Hypothetical question about resort upgrades...

[Surfinpiratee]

Hello all!

I've read of people checking into their resort (value/moderate) and they've been upgraded to a moderate/deluxe. I'm assuming due to their original resort being overbooked.

So my question is: when I look online at the all stars, it's showing availability. When I call, the CM says nothing is showing up for her. Is this possibly due to the all stars being booked up? Or close to it? So if I were to book it and I'm not due
to arrive at my resort very late (2am) and the resort is booked. What do you think my chances are of being upgraded? Since I'm arriving so late, I'd assume I'd be one of the last to check in..


Thanks!

 

[DisneyWishes14]

Guests are typically moved due to operational issues at their original resort - electricity going out at Gran Destino, major construction issues, etc. If you book a room at All-Stars, expect to be placed in a room at All-Stars. Rooms are assigned days before guest arrival, not day-of as people arrive. There are almost 5500 rooms when you combine all three All Star resorts - chances are, they will find you a room. Also, the All Star resorts host many groups that have rooms blocked out, some of which, will be released back into inventory once those groups have finalized their numbers. People cancel all the time and inventory shifts constantly. I have stayed onsite at least 50 times over the past 11 years. On our last trip we arrived at 1 am. We have been given plenty of room category upgrades (standard to garden or preferred, etc.), but we have never been walked to another resort. I would absolutely not expect to be given a resort upgrade based on a phone CM not being able to see what you see on the website.

 

[Lewisc]

Hello all!

I've read of people checking into their resort (value/moderate) and they've been upgraded to a moderate/deluxe. I'm assuming due to their original resort being overbooked.

So my question is: when I look online at the all stars, it's showing availability. When I call, the CM says nothing is showing up for her. Is this possibly due to the all stars being booked up? Or close to it? So if I were to book it and I'm not due
to arrive at my resort very late (2am) and the resort is booked. What do you think my chances are of being upgraded? Since I'm arriving so late, I'd assume I'd be one of the last to check in..


Thanks!

Near zero. I've read very few cases of people checking in and being walked to another resort. I wouldn't be shocked if some of that is going on today as guests with canceled flights might be forced to extend their stay.

Check in late and you might get a minor view upgrade. You might also get a bad view, in the category you booked. Early arriving guests might have requested alternate rooms.

If renovations are going slow, resulting in an inventory reduction, Disney will occasionally (really rarely) upgrade guests in advance.

Hotels generally have some no shows and some last minute cancellations. A hotel won't generally book every room. A hotel showing 100% bookings will generally hold back a few rooms in case they need to be removed from inventory for maintenance. In case a guest needs to extend their stay.

I guess a convention might need more rooms at CSR. Disney might try to move some guests.

A person looking for a "free" upgrade will have better luck looking through the discount sub forum. Sometimes PL or Hotwire will have a Disney moderate for about the price of a value or a deluxe for the price of a moderate.

 

[ColoradoMom12]

I’ve been upgraded several (more than three) times. None have been to a higher category resort. The one thing I have noticed in common with all of my upgrades is the length of my stay is relatively short. Generally one to three nights, but once I was upgraded (small upgrade from a standard to garden view) for a longer stay. I suspect it has something to do with room inventory as they are assigning rooms, which happens a few days prior to check-in. I could be wrong, but I would guess that time of check-in doesn’t really have anything to do with it.

 

[SharonZ]

Book the resort that you want to stay at, not the one that you think gives you the best chance for an upgrade. I was upgraded from SSR, when they overbooked due to a large convention. They gave me a choice of the hotels that they could switch me to, that had availability. The call was over a week before I arrived, and my trips tend to be shorter (4-5 days). There is a large volume of international travelers that arrive much later than 2 a.m.

 

[zoo2tycoon]

Is this a new theme? Every couple days people asking how to get free upgrade!

Simply said upgrades are very rare. People come here to say they were upgraded because they are excited (boast/brag). Book what you want at the hotel you want. Don't book standard view at All Stars and ask to be upgraded to Presidential Suite (or whatever most expensive is called) at the Grand Floridian (think the Hecks on The Middle).

 

[Lacoccinelle]

In all the people that I personally know who have gone to Disney, this has only happened to one of them ever.
We have been upgraded in our own hotel quite a few times, but never to another resort. Book where you want to stay.

 

[robinb]

I've been walked three times from a moderate resort to a Deluxe/DVC resort. Twice for when the resort closed (around 9/11 -- CBR->Polynesian 2002 & POFQ->AKL 2004) and then once at the front desk or POFQ->SSR 2008. The last one was when I *really* wanted to stay at POFQ but they were overbooked for "free" dining. They offered to upgrade us to a studio at SSR but we have just come from one the week before. They came back and said that we could have a 1BR instead and I gave up fighting it.

That being said, it's been a LONG time since we were walked so I would not expect or even hope for it. Book where you want to stay and be happy with it.

 

[buzznina]

Room view upgrades within the same resort happens, but an upgrade to a different resort is very rare.

 

[nkereina]

Hotels overbook banking on the chance they will have last minute cancellations or no shows, which hotels almost always do when they are booking to capacity. If they are overbooked now, they may not be by the time you arrive. I worked at a hotel (not Disney) for five years, and only had to walk people three times.

 

[Disneylover99]

I would expect if they needed to upgrade someone to a more expensive resort, it would be based more on your length of stay, not your arrival time.

