Contemporary Upgrade

[jmcross]

Is it possible to get an upgrade from garden wing to main tower at check in?
I'm willing to pay the difference in price. Just don't know if it's possible.
Thanks!

 

[Kooks and Bay Bay]

Is there a reason you don't just do it ahead of time?
It MAY be possible if they have availability but would definitely be better to do in advance.

 

[Anthony1971]

If the rooms are available Disney will certainly take your money.

If they are I would see what rooms they offer if noise bothers you, although the doors are fairly insulating, the rooms near Chef Mickey will have some noise more so on the lower floors.

 

[jmcross]

I’m not doing it ahead of time because I booked with a TA. I think it may be easier to just deal with the resort directly.

 

[GADisneyDad14]

Is it possible to get an upgrade from garden wing to main tower at check in?
I'm willing to pay the difference in price. Just don't know if it's possible.
Thanks!

It's possible if there's availability and you're happy to pay the difference. Generally speaking if you tinker with a room type/category upon arrival you're likely to have to pay rack rate. If they are able to apply any sort of discount you may have had on your existing reservation I'd consider that a bonus, but it's not a given, so just manage expectations accordingly.

 

[Dug720]

It should be easy for a TA to make the change. Mine makes changes for me all the time. If yours is not amenable to satisfying you by making changes ahead of time, it's time to get a new TA.

 

[Dave006]

I’m not doing it ahead of time because I booked with a TA. I think it may be easier to just deal with the resort directly.

Your TA can assist you and may be able to apply a discount for a Tower room. How long until your stay?

Dave

 

[Kooks and Bay Bay]

I’m not doing it ahead of time because I booked with a TA. I think it may be easier to just deal with the resort directly.

This is why I like to book myself directly because I'm n on a fan of relying on a TA.
But all you should have to do is tell your TA that you want to modify your room and they should be able to do this for you.
Why do you think it would be difficult to accomplish?

 

[gottalovepluto]

I’m not doing it ahead of time because I booked with a TA. I think it may be easier to just deal with the resort directly.

Are you on an international package or something odd about it? If not just call or email your TA and ask about the upgrade.

It should be NBD. And starting to look now your odds of getting it are much better. If it’s not available the TA can watch for you- nice part about having a TA. (And generally they get a percentage from their agency for booking you so a fancier room should equal a higher commission incentivizing them to keep checking for you.)

 

[Disnsyncey]

and the TA can possibly snag any lingering discounts, if they are still available......like a pp said, if you're upgrading at the desk, there is a chance it could be rack rate....

Does Disney have an upselling program like other hotels? (and probably DCL as well?) Offering "discounted" upgrades (instead of a $200 increase to "rack" for an upgrade in advance, a $100 increase for an upgrade on the spot at the desk) upon check in? (I would assume it would have gone by the wayside as checking in at a desk isn't a thing much anymore)

 

[Mle8308]

and the TA can possibly snag any lingering discounts, if they are still available......like a pp said, if you're upgrading at the desk, there is a chance it could be rack rate....

Does Disney have an upselling program like other hotels? (and probably DCL as well?) Offering "discounted" upgrades (instead of a $200 increase to "rack" for an upgrade in advance, a $100 increase for an upgrade on the spot at the desk) upon check in? (I would assume it would have gone by the wayside as checking in at a desk isn't a thing much anymore)

No, Disney does not have this type of program. If you want a more expensive room, you will pay for it. Occasionally, Disney oversells lower rated rooms and will upgrade short stays to balance the house. That's why some people report upgrades at check in. It does happen, the shorter your stay (most times) the more likely an upgrade. But "selling" it, like many hotel chains do, is not something Disney does. If you ask and it's available, they will get you the room at the higher price, but it's not something they bargain. Even DCL, most of the time, doesn't really discount their upgrades. You pay the difference between the rates/categories, though not 100% of the time on DCL, but you should expect to pay the true cost if you want to upgrade on a Disney cruise and be pleasantly surprised if it's less.

