Help me with a quirky ME issue!!!!!

[Danthesand]

O.K., here's my situation (I get to my question at the end):

- I'm a DVC member who owns at Boardwalk villas.

- I have a reservation for 7 nights, Boardwalk view this coming August - and when we arrive would like to get the best possible room.

- We will be arriving at Orlando airport the night before check-in at Boardwalk, and staying overnight at airport Hyatt.

- I planned it that way so we could get to Boardwalk early (7:30am-ish) the next morning via car service to "check in" (presumed room wouldn't be ready, but that by checking in so early, we'd be a front of line for best room available that day). Heading over to Epcot afterwards to be there at opening, with plans to come back to Boardwalk later that afternoon to actually get into the room.

Now, here's the problem:

I read this morning that another DVC member who just stayed at the Boardwalk found out that ME clients are automatically getting "priority" at check in. Specificially, even if a non ME guest like me arrives early, later arriving ME guests are being given priority in terms of room assignments.

So now my punchline question for the ME experts here:

Is there a way for me to "book" ME but not use it? Or stated differently, I want to have the check-in staff at the Boardwalk viewing me as an ME guest on arrival, but don't want to change my "arrival-in-Orlando-overnight-at-airport-trip-early-next-day-to-resort-via-car-service" plans.

Any thoughts on whether this is possible (and if so how) are welome and appreciated!!!!

 

[Danthesand]

Bumpity-bump.

 

[Lewisc]

1) Sign up for ME, make up a flight for the next morning. DON'T USE THE ME LUGGAGE TAGS. Check-in at the Disney Welcome Center but don't get on the bus. Checking in at the welcome center will cause a message to be sent to your resort which will, at least for some resorts, cause them to assign you a room.

2) I doubt it works they way you were told. ME guests, at some resorts, get their room assigned when they check in at MCO. That's done so the luggage can go directly to their room. I think the room assignment is based on the time you check in either at the airport or the resort. In other words people who checked in at the airport may be ahead of you but I don't think all ME guests who haven't even arrived at MCO are ahead of you, just the few guests who are in route from MCO to the resort. If I'm right checking in at the airport may put that person 10 minutes ahead of you. I'd rather have a shot of talking to the desk clerk to negotiate over my room assignment over having the CM at MCO sending message and having my room assigned before I show up.

3) If you're going to follow step 1 you might as well just take the bus to DVC. Use a cab or rent a car for a grocery stop after you get to Disney.

 

[Danthesand]

1) Sign up for ME, make up a flight for the next morning. DON'T USE THE ME LUGGAGE TAGS. Check-in at the Disney Welcome Center but don't get on the bus.

Lewis, than you so much. You obviously know your stuff. I had thought about this approach. i.e. doing a "phantom" ressie for ME. Specifically, finding some flight that arrives early the morning of our check-in and telling ME that was "our" flight. Then -- as you recommended - trashing the ME tags (if I ever get them!) and simply showing up at the welcome center that morning, then "blowing off" the bus and sneaking off to a waiting car service.

Checking in at the welcome center will cause a message to be sent to your resort which will, at least for some resorts, cause them to assign you a room.

From what you're saying, I guess the Welcome center is not directly next to the buses (so one isn't noticed "sneaking off" after checking in?) Also, from what you're saying, I guess I shouldn't worry about a CM or the bus driver doing a "roster" of some sort during boarding?

2) I doubt it works they way you were told. ME guests, at some resorts, get their room assigned when they check in at MCO. That's done so the luggage can go directly to their room. I think the room assignment is based on the time you check in either at the airport or the resort. In other words people who checked in at the airport may be ahead of you but I don't think all ME guests who haven't even arrived at MCO are ahead of you, just the few guests who are in route from MCO to the resort. If I'm right checking in at the airport may put that person 10 minutes ahead of you. I'd rather have a shot of talking to the desk clerk to negotiate over my room assignment over having the CM at MCO sending message and having my room assigned before I show up.

Lewis, the reference I made to "ME arrivals getting priority for room assignment" in my original post was based on the detailed story told by another DIS DVC member in this post:

http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=841629

To summarize, the author of that post ("Carol") ran into problems last week when checking into BWV as a non ME arrival. She showed up at 10am, expecting a room with or close to her preferences to be available by early afternoon.

