Touring Plans room request

KyGirl

Mouseketeer
Joined
Apr 15, 2010
Has anybody ever used the Touring Plans room request tool for a campsite?

We have a preferred site booked for the end of January. My understanding is that we will be in the 100 or 200 loop (or possibly 300 but that's a pet loop right? We won't have a pet with us.)

Do the TP faxes seem to work for campsites?

If so, any recommendations for sites in that area? We are of course looking for quiet, private, easy to get into, close to the comfort station but not TOO close. You know the perfect spot, just like everybody else wants right? o_O:P Really we just don't want to end up with that one spot that nobody seems to want. Seems like we've been unlucky in this respect at other campgrounds before. This is our first time bringing the camper with us to Disney so I have no idea what to even ask for.

I was playing around with the tool on the TP website and it seems like it wants you to request a specific site, not just something like "quiet" or "near comfort station" like I was expecting. I thought it would be more like the old online check in option list. Which I never used at FW but had used at various other resorts, to varying success.

Thanks for any advice!
 
KYGirl,

I've never used TP for anything other than basic trip planning. And you can get nearly the same info now on the web without paying for TP. I didn't even realize you could request a site through TP, especially since they aren't really a part of Disney.

The best way to request a loop, or even specific site, is to call the reservation line and have them add the info to your reservation. Remember though, requests are just that. For most of us it is 50:50 if we even get the loop we requested. The early check in process through MDE used to allow you to pick things like "close to transportation" or "near comfort stations". With the last few upgrades to MDE, the choices are less helpful. One go around allowed you to select "near stairs". o_O There are some tricks to getting a loop or specific site. Most involve arriving at the right time of day (very early... like 6am early) and even day of week (not always possible). Once you are at the check in booth/desk, you do have the ability to negotiate for a loop or site that is available.

There are a couple of topics on here with some advice on ways to get what you want. You have booked my favorite type of site. I love Loop 100. Close to the marina and Settlement. Easy walk to the bus depot. There really aren't any bad sites, just small or somewhat harder sites to get into if you have a big camper. My old 30 ft 5th wheel fit perfect in a Preferred. Unfortunately my new 5er is 44 ft and I barely fit in the Premium site I was assigned in the 1400 loop this past September.

Have fun and good luck. Let us know how it works out with TP and a site request. I'm curious and that would be great advice on here if it works out.

j
 
KYGirl,

I've never used TP for anything other than basic trip planning. And you can get nearly the same info now on the web without paying for TP. I didn't even realize you could request a site through TP, especially since they aren't really a part of Disney.

The best way to request a loop, or even specific site, is to call the reservation line and have them add the info to your reservation. Remember though, requests are just that. For most of us it is 50:50 if we even get the loop we requested. The early check in process through MDE used to allow you to pick things like "close to transportation" or "near comfort stations". With the last few upgrades to MDE, the choices are less helpful. One go around allowed you to select "near stairs". o_O There are some tricks to getting a loop or specific site. Most involve arriving at the right time of day (very early... like 6am early) and even day of week (not always possible). Once you are at the check in booth/desk, you do have the ability to negotiate for a loop or site that is available.

There are a couple of topics on here with some advice on ways to get what you want. You have booked my favorite type of site. I love Loop 100. Close to the marina and Settlement. Easy walk to the bus depot. There really aren't any bad sites, just small or somewhat harder sites to get into if you have a big camper. My old 30 ft 5th wheel fit perfect in a Preferred. Unfortunately my new 5er is 44 ft and I barely fit in the Premium site I was assigned in the 1400 loop this past September.

Have fun and good luck. Let us know how it works out with TP and a site request. I'm curious and that would be great advice on here if it works out.

j

Come on, give yourself more credit. You shoehorned that baby right in there. And of course we have the same issue, 44 feet is great for living area, but when the campground was built in 1971, sometimes a bit tight.
 
Come on, give yourself more credit. You shoehorned that baby right in there. And of course we have the same issue, 44 feet is great for living area, but when the campground was built in 1971, sometimes a bit tight.

Teamubr can spot his trailer on a dime. I was sitting in his site at Gulf Shores this past summer talking to his DW's friend who had arrived a little early. Jim wheeled in and got it parked on the first try and shut it off. No back-and-forth to improve it. He's a Master. :worship:

KyGirl, I've never used TP and a fax sounds so 90's. Like Teamubr said, I've included a request for a specific loop (we like 100 too) in my reservation and it has been met or attempted for the last six trips. BTW, pets can be in any loop now so your span is 100-300.

Requesting a specific site is a low probability wish. That site has to be available on the day you check in. Having stayed Preferred the last several trips, it's tight. This last trip there were three sites in 100 available for a Sunday check-in. Teamubr laid it out. You can negotiate (a little) once you arrive based on what's available but if people have checked in before you and already selected sites coming open (or already open) that day, those sites are off the table.

