TouringPlans sunsetting room requests

[Tatebeck]

Yet the best rooms may have those that check out the latest and/or are the last ones cleaned. So when you arrive, you may only be offered the rooms available or as they come available.

Maybe for a single day. But all the rooms have the same check out time, it should average out to be about the same over time.

It is never a guarantee, it's just a room request. If every single guest requests a high floor, some won't get it for example. So it will be just the luck of the draw, but that is how it is designed. And IMO complaining until you get a high floor if you weren't assigned one at first is just silly behavior.

 

[PolyRob]

Yes there will always be situations where rooms have major problems or manual reassignment will be needed.

I just figure they want to try to avoid the avalanche of squeaky wheels that may come if guests figure they can just bug the front desk CMs until they get a better room every stay.

ETA:
If they assign rooms quickly and efficiently then they may not have better rooms to send them to anyway. They aren't going to kick guests out of rooms if they have already got the text messages with their room number. And they shouldn't downgrade another guest's assigned room from their choices of a requested room just because someone else is bugging the front desk. It should be a fair shot for everyone

I meant outside of maintenance issues though. You see it here all the time people escalate and are told you can't move today, but tomorrow we can place you in X room.

If you get there before 4pm very few texts are probably already sent out.

Yet the best rooms may have those that check out the latest and/or are the last ones cleaned. So when you arrive, you may only be offered the rooms available or as they come available.

MDE does have a checkbox asking if you'd like the first room available vs your request.

 

[Tatebeck]

I meant outside of maintenance issues though. You see it here all the time people escalate and are told you can't move today, but tomorrow we can place you in X room.

If you get there before 4pm very few texts are probably already sent out.


MDE does have a checkbox asking if you'd like the first room available vs your request.

I have gotten my text message in the morning, while still at home before going to the airport on arrival day multiple times in the last couple years. And I always prioritized my selections over the "first available" choice. So it definitely happens!

They need to crack down on that if it starts increasing anyway. It simply cannot work mathematically if too many guests are trying to complain their way into their preferred room. Room requests are not guaranteed, and they need to stand by that. For every guest that complains their way into a room they like, there may be someone else who got bumped.

And they need to make sure that none of their rooms should be in condition to complain about anyway! "I didn't get the exact room I wanted" should not be grounds for a room change. Only major issues should warrant that

 

[LadybugsMum]

I got an email from TP just awhile ago. If you have a trip on your dashboard with a room request configured then it will be sent out starting tomorrow. Here's the text from the email

"We normally send room requests to Disney starting 30 days prior to check-in. However, due to the upcoming changes, we are planning to send ALL Room Requests in our system over to Disney starting tomorrow (Wednesday, April 15). This includes room requests with check-in dates more than 30 days in the future."

 

[Simba's Mom]

Just remember, the "best" or "better" rooms are very subjective terms. I really learned that when, just before a trip to WDW, I read someone's glowing report of the terrific room she had-she just loved it. Then surprisingly when I checked in a few days later, I got the same room. I practically skipped to the room, thinking I couldn't wait. Sadly, it didn't take long for me to realize that her "wonderful" room wasn't my idea of a great room at all.

 

[smile5sunshine]

The one thing I would add for options is for the specific areas for the really large DVC resorts like OKW and SSRS

This! When I went to check in through MDE for my recent stay, the only available section to choose was Grandstand. It would be helpful if thy would expand the number of options to at least include all the sections We wanted Paddock, for example, and I had to chat just to get that added.

Bonus on this would be if they let you rank your TOP THREE preferences. It is quite easy to write an algorithm that utilizes ranked choice to do the bulk of room assignments. This increases the likelihood for guest satisfaction because you are almost guaranteed to get a hit one one of your requests.

 

[Sandisw]

Even with the not guaranteed, I have seen plenty of upset guests over the years.

Personally, I am okay if Disney is cutting back on this and I’d even be okay that changes by the front desk can only be for first available if your room that has been assigned is not ready.

