Someone please explain room assignments to me

[UKDEB]

We'll be staying at our home resort of SSR for the first time in August. I've read on another thread that the earlier you check in, the greater your chance of getting your room request granted. I'm confused because I'd always understood that rooms are assigned in advance. Please explain to me how checking in early increases your chances of a better room. Does it also mean that you're more likely to get an upgrade?

 

[TenThousandVolts]

When you check-in they will tell you what room you are in- if you don't like it, you can ask what else is available- the CM will tell you what is available and you can choose from there. I don't know anything about upgrades, I think you pretty much have to be staying there as a cash guest to get an upgrade (not using points). Other than that I don't know if you can increase your chances of getting an upgrade.

 

[tjkraz]

One of the biggest problems with room assignments, IMO, is that Disney really doesn't tell us how it works. Recently in one of our DVC newsletters they claimed to use a system called "Rooms Ready." Under this system rooms are not even assigned to guests until they arrive at the front desk. Then, upon arrival, their primary goal is to get you into a room that is "ready" right then and there.

Apparently, as a whole, Disney guests put a higher priority on getting into their room immediately than they do having a room that meets all of their requirements to the letter.

It's this system that has lead to people advising arrival at the resort as early as possible. Those with late flights who may not arrive until 10-11pm will basically get the leftovers. These were often handicapped-accessible or (in the past) smoking rooms.

With all of that said, one of the main problems is that hundreds of members will tell you that the resorts were NOT using the "Rooms Ready" system when they arrived. Many will say that their room was already assigned (ready or not), and often it didn't even meet requests placed on the reservation. The requests are a tough thing to analyze given that if a resort has 100 rooms with a certain view and 200 requests, obviously many will be disappointed.

Thru our DVC stays, I'd say it was clear the resort was using "Rooms Ready" about half of the time. In those cases the CM actively engaged us in selecting our room. The other half of the time we were simply given our keys and room number (or phone number to call later to GET the room number.)

So the bottom line is you'll never know what sort of system they are using, but it's still best to arrive as early as possible. If you do arrive late and they happen to be using Rooms Ready, hard telling what you might get.

And as for your comment on upgrades, DVC doesn't give upgrades to members staying on points. There will be very rare cases where members are given a different room due to maintenance issues, but it's not like cash resorts where they will often upgrade people just because they have unbooked rooms available. DVC resorts will let larger rooms sit empty rather than upgrade members using points.

 

[ebenmax]

We had already been assigned a room in CP when we checked in last week.
CP had been our original booking request because Grandstand was not yet open and they wouldn't let us ask for it. We then called back a few months ago and changed our request to Grandstand. As I mentioned, when we actually checked in, our room was in CP (original request). That made me believe our room had been assigned a long time ago. Maybe it was just a coincidence. However, we ended up in a Grandstand room afterall because they had one available.

Bottom line I have no idea how it all works, but our experience made me believe they were preassigned.

HTH

Ellen

 

[DisDaydreamer]

One of the biggest problems with room assignments, IMO, is that Disney really doesn't tell us how it works. Recently in one of our DVC newsletters they claimed to use a system called "Rooms Ready." Under this system rooms are not even assigned to guests until they arrive at the front desk. Then, upon arrival, their primary goal is to get you into a room that is "ready" right then and there.

Apparently, as a whole, Disney guests put a higher priority on getting into their room immediately than they do having a room that meets all of their requirements to the letter.

It's this system that has lead to people advising arrival at the resort as early as possible. Those with late flights who may not arrive until 10-11pm will basically get the leftovers. These were often handicapped-accessible or (in the past) smoking rooms.

With all of that said, one of the main problems is that hundreds of members will tell you that the resorts were NOT using the "Rooms Ready" system when they arrived. Many will say that their room was already assigned (ready or not), and often it didn't even meet requests placed on the reservation. The requests are a tough thing to analyze given that if a resort has 100 rooms with a certain view and 200 requests, obviously many will be disappointed.

Thru our DVC stays, I'd say it was clear the resort was using "Rooms Ready" about half of the time. In those cases the CM actively engaged us in selecting our room. The other half of the time we were simply given our keys and room number (or phone number to call later to GET the room number.)

So the bottom line is you'll never know what sort of system they are using, but it's still best to arrive as early as possible. If you do arrive late and they happen to be using Rooms Ready, hard telling what you might get.

