Are Room Location Requests Really Considered?

[RMulieri]

We have always gotten our room request- for the last 10 years now and we visit at least twice a year! I think the clue is to be extremely nice and patient when checking in. CM are trained to go out of thier way to make your experience what you expect. Once, I even jokingly asked if they were giving any free upgrades and the CM disappered for a few moments and returned with a prime room facing the pool (we had booked a standard woods view at Wilderness Lodge)... Good luck!

I have been very nice, even to cms who were not all that pleasant ..I only got my request 1 time.Being nice definitely helps , but is by no means a slam dunk in getting your requests met

 

[katrina1122]

I've never gotten a request. I'm always super friendly at the counter and question it again, still never get one. Never get an upgrade, never get a king, nothing. I don't even bother requests anymore ahead of time. I just ask when checking in and get something a tad closer to the bus stop but that's as far as it ever goes.

At non-dis hotels, dh and I very often get upgrades, requests, etc by 'being nice'. I think it's totally random at wdw and has nothing to do with your personality.

 

[Missytara]

I have no inside information but here's how I "think" it works. The rooms are assigned by computer and only the requests that are possible to make during online check in are considered by the computer. Then at check in the CM can change the previously assigned room to honor the request.

That scenario is impossible, because as I noted in my post, I have never done online check-in and all my requests have been honored. Plus there are very few choices at online checkin.

It has been reported on other threads by CM's that the room assigner does assign areas about three to five days before arrival. The computer sorts the requests, if they are on your ressie. It appears desk CM's have some discretion to give the first room available or change.

We were a group of seven in two rooms; we arrived the Saturday after Thanksgiving around 11:00 am. Our rooms were ready and we were in connecting rooms as requested. I have arrived earlier on the same day alone and waited until 1:00 pm for my room. The new system seems to allow them to do it more efficiently.

 

[Nancy F]

So far I've been lucky. I've loved every room I've been assigned. This last trip I asked for a MK view studio. Above the monorail and near the elevator. We got 7728 and it was one rm away from the elevator and 2 floors above the monorail. So both me and the hubby got our wish. And the room was ready when I checked in.

Nancy

 

[DisneyLoverUSA]

Our last trip I did online check in. Both my room requests had been noted in the reservation months prior to arrival. I requested CALYPSO building/first floor. My DH got to the resort before we did. He drove, we flew. SO when he checked in they told him that for the room requests we made the room wouldn't be ready for another few hours. He agreed to wait. He could have taken an available room at the time he got there (around noon) but it would not have met our room requests. So I know THEY DO look at your room requests at least when you check in if not a few days prior when they assign the rooms. My husband is never rude, so I know he was nice to the CM and he DID NOT slip them a "hundo" That was funny.

 

[achenator]

A suggestion: At check in, slip the CM a hundo.

I do this in Vegas. Put a $50 in between my license and credit card and hand it to the clerk checking in. Last time got upgraded to a strip view at the Palazzo. Upgrade worth at least $50 a night. They call this the "vegas sandwich" LOL.

When we go to Disney (like tomorrow), we get 2 rooms and always our first request is for connecting rooms. That limits us in our other requests. That is always the most important to us, and we always get it.

 

[fflmaster]

How about when they ask if your celebrating anything?

Do most people say yes and list something?

I am wondering how to increase my odds of getting my request. I have never said I was celebrating anything until my wife's 40th birthday. Guess what, the 40th birthday was the only time in the last 10 trys I was able to get my request.

Also, I wonder if the computer reads the ages of the children. I mean if you want to be close to the pool and have small children, I wonder if the computer is more likely to give it to you. And similiarly, I wonder if you have older kids and ask for a higher floor is that more likely.

 

[aubriee]

How about when they ask if your celebrating anything?

Do most people say yes and list something?

I am wondering how to increase my odds of getting my request. I have never said I was celebrating anything until my wife's 40th birthday. Guess what, the 40th birthday was the only time in the last 10 trys I was able to get my request.

Also, I wonder if the computer reads the ages of the children. I mean if you want to be close to the pool and have small children, I wonder if the computer is more likely to give it to you. And similiarly, I wonder if you have older kids and ask for a higher floor is that more likely.

