Upgrading to Concierge for Free

[TammiMcMan]

Cass, I took it as opinions on how to phrase the question... guess we all see it a bit differently though.

Tammi, i definately (respectfully) disagree with that. When you come on a public forum and ask a question, people will respond with their opinion - not all of us will agree.. But, i think so far we have done it with respect and no one has been rude.

That's fine, we don't have to agree. I know it's hard to distinguish "tone" through a message and maybe some of the comments were made tongue in cheek, but that's not how they came across to me, just my opinion though .

I definately don't find that the DIS'ers are quicker to be negitive towards anyone.. in fact, i find it to be the opposite. Most DIS'ers i have come across are very nice and helpful, I just think it's certian topics that might ignite some personal opinions to come out more obvisously.

I'm speaking specifically about this question and I'm sorry but, I have seen a change in how these things are answered.

We stayed right on the 5th floor, which is all conceirge, but i know at the BC, they also have other concierge rooms on other floors, then they just give you the access card to get up to the 5th floor for food and such.

All the standard concierge rooms are on the same level. You'll find a few suites that are located elsewhere, but have club level access.

 

[Caitsmama]

Tammi, that's fine.. no hard feelings!

About the rooms on the same floor though -- i know you can get a room elsewhere and pay for the concierge service - That is what happened to my sis in law. She has 4 kids- and didn't want to be in a balcony room,and requested a first floor room due to the baby, and was able to still get concierge service and access to the 5th floor (again, this was BC). And i know we were on the 4th floor one year, but still had 5th floor access, and we didn't have a suite. Just a reg. room.

 

[lost*in*cyberspace]

But I would never ask for a free upgrade and especially not to conceirge level.

If you don't ask, you aren't going to get it. There is nothing wrong with asking for a hotel upgrade; experienced travelers do this all the time.

 

[TammiMcMan]

About the rooms on the same floor though -- i know you can get a room elsewhere and pay for the concierge service.

Not saying it doesn't happen, but it's not a typical scenario. If a medical, special request or maintenance issue occurs, that would be a more likely reason not to be on the club level floor. It's not common that Disney allows guests to add-on concierge privileges to a standard room at check-in. I'm just guessing that your sister-in-law already had a concierge room booked, but requested a patio for safety reasons though.

 

[Cass]

If you don't ask, you aren't going to get it.

That's not true, repeatedly I see people saying they were 'surprised' to be upgraded to concierge and they did not ask for anything

Asking for a upgrade to a superior room/better location or view is okay, but asking for a concierge level room is pushing it, IMO. This includes food and liquor services.

 

[rgf207]

If you don't ask, you aren't going to get it. There is nothing wrong with asking for a hotel upgrade; experienced travelers do this all the time.

Yep. I do it all the time when I travel for business. I am platinum level at most hotel chain's rewards programs and I get my request 99% of the time. That is, however, a perk to being a higher rewards status member.

 

[mefordis]

I see no problem with asking about an upgrade. If they offer it for free wonderful, if they tell you the cost and you opt not to pay that's fine too. Sometimes you never know unless you ask. Just be polite, its only a question. I've never gotten an upgrade at Disney, but DH asks for all kinds of things all the time. Sometimes he is told no and sometimes he is told yes. He has gotten discounts or upgrades at all kinds of hotels all over the place. He just simply asks.

I don't see why everyone is acting so superior to the OP on this one. I'm sure that people ask all the time. I'm sure that my DH will ask on our next trip. A nicer view or upgrade to concierge would be nice. But not something I would pay the extra money for, or be disappointed not to get. We have saved and saved for this trip. Its a big deal for us. I'm sure that someone else out there will get the same type of room as us for less or even upgraded from a moderate for one reason or another to the same level room as us, or pay the same as us and be upgraded to a nicer room or view. Congratulations to them. Does their happiness hinder me from having a great trip? Not in the least, and I'm happy that someone else was shown some Disney Magic. Maybe next time it will be me. Give the OP a break.

Thanks for the post. I think some people would rather see others not get something they were afraid to ask for themselves. I am with you, if someone gets something like an upgrade to make their trip better, great for them! Maybe it will make their vacation happier and in turn they will be in a better mood at the parks!

 

[mefordis]

Tammi, i definately (respectfully) disagree with that. When you come on a public forum and ask a question, people will respond with their opinion - not all of us will agree.. But, i think so far we have done it with respect and no one has been rude.
I definately don't find that the DIS'ers are quicker to be negitive towards anyone.. in fact, i find it to be the opposite. Most DIS'ers i have come across are very nice and helpful, I just think it's certian topics that might ignite some personal opinions to come out more obvisously.

btw - as pointed out by the above poster, she DID ask for opinions.

I would like to hear what the OP thinks about it all - and her response to how she thinks she will handle it (asking for upgrade).. I don't think she has been back on this thread since she asked - has she??

Hi, I'm back! My reaction is that of gratitude for reading my post and giving your opinions. They are helping me think this through. I'm thinking of calling up to see what the cost of the upgrade will be. Also, it has become clear that asking for a straight up free upgrade to concierge will probably get me nowhere. I'm just going to be very polite and nice (like I always am!) and we'll see if it gets me anything!

I have been working very hard lately and I am mulling over upgrading the two rooms and paying the difference, if it isn't too much.

I'll probably get a guaranteed view with concierge, right?

Thanks again!

 

[Cass]

Yep. I do it all the time when I travel for business. I am platinum level at most hotel chain's rewards programs and I get my request 99% of the time. That is, however, a perk to being a higher rewards status member.

I wish Disney had a rewards program like that. I am a Fairmont President's Club member and always get upgrades and little surprises whenever I stay.

