Is "Room-Ready" Strictly a DVC Thing?

[DiznEeyore]

Or does it apply to all of the WDW resorts? I'm just curious because we obviously stay at the DVC resorts, so I don't have any experience with "room-ready" at non-DVCs.

 

[bounceliketigger]

Check in @ non-DVC is 3:00 I think, but I have to say I have never waited for a non-DVC room, even though we usually arrive early in the a.m. We will be taking our first DVC trip on Sunday & we're a bit anxious about this whole issue. We have a party of 7 and will be arriving early in the a.m. We have a granny, an infant, and a toddler and may need some rest time after starting our day at 4 a.m.!

 

[Maistre Gracey]

Room ready is not used at all DVC Resorts. We always stay at VB and VWL, and those resorts still pre-assign rooms.

MG

 

[boatboatboat]

we are staying at BCV in a studio on May 27, for one night so our daughter can use the pool. On may 28th we are moving to BWV into a one bedroom for 5 days.

We will just walk to the BW in the AM, and "try" to check in.

If there is an empty room, will they allow you to get into that room at that time?

The earliest I ever got into a room was at HH. We got in at 10:00 AM. The resort was 50% full at best.

How far in advance does Disney assign rooms?

 

[DiznEeyore]

Room ready is not used at all DVC Resorts. We always stay at VB and VWL, and those resorts still pre-assign rooms.

MG

Really? Why would the policies differ from resort to resort? Now I'm really confused ...

 

[browniemtb]

We just got back from BWV yesterday and after reading much about the room situation I was a bit concerned being that we arrived at the BWV at 10:00 AM......We had no problem...got right into our room and changed up and off we went.
Brownie

 

[Daitcher]

It is still up to the individual resort what system works best for them. I go out of my way to compliment them every time I encounter the room ready system being used. Room assigners would be a thing of the past if I was running a resort. We've stayed at other timeshares, especially Marriott properties and they seem to assign rooms. I've never heard so many upset owners as when I've checked into the Marriott Aruba Surf Club. I've witnessed some major meltdowns in my 2 check ins there. Don't think for one second that asigned rooms are the answer. I love all these people who think priority should be given based upon when you book, if it's your home resort etc. This cracks me up. Could you imagine it now: The big sweaty guy who is yelling at the poor CM. "I booked this room 11 months ago and I am an owner here!" There are not enough "desirable rooms" to go around. There might be 50 owners who all booked 11 months out for BCV. There isn't 50 rooms with desirable view there and even if there were some of those would be occupied. 60% or more of these "owners" would be furious that there requests weren't met. At least with room ready they would have some say in the matter.


DAVE

 

[Maistre Gracey]

Really? Why would the policies differ from resort to resort? Now I'm really confused ...

I have no idea. I have actually talked to the room assigner at WL/VWL, and she said she never even heard of a "room ready policy".

I'm certainly not complaining because I love the pre-assign method, but the proof has been in the pudding.
Every time we have visited VB and VWL since the room ready policy was born, we have been told our room isn't ready yet. We have waited hours at both resorts to get the room that was assigned to us.

-- The way it SHOULD be!

MG

 

[boatboatboat]

Daitcher why did you buy SSR?

You would be money ahead to purchase HH resale.

To heck with the 12 years. It still factors out better per year, per point.

I don't understand your logic of buying SSR at a HIGH price to book rooms in the 7 mth window.

your logic is flawed.

people are staying at BWV with HH points that are worth 70 a pt, and you are "spending" SSR points that are worth 90 a pt.

That's funny........

 

[DiznEeyore]

Thanks for the info, everyone. We've also had to wait when checking in at VWL, but when we've stayed at OKW, we've always gotten a room right away. Guess it just depends.

 

[CDSTapisRouge]

As a DVC member who has also worked room assignement at WL/VWL and OKW (BC too, but pre-DVC)... It is as Daitcher said. It depends on the resort.

At VWL we did not use Room Ready, we used the first booked first blocked (Basically you run the report based on the reservation booking date and time and block request that way, so it was first booked first blocked). At OKW it was room ready (unless you had something guaranteed, a medical need or you were traveling with another reservation.) I personally liked the first booked first blocked method because you were atcually blocking requests (there seemed to be less issues that way) but they are 2 totally seperate hotels with different needs... At VWL people tend to make simple requests like smoking or non and perhaps a pool view (since most rooms are woods view and nothing is near the lobby, since that is in WL not the Villas). That makes it much easier to block requests since they are simple and there are many room options that could fufill them. At OKW the requests tend to be very specific and usually the same as many others checking in that day so it is harder to pre-block them...you leave the basic request and get the near hospitality house, ground floor (since there are not elevators...or request for a bldg with the elevator)...it just makes it harder.

