Can I show up and get a room???

[Dawnflower]

My vacation starts this coming Saturday, but my husband has decided to leave early enough to get to WDW on Friday afternoon, what are the chances I could just show up at POP and get a room a day early??

 

[safetymom]

Why not call and make a reservation so you don't have any surprises when you get to WDW?

 

[Dawnflower]

I would love to, however, there is a project that is due to be completed Thursday and "go live" which will allow my husband to take off Friday.

If the project does not "go live" for any reason Thursday then we will leave as originally scheduled on Friday.

So back to the original question.. Can this be done?

 

[ducklite]

I've seen people walk up to the desk at the BC and get a room on the fly--paying full rack rate for it.

But what will you do if there are no rooms available?

I'd compromise and call once you know for sure you'll be getting there early, and get a reservation.

 

[Chuck S]

I'd compromise and call once you know for sure you'll be getting there early, and get a reservation.

Exactly. When we drive down and arrive a day early (as we allow extra time in case of road problems) we always call from the car when we are near Ocala. This way you 1)know there will be a room and 2)if there are any discounts available, they will only give them to you if you pre-reserve. Walk-ups pay full price.

 

[michaelwilliammidd]

I agree, I'd give a call as soon as you find out if you will be going in early and if nothing is available you could always find something offsite to stay that extra night before in a worst case scenario. Either way, I think its always better to have something locked down before you get there.

 

[raven69david]

During Value season i can see that happening and being a real possibility, but during the holidays, i'd say you have a 25% success rate, especially with the Pop Warner crowd that will be arriving beginning this weekend. I strongly advise against just showing up, unless you go with the mindset that you'll probably be outta luck when you arrive. That way, if you do get a room, it will be a much bigger surprise. Anyway, best of luck on getting a room and post back a trip report if/when you get the chance.

 

[BethC1952]

Two weeks ago I tried to reserve a room at ANY moderate or value, or at AKL or WL for the night of 11/30. There were no rooms available at any of those places at any price.

Good luck!

Beth

 

[minnie61650]

The resorts are booked at near capacity this time of the year.

From this Thread:

http://disboards.com/showthread.php?t=1601866&page=8

.......

Checking December 1st to December 3rd .. Grand Floridian has availability. That's it.

Checking December 6th to 9th.. 2 bed villa at OKW. That's it.

Checking December 7th to 9th.. 2 bed villa at OKW. That's it.

Checking December 21st to January 1.. Only Port Orleans Riverside and Saratoga Springs show any availability.............



In addition, I checked with a friend who has the ability to look at resort availability in the coming weeks and she's indicating overall property-wide 96% occupancy (or higher) for those dates. Many resorts are 100% booked on a bunch of different dates.

IN fact, at least two resorts are currently overbooked at greater than 100% on some date ranges.


Knox

 

[mickeyluv'r]

You will however, CERTAINLY be able to get a room in the Orlando area. If you are only stayig one night, you can easily get something on the cheap - hey, it's only one night - then you can go over to your WDW resort early, drop off your bags unti lyour room is ready, and enjoy the day. If your tickets and meal plan are on your room keys, you can get those when you arrive. You might get lucky, and have your room ready. If you are staying on property, Disney will also transfer your luggage to the new resort.

 

[Luv2Roam]

My guess is what walk in rooms are available would be the real high rent ones, and at rack rate. Only because the average person don't want those rooms, at those prices. (And that would probably depend on which resort. During the holidays, many may still be willing to pay.)
I guess it depends on your budget and requirements.
I agree, you could get a room somewhere off site. You may even have to be a little further away from WDW than you wish.
You could at least try the DTD resorts too and see what they have available.

 

[debbiet1]

You will however, CERTAINLY be able to get a room in the Orlando area. If you are only stayig one night, you can easily get something on the cheap - hey, it's only one night - then you can go over to your WDW resort early, drop off your bags unti lyour room is ready, and enjoy the day. If your tickets and meal plan are on your room keys, you can get those when you arrive. You might get lucky, and have your room ready. If you are staying on property, Disney will also transfer your luggage to the new resort.

In addition, I checked with a friend who has the ability to look at resort availability in the coming weeks and she's indicating overall property-wide 96% occupancy (or higher) for those dates. Many resorts are 100% booked on a bunch of different dates.

IN fact, at least two resorts are currently overbooked at greater than 100% on some date ranges.



OK now i'm worried.. what resorts and what dates???? lol

 

[CanadianGuy]

As of right now from the WDW website.. the cheapest resort showing availability on Friday night is.. Port Orleans Riverside for 163$ a night. (taxes included)

No values are currently showing availability. Of course that might change.

But given that info.. I'd say the odds of just showing up and getting a room are not good.

Knox

 

[CanadianGuy]

OK now i'm worried.. what resorts and what dates???? lol

Since you quoted something I wrote there, I feel like I should respond.

First off, no need to panic. It's a couple of resorts on a couple of dates. And those percentages change DAILY. People cancel, switch resorts and stuff keeps moving around. So that was a snapshot of the dates December 6 to 12 a couple of weeks back.. probably NOT the same today.

Secondly, if a resort is overbooked, they're going to look at moving/upgrading people with shorter stays first. So, a guest with a 2 or 3 night stay might be offered the opportunity to move to a different resort before someone with a week long stay gets their stay interrupted. There's a whole series of priorities that come into play.

Most times when a resort is truly overbooked, Disney will pro-actively contact people BEFORE they arrive in Orlando and try to negotiate changes that everyone is happy with.

In short - no need to worry.

Knox

 

[debbiet1]

whew thanks for the explanation !