Possibly Unpopular Opinion-Room requests (don't do it)

[AustinTink]

Them and alcohol

Truth.

 

[Skywalker3]

Since our last 2 room requests of 'close to the lobby' have resulted in rooms ALL the way at the ends of the halls at Kidani and BWV, I think we'll just skip it.
But, really, we have gotten several room requests in the past. once when using touringplans, got the exact room we indicated. So, idk, we'll see.

 

[Pens Fan]

We've had pretty good luck with room requests, but I keep them as broad as possible so that it gives them lots of options. We don't always get it, but that's ok. When I haven't made requests we've gotten everything from fabulous upgrades to rooms overlooking a roof or (my favorite) a combination of roofline and busses at CCV - beep, beep, beep all day long !

Request or not, it's still a roll of the dice. A couple of things I have noticed is that it seems the longer we are staying the better view we get. Short stays seem to be when get the clunkers. One other is that when we don't make a room request we seem to get our room ready notice a lot sooner. It's not 100% of the time, but enough that I've noticed it.

 

[bjscheel]

I've had mixed luck and will continue to sometimes make requests, depending on the resort. At CSR, requested to be close to the busses. We were doing breakfast in the room so not a lot of visits to food court and just wanted to be able to pop out to the busses quick. Because it was our anniversary, they upgraded us to preferred, but as I said, close to the food court was not our priority. But it was fine.

At WL, I requested high floor and something else I forget, that was supposed to give us a good chance of a theme park view during the construction of the cabins. It worked! We could see the castle and fireworks.

At POFQ I didn't bother with anything as I'd heard it was so small. As it happened, we were put as far away in the back as possible. Not a big deal, except DH got a knee infection a few weeks prior and was still a little tender. In hindsight, I would have asked if we could move.

At CBR I just like to request Jamaica due to location and have always gotten it.

 

[gottalovepluto]

This is going to sound funny, but until I became more active on this site and doing more reading, I never even thought of putting in a room request! Lol! I didn’t know it was a thing unless you needed an accessible room or a crib etc.
Now that I have been on here for a while, it appears more people get the opposite of what they requested than the other way around! So I’m my weird mind I started thinking Disney rewards those who go with the flow
This coming trip we are staying CR TPV and I didn’t ask for anything. I did add grandsons birthday because it’s the second day we are there.

I can’t help but make room requests but I have definitely gotten the opposite sometimes. My last trip I got as requested at Pop & BWI (close to lobby, close to elevator respectively) but 2 years ago POFQ sticks to mind as it was the complete opposite. And CSR GDT, one stay I requested a high room and I got the lowest floor GDT has for guest rooms at the far end of the tower with rumbling from like midnight to 6am (I thought it was thunderstorms until it was bright and shiny with rumbling in the morning). It should never have been a paying guest room, I complained and was moved the next day thank goodness!

 

[tigerlilly]

I had to laugh at this as this has been me more times than I’d like to admit. Me with the meltdown because things didn’t go as I planned or hoped. Husband helping me “decide” to go with the flow.

It’s tough because it’s usually the wife/mom that plans the whole trip and when things don’t fall into place you just want to cry. Add to that the stress of planning a Disney trip these days and it makes for the perfect storm.

We had a bad view at the Yacht Club this last time but I decided to (as the song goes) “let it go” with a little help from my husband. Those guys come in handy sometimes, don’t they.

I am definitely the planner.. the reason we even do Disney trips. I was a mess on this particular BCV stay as we had never done a first floor room. I was so opposed to the idea!

Ermmm I ended up loving it. So husbands do come in handy! Luckily mine is willing to keep going back. Fingers crossed for a good room at the Poly lol

 

[jhop321]

In the last few years, I stayed at Pop Century twice without a room request and both times got put way over in the 90s building(long long walk - especially at the end of the day lol) with a crappy parking lot viewone time, and a nothing corner room view the other.

Just visited a month ago to stay there again, and made SURE I did a room request and got a lovely upper floor room in the 70s building with a view - very convenient and easy walk to both the skyliner and the lobby.

So yeah

 

[ncc1701]

We have only stayed at POFQ. My only request was a corner room just for the extra light from the second window. But I always checked the room ready first option. If we got the category we booked anything else is a bonus.

 

[flav]

Historically, my room requests have been granted half of the time and the other half we got the total opposite. We once got a room that should almost not have been in use (like an overflow) and the front desk told us right away that they would move us the next morning. Another time, when the front desk announced me my room number in the non refurbished section, I kindly asked how I would be able to get a pre-race coffee at 2AM. Their response was one of the most gracious I ever had, checking for another room while making me a “I am celebrating running” button. And finally, on the last trip, I discovered that sometimes the total opposite of my request is totally what is better for me

I like the idea of not making a request and might chance it next trip.

 

[Genie+]

We didn’t make requests years ago when we booked standard values for the most part. Lots of parking lot views and we didn’t mind with small kids and a car. As we got established in life we started booking nicer views/locations and resorts. That’s when we started putting in requests. It’s been worth the effort. Not all have been granted but even then we often get something in the spirit of the request.

2021 was a great year for getting exactly what we wanted and before noon early checkins. Got a bit spoiled there lol.

The way I look at it is it can’t hurt. Hopefully it helps them with a starting point on room assignments, but I understand sometimes puzzle pieces don’t fit and we get bumped to whatever’s available. All good. We’re at WDW

 

[jlk0809]

We requested ground floor close to pools at All Star Music and got both. We were steps away from the Mighty Ducks pool. I think it helped that our flight didn't get in until 8pm, so I indicated that our check in would be after 4. At 4pm I got a text that they were still working on getting our room. At 5pm as we were boarding the plane we got our room assignment. I really think not needing our room right away enabled them to fulfill the requests.
Our next stay is at POR and all I really want is to request ground floor due to having a stroller and no elevators!