You can be assigned a site that is open or coming open that day but the Fort will still clean and prep it before they make it available to you. You won't know your site number until it's cleaned and ready for you.

What type of RV/Trailer do you have? What is the length? How about your tow vehicle? Some Preferred sites (201, 115 for example) are very short and the paved portion is barely 35-40 feet. Other Preferred sites are 65-80 feet paved. Size matters as to where you can fit. The more info you provide in your reservation notes before you arrive (length, desired loop) the more likely you will get something that works the first time.

Bama Ed
 


If so, any recommendations for sites in that area? We are of course looking for quiet, private, easy to get into, close to the comfort station but not TOO close. You know the perfect spot, just like everybody else wants right? o_O:P Really we just don't want to end up with that one spot that nobody seems to want. Seems like we've been unlucky in this respect at other campgrounds before. This is our first time bringing the camper with us to Disney so I have no idea what to even ask for.

Thanks for any advice!

We have been in many of the sites in 100-200, and only once in 300. I wouldn't, personally, consider any of them bad sites, or noisy, unless we've had extremely good luck over the years. :)

I've only seen a couple dogs in those loops, and they've continued to tell us they are basically pet free. We have ressies for 1st part of Dec. and requested loop 100. Just call with your requests and get there early in the day - more sites to choose from.
 
I am wondering if anyone actually finds value out of paying for TP? As mentioned above I see most of the info is available online for free - just curious.
 
One person's perception of quiet, can differ a great deal from another's. We have tried sites in those loops a few times. we much prefer to be a bit away from the constant sound of the buses at the stop signs, the boat whistles (I know some find it quaint), and the pounding basketballs at the hoop. But in truth, the "one spot that nobody seems to want" will be a spot that someone else finds perfect!
We never request a certain site - as we find the great majority of them are just fine. We also do not complete pre-check-in, as we do not want our site pre-assigned and prefer to choose from the available ones when we check in.

I can confirm that just a couple of weeks ago we were checking in and told we could stay in any loop with our two dogs, since the entire Fort is now pet frindly.
 


KyGirl, I've never used TP and a fax sounds so 90's.

Bama Ed

I thought this exact same thing! I've read on the boards before that people fax room requests but I thought, where would you even find a fax machine these days?!? and never considered it. However, in the past week or so there was a thread on the Resorts board where somebody was singing the praises of the TP room request fax feature for getting them the exact room they wanted at the Poly and several other people chimed in saying it worked for them too so I decided to check it out. I messed with the feature on the TP website and it shows a map of the campground, you click on a loop and then a particular site, and then it shows an actual photo of the site. But I found those pictures kind of confusing and not very helpful in understanding the layout of the site, which is what led to me posting my question on this board.

What type of RV/Trailer do you have? What is the length? How about your tow vehicle? Some Preferred sites (201, 115 for example) are very short and the paved portion is barely 35-40 feet. Other Preferred sites are 65-80 feet paved. Size matters as to where you can fit. The more info you provide in your reservation notes before you arrive (length, desired loop) the more likely you will get something that works the first time.

Bama Ed

We have a 30 foot pull behind travel trailer with one large slide, not a fifth wheel or anything and we'll be pulling it with a Ram 1500. Our reservation starts on Saturday, January 20 and hopefully my husband will be arriving around lunch time or a little earlier, depending on how far down the road we get on the Friday before. I'm going to be riding with my parents and DD as my husband recently admitted that he does not care to listen to all my "helpful and very caring and considerate" advice about his driving or my daughter's Descendants soundtrack for the 13 hour drive. So he'll be the one getting the site assignment. I probably won't be there to micromanage the situation. I'm actually a little concerned about him checking into the site in my name. (We don't have the same last name.) That's why I decided to go ahead and do online checkin so that he'd have his magic band already linked to a reservation that was checked in.

KYGirl,

You have booked my favorite type of site. I love Loop 100. Close to the marina and Settlement. Easy walk to the bus depot. There really aren't any bad sites, just small or somewhat harder sites to get into if you have a big camper.

j

I originally booked a preferred site because we booked with our old camper which was pretty tiny and had a tiny bathroom so at most campsites, I preferred to use the comfort stations to shower. The girl on the Disney line when I booked the site told me that Preferred site meant it would be closer to a comfort station. Of course, after reading more on this board, I learned that she was wrong and the preferred designation was just based on the loops being near the marina/Settlement. Which was great too, I just didn't know that's what I was doing. And then we ended up selling the first camper (after having it less than a year!:rolleyes1) and buying a larger one so we won't really need to rely on the comfort station as much anyway. I did call and update that information on our original reservation so they'd know that we weren't going to be in the little guy.

I am wondering if anyone actually finds value out of paying for TP? As mentioned above I see most of the info is available online for free - just curious.

