Guarantee doesn"t meen guaranteed!

[kaytieeldr]

Good point, Alexander! Checking the DIS's own page on Disney resort rates http://www.wdwinfo.com/wdwinfo/disney-rates-2009.htm, "King Bed" is a distinct, bookable category at each of the four Moderate resorts. The rate is, depending on the season, $25 to $30 more per night than a standard room.

It is not clear if the OP reserved a King Bed room, or requested a King Bed room - and there IS a difference.

Relax! The bait and switch declaration was a comment on the overall spirit of the promise (written) on confirmations that is impossible to actually, in reality, promise.

It is NOT impossible to promise. Disney apparently promises every day.

It is NOT impossible to follow through. Disney apparently follows through every day.

But you don't hear from the thousands of Guests every day who requested and got connecting rooms (promised in advance or not). You hear from several dozen who did not - and between this thread and the poll, I'm relatively certain not even any Guest who's requested (and been promised) connecting rooms from Disney two or more times has NEVER gotten them.

 

[summermac]

Wow, this has been an interesting thread. My TA was very honest & upfront that we would not be guaranteed connecting rooms b/c we only have two children in our party (and 6 adults). We'd like connecting so the kids can sleep and we can chill in the other room. Truthfully though I'd be happy enough with side by side or across the hall (if CBR even has across the hall, LOL) but even that is only a request as my TA told me.

I can see the reasoning about it only being a "request" but at the same time, it's rather annoying b/c I've taken the time to plan this trip out, I've saved a good bit of money for this trip and I've booked the trip in what I feel is plenty of time to meet my request. But then someone who comes along two months from now can get their request b/c of family demographics or sheer luck? I find that slightly annoying. I understand it, especially when a family size requires it but I can still be a bit annoyed about it. LOL

Regardless though, we're going. We're going to have a great time and be happy were at WDW.

 

[kaytieeldr]

You're going, and you're going to repeat your request when you start checking in, and you're going double-check that the rooms which the CM is giving you actually do have a connecting-to-each-other door before you leave the counter, and if they don't you're going to politely but firmly insist on connecting rooms even if it means not taking the rooms that are available right that minute and instead waiting until a pair of connecting rooms is cleared for occupancy.... RIGHT, summermac?

 

[PrincessTrisha]

Should any of the scenarios suggested by an earlier poster occur - ie, a guest staying late, etc., THAT guest should be required to move into a non-connecting room and leave one available for the next guest who was GUARANTEED a connecting room when they made their reservation.

Disney (nor any hotel in Florida) can force a guest to vacate a room. If you are there and choose to extend your stay, as long as you pay your bill, they have to let you stay.

There are too many variables for Disney to guarantee requests (other than the HA because that is a law).

And as for not guaranteeing even the hotel / level - think about this - what if something happens at the hotel you booked? (say there's no water, no heat / air conditioning, it becomes infested by termites, etc) Disney can't have you stay there - they have to have the fine print that allows them to move you to a different hotel - if they did not have this ability than their fine print would read that they are not guaranteeing you a room at all to protect themselves from legal recourse.

Think about when the construction started interfering with guest enjoyment at the AKL and they needed to relocate many of the animals. They contacted those guests and offered them other resorts - those alternate resorts were at the same or higher level - they weren't putting the guests into the value resorts saying "too bad".

I doubt if Disney couldn't honour the hotel you've booked (especially if you've booked a deluxe) that their first instinct would be "move them to Pop Century". If that's the only hotel that has a room available then that's what they'll have to do but that is unlikely.

 

[summermac]

You're going, and you're going to repeat your request when you start checking in, and you're going double-check that the rooms which the CM is giving you actually do have a connecting-to-each-other door before you leave the counter, and if they don't you're going to politely but firmly insist on connecting rooms even if it means not taking the rooms that are available right that minute and instead waiting until a pair of connecting rooms is cleared for occupancy.... RIGHT, summermac?

Darn right! This is when overplanning is a good thing. I'll be fine with just side-by-side though - that's what baby monitors are for.

Oh and heck, I'd even switch rooms after a couple of nights if necessary. More than two nights though and then I'd not want to b/c we'd be all settled in.

 

[drew64]

Sorry, but people are misunderstanding the word guarantee in this context.