And as for your comment on upgrades, DVC doesn't give upgrades to members staying on points. There will be very rare cases where members are given a different room due to maintenance issues, but it's not like cash resorts where they will often upgrade people just because they have unbooked rooms available. DVC resorts will let larger rooms sit empty rather than upgrade members using points.

I think your take this issue hits the nail on the head. I think if a resort is booked to capacity then the rooms are assigned. Some percentage below capacity and it is room ready. Or maybe they have pre-determined peak periods that they go to assigned rooms.

 

[vandy]

We had already been assigned a room in CP when we checked in last week.
CP had been our original booking request because Grandstand was not yet open and they wouldn't let us ask for it. We then called back a few months ago and changed our request to Grandstand. As I mentioned, when we actually checked in, our room was in CP (original request). That made me believe our room had been assigned a long time ago. Maybe it was just a coincidence. However, we ended up in a Grandstand room afterall because they had one available.

Bottom line I have no idea how it all works, but our experience made me believe they were preassigned.

HTH

Ellen

I tend to think it was a coincidence on your room assignment. We booked 6 months out and requested Congress Park, but received Carousel.

 

[BroganMc]

I reserve HA rooms that are supposed to be blocked out at time of reservation. So far I've yet to actually get my room locations except by the Front Desk searching the computer for an available room.

When I questioned CMs later everyone seemed to have a different story. SSR Front Desk said Member Services does the assigning 3 days out. All they can do is try to fix mistakes based on availability. Member Services says Special Needs blocks out HA rooms, and they can't change it. Then they said Special Needs blocks out types of rooms, but the resort doles them out based on what's available at check-in time.

Finally the BWV CM told me that HA rooms are supposed to be blocked out but if you make any other request Member Services sometimes "loses the block" and you lose your room.

So basically, arriving early helps to give you the best opportunity of fixing mistakes and getting what you want/need.

 

[mickg7dyd]

Hi,
Although I don't know the answer to your questions what I do know is that in 7 years of DVC membership we have never had a single request met whatever time we have checked in. Now I'm the first to acknowledge that they are just requests but unless we are just unlucky there seems little point in building up peoples hopes if they are only going to be disapointed. We did get upgraded once from a standard view BWV studio to a preffered view, no reason was given.

Mick.

 

[Snookies]

I reserve HA rooms that are supposed to be blocked out at time of reservation. So far I've yet to actually get my room locations except by the Front Desk searching the computer for an available room.

When I questioned CMs later everyone seemed to have a different story. SSR Front Desk said Member Services does the assigning 3 days out. All they can do is try to fix mistakes based on availability. Member Services says Special Needs blocks out HA rooms, and they can't change it. Then they said Special Needs blocks out types of rooms, but the resort doles them out based on what's available at check-in time.

Finally the BWV CM told me that HA rooms are supposed to be blocked out but if you make any other request Member Services sometimes "loses the block" and you lose your room.

So basically, arriving early helps to give you the best opportunity of fixing mistakes and getting what you want/need.

BroganMc, your comment about every cast member having a different story about assigning HA rooms that meet your requirements reminds me of something a flight attendant told me many years ago about flight delays. She commented that flight attendants at this particular airline had been told to tell passengers whatever came to mind, within reason, when questioned about flight delays because there wasn't any way to verify. Although this is obviously an imperfect analogy, I sometimes wonder if the same is true about how rooms are actually assigned.

 

[UKDEB]

Thank you all for taking the time to reply.

 

[Pootle]

Hi,
Although I don't know the answer to your questions what I do know is that in 7 years of DVC membership we have never had a single request met whatever time we have checked in. ......

In 11 years' of membership I've always had my requests met at OKW - but then I just request a general area and N/S .... oh, and I check in before 7 am - easy to do when you've flown in the night before from the UK and the time difference is on your side Deb

Despite this, I have often had to wait until after 4 pm for my room but that's okay with me

 

[Sammie]

At most DVC resorts it is a combination of both. Our rooms last summer at SSR were preassigned.

 

[surfer_ed]

I have never gotten my room request at any other resort than SSR.

Sometime it is as simple as not on the first floor. (At SSR we had issues with creepy crawlies getting in). I check in early or late and it never works.