How do they determine free mega upgrades?

[aristocatz]

My parents always go to WDW during a slow time of year & they always stay at the WL. They often get free view upgrades. I know someone who once got a free club level upgrade at DAK & someone else who got a free upgrade to a SUITE at the Yacht Club!

I just wondered if there was any rhyme or reason to their pixie dust? Obviously they offer them when there are alot of empty rooms. I wonder are the hotels only allowed to offer a certain number of huge upgrades per month? Or are they just simply allowed to give away an unlimited amount of pixie dust?

I'm not asking because I'm trying to find tips to score some free stuff, I'm just genuinely interested in how things work in Disney.

 

[IrishNYC]

Luck

 

[GADisneyDad14]

Luck. Timing. Often (but not always) the "mega" upgrades like a suite upgrade are for short stays.

 

[aristocatz]

Luck

So, do you think that the CM's have free reign on how often they give these upgrades?

 

[aristocatz]

Often (but not always) the "mega" upgrades like a suite upgrade are for short stays.

Aah, yes-that makes sense.

 

[GADisneyDad14]

So, do you think that the CM's have free reign on how often they give these upgrades?

My non-inside knowledge view is that most of the upgrades are determined by the room assignor in the days before you arrive. I'm sure some could be done on the spot as well, but particularly in this age of online check-in, I think a lot of it is happening at the room assignor level.

 

[Disney Khaleesi]

Upgrades also tend to happen when there's some sort of problem with the initial resort category booked-either it's overbooked, there were certain room requests that Disney wanted to try and accommodate, there was an error with the room that was going to be assigned, etc.

 

[_auroraborealis_]

The desk has very little power in room assignment.

 

[tcufrog]

We booked a suite in the Wilderness Lodge Villas for 4 nights in early December once. When we got there that wasn't available and they tried to move us into two rooms that weren't adjoining which we rejected since we had a rambunctious toddler and didn't want him to have easy access to the rest of the hotel without us knowing about it. When I raised a fuss they moved us to a suite on the Club Level.

 

[aristocatz]

The desk has very little power in room assignment.

But they do have power. My parents' last two trips, when they've checked in, the front desk has asked them "What floor would you like?"

 

[Lynne M]

Complimentary upgrades are done for the resort's operational needs, and are generally assigned in advance of your arrival. To the guest, it looks like pixie dust, but it's done for the resort's benefit. They don't give them out just because there are empty rooms. Basically, it happens when the resort needs to get you out of the room you would have been assigned, because of maintenance, refurbs, overbooking, needing to keep a group together, etc.

Getting a free upgrade is pure luck - you happened to book a certain room category for a certain specific range of dates.

Front desk CMs do have some flexibility in assigning rooms, but they don't have the ability to hand out free upgrades to any guest they like.

 

[Princess Minnie321]

Last December, we booked a 7 night hotel and ticket package with Disney for POFQ. Around February, I received an email with a unique upgrade offer and pin saying I was selected to upgrade to AK for only $44 extra per night! I never get deals like this so I was beyond excited! When I called to switch, she booked me in a bunk bed savannah view! I have two kids so this upgrade was incredible. She said we were randomly selected by the Disney marketing team for an upgrade.

 

[kcpinwdw]

Last month my standard view beach club booking was upgraded to garden view grand floridian, about two months or so before our trip. It was due to overbooking at beach I was told (probably because of yacht club construction?). Technically this may be a lateral move but the $$ difference would have been significant and while I have stayed at Beach a few times I had never stayed at GF so I jumped on it. I am pretty sure the offer came to me because I was booked through a travel agency--- disney had called the agency and told them to offer people with that category booking this move. This is the only upgrade i have ever received, even with many one night stays I have never even gotten a view upgrade when booking through disney. Actually, when we stayed at WL in january I got my room text for a room that was an upgrade but wouldnt work for us--- bunk beds (but I have 4 year old twins). So I called (we hadnt even left our home yet) and after about four transferred reached the real front desk, where they changed our room back to standard view and got me the high floor I requested, and were super nice about it. Even though I know it's unlikely, and I am happy with the room categories we book, there is no harm in secretly hoping for a magical upgrade! You never know!