In the hotel/cruise industry, guarantee king, or guarantee double means that it is that type of room with no specific room assigned.

It is not meant in the manner of guaranteed connecting

At Disney, no matter what any TA or CM says, you are not guaranteed connecting rooms.

 

[luvsgrumpy]

We certainly had better be in the majority who gets what they were GUARANTEED! When I made our reservations, I was checking out various locations and finally settled on 2 connecting rooms at POP because I was GUARANTEED that they would be! Otherwise, I would have chosen another alternative but never thought that there was any reason to even consider it. It is myself, DH, DS14, DS12, and DD8. Never once did I request anything! I was told upfront because of the kids ages that we were guaranteed to have connecting rooms. I too check with every CM I speak to for whatever reason (payments, ME reservations, etc.) and each one always comfirms they are guaranteed and there was NEVER a hint that they wouldn't be.

This is the first family vacation we have ever taken (never even get to go to the beach for the weekend) so it better not be ruined by being separated. Yes, not having connecting rooms will ruin it. We will still be there and have fun and enjoy ourselves but...I did not spend thousands of dollars to just "make the most of it".

So, just in case there is a need to complain, can someone please provide the proper address for this type of situation?


I do have one question though, sorry if it was mentioned earlier and I missed it...What is the reasoning behind the "kids ounumbering adults" thinking? I honestly don't understand why that would be a reason to guarantee rooms. Could be it's too late and I'm just not processing things right.

I am planning to not dwell on the possibilities. Heck, I was bummed knowing we will probably not have the new refillable mugs available when we go in 2 weeks. Really puts things in perspective though, couldn't care less about them now!

Sorry for ranting, I need to get some sleep! Have a good night

 

[mickeyfan85]

Disney (nor any hotel in Florida) can force a guest to vacate a room. If you are there and choose to extend your stay, as long as you pay your bill, they have to let you stay.

I'm not sure where you got your information but Disney can force you out of a room if you are not authorized to stay in it. You don't have squatters rights on a room.

And as for not guaranteeing even the hotel / level - think about this - what if something happens at the hotel you booked? (say there's no water, no heat / air conditioning, it becomes infested by termites, etc) Disney can't have you stay there - they have to have the fine print that allows them to move you to a different hotel - if they did not have this ability than their fine print would read that they are not guaranteeing you a room at all to protect themselves from legal recourse.

You're reasoning is somewhat off. The Walt Disney World Resort considers all its hotel properties to be one mega resort. Why? Because they can then overbook resorts, just like an airline overbooks a flight (a certain percentage is assumed not to show up, therefore the overbooking is a buffer). However, if everyone shows up, Disney can bump guests to another hotel seeing it's one mega resort.

The mega resort gets around the law that says a hotel cannot overbook (by using all hotels as one).

But "walks" to other resorts are very rare. If they do happen, you usually receive one night free and a resort of equal or greater status. They also honor your original rate.

And one final thing....why are king beds that coveted? Are two queens in the room really going to ruin your vacation? It's really like a foot difference.

 

[maxiesmom]

We certainly had better be in the majority who gets what they were GUARANTEED! When I made our reservations, I was checking out various locations and finally settled on 2 connecting rooms at POP because I was GUARANTEED that they would be! Otherwise, I would have chosen another alternative but never thought that there was any reason to even consider it. It is myself, DH, DS14, DS12, and DD8. Never once did I request anything! I was told upfront because of the kids ages that we were guaranteed to have connecting rooms. I too check with every CM I speak to for whatever reason (payments, ME reservations, etc.) and each one always comfirms they are guaranteed and there was NEVER a hint that they wouldn't be.

If the worst happens and you do not get your connecting rooms, would you be willing to switch resorts? The CM at the desk could check other resorts for you, if that is an option. Also, are you checking in fairly early in the day? That always seems to help with getting the room location/setup that you would like. It also helps to have connecting rooms as your only request on your reservation. Don't have "Second floor room, with a view of the pool, connecting." You may only get one those, and it may not be the one you really really want.

Or how about checking out the ASMu Suites? We stayed in on this past May, and they are very nice. You would also get the added bonus of a kitchenette with a fridge, microwave, and coffee pot. Plus, you would know for sure that your family would be together.

