Room Requests

[Ruttangel]

I find it easier to just stop at the FD if I have not received the room ready request or if I have and it's not where I want to be (and let the FD know I have not been to the assigned room).

Exactly my experience too, get there early if you can and if you don’t like the room they will have more time to change it
Front desk moved a Poly longhouse facing parking lot to resort/garden view with not a lot of fuss
That was after requesting the elusive standard but lake view room, 3914, apparently the most requested room in DVC
https://touringplans.com/hotel_maps/disneys-polynesian-villas-bungalows?room=3914&rooms=true

 

[lentesta]

Can you make early check-in your room request? I know you can select for early check-in to bypass other room requests on the app, but is there any point to having Member Services also take down your request? Thank you!

My understanding is with the new room-assignment software, the actual room assignment happens when you arrive at the resort.

For example, if you're driving and stop at the security guard stand for check-in, that's the event that tells the software to assign your room.

In that case, showing up early would be the thing to do, I think?

ETA: Some requests are still done up to 30 days out. I'm guessing those are things like ADA, mandatory connecting rooms, and the like. But more than 2/3rds should be done with the new software.

 

[HyperspaceMountainPilot]

My understanding is with the new room-assignment software, the actual room assignment happens when you arrive at the resort.

For example, if you're driving and stop at the security guard stand for check-in, that's the event that tells the software to assign your room.

In that case, showing up early would be the thing to do, I think?

Welp, I guess we’re doing early cruise walkoff and taking the earlier train up from FLL then.

 

[cruisehopeful]

Welp, I guess we’re doing early cruise walkoff and taking the earlier train up from FLL then.

Are you taking the Bright line from Fort Lauderdale to Orlando? I'm looking at that as a possibility for a future trip. I'm still looking at a one way car rental, too.

 

[muppets3d]

I was chatting with them today to put in my request for PIT and the guy was literally arguing with me that there are no lake views if im staying in standard.

There is some lake views on the 2nd floor categorized as standard. I told him yes there is and its classified as a standard view can you please put 2nd floor lake view. He says, " Done. Is there anything else I can assist with?'

I had a feeling he didn't do sh*t so i called MS to verify later and sure enough he put 2nd floor but left out lake view. I really am not liking talking to MS either, some of them are straight condescending when we're paying so much for this like just write the request who cares even if I dont get it

I have had member services tell me that they do not enter requests like this - asking for a view that you did not book (a partial savanna view at Jambo is another popular one). You need to request specific rooms. So look up a particular room or group of rooms on touringplans and request those specific room numbers.

 

[zackiedawg]

I still always do it 'old school' style - after I make my reservations, I call DVC and put in specific room number requests first, then as a secondary request, I'll ask for certain buildings or sections. I don't do early check-in - I wait until I get to the resort, check in at the counter, then note I had specific room number requests to see if I can get one. I'd say my requests run around 30% for getting an actual requested room number (I don't usually just give one room number - I'll give them 10-15 different room numbers)...and usually run about 85% on at least getting my secondary request.

For example, staying at Saratoga Preferred 1-bedroom, I'll request the room numbers at the two ends of the Congress Park buildings on Floors 2-4 which have more private 'boxed' balconies with better cover (24 room numbers)...then the secondary request will be building 1 or 2 facing Disney Springs. One out of 3 times I'll get one of my requested room numbers, and I nearly always get at least Building 1-2. At Boardwalk, I request boxed balconies at the ends of the garden view wings first, floors 2-4...that gives me 12 room numbers to request...if I don't get those, I will request closer to Floor 2, closer to lobby. And so on.

 

[HyperspaceMountainPilot]

Are you taking the Bright line from Fort Lauderdale to Orlando? I'm looking at that as a possibility for a future trip. I'm still looking at a one way car rental, too.

Yes, we’ve done it about 4 times now (in one direction or the other) because we always seem to want cruise itineraries out of FLL.

