Does Disney give priority to people who "own" DVC over people who rent DVC rooms through Disney (re room requests)?

[Sandisw]

Wouldn’t it be nice if members staying on their own points at their home resort had their requests considered first, after all they’re the ones paying the MFs.

Honestly, I don’t think so because I wish they’d get rid of them and that the only thing is that rooms are ready on time and that if a room is cleaned when someone arrives, they are moved to that room if it works.

No one should be waiting until after 4 pm for a room when one is ready but being held foe someone else not arriving until later.

This, of course, would require front desk CMs not to change someone’s room for requests.

 

[crisi]

Honestly, I don’t think so because I wish they’d get rid of them and that the only thing is that rooms are ready on time and that if a room is cleaned when someone arrives, they are moved to that room if it works.

No one should be waiting until after 4 pm for a room when one is ready but being held foe someone else not arriving until later.

I think that "room ready" is a valid request and "high floor" is also a valid request and that it isn't that hard to develop a system that the day before assigns rooms and cleans rooms according to requests - based off membership status and the date the reservation was made. If your priority is room ready and you are a member, you get one of the rooms that was cleaned first - if you had a second priority of high floor, you get one of the first high floor rooms cleaned - if you are a member and booked at the eleven month window. If your priority was "high floor" and you are a member, you get a high floor room - as they become clean in the order reservations were made - for members staying on their own points.

If you are not a member staying on your own points, you get the rooms left at 4pm - the ones cleaned late, the ones that overlook the dumpster, the ones that are far from elevators or far from the pool or lobby.

But they won't, they don't care. And frankly, I don't care that much either. Despite getting a single request met in twenty five years, all our rooms have been fine.

 

[crisi]

I think that "room ready" is a valid request and "high floor" is also a valid request and that it isn't that hard to develop a system that the day before assigns rooms and cleans rooms according to requests - based off membership status and the date the reservation was made. If your priority is room ready and you are a member, you get one of the rooms that was cleaned first - if you had a second priority of high floor, you get one of the first high floor rooms cleaned - if you are a member and booked at the eleven month window. If your priority was "high floor" and you are a member, you get a high floor room - as they become clean in the order reservations were made - for members staying on their own points.

If you are not a member staying on your own points, you get the rooms left at 4pm - the ones cleaned late, the ones that overlook the dumpster, the ones that are far from elevators or far from the pool or lobby.

But they won't, they don't care. And frankly, I don't care that much either. Despite getting a single request met in twenty five years, all our rooms have been fine.

Here is the other thing - Disney has the data on which rooms get requested - it isn't that big a deal to start cleaning those rooms first (waiting until after checkout time for anyone who hasn't notified the front desk they are leaving). If you know that everyone requests "rooms overlooking the quiet pool" then clean them first. Members should arrive to rooms that are ready and meet their requests as often as possible - it won't ALWAYS be the case that happens. People who aren't members should get whatever is left when it is ready.

 

[Mle8308]

Here is the other thing - Disney has the data on which rooms get requested - it isn't that big a deal to start cleaning those rooms first (waiting until after checkout time for anyone who hasn't notified the front desk they are leaving). If you know that everyone requests "rooms overlooking the quiet pool" then clean them first. Members should arrive to rooms that are ready and meet their requests as often as possible - it won't ALWAYS be the case that happens. People who aren't members should get whatever is left when it is ready.

What if they are paying cash- meaning booked directly through Disney?

 

[sndral]

Honestly, I don’t think so because I wish they’d get rid of them and that the only thing is that rooms are ready on time and that if a room is cleaned when someone arrives, they are moved to that room if it works.

No one should be waiting until after 4 pm for a room when one is ready but being held foe someone else not arriving until later.

IMO no one should be waiting for a room after 4 pm for any reason, but that’s another issue.
Likewise, no one should expect to be in their room before 4 pm IMO.
I suppose they could staff enough housekeepers so that all the rooms are ready by 4 pm, never allow early check ins or late check outs & charge those who overstay beyond 11 a.m., then at exactly 4 p.m. send a blast text w/ villa numbers to all checking in that day & be done w/ it. I’m not advocating this approach, it’s nice to have the villa early on our rare split stays when we are on site before 4. But a blast email at 4 & no futzing around w/ villa reassignments for early arrivers who don’t like the first villa they get would likely make things easier for the front desk although it’d likely be a nightmare for Bell Services .
I’m curious whether “if it works” means ‘if it works for the hotel’ - eg the check out date slots into when they need that villa to be empty for the next party (especially important w/ lock offs.) Or does it mean ‘if it works’ for the party checking in, in which case, I’d disagree, a party arriving early who wants early check in & is offered a villa before 4 p.m. should take what’s offered & if they reject the early villa offered should go to the metaphorical end of the ready line.

