Just came back from a visit to por on check-in asked if anything available in build 14,15,16,17 I was supprised when I was told an additional charge of 25.00$ per night to stay in premium buildings. All resorts have this charge now Disney has now gone over the top now just like the airlines hidden charges for notihing special . These buildings are not the new theme rooms also
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More Money for rooms
- Thread starter lt94
- Start date
draybook
Well-Known Member
If you're staying at a moderate or deluxe then obviously you have a little extra cash to burn. I don't mean this in an offensive way but if you're paying roughly $165 a night there, which is double that of a value, then they probably figure you can spare the $25 a night for preferred. I'm not knocking anyone that stays above value, but I can't imagine paying that much or more for a room we sleep in. If we spent more time at the actual resort then maybe I could see that.
This is a new charge only started within the last 6 mo. these charges are on preferred buildings they are chosen by the resort so if you like being by a pool it may cost you or closer to a bus stop cost or main building you get the idea at POR this leaves 5 buildings with no extra charge or theme rooms
The rooms for first time visitors used to be the "luck of the draw" with only repeat visitors making special requests. This made it easy for the staff to accommodate them.
Then, along came the internet with people sharing that information, so that the number of requests for special rooms increased. It doesn't take very long to look them up if only one or two people per day ask, but when the numbers increase, so does the check-in time. And since these rooms seemed to be at a premium to guests, I guess they decided they would charge a higher price.
Once upon a time, you could ask and get an upgrade if a better quality room was available and would remain empty otherwise. But that information spread rapidly, so isn't done as frequently (if at all) anymore without a charge.
Just as so many things little things that were free now have a charge, or were eliminated altogether, so have free room upgrades.
Then, along came the internet with people sharing that information, so that the number of requests for special rooms increased. It doesn't take very long to look them up if only one or two people per day ask, but when the numbers increase, so does the check-in time. And since these rooms seemed to be at a premium to guests, I guess they decided they would charge a higher price.
Once upon a time, you could ask and get an upgrade if a better quality room was available and would remain empty otherwise. But that information spread rapidly, so isn't done as frequently (if at all) anymore without a charge.
Just as so many things little things that were free now have a charge, or were eliminated altogether, so have free room upgrades.
No, the prices were broken out when the rates for each year were published - and this has been happening for years now - they just keep expanding the room types as each years rates are published.
The 2011 rates were published in August 2010 and the 2012 rates were published in June 2011.
See
http://www.mousesavers.com/portorleans2011.html
and
http://www.mousesavers.com/portorleansfq2012.html
DisneyMusician2
Well-Known Member
At many of these resorts, I actually prefer the standard room to the preferred room anyway. The walk may be a bit longer, but I trade convenience for a little more quiet any day.
Same here. Quite honestly "views" at anything less than a deluxe has always been a head scratchier for me. Why am I going to pay for a view that I have to exit my room to see? Preferred location I can understand. I never do it, but there it at least some logic to it.
rob0519
Well-Known Member
We've been fortunate to stay at the Contemporary Resort several times. I always assumed it was either MK View or Bay Lake view. Now, reading the rates on MouseSavers mentions in a previous post, I see there is a Tower Standard View room as well. Can anyone tell me which rooms in the tower those would be? Thanks.
Just adding on to what The Mom said:
Like anything else, the prices are driven by supply and demand. Some examples:
- bunk bed rooms at AKL/WL used to be by request only - and they had people requesting them and then screaming at the front desk staff when they didn't get them. Now they are a separate room category with a higher price.
- preferred rooms at Caribbean Beach Resort - rooms in Trinidad North and Martinique are the closest to Olde Port Royale; again, people would request them and yell if they didn't get them due to the size of the resort and the walking distance. Now you pay for it.
Creating separate room types for highly demanded room locations etc was one way to ease the headaches at the front desk - as well as make some extra money.
Like anything else, the prices are driven by supply and demand. Some examples:
- bunk bed rooms at AKL/WL used to be by request only - and they had people requesting them and then screaming at the front desk staff when they didn't get them. Now they are a separate room category with a higher price.
- preferred rooms at Caribbean Beach Resort - rooms in Trinidad North and Martinique are the closest to Olde Port Royale; again, people would request them and yell if they didn't get them due to the size of the resort and the walking distance. Now you pay for it.
Creating separate room types for highly demanded room locations etc was one way to ease the headaches at the front desk - as well as make some extra money.
The only rooms I know of listed as standard views at the Contemporary are on the club level and if I am not mistaken they view Bay lake.
I was trying to avoid the fact that not only were people disappointed about not getting their room requests, but they were getting downright nasty about it. "It's not fair! Someone else got a "better" room just by asking - I read it on the net."
Or a special Birthday greeting. Or towel animals. And so on.
Main Street USA
Well-Known Member
We stay there often, and it seems the "standard" rooms are qualified as being the lower floors of the tower. When we get the Magic Kingdom view we're always floor 9 or higher. I also read something to that effect somewhere online (can't remember where), but I guess it could just be a lucky coincidence that we've been placed so high each time.
So true. Some Broadway shows have started charging more for aisle seats...airlines are charging more for coach seats near the front...discount airlines are charging more to aloow early boarding. It's all about money.
In the WDW room type instance, I disagree slightly - if there weren't guests standing at the front desk loudly demanding their bunk bed room or their room closest to the food court at CBR that they requested (requests are never guaranteed at wdw), we may have never seen this.
In fact, in watching this roll out to WDW resorts over the last 5-6 or more years, it has happened rather slowly - if it was just for the money, they would have done it to all of the resorts all at once in the same year.
Polydweller
Well-Known Member
You've stated it well. Of course it's about the money. But look at the various Disney boards and take a look at the number about people looking for a discount of some sort. Or look at discussions about air fares. Everyone wants to fly for barely the cost of the fuel much less pilot/stewardess/support staff fees or costs of airport operations. For someone in the hospitality industry it's getting harder to meet the discount demands in this economynand still maintain the bottom line.
So, you have to find revenue somewhere and thus charging for these 'extras'. Consumers can't exempt themselves from responsibility in this. Demand dirt cheap pricing and vendors will have to do these things. At the same time, vendors have some responsibility by constantly offering discounts and then having to find other revnue sources. Everyone did this in other words and yep, it's about the money.
rob0519
Well-Known Member
You may be right. We pay for MK View and have always been on floor 9 or 10. If fact last month we were on the balcony commenting that if you are on floors 5, 6 or 7, you probably would not see much of the MK.
I had an MK view room on the lowest level of the tower (I believe this is the 6th floor) last January. The view of MK was great. It would have been better a few floors up, but I had zero complaints.