 

[Genie+]

We requested ground floor close to pools at All Star Music and got both. We were steps away from the Mighty Ducks pool.
Our next stay is at POR and all I really want is to request ground floor due to having a stroller and no elevators!

This type of request is why I think it benefits them and us. The effort to sort out high/low floor requests is worth the guest satisfaction. Without requests they’d have to guess, and I think they’d end up with a lot more guests going to the lobby looking if they can change room.

 

[Leigh L]

I can’t help but make room requests but I have definitely gotten the opposite sometimes. My last trip I got as requested at Pop & BWI (close to lobby, close to elevator respectively) but 2 years ago POFQ sticks to mind as it was the complete opposite. And CSR GDT, one stay I requested a high room and I got the lowest floor GDT has for guest rooms at the far end of the tower with rumbling from like midnight to 6am (I thought it was thunderstorms until it was bright and shiny with rumbling in the morning). It should never have been a paying guest room, I complained and was moved the next day thank goodness!

Was it those awful fans at GDT?

I usually go with the flow and rarely make requests or complain. Earlier this month I got to my room, looked out the window to double-check we were where I thought we were. Then I walked out (left luggage in the hallway), and went back downstairs asking to be placed anywhere but on the 3rd floor overlooking those fans. Kept me up all night the last time I stayed in them. CM was nice enough to move me. I'd paid for a water view but would have even taken standard if that's all they had...

What's interesting is last time I was put in that 4-room area, I paid for standard, this time for water. Rooms were literally next to one another lol.

 

[Babsy]

OP, that is great that you have had such good fortune. Not everyone is so lucky, though

Every time that I did NOT put in a room request (many years ago now), we ended up with a room that wasn't ideal and either requested a change or decided to just deal with it. Someone has to sleep in the less desirable rooms and sometimes that person is me. LOL. I have had rooms overlooking loading doors where trucks backing up woke me early every morning, where we had an ugly view of a dirty looking shabby roof and a room at the very furthest point you could get from the lobby and dining and still be at the resort. (This was at the AKL and it was a LONG walk to the end of that hall.) I NEVER expect an upgrade anymore and have found, when offered, that 'upgrades' aren't usually what I want/prefer. I book and pay for the room category that I do want and then make requests to try to let the room assigner know what we would prefer, if available.

We don't always get our room requests, but more times than not it is close and sometimes we do get our requests granted. Personally, my room matters to me, so I usually put in requests.

Of course, I always look at the resort and room category beforehand and decide to be satisfied in the 'worst' room that fits my booking category. If I'm not prepared to stay there then I book a different room view or category or resort. As much as possible I try to minimize the possibility of getting a room that doesn't work for us by doing my research and paying for what I want up front.

But, if you truly are happy with whatever you may get, then NOT putting in a room request may be a way to increase your chances of getting a magical room upgrade. Of course, it may also increase your chances of being at the end of a very long hallway............

 

[gottalovepluto]

Was it those awful fans at GDT?

I usually go with the flow and rarely make requests or complain. Earlier this month I got to my room, looked out the window to double-check we were where I thought we were. Then I walked out (left luggage in the hallway), and went back downstairs asking to be placed anywhere but on the 3rd floor overlooking those fans. Kept me up all night the last time I stayed in them. CM was nice enough to move me. I'd paid for a water view but would have even taken standard if that's all they had...

What's interesting is last time I was put in that 4-room area, I paid for standard, this time for water. Rooms were literally next to one another lol.

Similar area for sure but the noise was on/off rumbling from 6am to midnight that I originally thought was thunder (which I had to dismiss as a theory upon seeing the sunshine the next morning and hearing the rumbling) and turned out to be carts of some type as there were interior service corridors or something right next to the room.

 

[GaSleepingBeautyFan]

Because I have a scooter, I always request first floor rooms now. A few times I've still gotten an upper floor and had to figure out how to fit the scooter in the elevator (yeah - I'm talking about you Poly DVC. LOL).

I do not mention that I'm on a scooter because I can not do those low handicap beds and don't want to be in one of those rooms.
They gave that to me once and I could hardly get in and out of the bed. Luckily that was a short weekend trip, otherwise I would have had to move to a different room.

 

[DJFan88]

Ha ha I get the opposite request people.
Once at Sports I just requested the building with the baseball pool.
Upon check it at front counter, saw we were way somewhere nowhere near that.
I said, oh, we didn’t get our request, I guess nothings available at that building and she said let me see. Then proceeded to allow me to pick from 3 different rooms in that building.

 

[_19disnA]

We make room requests recognizing you are simply indicating a 'preference' and Disney may/may not be able to accommodate you. Has always worked out well for us. I am not aware of any benefit associated with NOT making a request.

 

[Disneychick75]

Disney asked when I booked, so I clicked 1st floor for #1 and close to skyliner for #2. If we don't get either, I don't care. Had not even planned to put in a request.

 

[KrzyKtty101]

The only room request I ever put in is when we stay at BC. I have two children, one a teen boy and the other an elementary school girl. So I put in a request for a room with a trundle bed since most at BC have them, but not every. I prefer to not make my teen son and young daughter sleep together when I can get away with it.

Generally, I don't put them in except in that situation.