Am I crazy to *pay* for a water view??

[halfway there]

I keep readiing all these stories of people who get upgraded to a water view or even concierge in some cases. We plan to stay at CSR and would like a "guarantee" (wishful thinking, I know ) that we will get the location we want, Cabanas 8A. I think I got a pretty good rate but of course there's a 15$ charge for a water view. Should I just take my chances that I'll get that building? There must be only so many rooms that are considered water view. I figure the extra $$ is like greasing their palms a bit so they have to give me my request, right??

 

[TigrLvsPooh]

If the view is important to you then definitely just reserve it and pay the extra.

 

[GoldenOldie]

FWIW, even if you pay for a water view there is no "guarantee" that you'll get Cabanas 8A. The only guarantee is that you will get a room somewhere at CSR that Disney catagorizes as a water view.

Free upgrades are not something you can plan on. The odds are against you under the most ideal of circumstances. If you get one, great. But you'd better plan on reserving a room you'll be happy in if you don't.

 

[halfway there]

Yeah, I'm not expecting any free upgrades or anything but I hear at CSR they are more than generous with their water view rooms. I'm just thinking, if they're giving these away for free...
maybe I'm a sucker!

BTW, GoldenOldie, what does FWIW stand for??

 

[CaliforniaDreaming]

Lately, I have paid for upgraded views (we've always gotten standard/garden before) and have been happy to be able to enjoy a nice view. Haven't stayed at any of the moderates, so I'm not sure how much time you'll spend looking out the window (as the moderates don't have balconies, and people walking by can look into the room).

 

[Eeyore2U]

BTW, GoldenOldie, what does FWIW stand for??

For What Its Worth

 

[halfway there]

I don't usually pay for view either but I thought with the way CSR is set up I could better my chances of getting where I want. I hope to be near the Dig Site and in order not to have a yucky parking lot view and face away from all the good stuff, it would get me at least that. Since the rooms in bldg 8A either face water or the Ranchos, I thought maybe they were all water view on that one side. Just playing the odds, I guess.

I might add that I have always gotten a good view despite whatever I paid for and have never requested a thing before!

 

[GeorgeG]

We used to ask for (and get) "bay view" when we were staying at the Contemporary because we enjoyed the view of Bay Lake and could watch the Water Pageant from our balcony.

Since we've been staying at the Caribbean Beach, we really haven't had a preference as long as we got Martinique or Trinidad North to be close to the main pool, food court, and Banana Cabana (not necesarily in that order...). The only time we didn't get what we wanted, we got Jamaica, which was almost as close.

For some unknown reason, my wife booked for water view this year (Oct.-Nov.). I guess it'll be nice and the extra few bucks isn't an issue. I'm just happy being there.

 

[jaguar9748]

It's also important to remember that waterview could include pool view in a moderate. Sometimes pool views are noisy - just depends. There seem to be more true waterviews at Coronado than at POR or POFQ. Still, since there are no balconies, the only way to enjoy the waterview is to stand or pull your chair out to the common walkway. As a result, I wouldn't pay the extra $15 and just work with the check-in folks to try and get yourself a room placement that you're happy with. During our last stay we were located in a beautiful courtyard in the casitas. I would definitely stay there again - very peaceful!

 

[pooh6890]

Personally, I would not pay extra for a waterview at any of the Moderates.....waterview at the PORS might be the river but would probably give you a pool view. I don't feel it's worth it without a balcony.....who sits in their window looking at the river anyway? But, I do feel a waterview is a necessity for us at any of the Deluxes, especially the BW hotels. There is nothing like coming home after a long hot day at the park and putting your feet up and watching the fireworks and water or the happenings on the BW. So if you really like that kind of view, definately go for it.

 

[mommagoose]

I would not pay extra for the water view. It's been my experience that what our version of water view and Disney's are very different.We requested that view and if you looked really hard or had xray vision you could see the water through the bushes and the water you might have been able to see was only about 6 inches of the through the trees view.
Good Luck

 

[JerseyJanice]

I wouldn't say you are crazy, but I wouldn't pay it myself, especially if what you want at CSR is Cabanas 8A or 8B. If you wind up there, there are no parking lot views. The buildings just don't face any.

Furthermore, as was pointed out previously, you won't have a balcony to sit on to enjoy the view. If all you need to do to see the water is walk around the corner of your terrace, I don't think it's worth $15 to avoid that walk.

 

[halfway there]

Thanks for solving the mystery of the FWIW, Eeyore2U!!

Good point jaguar9748, I guess I could end up in the building near the quiet pool. I don't think there are any views of the Dig Site, are there??

I'm not so concerned about the actual view of water as I am my location. I tried to ask the person I booked my reservations with, which rooms were considered water view but she didn't know. I figured it was a safe bet, at the time to reserve a water view in case that was all that building had, on the side that actually does face the small part of the lake.

Now since I have been reading about people who get upgraded to water view rooms easily, specifically at CSR and into that particular building, I started having second thoughts...or maybe I'm just feeling stingy!

 

[wdw4us2]

I would advise being careful if you pay for a water view at CSR.
A friend of mine did that last year and they ended up with a view of a Fountain!!!

IMHO, that would not be worth the extra $$.

Lisa

 

[cindala]

In my personal opinion, and experience, you are more likely to get an upgrade at a deluxe than at a moderate. I think the moderates, and values book up faster, so there aren't too many rooms to play with. Because the deluxes are more costly, they probably don't book to capacity, expecially lately, and thus have more offerings.

When we stayed at POR, were booked standard and got standard.
When we stayed at WL, we booked standard and got woods view.
Of the 6 times we have been to YC, we have booked standard all but one time, and 4 of the 5 times we booked standard we were upgraded to waterview, and one time concierge.

So, if the view really matters, then pay for it at a moderate. However, as mentioned by previous posters, you won't have a private balcony, so everytime you're looking out your view, it's possible someone is looking in at you!