Asking for an upgrade

[SOnotLayuh]

Thank you, Teena, for helping provide the magic that keeps us coming back!

 

[CR Resort Fan 4 Life]

I personally think if someone wants to upgrade their reservation they should call CRO and pay to upgrade it, this way when they check-in there is no risk of being disappointed if they don't get upgraded.

 

[danyella522]

teary eyed here too

makes me wish I was a CM to provide such magic for a family

 

[Karebear]

We took our kids to the Disneyland Hotel for the first time last Sept. They were 4 & 6 at the time and were jumping up and down telling the CM at check in that this was the first time that they were staying there, etc. She asked the kids to come behind the counter and help her check us in. She put CM front desk vests on them--it was really cute. Then, she asked me if I had heard of the new family suites at the Disneyland hotel and I told her that I had seen the pictures online and that they looked fantastic. My 4 year old dd was listening and she told the CM that the princess suite was her favorite (I had shown her the pics of the hotel online). Anyway, the CM went to the back and came out a couple of minutes later. She said "I tried to upgrade you to a suite, but it was not available for your length of stay". We were there for 6 nights. I thanked her very much and let her know that we were happy just being there and hadn't expected an upgrade. She sent milk and mickey cookies to the room for my kids and had autographed pics of their favorite characters sent to the room along with balloons. She was really nice and really made my kids feel special.

 

[mlittig]

What a beautiful story from Teena Thanks for sharing and for making my day a Disney day

 

[DisneySherpa]

To an extent... I have to "agree" with the OP in a sense that I tend to feel that quite a few people on these boards do in fact ask (and recieve) resort upgrades.

While I don't condone the behavior... one can certainly be inquisitive to "how they do it"...

I think Teena's story reminded me how we get so caught up in "what we could have"... that we forget "what we do have"...

 

[WDWBW09]

Didn't ask had std club and was upgraded to deluxe club BWI IKC!

Me personally I wouldn't ask. Guess it would hurt to ask but if the answer your given is not the one desired don't let it ruin your trip. I've saw on the boards in the past bad impressions being formed by those that expect something for nothing.

Goodluck!

 

[Canyon girl]

I agree to pay for what you want and not to expect anything extra. Go with a positive outlook. My story happened at Disneyland last February. We were celebrating DS 6th b-day at the DLH. We were wandering out in the courtyard to go to the coffee shop when we realized that it had closed early. The four of just kind of stood there deciding what to do next when two gentlemen came up to us and asked us what we were celebrating. We told them, and the next thing we knew, we were upgraded to a Mickey character quarters suite for 2 nights. It was just being in the right place at the right time. I don't think the asking works as often as the right place at the right time. Just let the magic happen!

 

[Evan&Kimberly]

I think if an Upgrade happens it happens I have never been upgraded at A WDW resort but always got the building & area I asked 4.I did get a huge upgrade last year on a Disney cruise room & I didnt ask 4 it just a Blessing From God,@reerees mom sorry if I mispelled it I am on my phone so I cant see your name again just wanted 2 know where that pink castle is in your avater!

 

[Disneyadore]

If I could find the courage, jump over myself and ask for a free upgrade it would be the fasted way to get back at the airport. My husband would be lived and leave immediately.
We book and pay for the room we liked to be upgraded to

 

[SiAmCrAzY]

Part of what makes Disney Magic so special is that it is unexpected. I had tears in my eyes after reading Tina's story. I had a similar experience at AKL last year. I was there alone celebrating my birthday and my 1st wedding anniversary (my DH works over seas). I was greeted at the door and ushered up to concierge level- I really thought that someone had made a mistake I had only paid for a standard no view, not club level Savannah view. As soon as it was explained to me that I had been upgraded I burst into tears. I couldn't believe that someone who doesn't even know me took the time out to make my vacation even more special. I don't know the name of the CM who dusted me with pixie dust as it happened before I arrived. So I will never get the chance to thank them, I just hope they know what a difference they made in a trip that otherwise may have turned into a pity fest lol I was so shocked, and so touched that I almost barely had time to miss my DH ... almost. That one act of kindness has left a permanent mark on my heart, I still tear up whenever i think about it.
I am going back this year, and every year that my husbands job will keep him away. Do I expect it to happen again? No. And to be honest I would hope that if it ever did I would be a kind enough person to say thank you but I have already had a magic moment and pass it along to someone else.
Get a room that suits your needs in a resort that you love, and enjoy your time there making memories with your family- I truly believe that is the greatest magic WDW has to offer Would I have traded that CL Savannah view room for a broken down Ho Jo to have my husband there? In a heart beat. (not saying it wouldn't have been hard lol that room was pretty nice )

 

[maznorm]

Oh, Teena. That story was wonderful and I think that is why we alll go to Disney to see magical things like that happen, not to us particularly, but to clearly deserving people. Don't worry folks. I am very happy with my room choice and dont particularly want an upgrade anyway. It just seems that I hear a lot about people getting upgrades and I wasn't sure how it happened. Thanks, to Teena, now we know. I'd love to hear more stories like that.

 

[monorail girl]

HI! What a wonderful story from Teena. I had tears too! The best things in life are the ones we don't expect

 

[disneyfan55]

It's a pixie dust thing where some people get an upgrade as a surprise. If I asked for an upgrade, I would expect to pay for it. Asking for one and then getting for free is fairly uncommon.