What if they are paying cash- meaning booked directly through Disney?

I always assumed cash guests would get the best villas, then, before I bought DVC, I booked a cash 1 br. savanna view at AKV Jambo & ended up in a villa w/ a subpar view (it was one later reclassified to standard view) so at least back then I don’t think it mattered whether you were cash or points. & housekeeping was hit and miss, most days being a miss, even though as a cash guest we were supposed to have housekeeping every day back then.

 

[Mle8308]

IMO no one should be waiting for a room after 4 pm for any reason, but that’s another issue.
Likewise, no one should expect to be in their room before 4 pm IMO.
I suppose they could staff enough housekeepers so that all the rooms are ready by 4 pm, never allow early check ins or late check outs & charge those who overstay beyond 11 a.m., then at exactly 4 p.m. send a blast text w/ villa numbers to all checking in that day & be done w/ it. I’m not advocating this approach, it’s nice to have the villa early on our rare split stays when we are on site before 4. But a blast email at 4 & no futzing around w/ villa reassignments for early arrivers who don’t like the first villa they get would likely make things easier for the front desk although it’d likely be a nightmare for Bell Services .
I’m curious whether “if it works” means ‘if it works for the hotel’ - eg the check out date slots into when they need that villa to be empty for the next party (especially important w/ lock offs.) Or does it mean ‘if it works’ for the party checking in, in which case, I’d disagree, a party arriving early who wants early check & is offered a villa before 4 p.m. should take what’s offered & if they reject the early villa offered should go to the metaphorical end of the ready line.

I always assumed cash guests would get the best villas, then, before I bought DVC, I booked a cash 1 br. savanna view at AKV Jambo & ended up in a villa w/ a subpar view (it was one later reclassified to standard view) so at least back then I don’t think it mattered whether you were cash or points. & housekeeping was hit and miss, most days being a miss, even though as a cash guest we were supposed to have housekeeping every day back then.

I can definitely agree on the housekeeping! We stayed for 11 nights at Copper Creek paying cash this fall and I think we got housekeeping four times. We were not happy, we would call (after being at the parks all day) and they would promise it wouldn't happen again, then it would 2 days later... We saved a lot on tips! But the one day I called because I was really sick (got RSV) and requested no housekeeping, I had someone bang on my door 3 different times to clean the room (they had already done the daily inspection). Fortunately we are pretty neat people and made our own beds and grabbed some towels off a housekeeping cart!

 

[babydoll65]

One thing I do know is Disney does not make any dvc resort rooms available (for cash) before the 11 month mark giving owners the opportunity to book there home resort with enough availability for themselves. That's why you won't see any dvc resort rooms available for next December yet on the Disney site. Its not because there is no availability even though I've had other groups argue that it's because they are sold out. Its only because they are not available to book yet. As of today, you can only book through 11/23/2024.

 

[Mle8308]

One thing I do know is Disney does not make any dvc resort rooms available (for cash) before the 11 month mark giving owners the opportunity to book there home resort with enough availability for themselves. That's why you won't see any dvc resort rooms available for next December yet on the Disney site. Its not because there is no availability even though I've had other groups argue that it's because they are sold out. Its only because they are not available to book yet.

This is true! I had a bounceback offer from a September stay and we wanted a CC or BRV 1BR, which we could not book in the 7 day window. The CM advised us to book elsewhere and then call at the 11 month mark to change the reservation if there was availability. I knew to do that, the CM confirmed we could. We did just that, booked a room at the GF and then called at the 11 month mark and was able to change the reservation. Got the bounce back discount and the room we had originally wanted to book!

 

[crisi]

What if they are paying cash- meaning booked directly through Disney?

If membership is supposed to be special - and that's how they sell it - make membership special. The "welcome homes." the expanded member lounges, and priority on room requests at your home resort based on booking date for members staying on their own points, and members not at their home resort but using their own points should still receive preference over cash guests and non-members using points.

I think people should be getting into rooms between 11am and 4pm - when you are traveling with young kids, getting into a room - any room - can be the priority over waiting until 4pm. I get that. I don't think you should be able to reject a room you've been assigned - unless you walk in and discover it shouldn't be in service at all (not clean, smells, broken toilet, etc.)

 

[drusba]

Correct me if I'm wrong, but I thought at OKW, the hospitality house area (as a request) doesn't show up for non-owners on the app. It would be nice if each DVC property had the "best" rooms set aside for owners. Now is it fair that a renter could also get those?

You are correct that "near Hospitality House" is not a reservable room classification for cash quests booking OKW through Disney central reservations, and it is not one of the choices provided for online checkin. As a guaranteed reservable room category through MS, member reservations would be given priority over a cash guest's non-guaranteed request made through Disney to be in a room near the Hospitality House.

