What has your experience been when calling in room requests?

[Queen of the WDW Scene]

I love online check in and being able to usually skip the front desk.
I'm going on my 3rd trip in the past year since they did the big room request update/expansion and each time now I have not been able to make a room request during online check in.
Last August we got in the area we were hoping for but in February our room location was just awful and we were not willing to stand in line for a half hour because it was late at night and we still needed to eat dinner. I think the system was being glitchy because it was a very long line at 10pm.
This time I decided to call to make my room requests at POP of 50's section lake view.
I realize its certainly not a guarantee but I figure its better than not being able to make any requests online.
What's everyone's experience been when calling in room requests lately?
Do you usually get what you asked for or no?
Just wondering if I should prepare myself to be disappointed lol.

 

[dansdad]

I love online check in and being able to usually skip the front desk.
I'm going on my 3rd trip in the past year since they did the big room request update/expansion and each time now I have not been able to make a room request during online check in.
Last August we got in the area we were hoping for but in February our room location was just awful and we were not willing to stand in line for a half hour because it was late at night and we still needed to eat dinner. I think the system was being glitchy because it was a very long line at 10pm.
This time I decided to call to make my room requests at POP of 50's section lake view.
I realize its certainly not a guarantee but I figure its better than not being able to make any requests online.
What's everyone's experience been when calling in room requests lately?
Do you usually get what you asked for or no?
Just wondering if I should prepare myself to be disappointed lol.

Your odds are exactly the same. It makes no difference to the room assignors how the request is made. Good luck!

 

[Queen of the WDW Scene]

Your odds are exactly the same. It makes no difference to the room assignors how the request is made. Good luck!

Thanks. We'll see how it goes. I'll probably call in again for our December trip.
POP, 50's, lake view is our absolute favorite area and it seems to be one of the least popular areas of the resort so I think I have a pretty good shot but just wasn't sure if online and by phone were equal and now I know they are.

 

[cedricandsophie]

We’ve always gotten request at aulani or ol$ key west. Those are the only two resorts I make requests. But we use dvc points not cash.

 

[Jestocost]

Zero for whatever until we just stopped trying.

 

[Tksolomom]

You could use the Touring Plans room request feature. You have to have an account, but I don’t think you need a paid subscription.

 

[VroomVroomLightning]

I was going to Fax our request in but yesterday I was on the phone changing our tickets around so I just asked them to note it. Hopefully it makes it through to whoever it needs to!

 

[dansdad]

I was going to Fax our request in but yesterday I was on the phone changing our tickets around so I just asked them to note it. Hopefully it makes it through to whoever it needs to!

Actually calling it in is the only way to guarantee your requests are included with the other info the room assignors need like room type, number of nights, etc. Faxes have a chance to get separated from your reservation.

 

[Disnsyncey]

Your odds are exactly the same. It makes no difference to the room assignors how the request is made. Good luck!

but at least they get the request! haha I mean, with the magical non-existent online preferences, its a better chance than none! haha

 

[Lynne M]

Disney has been taking requests by phone since the day they started booking their first hotel. It's always been the most common way of making room requests, and probably the most reliable, since you're speaking directly with the agent and they're typing the request into your reservation record right then and there. You're not relying on Disney's iffy IT systems to update the record, or hoping that the CM who picks up your fax off the machine (or the floor) gets it to someone who can enter it into the record.

As for which one is "better"....the method really doesn't matter. Whether you call or fax or use online check-in, the request is entered into a field in your reservation record, so the room assigner sees it when they choose a room for you. Doesn't matter how it got there.

 

[Sue M]

I always phone in requests. But then it depends on room assignor. From my experience the POR assignors are the best. 9/10 I get exact requests. Also GF does a good job.

 

[nkereina]

It entirely depends on room occupancy and occupancy from the night before as to whether your request can be granted, so everyone's experience will be unique. Even if the success rate reported here was 100%, you still may not get it. Or vice versa. I agree that how you make the request (MDE, phone, fax, etc) has no bearing. They will honor if they can. If I receive my room assignment and it doesn't meet my request, I will sometimes asked if I can be moved with the understanding it would be a courtesy. Sometimes they move me, sometimes they can't.

 

[HopperFan]

Actually calling it in is the only way to guarantee your requests are included with the other info the room assignors need like room type, number of nights, etc. Faxes have a chance to get separated from your reservation.

but at least they get the request! haha I mean, with the magical non-existent online preferences, its a better chance than none! haha

Well that is assuming the person you spoke to put it in and in a place it will stay.

