0 for 5 on December room requests--bad luck, bad requests, arrival times, or something else?

[ehh]

So I've been back for a few days since our visit earlier in December and this has been bugging me. We had 2 reservations straddling our cruises and our friends we were traveling with had 3, all DVC. Combined, we were 0/5 on room requests and that seems like worse than random luck. Wondering if we did something wrong or if others are also having difficulties that might indicate a recent change in policy/implementation.

Our process was to chat in the member services and provide our requests over 30 days prior to check-in. We also used Touring Plans faxing service with the exact same requests, which TP faxes in at 30 days. We did online check-in ~2 weeks prior and requested nothing when checking in.

Requests:

• Poly Lake View Studio, 8 nights: "3rd floor please, prefer near stairs. Exmple:3032-3038, 3015-3020. Thank you!"
  • Received: 1st floor, dead middle of the building.
  • Notes:
    • I forgot there were stairs in the middle of the building, so I understand the ambiguity here as we wanted near either end of the building. Top floor was the priority though.
    • We went to the front desk about this one, who could see the request and were fairly puzzled why we were given the exact opposite considering the turnover situation that day. We were able to be moved.
    • We've successfully used this exact request twice previously.
• Grand Flo Resort Studio Lagoon View, 5 nights: Anything but first floor
  • Received: 1st floor.
  • Note: This was one of our friend's rooms, so I don't have the verbatim request.
• Copper Creek Studio w/ Tub, 3 nights: Anything but first floor
  • Received: 1st floor.
  • Note: Another one from our friends. This one is statistically unlikely based on the room distribution.
• Bay Lake Tower Lake View Studio, 2 nights: "Room ending xx06, xx08, or xx14 please. High floor preferred. Ex:8406,8408,8208,8206,8108,8106,8104,8008,8006,7914,7908,7806."
  • Received: 6th floor on the opposite side of the building.
  • This was our friend's. I have the verbatim request because this worked great for us in May of this year and shared it with them, but didn't work for them.
• Copper Creek Cabin, 2 nights: "Cascade Cabins, prefer higher numbers, example: 8022,8023,8024,8025,8026,8021,8020. Thank you!"
  • Received: 8003
  • This actually worked out considering how early we got the cabin (around 9:30am, before our 10am post-cruise arrival time).

One additional observation: we got all 5 of our room ready texts fairly early (the Poly room at 1:20PM was the latest). We did not request first available during online check-in.

Anybody else having difficulties with room requests recently? Are we doing something wrong? Are they prioritizing arrival times despite room requests?

 

[Sandisw]

I very rarely get room requests so I stopped doing them. Someone mentioned that requesting “not first floor” may actually be read as wanting it and so now I just say “floor 2 or higher”

I believe that 3rd floor is one of the the most common requests for Poly LV rooms so I bet they can never meet that for everyone who wants it.

It really is random and given how busy December is they may simply try to get people into rooms as early as possible. Other than my “2nd floor and above” which I only fo when I travel solo, I always say first available and then when I get there, I always ask them if something else is ready if my assigned room is not. Many times they do switch me and we do get in earlier.

 

[tjkraz]

I usually stick with "upper floor" as wording on such a request. IMO it's far too easy for "anything but first floor" to be read as "first floor" by a CM who is trying to manage dozens, perhaps hundreds of requests.

For BLT and CCV, I suspect the type of request you made is shared by many incoming guests. Many rooms at each resort are unavailable on your arrival date because they are already occupied.

Personally, I think expectations are way too high for room requests. But some people swear it works for them. Others are eternally on the hunt for the "perfect" vacation. So it's unlikely to stop.

The more specific you get, the less chances of being satisfied. If rooms 3032-3038 and 3015-3020 are already occupied at the Poly, you've got zero chance of getting them. I have never made requests with that level of detail and probably never will. IMO, the greatest chances for success will be with very general requests like "upper floor", "view of Epcot" or "Moorea building". Being more specific will occasionally get you the "perfect" room. But it also means you're bound to miss the mark far more frequently.

