Complementary room upgrades

[Pat329]

Has anyone ever asked and actually gotten a free room upgrade just by asking at check in? I'm arriving next Sunday at the CR and would love to be in the Tower but all that was available months ago when I booked was Garden Wing. I've heard that some rooms are held back just for upgrades and that if you just ask, you may get one. Is this true and how do you ask? I've never asked for anything that I didn't plan on paying for. Not stupid, just shy.

 

[Home@WL]

I stayed at WL this past July. When we made our original reservation, we requested a high floor. Upon check-in, I asked if there were any complimentary upgrades available. The CM went off to check and returned with great news. There were able to comply with both of our requests, and put us on the 7th (highest) floor Concierge Level for the price of our original standard room. I read here on the DIS that the best way to get a free upgrade is to ask, and sometimes it works!

 

[kaytieeldr]

I'm gonna guess - next week, absolutely not.

I am a little confused by the juxtaposition of your statements "Has anyone ever asked and actually gotten a free room upgrade just by asking" and "I've never asked for anything that I plan on paying for."?

 

[CR Resort Fan 4 Life]

When any WDW Resort gives a complementary upgrade it's totally random when it happens and the Cast Member will know if the guest has been upgraded for free once they enter the guest info into the computer. Back in May 2000 at the Contemporary my family and I were upgraded from a standard room on the Atrium Club 12th floor to a standard room on the Tower Club 14th floor. Anyway when we asked about how we got the upgrade the Cast Member told us it was a totally random thing in the computer when our information was typed in there.

Of course you can also ask at check-in if you can upgrade to a room in the Tower. However the Cast Member might think you would be willing to pay for it, so they do not have to give it to you for free. That's is a room in the Tower is available when you check-in.

 

[arbonnette]

I had read to ask for a COMPLIMENTARY upgrade upon check-in. When we went last December, I passed this information along to my father, who asked if any complimentary upgrades were available, the woman went in the back and came back with an offer to move to the Tower with a lagoon view for $50 more/night than our Garden Wing room. This turned out to be about a $500 savings from what the cost would have been had we booked this category in the first place. We took it because my father liked the idea of being closer to the monorail. So much for the complimentary part, but we got a reduced price upgrade I guess.

 

[4orm]

We checked in to our room in the morning in Sept 2005 and were only told that the room wasn't ready, but would be at 3pm. She wrote down the room number on a map, but didn't show us on the map where the room was located. Much to our surprise our AP discounted garden wing turned out to be a MK view tower! It was so awesome! We would get take out flat breads from the Cali grill and watch HalloWishes from the balcony. I only wish I could have thanked the CM but she didn't let us know at all that we were upgraded.

 

[CR Resort Fan 4 Life]

We checked in to our room in the morning in Sept 2005 and were only told that the room wasn't ready, but would be at 3pm. She wrote down the room number on a map, but didn't show us on the map where the room was located. Much to our surprise our AP discounted garden wing turned out to be a MK view tower! It was so awesome! We would get take out flat breads from the Cali grill and watch HalloWishes from the balcony. I only wish I could have thanked the CM but she didn't let us know at all that we were upgraded.

I think the reason she did not show you the map because if you're room is not ready when you check-in, the Cast Member can not say what the actual room number is.

 

[4orm]

I think the reason she did not show you the map because if you're room is not ready when you check-in, the Cast Member can not say what the actual room number is.

No, she knew the room number and wrote it down on our map. We just didn't actually pay attention to the map till we went back to the room in the evening. Our key cards were already coded and everything. It was a bit of a shock to head back to the CR look at the map and wonder why our room number wasn't matching anything listed in the garden wing. We asked a CM where we could find our room and were quite pleasantly surprised

 

[CR Resort Fan 4 Life]

No, she knew the room number and wrote it down on our map. We just didn't actually pay attention to the map till we went back to the room in the evening. Our key cards were already coded and everything. It was a bit of a shock to head back to the CR look at the map and wonder why our room number wasn't matching anything listed in the garden wing. We asked a CM where we could find our room and were quite pleasantly surprised

My mistake in that assumption.

 

[4orm]

My mistake in that assumption.

I thought it strange she didn't tell us... if she had we would have showered her in thanks. Maybe that's why she didn't

 

[plgrn]

we were upgraded recently from a studio to a 1br at okw. We did not ask, the cm just told us we were upgraded. It was great to have the extra space. It was our first trip to okw. It is a fantastic resort!

 

[Seahunt]

I agree that it might be harder to get any upgrades at this time of year - just look at this earlier post from LauraV who is there right now :

Over 10 months ago I reserved and paid for a CR Tower MK View room and we just got here and they checked us into a 3rd floor wing room and said that the tower was sold out.
Not only am I very pi$$ed but the kids are very diasppointed. Last time we had a tower, bay lake view and now all we can see out of our room is a tree. I will have to talk to them in the morning about the extra $300 I paid for the MK view.
I am so upset!

