Checking in Early or Not for Best Room?

[Leelo]

1. Benefit you how?
2. A Lake View will be just that so unlikely you need to include direction too.
3. Same way upgrades happen, need.

1) I guess that is what I am asking. For for our honeymoon, they gave us little gifts to honor our occasion. That was 10 years ago and I do not know if they still do things like that.
2) So I booked a DVC rental for a "Deluxe Studio Lake View". From your experience, it sounds like you are saying that it is unlikely I will actually get one? Is that what you mean? Is it different for DVC?
3) Did they refund you for the downgraded room?

 

[AngiTN]

1) I guess that is what I am asking. For for our honeymoon, they gave us little gifts to honor our occasion. That was 10 years ago and I do not know if they still do things like that.
2/3) So I booked a DVC rental for a "Deluxe Studio Lake View". From your experience, it sounds like you are saying that it is unlikely I will actually get one? Is that what you mean? Do they refund you if you have paid for the upgraded room?

1. You got Pixie Dust. Pixie Dust is a surprise and can't be planned for or expected. It can always happen but it's just that, a surprise. It was 10 years ago and it is today.
2. Not at all. Not sure where you get that. I think the vast majority of guests gets exactly what they book. And yes, if you are downgraded for any reason you get a refund
You asked if you needed to inform them of a direction if you book Lake View. Unless you are in a resort with lakes in 2 directions no, telling them you want to view the lake when you book lake view is unneeded. Or do I not understand your question

 

[Leelo]

1. You got Pixie Dust. Pixie Dust is a surprise and can't be planned for or expected. It can always happen but it's just that, a surprise. It was 10 years ago and it is today.
2. Not at all. Not sure where you get that. I think the vast majority of guests gets exactly what they book. And yes, if you are downgraded for any reason you get a refund
You asked if you needed to inform them of a direction if you book Lake View. Unless you are in a resort with lakes in 2 directions no, telling them you want to view the lake when you book lake view is unneeded. Or do I not understand your question

No I think you got my question. Thank you for your advice!

 

[ajh88]

Not to be a downer to the OP but we have not gotten our request for a Tuvalu room on our last 3 Poly trips. It has been sad for us because it's our favorite location in all of Disney. The inventory of TPV rooms is just different now with DVC there. The last time we didn't get it, all I asked for was Tuvalu and still no dice. We ended up being there at a high capacity time so I'm sure that worked against us. If the resort is not as busy I'm sure you have a higher likelihood of your request being honored.
As to the original question, I have found no rhyme or reason or real way for me to ensure my requests are fulfilled. A lot of outside factors are at play. If you figure out how to make it work, let me know because I really love Tuvalu! Have a great trip no matter what!

 

[schalliol]

Well, that's a bummer. I'm trying not to get my hopes up anyway. What does DVC have to do with it?

I know TPVs are sold out, but I'd hoped if you book way out like we did they might prioritize those that booked first.

 

[AngiTN]

Well, that's a bummer. I'm trying not to get my hopes up anyway. What does DVC have to do with it?

I know TPVs are sold out, but I'd hoped if you book way out like we did they might prioritize those that booked first.

Because Poly lost several buildings to DVC so it changed the room availability at the resort in general.

 

[schalliol]

Darn, DVC ;-)

 

[Trish0025]

I just got back from a trip (2/5-2/11) and stayed at Kidani through renting DVC points. I did not do online check-in. I submitted my two room requests "upper floor" and "close to the lobby" to the rental company and they passed it along to the owner who submitted the requests to the resort. I arrived early at 8am to check-in in person. The desk attendant showed me three available rooms that roughly matched my requests and I got to have my choice of the rooms. I'm not sure if this is always how it works but we got an amazing room. It could be because we were there at an off-time.

 

[schalliol]

So, I guess on my split stay that perhaps I should show up before heading to the park to "check in" despite doing online check-in?

 

[Trish0025]

I think that arriving relatively early and asking a person face-to-face if they have any rooms available or opening-up in a specific building would have better results than just letting them assign you wherever. The worst they can say is "no we don't I'm sorry!" OR they may be able to suggest a room that didn't meet your requests but may have some other benefit that you hadn't considered.

My husband thought I was crazy and begged me to just do online check-in and not make an extra trip to the resort.... perhaps we would've been assigned the room anyway or would have been happy with any room. No way to know.

