Good morning liners! I’m looking for some help for our upcoming trip (30 days! ). We’re celebrating our DD’s 8th Halloween birthday and are so excited for her to experience WDW in all its splendor for the first time, and for us to experience our first solo family vacation where we’re not traveling with other extended family members. DH and I are looking forward to returning to POR as well… so tranquil and romantic! Could someone help me with wording my room request for any and all extra magic potential?
Here are the stats:
We’re booked in a pool view room as that was the lowest available rate at time of booking. (The code on MDE says BrdQ1RO, if that’s at all helpful.)
At online check-in I put in requests for upper floor and corner room, which I can change if someone thinks it would be beneficial.
Our desired requests in preference order are:
1- Alligator Bayou
2 - close to bus transportation (west depot preferably)
3 - we’d actually prefer a king bed with pull-down Murphy, but as that’s a different room classification, I didn’t know if I could request it
4 - quiet room (daughter has sensory issues which could benefit from this)
With regard to the pool view, we don’t actually care if we have a pool view, but would like to stay in at least the same value as what we’re paying for. Don’t get me wrong, a view of water would be nice, but having our other preferences met would be better.
In my research of the TP site hotels section, it looks as though the rooms in building 25 most resemble our requests, with those in building 24 being next. Should I include that in the room request or would making it that specific be less helpful? Also, is it true that all of the AB rooms have a Murphy bed? DD is SUPER excited to be able to sleep in one of these!
Only for POFQ. I did read your post earlier but I’m not sure how much help I can be because I’m not familiar with Riverside at all.
For what it’s worth, I would request a specific upper floor corner room in building 25, and then put your priorities in order just as you have them there - I probably wouldn’t include the king bed one - in the free text box. A nice note saying it is your DD’s birthday won’t hurt.
The pre-populated field - with directions and all - is written in room-assigner speak. It helps them know quickly the general area.
The problem to me comes in with your TP request not stating anything about the online check in. I don’t know what the fields are, but I’d try to make those your first two priorities, and I’d try to keep the priorities to 3 or no more than 4. Also “quiet” is something they have no control over as what is quiet one night could have people who are noisy the next.
I’d say something like (you can adjust the priorities as you see fit)
"We are very excited to be staying at Port Orleans Riverside for our trip celebrating our daughter’s birthday! (I’d add in “and first trip” if this truly is her first trip.)
We would like to request a room that…
1st priority - Is in Alligator Bayou,
2nd priority - is close to the West Bus Depot,
3rd priority - is on the top floor,
4th priority - is a corner room.
Thank you so much for making magic happen!!"
I would NOT request a room type different from what I have booked - if you booked a Pool View, even if that doesn’t matter to you, make sure your requested room falls into that category. And do not request a King as that is a separate category.
I did this (take all requests out of my online check-in) after reading advice like that here – we ended up with a room very similar to the one I’d requested through the TP request, and exactly what I said were our priorities in the free text part of the TP request.
Thank you everyone! Putting my wording together now. Roughly speaking, I’ve stated that DH and I were very excited to return to POR to celebrate our DDs 8th birthday and her first full trip to WDW.
I’ve removed the king bed request and agree that it’s a good idea to keep within the room classification for which we’re booked.
I’ve listed:
-Alligator Bayou (preferably building 25)
-close to bus transportation (preferably West Depot)
-upper floor
as our top 3 priorities and in the order listed.
I acknowledged my understanding that these are only requests (i.e. no guarantee) and thanked them for the time they are taking to make our celebratory vacation enjoyable.
The general consensus is “leave the online options blank”. For a long time the online options were useless, you got choices that didn’t apply to your resort or room type etc.
But if they really match, then it’ll be fine. But if you are adding anything else at all, then leave it blank.
I’d probably take them out looking at your list of priorities.
My last request was a top floor room in building 4 at FQ, if not available a top floor room anywhere. So I felt fine about requesting upper floor at online checkin. But upper floor is your third priority.
This may not help much but I used TP room request in 2017 for BC mid-Aug to early Sept. I requested a specific room - standard but with a balcony pool view - and when we arrived we had been allocated the exact room requested! Sometimes the magic does happen.
I have found that with POR it is best to focus on the area. I picked a room on the top floor, asked for upper floor on the online check in and noted that Magnolia Bend was my priority. I also told them I love the resort, looked forward to returning, and thanked them.
I have read so many reports of people not getting a room anywhere close to their request at POR. I received a ground floor room in Magnolia Bend and I was thrilled.
). We’re celebrating our DD’s 8th Halloween birthday and are so excited for her to experience WDW in all its splendor for the first time, and for us to experience our first solo family vacation where we’re not traveling with other extended family members. DH and I are looking forward to returning to POR as well… so tranquil and romantic! Could someone help me with wording my room request for any and all extra magic potential?