Our experience with Brightline has been very easy (clean, on time trains), but I still don’t think I’d travel same day that I had to board a ship (whereas I might with a car). It’s not cost effective for us because we are a family of 4 (even though you can usually find some sort of discount, a car rental is almost always cheaper and sometimes faster), but it means both my husband and I can work for 2 hours with a desk (table) power and WiFi— which is very useful for checking in at work between parks and cruise segment.

 

[Mle8308]

Exactly my experience too, get there early if you can and if you don’t like the room they will have more time to change it
Front desk moved a Poly longhouse facing parking lot to resort/garden view with not a lot of fuss
That was after requesting the elusive standard but lake view room, 3914, apparently the most requested room in DVC
https://touringplans.com/hotel_maps/disneys-polynesian-villas-bungalows?room=3914&rooms=true

Funny you mention that room. We were assigned that room upon arrival and went to it (all we requested was Tokelau). There was a high reach stationed right outside the balcony (it was last year when they were doing a lot of painting) so I called the front desk and asked for a different room (it was early afternoon), they seemed shocked we didn't want that room. They said the high reach was going to be moved probably later that day, but for me, the room was further from the GCH and transportation than I wanted, so we asked for a different room. We literally walked in and saw the high reach and walked out, we didn't touch a thing, as I knew not to do - from my room assignment days. The view would have been okay, but I didn't think it was all that special, not for being one of the most requested rooms on Disney property. I didn't find that out until after we were assigned a different room and I looked on Touring Plans! We ended up in 1933, a first floor garden facing room near the Oasis pool. Loved it. Everyone likes different things!

 

[thanxfornoticin]

My understanding is with the new room-assignment software, the actual room assignment happens when you arrive at the resort.

For example, if you're driving and stop at the security guard stand for check-in, that's the event that tells the software to assign your room.

In that case, showing up early would be the thing to do, I think?

ETA: Some requests are still done up to 30 days out. I'm guessing those are things like ADA, mandatory connecting rooms, and the like. But more than 2/3rds should be done with the new software.

I've not heard that before. I know on a couple recent trips we were visiting another area of Florida and driving to WDW - and we got a text from our online check-in telling us the room was ready and identifying a room number before we ever got to the resort. One trip we went right to the room. The other trip, the room was almost the opposite location we were looking for, so we stopped at the front desk and they adjusted us to a different room.

 

[Mle8308]

My understanding is with the new room-assignment software, the actual room assignment happens when you arrive at the resort.

For example, if you're driving and stop at the security guard stand for check-in, that's the event that tells the software to assign your room.

In that case, showing up early would be the thing to do, I think?

ETA: Some requests are still done up to 30 days out. I'm guessing those are things like ADA, mandatory connecting rooms, and the like. But more than 2/3rds should be done with the new software.

That's how we used to do it way back in the day! The reservations would download to the actual hotel from CRS 5 days out. The room assigners would run a 5 day out arrival report and scan it for any specific requests, such as connecting rooms, HC requests, special occasion, travelling with requests. We would assign those ahead of time and put a "do not move" block on them so a regular FD person could not move them with out an override code. All other rooms were auto selected at arrival based on the room type booked. Depending on how many rooms were inspected at the time, you may have quite a few rooms for the FD agent to choose from. If the guest checking in was nice, they got the best room that was showing. If not so nice, the FD person could actually not give them a room at all and put them in unassigned status (if before 3pm) and tell them to come back later - or give them a bad room/location. The majority of rooms were not preassigned, only for specific requests or if there were "holes" between specific reservations that had to have a certain room. It was a lot of fun to do the assignments (especially when the CBR, where I worked, was 2112 rooms), I liked having to actually think!

 

[SwanVT2]

I thought I had heard Touring Plans fax submittal cant be used for DVC rooms not booked on cash?

I have read that asking for a specific room number is not good because if you cant get that room they have nothing else to go on. So you need to specify what your goal is and also give room number examples. Also, checking in at desk if you aren't in need of the room asap you can always talk to the check in desk.

If you have a linked reservation like with DVC rental store, you can still make a request.