Free Room Upgrades?

[WilsonFlyer]

That title ought to get some views.

I am continually seeing posts over on the DVC FB group with people talking about having their rooms upgraded from studios to 1BRs, etc. Not all the time, but enough to prompt this question where it can be better discussed and preserved.

Not to be confrontational, and that's what it would likely turn into over there; I have never had a room upgraded for us after becoming a DVC members. I do advanced/online check-in. Usually at the 60 day mark exactly. We get a text when we get there, and we go straight to the room. We've done it since online check-in became available. We've had trips where we didn't go anywhere near the front desk. Three trips since the re-opening so if it's related to that, maybe we've just been unlucky.

Please tell me what I'm doing wrong. I'd love to get an occasional free upgrade to a larger villa than we have booked and spent points for without having to spend anymore points. Do we need to stop doing online check-in? Is that the key? I don't see any real advantage for me other than the hassle of checking in at the resort which usually isn't that big of a deal anyway, while there is a huge benefit for the resorts. They never even have to see us when we do this. Maybe that's the problem.

Before somebody tumbles down the "You don't get upgrades for DVC rooms." rabbit hole, please understand that I am fully aware of that. I've been around here a while. I know the rules of the road, and for the most part DVC. Probably better than most members, but I see it far too often over there to casually dismiss as the very occasional broken toilet. Something else is going on here, and I'd like to know how people are doing it.

Discuss.

 

[princesscinderella]

I think the recent rash of room upgrades is due to COVID and more availability. Disney is booking the DVC rooms for cash too so maybe instead of upgrading a cash buyer they are upgrading members instead to have the room for a cash buyer. I think that’s is quickly going away with the lack of availability for DVC rooms and the amount of Disney hotels that are reopening in the next few months. We have never been upgraded either so you aren’t the only one.

 

[_auroraborealis_]

Right now, I would put hard cash money on it being about capacity and breakage.

1. We know 1BRs are last to book.

2. We know they are using more DVC for cash bookings while some of the cash resorts are closed.

3. I have seen people who are overbooked at cash resorts get moved into deluxe resorts recently - there's a thread here on Resorts where people are getting moved into CL units (minus lounge services) at GF, for instance. Obviously, they're pretty vacant with the lounge not up, so they make nice overflow.

4. It isn't a stretch for me to think, "as they deal with overbookings at both cash and DVC-cash, they move some of the overbooked cash resort people into studios elsewhere and then move the DVC studio booking to the 1BR unit, or move the DVC booking to the 1BR to fix the overbooking at studio."

I don't think it's anything you are or are not doing. I think it is the random chance of resort and date type, and what problem they are trying to fix.

 

[JETSDAD]

It's still very rare and how you do check in doesn't make a difference. Most (all?) of the ones that I've seen recently have just done online check in as well. It's just random when they need your room for another purpose or there's an issue.

 

[CarolMN]

I've never gotten one, either. Well, technically once a long time ago at BWV. Front desk "upgraded" us from a 1 bedroom standard view to a 1 bedroom Pool/Garden view. I did not request nor want the "upgrade" but the CM insisted and my account was messed up to boot. I don't know what happened and I was not happy to have to call MS to get my account fixed.

It's possible some upgrades are happening lately, due to "extra" availability from late cancellations. It's also possible that some of those saying they got upgrades booked via DRC and not via MS.

FWIW, I do not look at any DVC FB posts. IMO, too much incorrect info there and in your words, trying to correct any of it often turns "confrontational".

 

[dancergirlsmom]

We have been going for years and never had an upgrade until July 2020 and now we have had 2. We had a 1 bedroom that was upgraded to a 2 bedroom at SSR last July. I figured there were so few people there and we had 4 people on the reservation that they were throwing us some pixie dust. Loved the 2 bed by the way. Second time was on our last trip just before Easter. We stayed a week at OKW and moved over to Grand Floridian for one night before heading back home. I had reserved a lagoon view and we were upgraded to a Theme Park View. Loved sitting on the balcony and drinking my coffee looking at the castle. Both times we had checked in online. I have been checking in online for years now. Normally don't go to the front desk at all during our visits. When we moved to the Grand Floridian I did go to the front desk when we got there about 9:30 am to see if our room was ready yet because I hadn't received a text. I had requested early arrival since we were moving from one resort to another and wanted to spend a lot of the day just enjoying the resort. We were told no but that it was being cleaned and shouldn't be too long. I went out to the beach area and hung out in the warm sunshine just relaxing. I didn't get a text, but checked MDE about and hour later and noticed that we got upgraded. We were two happy ladies.

