Free Room Upgrades?

[Pirate Granny]

I did when they did that to me on Marathon Weekend a few years ago. I politely asked if I could be "downgraded" to what I had reserved and let a family who would appreciate it have the pixie dust. They were able to accommodate it. (Granted, I was there about 9am, so early.)

I tried that once when OKW upgraded me from a HH studio to a HH 2 bedroom. Said it seemed silly to me as I was one person. They said it was late (7pm) and just enjoy. It was a three night stay.

 

[DisneyMomof4_86]

We were upgraded in April from a standard studio to a standard one bedroom at Riviera.

Hopefully that happened to us during our 3 nights in the studio . I love the 1 bedroom there but we only have a 150 point contract so we use them up pretty fast in the 1 bedroom . I’ll have to get used to Banking and borrowing

 

[Karl66]

We were scheduled for a studio at BWV last Labor Day weekend. When we arrived I suggested to my wife that we see about moving to a 1BR. We had plenty of points and using the extra for a 1BR would not be a problem. So I dropped her and DD off to check in while I parked the car. DW asked the CM about the possibility of getting a 1BR with the corresponding increase in points cost. The CM was wonderful, they found us a 1BR and did not charge us the extra points. So a 1 BR for the cost of a studio. This probably only worked because of decreased occupancy during the covid fiasco. Nonetheless, we did get a free upgrade.

 

[MomOTwins]

Going to float two possibilities for upgrades that I don't think have been mentioned (though am late to the party on this thread):
1. If a prior guest in a room failed a temp check/otherwise reported symptoms of Covid, or worse tested positive while at the resort, they probably have some sort of a protocol for putting that room out of commission for a while.
2. I read that during low occupancy periods post-COVID-19 when large percentages of rooms were going empty due to lack of demand, to facilitate houskeeping/keep HVAC costs down, they were trying to consolidate guests into certain buildings and leaving other buildings empty. This may result in an upgrade if they ran out of smaller rooms in the buildings they were keeping open. Obviously, I think we are now past the point where that is a thing, but may still be true at SSR where it seems there are still plenty of rooms in all/most categories this summer.
3. Cash guests who had booked at resorts that were not yet open were typically moved to the most comparable resort--which was often the DVC side (e.g., Beach Club guests moved to BCV, Wilderness Lodge to CCV/BRV, Poly to PVB or GF). In some cases, those guests were upgraded to a suite, but some of those hotels had 1BR suites that only slept 4 (I know dvc have exceptions--but they aren't going to ask a cash guest to bring an air mattress) and studios that slept 5, so a family of 5 might need a studio, prompting then to bump up a DVC guest with from a studio to suite.

 

[DisneyMomof4_86]

Going to float two possibilities for upgrades that I don't think have been mentioned (though am late to the party on this thread):
1. If a prior guest in a room failed a temp check/otherwise reported symptoms of Covid, or worse tested positive while at the resort, they probably have some sort of a protocol for putting that room out of commission for a while.
2. I read that during low occupancy periods post-COVID-19 when large percentages of rooms were going empty due to lack of demand, to facilitate houskeeping/keep HVAC costs down, they were trying to consolidate guests into certain buildings and leaving other buildings empty. This may result in an upgrade if they ran out of smaller rooms in the buildings they were keeping open. Obviously, I think we are now past the point where that is a thing, but may still be true at SSR where it seems there are still plenty of rooms in all/most categories this summer.
3. Cash guests who had booked at resorts that were not yet open were typically moved to the most comparable resort--which was often the DVC side (e.g., Beach Club guests moved to BCV, Wilderness Lodge to CCV/BRV, Poly to PVB or GF). In some cases, those guests were upgraded to a suite, but some of those hotels had 1BR suites that only slept 4 (I know dvc have exceptions--but they aren't going to ask a cash guest to bring an air mattress) and studios that slept 5, so a family of 5 might need a studio, prompting then to bump up a DVC guest with from a studio to suite.

when you mention “ (I know dvc have exceptions--but they aren't going to ask a cash guest to bring an air mattress) and studios that slept 5, so a family of 5 might need a studio, prompting then to bump up a DVC guest with from a studio to suite”

Does that mean that if a studio sleeps 4 and I am a DVC member that is a family of I 5 I can book that ? A room that says skews 4? If so that will make my day ! Im
Not looking forward to always booking a 1 br that sleeps 5 , or when my infant is older a 2 br bc then I will NEED to buy more points . I know when I was a cash Disney customer they were so strict ! We can comfortably fit in certain rooms because the kids all sleep in one bed .

