An Unusual (Unique?) Question About Online Check-In

[slappy magoo]

So Slappette and I decided to bite the bullet and book a room at the Art of Animation for a night before our official check-in at Bay Lake Tower for a week. As I may have mentioned once or five thousand times before, we're driving down from NJ. Our BLT check-in is on a Sunday. We're starting our drive on Friday, hopefully mid-afternoon, driving all night. If we have traffic or other problems, we'll have to eat the cost of the AoA room and stay elsewhere on Hyatt Place points on Saturday night. But if sailing is relatively smooth, we'll be on property by lunch time Saturday. We booked a Little Mermaid room, because for one night, we can deal with close quarters, assuming we'll be exhausted from the drive anyway.

So here's my question - I was about to try online check-in for the AoA room, in the hopes that there was an option to request a "quiet room." We'll be exhausted so I don't necessarily need to be close to the action. We want to get to bed early, wake up early and hit the ground running on Sunday anyway. But when I clicked on "room request and amenities," I see the options for a choice of floor. Landscape or lake view. I'm also getting options for "Home Run" and "Surf's Up" sections. I know Home Run is at All Star Sports, so, no thanks. "Surf's Up" is at AoA but in the Nemo suites section, which we didn't pay for.

AND, I get options for the names of all the buildings at the Polynesian resort - Fiji, Hawaii, Tuvalu, etc. all of them.

Does this mean they're already overbooked at the Little Mermaid section and they're anticipating moving or upgrading us for the night? And if so, do you think I should opt for Surf's Up, or one of the Poly longhouses? Staying at the Poly would be great, though I know there's big construction going on and amenities might not be as attractive as usual.

Or is it just a glitch in the system and I should read nothing into it and not check-in online?

What do you think?

EDIT: I realize I goofed in one respect - the Surf's Up section is also at All Star Sports. FOr some reason I thought it was the "Big Blue" pool area near the Nemo suites at AoA.

 

[cw1982]

Personally, I think it sounds more like a glitch. I can't see them upgrading someone from AoA to the Poly when there are so many other hotels between those two in terms of price.

I would give it a day or two and try again.

 

[dopeylover]

It may be a glitch, or it may not. Poly is going through an EXTENSIVE refurb right now and many people are unhappy staying there right now,so they may be offering it b/c they have a ton of space there at the moment. But I would be surprised even so if they're moving you to a Deluxe. I will tell you it's a mess over there right now w/ no pool if that is something you like to use, so that may factor into your decision!

 

[cw1982]

Are references to any other resorts showing up, or just those random two?

 

[slappy magoo]

Personally, I think it sounds more like a glitch. I can't see them upgrading someone from AoA to the Poly when there are so many other hotels between those two in terms of price.

On that point I would normally agree with you. But here's what I'm thinking might be the situation - lots of people who would normally splurge for a Deluxe/monorail resort won't want to stay at Poly during construction. They can't overbook at Contemporary or WL and upgrade people to Poly without the potential for some balking - "I don't want to be around a bunch of earth movers on my vacation! The arcade's closed and it looks like crap!" And so on.

Furthermore, if the Mermaid rooms are overbooked, sure they could opt to move us to a moderate room or one of their suites (I know some rooms are still available in almost all resorts, but if you look on priceline, they don't have Mermaid rooms available day in question, only the suites). But those are rooms more likely to be booked anyway than rooms at Poly, especially on a Saturday night which tends to be a prime travel day/night.

Finally, I didn't book the room online, I talked to an agent, and she even remarked how many people seem to be doing what I'm doing on that particular day - booking a room at Little Mermaid for one night before moving to their resort booked for the week.

 

[slappy magoo]

Are references to any other resorts showing up, or just those random two?

Those are the only specific two resorts, otherwise it's floor preference or landscape or lake view, things like that.

 

[cw1982]

On that point I would normally agree with you. But here's what I'm thinking might be the situation - lots of people who would normally splurge for a Deluxe/monorail resort won't want to stay at Poly during construction. They can't overbook at Contemporary or WL and upgrade people to Poly without the potential for some balking - "I don't want to be around a bunch of earth movers on my vacation! The arcade's closed and it looks like crap!" And so on.

Furthermore, if the Mermaid rooms are overbooked, sure they could opt to move us to a moderate room or one of their suites (I know some rooms are still available in almost all resorts, but if you look on priceline, they don't have Mermaid rooms available day in question, only the suites). But those are rooms more likely to be booked anyway than rooms at Poly, especially on a Saturday night which tends to be a prime travel day/night.

Finally, I didn't book the room online, I talked to an agent, and she even remarked how many people seem to be doing what I'm doing on that particular day - booking a room at Little Mermaid for one night before moving to their resort booked for the week.

Right, but even so, I would think the Poly rooms would have to be an absolute last resort (sigh... pardon the pun) on their part, given the huge price difference. Yes, some are moving their reservations out of the Poly, but even just among the people I've read about doing it here, many of them are moving to other monorail resorts, or at a bare minimum other deluxes or higher-end moderates. I can't see there not being anything else they could offer at something closer in price.

I've also never heard of anyone being offered options for another resort, even when they end up being upgraded to another location. To my way of thinking, that would be like Disney admitting in advance that they had screwed up by overbooking the rooms, and part of me thinks that just wouldn't be smart on their part. Yes, I realize that's a gross oversimplification, but the idea still stands on some level. It just doesn't mesh IMO. It's not impossible, but not likely.

