How do they prioritize room requests?

[OneMoreTry]

Is there any advantage to making room requests earlier rather than later?

Do I have the same chance of getting the request if I make it days before the stay rather than months?

Does an earlier arrival help? Or calling the resort the day before or the morning of my stay?

It would seem very difficult for the CMs to prioritize in any way. It's amazing to me than can meet most of the requests at all. Maybe there are just lots of people who don't make requests.

 

[Sandisw]

Since room requests are not guaranteed, I don't think that there is any order to them in terms of when they were made and getting filled.

Arriving at the resort earlier may give you a better chance of getting your request, but IMO, only because there will be more flexibility in them giving you a room that was assigned to someone else who has not yet checked in.

I really believe its just luck of the draw and that as they are assigning rooms, if the request comes up, they do their best to honor it.

 

[drusba]

I have not noticed any difference in result in making a request very early at time you make reservation or later, except that waiting until two days beforehand may be too late. Requests need to go through MS and there is no assurance the resort itself will get it fast enough to act on it if you wait until the last week to make any requests. My understanding is that members can no longer fax or call the resort to put in a request.

I have gotten requests about 60% of the time and last three in a row. For those, we have arrived both early (10 a.m.) and late (4:30) and it made no difference. For each of those we kept our request to a single request that was fairly generalized: (a) for Kidani savanna view, requested close to lobby; (b) for BLT Theme Park view, requested high floor; and (c) for BWV boardwalk view, also requested high floor. The AKV request I made at time of reserving, and the BLT and BWV ones about three months before arrival. Did all three on the member site via email to MS.

 

[disneynutz]

It seems that each resort, each assigner has their own way of doing things. I have been told that some don't care and they just want to get it done. Some look at the reservation date, some consider your arrival time.

I met one assigner who was new on the job, had never walked the resort, never been in a room, and made her assignments based on what was in a binder with a resort map.

Bill

 

[gdrj]

I can only imagine the nightmare of trying to adhere to guest requests. Of course that doesn't stop me from requesting!

We've had mixed results with room requests.

 

[Pirate Granny]

A room assigner, a dream job for me....possibly when I retire I'll have to check out part time employment...seriously, I love all the extra details and working things out...it would be such fun.

 

[BEASLYBOO]

A room assigner, a dream job for me....possibly when I retire I'll have to check out part time employment...seriously, I love all the extra details and working things out...it would be such fun.

Not so sure about that, I've witnessed some pretty serious drama over the last 13 years! People get bent when they think that they "should" get what they've requested! Give's a whole new meaning to, "Have a magical day!"

I don't think there's enough I can snort to make me want to deal with the vacationg public!

I think it's true what Sandisw stated, you have a better chance of requests or a better choice of villas if you arrive earlier than later! Example: We usually arrive between 11 and 12:30pm, and at Kidani and Jambo, I always book standard points now, without requests, and I've always gotten very nice/partial views of the savannah, 6 times now, I've never gotten the parking lot! (Of course I've probably just jinxed myself!

 

[chalee94]

Not so sure about that, I've witnessed some pretty serious drama over the last 13 years! People get bent when they think that they "should" get what they've requested! Give's a whole new meaning to, "Have a magical day!"

I don't think there's enough I can snort to make me want to deal with the vacationg public!

i think she wants the "room assigner" job, not the front desk job...

 

[disneynutz]

Not so sure about that, I've witnessed some pretty serious drama over the last 13 years! People get bent when they think that they "should" get what they've requested! Give's a whole new meaning to, "Have a magical day!"

I don't think there's enough I can snort to make me want to deal with the vacationg public!

Room assigners work in the back room in operations, not on stage.

Might not be a bad job if you can guarantee that that's the job you get.

Bill

 

[Hillbeans]

I've only put in requests twice - once at BCV for a high floor room (was given a room on the ground floor) and one for a room close to the lobby (wasn't close at all).