 

[NoTime42]

It seemed a lot of the free upgrade talk in the past mostly happened on shorter stays (like 2 days or less). I think it would be interesting to see data on upgrades per length of stay

 

[JETSDAD]

We have been going for years and never had an upgrade until July 2020 and now we have had 2. We had a 1 bedroom that was upgraded to a 2 bedroom at SSR last July. I figured there were so few people there and we had 4 people on the reservation that they were throwing us some pixie dust. Loved the 2 bed by the way. Second time was on our last trip just before Easter. We stayed a week at OKW and moved over to Grand Floridian for one night before heading back home. I had reserved a lagoon view and we were upgraded to a Theme Park View. Loved sitting on the balcony and drinking my coffee looking at the castle. Both times we had checked in online. I have been checking in online for years now. Normally don't go to the front desk at all during our visits. When we moved to the Grand Floridian I did go to the front desk when we got there about 9:30 am to see if our room was ready yet because I hadn't received a text. I had requested early arrival since we were moving from one resort to another and wanted to spend a lot of the day just enjoying the resort. We were told no but that it was being cleaned and shouldn't be too long. I went out to the beach area and hung out in the warm sunshine just relaxing. I didn't get a text, but checked MDE about and hour later and noticed that we got upgraded. We were two happy ladies.

Was the Grand Floridian stay a cash hotel reservation rather than DVC?

 

[Matty B13]

I have never been upgraded, but I had a renter on points for a studio in the VGF villas get upgraded to a suite in the hotel, because the Villas were overbooked. How that happened I don't know.

 

[ElizabethG]

Historically, this is rare. There have been a lot reported on FB. I agree that it is probably due to the increase in cash use of these resorts (as many resorts are not open yet).

I have been upgraded once - in 2016. We booked a theme park view studio at BLT. There are not a lot of those. They said the patio door was broken and couldn't put us in the room. Best bad luck ever!

 

[supersnoop]

I am continually seeing posts over on the DVC FB group with people talking about having their rooms upgraded

Don't believe everything you see on the internet. While you say it's in a DVC group, it's likely that people are talking about cash stays. DVC reservations should never be upgraded. The only exception would be in the event of a maintenance issue that takes the room out of service, and then you'd typically get "upgraded" to a hotel room. The other scenario could be a paid upgrade where they ask for an upgrade and get re-booked into a larger room at full cost, not for free.

As a timeshare, DVC does not overbook. Each room is assigned. There is never a reason to upgrade someone outside of a severe maintenance issue.

 

[cvjw]

We were upgraded twice on our last trip. We checked in online at both resorts. We are DVC and booked with points.

We booked a standard studio at SSR and received our room number via the app. Went to the studio and it was in the middle of a construction zone. Went to the front desk and asked if anything else was available. The nice CM moved us to a renovated preferred 1 bedroom.

Moved over to BWV where we had booked a pool/garden studio. This was the morning after the flood in February. Looked at MDE the morning of checkin, and studio was still listed. Checked a little later and it listed a 1 bedroom. I think this upgrade was due to the flood. Multiple studios were taken out of inventory for repairs. I think we were assigned to one of the flooded studios so they had to put us in an available villa.

 

[Matty B13]

As a timeshare, DVC does not overbook. Each room is assigned. There is never a reason to upgrade someone outside of a severe maintenance issue.

It was a maintenance issue that caused my renter to be upgraded, I just reread my emails with him after the trip. He got upgraded to a 1 bedroom suite on the hotel side.

 

[peabody58]

Last 3 trips to BWV we were upgraded from a Std Studio View to a Pool/Garden Studio View.

CM said they were selling the Standard rooms for cash and upgrading the DVC members. It was a WIN-WIN for all.

A few years back our 2-BR BLT Standard was upgraded to a 2-BR Lakeview. I think they had some unexpected repairs/renovations occurring as one 1st floor hallway was blocked off.

