How creative do you get with your faxes for room pref., and do you think ...

[Brier Rose]

Just wondering, when you get ready to send your faxes for room requests, etc.. do you just type and send, do you add clipart and things ?
For those that try to give your faxes a "little something exta",
do you feel it helped you get your requests?

 

[mousehut101]

I was so proud of my last one - I took the post cards they used to have in the rooms at the WL and scanned it and used it as a watermark on the paper....used parchment colored resume paper...Jiminy Cricket, Chip & Dale clip art....I can go on and on!

So I was SOOO happy with it I Overnight FedEx'ed it instead of faxing it.

Needless to say I got exactly what I wanted and when we checked in there were notes in the system and the CM at the front desk told us that they were 'impressed' with the paper we sent them!!!

I was gleaming for several hours!!

 

[Brier Rose]

When you overnighted it did you just mail it directly to the resort addressed to the room assigner? Did you mail it so that it would arrive3 days prior to arrival when they typically do room assigments, or the day before your actual arrival?

 

[mousehut101]

I sent it to the WL directly (901 Timberline Dr, LBV, FL 32830) to the attention of the Manager on Duty/Rooms Assigner.

We were arriving Friday - I sent it on Tuesday- meaning it got there Wednesday morning.

Ed

 

[Brier Rose]

Thanks Alot!!!!!
I would gladly pay the extra $ to FedX it if it would increase our chances. I don't think not receiving all our requests would make us unhappy or anything, but it sure would be the icing on the cake!!!

 

[Shells9]

I faxed a plain ole, professional-looking request on a Monday -- we were due to arrive on Friday, and we did not get it. Next time, I'll dress it up and send it a day later.

 

[tar heel]

I've only done it once -- last summer. We were celebrating my dh's birthday the day after arrival, so I hinged my requests on that and put a clipart birthday cake at the top. I did not ask for anything specific -- just anything they could do to make it extra special. Also, raved about the resort being our favorite. We were upgraded from standard to water view and he got a bouquet of balloons and a card signed by characters on his birthday.

When we stayed at the poly, I sent an e-mail. That's the only resort I've had an e-mail address for. That time I asked for a specific building and floor and got it.

 

[Sammie]

Not to rain on anyone's parade or to be little anyone's efforts to get requests, but is this really necessary.

Will you spend so much time in a hotel room that you need to be putting this much thought into a few requests? I could see if you were buying a home to live in.

I have friends that work at Disney resorts and they have had some interesting comments/laughs about how some people need to get a life and really not overdo the request situation. That some end up in file 13 and while they try their best to honor requests it's impossible to honor everyone's and those downloaded from the system have as much weight as any others.

I make mine when I book my room and let luck have it's way. If you get a room that is not desirable you can immediately ask to be moved.

Just my opinion and no critism of anyone's desire to do otherwise, but I don't feel it is necessary or helps.

 

[mousehut101]

Thats funny. I've never gotten EXACTLY what I wanted before I sent a fax request. CRO requests do not detail what you really want....they are just codes for certain things like...N/S room or Certain location. They dont type it in the same way you tell them.

I've never 'just happened' to get a upgrade before I sent faxes.
I've never 'just happened' to get a birthday cake and balloons.

Don't take this personally, but there are some sour apples at Disney...and you obviously know some of them.
Some people that work there enjoy their job and enjoy making guests happy - you know the way it used to be 30 years ago??

If you dont think they work - dont send them. And get what you get. Its that simple.

---again dont take this the wrong way...I just dont know how else to say it

 

[gepetto]

Originally posted by Sammie


I make mine when I book my room and let luck have it's way. If you get a room that is not desirable you can immediately ask to be moved.

That is what we do. We have stayed at a lot of the resorts and have always gotten great rooms. I usually only request non-smoking. I have only made requests when booking the room.

 

[gepetto]

Originally posted by mousehut101


I've never 'just happened' to get a upgrade before I sent faxes.
I've never 'just happened' to get a birthday cake and balloons.

We've gotten them with no fax. I think it is just luck.

 

[chrissyk]

I'm pretty sure that we got an upgraded view both times that I faxed in a request before our trip. The first time was a stay at the GF. We booked the less expensive view, but we ended up with a water view. I had requested a "dormer" room. I don't recall making a view request, just the request for the "dormer" room...we were very happy with our room and view The 2nd time, I have no idea what I faxed to the BWV other than a request for a non-smoking room on the top floor, but we were upgraded to a preferred view non-smoking room on the top floor We had booked a standard studio. The CM checking us in said that she had only seen this upgrade occur twice since she'd been working there. Maybe it's just pure luck, but those are the only 2 times that I can recall faxing in a request, and both times it appears that we were upgraded

 

[Kallison]

I just put my request in our reservation and call a day or two before to reiterate what we want. But my requests are simple - absolutely non-smoking, if staying in a mod we want the upper floor and connecting rooms for GP's. When we stayed at the Contemp I didn't ask for anything and we got upgraded to the Tower when we checked in and asked if there were any complimentary upgrades available (of course being 2 weeks after 9/11 they were just happy to see people I'm sure). I wouldn't go to all that trouble, but then again we don't spend enough time in our room to make it worthwhile. If I really hated my room location I would just asked to be moved the next day.