 

[crisi]

If membership is supposed to be special - and that's how they sell it - make membership special. The "welcome homes." the expanded member lounges, and priority on room requests at your home resort based on booking date for members staying on their own points, and members not at their home resort but using their own points should still receive preference over cash guests and non-members using points.

I think people should be getting into rooms between 11am and 4pm - when you are traveling with young kids, getting into a room - any room - can be the priority over waiting until 4pm. I get that. I don't think you should be able to reject a room you've been assigned - unless you walk in and discover it shouldn't be in service at all (not clean, smells, broken toilet, etc.)

By the way, all this helps Disney sell points. When a renter or cash guests says "I requested ______________ and I didn't get it" and the CM says "oh, that's a very popular request and we prioritize members requests - its very rare that anyone other than a member staying on their own points gets that request" it ticks an extra box in the "buy into the system" column.

 

[Simba's Mom]

Correct me if I'm wrong, but I thought at OKW, the hospitality house area (as a request) doesn't show up for non-owners on the app. It would be nice if each DVC property had the "best" rooms set aside for owners.

I thought that way also. Whether they have to be OKW owners specifically, I'm not sure, but I thought they at least had to be DVC. Is there anyone here who's not an OKW owner, but a DVC owner, that's booked HH? What about cash guests? I'm really curious.

 

[CarolynFH]

I thought that way also. Whether they have to be OKW owners specifically, I'm not sure, but I thought they at least had to be DVC. Is there anyone here who's not an OKW owner, but a DVC owner, that's booked HH? What about cash guests? I'm really curious.

As an OKW non-owner, I can see and book Near HH as a booking category. I’m not sure whether Disney offers that booking category to cash guests, though.

 

[crisi]

I thought that way also. Whether they have to be OKW owners specifically, I'm not sure, but I thought they at least had to be DVC. Is there anyone here who's not an OKW owner, but a DVC owner, that's booked HH? What about cash guests? I'm really curious.

I seem to recall that when you booked a cash room at boardwalk - it was always billed as "standard view" but cash guests never GOT standard view - since those where booked up by members. Cash guests always saw the "lowest value" rooms and then were "upgraded" to Pool Garden - they never saw BWView rooms available, or preferred views, only standard. That gave DVC maximum flexibility to put members where they wanted to be. But that was a long time ago and Disney often changes how things work.

 

[Brian Noble]

There are some resorts that have very complex rules for room assignment priority. The one that comes most immediately to mind is Marriott's Grande Ocean. There are three-ish categories there (oceanfront, ocean view, and garden view) and you are assigned to one particular section based on what you book/exchange into. Then, within each category rooms are assigned by this priority:

• Multiple-week Marriott Grande Ocean Owner stays
• Single-week Marriott Grande Ocean Owner stays
• Marriott Grande Ocean Owners, returning on an exchange
• Marriott multiple-week owners on an exchange
• Marriott single-week owners on an exchange
• Rental and sales preview guests
• Non-Marriott owners on an exchange.

In my limited Marriott exchange experience, it does appear that owners get preference at most Marriott resorts. I've gotten the impression that the Hilton Grand Vacations resorts likewise put exchangers near the bottom of the list, or maybe I'm just very unlucky.

This sort of thing is easier in resorts that are (primarily) weeks-based, because all (most) of the rooms turn over on the same day. In a pure points system like DVC, the Tetris Problem makes fine-grained priorities more difficult.

I don't get the sense that DVC puts any preferences for owners into play, though I think it would be reasonable to do so. As for requests generally, the less specific I am, the happier I turn out. It gets harder when we are booking multiple units. I did get one very specific request granted--an upper floor BWV with a view of Bay Lake--but that request was tied to both my 50th birthday and my first year of continuous sobriety, so I suspect the room assigner might have given me a little extra pixie dust.

 

[CarolynFH]

an upper floor BWV with a view of Bay Lake

An upper floor BRV (VWL) with a view of Bay Lake? Or an upper floor BWV with a view of Crescent Lake, i.e., a BW view? I don’t think you can see Bay Lake from BWV!

I agree, the more general a request, the more likely to be fulfilled.

 

[Brian Noble]

BRV is correct. Still have Holiday Brain Fog.

 

[MsChristy12]

I think it really depends on availability when you check in, don't think it has anything to do with you're the renter or owner.
We just became members this year, so now within this year we have rented points and used our own. When we rented, our one-bedroom villa location was exactly as requested. Then recently, we used our own points at Aulani, we almost got what we wanted, but still loved our room. So I really don't think ownership has any impact on room assignments.