Poll regarding unit requests...what do you think?

[LakeAriel]

I agree 99.999% of the time. The .001% of the time that I DON'T agree is when I want a good room somewhere other than my home resort!

Next summer will be the first time I will be trying to switch out of my home resort.To be honest all I request from that transaction is N/S!!!

 

[Beca]

Next summer will be the first time I will be trying to switch out of my home resort.To be honest all I request from that transaction is N/S!!!

I agree....I think the expectations should be less at a non-home resort. Honestly, if I was at SSR....I would be fine with whatever. But, when I reserve at exactly 11 months out....there ought to be preferences that go along with that.

I know when I call 2-3 months out, that I am taking the "luck of the draw" as to what resort I get....I would be willing to accept the same with requests. But, when you make a ressie 11 months out....you ought to have a "heads up" on the order in which they grant requests.



Beca

 

[crisi]

My preferred system would be for non-smoking to be a guarentee (actually, I'd prefer if the whole resort were non-smoking with fines for smokers). All other room assignments would be made as the room is clean and you show up with Disney not taking any requests. Housekeeping would log rooms as clean, they'd show up on the CMs screen, and the CM would say (pointing at map), "I have a non-smoking room on the third floor here, or a room on the first floor here." Where choices are available, they'd give you two or three randomly, not every room open currently. You could say "are they both non-handicapped" (and get a straight answer) or if you don't care you could say "I'd like the one on the third floor please."

 

[Pa@okw95]

The single most important thing to me for the whole vacation is to get my room as soon as possible certainly not be insulted by being given it at 4 PM or after. Keep in mind Disney changed the whole check in situation years ago by adding after 4 PM. Prior to that the check in time was 4 PM which meant they were suppose to have the room ready by 4.
I got all 3 of my requests the last time I was there just a week ago and got my room at 2:30. Of course unlike you I stayed in one place, which was probably your problem, with only short reservations you were probably used as a fill in.
Can you imagine the problems with giving out the rooms after 4 to everyone. There would be a riot if that ever happen because there is no reason for it., most of the rooms are ready well before that.
I would surely sell my membership if that ever happens, I refuse to be insulted by a situation where everyone has to wait until after 4.

 

[Pa@okw95]

What makes you think that all the request would be filled if everyone waited for their room until after 4??? Hello!!

 

[ATCMickey]

PA@OKW95,

I understand that you might say short reservations are harder to accomdate. I would offer two things. This OKW stay was a 7 day stay. Hardly a short reservation (by my standards). Secondly, the front desk manager told me just the opposite. She said that the longer stays are harder because they need to try to accomodate your requests over a much longer period of time. Far more conflicts. FWIW,

ATCMickey

 

[ATCMickey]

My poll question was to wait up UNTIL 4pm to accomodate request (meaning no later than). I agree and would never suggest that everyone have to sit around all evening trying to accomdate eveyone's request. The intent was to suggest a willingness to wait a reasonable amount of time if it meant requests could be accomdated. Some may be willing, others may not. Personally, I expect to wait until 4pm...that way I'm not frustrated by the process. If I get in earlier, bonus. Personally, I just don't need to have a room by 11:30am at someone else's expense. Your mileage may vary,

ATCMickey

 

[JimC]

Our expectations are to get non-smoking and accessible requests and be in the room by 4 pm. If they can also give a view or high floor then that is great, if not, no problem.

Our experience has been quite good, not perfect, but generally we have been very satisfied. Usually every request is met. Room availability on some trips has been at check-in, even before noon. When it is not availalble we go off to the parks and generally do not check back in until close to 4 pm so we don't know when the room actually cleared.

We prefer that the requests be filled with priority to date requested.

