Room request and checking in early now at Deluxe resorts?

[SL6827]

I know a lot of people will say that getting a room request granted has nothing to do with what time you physically check in at the resort, but with my experience, it has always seemed that way.

And with Disney starting to group room views at the Deluxe resorts into fewer categories, could getting there earlier just make this assumption more actual?

 

[LoveDaisy]

Your room is assigned several days in advance. If you get there early you may have luck asking for a different room if they have availability but it will not change the room you are assigned. I know someone that used to do this for Boardwalk. Her advice was pick the one thing you want. Multiple requests makes it hard to understand what is important to you. Also do not give a room number. The odds of a specific room being available is low and they don’t know why you requested it. She said in the end a request is just a request and they have so many people requesting the same thing they can’t fulfill them all and it’s possible your request is just not available. She also said people commonly ask for a request in a category they didn’t book. She said you are never getting that. They are more likely to pixie dust a random person because they don’t want to set expectations you can book a cheaper room and just request the more expensive one.

 

[SleeplessInTO]

I think if you’re physically there, you may have better luck getting moved to a room you’d prefer. But I usually show up on a Friday night late (like 11pm or later, thanks Air Canada) and I’ve had good luck with room requests being met.

 

[samsteele]

I think if you’re physically there, you may have better luck getting moved to a room you’d prefer. But I usually show up on a Friday night late (like 11pm or later, thanks Air Canada) and I’ve had good luck with room requests being met.

Same experience. Also Canadian with late flights from Toronto. Because WDW won't mail magic bands and magical extras booklet (with mini golf coupons, etc) outside the US, we check in at the desk to pick these up. Even with late arrivals, front desk can usually change the room assignment. In 15 plus years of vacations, I've never received any of my pre-arrival room requests regardless if submitted online or in the old days by fax or via my TA. While I never get all of my room requests at the desk, they can usually find a room that satisfies at least one request and in a building slightly closer to transpo.

 

[SleeplessInTO]

Same experience. Also Canadian with late flights from Toronto. Because WDW won't mail magic bands and magical extras booklet (with mini golf coupons, etc) outside the US, we check in at the desk to pick these up. Even with late arrivals, front desk can usually change the room assignment. In 15 plus years of vacations, I've never received any of my pre-arrival room requests regardless if submitted online or in the old days by fax or via my TA. While I never get all of my room requests at the desk, they can usually find a room that satisfies at least one request and in a building slightly closer to transpo.

Hi neighbour!

 

[CuteAsMinnie]

I know a lot of people will say that getting a room request granted has nothing to do with what time you physically check in at the resort, but with my experience, it has always seemed that way.

And with Disney starting to group room views at the Deluxe resorts into fewer categories, could getting there earlier just make this assumption more actual?

I stand by this belief!

Not sure about your second statement/question tho… idk.

 

[SL6827]

I stand by this belief!

Not sure about your second statement/question tho… idk.

Disney has taken the Deluxe resorts room categories, (views) and combined them into fewer options.

 

[SL6827]

Your room is assigned several days in advance. If you get there early you may have luck asking for a different room if they have availability but it will not change the room you are assigned. I know someone that used to do this for Boardwalk. Her advice was pick the one thing you want. Multiple requests makes it hard to understand what is important to you. Also do not give a room number. The odds of a specific room being available is low and they don’t know why you requested it. She said in the end a request is just a request and they have so many people requesting the same thing they can’t fulfill them all and it’s possible your request is just not available. She also said people commonly ask for a request in a category they didn’t book. She said you are never getting that. They are more likely to pixie dust a random person because they don’t want to set expectations you can book a cheaper room and just request the more expensive one.

Makes sense.

 

[OnceUponATime15]

I think if you’re physically there, you may have better luck getting moved to a room you’d prefer. But I usually show up on a Friday night late (like 11pm or later, thanks Air Canada) and I’ve had good luck with room requests being met.

Agree! The last two times we’ve arrived on the last AC flight out of YYZ we’ve not only not gotten our one request (close to lobby) but on one trip we’ve had our original room given away to someone who checked in earlier and either had issues with their room or didn’t want the room assigned to them. How do i know this.. two things. The first was that our magic bands would never open the door to our room without having to go back to the front desk and have them adjusted. This started from check in thru the next afternoon whenever we’d leave the room and return. They finally on our third trip to the desk they sent someone up with us to try to figure out the problem. The problem (as per the CM who came up with us) ended up being that our bands kept reverting back to our originally assigned room. The confirmation came when we got our folio at check out which showed two different room numbers - one for our first night (the original room which was close to lobby) and another for the room we stayed in. This was at the YC and the second room given to us was so far away from the lobby it may as well have been at the BC. lol

 

[CuteAsMinnie]

Disney has taken the Deluxe resorts room categories, (views) and combined them into fewer options.

Yes, but idk if that alters the “early bird gets the room” philosophy. We still have our preference of room view and location and that wouldn’t change. I do believe several years ago Disney made up all these additional bookable room categories to, of course, charge more. Now they just got rid of all those and lumped them back together and the price point is at their higher end, of course.

Rooms ARE assigned a few days ahead, but if you check in and were not assigned a room according to your preferences, they will try to accommodate you- some resorts/CMs try a little harder. If you were the last one to arrive that evening, you’re not gonna get that.

We’ve always been very lucky (and it doesn’t hurt to always be super nice.)

 

[BK2014]

We are local and always arrive early in the day. Almost every time, our room is not ready until 4pm or later. It is hit and miss as to whether or not our request has been met. I don't see how arriving earlier makes it more likely that your room request is met since rooms are assigned in advance. Unless you are talking about having better luck going to the front desk to ask for a different room than which you were originally assigned.

 

[SL6827]

We are local and always arrive early in the day. Almost every time, our room is not ready until 4pm or later. It is hit and miss as to whether or not our request has been met. I don't see how arriving earlier makes it more likely that your room request is met since rooms are assigned in advance. Unless you are talking about having better luck going to the front desk to ask for a different room than which you were originally assigned.

Yes, that is what I have meant.

 

[gottalovepluto]

Yes, that is what I have meant.

Logically you will have better luck of a room being available. They aren’t going to give you an available room that is a downgrade from what you booked but now that multiple previous categories now count as “resort view” that gives them a broader swath of rooms to pull from to give you a first available at the price point you booked.