Checking in super early at the Poly.

[JohnDaleswife]

Does anyone else think that getting there early might just put you at the head of the line with room request? Or a possible change of a room?

 

[AngiTN]

Does anyone else think that getting there early might just put you at the head of the line with room request? Or a possible change of a room?

Maybe it can help with a change of room. I am 100% positive it does nothing in regards to room request. Seeing as your room is assigned before you arrive the time you arrive is meaningless. How could it matter, the room is already assigned, baring technical issues with the room. Now, if they can change you and you arrive early and let them know you want a change that may help. But they won't take a room assigned from someone not arrived yet just to meet your request because you arrived first. Your request for a change would need to be filled from available rooms.

 

[JohnDaleswife]

Ok, that was what I was thinking. I was always under the impression that they would take a room from someone else to meet your request if your arrived earlier. But not so? What about the oldest reservation comment? Hold any bearing?

 

[Lynne M]

I've never heard about the oldest reservation getting priority, either.

But the bottom line is, no matter how early you get there, and what strategies you try, there's just no way to guarantee a request. First and foremost, the room you want has to be vacant, and available to be occupied. So, in your case, there has to be someone checking out of a third floor room in Fiji the day you arrive, and those newly vacant rooms have to not need to be taken out of service for maintenance, the guest before you has to not have left the room in horrifying condition that will need special cleaning, or one of a dozen other things that could happen. And none of that is in your control. If that's the case, no amount of faxing or arriving at the crack of dawn or other strategies will help.

The resort staff does their best to accommodate guest requests. If you request a third floor room in Fiji, and there's one available on the day you arrive, in all likelihood, they'll assign it to you. If you don't get one, you can always - no matter whether you're checking in online, or in person, or if you got a text with your room assignment - always, go to the front desk and ask for a room change. If there's a third floor room in Fiji open, they'll give it to you.

 

[CinderElsa]

The "oldest reservation getting priority" occurs because when the room assigner opens the list to assign rooms to, the oldest reservations will be the first ones they see, so they will get their requests first, and the room assigner will work down the list. It isn't a conscious choice by the CM but rather just how the system works.

 

[MakiraMarlena]

Make the request. When you arrive at the resort, go in to the front desk and tell them that you would like to have a certain type of room. They can see if you are assigned that type of room (although they won't give you the room number if it is not ready). If you are not, ask if there is a possibility that you can be moved to the type of room you want. You would need to be prepared to wait.

I think the only possible advantage you might have is that you can visit the front desk early and let them know what it is you want and that you would be willing to wait for it if you don't already have it. Just so they know.

Of course they may end up telling you that they can't get you the type of room you want.

 

[Shellyb84]

We got to the Beach Club for check in at 6:00 am. We were told our room wasn't ready and left our luggage with bell services. Then we had to go back to the front desk because we forgot my daughter's birthday button, and a different CM looked in the system and assigned us a room right then, and we received all of our room requests.

 

[kaytieeldr]

Oh ya, I will be putting in what request I want, no doubt. Do you by chance have any first hand knowledge about changes being made only after a room ready text is sent? I would think that there are just no that many texts that go out real early in the morning unless you were to put down first available as an option.

Whether it's automated or manual, "that many" texts go out at the appropriate times to guests who've provided estimaied arrival times. Nothing to do with first available. Even if texts aren't sent (or, well, received really) rooms were already assigned, days before arrival. Logically, how could changes be made before the room ready texts are sent? Guests won't have gotten notification yet and won't have arrived at the resorts to make changes?

 

[Retro Magic]

We will be arriving a day before check-in and will stop by the resort to put in our request for a DVC ground floor studio in either Pago or Moorea. Seems like a simple enough request to me.

The earlier you arrive you do indeed usually have a better chance of having your request met. Last time at Beach Club we got a very dirty room and we had to switch. They did say that if we had arrived earlier we would have had more options. Once people start checking in you miss out. Same thing happened to us at AKL. They had us in a room with a less than ideal view. So they said since we had checked in early, they were able to move us before all rooms were assigned and we got an amazing room! Depends on your requests I suppose, but so far we have always had great success in the end and they always try their best to get you what you want.

 

[kaytieeldr]

We will be arriving a day before check-in and will stop by the resort to put in our request for a DVC ground floor studio in either Pago or Moorea. Seems like a simple enough request to me.

Curious why, knowing rooms are assigned two-three days in advance, you would wait until one day before checking in to iterate them. Why wouldn't you call now and add your requests to your reservation?

 

[Disneylover99]

The "oldest reservation getting priority" occurs because when the room assigner opens the list to assign rooms to, the oldest reservations will be the first ones they see, so they will get their requests first, and the room assigner will work down the list. It isn't a conscious choice by the CM but rather just how the system works.

Is this a theory you have? Or do you know this for sure?

Every August we book the FD BB for the following August......booking a year in advance. Based on this "oldest reservation getting priority" you'd think we would get our room requests met. Nope.

But when we book a month or two out, we always seem to get our requests met.

 

[Retro Magic]

Curious why, knowing rooms are assigned two-three days in advance, you would wait until one day before checking in to iterate them. Why wouldn't you call now and add your requests to your reservation?

I will be. However, since we will be there anyway, we will probably stop in and make sure they do have our request on file. Just because you give it to them over the phone, doesn't mean anything necessarily since you are not speaking to the resort directly. Doesn't hurt.