Also, bounce back offers have literally just come back. I believe they email you within a week of checking out.
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We hear of successes…but it seems like we can’t know if those are successes in the same way a broken clock is right twice a day.
I put in a request through TP, then add a request in my reservation online, and then also call. I figure one of those methods has to improve my odds.
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There were two posts on TP chat of exact room requests being honored.
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I think they have changed thr online process though. It’s very limited. I think it’s just ground floor or not.
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I do think, as far as room requests go, you can only get inventory that is available. And I can’t image that the preson doing the allocating has a lot of time to decifer what we mean and where to put us. I dont care for thw wording TP uses so I put my own in. Sometimes it’s important to put what you don’t want and be flexible with the rest. My next request I am putting “Not directly in front of a pool”. and will put a block of rooms.
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If people haven’t seen this, you can see people’s succes (or lack of success).
I have had the worst success with DVC and will be calling DVC member services to put in a request in the future. Even so, I generally have little success.
For the value resorts, I always ask for a ground room. I almost always get the 3rd or 4th floor.
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For me, while specific rooms I might have a preference for, in general I don’t care too much. But at SSR, I hate that I can only book preferred. But I have zero interest in The Springs. I would just book a standard category if they would put me into Springs.
I think we went through this before. Last time I posted I even showed the Pop Century business card I was given. I just called this number again and got a CM from Pop. She said that my request was now added to my reservation and whether she makes the assignment or not I could not tell you. She said there was NO prior request on my reservation and once again she stated the she as unfamiliar with Unofficial Guide requests. This is why I a you all to let me know how these requests work for you. My reservation starts on the 29th of August to the 12 of September. I will see what I get this time. Not the exact room but the building I requested.
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I wonder if the larger quantity resorts, like pop, all stars and Caribbean beach have a different system.
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She doesn’t. It used to be done at each resort. It is now done centrally.
It hadn’t been added. If a request is added it would not say it came via Touring Plans.
Maybe yours simply got missed. Maybe a while batch of them that came in that day got missed, or binned - perhaps there were a lot of the team off that day.
We don’t know exactly how the assigner team deal with the emails. Does someone read them each day and add them to the reservation? Do they store them for the room assigner to cross reference when working on that check-in day.
Just like any other role, there will be different ways that people do it.
Maybe some room assigners abhor requests and ignore them.
Maybe they read them and don’t add them to the reservation if they can’t fulfill them.
It’s also possible that if you did online check-in that you chose an option from the drop down menu . That would over-write any request already there.
Also the request would not come from the “Unofficial Guide”. And there is no reason why a CM should know about the UG.
We don’t know why they work for some and not others, other than that would be true of almost anything in life! It’s a matter of luck.
If you’re asking how often they work then there’s an entire thread devoted to it.
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The wording in the primary line is done in room-assigner speak regarding direction, etc.
Details can go in the box below. BUT using negative things like “not directly in front of a pool” are tricky as they get so many requests it’s easy to miss the “not” or “no”.
My most successful request was something like this in the additional information box (the pre-populated box was left as-is) for a Preferred room at All Star Sports:
1st priority - Surfs Up section
2nd priority - 3rd floor
3rd priority - Corner Room
I got Surfs Up 3rd floor, room next to a corner with the view the pre-populated field listed.
I’ve had other stays where I was nowhere near what I requested even being as clear as I was in the most successful one, but I didn’t make a big deal out of it as I understand this is NOT a cruise ship where everyone is coming and going the same say (barring the few back to back cruisers) so they are having to play a huge game of Tetris to maximize occupancy and reduce orphan rooms. And I also realize it’s simply a place to sleep.
But leaving the room-assigner language line as-is and being as clear and concise as possible (and avoiding negatives) increases the odds of a successful request.
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If you really want to know if people’s requests are met, there is an ongoing thread about that called something like please post your room request results.
I’ve had my request met at Pop 8 out of 9 times. The first time I used the request I didn’t put anything in the box and just left the TP room assigner speak, so I wasn’t successful. Once I started putting text in the box I had more luck. My requests are broad as well and not specific. At Pop I ask for certain buildings.
My request was met both times at Wilderness Lodge and was also met the one time at ASMo.
I made a request at POFQ but we got there really early and I just asked for a room that was ready when I arrived.
I didn’t make a request for GDT and got an awesome standard view room where I could see the parks and the fireworks.
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Oh, that’s an interesting theory. I did this my last stay and didnt get close to what I wanted except ground floor. Which in coincidentally the only options left at check in- ground floor or higher floor.
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I always leave the online check in requests blank.
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And I think most CMs are just not going to be able to juggle that and go beyond a courtesy look at accommodationing a request. Too time consuming.
I’ve read that rooms get assigned by the room assigners a few days before arrival so the resort CMs aren’t doing the assigning. They do have some ability to move you if you ask at the desk.
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That’s why keeping it as simple as possible like what I did for Sports makes it easier.
Availability in Surfs Up? Any on third floor? Any corners? Done.
Putting in negatives just adds needless confusion.
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I guess for me, I like preferred at Pop but hated being pool front. Any other preferred room would have been fine.
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That is where I a) would not have selected Pool View when making my reservation and b) would have selected a room in an area that doesn’t face the pool to reinforce that I did not reserve Pool View (preferred or otherwise). BUT not including anything about pool view in the request. Since Pool View is a specific category at Pop, choosing Standard or Preferred without the Pool View additional category you shouldn’t even have to put anything about facing the pool in your request.
And if that is what they assign you, you can go by the front desk and request to be downgraded into the category you booked. I did it at CBR when they “pixie dusted” me into a Pirate room on Goofy weekend. Big NOPE. But I went and politely asked and they moved me. It would never have occurred to me to put “not a Pirate room” in a request since that is not the category I had booked. It still wouldn’t if they existed since I didn’t book that category.
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I think this is where some room requests go astray. People check in early - maybe even about 2 pm, don’t like their room, go to the front desk demanding to switch. CM gives them an available room. And on down the line.
At DVC, SSR in particular, we’ve gotten our request - which is building only in Paddock - every time except the one time we were very late and one of our reservations had been cancelled. We eventually wound up in the Springs which was ok but were glad to be back at the Paddock next trip.
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