 

[Cfabar1]

I like room request.... tried it for the first time on Sunday coincidentally... the MS agent was WONDERFUL and so thoughtful and helpful... honestly it made me very satisfied with my membership, and I completely understand nothing is guaranteed, but just her eagerness to help me and work with specific requests - I shared how much we loved our room last time we were at BLT, and she said let's include that room number in the request so they can understand the type of room we are looking for... I really viewed it as the "disney difference"... sad to hear they are getting rid of this...

and I fully understand we may have gotten there and not gotten the room... the point is there was a way to make that desire known and documented, and allow the CMs to try to put that extra little bit of Pixie Dust onto our stay...

 

[Genie+]

We’ve only asked to be moved once. It wasn’t ready until hours after check-in and when we got inside our eyes and noses were burning with menthol fumes. Don’t know what happened in there. They eventually found us another room which wasn’t easy. It was past 7pm and occupancy was high with Rise of the Resistance opening and free dining going on.

They have granted our requests many times. Other times we received something totally different, and often it’s a great room anyway. Last trip we asked to overlook The Green at BW, we ended up in a handicap room on the other side that was doors down from the lobby. The convenient location was great even if the room was a bit hard to use. Then we moved to Coronado and were assigned handicap again! We weren’t thrilled but kept it, still happy by all the other times our requests closely matched. It’s a 2 way street. They try, sometimes things don’t work out and sometimes they do!!!

 

[melissa70]

How far in advance should one request their room ? Closer to the date or anytime?

 

[Brian Noble]

Just to reiterate something I posted earlier: According to @lentesta and the folks at TouringPlans, there is a chat function on MDE that allows one to specify more detailed requests. Or at least there was very recently.

 

[Tatebeck]

Just to reiterate something I posted earlier: According to @lentesta and the folks at TouringPlans, there is a chat function on MDE that allows one to specify more detailed requests. Or at least there was very recently.

Yeah it's just the normal chat where you can ask if they can add a request to your stay. I have used it before (and didn't get my request lol, but no big deal).

Not sure if they are going to continue to allow that or not. Perhaps there will be a few "hidden" options that only cast members can choose as a preference for you, but still not type in any manual requests for this new system.

 

[Tatebeck]

Personally, I am okay if Disney is cutting back on this and I’d even be okay that changes by the front desk can only be for first available if your room that has been assigned is not ready.

I like this idea. If your room is bad enough that you want to complain, they can get you a new room, but it will be a completely random one, not according to your view/wing/floor preferences. Which would help cut down on unnecessary complaints and room changes

 

[Brian Noble]

it's just the normal chat where you can ask if they can add a request to your stay.

But based on my read of Len's description, it is (close to) equivalent to what they do now. Read the post and see if you agree. However, if my read is accurate, this might just be a different way of collecting requests, but requests might still be able to be quite detailed. We will have to see.

Post in thread 'Touring Plans Room Request Feature Ending April 19'

Yesterday at 9:25 AM

There is no room request feature on MDE. Do they mean just that general one that has only a couple options like near elevator?

As of yesterday it was possible to make room requests using MDE's Chat feature. I'm not sure if that will continue.

It seems like the response you get depends on the agent assigned to your chat. One agent happily accepted requests with specific room numbers. Another would only accept building and floors. I'm not sure how or when that might be standardized.

• lentesta

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[Tatebeck]

But based on my read of Len's description, it is (close to) equivalent to what they do now. Read the post and see if you agree. However, if my read is accurate, this might just be a different way of collecting requests, but requests might still be able to be quite detailed. We will have to see.

Post in thread 'Touring Plans Room Request Feature Ending April 19'

Yesterday at 9:25 AM

There is no room request feature on MDE. Do they mean just that general one that has only a couple options like near elevator?

As of yesterday it was possible to make room requests using MDE's Chat feature. I'm not sure if that will continue.

It seems like the response you get depends on the agent assigned to your chat. One agent happily accepted requests with specific room numbers. Another would only accept building and floors. I'm not sure how or when that might be standardized.

• lentesta

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It's possible they may still allow custom requests with specific room numbers and more if you use their chat feature, but I don't think we can say yet. Not sure when they will update the app with whatever extra options they want to add, but Touring Plans isn't even stopping their requests until 4/19 so it makes sense that chat still may work for now. And like he said in the post it depends who you get via chat how much they will currently add as a note on your account. They may be more strict (if they do still allow it) once the change is final, whether that be 4/19 or a later date and TouringPlans just chose 4/19 arbitrarily.

