Strategy for Guaranteed Connecting Rooms

[MouseOfCards]

http://www.wdwinfo.com/walt-disney-...y-tips-for-choosing-your-disney-world-resort/
In this WDWINFO article, the writer states that there is a way to book 2 guaranteed connecting rooms:

"2. Book two connecting standard sized room at any value resort. Now, here is where there is a lot of misinformation floating around, so I made sure that I spoke with several people at Disney on this issue. Here’s the bottom line…and it’s a bit complicated. If you have two adults in your party, who live in the same residence (ie. Mom and Dad or Grandma and Grandpa), and any number of children, you can book two connecting rooms and Disney will guarantee that reservation. Yes, they used the word “guarantee”…I asked multiple times and made them swear on the image of the Corporate Mouse that this was true. This also applies if you are just Mom or just Grandma traveling with any number of children on your own. Your connecting room reservation is also guaranteed in that instance.

Where it gets tricky is when you have three adults or more on the reservation (Mom, Dad and Grandma), plus any number of kiddos. Then they have to make two separate reservations. They will then link them together in what Disney referred to as a “Travel With” reservation. Which means they will bend over backwards to get you connecting rooms, but they’re not guaranteed."

Does anyone know if this strategy can also be used for getting guaranteed DVC connecting rooms?

 

[_auroraborealis_]

1. The writer is wrong. Stories abound of people made just such a guarantee, who didn't get it, and where the terms of lodging were shown to them and the "guarantee" doesn't exist.

2. Pretty much no. Keep in mind there are only two places where DVC has connecting rooms anyway -- a 2BR lock-off is by definition "connecting," but if you want it connected your better bet is to book it AS a 2BR. Poly studios also have connecting rooms.

There is no other way to get connecting DVC rooms because DVC rooms are not built connecting. No interior doors. There is no such thing as two connecting studios at any other resort, and they don't have connections between the "parts" of a 2BR lock-off to other units, or between dedicated units at any other resort.

 

[KAT4DISNEY]

Does anyone know if this strategy can also be used for getting guaranteed DVC connecting rooms?

Poly has connecting studios and I haven't seen a report yet that the request wasn't met. Other than 2 studios all the studios connect to another studio so it seems like it's fairly easy to accommodate that request.

VB has a few connecting Inn rooms but it's not guaranteed. No other DVC resorts have connecting studios. The only connecting rooms at the other resorts are 2BR lockoffs and should be booked as such if you want to guarantee connecting rooms. It's also less points for a 2BR lockoff vs booking a studio and 1 bedroom separately.

 

[LAX]

I thought the above referenced article was talking about value resorts (at least the cut & paste portion), so I don't think the guarantee necessarily carry over to DVC villas even if true.

LAX

 

[disneynutz]

I'm sure that the room assigner will do their best to assign connecting rooms at PVB or rooms close to each other with a traveling with. The truth of the matter is there is only so much that they can do depending on when and where guests are checking out and when you are checking in.

Disney is smart, they guarantee nothing. Better to make magic than to disappoint.

Bill

 

[drusba]

Except for Poly, the only connecting DVC rooms at any WDW DVC resort are a studio and 1BR which make up a 2BR lock-off, and thus to get a connecting studio and 1BR, you simply reserve the 2BR lock-off, which actually costs fewer points than booking a studio and 1BR separately.

Poly has connecting studios but does not guarantee that you will get them if requested even if you are Bob Iger. Nevertheless, it is highly likely you will get them mainly because all but two of the 360 studios are connecting studios.

 

[Dean]

http://www.wdwinfo.com/walt-disney-...y-tips-for-choosing-your-disney-world-resort/
In this WDWINFO article, the writer states that there is a way to book 2 guaranteed connecting rooms:

"2. Book two connecting standard sized room at any value resort. Now, here is where there is a lot of misinformation floating around, so I made sure that I spoke with several people at Disney on this issue. Here’s the bottom line…and it’s a bit complicated. If you have two adults in your party, who live in the same residence (ie. Mom and Dad or Grandma and Grandpa), and any number of children, you can book two connecting rooms and Disney will guarantee that reservation. Yes, they used the word “guarantee”…I asked multiple times and made them swear on the image of the Corporate Mouse that this was true. This also applies if you are just Mom or just Grandma traveling with any number of children on your own. Your connecting room reservation is also guaranteed in that instance.