I'd be upset too!

 

[minnie61650]

I am sorry to say that I don't think Disney holds back rooms for free upgrades.
I think if is a room is available Disney will gladly rent it out.
You can always politely ask. Some guests do cancel at the last minute.

Just don't get your hopes up at this time of the year most of the resorts are pretty booked up. I presently read that from Thanksgiving time through the New Year the resorts are booked at about 96% capacity with a few resorts overbooked with 100%+.
Upgrades are more likely to happen during a slow time of the year.

Good luck!

Have fun at Disney!

 

[SandrainNC]

We got one at AKL, but didn't ask for it. Our room wasn't ready at 3:00, so the CM gave us a little card with a phone number on it to call to see if our room was ready later. So when we got to our room it was a savannah view. We were so excited! I have heard you have a better chance at AKL though. I'm not sure if it was because our room wasn't ready or what.

Sandra

 

[pooh6890]

Same thing happened to us at the AKL. We reserved a Florida resident rate for a regular room during SSW. When we arrived at 12:00, our room was not ready. But, she knew the room number and told us to call around 3:00 to make sure it was ready. We called around 3:00 and it was. To our wonderful surprise, when we got into the room around 8:00 that night, we had been upgraded to a savannah room and it turned out to be our best room there ever! 4 giraffes, 4 zebras, lots of cattle and deer and birds every day. This has happened to us twice now. It's a nice surprise at the end of a long park day.

Incidently, we have never asked for an upgrade but have pretty much received them at almost all of our stays. Maybe because we visit so often?

 

[minnie61650]

Same thing happened to us at the AKL. We reserved a Florida resident rate for a regular room during SSW. When we arrived at 12:00, our room was not ready. But, she knew the room number and told us to call around 3:00 to make sure it was ready. We called around 3:00 and it was. To our wonderful surprise, when we got into the room around 8:00 that night, we had been upgraded to a savannah room and it turned out to be our best room there ever! 4 giraffes, 4 zebras, lots of cattle and deer and birds every day. This has happened to us twice now. It's a nice surprise at the end of a long park day.

Incidently, we have never asked for an upgrade but have pretty much received them at almost all of our stays. Maybe because we visit so often?

In the past if a guest at ALK booked a standard or pool view they would often recieve an an upgrade. Most of the AKL are savanna view rooms.
See the AKL map:

http://www.wdwinfo.com/resortmaps/aklmap.htm

AKL was a very large resort and had more savanna view than they were able to book so ALK would overbook the standard rooms and give free upgrades.
This helped to lower the number of vancant rooms and Disney was hoping returning guests would book savanna room for returning stays.
Now AKL has converted the two top floors into DVC thus taking a lot rooms out of the cash room invatory.

I think in the future there will be a lot fewer upgrades at AKL.

Just my 2 cents.

 

[HugsForEeyore]

I almost never receive upgrades. Only time was when I got a pool view at AKL when I booked a standard. Most often than not, I would usually get the one of the worst room in the category I booked (Trinidad South at CBR, dumpster room at WL, Country Fair at ASMu, etc). And even if I complain or beg to be switch, the CM refuses, always giving me the line "we're completely booked". One even told me to "give the room a chance". We always read here on the DIS about how everyone seems to get upgrades, but some of us have to get those remote, yucky rooms!

So I never ever spend time trying to hope for a free upgrade, as I can't even get a decent room for what I paid!

 

[Mickdeb]

I would never ask for an upgrade, unless I was going to pay for it. Though we wouldn't be in that situation because we book where we want to stay. If by a chance an upgrade was given great. Just wouldn't feel comfortable asking, definately not my style, but that's just me.

 

[lilyv]

I would never ask for an upgrade, unless I was going to pay for it. Though we wouldn't be in that situation because we book where we want to stay. If by a chance an upgrade was given great. Just wouldn't feel comfortable asking, definately not my style, but that's just me.

Just me, too! We book what we can afford, and choose carefully. I'm happy to visit one less day if that's what it takes for me to book the resort/level we want. It's always nice to chat with the CM's at check in. Not looking for anything-no hints-I just enjoy the start of a great Disney vacation.

If someday the magic computer gives us something great, super. Otherwise, we're quite happy to check in to exactly what we booked.

 

[scheddj]

I just received an e-mail from WDW upgrading me from a studio at SSR to a one bedroom for less than $17 extra per night!!!! Not exactly a free upgrade, but for twice the room I'll happily pay it. We're checking in the day after tomorrow so there is hope for every one else checking in this week!