The only way you're going to know for sure is calling, and in my experience calling Disney for anything takes far much more time than I care to spend sitting on hold and waiting to talk to a person lol. That's the main reason I suggested waiting a few days and trying again. I've seen crazier things on that site before, so I still say a glitch isn't out of the realm of probability.

Hey... if you do get upgraded to the Poly, I'm totally jealous

 

[jcldtrek]

If it's a glitch, take advantage of it lol, what's the worse that can happen? Usually they gotta honor it if it's in their site.

 

[cw1982]

If it's a glitch, take advantage of it lol, what's the worse that can happen? Usually they gotta honor it if it's in their site.

Technically, they don't have to honor any requests made through online check in. I'm pretty sure that when I went through the process it said "these are just requests and not guarantees" or something to that effect. That's no different than being able to select a check in time before 3 pm, but doing so doesn't guarantee you'll be able to go to a room that early, which is what most people think of when they think of checking in.

Then again, selecting one of those requests might trigger them noticing the issue if it is a glitch lol.

 

[slappy magoo]

If it's a glitch, take advantage of it lol, what's the worse that can happen? Usually they gotta honor it if it's in their site.

Nah, not when it comes to room requests, they specify that they wllll do their best but there's no guarantee any request will be honored, so certainly what may be a glitch won't be something I can hold them to. What am I gonna say? "Hey, I requested a Hawaii room at Art of Animation and you didn't deliver!" "That's because there is no Hawaii building in Art of Animation, sir (left unsaid, 'ya big dummy')."

 

[peterpanic74]

It seems to be a glitch. I believe that all resorts are showing the same request options, specifically the ones from All Star Sports and Poly. Lots of other folks have noticed the same thing. I wouldn't give it too much thought.

 

[Gig 'Em Mickey]

Have you called and asked or just posted here?

 

[slappy magoo]

Have you called and asked or just posted here?

Not yet. I thought I'd ask everyone here first because, if it turns out that it is some kind of upgrade...how much of an upgrade is it? I mean normally, yes, they'd probably never offer that kind of upgrade, from a Value to a monorail resort, it's just too crazy. But at the same time, the usual customers are avoiding the Poly right now. Many amenities will not be available when we go. How many of those amenities we'd use in one night is anyone's guess, but still if the pool might be closed and the grounds might not be much fun to explore and the food court is in a temp location with a limited menu, how "worth it" is it?

Meanwhile, Art of Animation, Little Mermaid room. Yeah, it's tiny, but I have a 6 & a 2 year old, both girls, who will probably be in Heaven, will love the pools, love the giant icons and won't know or care how rare it is to get a room at the Poly for the price of a Value. In fact, it might be better to not stay there anyway because I don't think they'll want to move to BLT!

 

[jpittore1]

We had a similar reservation for one night All Star Movies a few years ago just to sleep after driving from Ohio, they put us in a Savannah room at AKL....it can happen

 

[slappy magoo]

We had a similar reservation for one night All Star Movies a few years ago just to sleep after driving from Ohio, they put us in a Savannah room at AKL....it can happen

Just in case it needs to be said, I am not expecting, nor will I somehow be upset if I don't get, an upgrade. If they can get us in a quiet section of the resort to sleep off the 20 hour drive, it's all I ask.

 

[cw1982]

Just in case it needs to be said, I am not expecting, nor will I somehow be upset if I don't get, an upgrade. If they can get us in a quiet section of the resort to sleep off the 20 hour drive, it's all I ask.

FWIW, I don't think anyone read your post to mean that you are expecting any kind of upgrade or that you will be upset if you don't get one... at least I didn't take it that way

 

[slappy magoo]

FWIW, I don't think anyone read your post to mean that you are expecting any kind of upgrade or that you will be upset if you don't get one... at least I didn't take it that way

Eh, just checking. Every so often you'll read a post by someone who was upset that they didn't get an upgrade or ask what they can do to get an upgrade, and I just wanted to make sure it didn't read like I was asking how I could get one, but rather if this anomaly means I might be up for one. And with the Poly under construction, if the upgrade is even worth it.

Actually that might be a good hypothetical - if you were booked at a Value or Moderate, but due to overbooking, they were offering to move you to the Polynesian during construction, would you take it?
Pros: Monorail resort, easy access to the amenities available at GF & Contemporary. Right next to the Epcot monorail
Cons: No pool, construction zones cordoned off, Captain Cook's closed, etc.

 

[cw1982]

Considering we tend to be people who sleep late and stay at the parks until closing, I'd take it so we could be closer to the parks lol... then again, if it's only one night, I might feel differently if we weren't going to the parks until the next day.

Tough call

 

[jpittore1]

FWIW, I don't think anyone read your post to mean that you are expecting any kind of upgrade or that you will be upset if you don't get one... at least I didn't take it that way

I'm pulling for you...thought I would let you know it happened to us!

 

[psukardi]

I'm rooting for you on this one. I've done the long drive a few times myself & I know how much you just want to get to the room and close your eyes & decompress. May you get a nice quiet room.

Oh a small aside, depending on when you're leaving for your trip you're going to want to look at traffic on I-95 South. About 20-30 miles south of DC it's a total grade a mongolian charlie foxtrot. You're looking at major back-ups because of 30 miles of construction. It's a mad house.

Alternate routes would include Highway-1 and ride that parallel to I-95. However, as always, consider google-traffic & waze reports to help determine when/if this is the right route for you.