When I don't make a room request I have gotten far better accommodations. My last stay was at AKV. I booked a Standard and we got a Savannah view on the 5th floor.

 

[BEASLYBOO]

Room assigners work in the back room in operations, not on stage.

Might not be a bad job if you can guarantee that that's the job you get.

Bill

Is this a known fact that it's a physical being who does it, there's no computer automation to it?

 

[hjgaus]

Not so sure about that, I've witnessed some pretty serious drama over the last 13 years! People get bent when they think that they "should" get what they've requested! Give's a whole new meaning to, "Have a magical day!"

I don't think there's enough I can snort to make me want to deal with the vacationg public!

I think it's true what Sandisw stated, you have a better chance of requests or a better choice of villas if you arrive earlier than later! Example: We usually arrive between 11 and 12:30pm, and at Kidani and Jambo, I always book standard points now, without requests, and I've always gotten very nice/partial views of the savannah, 6 times now, I've never gotten the parking lot! (Of course I've probably just jinxed myself!

OKAY..... maybe for WDW villas but not so much for VGC @ DLR. I've checked in @ 6:30AM several times before doing Early Morning Hour and HAVE NOT always gotten my specific room # requests! (looking for park view) Although when staying @ BCV our only room request is for high floor and is usually granted!
It's hit OR miss! Oh well... I can only keep on requesting & wish for the best!!

 

[Deb & Bill]

Limit your number of requests to two at the most and put the one you want the most first.

If you start putting in too many small details, you probably are not going to get your request. Make them simple and easy to provide.

 

[Dean]

Is there any advantage to making room requests earlier rather than later?

Do I have the same chance of getting the request if I make it days before the stay rather than months?

Does an earlier arrival help? Or calling the resort the day before or the morning of my stay?

It would seem very difficult for the CMs to prioritize in any way. It's amazing to me than can meet most of the requests at all. Maybe there are just lots of people who don't make requests.

They used to prioritize by booking date but those days are gone. Now about the only real priority is medical need. I wish they put more effort and thought into it. When I made my requests for Marriott's Grande Ocean in HH for the trip we just finished, I was told that they'd do their best and that they went so far as to give you a lower floor this year if you had a higher one last year. Since I rented it last year, I was a little nervous but it worked out OK. IMO Marriott does a much better job than Disney in this area and Disney does a much poorer job than they used to before "room ready".

 

[OneMoreTry]

I've stayed at BWV 3 times. Each time arrived around noon or earlier. Always had to wait until 4 and never got my requests (not multiple requests).

 

[Muhlenberg]

They used to prioritize by booking date but those days are gone. Now about the only real priority is medical need. I wish they put more effort and thought into it. When I made my requests for Marriott's Grande Ocean in HH for the trip we just finished, I was told that they'd do their best and that they went so far as to give you a lower floor this year if you had a higher one last year. Since I rented it last year, I was a little nervous but it worked out OK. IMO Marriott does a much better job than Disney in this area and Disney does a much poorer job than they used to before "room ready".

And medical need doesn't always work. At Kidani we requested near lobby because of my elderly mother, and we ended up in the 4th bead, south wing. However, we had two rooms reserved; one was a 2-BR savanna view and the other was a standard view studio. DH asked if there were any rooms closer to the lobby, as he had arrived around 12:30 and was told no after they looked. Oh well...we coped.

 

[Dean]

And medical need doesn't always work. At Kidani we requested near lobby because of my elderly mother, and we ended up in the 4th bead, south wing. However, we had two rooms reserved; one was a 2-BR savanna view and the other was a standard view studio. DH asked if there were any rooms closer to the lobby, as he had arrived around 12:30 and was told no after they looked. Oh well...we coped.