 

[peachgirl]

I've never faxed in requests either. I usually book the room, then do a little research to see where we'd like to be and call my requests in at a later date. I've never gotten an upgrade, but I've always gotten my room requests. I think what you request makes more of a difference than what method you use to make the requests.

Requests for special occasions are a different story, you'd have to tell them for them to know. I don't particularly care for that sort of thing, so it's not an issue for me.

Make it simple, don't ask for too much and check in early! So far, it's worked pretty well for us. More than anything, I think it's a case of pure luck.

 

[zurgswife]

Other then the basic requests on our original ressie NS

We have never gotten any requests that we have faxed in...

 

[CynJ]

when my mom and I went in 2002 I had a couple of requests - because my mom has really bad asthma and diabetes I asked for a room that was close to the bus stop and the food court, non-smoking, preferably on the ground floor, and asked for a fridge to keep her insulin in.

I made these requests when I booked and sent a fax a week ahead of time and also called two days before we arrived - we got a perfect room at the ASMov in the Toy Story Section -a 20 second walk to the main building & bus stop, on the ground floor, non-smoking, with a fridge(at no charge I might add!)

I don't know which made the difference the fax or the call but it was perfect for us! Then again my requests had medical reasons behind them so I don't know if that rates higher then other requests.

 

[Sammie]

Originally posted by mousehut101
Thats funny. I've never gotten EXACTLY what I wanted before I sent a fax request. CRO requests do not detail what you really want....they are just codes for certain things like...N/S room or Certain location. They dont type it in the same way you tell them.

I've never 'just happened' to get a upgrade before I sent faxes.
I've never 'just happened' to get a birthday cake and balloons.

Don't take this personally, but there are some sour apples at Disney...and you obviously know some of them.
Some people that work there enjoy their job and enjoy making guests happy - you know the way it used to be 30 years ago??

If you dont think they work - dont send them. And get what you get. Its that simple.

---again dont take this the wrong way...I just dont know how else to say it

Believe me I did not take it the wrong way, I am not an overly sensitive guy and hardly ever get my feelings hurt on internet postings. You have your opinion, and I have mine.

My friends are great employees and they want to make everyone's stay enjoyable not just a few, who send elaborate faxes wanting more than they pay for.

I don't consider upgrades and a birthday cake and balloons a request. I consider a request to be ground floor, end of the hall.

I don't expect anything unless I pay for it. I do know that as more and more people send faxes, Disney will soon intercede if it begins to interfere with the job responsibilities of the staff by overworking them by having to read all of them.

As to specific requests on your reservation, yes you can be very specific and if you get a good CM taking the reservation they will put in exactly what you ask them to. Certainly there are some CM's at CRO that will not do that, but then again there are some at resorts that are not impressed with faxes either.

I do know that regardless of the method one chooses, requests are not guaranteed. Sending a fax won't guarantee your requests will always be met anymore than listing them on your orginial reservation. Some send faxes and get their requests, some send faxes and they don't get their requests.

As others have said, sometimes it just luck of the draw.

 

[deecee99]

Thanks for posting this thread - interesting reading.

Faxing didn't work for me during my last stay (POR, Marathon weekend). I'm hopeful for next January that I get the room I request. And if not, no big deal, cause I'm "In The World"!!!

-diane

 

[MelissathePooh]

From my understanding rooms are assigned based on when reservations were made. If a request is available when your reservation comes up for assignment they will honor it. If its available they'll assign it to you.

I have to hope that if I make my request when I call in the original reservation and don't fax anything additional the room controller wouldn't move me just because your cute fax came in. (given that I made the original reservation first).

So if a cute fax increases your chances you're saying that it will potentially override someone elses requests and I don't think that's how Disney does things. If its available they'll give it to you. If I ever found out that happened - you can believe I would make my feelings well known.

I know its great when all requests are met and I know its important to some people - I'm not trying to say it shouldn't be, just that some people go overboard and make it harder than it should be. The thing about the great rooms/locations is that everyone wants them - if not there would be no need to request them and sometimes it just not possible to make everyone happy. Just because you make the extra effort of enhancing your request format shouldn't make a difference.

I know what we all value in a vacation is very different, but I don't think a room request is worth the additional money of actually sending something over night given there is no way to guarantee it, but that's just my opinion and for others it the chance may well be worth the money I guess.

Melissa

 

[skiwee1]

Originally posted by gepetto
We've gotten them with no fax. I think it is just luck.

Every time I fax I never get anything I asked for! LOL! When I just tell CRO what I want then I usually get it. Last October I had this creative little request and faxed it to the Poly. I was so proud! When I got there they had me in the complete opposite side of the resort grounds. I asked about my fax and the CM said they never got it. I know they did. Needless to say I requested a certain building and it was open so luckily I got it. I've heard a lot tell the same thing about the Poly so who knows. I think this time I'll leave it up to the requests in my original ressie and see how it goes. I think the CMs get annoyed but all the fancy crap we do!