Couldn't Even Pay for an Upgrade

[The13thLetter]

We got back from the world a few weeks ago, 8 nights at the Beach Club, and had put in 3 room requests; ground floor, full balcony, close to epcot, and we actually ended up on the 4th floor, small balcony, and the literal furthest room from epcot possible haha. So I went to the front desk and asked if there were any upgrades that I could pay for so we could move rooms to get one of those first 2 things (we really were looking for a place to hang out while the little one, who is 16 months old, was sleeping in the room) and they told me no. This was 8/16-8/24 so not a usual super busy time, and it really threw us for a loop because the first 2 requests. Is that normal for there to be no paid upgrades available?

 

[robinb]

What a bummer! I know that requests are just that, but I would be very disappointed.

Were you on a discount? AP rate? Free dining? It could be that they didn't have a room with that rate available to you.

 

[TinkerBelle_325]

I'm sorry that you weren't granted the requests you made for your resort room. Unfortunately, requests are just that. Full balconies or patios are very popular requests at the Beach Club so it is entirely possible that no rooms with those features were available for your length of stay. If the resort is fully booked for a portion of your stay it is possible that no paid upgrades were available.

 

[sndral]

We got back from the world a few weeks ago, 8 nights at the Beach Club, and had put in 3 room requests; ground floor, full balcony, close to epcot, and we actually ended up on the 4th floor, small balcony, and the literal furthest room from epcot possible haha. So I went to the front desk and asked if there were any upgrades that I could pay for so we could move rooms to get one of those first 2 things (we really were looking for a place to hang out while the little one, who is 16 months old, was sleeping in the room) and they told me no. This was 8/16-8/24 so not a usual super busy time, and it really threw us for a loop because the first 2 requests. Is that normal for there to be no paid upgrades available?

The fear of ending up with one of those Juliette balconies is why I always chose YC over BC, of course YC would not be adjacent to Epcot like BC, but for me the xtra walk was worth it to make sure I’d have a full balcony or a patio.
I suspect more people request full balcony/patio at BC than they have rooms with them.
Maybe they (and the Poly) should make it a more expensive bookable category .

 

[vinotinto]

I think everyone requests full balcony at BC and Poly. Unfortunately, not everyone gets their request. I agree with PP, maybe they need to make full balcony an upgraded category at BC and Poly.

 

[kaytieeldr]

I suspect more people request full balcony/patio at BC than they have rooms with them.
Maybe they (and the Poly) should make it a more expensive bookable category .

They will. Maybe not today. Maybe not tomorrow. But soon, and for the rest of our lives.

 

[SaintsManiac]

I'm so confused about all of these upgrade posts. Why not just book that to begin with?

 

[TinkerBelle_325]

I'm so confused about all of these upgrade posts. Why not just book that to begin with?

Well in this case there isn't a category that will confirm ground floor or a full balcony/patio at the Beach Club.

 

[SaintsManiac]

Well in this case there isn't a category that will confirm ground floor or a full balcony/patio at the Beach Club.

Ok that makes sense.

 

[The13thLetter]

Well in this case there isn't a category that will confirm ground floor or a full balcony/patio at the Beach Club.

This is the reason. Sometimes we kind of hope we can snag a slight free upgrade (like I have gotten better views at Pop and POFQ before) so it usually is worth it for us to book the lowest level room we are ok with and then crossing your fingers (or paying for an upgrade at check in, which we were willing to do). If one of those things were guaranteed by booking a certain room level I would 100% have tried to reserve that level right off the bat, but unfrotunately it was not an option. If it was and I still chose not to book it, then I wouldnt be complaininag since I would only have myself to blame

 

[The13thLetter]

The fear of ending up with one of those Juliette balconies is why I always chose YC over BC, of course YC would not be adjacent to Epcot like BC, but for me the xtra walk was worth it to make sure I’d have a full balcony or a patio.
I suspect more people request full balcony/patio at BC than they have rooms with them.
Maybe they (and the Poly) should make it a more expensive bookable category .