I think loyalty should be rewarded.

 

[Cass]

I'll probably get a guaranteed view with concierge, right?
!

Yacht Club right? You can book water view concierge or Garden View Concierge... If you book Garden you can ask if there is a complimentary waterview available when you check in.

 

[disneyfan67]

I wish Disney had a rewards program like that. I am a Fairmont President's Club member and always get upgrades and little surprises whenever I stay.

I think loyalty should be rewarded.

I agree with you and if I was in charge of Disney, I would implement a program very similar to the Loews First program they have for their resorts. You join for free and get a card with your customer number and with every stay at a WDW resort you get a welcoming gift, earn points for your stay and these could be used for future upgrades, etc. The level of your resort can determine your points and should go up accordingly to the higher lever you stay at. This way your giving your customers more incentive to try that that resort they always wanted to stay at, GF, WL, Poly, etc, etc.


The more stays at a Disney resort you do, the higher your membership is. Regular, Gold, Platinum and this is indicated by the color of your card.. I like how Lowe's has done this and Disney should really think about doing this program. If you think about it, you're giving your loyal customer base a chance to get something back for going to Disney on a regular basis and make even more trips possible. I could imagine someone seeing that they have enough points to get 2 free nights, a upgrade, or whatever and decide to go for the 3rd trip to WDW in a one year span. This way you're not giving something away for nothing, but rewarding loyalty and inspiring your customer base to come back even more than they are now. You earn as you go and IMHO, that's a good thing.

 

[Piglets Mommy]

I agree with you and if I was in charge of Disney, I would implement a program very similar to the Loews First program they have for their resorts. You join for free and get a card with your customer number and with every stay at a WDW resort you get a welcoming gift, earn points for your stay and these could be used for future upgrades, etc. The level of your resort can determine your points and should go up accordingly to the higher lever you stay at. This way your giving your customers more incentive to try that that resort they always wanted to stay at, GF, WL, Poly, etc, etc.


The more stays at a Disney resort you do, the higher your membership is. Regular, Gold, Platinum and this is indicated by the color of your card.. I like how Lowe's has done this and Disney should really think about doing this program. If you think about it, you're giving your loyal customer base a chance to get something back for going to Disney on a regular basis and make even more trips possible. I could imagine someone seeing that they have enough points to get 2 free nights, a upgrade, or whatever and decide to go for the 3rd trip to WDW in a one year span. This way you're not giving something away for nothing, but rewarding loyalty and inspiring your customer base to come back even more than they are now. You earn as you go and IMHO, that's a good thing.

I Agree! That would be awesome! Every other hotel chain has a program like that, I wish Disney did too! I wonder if maybe they do keep track of things behind the scenes? When you call to book a stay, they know where you have stayed and when...I wonder if they take this into account when assigning room locations, etc? Although, that would take some "magic" away from first time guests and those who don't come often, and that's not fair. It would be great if they instituted some kind of a points system though.

Also, as far as upgrades go, I feel that it never hurts to ask nicely. You can't ever expect to be given anything other than what you paid for, but I don't think it's wrong to ask nicely.

 

[Caitsmama]

I wonder if maybe they do keep track of things behind the scenes? When you call to book a stay, they know where you have stayed and when.

.

YES! They DO do this.. We just booked concierge at the Poly for Thanksgiving, and the CM making the ressie was able to see where we stayed in the past, was questioning my MIL about why she has stayed at the GF so many times, but never the Poly.. - i believe it is all stored. Any sensible business always keeps this kind of info. And i know also DCL does it too.

 

[Caitsmama]

Hi, I'm back! My reaction is that of gratitude for reading my post and giving your opinions. They are helping me think this through. I'm thinking of calling up to see what the cost of the upgrade will be. Also, it has become clear that asking for a straight up free upgrade to concierge will probably get me nowhere. I'm just going to be very polite and nice (like I always am!) and we'll see if it gets me anything!

I have been working very hard lately and I am mulling over upgrading the two rooms and paying the difference, if it isn't too much.

I'll probably get a guaranteed view with concierge, right?

Thanks again!

Glad to hear that you are not taking any of these the wrong way.. it's great to ask and share opinions. Let us know what you decide to do!

 

[doconeill]

I can say with absolute certainty that we did not in any way ask for or infer we were seeking any sort of upgrade when we checked in to the Poly last July. We had booked a Garden View and that's all we expected.

However, when I went to check in while the family hung back out of the way, and I believe the only words out of my mouth were "Hi!" and "We're here to check in", one of the first things the CM said after calling things up in the computer was "You've won Disney's version of the lottery!" and we ended up with Concierge. It didn't seem like she was questioning anything or had to look for an available room - it was as if it was already in the computer that we had been upgraded.

I would in general feel funny asking for any sort of free upgrade. I might ask if anything was available and what the difference would be, and may even pay for it (the difference probably sounds a lot less at that point than when you are booking it ) or politely decline. I'd rather let the magic work its course.

Now that I'm in DVC, such upgrades will likely be VERY rare...

 

[calgarygary]

Of course there is nothing wrong with asking for upgrades and those of us in hotel loyalty programs, have grown accustomed to those requests being met more often than not. However, if you truely want my opinion of your approach, I think you are bordering on grovelling:

"Are you really booked? You don't suppose you have some empty concierge rooms just sitting there that perhaps I could occupy for no extra charge? Pretty please??"

I personally would try something like - "I should have checked about concierge level at the time of my booking. Is it available and if so, how much is the difference in cost?" Should the price be prohibitive, come back with "Oh, I didn't realize it was that expensive, are any other upgrades available?"