How often do upgrades really happen @ Deluxe Resorts? BC?

[longislandmomof4]

The more research I do and more I read about Deluxe resorts on the internet, it seems like there are A LOT of upgrades given out..... And different types too (book a standard and get a water view, book a standard and get Concierge Club level...). Some say its because of an event (birthday, anniv, etc.) -- and I did tell the travel agent to note it was my son's 6th bday while we were there....

How likely is it during late April/early May???

Has it happened to anyone? Has it happened at the BC in late April early May?

I'm this close to booking concierge level (we're currently booked in a standard non-water view) -- Im on the fence and wouldnt be absolutely crushed if we didnt get an upgrade (thought it would be convenient w/the kids, a little extra room if the club level rooms are bigger -- but I'm definitely wondering if its worth all the extra $$) -- so, do I hold out and not upgrade and get up the nerve to ask once Im there. I totally get there are no guarantees.... but has it happened to anyone? Does it happen as frequently as they make it sound!?!?

Thanks for your experiences in advance!

 

[CR Resort Fan 4 Life]

My advice if you really want to stay on a Club Level floor at the Beach Club, then you should go ahead and make the reservation. Just because others have reported getting upgrades does not mean they happen everyday, they happen to be very lucky since they are a totally random thing. So don't be disappointed by not booking the Club Level floor only to find out at check-in that you were not upgraded.

 

[TammiMcMan]

Just a couple of things to point out. First, I don't really think upgrades are as common as people think. On message boards, you're obviously not going to see 97 posts from people who got what they booked, but you'll see the 3 posts from those who were upgraded. Kind of makes it seem like alot, but in reality, it just isn't. Secondly, there is definitely no rhyme or reason as to how upgrades are issued. I know recently a lot of happy guests were surprised with a concierge upgrade at the GF, because they took buildings out of inventory for room renovations. An upgrade can be to thank a frequent visitor of that particular resort, or because of a celebration. Mostly it's done to benefit the resort though.

As an FYI, club level rooms are no different in size than a standard room. The "worth" of club level is pretty subjective. Reading a lot of posts over the past few months, it appears that the service is not quite what it used to be. The lounge is nice, although pretty small at the BC and unless you need a hot breakfast every morning, most guests are able to put together an average breakfast (ie cold cereal, fruit, yogurt, donuts, bagels). Depending on how many people you have in your family, that could offset your club level room cost by $35 a day. Throw in a few cans of soda and a glass of wine or two and depending on the difference in your rates, you might come out even.

 

[Hopefully]

I agree with Tammi, I think upgrades are rare and definitely the exception. It is just that people report there good luck so it seems to happen frequently. I think you need to decide if the upgrade to Club Level is what you want and then book accordingly. To hold out hope, is just setting yourself up to be disappointed. The best advice is to book what will make you happy.
Have a Great Vacation

 

[IWISHFORDISNEY]

We have gotten 2 upgrades in 15 years. So it is not at all common. Once at BC and Once at AKL. We always travel in November for our anniversary and it is always noted. I wouldnt count on it. Book standard CL and you might get an upgrade to Waterview. That would be more common IMO.

 

[Stitches12]

I agree with most - they really don't happen that frequently. We just returned from 6 days -- Year of a Million Dreams ? I gotta tell ya we never saw one person get a "wish" nor did we see anyone walking around with all day fast passes. I THINK we saw what was the dream team walking through Epcot one day in such a hurry that you couldn't even catch them.

My son had a birthday button on each day and really didn't get much else that a Happy Birthday (but that was great for us). However, we did not go into this expecting ANYTHING. That's the way you have to approach it because I really don't think it happens as frequently as it appears on this board.

If you want an upgrade, book it in the first place but please don't expect it to happen as you might be disappointed. Look at it this way - when you go to buy a new car, does the car dealer throw in a bunch of "free" stuff just for the heck of it ?

Go and book what you can afford. No matter what, you'll have a spectacular time simply because you're at Disney

 

[Deb & Bill]

Well, if you figure out that thousands of people are celebrating anniversaries, birthdays, weddings, graduations, etc every day at WDW, an upgrade is just a lucky thing.

If you really, really want a certain type of lodging, you need to book that instead of hoping for a free upgrade. If you don't get the free upgrade, will that make or break your trip? Will that parking lot view spoil your trip because you were hoping for a pool view?

 

[fla4fun]

I've booked standard at BC many, many times, and only had one upgrade to a water view. It was last April, around the 24th or 25th. I would say my upgrade percentage is probably around 5%, and that's with approximately 75 trips under my belt. I've been upgraded most often at WL, but even so, it's been a small percentage of my visits there. It's better to book what you can afford and will be satisfied with, and then if you end up with something better, it's icing on the cake.

 

[TheRustyScupper]

1) As already mentioned, upgrades are not that pervasive.
2) There are reasons for upgrades.
3) And, they need to be justified in most cases.
4) A 6-yr-old birthday is not a high priority.
5) There are LOTS of 6-yr-old birthdays at WDW.

NOTE: Upgrades are usually done due to resort capacity issues when "Rooms" does the assignments. Typically there are less the 1/2 dozen upgrades per day, and that is on a strong day. Mathematically, that is about three-tenths of one percent (0.3%) of the rooms. On MOST days, there are no upgrades.

NOTE2: You would be surprised how many folks check-in and want an upgrade because they read so much about them. They are politely told none available. Then, you need to hear the jokes made about these folks behind the scenes. Both for thinking it is an entitlement, plus trying to get something for nothing.