Mickeyfan85, I had a CM at the All Star Music tell me that they couldn't force people to leave their rooms, as long as they were paying their bill. That was the case when I didn't receive my 2 prefered rooms that I had booked, and was instead placed back in the Broadway section. People think they are not happy when they don't have their requests met. Think about how unhappy you would be if you paid for a particular room catagory, and then didn't get it!

 

[PrincessTrisha]

I'm not sure where you got your information but Disney can force you out of a room if you are not authorized to stay in it. You don't have squatters rights on a room.

And I don't know where you got your information from that what you've said is not true.

Florida law requires hotels to let you stay as long as you want as long as you pay your bill - only if you default on charges can they start proceedings to have you removed.

If you are already checked into a room, and decide to stay an extra day (or 2 or 10), they can not remove you or your belongings from the room. They have to get a court order and then have the sheriff's department come and handle it.

Hotels don't tell you this because they don't want people to know. But the process for having someone removed from a hotel room is very similar as having a tenant removed from any rental unit (house, apartment, etc).

 

[luvsgrumpy]

If the worst happens and you do not get your connecting rooms, would you be willing to switch resorts? The CM at the desk could check other resorts for you, if that is an option. Also, are you checking in fairly early in the day? That always seems to help with getting the room location/setup that you would like. It also helps to have connecting rooms as your only request on your reservation. Don't have "Second floor room, with a view of the pool, connecting." You may only get one those, and it may not be the one you really really want.

Or how about checking out the ASMu Suites? We stayed in on this past May, and they are very nice. You would also get the added bonus of a kitchenette with a fridge, microwave, and coffee pot. Plus, you would know for sure that your family would be together.

Yes, on both accounts. I will have no problem switching (hopefully the tour groups will be gong by the time we go) and our plane lands at 10:10 am so we will hopefully be checked in by noon or maybe a little earlier. There are no other requests, decided it really wasn't that important to be anywhere particular.

I do remember that ASSuites was originally booked when I made our ressie and with the CM's offer of a guarantee, I never looked further (as far as switching dates or calling back hoping for a cancellation). Personally I like the two bathroom option and with the size of our kids (DS14 is taller than DH and myself), the extra space to spread out was/is a plus. Heck, can't honor this, feel free to put us in a Deluxe - don't have any problem with that!!

 

[kaytieeldr]

I do have one question though, sorry if it was mentioned earlier and I missed it...What is the reasoning behind the "kids ounumbering adults" thinking?

Absolutely NONE, and so I do not understand that claim at all - and I'm relatively intelligent.

Before I go any further, two things: Go to the Disney website www.waltdisneyworld.com and look for contact information. I don't know the EXACT format and don't want to give you the wrong information accidentally - there are more 'dots' in the e-mail address than in most.

Second - and this is why I keep recommending that people who have "GTD" or some version of it on their written confirmations be the ones to contact Disney - do WHATEVER you can to GET in writing that connecting rooms are "guaranteed". According to my (non-Disney) hotel bud, they're "guaranteed if available" throughout his company.

 

[disneydentist]

I have to start by saying that we've never booked two rooms, connecting or otherwise. We've made other requests that have sometimes been honored and sometimes not. Here is a quote copied directly from our most recent reservation documents (for this summer).


Adjacent rooms, connecting rooms or specific room location and types of rooms or bedding are on a “request basis only” and are subject to availability at the time of check-in. These requests for specific room type or location may result in additional charges to be paid directly to the hotel.


While I fully believe that someone may make a promise on the phone, the written documents trump that. There is even a section that allows Disney to cancel the reservation completely.


Disney reserves the right to decline, accept, or retain any guest as a participant in its packages at any time. In addition, Disney reserves the right to cancel or modify a reservation (including after a reservation has been confirmed) if the reservation includes or resulted from a mistake or error of any kind, including but not limited to a mistake in price or description of the package or package components, or where it appears that a guest has engaged in fraudulent or misleading activity in making the reservation. If a package is cancelled by Disney, Disney shall have no responsibility beyond the refund of monies paid to Disney for the package.

I agree that the folks at CRO shouldn't make guaarantees that they don't have to keep. However, as I read the paragraph above, evenif you don't like it, your only recourse is to cancel out. Sad, but apparently true.

 

[kaytieeldr]

Okay, back to the 'kids outnumbering adults' thing.