 

[lanejudy]

when I look online at the all stars, it's showing availability. When I call, the CM says nothing is showing up for her.

I think this is unusual. Did you actually go through to booking that reservation you can see? I’ve had the online system initially show me a resort is available, but then when I click further, I get a message of no rooms for my date. Or offer. Possibly the CM is looking for a specific offer but you have a general search?

In any case...as PPs have said, unlikely you’d be upgraded to another resort.

Enjoy your vacation!

 

[Minnie1222]

I'm here to report that I've NEVER been upgraded, despite going to Disney 2-3 times per year in the past 10 years. My three neighbors also go to Disney 1-2 times per year and have never been pixie dusted either.
We also know a lady, who beats all of our records, by going to Disney 42 times in the past 15 years. Sadly she was also overlooked by Disney.

 

[Nancyg56]

Is this a new theme? Every couple days people asking how to get free upgrade!

Simply said upgrades are very rare. People come here to say they were upgraded because they are excited (boast/brag). Book what you want at the hotel you want. Don't book standard view at All Stars and ask to be upgraded to Presidential Suite (or whatever most expensive is called) at the Grand Floridian (think the Hecks on The Middle).

It is not a new theme. WHen I first joined here I was planning a trip to AKL wth my family and was reading about the fabulous upgrades folks were getting, as well as posters asking how to get one for their family. This was about 14 years ago. The answers then were teh same as they are today: Book what you are happy with.

Back then I had initially hoped for a free upgrade to CL, but becuase I really wanted that level I called and upgraded our rooms. Since then I book what I want, but that never stops me from wondering if some special upgrade fairy will pick my family for a suite on the top floor. Or a move to the Bungalows. Or perhaps CL in the Grand Main building. LOL! So far no luck,

 

[cakebaker]

I've had it happen several times where I was seeing availability online and they weren't on the phone. I don't why it happens, but it did for just a few weeks ago. I was wanting to modify my reservation online from POR to POFQ and I could see availability but for some reason it wouldn't let me modify online. I called and the CM couldn't find any- then did some magic that allowed me to book online. She wasn't surprised by it either. It's not a sign that the resort is booked.

Don't ever book anything you aren't happy to stay in. I've gotten a lot of upgrades this year including getting bumped up to concierge at the YC once, but in all the years I've been going, I had never had a single one until this year.

 

[Moliphino]

I'm here to report that I've NEVER been upgraded, despite going to Disney 2-3 times per year in the past 10 years. My three neighbors also go to Disney 1-2 times per year and have never been pixie dusted either.
We also know a lady, who beats all of our records, by going to Disney 42 times in the past 15 years. Sadly she was also overlooked by Disney.

I think I've gotten preferred rooms when I booked standard, though at the time I had no idea what the difference was and didn't realize (we were in casitas 2 at CSR).

 

[DLgal]

You will get the room you booked and that was assigned to you 3 days before you arrive, even if you arrive in the middle of the night. Most resort moves happen due to major issue and you would be contacted before arrival in those cases. It is exceedingly rare to show up, especially at 2am, and get shuttled to a different resort upon arrival. Like, so rare it's not even worth mentioning.

That said, I have gotten upgraded a number of times, but only at Deluxe resorts. The best way to snag a pixie dust upgrade is to book a Standard room and stay only a couple nights, usually midweek. They will bump people from standard categories frequently if they want to free up more of those rooms for new reservations when the higher categories still have availability. I have been upgraded at least 5 times, twice to club level and once to a suite. All were standard room bookings less than 5 nights.

 

[MomOTwins]

You will get the room you booked and that was assigned to you 3 days before you arrive, even if you arrive in the middle of the night. Most resort moves happen due to major issue and you would be contacted before arrival in those cases. It is exceedingly rare to show up, especially at 2am, and get shuttled to a different resort upon arrival. Like, so rare it's not even worth mentioning.

That said, I have gotten upgraded a number of times, but only at Deluxe resorts. The best way to snag a pixie dust upgrade is to book a Standard room and stay only a couple nights, usually midweek. They will bump people from standard categories frequently if they want to free up more of those rooms for new reservations when the higher categories still have availability. I have been upgraded at least 5 times, twice to club level and once to a suite. All were standard room bookings less than 5 nights.

We have two separate one-night stays at standard rooms before and after our cruise this fall. I actually WANT the standard room because per the touringplans map, they are all close to the lobby and I hate long walks to the room. If they want to upgrade me to club level or a gorgeous water view that's one thing, but if they are going to "upgrade" me to a garden view all the way down the end of the hall, I would be ticked off.

 

[sndral]

When we used to arrive very late we always ended up in less than ideal rooms - like the room facing the parking lot for our ‘garden view’ & no balcony when balcony was our only request (Poly,) far from the lobby when close to the lobby was our only request (POFQ,) overlooking a people pen when we’d booked savanna view (AKL,) etc.. I always wondered if people who’d arrived earlier & been assigned those rooms complained and were given ‘our’ original rooms, or maybe the room assigner had an irrational hatred for us, I dunno. These days w/ rooms being assigned a couple of days before arrival and much of the assigning being done by computer I think there’s less day of room shuffling than there used to be.
Upgrades in view category at the same resort occasionally happen, downgrades in view category (preferred to standard at values, for ex.) also occasionally happen. But upgrades or downgrades to a different resort are very very rare.

 

[kaytieeldr]

These days w/ rooms being assigned a couple of days before arrival

Ibe always been like that.