Doubt it! We celebrated my mom's 75th birthday down there and a year or so later my birthday (won't tell you which one lol) and had it noted on the reservations. On neither of those particular trips did we get our requests and as I said previously, I usually get my requests about 70% of the time. Those were two of the times we didn't (once at CSR and the second time at Pop). In fact we didn't even get close: requested first floor anywhere in the Cabanas and got top floor Casistas 1 at CSR and requested first floor in the 50's and got third floor on the far side of the 70's at Pop.

 

[Missytara]

How about when they ask if your celebrating anything?

Do most people say yes and list something?

I am wondering how to increase my odds of getting my request. I have never said I was celebrating anything until my wife's 40th birthday. Guess what, the 40th birthday was the only time in the last 10 trys I was able to get my request.

Also, I wonder if the computer reads the ages of the children. I mean if you want to be close to the pool and have small children, I wonder if the computer is more likely to give it to you. And similiarly, I wonder if you have older kids and ask for a higher floor is that more likely.

No and no.

Last year, I didn't note anything and got upgraded. This year I noted we were celebrating that one of our party had just returned from a T.O.D. in Afghanistan. Our exact requests are met.

I also don't think they would go to the level of checking the children's ages. The room assigners have enough to do just trying to satisfy the requests as given; you have to realize how many people check-in to Disney World every year. That would virtually be impossible.

 

[fairestoneofall]

we've been fortunate to get most of our requests so far. we once stayed at GF in a theme park view room. i had requested one of two buildings. when we checked in, they had put us in the one building where we didn't want to be. i asked if there was anything open in the other two and they had one. we had to wait longer for our room, but it was worth it. we had a gorgeous dormer room where we could look at Cinderella Castle from bed. sigh.

on our last trip, we requested 70s at Pop and that was also granted.

this trip, we've requested ground floor at CR. i am willing to wait for that room (we have a baby and i'd like to be able to step onto the porch if he's napping). of course, we'd take a surprise upgrade to the tower, but i am certainly not expecting that.

 

[tzolkin]

I go to WDW 4-5 times a year and find my requests are met about 70% of the time. Sometimes they are met before I check in, but frequently I simply ask very politely at check in if anything is available that more closely meets my requests. Sometimes I get moved and sometimes I get the "We're full" spiel. I never go during the crowded times of the year though. My requests are also fairly simple.

This is what the OP is referring to.

If there is a room available that meets your request that they can give you when you ask at check-in, why didn't they just assign you that room to begin with?

To me, switching you to a room that you ask for at check-in is not the same thing as reading the requests made when you booked and assigning you that room initially. (Of course, the outcome is the same, but it really makes it pointless to make requests prior to your arrival at the resort desk.)


OP, we have had the same experiences. We are always assigned a random room that is ready when we check in (usually before noon). If I ask if there's something available that meets a certain request, they will give me the room I wanted but it's not ready so I have to wait a few hours. Now I don't even bother to make requests (other than connecting rooms-- which have not always been accommodated)

 

[SharonZ]

I think that with the shear number of people making requests, and even multiple requests, it would be next to impossible to make everyone happy. I can't even imagine how time consuming it would be for room assignors. In the past, there were guests that even wanted a specific room number at a resort. My suggestion, and I've never been disappointed - I make no requests.

 

[ancestry]

I've always had my requests met but my requests are usually pretty general and broad.

One thing I never see mentioned on these threads is the type of requests that aren't met. If the request someone has only fits three rooms at a resort there is a much higher chance of the request not being met than a broad request that matches 50 rooms.

 

[TDC Nala]

I think they are considered but it is not always possible to meet them. The more specific a request, and the more requests are made, the more difficult it is to fill the request(s). Sometimes even simple requests cannot be met. it doesn't hurt to make a request but if the location of your room, etc. will make or break your trip you do need to know it can't be guaranteed.

I've actually read things from guests who request down to the specific room - sometimes they can meet that request but the odds on that one aren't all that good.

If there is a room available that meets your request that they can give you when you ask at check-in, why didn't they just assign you that room to begin with?

