Connecting Rooms...your experience

[Disneyfied4]

Hello! We want to get connecting rooms for our Fall trip. I've talked with reservations numerous times and get a different answer each time. What has been your experience? Did you book directly thru Disney and have both rooms on the same reservation? TIA!

 

[taylor3297]

Hello! We want to get connecting rooms for our Fall trip. I've talked with reservations numerous times and get a different answer each time. What has been your experience? Did you book directly thru Disney and have both rooms on the same reservation? TIA!

You need to have the 2 reservations linked and noted on the reservation you would like connecting rooms. They tend to give the connect rooms to those who need to put an adult in each room,( for ex. a family that has 2 adults and 4 kids and the occupancy for the rooms are 4).

 

[trishadono]

Hello! We want to get connecting rooms for our Fall trip. I've talked with reservations numerous times and get a different answer each time. What has been your experience? Did you book directly thru Disney and have both rooms on the same reservation? TIA!

A lot will depend on what hotel and and what time you arrive.

If you check in early and not available you can wait until one opens up. However if you arrive 6pm or later, the later you arrive the fewer options you will have.

Also some hotels have more connecting rooms than others. If you know which ones you are interested in read the thread for that hotel/s. usually on the first page it will mention connecting rooms info.

I booked online once and got the connecting room I needed.

 

[disneyba]

We have asked for connecting rooms on each of our six most recent stays...always through Disney central booking and always linked the reservations with a special request. We have stayed at CBR, POR (twice), POFQ (twice), and BC. We generally arrive before noon (early flight).

Of the six stays, we have been given connecting rooms three times, so a 50% success rate. The other three times, we were put in the same building, same floor, and sometimes adjoining. Don't know why, but our worst luck was at POFQ.

The other three times, we have asked for connecting rooms at the check-in desk, but have been told the only way to get them was to come back next morning and make the request again. Then they would move us to new rooms. I think this is an effective way of deflecting such requests, since many people will just settle into what they have been given and not want the bother of moving the next day.

I think they try their best, as you can see from our experience.

 

[maxiesmom]

A lot will depend on what hotel and and what time you arrive.

If you check in early and not available you can wait until one opens up. However if you arrive 6pm or later, the later you arrive the fewer options you will have.

Also some hotels have more connecting rooms than others.

This!!! The later you arrive, the less rooms they have to offer you.

My Dreams Unlimited TA has told me that when we want connecting rooms, we are smart to avoid the All Star Music and The Contemporary resorts. The Contemporary has a limited number of connecting rooms, and the All Star Music turned many of their's into Family Suites.

Just remember connecting rooms are never guaranteed. Nothing really is, except you will get rooms at a Disney resort. Room location, room type, even resort are all subject to availability. They do their best to meet requests, but they are never ever 100% guaranteed.

 

[MOQu]

Of the three times we have requested connecting rooms at Pop, we got connecting rooms all 3 times. In fact, when we went last Christmas, we had one room for 7 days with a reservation adding the second room 3 days after the first and when we checked into the second room found out that they were able to give us the connecting room! Gotta love that pixie dust!

 

[msjprincess]

I guess it depends how busy it is. I've received connecting rooms 3 times even though I didn't request them. We were traveling together and requested rooms near each other. last time we stayed at POR they checked in 2 days after us. I noticed that the room next door was empty and sure enough that's where they put them.

The 3 places we receibed them were POR, CSR and Pop

 

[SMorgan711]

We have requested and received connecting rooms at: SoG, AKL, Poly and BWI. We have requested connecting rooms for our upcoming trips at POR and YC.

We always book directly through Disney and request connecting rooms and linked reservations at the time of booking. We also noticed the last few times that when we did online check in, this request got erased somehow. We then called Disney to make sure the request was still in the system. We also make our request known at check in.

We always check in before noon and we travel at slow times.. December, February, October.

Hope you have a magical vacation!

 

[dansdad]

Have asked for them 3 times and got them twice. Unfortunately the one time we didn't get connecting rooms was when we really needed them. It was my wife and I and 5 kids. Not only did we not get connecting rooms, our rooms were in 2 different buildings so we had to split up. That was when I found out the hard way that no matter how many CMs tell you your connecting rooms are guaranteed, the most definitely are not. We still had a great trip, but it was a little disjointed.

 

[teentoddlermom]

2 summers ago I was traveling with my sister and her 2 kids, one with special needs. I had the reservations linked and also called a few times to reiterate the request for connecting rooms, explaining that separating would be hard for the special needs child. I think they may have added it as a medical request. The connecting rooms were a lifesaver. Good Luck!

 

[GaBelle]

We have requested twice and received twice. We booked directly through Disney.
Both times I also did online check in about 10 days before, so that may be a factor.

 

[Wistraveler]

If the rooms are on the same reservation, or on linked ressies, your chances are pretty good at getting connecting rooms, as long as you do it through Disney reservations. You may want to explain a special circumstance as a reason why you need connecting rooms.

I have had no issue getting them whenever needed.

 

[nkereina]

A lot will depend on what hotel and and what time you arrive.

If you check in early and not available you can wait until one opens up. However if you arrive 6pm or later, the later you arrive the fewer options you will have.

Also some hotels have more connecting rooms than others. If you know which ones you are interested in read the thread for that hotel/s. usually on the first page it will mention connecting rooms info.

I booked online once and got the connecting room I needed.

This!!! The later you arrive, the less rooms they have to offer you.

My Dreams Unlimited TA has told me that when we want connecting rooms, we are smart to avoid the All Star Music and The Contemporary resorts. The Contemporary has a limited number of connecting rooms, and the All Star Music turned many of their's into Family Suites.

