I requested connecting rooms for my trip last August and got it. I emailed a week before we left and reminded them we really needed the connecting rooms and crib because we was traveling with an infant and it would be much easier with connecting rooms to take turns with the kids. The obliged and we got it. It was wonderful.
we didnt request old or new but got the new. I figured each one has its own pluses so I decided to let fate put me in the section we ended up in. The old section would have been nice to be by the pool and play ground but the new section reminded me a lot of the Beach Club and it was close to the car in the garage. (We drove to MGM and Animal Kingdom.)