Room requests- or not?

[leebee]

Is it really beneficial to do a room request? Do you find you actually GET what you request? I usually just take whatever I get at check-in and so far, I don't think we've had a "bad" room. I do prefer upper floors, but this is noted in my guest file preferences for hotel chains (Hilton, Marriott, etc.)- not at Disney. I've received an email from touringplans.com that links to room views, with the opportunity to let them "fax" a request for a specific room number. I don't usually worry about views at Disney, as we are usually only in the room when we are asleep (and then views are irrelevant), but I will admit, there are some cool views at our resort. I'd like to request a specific room, but what happens if that room just isn't available? Will I be limiting myself by requesting a specific room number, or will Disney fill my request with whatever is "closest" if my requested room isn't available?
(yes, I realize I am over-thinking this vacation!)

 

[Disneylover99]

If you think you might want a specific room request it. What have you got to lose if you don't make request anyways?

We've requested a specific room using touring plans and got the room next door. You can't get a room if someone is already in it.

 

[minnie mum]

I never think it's smart to request a specific room. If it is already booked then they have no other information about why you picked that specific room. If you prefer an upper floor, then request that. If you really want a view of XYZ ( and assuming a view of XYZ isn't a bookable category) then request that. This gives the room arranger the option of putting you in one of a number of rooms, instead of just one. So the odds of you getting an upper floor with that view are exponentially increased.

But I don't go through a middle man when I make requests. I just do it directly with Disney - usually when I make my reservation.

 

[OnSpaceshipEarth]

In 2013 we requested a room at the Poly closest to the Grand Ceremonial House and they came through beautifully.

This past May we requested a newly refurbished room(upper floor is what we asked for since we knew those were new) and we got it but could have gotten the room several hours earlier if we would have taken a lower floor.

Granted, it was Memorial Day weekend but the wait was worth it!

 

[Sue M]

I always have my room requests attached to my reservation but I never ask for a specific room #. I ask for things I'm looking for. A specific building and location. For example, my request at POR was Oak Manor, upper floor, riverside of building close to foot bridge. We got a great room. If you just request a room # and that room isn't available, they won't know what you're looking for.
For online check in I click the same requests.

 

[Hopefully]

I agree with PP. I would not request specific rooms because they don't know why. I used Touring Plans fax service & I don't think it made a difference. I have never gotten my request.

 

[Jhondy210]

For my stay in two weeks it will be the first time I used TP touring plans. I picked a specific room but then I did online check and requested two things that matched with the room I had requested (i.e. upper floor and the building I wanted). I'll see how it works in two weeks.

 

[DebbieB]

I always add a request to my reservation and am usually happy with what I get. I don't request a specific room, I give a description (example - top floor, close to the elevator).

 

[DisneyFan2013]

I never think it's smart to request a specific room. If it is already booked then they have no other information about why you picked that specific room. If you prefer an upper floor, then request that. If you really want a view of XYZ ( and assuming a view of XYZ isn't a bookable category) then request that. This gives the room arranger the option of putting you in one of a number of rooms, instead of just one. So the odds of you getting an upper floor with that view are exponentially increased.

But I don't go through a middle man when I make requests. I just do it directly with Disney - usually when I make my reservation.

I make my request (for a specific building and floor) at the time I book the resort and I also send a reminder fax four days before I arrive. So far, that has worked for me.

 

[wdwjeffc37]

Since we know where we like to be at the resort i always make a request for a specific building and ground floor (we don't like climbing stairs or waiting for elevators at the end of the day). When we get there to check in, if the room slated for us isn't ready we look at what is available and decide if we want to wait or take what is ready. We have always gotten the room we wanted if we wanted to wait. Sometimes the available room is close enough to what we like so we take it. We find Disney very accommodating with room requests. Cheers!!!!

 

[tinkerbella16]

I used the Touring Plans room request and it was just faxed to POR yesterday. This is the first time I am using it, so I'm curious to see what I end up with when I arrive on Thursday. I am booked in a garden view royal room, and requested a room on the 2nd floor, corner- I put down more than one room just in case, and the reason why in the note section of the fax. We shall see!

 

[GaSleepingBeautyFan]

I like to be on a higher floor and always request that. I get it about 80% of the time.