 

[jmcross]

I wonder too. I'll take my chances at the check in desk and hope for a better discount for an upsell rather than prebooking the upgrade. We are in the garden wing and honestly it's no big deal if we don't upgrade to the main building. It was just a thought I had to ask.

 

[Disnsyncey]

I really wouldn't know about DCL things as those who have reported being able to pay to upgrade at the port didn't share their "pre trip price investigations", I just know that people have discussed on here that they have done it.....

But that's why we have (already) suggested to have their TA search for any pertinent discounts to upgrade before they arrive....

I have 100% of the time been upgraded from a standard view at AKL to a savannah view back in the day for free, so I am now staying away from it as I don't wanna ruin my streak

No, Disney does not have this type of program. If you want a more expensive room, you will pay for it. Occasionally, Disney oversells lower rated rooms and will upgrade short stays to balance the house. That's why some people report upgrades at check in. It does happen, the shorter your stay (most times) the more likely an upgrade. But "selling" it, like many hotel chains do, is not something Disney does. If you ask and it's available, they will get you the room at the higher price, but it's not something they bargain. Even DCL, most of the time, doesn't really discount their upgrades. You pay the difference between the rates/categories, though not 100% of the time on DCL, but you should expect to pay the true cost if you want to upgrade on a Disney cruise and be pleasantly surprised if it's less.

 

[Mle8308]

I wonder too. I'll take my chances at the check in desk and hope for a better discount for an upsell rather than prebooking the upgrade. We are in the garden wing and honestly it's no big deal if we don't upgrade to the main building. It was just a thought I had to ask.

The resorts don't bargain up their rooms (among many positions I held, I was a FD manager at Disney). Sometimes an offer to use Club services will be offered at a discount, but not room rates. You may get lucky if your stay is a very short one and get an upgrade at no cost, but if you really want the Tower, I'd do it now with your TA. Sometimes, depending on availability and if the guest is celebrating something or are very nice, the FD person may upgrade a room category, but the jump from a garden wing to the tower is too big of a jump to "just do it". Disney is not about room upsells like many other hotel companies. Disney doesn't "sell upgrades" because they want to encourage guests to book the more expensive categories, not wait and see if they can bargain it up at check in. And they don't want their FD H/H's to be sales people. But, you can always ask! Worst that will happen is they say no or that it is full rack rate.

 

[Mle8308]

I really wouldn't know about DCL things as those who have reported being able to pay to upgrade at the port didn't share their "pre trip price investigations", I just know that people have discussed on here that they have done it.....

But that's why we have (already) suggested to have their TA search for any pertinent discounts to upgrade before they arrive....

I have 100% of the time been upgraded from a standard view at AKL to a savannah view back in the day for free, so I am now staying away from it as I don't wanna ruin my streak

I did say that sometimes you can pay less for an upgrade on DCL at the Port, but not always. And view upgrades are not out of the ordinary, especially for a short stay. The garden wing to a tower room is a more substantial upgrade, if Disney/room assigner needs to do it to balance their room inventory, they are going to upgrade guests on shorter stays, not usually longer vacations. And I agree 100% on your TA suggestion!

 

[DizneyFamof4]

I’m not doing it ahead of time because I booked with a TA. I think it may be easier to just deal with the resort directly.

Not sure what TA you have but mine is VERY easy to work with and simple to get any changes done. I shoot her an email and she always replies the same day or by the next day. I do not see any hassles with TA's, plus they have notified me when a room came available, at a resort that I mentioned I was interested in but did not have any rooms available at the time I made my reservation.

 

[Marthasor]

I would really recommend trying to do this with your TA ahead of time to try to take advantage of any discounts that may be available during your travel period. If you do this at check-in and there is availability, you will pay full, non-discounted, rack rate for the room. The garden wing is wonderful, IMHO. Much quieter and easier to get to the lobby and walking path to MK. The elevators in the tower can get quite congested.

 

[Kooks and Bay Bay]

I wonder too. I'll take my chances at the check in desk and hope for a better discount for an upsell rather than prebooking the upgrade. We are in the garden wing and honestly it's no big deal if we don't upgrade to the main building. It was just a thought I had to ask.

You're not going to snag a discount etc by waiting until check in.