Rooms now being assigned by computer

[bicker]

There were changes to resort room categories in 2011 to create smaller sets of rooms and to charge more for the most popular.

You do realize you hit on the only defensible reason to create smaller sets of rooms, right?

 

[bookwormde]

From a marketing/sales "filling the resort" persective breaking the room definitions down into smaller more specific catagories has major drawbacks. Most poeple are optomists who they hope they will get their requests. If you know you are not going to get the room you want for shure you are much more likely to look for alternatives (both on and off site).

It is all about competition and customer service, only CMs do things and expend extra effort out of the goodness of their hearts, WDW does it based on wanting to maintain the resorts full of customers at the highest percentage of rack rate as possible.

bookwormde

 

[sjs314]

So when staying at the Beach Club, do I have the right to expect a large room and 2 queen sized beds? (what I'm paying for). What happens when I'm assigned a room the same size as a moderate room with 2 double beds? Is Disney going to give me my money back or do I have "entitlement" to ask for a different room?

I don't see why requests are such a hard thing? Other hotels - even ones that let you book online - let you "request" near elevators, high floor, low floor, etc. Why can't disney at least let you check off what you hope to get?[/QUOTE]

I am not going to go into a panic over the new reservation system, I made a reservation on this past Thursday 12/16, now if like the previous poster said about the new system was live on 12/2 I did ask for a request the CM told me it was only a request etc etc, to which I replied I knew, then she took it and proceeded to tell me with the particular room I was booking I would then have sliders to a patio not a balcony and when I recieved my email confirmation it was noted on there "under special requests" ground floor. I have only ever made a request one other time and it was not noted on the email confirmation, so it would seem it is there for someone other than the computer to see.

So it seems to me they are still allowing you to make requests, now it remains to be seen if I get it or not but I will not go into a tail spin if I do not get my request.

 

[coopersmom]

It is not "entitlement" to expect to receive the room you pay for. And it is also not "entitlement" to make a room request within that paid category. As has been stated ad nauseam, any decent hotel will accept and, if at all possible, fulfill reasonable guest requests. And, yes, expecting to sleep next to your husband at night IS a reasonable request. (Disney offers connecting rooms for a reason.)

There is no need to feel "gratitude" towards Disney for allowing you to pay to stay in their resorts or visit their parks. This is not a charity for them. They are making LOTS of profit, and the instant they're not they'll close the whole sheebang down without a hint of remorse for the fans they're disappointing. Expecting a modicum of service, and not to be lied to by front desk workers, is the very least one should expect from their dollars paid, be it at a value or deluxe.

 

[Colleen27]

This seems like it should be an exception, but who knows what data Disney has on this (and you know they have more data than there are sands on the beach!) Perhaps making connecting rooms bookable would so substantially reduce demand for suites and such. Perhaps it would result in far too many empty rooms (due to the need to keep the room next to a room empty, in anticipation of a check-in one or two days later). These are real cost issues, and so if consumers want to expect that level of service, then they have to be willing to pay a lot more than $600 per night. People make a big deal about how expensive WDW is: It's expensive because it is WDW, not because they're competing with Ritz-Carlton! You're paying for the location and the affinity benefits.

That's where my problem with Disney's offering for bigger families comes in - there aren't suites in a similar/competitive price range. I don't think allowing connecting rooms to be bookable at the $300 price range (two rooms, moderate level, value season) is likely to have a significant impact on demand for the suites that are offered, whether the cheaper value suites with the corresponding lack of amenities or the $600/night DVC units with comparable occupancy limits. There are so few suites at the moderate level (30 out of over 7000 moderate rooms) that the demand for those is bound to exceed supply by a large margin.

Peg that at about $30 per night. How do you feel about it now?

Actually in my mind that's about where I put it - the same $15 per room upcharge as they use for the other bookable categories within the value and moderate resorts. I'd gladly pay that.

 

[cjsm&d]

It is not "entitlement" to expect to receive the room you pay for. And it is also not "entitlement" to make a room request within that paid category. As has been stated ad nauseam, any decent hotel will accept and, if at all possible, fulfill reasonable guest requests. And, yes, expecting to sleep next to your husband at night IS a reasonable request. (Disney offers connecting rooms for a reason.)

There is no need to feel "gratitude" towards Disney for allowing you to pay to stay in their resorts or visit their parks. This is not a charity for them. They are making LOTS of profit, and the instant they're not they'll close the whole sheebang down without a hint of remorse for the fans they're disappointing. Expecting a modicum of service, and not to be lied to by front desk workers, is the very least one should expect from their dollars paid, be it at a value or deluxe.

I agree with this. Asking for a specific building or floor at the rate you are paying is not "entitlement." I think expecting an upgrade would constitute that.

I think we all know the buildings that are most requested and understand that it's likely you won't get it. That's why I always make 3 building requests when I book. I have always gotten one of the buildings I have asked for (usually not the first choice).

