Reduced price at check in?

[OhAmbs]

I have read a few threads on here about people asking for a free upgrade, but I was wondering about reduced rates at check in. Has anyone asked for pricing for the higher grade rooms?

 

[rwdavis2]

You can ask, just don't count on it. Disney generally does not give out upgrades unless it makes easier for them. Such as a resort ending up overbooked or rooms going out of service. Free upgrades are rare.

 

[Lynne M]

No, Disney does not generally discount rooms at check-in. Their discounting process is to identify resorts/room categories that aren't booking some months in advance, and then offer a limited-time discount offer on some limited number of rooms. When that number of discounted rooms is booked the discount is gone, and it's back to rack rate. So, your best chance at snagging a discount is to watch for discounts well in advance of your trip. Our Discount Codes & Rates board can help with that.

As for free upgrades....Disney doesn't hand those out for the asking, either. Front-desk CMs don't have the power to hand out free upgrades at will. As a rule, complimentary upgrades are assigned in advance of your arrival, and they're done for the resort's operational needs. They're also not nearly as common as one would think from reading these boards.

From what we've been told by CMs posting here, on the occasion when they do have an upgrade to give out, they'd much rather surprise a guest with it than give it to someone who walks up and asks for free stuff.

 

[Babsy]

No, Disney does not generally discount rooms at check-in. Their discounting process is to identify resorts/room categories that aren't booking some months in advance, and then offer a limited-time discount offer on some limited number of rooms. When that number of discounted rooms is booked the discount is gone, and it's back to rack rate. So, your best chance at snagging a discount is to watch for discounts well in advance of your trip. Our Discount Codes & Rates board can help with that.

As for free upgrades....Disney doesn't hand those out for the asking, either. Front-desk CMs don't have the power to hand out free upgrades at will. As a rule, complimentary upgrades are assigned in advance of your arrival, and they're done for the resort's operational needs. They're also not nearly as common as one would think from reading these boards.

From what we've been told by CMs posting here, on the occasion when they do have an upgrade to give out, they'd much rather surprise a guest with it than give it to someone who walks up and asks for free stuff.

Exactly!

 

[SharonZ]

If you are looking to upgrade your room, I'd change your reservation before you arrive.

 

[AngiTN]

People can ask for free upgrades. Has no bearing on getting them though
Disney doesn't barter for room prices with guests.

 

[cwis]

I have had a specific question regarding paid upgrades that I never bothered to ask, so I'm jumping on this thread!

In Disneyland Paris, you can ask for an upsell when you check-in. The CM takes the rack price for the room you ask, deducts the rack price from the room you have, and you pay only for the difference. This is great because you don't have to bridge the gap between the price you actually paid, and the rack price of your room: if you had a nice discount on your room, and there is another room category that is only a few bucks more expensive, this can be a huge deal. We've made it into suites many times for less than 30$ more per night!

So, my question is: do the same policy exists at WDW? In other words, if you pay for an upsell, how would the CM calculate how much you should spend?

TIA to anyone who knows!

 

[AngiTN]

The biggest problem you run in to at WDW is the resort desks only sell rack rate, even if there is a promo available if you were to book online.
We ran in to this last summer. We were at CSR and due to move to Poly the next day. We hated CSR and wanted to move to Poly a day early. We stopped by to ask if we could and they said sure but we would pay rack rate. However, I could book a discounted rate on my phone so that's what I did. I stood there in front of them and booked the room at a discount but they could not do it at the counter.
Something about the way different divisions work within the Travel Company (if you look down at the names on the business/dba that is at the bottom of various paperwork you'll see all the different entities that Disney does business under)

 

[purple figment]

Book what you will be happy with before you arrive. Keep looking for discounts, look into other room categories or resorts, consider renting DVC points, or try third party re-sellers like Orbitz. You can ask for a free or reduced price upgrade at check in, but it is unlikely you will get it. Disney sells rooms at rack rate at the check in counter and if you have a discount or special offer on your current reservation often you will lose that as well.