Again, I personally like the first booked first blocked, from both stand points. As a member because I know that even though I may be waiting until 4pm for a room, it is a room that I want. And from a R/A stand point because I know that you are getting what you want. And if you didn't it is much easier to explain (and understand) that the reason your request was not fufilled was because you booked your reservation 3 months ago and unfortunatley someone who booked 11 months ago requested the same thing rather than sorry you arrived to late and get the left overs...

Sorry, tangent...not sure about the properties that I have not worked at, but I do know that OKW does rooms ready and VWL does not and that is based on the hotels preferences for many different reasons.

 

[Chuck S]

I agree with Daitche to a point. I think there will always be some need to pre-block rooms and have a room assigner, but I also think the vast majority of ressies would not require it. Those that may require blocking rooms would be 1) parties that use more than one room and want to be close to one another, 2)special needs that don't necessarily fall under the ADA guidelines to be pre-blocked though special services and 3)very late arrivals (to be a little fair that they at least get some of their requests).

 

[Simba's Mom]

Room ready is not used at all DVC Resorts. We always stay at VB and VWL, and those resorts still pre-assign rooms.

MG

Room ready can also apply at the same resort, depending on the CM at the front desk or ??? I don't know. One time when I checked into BCV at 11:00 am, I was told that the room I'd been assigned that met my view requests wasn't available, but they took out the map and showed me two rooms which were available. But then, another time, when I checked in about 1:30, I had to wait about 2 hours for the room I'd been assigned. No one offered me anything else. Oddly, the room they gave me didn't meet my requests, but the one I ended up in (long story) was perfect and I think it had been available all along-they just didn't offer it to me earlier.
In answer to the OP question about whether room ready is unique to DVC, about 6 years ago, at POFQ, when we checked in around noon, we were told that our pre-assigned room wasn't ready, but we were offered another room. Although the CM encouraged us to wait for our assigned room ("It's really nice"), we took the available one and loved it.

 

[Dean]

Either are fine as long as an effort is made to actually stick to the policy. The problem with room ready is that many times no effort is made to meet appropriate requests.

 

[Alexander]

We have never had a pre-assigned room at VWL. The CMs looked to see what rooms were available. Our only request had been non-smoking. I do ask politely at check-in if they have anything near the elevator having had the absolute last studio in the "mile-long" hallway before.

Asking if a resort has a "room-ready policy" may not get you a completely honest answer. If they do use room-ready, it may be an unspoken or unofficial policy.

 

[Maistre Gracey]

If they do use room-ready, it may be an unspoken or unofficial policy.

Yes, but we are always told our room is not ready.
In addition, we are fortunate enough to have a room assigner here on the boards; CDSTapisRouge.

MG

 

[DisneyPhD]

Ok I will bite, what is room ready? Most times in the past both at DVC resorts and non DVC resorts our room has been ready when we checked in. Normally around 11:30 am. Once we checked in at VB very rather late at night and we our room was in my opinion the best view of the whole Inn. We didn't request anything special (other then ocean view.) It was the same room we had last year. (I think this was all luck, but we loved it.)

So um what is room ready. We have had not problems in the past. Often if the room isn't ready they asign us a new one and let us pick from what is avilable at the time.

 

[boatboatboat]

CDSTapisRouge.

do they accept bribes?

 

[DisneyHumbug]

We checked into the BWV at 9 a.m. Sunday of President's weekend. Our room was not ready, but we were offered a smoking room that was ready. We opted to wait for the non smoking room.

 

[Dean]

CDSTapisRouge.

do they accept bribes?

I can tell you that we bought dinner for one once, at Marriott in HH. I had an acquaintance, friend of a friend, who was the GM at one of the 2 resorts we stayed it. The Room assigner was responsible for both resorts and we had 2 units at one resort with family on an exchange and our second week was alone at the other resort and our first stay there as owners. Our requests were simply. For the resort with 2 units, we simply asked they be together. For the other resort, we simply asked for the best view available. We were thrilled with the handling of both requests. I asked the GM at the last resort if it was permissible to buy her a small gift. I didn't want it to come across as a bribe, I deal with the issue of "appearance of impropriety" all the time, but a thank you since I knew her job was a thankless one. The GM said no problem so we gave her a gift certificate for a place we found out from others that she liked. Reports were it made her day.