Tips for getting 2 units together?

[Bruce in PA]

A week from now, we start our vacation at OKW. For the first time, we're taking a group and splitting between two 2-BR units.

I've done everything I know to improve our chances of getting both units placed nearby. Included the request on the reservation, mentioned it and confirmed each time I talked with Member Services, etc.

And I know there's no way to assure we'll end up in the same Building, or even on the same road.

Does anyone have experience with this, especially at OKW, and are there any tips for increasing our chances?

 

[robinb]

We have had mixed luck with being placed near our family/friends. Sometimes we are far away and other times we are very close. We have had the best luck overall at OKW when were were placed in the same section of buildings. We booked a 2-BR and 2 studios which were all within a building or two of each other.

Honestly, I think you have done all you can do. I wonder if someone can chime in on whether it's advisable to do early check-in and if there is a place there for requests. I always just check in when we get to the resort.

 

[bratgirl]

We have stayed at OKW many times and have request rooms close together and have always gotten . It should not be a problem.

 

[com_op_2000]

I have gotten 3 studios at SSR in the same building and on the same floor by placing a "Travel with" notice on all three reservations of the other two reservations numbers.
Call, e-mail, or chat with MS and have your reservations x-listed on the other reservation that way the room assigner CMs know what you are looking for.

 

[jekjones1558]

And if all the afore mentioned strategies fail, ask at checkin if you can get the rooms together. Good luck!

 

[disneynutz]

Think about what you are requesting, hoping to have 2 - 2 bedroom villas checking out in the same building on the same day and the room assigner assigning both rooms to your party.

The 2nd 2 bedroom could be buildings away or in the same building, just keep your fingers crossed and hope for the best.

Good Luck!

Bill

 

[Dean]

A week from now, we start our vacation at OKW. For the first time, we're taking a group and splitting between two 2-BR units.

I've done everything I know to improve our chances of getting both units placed nearby. Included the request on the reservation, mentioned it and confirmed each time I talked with Member Services, etc.

And I know there's no way to assure we'll end up in the same Building, or even on the same road.

Does anyone have experience with this, especially at OKW, and are there any tips for increasing our chances?

Assuming they are the same booking category AND you don't have other requests, your chances of success are excellent. If you add additional requests, the chances of an issue go up exponentially in my experience. I'd double check at check in and again when you get your room assignment(s) if need be. The main issue you're likely to have is if the rooms are not ready at the same time and someone at the FD talks the CM out of your room and the villas that were together now are not. Remember that calling the FD does not actually ring to the real FD so if you have an issue, you're far better off trucking there than calling in this circumstance.

 

[Dean]

Think about what you are requesting, hoping to have 2 - 2 bedroom villas checking out in the same building on the same day and the room assigner assigning both rooms to your party.

The 2nd 2 bedroom could be buildings away or in the same building, just keep your fingers crossed and hope for the best.

Good Luck!

Bill

Since they often preassign them it's not as big of a problem as it might seem on the surface. 3 BR units together would be more difficult but even then getting them fairly close shouldn't be a major issue.

 

[Donna M]

With all your calls was 'traveling with" mentioned at all? When we were there a couple years ago we had 3 groups together and didn't know anything about the 'travel with" designation. The cm that checked us in said that if they had know it would have made it much easier.

They did do some switching around and I think the second night and onward we were close enough.

 

[Bruce in PA]

Thanks everyone for the additional tips and experiences. I'll be speaking with Member Services tomorrow or Tuesday and will be sure to confirm that the reservation is noted as "traveling with" for both units.

Though we do have other requests (upper floor, fairway view) they're a lower priority than having both units nearby. I'll ask if we can note priorities...if not, we'll drop all but the request for nearby.

I just took care of early check-in online and was disappointed to see that there's no way to note something like this. Just a few boilerplate requests (like "Fairway view" and "Ground floor") that can be checked off. And there was nothing in either reservation that indicated our request to link the two. I assume that Front Desk/Room Assigner folks see more details. At least, I hope they do.

 

[Dean]

Thanks everyone for the additional tips and experiences. I'll be speaking with Member Services tomorrow or Tuesday and will be sure to confirm that the reservation is noted as "traveling with" for both units.