 

[KellyNY]

It is not "entitlement" to expect to receive the room you pay for. And it is also not "entitlement" to make a room request within that paid category. As has been stated ad nauseam, any decent hotel will accept and, if at all possible, fulfill reasonable guest requests. And, yes, expecting to sleep next to your husband at night IS a reasonable request. (Disney offers connecting rooms for a reason.)

There is no need to feel "gratitude" towards Disney for allowing you to pay to stay in their resorts or visit their parks. This is not a charity for them. They are making LOTS of profit, and the instant they're not they'll close the whole sheebang down without a hint of remorse for the fans they're disappointing. Expecting a modicum of service, and not to be lied to by front desk workers, is the very least one should expect from their dollars paid, be it at a value or deluxe.

If you made reservation for 2 rooms then you will recieve 2 rooms together as you reservation is a block but it does not mean those rooms will be connecting rooms, depends on availability. They will take your request into consideration, it is clear in a very first post, but like before it is only a request. If something is extremely importsnt to you like sleeping in a same room with your husband, book a suite it is about $30-$40 more a day then 2 regular rooms in value.

 

[gigi1313]

If you made reservation for 2 rooms then you will recieve 2 rooms together

that's not necessarily true... we always book two rooms, and we have had occasion where they were not together, nor even in the same building... we have always been able to get it rectified at the front desk (but usually takes an hour or so to check in with two rooms)

If something is extremely importsnt to you like sleeping in a same room with your husband, book a suite it is about $30-$40 more a day then 2 regular rooms in value.

depending on how you book your reservations, the savings is often more than $30-40/night... typically when we book two rooms, we do a free dining package and the second room w/a room-only discount... the savings is considerable that way...

all that being said... we have often paid for a specific room type/location and not received it (preferred at a value)... and we have also *requested* connecting rooms due to the number of children exceeding the number of adults (2A/6C) and we have not received them either...

i don't expect any more from the new system, but i certainly do not expect any less!

 

[bicker]

That's where my problem with Disney's offering for bigger families comes in - there aren't suites in a similar/competitive price range.

Well, they should cost more, because you're guaranteed to get the extra space all together. By demanding that they be of "a similar/competitive price range" you're essentially saying that you should be able to have a guarantee to get what you want without paying more than what you'd pay now for having an X% chance of getting what you want. That's not a fair trade.

I don't think allowing connecting rooms to be bookable at the $300 price range (two rooms, moderate level, value season) is likely to have a significant impact on demand for the suites that are offered, whether the cheaper value suites with the corresponding lack of amenities or the $600/night DVC units with comparable occupancy limits.

I was just providing that as an example of the kind of considerations Disney factors-in - considerations that we generally are not necessarily aware of nor care about, but they are, and do.

I think the suggestion that Disney is not doing what's best for them rings pretty hallow.

Actually in my mind that's about where I put it - the same $15 per room upcharge as they use for the other bookable categories within the value and moderate resorts. I'd gladly pay that.

I suspect you're uncommon in that regard, within your market segment. That's the problem. To get what you want, it would need to be such that you were typical.

 

[Colleen27]

If you made reservation for 2 rooms then you will recieve 2 rooms together as you reservation is a block but it does not mean those rooms will be connecting rooms, depends on availability. They will take your request into consideration, it is clear in a very first post, but like before it is only a request. If something is extremely importsnt to you like sleeping in a same room with your husband, book a suite it is about $30-$40 more a day then 2 regular rooms in value.

That's not a given. There have been many reports on the boards of two rooms being in different buildings or sections. And while the value suites are better than nothing, some of us really don't want to settle for lame pools and overcrowded food courts to be able to sleep with our husbands. Disney really needs to either make connecting rooms bookable or add some sort of suite option in between value and DVC.

 

[KellyNY]

that's not necessarily true... we always book two rooms, and we have had occasion where they were not together, nor even in the same building... we have always been able to get it rectified at the front desk (but usually takes an hour or so to check in with two rooms)




depending on how you book your reservations, the savings is often more than $30-40/night... typically when we book two rooms, we do a free dining package and the second room w/a room-only discount... the savings is considerable that way...

all that being said... we have often paid for a specific room type/location and not received it (preferred at a value)... and we have also *requested* connecting rooms due to the number of children exceeding the number of adults (2A/6C) and we have not received them either...

i don't expect any more from the new system, but i certainly do not expect any less!

And the way you book 2 rooms is exactly why you do not get rooms together. You have 2 reservations, 1 for free DP, another for Room Only Discount. They are linked together like "traveling with" but they are not on a same reservation, big difference.

 

[snarlingcoyote]

And stay at the Waldorf or Ritz or other truly deluxe hotel.

BingBingBing! We have a winner! There's a Ritz at Bonnet Creek, or if I want a lot of room for cheap, I can to the Wyndham AND get a fireworks view. I'm very seriously wondering why in the heck I would take a crap shoot at the Poly, YC, BC or BI (the places I was considering) when I can get much better for the same or less and be the same driving distance to the parks.

