Room Request Changes: Drop Down Only

[DebbieB]

We were always honest with our times and more often than not we had rooms ready within an hour or two (but always after 10am). I think many people put in earlier times hoping to have a room ready and then arrrived later, leaving other guests who could have used a room early to sit around the lobby and maybe even complain.

Disney tried to keep the target arrival time and asked us to update arrival time if any changes, but ultimately there must have been more "early" demand than can be accommodated and handled.



And it's folks like you that arrive at the resort early that should be accommodated before folks who put in early wait times and are assigned an early room but don't arrive until hours after they said they'd arrive.

They recently changed online checkin. The first choice is “before 4:00” (I’m DVC). That’s why I made sure I checked in at the desk when I got there at 9:30. It triggered the “your room is not ready” email right away, so I assume they update online checkin with the actual time.

 

[DebbieB]

Duplicate

 

[Paul Stupin]

When I make a room request at Aulani, I call the hotel directly, or, since I usually have another reservation in place when I’m there, I just go to the front desk. We always get the request fulfilled.

When we check in at WDW, with the room being never ready, I just ask them then. They usually ask me if I’d like to wait for said request, or get another room that’s ready sooner. We usually just ask to wait, and that’s worked out for us too.

That silly, ridiculously limited drop down menu has always been sadly inadequate.

 

[StoweFoSho]

I have always had a mixed-bag with requests. But I also always assume that I’m going to get what I get within the room category booked. Setting low expectations helps, lol!

 

[Takeitforgranite]

I use Touring Plans. I always get almost exactly what I want. The last 2 times at BRV we actually got the exact room we requested.

I am excited to learn about this feature. I have subscribed to TP for years for the crowd calendar. I had no idea they offered this "service".

 

[Takeitforgranite]

I have always had a mixed-bag with requests. But I also always assume that I’m going to get what I get within the room category booked. Setting low expectations helps, lol!

We have rented points for several years at Poly. I never even attempted to make a request until last year, since we were renters with a standard view. I figured I wouldn't get too greedy and only requested the building (Tokelau) at online check-in, since we stayed there the previous year and liked the location. We got what we requested.

 

[Chuck S]

I use Touring Plans. I always get almost exactly what I want. The last 2 times at BRV we actually got the exact room we requested.

It seems strange that DVC/Disney wwould want us to use an outside company, for a fee, to make room requests. Especially when, several years ago through the member publications, they told us to NOT send faxes or emails to the resort room assigners, and that they would be ignored. Inquiring minds want to know why that has changed, when room requests really should be a perk of ownership with the management fees paid for by our dues.

That said, I usually do get my requests at OKW, and if I'm traveling with someonme in a scooter or wheelchair, I reserve an HA room, if available, or make ground floor a priority, due to the lack of elevators.

 

[JulieBeeRN]

I’ve been very lucky with my requests. I had a studio at BWV last weekend, requested top floor, Village Green by email to Member Services and also to Touring Plans. Got 5059, perfect. I leave the online checkin blank. We came from 3 nights at Universal, I checked in at the front desk around 9:30am and got the room ready text at 12:30pm.

I do the same thing!

 

[intamin]

We have rented points for several years at Poly. I never even attempted to make a request until last year, since we were renters with a standard view. I figured I wouldn't get too greedy and only requested the building (Tokelau) at online check-in, since we stayed there the previous year and liked the location. We got what we requested.

I seem to always get the exact opposite of what I requested at Poly. I've been requesting it through the chat but going forward I might try going through touringplans since they never seem to give me what I want anyways.

 

[Brian Noble]

I've used TP several times. I have also made requests via Chat. Both are, as I would expect, hit or miss.

several years ago through the member publications, they told us to NOT send faxes or emails to the resort room assigners, and that they would be ignored. Inquiring minds want to know why that has changed,

I suspect this is just a by-product of The Way Disney Does Things.

The general guest services playbook at Disney World is: Never say no to a guest unless you absolutely have to. One reason you have to: It costs too much staff time/money/whatever to deal with the request flow. Another reason: It is impossible for everyone to be on the first Space Mountain rocket of the day.

Back in the dim history of time, it had gotten to the point where it was just common knowledge that you could fax requests in to the resort. But, that creates a ton of work for the back-of-house folks. Perhaps more importantly, most people are requesting the same small number of "best rooms," and despite the fact that requests are not guarantees, making the request often puts the expectation in the guest's mind that the request will be satisfied. If everyone is asking for the same few rooms ("overlooking the Village Green" for example) then most of those people are disappointed. To paraphrase Homey D. Clown: "Disney don't play let's disappoint the guest."

So, the word went out: don't fax us, and we will ignore it if you do. That removes the problem of unsatisfiable expectations, because there can be no expectations.

