ME users getting room assignments before check-in?

[zulaya]

I was just reading Jean's (jekjones1558) minor trip report on this page and one thing slightly irked me...

Apparently, resorts are getting reports from Magical Express when guests have arrived at the airport and/or boarded the bus AND as soon as this info is received they are assigning rooms to said guests.

One person commented on the rumor that those guests seem to have their requests met with this system.

That kind of irks me. If I am on the same plane and I get my rental car (I have to have a car, I'm just obsessive about being in control of my own transportation), then the person on the same flight taking ME gets their room assigned before me, possibly getting a room that met my requests and leaving me without a room meeting my requests.

Now, I don't post much on requests because for me personally, it's not something I worry too terribly much about. And I've posted to that fact several times before.

But this is about the principal of the thing.

Why should someone riding DME get room assignment preference over someone who chooses to rent a car, take a town car or use some other way of getting themselves to the resort?

If this policy is in use, I think I'd like to be able to register my flight information with the resort somehow, so that when my flight arrives, if they are doing this pre-assigned room thing, at least I am on equal footing with people who are riding DME.

Or even be able to call the resort once I'm in the airport to say, "I'm here and I'll be there within an hour."

 

[dianeschlicht]

Yeah, I was thinking about that as well. It made me actually consider signing up for ME and still taking my rental car to the resort! I could check in at ME, maybe even give them my bags and then head to check in!

 

[zulaya]

Diane--

I thought about that. I've never taken DME so I don't know how it works.

Can you just walk up, "Say I'm here." and then wander off? Or do the DME people keep track of you somehow before you get on the bus?

 

[BWV Dreamin]

Diane--

I thought about that. I've never taken DME so I don't know how it works.

Can you just walk up, "Say I'm here." and then wander off? Or do the DME people keep track of you somehow before you get on the bus?

No, you have to call MS to schedule it. They take down your flight information. All of this is forwarded to the resort so they know what time you are to arrive. I think I read somewhere that it was a problem to get on ME without a flight #.

 

[Judy WI]

Yeah, I was thinking about that as well. It made me actually consider signing up for ME and still taking my rental car to the resort! I could check in at ME, maybe even give them my bags and then head to check in!

They make sure you are on the ME bus if your baggage is assigned to them. You get your paper work scanned just before you get on the bus so they can double check. Again I think it is some kind of security check thing. Exactly how this works with getting the luggage picked up at the luggage claim I am not sure about.

 

[shazen]

Why should someone riding DME get room assignment preference over someone who chooses to rent a car, take a town car or use some other way of getting themselves to the resort?

Because someone using ME is going to spend more money at Disney restaurants, stores, etc.. If you have your own car you are much more likely to eat offsite, visit other Orlando attractions, buy your sundries at Wal-Mart, etc..

Giving additional perks to visitors who spend more at Disney is nothing new. Take EMH's - Disney offers them to Disney resort guests as a perk in exchange for spending more money at Disney. This would be the same sort of thing.

 

[alldiz]

this is all heresay...lets not jump the gun.

I always take ME....my room is not always ready....although
my room requests have been met.

I do not request much though....
I just want a high floor.....I don't care where.
Kerri

 

[castleri]

I read something about this but understood it was a trial being done at one of the value resorts at present to see if it would streamline the checkin process. If you want to rent a car and are traveling with several people(at least one other adult) why not take ME for one person and the rest go on DME or the other way around. We rent our car at the Dolphin ever since the time it took over two hours to get the car and get out of the airport. By the time someone is on the DME bus I would think the rooms have been assigned anyway and the only thing it would help with is that they could have the keys and paperwork ready when you get to the desk. If they are truly using room ready then they probably won't assign a room until the person is standing at the counter. I see this system with DME working much better for the regular resorts than for DVC. They probably have more people arriving at the same time on a bus than the DVC resorts do. The three times I have taken DME we were the only ones getting off at the resort at that time so it certainly wouldn't be a big impact on anyone who was on the same flight and chose to rent a car at the airport.

 

[La2kw]

I've heard the same thing, but I doesn't bother me. I've always had my requests met, even when not taking DME. Besides, if they are already assigned a room, that means the check in process will go a little faster. Also, when I check in, I'm always offered a number of rooms to choose from. DME riders don't always have that opportunity if they are pre-blocked into a room. Lastly, I can get to the resort much quicker in my rental car, without stopping at any other resorts. I could very well be inside the MK already while DME folks are still just arriving at the resort.

 

[Kurby]

Or even be able to call the resort once I'm in the airport to say, "I'm here and I'll be there within an hour."

so does that mean that those of us who drive in should be able to call when we reach Daytona and tell them we'll be there in 90 minutes?

kinda irks me too but when you check in for the disney bus you are checking in with disney since they are linked.

i'm just not sure why they can't assign rooms when we book or at least the night before when they know that the rooms are going to turn over based on request and eta.

if check in time is 1pm and i arrive early then my room isn't ready but if i arrive at 2pm i don't want a room that i didn't request if my is going to be ready for your arrival at 3 or 4

check my luggage, give me my park tickets and parking tag and let me go to the park for a few hours and i'll come back later to get my room key.

i know some people like to get in a room, rest or shower then head out but then those people wont have specifically requested rooms or views and will accept what is available when they arrive - which shouldn't be my requested room if i arrive after them.