We have planned a trip to Disney about every year to 18 months or so over the last 10 years and I have never paid for TP before or even considered it. And I do quite a bit of obsessive planning for our trips. For some reason this time, I decided about two weeks ago to get it. You can get a discount if you go through a certain website (I'm not sure if I can say that here...) so it was only like 10 or 11 bucks. I'm a penny pincher but that price really is pretty negligible in the grand scheme of a disney trip. So far, I have used it to do my daily plans on the personalized trip plan section. After some fiddling I did find that I liked that function although it's hard to believe some of the estimated wait times. So that was pretty useful. I'm a data and numbers nerd and the site is ALL data and statistics based so that's been kind of interesting to me. I still printed off the plan that I created on the site and then typed it into the spreadsheet that I've used for all my other trips so maybe it really was a waste? They have the dining reservation finder function that I've read other people have had some success with but I made a request about a week ago and haven't heard anything. I can't really speak for that. Overall, I get a kick out of all the estimates and crowd predictors and things like that. If they will be exact or not remains to be seen. There is a feature on the site that tells how successful their own predictions were from the day before and I've liked monitoring that. Since Josh doesn't do crowd calendar predictions anymore it gave me kind of a jumping off point to decide which parks for which day. Oh and I do like the Lines App, which I believe you can only access if you pay for the subscription. That was actually the thing that made me decide to subscribe. I haven't used it in the parks yet but it does give me another outlet to feed my daily obsession of checking line times. It tells you what the official posted wait is and also the "expected" wait based on what is actually happening in the park. It's interesting to see how close these can be and sometimes how far apart. So as far as "was it worth it?" I'm not really sure yet.... but these days being worth ten dollars sets some pretty low expectations. I don't think I'd pay any more than that.

Thanks to everybody for your help so far! I really do appreciate it!
 
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30 foot trailer will be ok, the only issue will be neighbors parking badly or that misplaced pole or electrical box across the way just where the front of your truck needs to swing backing up. But we made it with our 30ft and Crew Cab dually so you will be fine.
 
I am wondering if anyone actually finds value out of paying for TP? As mentioned above I see most of the info is available online for free - just curious.
I personally *love* Touring Plans. My favorite feature is the itinerary planning, I'm a big numbers/computer geek and love using their algorithms to tell me the most efficient way to tour. I'm an obsessive planner, planning is very enjoyable for me so it makes my trips last year-round. :-) I always tweak the customized plans a bit to my own liking and then use it as a general guide while at the parks. I don't stick to it obsessively, I made that mistake on our first trip and missed out on taking in the magic. I few years back I led a trip with my extended family just before Christmas, leaving on Christmas Eve (low crowd at the beginning and high crowd at the end) and my dad couldn't believe how little we waited even at the end of the trip.

My second favorite feature is the Lines app, I like to search menus in the parks to find the nearest place I can get Trail Mix or a Mickey Bar or whatever delicious snack we're craving.

I do also like the dining reservation finder, I have had some luck with it.

So for me and my planning/touring style it's very worth it, but everyone is different.
 
We used the TP room request for a site on our last trip and worked perfectly! We had a preferred site reserved and requested the outer side of loop 300 (we had our dog boys with us, so I wanted backside access to the walking area along the canal), we got exactly what we had hoped for. My parents met up with us on our second day and I included their reservation number and a request to be nearby in the TP comments section, they were right next to us as requested! I wouldn't go in EXPECTING it to be a perfect match with your request, but knowing that it is a REQUEST that you can be hopeful to get close to.

Personally, I find value in the paid TP subscription and have been renewing for several years. I like the crowd calendar and at-a-glance info for park hours, etc for our specific days. I also use the Lines app a lot in the parks. I don't know what would be free and what is part of the paid service, but I use it enough to want to pay someone for their work on the app.
 
MDE used to allow you to pick things like "close to transportation" or "near comfort stations".

1) This was halted due to complaints.
2) It was first allowed so CM's could more easily place the guest (when possible) per the guest's requested location.
3) Then people complained if their request was not honored.
4) Some complaints were pretty vocal - and loud - and rude.
5) So, to eliminate such encounters, the option no longer exists.
6) It is best to call Reservations after your dates are set and have a note attached to the ressie.
7) Doesn't mean it will be honored, but there is a 50-50 chance.
8) IT NEVER HURTS TO ASK.

NOTE1: At all resorts, including The Fort, ALL room and site assignments are first made by the mainframe computer. These are passed down to the resorts 4-5 days in advance of check-in date of the guest. For guest stays that do not neatly fit into the computerized assignment load, these are kept separate and the Back Room (behind the Front Desk area) at the resort manually slips them into the assignment "rack". The CM frequently moves other guests around to make room for these left-over ressies. This of this like a Giant Rubik's Cube. The first few days a CM does this, it is confusing and frustrating. After a short while, it is still complicated, but one just takes it in stride.