I agree. I have never asked and becareful what you wish for. We only wanted connecting rooms at WL in Feb (only request) since we were travelling with a 23 month old. We had 2 woods view. About 4-5 days prior to the stay, my daughter paid her room only in full. She received an email showing that she had a courtyard view. The next day I got the same email. Well, I called and the CM assured me that we would still be able to get connecting rooms. Well, needless to say we didn't because the CMs (including a supervisior) at WL said connecting rooms in the courtyard level didn't exist at the hotel! I don't know if this is true or not but that's what we were told. And not only did we not get the conecting rooms, no pack and play either for the second even though we were told we would have one (asked 4 times) Anyway getting back to the free upgrade thing. We did n't care about one but thought it great when we got one until we found out the underlaying issue-our main request couldn't be fulfilled!! I would never ask for a free upgrade, if I asked for something that cost more, I would expect to pay for it!!

 

[declansdad]

I personally think if someone wants to upgrade their reservation they should call CRO and pay to upgrade it, this way when they check-in there is no risk of being disappointed if they don't get upgraded.

You can't be disappointed if you were only asking; expecting something is totally different.

Most travel experts simply suggest you politely ask for upgrades. If you get on, great; if not, there was no harm in asking.

 

[Lynne M]

While asking for an upgrade may not be a problem at many hotels, and even expected in some areas (like Las Vegas), the culture is a little different at WDW.

You might read the upgrade reports on this board and assume that guests got the upgrades because they asked. But that's not the case. You'll notice that the common theme in these reports is "I was so surprised!"

Most upgrades are done for the resort's operational needs, and are assigned before you even arrive. Front desk CMs only rarely have the ability to give out a free upgrade, and when they do, they like to use it as 'pixie dust' - a happy surprise for a guest. Many current and former front desk CMs at Disney resorts who've posted here have stated that they wouldn't upgrade a guest who asked for a free upgrade. Which kind of make sense...if you had one chance to give out an upgrade that day, wouldn't you rather surprise a family and watch them jump for joy?

So, at a Disney resort, asking for a free upgrade can hurt your chances of getting one. If you really feel the need to ask, the best thing to do is say "how much would it cost to upgrade to X?" The CM may quote you rack rate for an upgrade.....or, you may be offered a discount if available....or, very rarely, they may offer you a complimentary upgrade.

 

[DisCopper]

I worked in (non-Disney) hotels for years, and my experience says that if you're going to ask for anything, you need to be polite, friendly, and not demanding about it.

I'm sort of surprised at the number of people on here who say they would never ask for a (free) upgrade. There's a huge difference in politely asking and demanding. And trust me, there are a huge number of people who demand things. I've seen threads on here from people who are demanding all sorts of unreasonable things (and don't understand why they're not getting them).

Working in hotels, I've started shifts knowing that the sales department overbooked us in King bed rooms. As a result, I knew that I was going to have to put some people in the two bedroom suites, and one person in the presidential suite. Why should I fill up all of the King rooms and then get stuck putting the couple who is screaming at me in a suite (because that's all I have left). I'd rather put someone nice in there.

I usually ask for an upgrade. Sometimes I don't get it, sometimes I do. If I don't get it, I remain polite and friendly, thank them for checking, and move on. If I do get it, I'm incredibly thankful and make sure they know that they've made my day.

 

[disneyfan55]

While asking for an upgrade may not be a problem at many hotels, and even expected in some areas (like Las Vegas), the culture is a little different at WDW.

You might read the upgrade reports on this board and assume that guests got the upgrades because they asked. But that's not the case. You'll notice that the common theme in these reports is "I was so surprised!"

Most upgrades are done for the resort's operational needs, and are assigned before you even arrive. Front desk CMs only rarely have the ability to give out a free upgrade, and when they do, they like to use it as 'pixie dust' - a happy surprise for a guest. Many current and former front desk CMs at Disney resorts who've posted here have stated that they wouldn't upgrade a guest who asked for a free upgrade. Which kind of make sense...if you had one chance to give out an upgrade that day, wouldn't you rather surprise a family and watch them jump for joy?

So, at a Disney resort, asking for a free upgrade can hurt your chances of getting one. If you really feel the need to ask, the best thing to do is say "how much would it cost to upgrade to X?" The CM may quote you rack rate for an upgrade.....or, you may be offered a discount if available....or, very rarely, they may offer you a complimentary upgrade.

Exactly what I was thinking! I feel the same about this at WDW! The culture is very different.

 

[BLTLDZ]

Great story!

How about asking for the best available view in your category? Is that frowned upon?

For example, we are staying at the Poly this december in a GV.
It will be our honeymoon.

Normally, I would let it be, but would like to ask at check in for the best room available in our category with a patio/balcony.
Is this acceptable? I HATE asking, but figured if I do so politely, it might not be so bad?
My fiance yells at me for this

 

[disneyfan55]

Great story!

How about asking for the best available view in your category? Is that frowned upon?

For example, we are staying at the Poly this december in a GV.
It will be our honeymoon.

Normally, I would let it be, but would like to ask at check in for the best room available in our category with a patio/balcony.
Is this acceptable? I HATE asking, but figured if I do so politely, it might not be so bad?
My fiance yells at me for this

Make sure they know it's a honeymoon and I feel that's acceptable. I don't think it's a problem or anything of the sort. Your idea might be different from the CM assigning the rooms. Try to look at any maps etc or look at the Poly threads to request the area/building you might want. That's what I would do.