 

[sndral]

If I were a room assigner, adjusting what the computer has assigned factoring in requests I doubt that I’d waste my time plotting out a bunch of room numbers, I’d glance at the words, see if I could easily tweak an assignment to match a request & move on to the next guest’s request. Thus, I keep my requests very simple because I assume the computer does the first assigning w/out regard to requests & then an overworked human makes adjustments if possible, so I want that human to be able to see what I want quickly & make my request easy to meet. I never put in a negative - too easy for the assigner to miss that and think that’s what I want.
We too had two check ins late Nov./early Dec. - one at VGF BPK, requested higher floor & full balcony - got 4th floor w/ smaller box balcony. One at the VGF original building, requested higher floor & got 4th floor.
I think they probably try harder w/ cash reservations, though, because satisfied guests = returning guests v. DVC where they know we’ll be back.

 

[ehh]

For all the fixation on the 'anything but first floor' requests my friends made at VGF and CCV, what was actually written was either 'High floor' or 'Upper floor' for VGF and then listing all the non-1st floor numbers for CCV. I was paraphrasing them into 'anything but first floor' but neither request said that, I just don't have the verbatim requests.

Agree with tjkraz about the probability of CCV studio and BLT requests. The CCV studio request was no doubt improbable considering the room distribution in that category (32 of 38 tub studios are first floor). BLT was also less likely than not (15-26 of 101 LV Studios qualified, depending how you factor in the 'high floor' aspect of the request). On their own, I wouldn't have thought twice about these not being fulfilled (there was a ~70% chance neither would be fulfilled if it were totally random or if everyone requested the same thing). Only in the context of the other requests (which were for ~4/5ths of rooms, 1/3rd of rooms, and 1/3rd of rooms in the respective categories) are these worth mentioning.

The VGF and Poly ones I guess were the ones that were most surprising to me. At VGF 49-69 of 88 rooms met the request criteria, depending how you define high/upper floor.

And at Poly there were 3rd and 2nd floor rooms available (we were successfully switched). Additionally, front desk at the Poly mentioned at least two other guests who had already complained about not getting 1st floor in the same category (which surprised me for LV) despite requests for them. Maybe the Poly and VGF room assigners were having bad days or something, but this made me think requests might be disregarded currently, or something else influenced the room assignment.

 

[Narcoossee11]

Thoughts:

Busy time of year
Gst that checked in before you were in those rooms
They are just req.
Room assignments really don't like a list of certain room numbers.
Requests are like lottery tickets, you rarely win.

 

[ehh]

Okay, chatted with my friends and they don't have notes of their verbatim requests for VGF/CCVstudio, but confirmed their requests were roughly what I said above.

They also shared more info:

• At VGF they went to the front desk, their request was showing in the system and they could have switched to a room that met their request later in the day. They chose to keep the 1st floor room as it was private/secure enough (didn't face a walkway, just the lake, and had an enclosed balcony) and was available very early (~10:30am). Either way, the request was fulfillable but was not fulfilled.
• At CCV they also went to the front desk about their studio request but it was not fulfillable. All the non-1st floor rooms in their category were unavailable.

So that's 2 fulfillable-but-unfulfilled room requests (that were received in the system) out of 3 requests. BLT/CCV Cabin are unknown as neither of us checked with front desk for those stays. Additionally, all 5 rooms fulfilled unusually early in the day, in our experience.

So I go back to my original questions with the context that 2+ (of 5) requests were fulfillable but went unfulfilled: Anybody else having difficulties with room requests recently? Are we doing something wrong? Are they prioritizing arrival times despite room requests?

 

[Nabas]

I think (not sure) the CCV rooms with tubs are only on the first floor. So unless you book a room with a walk-in shower, you’re going to end up on the first floor.

 

[BillPA]

NEVER EVER ask for what you want, but request what you DON'T want, that will improve your changes of getting where you really want to be.

 

[ehh]

I think (not sure) the CCV rooms with tubs are only on the first floor. So unless you book a room with a walk-in shower, you’re going to end up on the first floor.

There are 6 tub rooms on the other 6 floors, one on each floor. They have an alternative, larger layout and my friends have randomly gotten these rooms in the past, which is why they knew to request them.

It was an improbable (6 of 38) but not impossible request (they've been assigned one of these rooms when not making a request and another stay when requesting them) and all 6 were unavailable for this stay, even after checking with the front desk.