NOTE2: Some people say it helps to send a fax to the resort. Nope. The Fort was the first resort to place all Room Request Faxes into File-13. In other words, they were trashed. Now, all resorts typically throw away faxed room requests. If they allowed them, too much time would be taken up by the Back Room CM's, that they couldn't complete their regular job duties. (Can you imagine getting 100-200 faxed requests in a week and trying to re-juggle room assignments to accommodate everyone?)
 
We used the TP room request for a site on our last trip and worked perfectly!


NOTE2: Some people say it helps to send a fax to the resort. Nope. The Fort was the first resort to place all Room Request Faxes into File-13. In other words, they were trashed. Now, all resorts typically throw away faxed room requests. If they allowed them, too much time would be taken up by the Back Room CM's, that they couldn't complete their regular job duties. (Can you imagine getting 100-200 faxed requests in a week and trying to re-juggle room assignments to accommodate everyone?)

So if none of the resorts actually read any faxes at all (which I totally get! I would not want to work on that puzzle all day!) do you think that all these people who are saying that the TP room request function (which I understand to be a fax) are actually just lucking out and getting what they wanted through total chance? Based on my experience with the online check in requests in the past, it was more luck than anything else anyway. So maybe that's what's actually happening here and people are incorrectly giving credit to the TP process. I have no idea. I'm even more confused!

And at this point, I'm not sure what we'd even request anyway. Just something "nice with space to spread out a little." That's pretty vague. And yes, I totally understand that this is only a request anyway. The only time I ever got a request met on my initial room assignment was at OKW and we requested the opposite of what most people wanted. So I wondered if that was actually meeting our request or if they just didn't give us what everybody else was asking for. But for all my agonizing over this before we got to Disney, every single room we've ever stayed in turned out fine and had it's pro and cons. So all my worrying was for nothing.

Oh well, I'm just feeding into my obsession with trip planning anyway. I have to do something to fill the next eleven days before I can make FPs!
 
I just looked back at TP and looked again at our pics....somehow we were magically on exactly the site number we requested in TP. This was late June of 2017...if that's dumb luck or super duper pixie dust, I'll take it!
 
I just looked back at TP and looked again at our pics....somehow we were magically on exactly the site number we requested in TP. This was late June of 2017...if that's dumb luck or super duper pixie dust, I'll take it!

That seems to me that somebody had to look at the TP fax right? Maybe those don't get trashed like the hundreds from other people or something? I'm intrigued.

All that said, how did you go about choosing exactly which spot to request? That was really where this whole line of questioning got started. If I was going to make a certain site request, understanding that it was a request and in no way guaranteed (so mostly a way to continue my obsessive trip planning), how do I choose that site?
 
That seems to me that somebody had to look at the TP fax right? Maybe those don't get trashed like the hundreds from other people or something? I'm intrigued.

All that said, how did you go about choosing exactly which spot to request? That was really where this whole line of questioning got started. If I was going to make a certain site request, understanding that it was a request and in no way guaranteed (so mostly a way to continue my obsessive trip planning), how do I choose that site?

I know, mysterious indeed.

Anyway, I booked preferred because we wanted to be near-ish to the Settlement area and knowing the area, I looked at what sites might back up to the grassy area along the canals. That's how I approached it. I put in requests two other times several years ago - once when I requested the 1500 loop with our pop-up and I noted that my parents were on FHU and would be meeting us, so somewhere nearby would be appreciated...we ended up being able to walk through the backside of our site and along the canal to the backside of their site. The second time we were traveling alone, I asked for 1500 again and we got 2000. So you win some and you lose some. There were a couple of in between times in there where we just took luck of the draw. We've never been unhappy with a site at the Fort!
 
There's actually an app that has pretty much all of the Ft. Wilderness spots documented, with site number, length, ease of backing in and where the utilities are, in addition to a picture of the site. It's called FW Sites on the iOS store (not sure if it is on others). What I also found useful is looking at Youtube videos of people driving through the Loops - they generally list the site number as they pass by and they'll do one side then the other, which helped me with my request.

As for the TP app, honestly, it doesn't cost that much and you can get a coupon from Mousesavers.com. I'm spending thousands of dollars on a Disney trip, so anything that helps me out with that is worth it to me, especially since it is just a little over $10 a year. I really like the chat feature because you can always ask a Liner about something going on and you'll get an answer pretty quickly. And I find the wait times to be pretty accurate, as well as the menu search useful for my picky children. In addition, the reservation finder is awesome if you didn't get up in time to make those reservations 180+ days in advance or your schedule changes for some reason. In addition, I've used the room finder and the fax and gotten extremely close to my request, so anecdotally it works very well for me.
 

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