 

[cjsm&d]

BingBingBing! We have a winner! There's a Ritz at Bonnet Creek, or if I want a lot of room for cheap, I can to the Wyndham AND get a fireworks view. I'm very seriously wondering why in the heck I would take a crap shoot at the Poly, YC, BC or BI (the places I was considering) when I can get much better for the same or less and be the same driving distance to the parks.

I don't think any rooms at Poly, BC, YC, or BW are crapshoots. I have stayed at a couple of the best off-property hotels, and while they are very nice, there is something (IMO of course) about being on that makes it special and better.

I think alot of the room request issues are with the smore spread out Moderate resorts.

Of course, I am a bit of a resort snob, because I would never pay 100+ at the value resorts with their total lack of amenities and overpriced fast food. I don't think they are worth it.

 

[Colleen27]

Well, they should cost more, because you're guaranteed to get the extra space all together. By demanding that they be of "a similar/competitive price range" you're essentially saying that you should be able to have a guarantee to get what you want without paying more than what you'd pay now for having an X% chance of getting what you want. That's not a fair trade.

Of course they should cost more, but not as much more as the options currently available. On the value level, the family suites cost about 10% more than two standard rooms. At the moderate level, the few suites available are priced at about the same point but excluded from all discounts, so they effectively cost 30+% more than two rooms. And since they are so few in number, more often than not the only alternative for a larger family looking for a decent pool and a sitdown restaurant at their resort is to go all the way up to DVC villas at 200+% of the cost of two moderate rooms.

 

[KellyNY]

That's not a given. There have been many reports on the boards of two rooms being in different buildings or sections. And while the value suites are better than nothing, some of us really don't want to settle for lame pools and overcrowded food courts to be able to sleep with our husbands. Disney really needs to either make connecting rooms bookable or add some sort of suite option in between value and DVC.

And they have those choices, CSR, POR(up to 6 people), Cabins, villas, besides value family suites. They do have choices for bigger families,however when big family decides not to use those choices and go for 2 rooms instead, why would anyone expect to be treated like a big family. 2 rooms together is more then enough, door in between is a nice touch but not something guaranteed, so just prepare to get exactly what you paid for, 2 rooms.

 

[bicker]

BingBingBing! We have a winner! There's a Ritz at Bonnet Creek, or if I want a lot of room for cheap, I can to the Wyndham AND get a fireworks view. I'm very seriously wondering why in the heck I would take a crap shoot at the Poly, YC, BC or BI (the places I was considering) when I can get much better for the same or less and be the same driving distance to the parks.

And folks who get to that point aren't the folks Disney is aiming for. Disney is specifically aiming their offerings at guests who truly appreciate (read: value) the affinity of staying "in the middle of the magic". If you ever get to the point that you're comparing Disney resorts to off-property resorts, and you don't give Disney a (let's say) 35% bump just because it is Disney (and for no other reason), then it really might be time to start staying off-site.

 

[Colleen27]

And the way you book 2 rooms is exactly why you do not get rooms together. You have 2 reservations, 1 for free DP, another for Room Only Discount. They are linked together like "traveling with" but they are not on a same reservation, big difference.

We have been told twice that we couldn't book two rooms on the same reservation, that "traveling with" is the way it is handled unless there is only one adult traveling with more kids than can be listed on a single room. Now, maybe that's just luck of the draw, because we all know CRO CMs can sometimes be less informed than many DISers, but I was under the impression that isn't an option for our situation (6 people, usually).

 

[bicker]

Of course they should cost more, but not as much more as the options currently available.

What are you basing that on?

Disney bases its prices on supply and demand, and factors in what pricing earns them the most profit overall. That's pretty typical for business.

 

[KellyNY]

And folks who get to that point aren't the folks Disney is aiming for. Disney is specifically aiming their offerings at guests who truly appreciate (read: value) the affinity of staying "in the middle of the magic". If you ever get to the point that you're comparing Disney resorts to off-property resorts, and you don't give Disney a (let's say) 35% bump just because it is Disney (and for no other reason), then it really might be time to start staying off-site.

Now you are getting unnecessary sentimentsal. "Just because it is Disney" never worked for me. Transportation, persks, EMH, ME, yes to some degree, but Just because it is Disney, I never forgot that Disney is a business providing service I pay for.

 

[gigi1313]

And the way you book 2 rooms is exactly why you do not get rooms together. You have 2 reservations, 1 for free DP, another for Room Only Discount. They are linked together like "traveling with" but they are not on a same reservation, big difference.

i realize that kelly, but my confirms say right on them: connecting rooms guaranteed (which i know is a request, not a "real" guarantee like one would expect from other hotels/companies)...

there is no place online to make two rooms on the same reservation, even on the TA site, so i make my ressies thru the TA line, which one would think would help... but it doesn't!

.