 

[bobbiwoz]

We actually did get the 8th floor at BLT In December. Usually we get the fourth, the lowest that isn’t standard view!

Also we had two rooms during this stay, and they both were ready pretty early. 1 PM ish.

 

[Sandisw]

Okay, chatted with my friends and they don't have notes of their verbatim requests for VGF/CCVstudio, but confirmed their requests were roughly what I said above.

They also shared more info:

• At VGF they went to the front desk, their request was showing in the system and they could have switched to a room that met their request later in the day. They chose to keep the 1st floor room as it was private/secure enough (didn't face a walkway, just the lake, and had an enclosed balcony) and was available very early (~10:30am). Either way, the request was fulfillable but was not fulfilled.
• At CCV they also went to the front desk about their studio request but it was not fulfillable. All the non-1st floor rooms in their category were unavailable.

So that's 2 fulfillable-but-unfulfilled room requests (that were received in the system) out of 3 requests. BLT/CCV Cabin are unknown as neither of us checked with front desk for those stays. Additionally, all 5 rooms fulfilled unusually early in the day, in our experience.

So I go back to my original questions with the context that 2+ (of 5) requests were fulfillable but went unfulfilled: Anybody else having difficulties with room requests recently? Are we doing something wrong? Are they prioritizing arrival times despite room requests?

I think that during such a busy time they may have decided it’s just easier to not worry about requests.

We just have no idea how many guests put in requests but from what I see here and elsewhere, there are a lot of them.

So, I can see them simply not worrying about them and prioritizing the room ready. As I said, my last trip we were switched from our assigned room to someone else’s room since it was ready and ours was not. Who knows if that room was supposed to go to someone who had put in a request.

 

[Nursemanit]

When I look at request threads - it seems that rooms are assigned at random. I would bet that 33% of the people requesting the 3rd floor get it for Poly LV.

 

[georgiagirl2]

We checked into a GFV resort studio standard view on the Sunday after Thanksgiving. My only request was "upper floor" and we got a first floor room. I made my request via email about 6 months ago.

We stayed 5 nights so we could've moved after the first night, but decided that since we'd already unpacked, we would stay put.

 

[we"reofftoneverland]

So I've been back for a few days since our visit earlier in December and this has been bugging me. We had 2 reservations straddling our cruises and our friends we were traveling with had 3, all DVC. Combined, we were 0/5 on room requests and that seems like worse than random luck. Wondering if we did something wrong or if others are also having difficulties that might indicate a recent change in policy/implementation.

Our process was to chat in the member services and provide our requests over 30 days prior to check-in. We also used Touring Plans faxing service with the exact same requests, which TP faxes in at 30 days. We did online check-in ~2 weeks prior and requested nothing when checking in.

Requests:

• Poly Lake View Studio, 8 nights: "3rd floor please, prefer near stairs. Exmple:3032-3038, 3015-3020. Thank you!"
  • Received: 1st floor, dead middle of the building.
  • Notes:
    • I forgot there were stairs in the middle of the building, so I understand the ambiguity here as we wanted near either end of the building. Top floor was the priority though.
    • We went to the front desk about this one, who could see the request and were fairly puzzled why we were given the exact opposite considering the turnover situation that day. We were able to be moved.
    • We've successfully used this exact request twice previously.
• Grand Flo Resort Studio Lagoon View, 5 nights: Anything but first floor
  • Received: 1st floor.
  • Note: This was one of our friend's rooms, so I don't have the verbatim request.
• Copper Creek Studio w/ Tub, 3 nights: Anything but first floor
  • Received: 1st floor.
  • Note: Another one from our friends. This one is statistically unlikely based on the room distribution.
• Bay Lake Tower Lake View Studio, 2 nights: "Room ending xx06, xx08, or xx14 please. High floor preferred. Ex:8406,8408,8208,8206,8108,8106,8104,8008,8006,7914,7908,7806."
  • Received: 6th floor on the opposite side of the building.
  • This was our friend's. I have the verbatim request because this worked great for us in May of this year and shared it with them, but didn't work for them.
• Copper Creek Cabin, 2 nights: "Cascade Cabins, prefer higher numbers, example: 8022,8023,8024,8025,8026,8021,8020. Thank you!"
  • Received: 8003
  • This actually worked out considering how early we got the cabin (around 9:30am, before our 10am post-cruise arrival time).