 

[starry_solo]

when you mention “ (I know dvc have exceptions--but they aren't going to ask a cash guest to bring an air mattress) and studios that slept 5, so a family of 5 might need a studio, prompting then to bump up a DVC guest with from a studio to suite”

Does that mean that if a studio sleeps 4 and I am a DVC member that is a family of I 5 I can book that ? A room that says skews 4? If so that will make my day ! Im
Not looking forward to always booking a 1 br that sleeps 5 , or when my infant is older a 2 br bc then I will NEED to buy more points . I know when I was a cash Disney customer they were so strict ! We can comfortably fit in certain rooms because the kids all sleep in one bed .

DVC studio occupancy limits are either 4 or 5, depending on the resort. If the occupancy is 4, then no, you can’t book 5 there if all are over 2.

 

[Heather07438]

I tried that once when OKW upgraded me from a HH studio to a HH 2 bedroom. Said it seemed silly to me as I was one person. They said it was late (7pm) and just enjoy. It was a three night stay.

A new bed for each night!

 

[CarolynFH]

when you mention “ (I know dvc have exceptions--but they aren't going to ask a cash guest to bring an air mattress) and studios that slept 5, so a family of 5 might need a studio, prompting then to bump up a DVC guest with from a studio to suite”

Does that mean that if a studio sleeps 4 and I am a DVC member that is a family of I 5 I can book that ? A room that says skews 4? If so that will make my day ! Im
Not looking forward to always booking a 1 br that sleeps 5 , or when my infant is older a 2 br bc then I will NEED to buy more points . I know when I was a cash Disney customer they were so strict ! We can comfortably fit in certain rooms because the kids all sleep in one bed .

Some DVC 1BR (BWV for example) have sleeping surfaces for 4 people, but when booked with DVC points, guests can have 5 people in that villa if they provide their own bedding (including linens and towels) for the 5th person. Studios that sleep 4 only allow 4 - for instance, CCV. Some studios, such as BWV, do allow 5.

 

[DisneyMomof4_86]

DVC studio occupancy limits are either 4 or 5, depending on the resort. If the occupancy is 4, then no, you can’t book 5 there if all are over 2.

Ok , that kinda stinks . Another poster said that is was 3, y/o, are some resorts different ? I noticed when booking Aluani they specifically have infant counts as 3 and under somewhere ?

 

[DisneyMomof4_86]

Some DVC 1BR (BWV for example) have sleeping surfaces for 4 people, but when booked with DVC points, guests can have 5 people in that villa if they provide their own bedding (including linens and towels) for the 5th person. Studios that sleep 4 only allow 4 - for instance, CCV. Some studios, such as BWV, do allow 5.

Thank you ! That is good to know ! How will I know this when booking in the future when she is older ? I have some time left ! We are fresh to DVC! Just bought direct in Feb.

 

[Marionnette]

Ok , that kinda stinks . Another poster said that is was 3, y/o, are some resorts different ? I noticed when booking Aluani they specifically have infant counts as 3 and under somewhere ?

It’s under the age of 3, not ”age 3 and under”. Once a child turns 3 years of age, they count toward room occupancy.

 

[DisneyMomof4_86]

Thanks

It’s under the age of 3, not ”age 3 and under”. Once a child turns 3 years of age, they count toward room occupancy.

!

 

[CarolynFH]

Thank you ! That is good to know ! How will I know this when booking in the future when she is older ? I have some time left ! We are fresh to DVC! Just bought direct in Feb.

It will be in the room description on the DVC website. So read those when making plans and especially before you book anything! It’s very confusing because some studios sleep 4 and some sleep 5 and some 1BR sleep 4and some sleep 5! And there’s always “plus one child under 3 in a crib” to add to the confusion.

 

[MomOTwins]

Thank you ! That is good to know ! How will I know this when booking in the future when she is older ? I have some time left ! We are fresh to DVC! Just bought direct in Feb.