The part that makes me especially skeptical is the wording in Len's article and your original post.

"Disney wants all guests to go through My Disney Experience’s room request feature going forward."

If that wording was specific from Disney then it reads to me like choosing from the (at least for now) limited options in the online check in room request section is what they want. Using the chat feature of the app to ask for something outside the provided list would to me be going outside of the "My Disney Experience's room request feature"

There is not a room request chat feature, just the standard chat feature. The chat feature is separate from the room request feature, which is specifically said they want to use going forward.

 

[Brian Noble]

Well, no one knows what the future holds. But, today, MDE chat will allow you to make requests that are more specific than the drop-downs. It is also possible that the drop-downs become more interesting.

I do think it is in Disney's interest to keep requests as generic as the possibly can. Placing a request creates an expectation on the part of the Guest, and Disney may have concluded that it is better for them to avoid disappointing such guests than it is to potentially accommodate those whose requests are met.

And, I'm not sure they are wrong about that.

Wyndham Bonnet Creek has some buildings that, on upper floors, overlook most of World Showcase. Everyone (and I mean everyone) requested those rooms, and so many guests were upset they didn't get them that WBC stopped taking requests entirely.

 

[lentesta]

It's possible they may still allow custom requests with specific room numbers and more if you use their chat feature, but I don't think we can say yet. Not sure when they will update the app with whatever extra options they want to add, but Touring Plans isn't even stopping their requests until 4/19 so it makes sense that chat still may work for now. And like he said in the post it depends who you get via chat how much they will currently add as a note on your account. They may be more strict (if they do still allow it) once the change is final, whether that be 4/19 or a later date and TouringPlans just chose 4/19 arbitrarily.

The part that makes me especially skeptical is the wording in Len's article and your original post.

"Disney wants all guests to go through My Disney Experience’s room request feature going forward."

If that wording was specific from Disney then it reads to me like choosing from the (at least for now) limited options in the online check in room request section is what they want. Using the chat feature of the app to ask for something outside the provided list would to me be going outside of the "My Disney Experience's room request feature"

There is not a room request chat feature, just the standard chat feature. The chat feature is separate from the room request feature, which is specifically said they want to use going forward.

Keeping in mind that I didn't ask about future plans and they wouldn't have told me anyway, the general vibe I've got from conversations this week is what you've surmised: the preference is for everyone to use MDE's online check-in selection options.

I appreciate Disney giving us a week's notice - they certainly didn't have to do that. I've said before that I think very highly of the room assignment team. The work they put in for guests might be unparalleled in other parts of Parks & Resorts. And as @Brian Noble will recognize, room assignment is a really interesting problem in general.

I expect we should know more about room requests in a couple of weeks. For example, if MDE's generic chat feature still allows some sort of room requests for cash rooms, and DVC member services will still accept emails with room requests, then I'd chalk this week's changes up to someone deciding "Len can't talk to the room assigners directly". Which I totally understand. (Again, I didn't ask and wouldn't have been told anyway.)

 

[Tatebeck]

Keeping in mind that I didn't ask about future plans and they wouldn't have told me anyway, the general vibe I've got from conversations this week is what you've surmised: the preference is for everyone to use MDE's online check-in selection options.

I appreciate Disney giving us a week's notice - they certainly didn't have to do that. I've said before that I think very highly of the room assignment team. The work they put in for guests might be unparalleled in other parts of Parks & Resorts. And as @Brian Noble will recognize, room assignment is a really interesting problem in general.

I expect we should know more about room requests in a couple of weeks. For example, if MDE's generic chat feature still allows some sort of room requests for cash rooms, and DVC member services will still accept emails with room requests, then I'd chalk this week's changes up to someone deciding "Len can't talk to the room assigners directly". Which I totally understand. (Again, I didn't ask and wouldn't have been told anyway.)

That's what it sounded like. Thank you for sharing with us what you know so far!

 

[SL6827]

Ok, I haven't read the thread, but I did mention on another thread, a soon to be charge for room request possible?