To me it's most important to be reasonable and consistent. I do think that owners should get priority. Personally I think the order of preference should be owners at that resort, other DVC members, cash guests then exchangers with renters falling into the owners spot. Like they did before based on when a person reserved gave a somewhat similar priority order but a little less clean, IMO. I know it's a difficult task to fit together the reservations but other companies do it all the time far better than DVC. It's not that I think DVC is BAD but rather that I think they could do better and that other timeshares (even points ones) do better so I don't think the excuse of the different length's of stay is a good enough one.

 

[AnnaS]

I know this is not the same as the room request question.

My son and dil checked in Saturday about an hour before us at OKW. We had the reservations liked so we would be close by. Nothing else.

My friend and her hubby also arrived before us - more or less same time as my son - we had all just gotten off the Fantasy. Their room was ready even later than my son's.

Our room was ready before theirs - my son just commented "how is that possible that your room is ready before ours since we checked in before you."

Just a comment but we were curious what order to they follow. (Maybe the rooms are assigned and housekeeping is slower than another one - but my son and I were a few doors away from each other). Again, no biggie just commenting.

 

[KAT4DISNEY]

I've noticed that we have decent results with a first request if it's multiple criteria. Multiple requests being met is less likely so I make the first the main or only make one. But it's certainly not all the time either and I don't always make requests. Where I own, where I'm booked and when I make the request doesn't seem to make any difference.

I don't know about the room assignment priority at VGC but on my last visit the front desk did tell me that she had not allowed my room assignment to be switched out to people who had arrived before me specifically since I had booked at 11 months and earlier than the others asking for my room - I arrived mid afternoon. Apparently it was a couple of people that asked for my room and one person came back a couple of times to see if I had arrived yet or if not to ask again if they could switch.

It was nice that I received some priority for early booking and also telling that they sometimes do switch out for the earlier arriving people who don't like their room assignment and try and get it changed. .

To me it's most important to be reasonable and consistent. I do think that owners should get priority. Personally I think the order of preference should be owners at that resort, other DVC members, cash guests then exchangers with renters falling into the owners spot. Like they did before based on when a person reserved gave a somewhat similar priority order but a little less clean, IMO.

I'd agree with and like to see this. More than once I've had my request on a 7 month or less non-home resort booking met for a great room. And the request was probably made a couple of weeks before check in. Nice for me but not so fair for the resort owner. Other than the one time I made a request and MS laughed telling me they didn't get that one too often! I did receive that request.

A sorting of arriving reservations shouldn't be that difficult to achieve in order to assist with priority in requests.

I know this is not the same as the room request question.

My son and dil checked in Saturday about an hour before us at OKW. We had the reservations liked so we would be close by. Nothing else.

My friend and her hubby also arrived before us - more or less same time as my son - we had all just gotten off the Fantasy. Their room was ready even later than my son's.

Our room was ready before theirs - my son just commented "how is that possible that your room is ready before ours since we checked in before you."

Just a comment but we were curious what order to they follow. (Maybe the rooms are assigned and housekeeping is slower than another one - but my son and I were a few doors away from each other). Again, no biggie just commenting.

Did you request for rooms to be close together? Either way I'd doubt the front desk and room assigners would ever know exactly how the housekeeping route might end up going - or needing to change during the day so unless they decided to set up a queue and assign as rooms were cleared as ready this would easily happen. And if things were done via order of check in it could have meant your rooms were on opposite ends of the resort because rooms all over the resort are being cleaned at the same time. Also they wouldn't know exactly when you might arrive even with online check in there might be some deviation. Since they do pre-assign rooms that could mean that someone who checked in a little later could get their room ready earlier.

 

[tinkfan]

I will be testing this out in Sept. I have a 1 bdrm reserved at AKV concierge. There are very few of those units and one is HAC with no tub only a shower. My only request is to have a tub! I actually noticed last week that my exact dates are now available which is amazing for these concierge rooms. I even called MS to make sure my reservation had not been accidently cancelled. So now someone may pick up these nights on very little notice. If I end up with the room without the tub I will be very upset. We do plan to check in fairly early as we are moving over from BWV, but who knows??