When it got to be mid afternoon with no room, she really started querying the front desk staff at the Boardwalk as to what was going on. They told her that (direct quote)

"there is a new procedure being tried, at least at BWV. The new procedure being "tested" involves those guests traveling from the airport via Magical Express. The staff is monitoring when the planes are landing containing BWV guests. As soon as the plane lands, they go ahead and assign rooms to those guests. So, although I was there at 10 am in person, someone who flew in at 1 pm for example, may in fact have been assigned to the next available room, instead of myself."

I don't know if Carol was 100% accurate (why would room assignment staff be focused on "when the plane lands," as opposed to "when guests check in at the welcome center at MCO?" Conceviably, guests could sometime miss or change flights, so tying their their arrival to the plane seems flawed). Whatever, she did appear to confirmthat at the moment at BWV they are assigning rooms to ME arrivals "in advance of actual arrival at the resort."

3) If you're going to follow step 1 you might as well just take the bus to DVC. Use a cab or rent a car for a grocery stop after you get to Disney

This would work IF I could guarantee a ME bus getting us to BWV early, e.g. by around 8:00am at the latest. Based on what I've read to date, that seems iffy (people seem to wait 10-40 minutes on the bus waiting for it to leave, then another 40+ minutes to get to resort).

That pushes my supposed "flight arrival time" to 6am-ish or even earlier, which might be a stretch (to find flights that actually are that early for my "fake" ME ressie, much less to get up that early!!!). With straight car service I could show up at the welcome center at 7:15-ish and still get to Boardwalk in time to check in and be at Epcot at opening.

 

[Lewisc]

I don't think that experiment will continue and I suspect a CM mis-interperted the procedure. It sounds like all rooms will be assigned to ME guests until every ME guest who arrived or has checkin at the airport gets a room. In other words you check in at 10:00a. A room is available at 1:00p but the guest who checks in at MCO at 12:55p gets bumped ahead of you. If they follow that procedure you won't get a room until very late. Doesn't make any sense.

I'm not sure when the Welcome Desk even opens. I understand they took over a car rental counter. I think once they open the buses run. You might even call and tell them you're flying in the night before and see what they tell you.

I'd either take the bus or skip ME. I can't see the program operating the way Carol described it. Why spend the money on a towncar if you're taking the time to checkin at the airport. You can probably rent a car at the Dolphin for what the towncar will cost you.

 

[seashoreCM]

The Magical Express welcome center aat Orlando Airport is next to the bus queues.

I don't think you would be down on the priority for more than about an hour. ME guests are assigned rooms so the luggage can be delivered directly. Non-ME guests should ould be assigned rooms at the time they arrive at the resort check in desk even though keys might not be given out. The computers Disney uses keep track of what rooms are expected to be vacated each day, and your assignment might be to a room that has not been cleaned yet thus no key yet.

Sometimes the ME guest does not like his room assignment either. Then the bell staff has to move the luggage!

Disney hints:
http://members.aol.com/ajaynejr/disney.htm

 

[Chip 'n Dale Express]

To summarize, the author of that post ("Carol") ran into problems last week when checking into BWV as a non ME arrival. She showed up at 10am, expecting a room with or close to her preferences to be available by early afternoon.

When it got to be mid afternoon with no room, she really started querying the front desk staff at the Boardwalk as to what was going on.

So, although I was there at 10 am in person, someone who flew in at 1 pm for example, may in fact have been assigned to the next available room, instead of myself."

That's not entirely the way it works.

When you check in at 10:00am, you are assigned a room right then and there. Regardless of if your room is ready or not, that room is placed on your reservation, and the keys are cut for that room. That room cannot be taken away from that guest, unless there is a specific reason. (ie, maintenance reasons) It also cannot be changed if there's another equal room that comes clean sooner. It's also possible that the room might take longer to become ready. Late check outs, maintenance, and carpet shampoos are often the causes for that. However, when you check in at 10am, there is no way to predict when the room will become available.

For DME reservations, if someone lands at 1pm, and there's a room that has not been assigned to anyone else that has become available, then YES, the DME guest will get that room. At 1pm, there will be a lot more rooms that are ready, so the chances of them getting a clean room is much greater. Even without DME, if there's a clean room available, you will get it. DME will just get the first shot at it because they get picked an hour before they arrive, versus at arrival.