Connecting rooms "guarantee" caution

[theyoungs07]

After 3 offsite trips with our kids, I decided to try at least part of it onsite this year. I read all over that connecting rooms aren't guaranteed, but when I spoke with a TA they said that with our family arrangement (2 parents, 6 kids, 2 "infants") that Disney would guarantee it...whew a relief. We have young children so we needed two things for sure...connecting rooms and an elevator or ground floor. We have a double stroller that is usually packed full so lugging it up steps is not a viable option, especially if my wife chooses to take the little kids back to the room while I stay with the big ones at the park.

I was so relieved when I saw on our MDE site that it showed the connecting rooms were guaranteed!

We went to check in to our POR Royal rooms on 4/18 and found beautiful rooms that were missing one major thing...a door between them. This led to an hour and a half in the lobby trying to get things straightened out. At one point the poor reservation agent came out of the back room celebrating that they had things fixed! Yay! We were going to move to Alligator Bayou, have connecting rooms...but they were not ground floor and no elevator...sigh. They tried again and again and finally moved us to POFQ with exactly what we needed. Needless to say this was very stressful and my kids had just gotten out of the van from 2 days of driving to sit in a lobby for almost 2 hours...blah.

We found that we LOVE POFQ for being so quiet and quaint, but once my 2yr old becomes 3, we will have outgrown it. We had a great vacation, but it just started off a little shaky.

I wrote this to caution anyone who believes that connecting rooms are guaranteed sometimes depending on the party's make-up. The CMs that helped us were great, they did everything they could to help us, but we learned that if we want to stay onsite and not run the risk of this stuff, it may just have to be in DVC accommodations. I know that if I had read something like this before our trip, I probably would have just rented points.

 

[dansdad]

Thanks for this. Guaranteed connecting rooms are definitely not guaranteed. At least your situation was able to be rectified, albeit after an hour and a half. We have had 2 experience of not getting our guaranteed connecting rooms and they never were able to get us connecting rooms. Not even for a night during both 8 night stays. Once we were in separate buildings and the other separate floors.

The more this point is mentioned the more people will realize. So again, thank you!

 

[dmband]

I can confirm rooms are not guaranteed
Been on over ten trips and got connecting once.
Typically close but a couple times not even in the same section of the resort.
We will see again in a couple of weeks

 

[Kevin355]

Asked for connecting once at CBR and got it. So I have that going for me.

 

[theyoungs07]

I'm just surprised that MDE would say something is guaranteed only to find that it isn't! If they keep it as just a request, then expectations can be set accordingly and folks like my family would look for other ways to stay.

 

[kamik86]

I'm just surprised that MDE would say something is guaranteed only to find that it isn't! If they keep it as just a request, then expectations can be set accordingly and folks like my family would look for other ways to stay.

In all fairness the only thing that is guaranteed with a reservation is that you will get a room somewhere. People have been bumped to other resorts (generally bumped up but it happens), been bumped from a view that has a booking category, etc.

 

[simplymama]

I'm glad they were able to make things right for you, although I'm sorry it took 2 hours away from your first night of vacation. I'm also sure there are others who have and will find themselves in the same situation where something goes wrong.

However, personally we have been to Disney 7 times in the last 6 years and have had connecting rooms every single time. You have to have only 2 adults and all the children have to be under the age of 18 to get it guaranteed and the only way you can be sure it is guaranteed is if you have two rooms on one reservation, with only one reservation number. If you have two reservation numbers than it's not set up right and you are more likely to run in to problems. I'm sure even with one reservation number something can go wrong, but it is much less likely and thankfully so far we've been very fortunate to avoid what you went through.

 

[dansdad]

However, personally we have been to Disney 7 times in the last 6 years and have had connecting rooms every single time. You have to have only 2 adults and all the children have to be under the age of 18 to get it guaranteed and the only way you can be sure it is guaranteed is if you have two rooms on one reservation, with only one reservation number. If you have two reservation numbers than it's not set up right and you are more likely to run in to problems. I'm sure even with one reservation number something can go wrong, but it is much less likely and thankfully so far we've been very fortunate to avoid what you went through.

Sorry, but that is still not guaranteed. Both times we were unable to get connecting rooms, or even rooms in the same building, we had 2 adults and 5 kids all under the age of 12. Both times we also only had one reservation number.

Connecting rooms is never guaranteed.

 

[AtlantaDisneyDreamer]

My understanding is that the only time they will guarantee it is if you have one adult and several children, where non-connecting rooms would require having minors alone in a room.

 

[theyoungs07]

My understanding is that the only time they will guarantee it is if you have one adult and several children, where non-connecting rooms would require having minors alone in a room.

I thought this was the case too, but my TA and Disney MDE clarified that we would be guaranteed connecting rooms with 2 adults and 8 minors...but it proved to not be the case until they worked it out.

 

[AtlantaDisneyDreamer]

Sorry, but that is still not guaranteed. Both times we were unable to get connecting rooms, or even rooms in the same building, we had 2 adults and 5 kids all under the age of 12. Both times we also only had one reservation number.

Connecting rooms is never guaranteed.

Wow! Not even the same building? Hm. We have requested connecting rooms at POFQ since my mom is going with us in September. Now that I think about it, since my husband and I have two small children, Grandma might be happier in another section of the resort... or maybe even another resort altogether.

 

[Minniesgal]

This is why we ended up buying DVC to have 2 bedroom villas as 2 rooms never worked for us.

 

[theyoungs07]

This is why we ended up buying DVC to have 2 bedroom villas as 2 rooms never worked for us.

This is why we took the DVC tour. I'm crunching numbers, but with my family size it'd be Grand Villa$$ only.

 

[maxiesmom]

Connecting rooms are never guaranteed no matter what the make-up of your family. Disney states on their web site they are a request only. They do try to give them out when asked for, but as they don't block out connecting rooms wheen requested there are no guarantees. Even paid for room catagories are subject to availability.

 

[Kevin355]

Connecting rooms are never guaranteed no matter what the make-up of your family. Disney states on their web site they are a request only. They do try to give them out when asked for, but as they don't block out connecting rooms wheen requested there are no guarantees. Even paid for room catagories are subject to availability.

I paid for King Standard last September and got preferred King.

 

[sb127]

You would be able to have a two bedroom. They sleep at least 8 and some have a sleeper chair which would accommodate 9. There are two queens in the second bedroom and a sofa bed in the living room with a sleeper chair at some resorts.

 

[maxiesmom]

I paid for King Standard last September and got preferred King.

Twice I have paid for preferred rooms and received standard.

 

[Kevin355]

Twice I have paid for preferred rooms and received standard.

And I appreciated you giving up your room for me. Thanks.

 

[Colleen27]

I'm just surprised that MDE would say something is guaranteed only to find that it isn't! If they keep it as just a request, then expectations can be set accordingly and folks like my family would look for other ways to stay.

That isn't new to MDE. We've gotten that "guaranteed connecting" language in confirmation emails before MDE launched, and it was no more true then than it is now. The bottom line is that it is never truly guaranteed and as long as there are two adults in the party if there are no connecting rooms available Disney will simply assign two available rooms. They might not even be near one another.

 

[Babsy]

Yes, this does mislead people, I believe. Much better to simply cite connecting rooms as the request it really is.