And for a while that was the rule of the day. Inevitably, as turnover happens, management forgets what the cluster-buss of Everyone Faxing looked like, and starts considering requests again, because We Don't Want To Say No. I have no idea how those requests are taken---presumably, they are not still using a fax number, but who knows? There are several ways to make such a request: You can call or chat with Member Services, or you can use TP's form. I don't have the sense that any one option is better than the other.

If things get to the point where either (a) it is a ton of work to deal with them or (b) guests start expressing unmet-expectation disappointment in noticeable numbers, then we will probably go back to: "Use the drop down requests, nothing else." I don't think (a) is likely to happen, because I vaguely recall that WDW has automated quite a bit of the back-of-house work, including first-cut room assignments. However, I will not be surprised if (b) happens, because people can be possessively ornery about rooms.

 

[Brian Noble]

Coda:

I have gotten to the point of keeping my requests fairly generic. I don't ask for particular rooms, but rather general areas of the resort. For example, at SSR with a Resort View I usually ask for "near a pool, with an upper floor". Near pool in Resort tends to eliminate Carousel, and the buildings closest to the pools are also easier walks to the main resort buildings---either via the boardwalk between the Paddock Pool and the Springs area, or by virtue of being next door in one of the two closest Grandstand buildings.

Then, when I arrive at the resort, I ask if they can tell me in very general terms roughly where my room is. If the location is wildly off, I ask if it might be possible to be assigned something else, with the understanding that I might have to wait a little longer for it. I haven't done that in a very long time, though, so YMMV on that one.

 

[walt34]

Coda:

I have gotten to the point of keeping my requests fairly generic. I don't ask for particular rooms, but rather general areas of the resort. For example, at SSR with a Resort View I usually ask for "near a pool, with an upper floor". Near pool in Resort tends to eliminate Carousel, and the buildings closest to the pools are also easier walks to the main resort buildings---either via the boardwalk between the Paddock Pool and the Springs area, or by virtue of being next door in one of the two closest Grandstand buildings.

Then, when I arrive at the resort, I ask if they can tell me in very general terms roughly where my room is. If the location is wildly off, I ask if it might be possible to be assigned something else, with the understanding that I might have to wait a little longer for it. I haven't done that in a very long time, though, so YMMV on that one.

If I may ask: If you are still using TP, how do you keep your requests generic? Do you keep the specific recommendation it pushes you to and add your generic request or do you do something else?

 

[Brian Noble]

I generally remove the specific text and replace it with the more generic thing. Though I am pretty sure I have relied on MS Chat more often for those these days. I'm 2-for-3 with that over the past few years, but the one "loss" was one where I asked for something more specific (a unit in one of the two canal view buildings in OKW).

But again, I am not very particular. There are few truly bad rooms, and while I have liked some more than others, it's all more or less fine. That is in part a reaction (and maybe even an over-reaction) to the "possessively ornery" vibe that often comes across when people talk about room requests.

I feel the same way about B-1 at Soarin'. I don't need to be That Guy and complicate the grouper's life by insisting on waiting off to the side for a cycle if that row is full when I arrive. But, if B still has room in any row as I am walking up to the grouper, I might ask if it is okay if I be sent there. Or I might not. Depends on everyone's vibe, I suspect.

 

[PatsGirl]

On my original reservation (4 nights) I requested floors 4 or 5, water view at Copper Creek. I've since added an additional one night stay at the beginning but from a different source and would like to stay all five nights (1+4) in the same villa. The same request was made on the one night reservation with additional "request for one villa for entire stay". There are two babies in our group and DIL doesn't want to move units. I am aware that bell services will move our things but there will be refrigerated items included which they won't move. Does anyone have any suggestions to help this happen? Two of us are considering flying in the night prior and staying near MCO, getting to WL early morning. Would appreciate any tips!

 

[Willow Ufgood]

On my original reservation (4 nights) I requested floors 4 or 5, water view at Copper Creek. I've since added an additional one night stay at the beginning but from a different source and would like to stay all five nights (1+4) in the same villa. The same request was made on the one night reservation with additional "request for one villa for entire stay". There are two babies in our group and DIL doesn't want to move units. I am aware that bell services will move our things but there will be refrigerated items included which they won't move. Does anyone have any suggestions to help this happen? Two of us are considering flying in the night prior and staying near MCO, getting to WL early morning. Would appreciate any tips!

Bell services will hold your groceries and refrigerate/freeze them. They will not transport perishables between resorts.

But having said that, it helps to "link" the two reservations as a "continuing stay". Ideally this would be done by the DVC members by calling member services to note the requests on both reservations. But that may not be possible for renters. I recommend checking with the front desk when you check in that first night and repeat your request to remain in the same room. It's possible that you may still need to move rooms but that's the way it goes with requests. They aren't guaranteed.