"Best" way to make a room request About This Page:

[aislinn0903]

Does anyone have a preferred tried and true method for making a room request? We are staying at CBR 9/21-28, and based on info from some wonderful people here (thanks, guys!), we would like to stay in Jamaica. But I don't have a really good reason for it, just proximity to park bus stops (1st on, 1st off, hopefully). Can't even claim small children, as mine are now 13, 11, and 8..., or any other reason I can think of. How and when do you make a request? What's the best way to ask w/o being obnoxious? And what are my chances for getting a room change once we get there, if we are not crazy about the location?

[WDW Vet]

I normally call them in and add it to the reservation. At check in the CM will show you where you are located. If you're not happy with the location or would like to see other options just ask.

[JKnott17]

We are staying at POR in November and I had a special request for our room location, my travel agent had it noted on my reservation when she booked our package. I would call Disney and have them make a note of your request. (they will tell you that it is not guaranteed). If you are not happy with your room location at check in, just ask if there is anything else available.

[DisneyDana]

You just ask. You don't have to give them a reason or put on a big song and dance. Disney goes out of their way to make your trip magical. They want you to be happy.

[kangelop]

IMHO you have paid the same as everyone staying there (ok, so maybe everyone has different deals, but you get my meaning). You have the same right to ask for a specific area as anyone with small kids, etc.. I don't think you need to have a specific reason. It is your vacation--ask for what you want. There is no guarantee they will grant the request, but you certainly have the right to ask.

[NOT A PACKER'S FAN]

Stayed at CBR never had to give a reason, just told them we wanted Martinique, and we got it 2 of three times, last time we spent 1 nght in Jamaica and the moved us to Martinique the next day!!!

[MsPeggySue911]

We had our room request added to our reservation by phone for both our on property trips. Our first trip, our exact request (Calypso building, ground floor- we were staying in a family suite) was granted. On our next trip all we asked is for it to be ground floor since we are paying for a preferred room we will hopefully GET a preferred room and be close to the main building.

As long as you aren't asking to be put into a more expensive booking category like asking for a preferred room without actually paying for the preferred room then I think they go out of their way to try and accommodate as many requests as they can.

I know from reading the different Disney message boards that sometimes if you check in really late in the day during crowded period/peak time, you will sometimes not get your request at all. Even sometimes not getting a preferred room that you already paid for and having to be refunded the difference and put in a standard room.

Just call the main Disney res number 407-WDISNEY and go through all the motions of getting to a real person and then just tell them you would like to add a room request to your existing reservation. You don't have to justify to them WHY you want a certain area and they won't even ask you why. They have ppl do that every day so I don't think anybody will think you are being obnoxious by requesting a certain area.

Also, if you show up to check in and say, you are pretty early in the day way before check in time, they may try to just give you whatever room they have available at the time you check in, but you can tell them you would like to wait, if possible, for a room that meets your room requests and then just go to a park, or go eat and kill some time until your room is ready.

On our last year's whole family trip in October we had made 2 specific requests and when my husband checked in around noon (he drove - me and the kids flew so we were later getting there than him) they told him they could give him a different room that was available right then or he could wait a little while and get our exact requests. He told them he would wait. So he drove over to DTD and walked around for an hour or so until they called him (or maybe they text him I don't remember) to tell him the room was ready and then he went and put all our stuff in the room and took a nap while he waited on us to get there on the DME bus a few hours later.

And just for anybody who might be curious why me and the kids flew and he drove- one reason is he doesn't want to fly but the main reason is he works out of town, in another state and so when he got off work to head to Disney he wasn't even in our home state. So he just drove straight from work to Disney and we all flew because I hate road trips and I hate road trips with bored kids even more. =) Just wanted to clarify that so if anybody read that and wondered why some of us would fly while DH drove.

[TexasHeathers]

Originally Posted by MsPeggySue911

We had our room request added to our reservation by phone for both our on property trips. Our first trip, our exact request (Calypso building, ground floor- we were staying in a family suite)

Wait wait - I hate to interrupt with an off topic question - but there are family suites at CBR?? How did I miss this???

[JenfromPhilly]

I had to reread the previous post when I saw your question. But the Calypso building is at All Star Music (stayed ther 2010). I thought I was missing something too.
JEN

POFQ w/free dining in 48 days.

[Sue M.]

I always make our reservations by phone, and put my room requests in at that time. The main reason I don't book on line. Because I have to phone anyway to add requests!
Jamaica is a great location. I really enjoyed the (short) walk over the bridge, so pretty. Take some time to explore the hidden nooks.

[Teresa]

I agree - just call and for it to be added to your reservation. I prefer short and sweet communications. A lot of people think they get their requests because they put them in cute little poems, but I tend to think room assigners enjoy just seeing a simple request and not having to read a novella: "We'd like XXX building, please" should do it.

[Sue M.]

Originally Posted by Teresa

I agree - just call and for it to be added to your reservation. I prefer short and sweet communications. A lot of people think they get their requests because they put them in cute little poems, but I tend to think room assigners enjoy just seeing a simple request and not having to read a novella: "We'd like XXX building, please" should do it.

And with the new reservation system I don't even think they are accepting fax requests anymore.

[CarolB]

I always fax a location request. I have been hearing for years that they "no longer accept faxes", but I have not found that to be true. Even when they are unable to honor the request (and of course that does happen), they will always have a note of it in my file that they access at check in. I have also used on-line check-in, and still had the fax request honored or noted. I think checking in earlier in the day is helpful. And, at check in, if I don't get what I had requested, I do ask if there is a way to change....sometimes there is and sometimes there isn't. My last visit, I had booked a pool view room, but I prefer first floor, which was on my fax request. At check-in, I was given a 2nd floor room and when I inquired about the availability of a first floor room, I was told pool view can't be first floor (guess you need to be "up" to see the pool). Since I didn't care about the pool view, they adjusted my category and my bill and moved the room. So obviously, your request needs to be within the category, or they can't really do it for you.
Most important thing to remember is a request is not a guarantee.

[krisk11]

My dd & I are staying at POR for the 2nd half of our stay this month. My dd's dream is to own an old plantation house (we watched the Princess and the Frog twice this weekend as we love that movie - and yes my dd is 17 yrs old) so I had my TA put on our reservation that we wanted to be in the Mansion section. DD will be heartbroken if we are put in the Aligator Byou. We plan to take a taxi from All Star Sports the morning we are switching resorts with our luggage. Leave our luggage with the luggage guys and check in early so we can make try to get a room in the Mansions. We don't need our room to be ready when we arrive so we would be more than willing to wait until check in (4:00 pm) for the correct room. We plan to leave POR and head over to the Poly for breakfast then spend some time in MK before heading back to the resort. I figure if we ask nice and are as accomodating as possible we should make out.

[Laurast]

I have always sent a fax about 5 days before our arrival date and our requests have always been honored & the CM has acknowledged that they received our request.