Booked Standard but requesting Preferred - experiences/opinions?

[WDW*Fan]

Hello! I'm staying in ASMu over Labor Day weekend and booked a standard room with an AP discount. I really want to be in a preferred room because the standard ones look so far, but nothing is showing available for my dates.

I have a TP subscription so I was thinking of requesting a preferred room and crossing my fingers. Has anyone done this at an all star even though you booked a standard? How did it go? TIA!

 

[melissapealo]

When you're checking in you can ask if they have any preferred rooms available. If they do then you can always pay the difference to switch. It doesn't hurt to ask.

 

[barbliny]

I have no personal experience, but I feel that you would be wasting your request. If a preferred room is not available to book, then I would expect them to all be given to those that booked the room category.

I would just put in your request for the closest standard room you can find and cross your fingers that you get a pixie-dust upgrade.

 

[Disneylover99]

No experience at Music, but I've done it at Pop and paid the difference. It never hurts to ask.

 

[mom2rtk]

Just request a room closest to (whatever it is your hoping to be close to). Maybe you'll get an upgrade. Maybe you won't. But just requesting a preferred room when you paid for a standard seems odd to me.

 

[Deb & Bill]

The upgrade to a preferred room may mean paying rack rate for the preferred room.

 

[purple figment]

The room assigners would probably ignore the request since you are asking for a room you didn't pay for. If you want a preferred room, either book it in advance or ask at the front desk when you arrive at the resort. If it is a available expect to pay rack rate. Even though your current room is booked with a discount, do not expect the discount to be applied to the upgraded room.

 

[Shanti]

Hello! I'm staying in ASMu over Labor Day weekend and booked a standard room with an AP discount. I really want to be in a preferred room because the standard ones look so far, but nothing is showing available for my dates.

I have a TP subscription so I was thinking of requesting a preferred room and crossing my fingers. Has anyone done this at an all star even though you booked a standard? How did it go? TIA!

They only consider requests that can be fulfilled within the category booked. Pixie dust upgrades occassionally happen (out of ten different resort stays, we've received one), but they're rare and not the result of requesting what you didn't pay for.

 

[HopperFan]

They only consider requests that can be fulfilled within the category booked. Pixie dust upgrades occassionally happen (out of ten different resort stays, we've received one), but they're rare and not the result of requesting what you didn't pay for.

Yeah I am hitting around 130 Disney hotel stays and I can think of ...
- AKL upgraded to Savanna from Standard (hotel was fairly new)
- POP upgraded to Preferred from Standard (didn't ask, wasn't even happy about it)
- POP upgraded to Standard Pool View from Standard (didn't ask, wasn't even happy about it)
- ASSP upgraded to back side of Preferred from Standard (I requested close to transportation)

I wouldn't waste the effort asking for Preferred since you didn't pay for it, I think most pixie dust comes due to overbooking or other issues. I would put as PP stated, "close to transportation and food court" and hope you get as close as possible and maybe .... pixie dust.

Upon arrival you can ask if there are any open preferred you can upgrade to but I would be prepared to pay for it.

 

[maxiesmom]

ASMu has fewer preferred rooms than the other All Stars. Many of them were used to make the family suites. If you request something you did not purchase your request will be ignored. The best you can do is ask at check in if you can pay for a preferred room. Though to warn you, twice I have been downgraded from preferred to standard at the Music as they had oversold the preferred rooms.

 

[raddisneyfan]

I wouldn't mention "Preferred" in your request. I would look at the resort map and decide what building and building location you would like and request it that way--basically act like you don't know the location you want is preferred and cost more money. If the resort isn't busy or full when you go, you just might get lucky. I'm always surprised at how "lucky" I've been with my room assignments. I usually make my specific requests when I book, then I call about 45 days out and make sure they are still on my reservation, and, finally, a week out again. Then, I just wait until I get to the resort and hope for the best--I have never gone to the check-in and made requests. If, going into it, you are perfectly willing to pay the extra for Preferred, then by all means, request it specifically up front.

 

[DreadBaroness]

I stayed in a standard at ASMu and didn't find it the walk to be all that bad. We were in Broadway, but we drove and didn't need the buses. However, we ate and shopped at the main building and didn't find it to be much of a hike. Felt far shorter than the walk from our Lion King Suite to the main building at AoA our next trip.