Because it's likely that room was not available when the guest's room was actually assigned. They're assigned a couple of days before check-in. Things happen, people leave early, people move, people change their trip dates, people cancel at the last minute. That's why you have to ask when you get there what else might be available. Don't see why that means it's useless to make requests. If the request is met in the first place then you don't have to ask and can maybe get into your room sooner.

 

[HugsForEeyore]

I've always had my requests met but my requests are usually pretty general and broad.

One thing I never see mentioned on these threads is the type of requests that aren't met. If the request someone has only fits three rooms at a resort there is a much higher chance of the request not being met than a broad request that matches 50 rooms.

Twice had the same request denied - a balcony at WL. WL has plenty of rooms with balconies - probably over 600 of them. Neither trip was high season. Someone has to be in the undesirable limited-view ground floor rooms, and the computer picked me. One time at check-in I got a change, one time I was denied flat.

Another time at CBR I think I requested some village (one across the lake, maybe Aruba or Jamaica) and at check-in got Trinidad South. I asked for anything else, and the CM said no. She told me to give the room a chance - a nice way of saying she isn't switching me. She wouldn't even look. This was the last week of September, not high season at all. Hated that location.

Not sure why so many posters (not just this thread, but over the years here on the DIS) doubt that the request field on a reservation is simply never seen by a human ahead of time and the computer assigns the room. The process has to be automated to a certain extent with the huge volume of reservations. Denied requests aren't always because the person was asking for the moon.

I am staying at CBR in February, and I made no requests even though I am paranoid about getting Trinidad South again (I paid for a water view, not a pirate room, but watch me get a water view pirate room!). Arggggg ....

 

[aubriee]

I think that with the shear number of people making requests, and even multiple requests, it would be next to impossible to make everyone happy. I can't even imagine how time consuming it would be for room assignors. In the past, there were guests that even wanted a specific room number at a resort. My suggestion, and I've never been disappointed - I make no requests.

In my case I stay at CSR quite a bit. I love the Cabanas, like the Casitas, but absoltely loathe the Ranchos section. When I book CSR my request is always the same: first floor anywhere in the Cabanas with a preference for Cabanas 8A and to avoid the Ranchos. My last two trips (Sept and late Nov) at check in I had been assigned to Ranchos 6A (the only place I did not want to be). Thankfully, I had two very nice CMs who were able to move me over to a first floor room in the Cabanas (8A in Sept and 9A in Nov/Dec). I'm not real specific I just don't want anywhere in the Ranchos. You'd think that with nine other buildings to choose from they could put me somewhere besides 6A.

If they had made my beloved Cabanas preferred when they switched some of the buildings over to preferred, I'd pay the extra to stay there, but I am not willing to pay extra to stay in the Casitas. Instead of designating preferred rooms in the locations they think people want, I wish they'd let you pay extra to guarantee the room location you want (not a specific room of course, just a general location). In my case, I'd pay extra to be guaranteed a room anywhere in Cabanas 9B, 8A, or a waterview room in 9A.

 

[Rlv]

We have actually been very lucky in getting our requests however we never check in on line, we get there early and always remind them of request and this works well for us.

 

[thesupersmartguy]

I work Front Desk at Coronado Springs and can tell you rooms are mostly assigned by hand. The granting of requests are based on occupancy levels, room categories and how many people before you have requested the same thing. If you do online check-in, your request is reviewed one last time the morning of your arrival by the back office before they "Check you In" prior to your arrival.

Again, it just all depends on all the variations of that particular day.

 

[Missytara]

I work Front Desk at Coronado Springs and can tell you rooms are mostly assigned by hand. The granting of requests are based on occupancy levels, room categories and how many people before you have requested the same thing. If you do online check-in, your request is reviewed one last time the morning of your arrival by the back office before they "Check you In" prior to your arrival.

Again, it just all depends on all the variations of that particular day.

I think this is the best response from someone who is there. We have said the same thing for months, as semiprofessional in the business, but appear to be inaccurate because we do not tell people what they want to hear.

I am hoping with the new year, a sticky will be created for online checkin and your post will be right at the rop of the page.