The GROOVIER New Pop Century FAQ Thread Chapter 2! ~ Post #1 is a must see!

[Minnie&Nana]

We've been a few times the first week of March and it was 80 to 85, no humidity, day time and nice in the evenings as well.

Perfect weather!!!

Have a GREAT trip!!

 

[penni520]

It was my understanding, that the resorts no longer took calls and faxes for requests and that they suggest you call the main reservations number. You actually called the POP front desk penni ?

Yes I did

 

[Minnie&Nana]

Actually, all resort calls go to a call center, not the resort. The operator will answer the resort name and lead to believe you are speaking with the front desk, but rare calls go through.

The call center for the resorts have access and can add requests to the reservation.

I have a friend who is a resort call center CM - they handle calls for more within Disney than anyone might imagine. Amazing!

 

[Kristineamb]

It was my understanding, that the resorts no longer took calls and faxes for requests and that they suggest you call the main reservations number. You actually called the POP front desk penni ?

I faxed our requests a few days before we arrived...we got what we requested!

 

[MiaSRN62]

Actually, all resort calls go to a call center, not the resort. The operator will answer the resort name and lead to believe you are speaking with the front desk, but rare calls go through.

Thanks Minnie&Nana....that's what I thought........

and as far as faxing requests, I read this a couple years ago when I heard it stopped :

http://allears.net/acc/cro1.htm

 

[Minnie&Nana]

You're welcome!

We just add the request to the reservation and ask again at check-in.

Hope your room is just what you're hoping for!

 

[Nik's Mom]

what is the weather going to be like in mid March? In June the only time I wore a pair of jeans was one night when it rained/stormed pretty bad but even then it wasn't cold. I have no idea what to pack for March, I know it will be really cold still here!

Make sure you pack a sweatshirt and jeans. We went in mid March a few years ago and it was freezing. We ended up having to buy sweatshirts there. This time, we will be packing a variety of clothes for all weather. It looks like we will be in WDW at the same time as you!

 

[englishrose47]

Can ayone tellme if the 30 minute cars havean expiration date ! I am going solo or pos. anothe adult but in Sept am going with the family If I could I'd save itfor Sept !!

 

[TJM1976]

Can ayone tellme if the 30 minute cars havean expiration date ! I am going solo or pos. anothe adult but in Sept am going with the family If I could I'd save itfor Sept !!

Awww going solo to WDW?? I thought I was the only one who did that. LOL Sorry but, can't comment on the arcade cards.

 

[penni520]

Actually, all resort calls go to a call center, not the resort. The operator will answer the resort name and lead to believe you are speaking with the front desk, but rare calls go through.

The call center for the resorts have access and can add requests to the reservation.

I have a friend who is a resort call center CM - they handle calls for more within Disney than anyone might imagine. Amazing!

I called Pop Century, And when I called I asked if this was the Pop and she said yes...Then I asked for my wishes and she made them happen.
You will get the Pop 3 days before your arrival.

 

[penni520]

Awww going solo to WDW?? I thought I was the only one who did that. LOL Sorry but, can't comment on the arcade cards.

I went solo for the first time last month, and had a blast. Read my TR at the bottem, click on the link.

 

[Disneyfan71]

We've decided to stay here and do the Deluxe Dining plan. We'll be there in June It looks so neat too.

 

[Timon-n-Pumbaa Fan]

I am finally going back to POP. I was one of their first guests. I am so looking forward to April!

 

[Minnie&Nana]

I am finally going back to POP. I was one of their first guests. I am so looking forward to April!

 

[Disneyfan71]

I'm hoping to get in the 70's building..that means a lot to me since I was born in 1971

 

[puppytrainer]

3 months from today we'll be arriving at POP! Made all my ADR's this morning, so all that is left is to wait.

 

[pxydst]

we will be there in 39 days , we have reserved a prefered room so do we still have to request a room?? we want to be by the bus stop and food court, I know we want it all! So your suggestions.

 

[jenseib]

Thanks Minnie&Nana....that's what I thought........

and as far as faxing requests, I read this a couple years ago when I heard it stopped :

http://allears.net/acc/cro1.htm

It says at the top that they stopped, and says mainly Wilderness lodge, but if you read down further it talks about faxing and stuff. This is copied from that page


Previously I had suggested that you should not fax in requests already made through DRC. I am modifying my stance on this now based upon feedback I received from several sources. Go ahead and send a confirming fax to the resort's Room Assigner four days prior to arrival if you want to. List anything in your fax that you would consider a "must have". But remember that while you might consider something as "must have", the resorts will only consider it as a regular non-guaranteed request that they will attempt to meet.

If however you feel you must make your requests directly to the resort you should know that there are certain things which are appropriate to request in advance. Specific building or floor, room view, kind of beds, adjoining (near each other with entrance only from outside door) rooms or connecting (side by side rooms with an inside door between them) rooms and being located near other family/friends who will be there at the same time are all very normal things to request. Make sure that when you list your requests they are in the order of most importance. Put the thing you would like most as the first request and continue from there. Keep in mind that if your only requests are generic ones like "close to the bus stop" and "non smoking" (unless for guaranteed medical reasons), they no longer pre-assigned by most resorts. Instead, they are assigned out of the pool of ready rooms available at the time you check-in.

Be sure that what you are requesting actually exists. People who request a room with a balcony at the All Stars, bunk beds at the Grand Floridian or a room close to the lobby with a lagoon view reservation at the Polynesian really are out there.

There are also some things that should NOT be requested in advance like hair dryers, irons and ironing boards or coffee makers. These items are provided by the housekeeping department upon request at check-in. They do not require advance reservation. The room assigner has no control over these.