 

[JETSDAD]

Don't believe everything you see on the internet. While you say it's in a DVC group, it's likely that people are talking about cash stays. DVC reservations should never be upgraded. The only exception would be in the event of a maintenance issue that takes the room out of service, and then you'd typically get "upgraded" to a hotel room. The other scenario could be a paid upgrade where they ask for an upgrade and get re-booked into a larger room at full cost, not for free.

As a timeshare, DVC does not overbook. Each room is assigned. There is never a reason to upgrade someone outside of a severe maintenance issue.

There have been a number of DVC stays upgraded for free since things reopened which have been posted on DVCfan FB group. During normal times it was extremely rare but it has happened more frequently since reopening (still rare).

 

[Ariel620]

I think the point above about having a shorter stay making an upgrade more likely is true.

I always do online check in and the two times I've ever received an upgrade was for a short stay (1 night at BWV and 2 nights at AKV). Once from a std at BWV and once from a value at AKL (but there are very few of these so if there is a maintenance issue there isn't anywhere else to put you except to upgrade, which was a very nice upgrade).

 

[rick1zoo2]

Did a split stay in February with DVC points and upgraded at both resorts - Grand Floridian from Studio to one bedroom, and at Riviera from standard to preferred view. We did on-line check-in, going straight to the rooms. I would think it had more to do with availability than anything else, the resorts also felt less busy.

 

[Cabius]

It was a maintenance issue that caused my renter to be upgraded, I just reread my emails with him after the trip. He got upgraded to a 1 bedroom suite on the hotel side.

Yeah, "recovery" rooms are definitely a thing, separate from upgrades at check-in, where vacancy allows for it. Obviously on NYE it doesn't matter how badly they've screwed up; they don't have any spare rooms to which they could upgrade you!

I've heard from a family member CM who works at the Poly that the bungalows closest to the TTC are the last ones assigned, because they like to use them as recovery upgrades for DVC members, when vacant. The noise from the TTC ferries is genuinely very loud in those units, so they prefer to book paying guests in the western bungalows first if they aren't fully occupied, but anybody who gets upgraded from a Studio to a Bungalow will be thrilled no matter how loud those horns are at 10:30 PM.

I've had a few FPs for maintenance issues here and there, but so far no free bungalow upgrade. (I have toured -- thanks to that same family member -- and they are very nice, but not worth the 7x premium over the studios imo.)

 

[princesscinderella]

Yeah, "recovery" rooms are definitely a thing, separate from upgrades at check-in, where vacancy allows for it. Obviously on NYE it doesn't matter how badly they've screwed up; they don't have any spare rooms to which they could upgrade you!

I've heard from a family member CM who works at the Poly that the bungalows closest to the TTC are the last ones assigned, because they like to use them as recovery upgrades for DVC members, when vacant. The noise from the TTC ferries is genuinely very loud in those units, so they prefer to book paying guests in the western bungalows first if they aren't fully occupied, but anybody who gets upgraded from a Studio to a Bungalow will be thrilled no matter how loud those horns are at 10:30 PM.

I've had a few FPs for maintenance issues here and there, but so far no free bungalow upgrade. (I have toured -- thanks to that same family member -- and they are very nice, but not worth the 7x premium over the studios imo.)

Thats interesting information and make total sense because when we stayed at Poly in a studio we could hear the ferry horns all the time when on the patio. I said to him I’d hate to pay all the points for a bungalow to be stuck in the one right next to the ferry dock.

 

[Jen0107c]

Yeah, "recovery" rooms are definitely a thing, separate from upgrades at check-in, where vacancy allows for it. Obviously on NYE it doesn't matter how badly they've screwed up; they don't have any spare rooms to which they could upgrade you!

I've heard from a family member CM who works at the Poly that the bungalows closest to the TTC are the last ones assigned, because they like to use them as recovery upgrades for DVC members, when vacant. The noise from the TTC ferries is genuinely very loud in those units, so they prefer to book paying guests in the western bungalows first if they aren't fully occupied, but anybody who gets upgraded from a Studio to a Bungalow will be thrilled no matter how loud those horns are at 10:30 PM.

I've had a few FPs for maintenance issues here and there, but so far no free bungalow upgrade. (I have toured -- thanks to that same family member -- and they are very nice, but not worth the 7x premium over the studios imo.)

I stayed July/august 2020... the air in bungalow 7004 was broken and they couldn’t seem to fix it over the course of 2 days They stuck us in bungalow 17 for the rest of the week and boy was it loud lol.