Does WDW overbook rooms?

[my3boys]

Just wondering if WDW overbooks rooms (like planes??). . . if so, has anyone ever arrived to not having an available room in the resort your reservation is for?

 

[ducklite]

They never do so intentionally. But sometimes it happens. A room is damaged by any number of things and needs to be taken out of inventory. Someone stays on past their reservation check out date.

Anne

 

[debbiepump]

Overbooking is a standard industry policy (have a daughter in the hotel 'biz), just as airlines, counting on those no shows. I feel (talking with daughter) WDW ranks pretty low on the accomodating the folks who are displaced by this practice-sort of how the airline industry treats us.

 

[becky1960]

I reserved a room at WL and it was overbooked and they upgraded us to a better room with instant checkin early in the morning. Having read these boards for quite a while it seems Disney always tries to help even it mean upgrading to a better hotel.

 

[MariaTia2]

Back in 2002 we had booked a 1 night stay at an All-Stars and when we got there to check-in around 11 p.m., they told us they were full and we had been moved over to the Boardwalk for a 1 bedroom villa! It seems like this was in Feb/March and we paid around $89. We were very excited and had never stayed at the Boardwalk at that time. But, were sad we had only booked for 1 night!

 

[Disney Gator]

Overbooking is a standard industry policy (have a daughter in the hotel 'biz), just as airlines, counting on those no shows. I feel (talking with daughter) WDW ranks pretty low on the accomodating the folks who are displaced by this practice-sort of how the airline industry treats us.

That is simply not true. I work at the YC/BC. We are never intentionally overbooked. When it does happen it is because rooms are taken out of inventory for some reason or a guest will just decide not to leave (yes it does happen quite a bit and makes a major headache for us and other guests as well). We do have the option of moving a guest to one of the thousands of other rooms at WDW.

 

[MagneticxBoy]

That is simply not true. I work at the YC/BC. We are never intentionally overbooked. When it does happen it is because rooms are taken out of inventory for some reason or a guest will just decide not to leave (yes it does happen quite a bit and makes a major headache for us and other guests as well). We do have the option of moving a guest to one of the thousands of other rooms at WDW.

How can you decide not to leave? I dont see how you could let them stay? how does that work? lol

 

[OntFamily]

Overbooking is a standard industry policy (have a daughter in the hotel 'biz), just as airlines, counting on those no shows. I feel (talking with daughter) WDW ranks pretty low on the accomodating the folks who are displaced by this practice-sort of how the airline industry treats us.

Your daughter has obviously never stayed at a Disney resort. Disney is one of the most accomodating hoteliers. I challenge you to find one person who was denied a hotel room @ Disney due to overbooking.

You will find (frequently) Disney upgrading guests to higher room categories (due to overbooking of that category) within the same resort. And occassionally (but rarely) bumping guests to another Disney resort.

Disney has over 22,000 hotel rooms in Orlando. I think it is very rare they sell out (as evidenced by some of their discounts).

 

[bozley0621]

OK, I've never been to WDW yet, but from reading the DIS boards and TGM, it seems that displaced Disney guests are always upgraded and happy with the results.

Other hotels, like the AWFUL DISPICABLE (sp?) Hilton in Pittsburgh do not. The Hilton in Pittsburgh overbooked on my wedding night and displaced us 45 minutes away at a roach motel. I cried all night long. All we got for our trouble when we stayed the second night of our reservation was a fruit basket.

DH and I are taking a 2-1/2 year belated honeymoon to WDW (it's after midnight, we leave in 10 days ) and I can't wait ....stupid Hilton........

 

[jlovesee]

I do not work in the travel industry but having put up with it quite a bit in the past few years I can say unequivically most airlines, hotels and car rentals do overbook.

I have never had this experience with Disney, everytime I have checked in at my resort I booked I have gotten a room there. I think you have nothing to worry about in that respect.

However, I was overbooked at Universal's Royal Pacific on the 4th of July once, they moved us over to the Mariott World (the world's largest Marriott) which was nice but it wasn't a themed hotel. We went back that afternoon and very politly lodged a complaint, the manager was very nice and actually gave us 2 complimentary room nights which we used the following year (booked a total of 5 nights)

I was also overbooked at the Comfort Inn (again I can think of which one) in Orlando, and after sitting out in the outdoor hallway for 2 hours (literally) we were upgraded to this really nice hotel by the convention center. I think it went for $280 a night but we only paid $65 what a deal!

Jennifer

 

[ANiceNurse]

Just like the rest of the industry, Disney does overbook. With so many rooms on property, it's usually not an issue but it does happen and becomes evident during busy times. That being said, they do their best to keep guests at the same level of hotel they booked or upgrade, and may throw in a free dinner for the incovenience. The week before Easter, AKL was sending guests to Poly, CR and YC/BC.