 

[Dean]

so does that mean that those of us who drive in should be able to call when we reach Daytona and tell them we'll be there in 90 minutes?

kinda irks me too but when you check in for the disney bus you are checking in with disney since they are linked.

i'm just not sure why they can't assign rooms when we book or at least the night before when they know that the rooms are going to turn over based on request and eta.

if check in time is 1pm and i arrive early then my room isn't ready but if i arrive at 2pm i don't want a room that i didn't request if my is going to be ready for your arrival at 3 or 4

check my luggage, give me my park tickets and parking tag and let me go to the park for a few hours and i'll come back later to get my room key.

i know some people like to get in a room, rest or shower then head out but then those people wont have specifically requested rooms or views and will accept what is available when they arrive - which shouldn't be my requested room if i arrive after them.

Early on you could do that for OKW.

 

[Horace Horsecollar]

There are two separate items here:

1. Pre-assigned rooms vs. immediate check-in to a clean room.
   
2. Starting the check-in process when a guest checks in for Magical Express, rather than 30-60 minutes later when the guest reaches the front of the resort check-in line.

Item 1 has always been a subject of discussion on this board. Most guests would prefer to get immediate access to a clean room when they arrive at the resort. Some guests want a specific location.

Item 2 does not change item 1.

I think it's safe to say that all guests want the resort check-in line to move quickly and efficiently. And that's where item 2 really should help. By having Magical Express check-in trigger the room assignment (from the pool of unassigned rooms) and check-in process, resort check-in should be more pleasant for everyone.

"Yes, Mr. Horsecollar, we just need your credit card," is much better than, "Let's see, Mr. Horsecollar, what rooms are available now," (followed by the front desk clerk paging through screen after screen on her CRT). That's not just better for me; it's also better for the next person in line.

For the guest who insists ahead of time on being slotted into a very specific location, it should not change anything. And such a family might still need to wait until 4 PM, even if they arrive at noon -- regardless of whether thy use Magical Express or not. If they give away that room to someone else who arrives earlier, that's a different issue, that really isn't related to Magical Express.

 

[CarolAnnC]

Here's what I posted on Jean's trip report thread:

This pre-assigning of ME guests to rooms already cleaned, was being done in June 2006 at BWV. I was there, saw it happening, inquired, and was given the confirmed information from the guest services supervisor.

I was not happy to say the least......

 

[Michael-DVC]

Well, that's not cool! We never use ME and always rent a car.

 

[Horace Horsecollar]

Well, that's not cool! We never use ME and always rent a car.

Why is it not cool? Please read post #12.

 

[Chuck S]

I don't have a problem with this policy for regular Disney resorts. However, for DVC resorts, it gives preference to one member over another, and I do not think it should be done at DVC resorts, unless those of use that arrive by other means are also allowed to call and pre-check-in when we are, say, on the turnpike or enter the greater Orlando area. As dean mentioned, there used to be this type of service at OKW, you could call, give your credit card number, and when you arrived you showed ID, picked-up your welcome packet and were on your way.

 

[Dean]

Why is it not cool? Please read post #12.

Whether accurate or not, I can't say. But the implication is that members who use ME are getting a priority on unit assignments that other guests who may arrive by different means or even earlier at the resort itself. If I were arriving by air, I'd book ME for the party and pickup the rental car myself and meet them there.

 

[Michael-DVC]

Why is it not cool? Please read post #12.

Just read post 12. I think that is great for ME people. For Non-ME people we can't call ahead and say we are here and can we have our room assignment. Right? Or am I missing something?

Maybe we will try ME sometime.

 

[zulaya]

Because someone using ME is going to spend more money at Disney restaurants, stores, etc.. If you have your own car you are much more likely to eat offsite, visit other Orlando attractions, buy your sundries at Wal-Mart, etc..

Giving additional perks to visitors who spend more at Disney is nothing new. Take EMH's - Disney offers them to Disney resort guests as a perk in exchange for spending more money at Disney. This would be the same sort of thing.

Well, I am sure they have surveys that say that. But aren't DVCers more apt to buy groceries, either with a car or with a service like WeGoShop, just by virtue of the fact that we have a kitchenette or kitchen?

Frankly, we buy a few snackies but we eat at a lot of resort restaurants and that's where I find the use of a car invaluable to me personally. So Disney is still getting plenty of my money.

 

[CarolMN]

Here's what I posted on Jean's trip report thread:

This pre-assigning of ME guests to rooms already cleaned, was being done in June 2006 at BWV. I was there, saw it happening, inquired, and was given the confirmed information from the guest services supervisor.

I was not happy to say the least......

I wonder if that was why we were "upgraded" to a PV from SV last October. I said I didn't want the upgrade so the CM said she could "undo" it, but my DH intervened to ask if the offered room was ready.

Since the PV room was ready (and he wanted to watch a football game), I gracefully "gave in". I know what's really important and in this case, it wasn't the location or the view outside the room, LOL. (I truly prefer SV to most Pool/Garden PV rooms). However, on that day, "room ready" would have trumped any possible view at any DVC resort!