One additional observation: we got all 5 of our room ready texts fairly early (the Poly room at 1:20PM was the latest). We did not request first available during online check-in.

Anybody else having difficulties with room requests recently? Are we doing something wrong? Are they prioritizing arrival times despite room requests?

We’ve done this for several years (several times a year) now, and I have never, ever received a room request. I’m sure I have enough data to run a study and the conclusion would be that DVC pays 0 attention to room requests. In fact, I personally think people who put in requests are penalized. (Handicapped rooms- nightmare, especially the 3 bedroom at Vero. Might as well book a 2 bedroom. End of the hall at BWV- torture. Dumpster view at BRV- literally $?!%. Swimming pool view at HHI- you cannot escape the thumping music— you can literally participate in trivia from your balcony. Husband lost his mind. The absolute last room at OKW where you are enclosed into your balcony by one foot of plants and the road is just beyond. Fresh hell.). I ran my own little study where I stopped inputting room requests and I found I was happier with assigned room locations in that senario. I did another little (unofficial ) study over a period of time where I stopped even checking in ahead of time— that’s when I receive the best rooms. Good ole fashioned just show up at the lobby desk. (Of course we also started going to universal from dvc so no need to get into the account at all.). Grandstand golf course views at Saratoga. You could just reach out and touch the golf course. Kidani Savannah view when I booked standard— animals almost within reach. Vero third floor ocean view in a one bedroom- worth paying extra for… but didn’t. Hilton head marsh view, beyond relaxing. Riviera standard view- upper floor near the elevator with perfect Epcot fireworks views. VGF standard top floor incredible view of lake and magic kingdom fireworks. Beach Club top floor view of fireworks (didn’t even know that was a thing!).

Going to Hilton Head in a few days and received the check in email about a week ago. Hahaha silly email, I said to myself, you don’t fool me. I delete you!

 

[TLinden16]

I stayed at the Poly earlier this month. My only request was an upper floor. When I got my room ready request, I was assigned a first floor room. Before going to the room, I stopped at the desk, and asked if there was anything available that was not first floor, and they were able to move me to a third floor room in a different building.

I always try to keep my room request simple. I think the more specific you are, the more likely you are to be disappointed.

 

[AdamsMum]

NEVER EVER ask for what you want, but request what you DON'T want, that will improve your changes of getting where you really want to be.

This is me exactly. Never had one room request fulfilled, and had the opposite of my request a couple of times. Once when I had a short stay at all stars, I asked for top floor parking lot side. I was trying to avoid the noise from the pool. I was pretty sure about my chances, after all who asks for the parking lot view? I got 1st floor directly in front of the pool. I've been a member since 2007 and always requested upper floor as I usually travel alone, but I usually got 1st floor. The only one I can guarantee not first floor is BW-Boardwalk View. I stopped making requests a few years ago, and on my most recent trip I had the 4th floor at BCV. Go figure!

 

[Skywalker3]

we only started making requests recently. .I think we're 2 for 4. 1 of the successful times, we used TP. we used to just only use the option at check in. THis past summer was the funniest to me. 2 bedroom at BWV. requested close to elevators/lobby, and high floor. At least we got 3rd floor, but it was the LAST rooms on the left. As far away from elevator as can be. it was quite though, and easy to get to bus stop, closer to HS, but not at all what was requested. that request was done w chat, and the only time we've tried one w chat. Doubt we'll do that again.

 

[jlovesee]

Sometimes I have luck with reservation requests , most times not. As a PP mentioned DVC runs at or near 100% all the time, so someone has to end up with less desirable rooms. I seem to always get them for marathon weekend… (I’ve stayed at BLT and have requested an outside ring but always get the inside…).

 

[Donna M]

I was very impressed with VGF a few years back when I received a phone call while on my way to Disney clarifying what room I wanted because they were confused about the wording I used. When we arrived we had the room I wanted. Very happy. I spoke with the fellow at the desk and we chatted about what I had requested, so the front desk was involved with the assignment in my situation.

On our last trip to OKW, I gave a few requests and didn´t get anything, but since the keys weren´t working I had to go to the front desk. They saw my request and said they could put us in one of those rooms.