Touring Plans Room Finder- does it work?

[TikiTikiFan]

I’m debating staying at Caribbean Beach again but oof the size of the resort is rough. I know I could just pay for a preferred room to be close to the pool (which we might do anyways) but I wonder what luck folks have had with room requests when using the Touring Plans paid plan?

I know that some of the water view/5th sleepers are in buildings by the pool and wonder if how much luck it would take to pay for that water view and then request one of the buildings by the pool (Barbados or Martinique). Would save a decent chunk of money so figured can’t hurt to look into it...

On the flip side, can you upgrade to preferred at check in if you don’t get the room request you’re looking for?

Thanks all!

 

[Disneylover99]

In my experience, it doesn’t matter how you make your request.

I‘ve phoned it in, made requests online, and used touring plans.
It’s all hit and miss. It really varies and is dependent on occupancy and how popular your room request is to others.

Your request is like a jigsaw puzzle piece. Sometimes your length of stay and check in date will fit in perfectly to your room request and other times, it won’t.

You can always request a switch if you’re not happy with your assigned room, They will switch you if they can, and yes, you can pay to upgrade once you’re there - it depends on availability of course. I’ve done it a few times.

 

[TikiTikiFan]

You can always request a switch if you’re not happy with your assigned room, They will switch you if they can, and yes, you can pay to upgrade once you’re there - it depends on availability of course. I’ve done it a few times.

Oh cool, good to know. That seems like a good plan then... book the water view, hope we get the desired building, and if not.. pay to upgrade. Thank you!

 

[Evita_W]

Just know if you request a switch, right now with social distancing and all you need to do so before entering the room unless there is something physically wrong with the room like a broken toilet, etc.

They might make exceptions, but in general once you enter the room that room is yours for your stay.

 

[_19disnA]

Doubt that paying some 3rd party would improve your chance of getting your room preference, they have no direct influence with Disney. Disney lets you choose room preference (for free) when you make your reservation. Availability depends on how crowded they are and how specific your preference.

Paying to upgrade upon arrival would also depend on how full the resort happens to be.

 

[CrimsonRave]

So we have used it 3 times.... neither got us in a room we were looking for. We did get weirdly upgraded by Disney at the Boardwalk one year. We had as standard room, and they asked our 6 year old if he likes boats..... They said well let's give you a water view! Best Disney Magic Ever!

 

[kevgraub]

We used Touring Plans room request option one time and we did not get what we asked for at all. We booked a preferred room at CBR with the fold down/5th sleeper option (there were 5 of us in the room) and made a room request based on our preferred view/location. Ended up in a standard view room - at the Grand Floridian - because they overbooked the CBR.

So, although we were 0-1 on getting our request filled by using Touring Plans, we were not complaining.

I will say that I found Touring Plans tools extremely useful and worth the small cost for a yearly subscription. Not sure I would use it solely for the room request option, but overall I thought it was a good value.

 

[Dug720]

As others have said. A request is only that. A request.

 

[TikiTikiFan]

I will say that I found Touring Plans tools extremely useful and worth the small cost for a yearly subscription. Not sure I would use it solely for the room request option, but overall I thought it was a good value.

That’s good to know, I see people mention it on here a lot so that made me curious! We’re still learning the WDW ropes after being primarily Disneyland folks.

 

[GADisneyDad14]

That’s good to know, I see people mention it on here a lot so that made me curious! We’re still learning the WDW ropes after being primarily Disneyland folks.

FWIW, you’ll hear experiences of every type, but generally speaking TP has a relatively loyal following of folks who use that room request feature. You often (but not always, of course), see positive experiences.

I don’t personally use it as I just call requests in to Disney, but a lot of people seem to like them.

Hope you get your request! Enjoy your trip.

 

[StageTek]

I wonder what luck folks have had with room requests when using the Touring Plans paid plan?

I am 5 for 7. Got exactly the room I requested 5 times, got 2 doors down once and not even close once. The not-even-close was this past September. Kinda figured that was due to all the issues of these times.

Touring Plans is so inexpensive and offers other things I really like I have always felt it was worth it.

 

[gharter]

We've used touring plans room reservation for years and its hot and miss. Some years we get the room we request or close, other years, its like we never even asked.
Found similar if we called or faxed our request to WDW.

 

[KittyKitty]

I used TP for room request 3 times, all 3 got my request or real close to it. I like that you see the view from the rooms on their website.

 

[NashvilleMama]

As others have said, it's hit or miss. It worked for us in Sept - got the exact room - but not even the same building this past trip.

 

[maltdizzy]

I have never gotten my requested room. They generally get me close. I was upgraded once to Water View at the Yacht Club once so they could put me in the room right next to my requests.

The finder itself is good and informative, it includes photos taken of the view form many rooms, and has tips one the best rooms in each catagory. I have also found it's a little outdated. For instance, the Polynesian section has to old long house names and lacks the modern room categories (like marina/pool view).

 

[MinnieMSue]

Yes and no. Always did until our September trip - we got the exact opposite of our requests lol. Ask for tub got shower, ask for lake view got building furthest from lake etc. We had a good laugh out of it and still had a lovely stay. Room doesn’t matter that much to us anyway.

 

[jlstwinmommy]

I had never used it before but we tried it for our January trip and got the exact room we requested.

 

[Evita_W]

FWIW, you’ll hear experiences of every type, but generally speaking TP has a relatively loyal following of folks who use that room request feature. You often (but not always, of course), see positive experiences.

I don’t personally use it as I just call requests in to Disney, but a lot of people seem to like them.

Hope you get your request! Enjoy your trip.

Considering hold times when calling Disney have been 2+ hours lately, I think the request feature may be worth it, it isn't a guarantee of course, but its worth a shot.

 

[Dave006]

On the flip side, can you upgrade to preferred at check in if you don’t get the room request you’re looking for?

Yes if available you can upgrade or just request a different room that might meet your requests within the same booking class when you arrive at the resort.

You can also use TP to see if your assigned room is anywhere near what you requests were. They do a good job on the TP side submitting your requests but your room assignment is up to the room assignment team at the resort. Requests are subject to change until you arrive at the door to the room. From there you can still request a change or upgrade but it is always easier before you arrive at the room.

Please note as with anything on the internet. 100% of the information on the TP site is not accurate. Room layout, features or the picture assigned to the room number may not be correct.

Dave

 

[Dug720]

On the flip side, can you upgrade to preferred at check in if you don’t get the room request you’re looking for?

You can certainly inquire as to if an upgrade is available, but the rule of thumb is if you ask, expect to be charged for the upgrade.