 

[Rpsemont]

Generally, I think I would wait to have requests accomodated. Of course, it also depends what we have planned for that day and the trip - and also what room requests are at issue. I would absolutely wait for N/S. We usually have a rental car, so if we have to wait, we just leave the luggage in the car and head off for the day. But I remeber last Feb, we were checking into OKW for just 2 night stay. I asked what room, and she pointed to one in a building we had stayed before. I asked he what would be available if we waited, and she came back with 3 options - ALL buildings we had stayed before (this was only our 4th stay) We took the room was available right then.

I think efforts should be made aggressively to accomodate S or N/S.

 

[DrTomorrow]

It seems appropriate that this old topic has been "dug up" so close to Halloween

A few comments:

- Being an owner "only" since 2003, the Room Ready policy is all I have known.

- I guess I wonder why even have a request system at all. Simple: so when someone checks in and there is more than one room of the requested size available, the CM can see if any guest preferences can be met. Sadly, the ability to request has too often morphed into the ability to expect.

- Since requests are not part of what a resort is obligated to provide, I see no reason why DVC owners should be notified or have input as to what is done behind the scenes to try to meet them. Nor do I want to have us all decide when check-in/check-out times are, or what kind of soap to use in the laundry, or ....

- With all due respect to the Lovely Beca, I find the idea of creating a "DVC Caste System" to be very offensive. We all bought into DVC - to say that one DVC owner deserves any preferential treatment (other than booking window) or to say that there are some people staying at a DVC resort that deserve less than others when it comes to room requests has, to me, an unpleasant odor of presumed superiority.

- I'm with dis-happy in that I think that the world has gotten way too picky. I know that there are a lot of DIS DVCers waiting for an on-line ressie system who hope, deep down, that this system will have maps of the DVC resorts and would allow you to schedule a specific unit. I just don't get it.

- In my experience, limited though it may be, we've never had a problem checking in. Of course, we own at SSR, and we keep our expectations regarding requests very reasonable; in fact, the only request we make is NS, and even then we could live with a S room for a week or so. But we've shown up at SSR late (5PM) and early (9AM) and always got the NS room we wanted. We don't bother with this view or that building - hey, we're going to make trips to WDW for the next 49 years; who cares what the view is on trip 4, or 38, or 55....

So, I voted ASAP. When you show up at the resort, they take a look at all of the rooms that are available, look at what you prefer and try to match them up as best as they can. IMHO, to expect more is, er, over-expecting.

IMHO - YMMV

 

[Blue&Gold]

IMHO, there is no right answer here. A fairly significant portion of the membership probably feels it is entirely situational. What I do think is that the question of DVC room assignment shouldn't be decided by fiat in the manner of the CRO... The DVC membership should be polled/consulted if it hasn't been in the past. We have benefited on our last 2 trips with early check-ins (around 0930ish) but haven't expected them. On our next trip we expect to arrive quite late (after 10 PM) and certainly don't feel we should get the also-ran room because I decided to use points on a DVC room rather than bunking down at the airport roach motel.

 

[DisneyHumbug]

I am willing to wait for a non-smoking room.

 

[ceejay13]

I voted on the wait to get requests, but the only request I care about is getting a non-smoking room. We have gotten our room on 3 occasions before 4 PM but never expect it, so I guess we are used to it. When we first joined I made a whole lot more requests than I do now. I have enjoyed every one of our rooms even those I thought I wouldn't be happy with. For example, before they differentiated the BW view from the preferred view at the BWV we had the preferred view booked and were hoping so much to get a BW view. When we checked in the CM said she had a room ready overlooking the canal to MGM. I wasn't really thrilled with the choice but the fact that it was ready we took it. It is my favorite view now. It was so peaceful and even though it was at the very end of the hallway I would take that room again in a heartbeat. When we first booked the standard view I wanted to see if we could get near the canal. We didn't but had a great view of the fireworks. I always ask to have a room above ground level and every time that request has been granted at the BWV, OKW and the BCV. I actually don't always expect it. I do have asthma and would be upset if I had to be put in a smoking room, however. I know there was a recent thread about medical requests. I have never used that but my non-smoking request has always been granted so I hope I haven't taken that for granted. I am upset that as someone who usually books 11 months out I might not get my request because someone beat me to check in by 10". I do remember that there has been some discussion previously but I don't remember anything about a survey a couple of years ago.