Where it gets tricky is when you have three adults or more on the reservation (Mom, Dad and Grandma), plus any number of kiddos. Then they have to make two separate reservations. They will then link them together in what Disney referred to as a “Travel With” reservation. Which means they will bend over backwards to get you connecting rooms, but they’re not guaranteed."

Does anyone know if this strategy can also be used for getting guaranteed DVC connecting rooms?

Other than booking a lockoff 2 BR, there's no way to guarantee connecting rooms for DVC. At the Poly it's very likely to get the request, one just needs to realize there's a chance something could happen esp during busier times.

 

[Lynne M]

That doesn't apply to any Disney resort, DVC or otherwise. There's a longstanding problem with phone CMs telling guests that they have 'guaranteed' rooms - sometimes it's because of the number of adults in the party, sometimes it's because people live at the same address, sometimes it's some nonsense like "oh, Disney would never split up a family, Walt wouldn't like that." They'll even type it into the reservation record.

The problem is, there's no mechanism to block connecting rooms. So if a resort has, say, 500 connecting room pairs, and 550 families who requested connecting rooms show up that day...fifty families will be out of luck. And no, the resort does not 'make it right.' There are a continuous stream of reports on the Resorts board of people who were told that connecting rooms were guaranteed, and didn't get them.

I have no idea why they haven't fixed this at the reservations end. It would be simple enough to instruct the CMs to tell people that connecting rooms are only a request and can't be guaranteed. It must drive the front desk staff at the resorts absolutely bonkers, because guests are being made promises that the resort is unable to keep. They can't manufacture a connecting room pair out of thin air if they're all already occupied.

 

[MouseOfCards]

Just read some of the reports of people not getting their guaranteed connecting rooms. We would absolutely hate to get rooms far apart if the staff promised and the reservation indicated "guaranteed"! Cannot believe that this is allowed by Disney!???

 

[KAT4DISNEY]

Just read some of the reports of people not getting their guaranteed connecting rooms. We would absolutely hate to get rooms far apart if the staff promised and the reservation indicated "guaranteed"! Cannot believe that this is allowed by Disney!???

I don't think the reservation itself would indicate guaranteed.

 

[bumbershoot]

Just read some of the reports of people not getting their guaranteed connecting rooms. We would absolutely hate to get rooms far apart if the staff promised and the reservation indicated "guaranteed"! Cannot believe that this is allowed by Disney!???

The CMs that say these things don't work onsite at WDW, definitely aren't room assigners, might never have been to WDW (let alone stayed there), and might not even be in Florida. They have ZERO concept of what it's like at the resort.

What I can't believe is that those CMs haven't been personally retrained. But then maybe no one actually follows up on it all in a reasonable, believable way that would get someone to sit up and take notice.

 

[Dean]

I don't think the reservation itself would indicate guaranteed.

Ultimately no reservation can be completely guaranteed. We've seen DVC members with a valid reservation turned away and sent to other resorts because there were no rooms. The reality is that your room might be the last room and it might go out of service for some reason. With DVC getting to the point of no options isn't likely under normal circumstances but it is fair warning that things can happen.

 

[_auroraborealis_]

All it takes is one person trying to flush a diaper, and that room's out of service for 3 days.

 

[Lynne M]

Just read some of the reports of people not getting their guaranteed connecting rooms. We would absolutely hate to get rooms far apart if the staff promised and the reservation indicated "guaranteed"! Cannot believe that this is allowed by Disney!???

It's unfortunate, because guests hear "guaranteed" from a Disney representative, and assume it's a promise that can be kept. Why wouldn't they?

