, sometimes at the very most inconvenient times? Yep.

 

[maxiesmom]

Ah, but you still watch the weather forcast, and you still listen to the FA's safety spiel, right? That is all I'm saying. Better forwarned so you can prepare for the worst than to go in blindly assuming everything will be ok and being thrown for a loop if it isn't.

 

[kaytieeldr]

When they arrived at POP there were no connecting rooms available and they upgraded them to two connecting rooms at CBR.

While it's great that this happened to the quoted poster's friends, it should NOT be expected. Disney isn't under any obligation to move a Guest simply because they don't have the configuration requested.