I know. I tried switching to YC once I realized but it was fully booked up it seemed for my dates

 

[The13thLetter]

What a bummer! I know that requests are just that, but I would be very disappointed.

Were you on a discount? AP rate? Free dining? It could be that they didn't have a room with that rate available to you.

I think technically it was a group rate since I booked it through an agency with special discounts, so I guess that could have been it. I just thought no matter how it got booked they would 100% be willing to take more of my money haha.

 

[Wood Nymph]

I think technically it was a group rate since I booked it through an agency with special discounts, so I guess that could have been it. I just thought no matter how it got booked they would 100% be willing to take more of my money haha.

It sounds like you had a standard view and just about 100% of them are above the restaurants and service area and on the 3rd and 4th floor, far from Epcot. And 50% of the standard view rooms have standing balconies. It would have been nice if you could have paid for an upgrade, but the BC gets really full and your 8 day stay didn't help the cause.

 

[Princess Mulan]

I think technically it was a group rate since I booked it through an agency with special discounts, so I guess that could have been it. I just thought no matter how it got booked they would 100% be willing to take more of my money haha.

I don’t know which agency (and which special) you had, but I once booked a special with an agency that clearly specified there could be no changes or upgrades. Perhaps that was the case with your situation. Until our experience, I didn’t realize there were reservations with such stringent conditions.

 

[DLgal]

I think technically it was a group rate since I booked it through an agency with special discounts, so I guess that could have been it. I just thought no matter how it got booked they would 100% be willing to take more of my money haha.

That is the issue. They literally book a "block" of rooms in a specific area of the hotel for thoss rates. You will never get the premium room locations on those types of bookings.

 

[Pooh2]

We requested higher floor, got first floor.
Had a lovely stay and worked out due to a very last minute knee injury.

 

[tzeitel]

That is the issue. They literally book a "block" of rooms in a specific area of the hotel for thoss rates. You will never get the premium room locations on those types of bookings.

No they don't. There is no block of rooms specific to certain rates. I used to do rooms control at Y&BC.

 

[Disneylover99]

That is the issue. They literally book a "block" of rooms in a specific area of the hotel for thoss rates. You will never get the premium room locations on those types of bookings.

We’ve received a few premium rooms booking this way. It doesn’t matter how you book.

 

[DisneyWishes14]

That is the issue. They literally book a "block" of rooms in a specific area of the hotel for thoss rates. You will never get the premium room locations on those types of bookings.

Agencies that do group bookings book a specific number of rooms which are sometimes referred to as "room blocks", but that doesn't mean they are in specific areas of the resort. "Block" just refers to the number of rooms that agency contracted for. Most "agency rates" at BC are either for SV or SV-CL. So, yes, specific room categories, but not specific areas of the resort. I've booked BC SV on those rates and have had various requests honored - big balconies, day beds, higher floor, etc. I've also been upgraded to GV on those rates (I didn't pay for the upgrade. I assume the resort upgraded me because it suited their inventory needs). It sounds like BC simply couldn't accommodate OP with his requests and, as others pointed out, having a 8 night stay wouldn't help his cause. OP did travel smack dab in the middle of AP SWGE previews, so that probably didn't help matters.

 

[tinkerbella16]

That is the issue. They literally book a "block" of rooms in a specific area of the hotel for thoss rates. You will never get the premium room locations on those types of bookings.

We booked through what I think may be the same agency the OP booked through for the last 3 years. In 2016, we stayed at Beach Club, standard view on one of their amazing deals (we paid $200/night that trip!). Our rooms were definitely not standard view. We had 3 rooms right down the first hallway to the right before the gift shop, on the first floor and our room patios faced that main walkway to enter the BC lobby from the Crescent Lake walkway. We were shocked and loved the location of those rooms. Must have just gotten lucky that trip lol.