When you book one of these DVC 1br suites on the Disney World site as a cash reservation, it says it is a max occupancy of 4. When you book on the DVC site it says max occupancy of 4 OR max occupancy of 5 if booked by a dvc member using points. The catch is you need to provide your own bed surface (cot/sleeping bag/air mattress) and sheets for the 5th or else they need to be small enough to share a bed with two others (i.e. might work for three very young kids).

 

[TeresaNJ]

I booked a standard studio for three nights this past April on rented points. I was upgraded to a 1BR unit. This is the first time in all the years I've been a DVC member that I got a room upgrade.

 

[TroJo]

Checking into Copper Creek this evening for a quick one night staycation with family in town. Booked a one bedroom and was upgraded to a 2 Bedroom Hearing Accessible\Visual Alarm room. Wondering if this happens often when booking single nights?

 

[Eastcoast02]

We were upgraded from a studio to a 1 bedroom at SSR in November. Renovated room in Congress Park; a great experience.

^^^As far as accessible rooms go, did that type of room have any annoyances given you did not need those features? Some how my account got tagged as needing handicap accessible rooms and it really put a damper on 2 stays before I had it resolved. At Poly I want to say there was a tub where the glass waterfall shower stall should be and a roll in shower in the bath closest to the entry. I could be wrong about the setup but I do remember water getting EVERYWHERE when we used the handicap accessible shower. We did not change rooms because it was ground floor which we really enjoy.

The other was a stay at VGF. The counters were lowered and once again no glorious walk in rainfall shower to escape from the kids to. I'm 6'5 and I don't want to be slumped over on vacation to wash my hands and/or dishes. I very nicely "Karen"d it at the front desk and was compensated with a $200 resort credit and we were moved after our second night. It was worth the hassle. I wanted the full VGF experience for our first stay there.

 

[TroJo]

^^^As far as accessible rooms go, did that type of room have any annoyances given you did not need those features?

We have not checked in yet, just going off what MDE app is currently showing. I’ll keep the thread updated but from what I’ve read there shouldn’t be too many noticeable differences. Fingers crossed.

 

[puente0629]

We got really lucky in our stay 3 weeks ago at Saratoga Springs. We booked a studio and we were pixie-dusted into a 3 BR Grand villa. It is only 3 of us so it was a little overkill but it was an awesome experience.

Wow! That must of been amazing! How long was your stay? My husband, parents, son and myself are staying in a studio and we are praying to the pixie dust gods to be upgraded to a one-bedroom

 

[com_op_2000]

Our upgrade history:
1. Once cause of over booking at VWL:
Booked a studio at VWL, when we tried to check-in, we had been upgraded to a WL 2 bedroom lake view suite. Called some family members to come and join us for an unexpected vacation.
2. Once cause of problem with check-in at AKL:
Booked a standard view studio at AKL-Jambo, checked-in, given a room key as the room was supposed to be ready, went to the room, and found suitcases and purse in the room along with the room not being made up. Went back to the front desk, they gave us an on-the-spot upgrade to a savanna view room in another part of the resort plus four free breakfasts.
3. DCL
Reserved an inside stateroom on DVC points but were upgraded to an ocean view room. We did not find out about the upgrade until we got to the room, what a surprise that was. When our luggage arrived it still had the old room number's tags on them.
4. AKL-Jambo
Booked a standard view room at 5 days out due to a last minute change in home plans. Given a Savanna View room.
5. AKL-Jambo
Got another upgrade in Aug ‘16. Reserved a standard studio, on Sunday before leaving the house checked status of points, made a reservation, etc; found that I had more points in my account than I should have and points in Holding that should not of been there. On the way from home to AKL, I called MS, asked for a status of my points, and they stated they saw the same thing on their system.
After being put on hold, MS came back with an explanation, stating that we had been upgraded from a standard to a full-savanna view room. The points in holding are there for the backroom process of the upgrade. Checked my points on Sunday evening and everything is correct. The room we were given was 5268 with no pen in the view except across the savanna.
6. DCL
Reserved a Wonder inside stateroom 11-C 2nd Deck on DVC points but we were upgraded to an 11-B 6th Deck room in Feb ‘19.