Anyone have a successful Orbitz or Hotels.com experience?

[Mynamewastaken]

I am not changing my plans but booked with Orbitz for the spring deal. I am booked 5 nights at POR in a Royal Room GV... I am nervous that I am going to get a less desirable room.Are there blocks of rooms for discounted hotels and anyone know what the locations are. I have read horror stories and I am nervous. Those that have booked with these companies how were your rooms? Obviously Disney will not upgrade those that booked on a third party site. Hoping I can get Oak manor and a nice room....

 

[Abby Wednesday]

My mom and dad booked BWV through Orbitz a couple of years ago. They got a room wayyyyyy at the end of the hallway overlooking the quiet pool. I think it was more because they didn't put in any requests, not that they booked through Orbitz. Can you call Orbitz and have them put in your requests?

That's not to say it was a terrible location, btw, just not ideal for them.

 

[quietgirll]

I've booked with 3rd party sites before and had no problem getting less desirable rooms! At POR especially, making good room requests can be key to a good room. Make sure you check out the info on the POR thread in regards to faxing room requests, that worked PERFECT for us in January!

 

[Orreed]

On my last trip to the Caribbean Beach Resort, we booked our trip with Expedia. At first our room was in an OK spot and luckily it was not one of villages where the cheerleaders were, but we asked for a room near the food court at check-in (CBR is huge, and we used the food court every morning. January can also have chilly mornings.) and they placed us in the nearest non-preferred building, Martinique 22. It was a super short walk from the food court and it was nice being so close to the bus stop. We could see it out our window but luckily pretty foliage covered the view. We got a better deal with Expedia and would book with them again.

 

[bumbershoot]

DH travels for work, and we book all his hotels through hotels.com. There has only been a small handful of hotels that's cruddy enough to put him in rotten rooms. And half of those times there has actually been something wrong with those rooms (A/C out in Singapore, for example), he complained, and was moved to either a more normal room in the class he booked, or he's been upgraded.

I can't say if Disneyworld would or would not upgrade simply based on where they booked, but it didn't happen to us.

Not only did we book through hotels.com at POR in Feb, but we used "free" nights, which means we paid something like $50 out of pocket (along with losing two "free" nights of course) for our Royal Riverview room.

We got 2nd floor, far corner room Parterre Place. Gorgeous room, quiet location, fabulous.

I was able to get the proper 12 number Disney confirmation number by asking hotels.com, and then I was able to put that into the disneyworld website. It never showed up *right* though; it had me with my last name, then it had "Unknown Molly'slastname" for both DH and DS. At actual checkin we had to fix that and we had to put in CC information, as online checkin had lost that.

Also, even though I put it in with their 12 digit number, later on that number went away, and I saw a different, shorter, confirmation number on WDW's website, for that reservation.

I was able to do nicely early checkin (I was doing all that after they showed the 60 day checkin, but way closer to normal checkin than 60 days, simply because there weren't 60 days between that going "live" and my trip), which was important because we were arriving after 1am. I was able to request a corner room on the checkin form online.

And as I mentioned, we got it, despite booking for SO cheap and arriving SO late. I don't feel we were punished at all for booking through hotels.com.

 

[Lehuaann]

I am not changing my plans but booked with Orbitz for the spring deal. I am booked 5 nights at POR in a Royal Room GV... I am nervous that I am going to get a less desirable room.Are there blocks of rooms for discounted hotels and anyone know what the locations are. I have read horror stories and I am nervous. Those that have booked with these companies how were your rooms? Obviously Disney will not upgrade those that booked on a third party site. Hoping I can get Oak manor and a nice room....

We booked through Orbitz a couple of years ago and was given an AKL upgrade from Savannah View to CL. So yes, Disney gives upgrades on 3rd party bookings.

From what I remember, once the reservation is switched over from Orbitz to the Disney system (I believe it's 5 days in advance of arrival), they (CM) will assign the room accordingly, upgrades being discretionary. They do not seem to discriminate on what you paid or who you booked through. I say this because I got a screaming deal of $150 per night tax included through Orbitz.

As far as room requests, I called Orbitz right after online booking to see about putting in a room request and the rep contacted Disney directly for me. However, Disney said we needed to wait until it hit the system.

...now our last trip, I booked POFQ SV directly with Disney and we were placed in building 7 - furthest building away, lugging suitcases up the stairs. But we got what we paid for, and we were completely happy. So, to me, it doesn't matter who you book through, the CMs place you accordingly...

 

[BenandMorgsMom]

Good Morning....I have booked through 3rd party and have paid for discount or standard deal and have been upgraded to both preferred room at the POR and Business level room at the CSR.

I recently booked an upcoming Spring Break 12 day Vaca thru Orbitz....once all things were settled....ressies in Disney system. We contacted Disney directly and they noted our location request on our reservation. If you are booking a "special" room and it is vital to your trip....then I would go with Disney since those preferred rooms cost more. If it is an option through the 3rd party to book an upgraded room and you save money that is an option also.