I always made room requests for decades via phone. I usually got what I had asked for, although it was usually simple like 50's Lake View, Ranchos Garden View .... the requests would even be printed on my paper confirmation they would send.

Once online check in started I wouldn't do it because I didn't want the added step in case it was wrong. I continued to call. That is when I started getting almost the opposite of what I wanted. Most of the time they saw nothing on my reservation even though I had called it in, sometimes even checked just prior. In each instance they refused to move me.

I figured I had nothing to lose doing online check in. I did that with success. When POP started their renovation I would only request the completed areas or I would call and have them put in "renovated room". I was successful each time with either but again I did not have many requests.

I have never done the fax and honestly I can't believe Disney accepts that, pays for the paper and time it takes to match it up with a reservation. It makes no business sense when there are much cheaper and less labor intensive ways to add to your reservation. AND I wouldn't trust it gets added to my reservation or that the assignor won't be overwhelmed with the extra work and just file 13 them.

In the end no matter how you do it - it is not guaranteed, you have nothing to support being moved if you are not happy and it can change from day to day, resort to resort, CM to CM for a wide variety of reasons.

Hope you get what you want!

 

[Disnsyncey]

Well that is assuming the person you spoke to put it in and in a place it will stay.

well, SOMEBODY would get it haha....I mean, it has a higher chance of getting on the reservation in comparison to the non-existent options on the online checkin at the moment haha

 

[buzznina]

This time I have to disagree with Dansdad I actually believe it does make a difference, maybe not at all resorts, but I can only go by our results. We have had great results with calling in requests and following it up with a fax 6-7 days prior to check-in (especially at the PO resorts). I can not even remember the last time that we did not get at least 2 of our room requests.

DISCLAIMER: All results may defer per family

 

[Ladyfish77]

I've done touring plans requests twice and didn't get anything close to what I asked for. I called and put it on the reservation once and got exactly what I requested. I don't think there's any sure way to know they got your request. I've seen many people have great success with touring plans

 

[monarchsfan16]

I called in a request a couple of weeks ago for a stay a few days later, after weeks of not being able to enter any requests online. Like all other stays where I've made a request, it was honored. That being said, my request is virtually always only one thing: 2nd floor or higher. I figure I've got at least a 66% chance of that at most of the resorts.

 

[HopperFan]

well, SOMEBODY would get it haha....I mean, it has a higher chance of getting on the reservation in comparison to the non-existent options on the online checkin at the moment haha

Oh for sure you told someone ............... but there is no guarantee it goes anywhere it needs to go ... and I agree the online is a major glitch system ....

The problem with Disney is that they have online, they take phone requests, they take faxes .... and at some point some of these will not work and not be attached to one of the thousands of reservations at each resort. Since none are guaranteed, Disney doesn't have to make any excuses for where you land. The fine print states you are only guaranteed "a room" ......... somewhere on property.

Everyone can keep doing whatever has been working for them and hope for the best.

Me ...... next trip is at Embassy Suites and I get to pick out my exact room .... it will be top floor facing the fireworks.

 

[cwis]

One thing people often overlook is that most guests actually request the same thing: close to the food court, high floor, with a day bed… if 60% of guests request some feature that only 40% of the rooms provides, then 20% will be unhappy, which is an odd of two against one of having its request granted.

That being said, it's easy to try to “correlate” the odds of having a request granted to the method used to fill the request, but in the end, if there were enough rooms with those specific features, Disney would just create a new category out of it and charge higher for it.

 

[Queen of the WDW Scene]

One thing people often overlook is that most guests actually request the same thing: close to the food court, high floor, with a day bed… if 60% of guests request some feature that only 40% of the rooms provides, then 20% will be unhappy, which is an odd of two against one of having its request granted.

That being said, it's easy to try to “correlate” the odds of having a request granted to the method used to fill the request, but in the end, if there were enough rooms with those specific features, Disney would just create a new category out of it and charge higher for it.

I'm clearly not the norm then.
At POP at least I like my standard room and I like it in the 50's lake side.
Most people would likely not chose those things making me feel like I've got a much better shot and when online room requests worked I put in 50's lake side and got it each time.
I'm hoping my request will be fulfilled this time via phone.