 

[HumphreytheBear]

It is actually illegal in the state of Florida to intentionally overbook a hotel (it happens, that's a given, but it not intentional). However with that said Disney is considered one hotel (not a lot of little ones). They legally can overbook one as long as there is room at another one. In my 5 years working resort front desk, there have been numerous times where we have had to "walk" people to other resorts on property for various reasons, or take a walk from another Disney property to ours. Disney's procedures in this matter are very well established amongst the cast. The room assigner (back office team) generally will figure out how many rooms they are over sold and start calling the other resorts (there is a regularly updated computer screen that tells what the other resorts have avaliable for any given day, there is a chain to the procedure...they will try not to walk you from the Poly to the All Stars for example...unless they are desperate, they would send you to another Deluxe if at all possible) to hold rooms for them. They will get enough rooms to cover there needs and then start going through their check ins. They tag a bunch of reservations, looking for shorter stays and whos paying the most. It usually starts out as an offer to guests that are checking in early in the day (that are tagged), if they say no then they move onto the next one. As it gets closer to having no rooms avalaible they will stop "offering" and start moving. Whatever your rate was at your original hotel will be honored wherever they move you...so as mentioned you could be paying $89 for the Presidential suite at the Grand if that was all that was avalaible. They look for the shortest reservations. Most of the time they will let you stay at the hotel you were sent to for the entire time (if you want to) or you can come back the next day, if you had your heart set on the hotel you booked. Sometimes though you don't have a choice and will need to move back the next day (but that is rare in my experience.)

Disney does everything they can to make sure the transition is smooth when a situation like this happens.

 

[ducklite]

How can you decide not to leave? I dont see how you could let them stay? how does that work? lol

Florida law says that guests can't be forced out of a hotel room as long as they keep paying--and it can be rack rate, the hotelier is under no obligation to continue a promotional rate on an overstay.

I believe that continues for up to 30 days--after that the law changes from a rental to a lease and depending on various factors the guest can sometimes be put out.

Anne

 

[EEyorelover22]

Just like the rest of the industry, Disney does overbook. With so many rooms on property, it's usually not an issue but it does happen and becomes evident during busy times. That being said, they do their best to keep guests at the same level of hotel they booked or upgrade, and may throw in a free dinner for the incovenience. The week before Easter, AKL was sending guests to Poly, CR and YC/BC.

This would make my AKL family very unhappy!

 

[my3boys]

Thanks for all the insight - I never knew a lot of the policies Florida has regarding hotels.

I have become nervous because Expedia is showing so few rooms available during our stay, and we won't arrive at the resort until after 10 p.m. We have a waterview at Riverside with a trundle, so I worry that there won't be a large number of rooms with that criteria.

I guess I see in a little over a month! Meanwhile, my 3 little guys can't wait for Star Wars Weekend. Their favorite characters will be there, particularly Warick Davis who my oldest loves from his role in the Harry Potter films

 

[pooh2001]

I am not sure if this counts as overbooking...

A few years back we had a reservation for CR - garden wing.
We request the North Wing.
Apparently SOG was being rehabbed and they placed our service men in the North Wing of the CR.

I guess cilivians do not stay in the same resort area as our service men - so we were given a standard room (over looked the driveway and convention center) in the Tower.

But it was still magical and you could see the MK fireworks if you looked straight ahead (just don't look down to the roof )

 

[bubba]

I work in the industry as well, with Four Seasons Hotels and Resorts. We have never intentionally overbooked rooms. We have a very detailed schedule of rooms available that we watch like hawks when availability gets tight.

 

[kaytieeldr]

I am not sure if this counts as overbooking...

A few years back we had a reservation for CR - garden wing.
We request the North Wing.
Apparently SOG was being rehabbed and they placed our service men in the North Wing of the CR.

I guess cilivians do not stay in the same resort area as our service men - so we were given a standard room (over looked the driveway and convention center) in the Tower.

It's no that civilians don't/can't stay at the same resort as Armed Services personnel (remember, they're not all men ) but rather that Shades of Green contracted for that entire wing with Disney while SoG was being improved.

 

[seashoreCM]

If they want you to move after one night they should be accommodating your wishes as well, such as late check out if you have an all day activity. Lots of fast passes (any ride, any park, any hour) are another reasonable compensation for the inconvenience.

 

[Crazy4Disney72]

Your daughter has obviously never stayed at a Disney resort. Disney is one of the most accomodating hoteliers. I challenge you to find one person who was denied a hotel room @ Disney due to overbooking.

You will find (frequently) Disney upgrading guests to higher room categories (due to overbooking of that category) within the same resort. And occassionally (but rarely) bumping guests to another Disney resort.

Disney has over 22,000 hotel rooms in Orlando. I think it is very rare they sell out (as evidenced by some of their discounts).

We weren't denied a room totally, but we were denied a room at All Star Music where we had a reservation for a preferred room, and not very apologetically either. I understand that these things happen, but they could have been nicer about it when it's midnight and we are checking in with two tired little girls. We were moved to All Star Sports to a standard room location. I realize that the rooms themselves are the same, but I specifically booked a preferred room so it wouldn't be far to go as we were checking in late at night and I knew we would be exhausted, and I also didn't want to have to have far to go the next morning when we checked out and moved over for the rest of our trip at the Contemporary, so I wasn't very happy to have to spend the additional time getting over to Sports and especially to be downgraded to a standard location.