Though we do have other requests (upper floor, fairway view) they're a lower priority than having both units nearby. I'll ask if we can note priorities...if not, we'll drop all but the request for nearby.

I just took care of early check-in online and was disappointed to see that there's no way to note something like this. Just a few boilerplate requests (like "Fairway view" and "Ground floor") that can be checked off. And there was nothing in either reservation that indicated our request to link the two. I assume that Front Desk/Room Assigner folks see more details. At least, I hope they do.

You can prioritize but the outcome is hit or miss. IMO, once you get past 2 easy requests or one difficult one, your chances of being successful drop dramatically. If those are the requests (3 total), I'd drop the other one that's least important completely and just list close together plus, at most, one more.

 

[Sammie]

Thanks everyone for the additional tips and experiences. I'll be speaking with Member Services tomorrow or Tuesday and will be sure to confirm that the reservation is noted as "traveling with" for both units.

Though we do have other requests (upper floor, fairway view) they're a lower priority than having both units nearby. I'll ask if we can note priorities...if not, we'll drop all but the request for nearby.

I just took care of early check-in online and was disappointed to see that there's no way to note something like this. Just a few boilerplate requests (like "Fairway view" and "Ground floor") that can be checked off. And there was nothing in either reservation that indicated our request to link the two. I assume that Front Desk/Room Assigner folks see more details. At least, I hope they do.

If being close is important, I would not list any other requests. You are really setting yourself up for failure even if you prioritize them.

 

[AmyB2006]

If being close is important, I would not list any other requests. You are really setting yourself up for failure even if you prioritize them.

I agree with this. If being close is most important I wouldn't request anything else, because they might place you separated but honor your other room requests.

I've never not been placed within "a few doors" of my family when I add a Travel With option on our reservation. Usually it's right next door or across the hallway. One time it's been down the hallway by 3 doors.

 

[Nanajo1]

Before they had the "traveling with" notation my requests to be near each other were rarely met. At times I wondered if we were in the same Zip code! Since the "traveling with" notation I've had better luck.

 

[Chuck S]

I've never had a problem getting 2 units nearby at OKW, as long as it was listed on the original reservations. We have always been either in the same building, or buildings next to each other. We'll see how it works out next year when I will need 4 or 5 units for a large group.

 

[JWG]

We've had good luck at SSR and BWV, so I'd assume a resort with only one booking category such as OKW would workout. We've always linked or put notes on each reservation stating they're together and to please put as close as possible. At SSR we wanted studios and it was just the 1BR between us. At BWV, they were down the same hall (3 studios so spaced differently).

 

[bcvlover]

When you have all your reservation numbers, call back MS and ask to put a Travel With on them, so you can be located together.

 

[jo-jo]

While only needing two studios, we had great success. At BLT, we were three doors on the other side of the hall. And at BCV, we were right across the hall. That was great for running back and forth between rooms. We did have the travel with comment. I also asked when checking in. At BCV, my room was ready hours before DS's room was. But that was ok. We still had one room to rest in.

 

[lovin'fl]

We have done 2 family Xmas trips where we booked multiple villas. In 2011, we booked a studio and a 2BR at OKW- HH section (SIL1 stayed at SSR) and got the same building but the 2BR was on the ground floor end and the studio was on the 2nd floor in the middle. We requested ground floor for the 2BR (MIL and FIL were in it with us and MIL has bad knees so we did a medical request). I think if you just link the resies and request to be close to each other and make no other location requests might give you a better shot.

Then, in 2013, we got two 2BRs, a studio and a 1BR at AKV-Kidani and linked all the resies asking to be close to each other. We were all on the same floor and somewhat next to each other...it went SIL1's 2BR, FIL/MIL's 1BR, studio occupied by someone else, my 2BR and then down the hall was SIL2's studio. I think SIL2 was going to be in the studio attached to MIL's 1BR but I used more of my points to book a 1BR and a studio separately per MIL's request as she wanted space and privacy from SIL2....but I think they were going to give us the side-by-side connecting 1BR and studio (2BR configuration) and I mentioned to MIL (loud enough for CM to hear) that I'd be coming back to the desk to ask for points back if they turned out to be connecting like a 2BR....after I said that, it took them a while to complete the check in for them (MIL and SIL2...SIL1 and I were done quick) so I think they were switching things up and moving SIL2 down the hall a little ways.