 

[Chuck S]

It really depends on a lot of factors. Sometimes a room is ready when we arrive early, other times we've had to wait until 4:30.

The only request I make on the ressie is non-smoking, and I 've always gotten it in the 30+ visits we've made to OKW, except once, when I took a smoking room because it was available at check-in at 9am after driving all night.

While I like some locations better than others at OKW, I don't think there is a "bad" location, and view isn't a make or break thing. One thing I miss, in the first couple years of DVC, members could call the resort a few hours before their arrival and express check-in, giving the credit card number, etc. If a room was available, it was assigned, your keys made, and all you had to to was show up at the "express" line, sign the credit slip and pick-up your paperwork. I'm sure we'll not see that again because of increased security concerns.

My concern with "assigned room" is that if they have a non-smoking room available that also has a "water view" should it be held for a guest that has requested "N/S water view" even though they may not check-in until 6pm (late flight), but not given to someone that has checked-in at 7:30am?

Basically, should those with more requests get priority over folks with a single or no request?

 

[poohj80]

We stayed at BCV last month and had only requested non-smoking and an upper floor. When we checked in about 2 PM we were told our room wasn't ready yet, but it should be soon. We had lunch at Beaches and Cream and came back just before 3 PM to check on our "almost ready room" and it was still not available. We asked if any other rooms were available instead of waiting and the CM said "Oh, there's quite a few, where would you like to be?" I asked for non-smoking and an upper floor if possible since that's what was originally requested and we got a nice room on the 4th floor with a semi-view of Epcot. She said the room we had been waiting on was on the ground floor so didn't meet both requests.

What I don't understand is why another room was not offered to us at check-in if the room we were assigned was not ready and other rooms were. To me, this sounded like rooms were definitely pre-assigned.

 

[KarenP99]

I voted room-ready...HOWEVER the only thing that I ever request is a non-smoking and I would wait until 4pm (even with my 3 kids 4 & under in tow).

As for booking smoking/non smoking, I think that the resort availability should include this. If I call MS to book a room, I would like to have MS as me Smoking or Non? If there have already been the quota of non smoking reservations, I book elsewhere or waitlist for a non-smoking room.

 

[spiceycat]

they use to ask. now I think they assume non-smoking less you say smoking.

when I am with mother - I want a room a quickly as possible.

when I am alone I don't mind waiting. there are a bunch of things I can do alone - that mother won't do.

go to the parks, dd, wander around the resorts and see if anything is new, go visit the general store/gift shop.

she refuses to do anything. So believe me when I travel with her the sooner we get a room the better off I am.

 

[NMW]

My preferred system would be for non-smoking to be a guarentee (actually, I'd prefer if the whole resort were non-smoking with fines for smokers). All other room assignments would be made as the room is clean and you show up with Disney not taking any requests. Housekeeping would log rooms as clean, they'd show up on the CMs screen, and the CM would say (pointing at map), "I have a non-smoking room on the third floor here, or a room on the first floor here." Where choices are available, they'd give you two or three randomly, not every room open currently. You could say "are they both non-handicapped" (and get a straight answer) or if you don't care you could say "I'd like the one on the third floor please."

I agree with Crisi. I'd love it if the DVC resorts were this way.

 

[LakeAriel]

If they book a room at 11 months out that fits my request (of course it's available it's 11 months in advance!) they should black it out as "booked". If I don't show up or show up at midnight it is my loss not theirs. They are going to charge me ANYWAY, same price as everyone else!!!! There is no refund the day of arrival so they should honor first reservation made gets first choice and so on. We all know when we can book a DVC home resort. If we aren't owners or hop in for a last minute trip we are happy to get anything that's left.

 

[donald...really]

I, too, agree with Crisi (and DrTomorrow). Couldn't have said it better myself.