 

[MammaMoe48]

post deleted.

 

[schalliol]

I think that arriving relatively early and asking a person face-to-face if they have any rooms available or opening-up in a specific building would have better results than just letting them assign you wherever. The worst they can say is "no we don't I'm sorry!" OR they may be able to suggest a room that didn't meet your requests but may have some other benefit that you hadn't considered.

My husband thought I was crazy and begged me to just do online check-in and not make an extra trip to the resort.... perhaps we would've been assigned the room anyway or would have been happy with any room. No way to know.

I was told in this thread that I should just do the online check-in, but then do to the resort early as well. I'll give that a try!

 

[Sepo]

Just a few thoughts to add:

1) some rooms are not yet cleaned, especially when preassigned to late arrivals who state as such in their online check in. They're last on the houseeeping docket for that reason and won't be so easily 'given away' to someone else. This might reconcile the counterintuitive statements of why late arriving has worked out well/better for some.

2) in that same vein, I've gotten 'okay' rooms when arriving earlier than I marked, but more optimal when I came in the late afternoon.

3) I've been using the 'contact us' email for the last 2 trips with regard to basic room requests and it's been just fine. The desk CM acknowledged them spontaneously when I checked in, saying they were able to be met. I wonder if it's newly scripted since a PP said something similar. Is fax supposed to be particularly better? Curious to know. TIA.

 

[caliope]

Well, that's a bummer. I'm trying not to get my hopes up anyway. What does DVC have to do with it?

I know TPVs are sold out, but I'd hoped if you book way out like we did they might prioritize those that booked first.

In contrast to a previous poster, we got exactly the room we requested in Tuvalu, 3rd floor, last January. So it can happen, just not always. We'd booked that trip perhaps three months ahead. I used the Touring Plans room request fax service and online checkin.

 

[AngiTN]

Just a few thoughts to add:

1) some rooms are not yet cleaned, especially when preassigned to late arrivals who state as such in their online check in. They're last on the houseeeping docket for that reason and won't be so easily 'given away' to someone else. This might reconcile the counterintuitive statements of why late arriving has worked out well/better for some.

2) in that same vein, I've gotten 'okay' rooms when arriving earlier than I marked, but more optimal when I came in the late afternoon.

3) I've been using the 'contact us' email for the last 2 trips with regard to basic room requests and it's been just fine. The desk CM acknowledged them spontaneously when I checked in, saying they were able to be met. I wonder if it's newly scripted since a PP said something similar. Is fax supposed to be particularly better? Curious to know. TIA.

No fax is not better. Easier since you don't have to trudge through the Disney phone system. But not better. No method is better than another

 

[KathyTbell]

I'm new to this. What do you mean by faxing in a request? When and how do you go about that? Is it better than requesting via phone reservation? What and when is online check-in? I've been concentrating on the dining so far...hahaha!

 

[schalliol]

This thread answers your questions pretty closely. Current best knowledge is to:
- Either fax a request or call and request something they can read back to you when you. Either puts the info into the same field in the Disney computer system
- Requests should be clear and general to specific. I.e. Building, floor and range of rooms. This way they will first try to get your most specific request and back up to the more general
- It is believed that Online Check-in might be helpful, but don't check any of the request options when doing so.
- It's currently unclear whether arriving early, at check-in or late is a better strategy

 

[KathyTbell]

Thank you for that summary. I still don't understand what the whole fax thing is about - where to find it - when to do it, etc... Thanks!

 

[Dug720]

You *can* do online check-in - just don't check anything that contradicts the already in place (or set with Touring Plans to fax) requests. And don't check that early arrival is most important unless you mean it.

 

[DisneyNutMary]

I'm surprised no one has mentioned the very big variable of online check in and skip the front desk. For as long as this has been offered (two or three years, I think) I have used it. I check in online when it becomes available and request a room ready text. I use ME and I always note my actual expected arrival on the checkin. So I'm pretty sure they know I won't be there until late night most times.
Almost every single time I have gotten my room assignment text before I even leave my house. At times as early as 9am when I booked a studio through DVC. So I know my room was taken out of inventory that early, and can not/would not be reassigned to someone else to meet their requests.
I have to wonder how many people check in this way, affecting the number of rooms available for reassignment for someone who asks to change the location of their assigned room.