As I started to say above, this claim makes no sense on the part of anyone. First, as we can all see from Minnie51560's post, there have been times at Walt Disney World where there has been JUST ONE adult traveling with multiple minor children - too many people, total for one room - where Walt Disney World has not assigned the party to connecting rooms.

If Disney can't/won't/doesn't provide connecting rooms in that situation, however relatively rare the occurrence, where is the obligation or need to provide connecting rooms when there is MORE than one adult?

Again, while a family consisting of two adults enough children that they cannot all fit into one room requesting connecting rooms and not getting them is LESS THAN IDEAL, it is still a valid room occupancy arrangement as far as the property is concerned. Do they WANT to separate the two parents? Of course not. Does the existing room occupancy necessitate it at times? Apparently yes.

But just because you have a party of two adults and three, or four, or five, or six children (i.e. children outnumber adults) does not mean you MUST be given connecting rooms.

 

[fla4fun]

I was told upfront because of the kids ages that we were guaranteed to have connecting rooms.

This sentence got me thinking . . .I wonder if they were more likely to get connecting rooms because they had a 14 yo and a 12 yo and an 8 yo, than say if all the kids were under 6? Or if they prioritize based on the kids ages? Disney may not want the liability of what could happen if the parents just put the 14 yo in charge of the younger kids in a separate room, while the parents enjoy their own room. Parents would be a lot less likely to leave really young children on their own, and would likely put one adult in each room with some of them if they had to, but I can think of quite a few parents in my own circle of acquaintances that would think it's perfectly OK to leave the 14 yo in charge and just say "meet you at the park". They leave the teen in charge at home and don't think it's any different when they're on vacation. Granted, the parents would have to pay if the kids tore up the room, but Disney would be on the hook if the kids were loud and annoying other guests. Just a thought . . .

 

[katyjeka]

We have decided to change to a deluxe. We really wanted to try CSR, love Buzz's pictures, but we don't want to take the chance. I tried to get the suite, but our 40% code does not work on the suites. I really would have loved 2 bathrooms!!! Now, we've got to decide which deluxe. Janice

 

[jmetz1028]

My current reservation confirmation email lists guaranteed connecting rooms under the special request section of the reservation. At the bottom of the email it states:

Room Location and Information
Adjacent rooms, connecting rooms or specific room location and types of rooms or bedding are on a “request basis only” and are subject to availability at the time of check-in. These requests for specific room type or location may result in additional charges to be paid directly to the hotel.

I would take this as I requested a guaranteed connecting room, but as with any request, don't count on it. It may be given to you if available.

 

[momofmmsd5]

We have 5 kids and have always stayed at the Poly when we go. Everytime I make the ressie I have gotten 2 room (price!!!) and ALWAYS tell them connecting. I have never gotten there and not had it. It has always said it on the reservation guarentee and every CM I have delt with has always said that, that is the only thing they can guarentee me because of the kids so I do believe it is because of the amount of children and not ages. My oldest will be 15 on this trip and then they go 13, two 11yros, and the baby will have just turned 5. The only time we couldn't get it was on the cruise because they didn't have them, but that was the only time and I knew going into it. My DH works in the hotel industry so i will say that the week we are leaving we do call down to the hotel and speak to them to make sure we have what we requested so if anyone is nervous I would say just do that so there are no surprises.

 

[PinkRhombus]

I research laws and ordinances......"technically" they could make you evict the room. FSA 509.141 says, along with eviction for non payment, it can be done if the guest fails to checkout at the agreed upon checkout time. They don't HAVE to let you stay in there if they don't change the agreed upon checkout time. And if you refuse, it is a second degree misdemeanor.

 

[mickeyfan85]

I research laws and ordinances......"technically" they could make you evict the room. FSA 509.141 says, along with eviction for non payment, it can be done if the guest fails to checkout at the agreed upon checkout time. They don't HAVE to let you stay in there if they don't change the agreed upon checkout time. And if you refuse, it is a second degree misdemeanor.

Thank you for finding the ordinance. It would be ridiculous if Disney couldn't make people leave their rooms. Just think of the chaos it would cause if you arrived for you trip and the front desk person told you that the person decided just to stay and that you're out of luck.

That's why you sign a registration card stating the length of your stay. And don't worry, if Disney needs the room for another guest who they have contracted with, they will make you leave. So I wouldn't recommend trying to force extend your stay.