Just remember connecting rooms are never guaranteed. Nothing really is, except you will get rooms at a Disney resort. Room location, room type, even resort are all subject to availability. They do their best to meet requests, but they are never ever 100% guaranteed.

Exactly this. It also depends on occupancy levels. If the hotel is near max occupancy the week you arrive, there is little that can be done. If 50 people post to say they have received connecting rooms and 1 poster says they did not, it doesn't mean your chances are any better because it depends on occupancy levels when you're traveling. So unfortunately, it's luck of the draw.

 

[DisneyMim]

We asked for them 3 times and got them only once. The other two times we did get adjoining rooms, but it really wasn't what we wanted. It seems to be hit or miss. Good Luck!!

Enjoy The Magic!!

 

[BlackMagicWoman]

We have asked for connecting rooms on each of our six most recent stays...always through Disney central booking and always linked the reservations with a special request. We have stayed at CBR, POR (twice), POFQ (twice), and BC. We generally arrive before noon (early flight).

Of the six stays, we have been given connecting rooms three times, so a 50% success rate. The other three times, we were put in the same building, same floor, and sometimes adjoining. Don't know why, but our worst luck was at POFQ.

The other three times, we have asked for connecting rooms at the check-in desk, but have been told the only way to get them was to come back next morning and make the request again. Then they would move us to new rooms. I think this is an effective way of deflecting such requests, since many people will just settle into what they have been given and not want the bother of moving the next day.

I think they try their best, as you can see from our experience.

I've stayed at POFQ three times. Requested connecting rooms each time and got them.

 

[CerysG]

I've requested connecting rooms for our trip at the end of August and not sure what to make of it all. I read that they can't guarantee them but on our reservation confirmation that Disney sent it says "guaranteed"? Now I guess if we get to CBR and we don't have conecting rooms I can pull out the booking and ask why I was told it was guaranteed when it wasn't. When I booked and the CM told me it was guaranteed I doubled checked since I'd read here that they don't guarantee them. Hopefully it won't be an issue since CBR is such a big resort and we are going at the end of August which tends to be less busy (and now that they aren't offering free dinning might even be less so). I do think they should get their stories straight when booking peoples holidays because this could be really improtant to some people and if you say "it's guaranteed" and it isn't well that could cause major issues for people. For us it wouldn't be ideal as we are 2 adults and 3 kids but the oldest is 16 so as long as we had rooms right beside each other it should be ok. Oh well no point in worrying about it till we see what happens.

 

[simplymama]

Hello! We want to get connecting rooms for our Fall trip. I've talked with reservations numerous times and get a different answer each time. What has been your experience? Did you book directly thru Disney and have both rooms on the same reservation? TIA!

We have been to Disney 5 times in the last 4 years, and once a few years earlier. In all those cases we requested connecting rooms for our large family. Sometimes they just linked two reservations and sometimes the agent would make it so the reservation came out all on one reservation for two rooms with only one reservation number and we have always been given the connecting rooms without issue.

I know there has been debate, but Disney does say that they guarantee connecting rooms for family. Said it right on our reservation, but I also know that if by some slim chance they didn't have them, well there wouldn't be much we could do, because somewhere in the fine print they have their out.

But we've been very happy with their accommodation of our large family.

 

[DanMedix]

I consider ourselves lucky, but this past October, we added an additional (connecting) room to our ressies at POP at the very last minute.

We drove from the Memphis area, staying the night in GA before continuing to WDW. The morning we awoke in Tifton, we called and requested the additional room - based on a WHIM of DW. The CM was awesome, and able to take care of us. About five hours later, we checked in and took possession of our TWO connecting rooms at POP. (Mind you, they were in the 80's section, and I was hoping for another, since we'd stayed in the 80's before. I'm not complaining, though.)


Now we're pre-pre-pre-planning our possible 2014 trip. With us now having 5 people in the family (since the addition of "Littlest Princess"), this sort of thing is a big consideration.

 

[disnut8]

Requested connecting rooms at All Star Music (two rooms) with the two parties arriving at different times. Got them. And this was over Christmas/New Year's.

Requested two cabins at Fort Wilderness and got them side by side.

Requested two rooms at Pop Century and got them. But mother-in-law decided the building request was more important so we got that and had two rooms but with one room in between (but the Cast Member tried).

Requested four rooms at Pop Century. Got all of them right in a row, two adjoining each other and the next two connecting.

All reservations done with Disney reservations. For the last one, we were a grand gathering and had a medical request for my wheelchair bound dad to be on the first floor.

Guess I must be lucky.

 

[maxiesmom]

We have been to Disney 5 times in the last 4 years, and once a few years earlier. In all those cases we requested connecting rooms for our large family. Sometimes they just linked two reservations and sometimes the agent would make it so the reservation came out all on one reservation for two rooms with only one reservation number and we have always been given the connecting rooms without issue.

I know there has been debate, but Disney does say that they guarantee connecting rooms for family. Said it right on our reservation, but I also know that if by some slim chance they didn't have them, well there wouldn't be much we could do, because somewhere in the fine print they have their out.

But we've been very happy with their accommodation of our large family.

We have requested connecting rooms 5 times and not received them 1 time.

And as you have noted, Disney does indeed have an out. In that fine print it will tell you that nothing is guaranteed but a room at a Disney resort. I don't even know why they put guaranteed on some reservations when their own web site states that Connecting Rooms are a request, and not guaranteed.

They do what they can, but as they don't take rooms out of inventory as we book the, they have no way of knowing what room type will be available when we show up at the front desk. No real way to guarantee anything.