When I stayed in a Royal Room at POR I requested to be close to the foot bridge that trip and got it - I was thankful since I'd fallen down stairs a few days before leaving and my knee was killing me.
I wouldn't bother with a specific room request - I am a member of touring plans and get that same thing every trip and I've never bothered using it.

 

[gluestickgirl]

We used the Touring Plans service & added a note with general requests after the specific room text that auto fills. We ended up in the room next door to the one requested.

If you don't want to do a specific room, you can delete that text and just use the service to note a more general request like a building number or near the lobby.

 

[Teresa Powell]

I always add a request to my reservation and am usually happy with what I get.

 

[BlueStarryHat]

This is the first time we're requesting a room...I should say building. We're staying at the All Star Movies, and in the past have always been given Mighty Ducks, last trip we were in the dead last room at the back of the property and the walk to the main building to pick up packages or whatever absolutely killed us at the end of the day as we ain't spring chickens anymore. This trip we paid for preferred rooms and I've requested Toy Story, which is *much* closer to the main building. We'll see if we get it.

 

[Dis703]

I always make a room request and so far we've always received what we wanted. When checking in at CBR this spring we did get a first floor room as requested but not in the building we hoped for, so during check in I asked if there was any chance a room would be available in one of 2 buildings that I preferred. She made some calls and got our room and my MIL's room changed over to the building we wanted. It's always worth asking.

 

[AngiTN]

I never think it's smart to request a specific room. If it is already booked then they have no other information about why you picked that specific room. If you prefer an upper floor, then request that. If you really want a view of XYZ ( and assuming a view of XYZ isn't a bookable category) then request that. This gives the room arranger the option of putting you in one of a number of rooms, instead of just one. So the odds of you getting an upper floor with that view are exponentially increased.

But I don't go through a middle man when I make requests. I just do it directly with Disney - usually when I make my reservation.

Good thing about the way Touring Plans writes their faxes is they do not request 1 specific room. You do use their room finder to locate a room that you like and you then click "add this to my fax" (or however it's worded) but they word the request to include a variety of room numbers, all of which have the same categories/views/etc. So the room assigner is given exactly what it is about that room type you like, King Bed, East Facing, Ground Floor, that type of thing
We have had great success with using their service since it started.

ETA - this is the text it entered on our request for our trip next month, AoA, booked a Nemo room, requesting ground floor
Bldg 5,Flr 1,S-facing room.Exmple:5539,5537,5535,5533,5531,5529,5527,5513,5511

 

[DisneyFan2013]

I had my trip last week. For the first time ever, I did NOT get the building I requested. The one I got wasn't all that bad, but I was still surprised. I checked in around 2pm so I wonder if my preferred building would've been available after 3pm.

 

[loves to dive]

I've only done a request once, when I stayed a POR I used the fax example that is on the board and asked for a room in Magnolia Building, corner room. Got both. Normally, I just don't care where they put me. I always do on line check in and put early check in as a priority over anything else. I don't even pay for preferred rooms or upgrade to specific views. In the value resorts, I don't think the views matter since you really can't see them and the resorts just aren't that big so location doesn't matter to me. I've only stayed at POR in the moderate category (planing on staying at either CBR or CS this April) and really just didn't want a bayou room because I didn't like the look of the rooms. I've stayed at most of the deluxe resorts except WL and SS (planing on staying at WL this April) and have never, not once requested a certain location or view. Whatever is available is what I get, I have been upgraded from standard to garden or water but I never pay for it. I think the only bad view I had was once at BC I had a view of the overflow pond and I was on the first floor so that was kind of yucky. I like to sit outside in the morning and drink my coffee but I lived with it. I did get a view of the clown pool once at BWV and it was very noisy in the mornings when the lifeguards did their drills and at night when they showed the movie but again, I lived with it.

 

[mickeynut1]

I never think it's smart to request a specific room. If it is already booked then they have no other information about why you picked that specific room. If you prefer an upper floor, then request that. If you really want a view of XYZ ( and assuming a view of XYZ isn't a bookable category) then request that. This gives the room arranger the option of putting you in one of a number of rooms, instead of just one. So the odds of you getting an upper floor with that view are exponentially increased.

I agree.