 

[mpitzen]

We stayed at the BC a month ago for our honeymoon. When we checked in I was still wearing my wedding dress and I had also told them when I made the reservations that we would be on our honeymoon. We were upgraded from a standard view to a club level suite for the entire week and a half. It was amazing, but I definitely did not expect it nor would I ever again. I think that a part of the reason we were upgraded was because of the time of the year, September is slow season. Before this I had been to Disney about 20 times and never received an upgrade. Therefore, I would not say that it is common. However, good luck... and don't let it ruin your vacation if you don't get an upgrade. Remember you're at Disney, something that most people get to do once, maybe twice in their lifetimes!

 

[DisneyLover75]

I'm subscribing just because I want to see the replies in this thread.

I've not told any of the CM's this when I booked or when I made ADRs, but the reason I'm going this year is to commemorate what would have been my son's 7th birthday. He was stillborn on December 6, 2000. For the first two years, on his "birthday" I'd be miserable. After that, I thought, why weep all day and be sad and miserable? Does it bring him back? Does it do me any good? The answer to both, of course, is no.

So I decided from then on that I'd do something nice for myself to remember him every December. This year, it's WDW.

 

[mickaholic4077]

I'm subscribing just because I want to see the replies in this thread.

I've not told any of the CM's this when I booked or when I made ADRs, but the reason I'm going this year is to commemorate what would have been my son's 7th birthday. He was stillborn on December 6, 2000. For the first two years, on his "birthday" I'd be miserable. After that, I thought, why weep all day and be sad and miserable? Does it bring him back? Does it do me any good? The answer to both, of course, is no.

So I decided from then on that I'd do something nice for myself to remember him every December. This year, it's WDW.

I hope you get upgraded to the Presidential suite(or the WL equivalent thereof)!

 

[Lynne M]

I've stayed at WDW resorts on something like 16 trips over the past 20 years. Values, moderates, deluxes, DVC. In all of those trips, I've gotten exactly ONE upgrade.

If you read these boards a lot, it looks like everyone gets upgraded. That's simply not the case. Of course, people want to tell everyone about their upgrade, so you see a lot of those threads. But the majority of guests get exactly what they paid for.

From what I've read here, upgrades are mostly done to help the resort. Freeing up a block of rooms for maintenance, evening out the room count for housekeeping, that sort of thing. To the guest, it looks like 'pixie dust'.

As far as asking....the most I would do is say, "I've been thinking that I'd like to try concierge....could you please tell me what the cost would be to upgrade?" If you get really, really lucky, you might get offered concierge for a reduced rate, or maybe even for no additional charge. If you wait till you get to the resort, though, you run the risk that there won't be any concierge rooms left.

Asking for a free upgrade to concierge.....I'd be way too embarrassed. Hey, I've got no problem if someone wants to do it, but walking up to the front desk and asking them to give me hundreds of dollars worth of freebies just isn't for me.

 

[MickeyNicki]

We stayed at WL (10 year anniversary) and CR and did not get upgrades. We are going to YC and Poly next week and it is noted on the reservation that it is my midlife crisis birthday (otherwise known as 35) but I am not expecting anything.

 

[princessesrule4]

It's best to just book the room that you want!
It is unlikely that you will get upgraded as so many others have expressed.
I would not ask for an upgrade unless I was willing to pay for it, but that's just me. As a frequent concierge guest, I would be a liar if I didn't say that I get annoyed with people who are always hoping and/or asking to get upgraded to concierge, when I book it from the get go because that is where I like to stay and am willing to pay for it!
To those who unexpectedly get some pixie dust and get an upgrade without asking for it, ( I have gotten a couple) I think that's wonderful!

 

[fla4fun]

1)

NOTE: Upgrades are usually done due to resort capacity issues when "Rooms" does the assignments. Typically there are less the 1/2 dozen upgrades per day, and that is on a strong day. Mathematically, that is about three-tenths of one percent (0.3%) of the rooms. On MOST days, there are no upgrades.

NOTE2: You would be surprised how many folks check-in and want an upgrade because they read so much about them. They are politely told none available. Then, you need to hear the jokes made about these folks behind the scenes. Both for thinking it is an entitlement, plus trying to get something for nothing.

I would agree with this. Any time I've received an upgrade, it's been done by the resort, with no prompting from me. The coolest upgrade I ever received was from a standard CR wing room to a suite, but that was because the resort was overbooked and our reservation just fit between two others. They needed to be sure that suite was available for a VIP for a press event happening the day after we checked out. It worked out to our advantage, but it wasn't something we asked for. We would have been just as happy with the room we booked in the first place (probably happier, because we were so dazzled by the suite, we hated to go to sleep and miss enjoying it!).

 

[DisneyLover75]

I hope you get upgraded to the Presidential suite(or the WL equivalent thereof)!

That is a really sweet thing to say. Thank you so much

 

[MomOf2DisneyKids]

We were upgraded from standard (AAA rate!) to club level at WL 2 years ago!! This past year, we booked club level at WL, and let me tell you, we won't be paying for it again!! The free upgrade was nice....and I sure wouldn't say no to another upgrade someday...

 

[inaminute]

As I've stated in previous posts--we've stayed multiple times per year at every resort level on site. We have NEVER received an upgrade, nor a postcard, nor a special rate (except for the occasional AP rate). Not even on our 25th wedding anniversary.

The result is that we no longer stay on site. Disney doesn't seem to appreciate their long-term repeat guests.