If you absolutely can't split your group up in two rooms that might not be close, the only way you're guaranteed to be together is to get a single room (villa, family suite, etc) that can hold your entire party.

 

[CMNJ]

OP are you trying to get two Poly studios or are you booking a 1BR and studio separately and trying to have them connect?
Chances are you would mostly likely get the Poly studios connecting since there are so many and Disney is still selling PVB-I would assume they would try even harder since it could deter sales if lots of reports of not getting connecting rooms were out there. However since a 1BR and studio can be booked as a single unit (a 2BR LO) it make be harder for them to accommodate you. I.E. If they have 4 2BR LO avail on your checkin day plus a 1br and a studio that aren't connected (the other side currently in use) and 4 other people checking in with a 2BR reservation they would have to give you the separated rooms. FWIW Disney and DVC definitely try to accommodate requests. Last year we stayed at BLT in 2 studios which were across the hall from each other and this year we got connecting rooms at CR GW this past trip. We had 4 adults and 1 child on both those trips.

 

[MouseOfCards]

I don't think the reservation itself would indicate guaranteed.

There have been reports of guests getting reservations indicating guaranteed. An example:

I've gotten that same spiel 4 times. Two of those times we arrived with 2 adult and 5 kids all under 12 and all living in the same household and had rooms nowhere near each other. At POR we were in separate buildings at BC were on different floors on opposite ends of the hallway. At POR on day 4 we were able to at least get in the same building, but on different floors. And at BC on day 5 we were able to get on the same floor but still on opposite ends.

All 4 times we were told the same thing @BigAlsGal was told and ALL our paperwork said Guaranteed Connecting Rooms. All 4 times we had 1 reservation number for 2 rooms.
I can't believe the phone CMs are STILL giving people this false information.

 

[MouseOfCards]

And another example:

I had read similar reports before our trip and was concerned even though my reservation clearly stated connecting rooms were guaranteed so I called an spoke to another CM to verify. I'm not saying that mistakes haven't been made in the past, but I think similar to a guaranteed Boardwalk view or other reservation guarantee, that if a person is not given something that Disney promises on their reservation, they can work with guest services to rectify the situation. I know I personally would have sat there politely and worked with them until they provided me two connecting rooms somewhere on Disney property--even if that meant that they had to upgrade us or put us in a suite. I would just make sure you have a print out of your reservation when you check in and if you don't receive the guaranteed connecting rooms, that you have the time and patience to work with them until you're happy with the results. The 2nd CM did mention that sometimes folks request connecting rooms and that this is not guaranteed so its definitely worthwhile to make sure your reservation says that connecting rooms are guaranteed. Best of luck!

Hard to understand how they can put it on the reservation and not honor it!? I agree with this poster that they should make some special accommodation for not fulfilling a promise on the reservation.

 

[n2mm]

I'm confused. OP are you trying to get connected studios at the poly? That is the only dvc resort that has that feature. None of the dvc resorts, other than the poly, have connecting studios. There are studios next to each other, but not connecting at other dvc properties.

 

[Sammie]

Just read some of the reports of people not getting their guaranteed connecting rooms. We would absolutely hate to get rooms far apart if the staff promised and the reservation indicated "guaranteed"! Cannot believe that this is allowed by Disney!???

I agree, I am confused too. You are aware this is a DVC forum? So the only rooms that connect are located at the Polynesian and since only two of all those offered do not connect I don't think it's concern.

As far as we know no one has report having trouble with getting connecting rooms at the Polynesian.

 

[KAT4DISNEY]

There have been reports of guests getting reservations indicating guaranteed. An example:

Disney isn't great at guarantees then.

But as you were asking about DVC rooms and getting guarantees it's been answered that for DVC rooms at WDW only PVB has connecting studios and anything else that connects is a studio to a 1BR which you would book as a 2BR lockoff if you wanted them to connect. Anything else and you would be asking to have rooms adjacent or near to each other and while some room assignors might get that there is no guarantee. ie - answer to the question - no guarantees on requests.