Faxes are preferred to phone calls because it allows the room assigner to block requests in their own time. Phone calls can come at bad times and lead to a cast member making a notation on your reservation or on a piece of scrap paper and not actually blocking a room. The fax actually gets put in a file and rotated between the room assigners until you check in. If for some reason the room that was blocked for you gets moved, the next room assigner in rotation should catch it but remember that it is always possible that your preassigned room can be changed for many reasons right up until the moment you check-in. Requests should be faxed directly to the resort and marked "Attention: Room Assigner".

No requests should be sent until 4 days prior to actual check-in. The resorts do not get to download the reservations from the DRC computers until 10 days before your arrival and the room assigners generally block your rooms 3 days before. If you fax a request to a resort before they have the reservation in their computers and are ready to assign it, they will file it in a special "pass" folder. That folder should be checked daily to pull out faxes that came in early but there is always the chance yours could be missed. The best way to avoid getting in the Pass folder is to not send in your request until 4 days before.

Figure your 4 days prior to arrival this way:

Thursday - Arrival day/check-in
Wednesday - 1 day prior
Tuesday - 2 days prior
Monday - 3 days prior
Sunday - 4 days prior

Faxing after 4 pm is usually best only because the morning Room Assigner is usually bogged down with checkouts and the evening Room Assigner is usually dealing with check-ins until 4 pm. Honestly though, if you are faxing it doesn't matter when you send it. If they are busy they will file it and the evening Room Assigner will get to it when they start blocking requests.

Yes, the resorts do room assignments 7 days a week. Many Disney resorts will assign their rooms to medical needs and groups first followed by regular guest requests. Oldest reservations will usually have priority but that isn't always the case.

You should also be aware that if you made your reservations through a travel agent, you may not be able to add or change anything on the reservation. That includes room requests. You may have to go through your booking agent to do those things.

Be sure you include the pertinent information in the fax. Your name, home address and telephone, your reservation number(s), the dates of your arrival and departure, and the requests you wish to make. It would be in your best interests to list your requests in the order of importance to you. And remember that the more requests you are making the greater the chances you will not receive all of them.

If you have more than one reservation at the same resort that will run consecutively be sure to indicate that in the fax by informing the assigner that you have "continuing reservations". Make sure you list all the reservation numbers and dates on each. This will tell the assigner that you want to remain in the same room during both reservations. You will still have to do the "check out/check back in" at the front desk on the day your second reservation starts but you will likely not have to actually change rooms.

You should always give a reason why you are requesting something. This is to help the room assigner figure out what your intent is if he can't fulfill your specific request. Did you request a second floor room because of the view or is the first floor too noisy for you? Is the building you wanted because it is close to the bus/food/pool/etc or because it is a nonsmoking building? If the room assigner knows the reason, he can put you in another room that will better meet your needs if what you wanted isn't available. The more narrow and specific your request is such as with a specific room number, the harder it will be to fulfill.

Remember that it is always best to use the friendliest tone possible in your faxes and in your face-to-face dealings with the front desk CM's. "May we", "could we possibly", or "if it's possible" work really well. "I want" or "I should get" do not. Room assigners don't want to hear "I read on the Internet that someone else got such & such and I want it, too." Demands and entitlements are frowned upon. Please be polite. Most room assigners cringe at bold, underlines, all caps, and sentences that include "we REQUIRE a room with a balcony" or "I MUST HAVE a pool view or my vacation will be ruined." And when a room assigner cringes at your requests, you can bet that your requests aren't going to the top of his/her list. These are only requests. Never lose sight of the fact that nothing is guaranteed.

The subject of asking for free upgrades (standard to water view or standard to king beds) when making requests comes up constantly. These are not granted by a room assigner. A resort won't know whether they have better rooms available until the day you check in. The times that they have been granted have mostly been to people who never even asked. You stand a better chance if you request one at check-in while you are standing there. Your odds are better in slow periods of the year but even then are not guaranteed. Do not set yourself up for disappointment by expecting to get an upgrade. Just because someone else got one doesn't mean you will. Be sure you are ready and willing to stay in the room category you actually reserved. Incidentally, Disney Cruise Line resort reservations are always for standard rooms and are not upgradeable per the DCL contract.

The room assigners try their very best to get all requests met but sometimes this is just not possible. Please remember that if your requests are not met it is not because they did not try. You will not receive any additional confirmation back from the resort regarding these requests. Most times of the year the requests will be granted if available. Certain busy periods may have an effect on them however.

All rooms are not pre-assigned before the arrival of the guests. There are many times that the Front Desk CM selects the room from a pool of available rooms at the time of check in. As a general rule, when your most important request is either smoking/non-smoking or "close to the bus stop/food court", your room will not be preassigned. It will be chosen from this pool of rooms by the CM checking you in.

Keep in mind that although your resort may have 1,000 rooms, only 100 may turn over on Monday, 150 on Tuesday, etc. So that means if you are arriving on that Monday, the room assigner only has 100 rooms in the entire resort where they can put you because the rest are already occupied. If there are no rooms that meet your requests among that 100, then you don't get your request.

 

[EpcotBill]

we will be there in 39 days , we have reserved a prefered room so do we still have to request a room?? we want to be by the bus stop and food court, I know we want it all! So your suggestions.

If you're paying for a preferred room you will be close to the bus stop and food court. You can still request a certain building or specific room if you want to.

 

[Buckeye Gal]

For those of you who don't follow the Pop Picture thread, dtr_angel posted the refillable mug he/she purchased in January 2009. I've added a link to the picture of the mug found to Post #1 as it's different than 2008's mug. I hear this may not be the offical "2009" mug, but indeed it's different than the one I purchased in Sept. 2008.

Even though the rules state the mug purchase is not for unlimited, lifeftime refills, I know people still want to know what they look like. Hopefully they just want to know for collecting purposes, not breaking-the-rules/reuse purposes!