 

[Paula Sedley-Burke]

We always seem to have issues with our accessible room when we arrive. We come on my birthday most years or a bit before. Last year they upgraded our VGF studio to a suite in the GF main building and access to club.

 

[IndianaRRT]

I witnessed some folks checking in at POR get an upgrade. Very sweet little family who was obviously exhausted despite it being about 10am. The mother was so polite as she tried to gather her things and balance all of her papers and travel bags. Dad was entertaining 2 young girls (who were being quite good despite their obvious fatigue). I heard snippets of their conversation--car trouble, road construction, unexpected delays... I don't know if the CM was impressed with their class under pressure or the fates just smiled down on them, but suddenly they found themselves going to one of the Royal rooms for their stay. It was so sweet. The momma got tears and everything. That's pixie dust to me--and totally deserved.

 

[fla4fun]

The only time we received a major complimentary discount was one late September trip to CR. We were checking out on 9/30, and it was right before (if I'm remembering correctly) WDW's 25th anniversary. There were a lot of VIP's coming in for the events taking place on October 1. We were there 10 nights, but since we were checking out on the correct date as far as Disney was concerned, we got the upgrade to the suite instead of a standard view wing room. That was a fantastic upgrade, no doubt about it, but it was just random coincidence that they needed to block that room and our dates worked in Disney's favor.

There have been a few times where I've received an upgrade from one view category to the next, but that tends to happen more often because one category gets overbooked and another under booked, so they move people around. I would hazard a guess that half the time people aren't even aware that this has occurred.

 

[wdw4rfam]

We've got view upgrades many times, but never anything major. We've never asked, and a few times didn't even know until we got to the room. The only time we many have had something to do with it was when they tried to "upgrade us " at CBR from a standard room to a pirate room. I said no thank you, that is not a upgrade-it's far and has double beds. She tried to tell me that when you book standard, they can put you anywhere....until I pulled out my phone and showed her I booked a standard because it says queen beds and that's what I need. We ended up in Martinique right next to the foodcourt because apparently they overbooked standard.

 

[cutigerlady]

We were upgraded at the GF to a castle view room in the RPC. We had paid for a standard view in RPC and we were only staying two nights. We flew in very early in the morning and planned to make the most of our very short trip. I mentioned as we were checking in we were celebrating our 15th anniversary (we spent our honeymoon at GF). I was very surprised at the upgrade!

 

[Dug720]

I think a lot can depend on your attitude displayed when things happen. Marathon Weekend 2014 they assigned me to a Pirate Room. I didn't whine about beds or distance - I very politely said I appreciated the upgrade, but since I was a solo adult, if there was any way I could be "downgraded" and give a family the pixie dust of the Pirate Room that would be awesome. The CM smiled and said "let me see what we have" and immediately called the room assigners. Two minutes later I was in Trinidad North - no fuss, no argument. I strongly suspect had I gone in with a "no way Jose" attitude the result would have been very different - or at least I would have gotten pushback.

Having worked in the hotel industry, I can tell you that attitude goes a long way in terms of assigning rooms and/or helping out at the check-in desk.

And for the record, bed size (I have a double at home and have never felt deprived) and distance had nothing to do with it. The thought of getting in and out of the ship frame after a marathon was the issue.

 

[KrazeeK120]

My DH and I were upgraded from a standard room at BWI to a cottage suite. They didn't even tell us we were upgraded. They were just doing their normal club level check in routine. I was super confused at first and asked what was going on and then they told me we'd been upgraded. I burst into tears, lol. I must have looked ridiculous. We were there for my birthday, but I hadn't noted that on the reservation. It was an amazing upgrade. We could never afford to stay in a room like that!