Room Upgrades

Disney Family 4

Disney Family 4

New Member
Original Poster
We all have seen the stories either here or on Facebook where the family was offered a MK view room in the tower at the Contemporary when they had "paid" for a Garden wing room. I have read countless stories of this happening at other resorts across the WDW property. Have any of you ever received an upgrade and if so did you ask at check in? or was it just offered?
 
PhilharMagician

PhilharMagician

Well-Known Member
Never received any upgrades and many times never received our room requests. Nonetheless we have had quite a few magical things happen in WDW in the +100 nights we have stayed in WDW resorts.
 
Tuvalu

Tuvalu

Premium Member
We have been upgraded twice to club level at WL without asking for it. But both stays were for a single night only.

We were given a MK view at the Contemporary when we had paid for (and wanted) a Bay Lake view.

And we were upgraded from POR to the Poly when the "Royal Rooms" were not yet completed in time for our stay. (That was my favorite!)

But like @PhilharMagician, we have spent well over 100+ nights in Disney Resorts and have learned that if we want a certain view or room category, we pay for it.
 
Weather_Lady

Weather_Lady

Well-Known Member
Nope, not even when we had special celebrations (e.g., my parents' 25-year wedding anniversary, birthdays, etc.) on the reservation. Then again, we haven't stayed at WDW with nearly the frequency of most of the folks on these boards, and our reservation has always been 5 or more nights with 4-6 people, so upgrading us would have required a rather substantial vacancy somewhere.

I've never minded, since the way I look at it, any room at a Disney resort is an "upgrade" over staying home! :)
 
DisDadWoz

DisDadWoz

Well-Known Member
We booked a standard or garden view (I don't recall) at Poly one year and without us asking anything the CM said that we would really like our room at which point we found out we had a Magic Kingdom view which was a fantastic surprise. Haven't had one since:(
 
Sans Souci

Sans Souci

Well-Known Member
We got one last August. We'd been on a 4 night cruise on the Dream and I'd stepped off of bus at Boardwalk for three nights. This woman with a tablet approached me, addressed me and told us to go with her. We've stayed at BWI a few times and I noticed we'd bypassed Reception/Check In and we still had a bill to settle. She took us to a floor where Magic Band provided access and she was describing the different suites. I realized we were on the Club level. I asked her if she had the right person, because my first and last names are incredibly common and she asked me for my address. She answered in the affirmative that I was the right person. I could feel my husband's angry glare piercing into the side of my skull and I was too frightened to make eye contact with him. He thought I'd made an error in booking the room (as if!) and he would be on the hook for a larger bill than he'd expected.

She never told us we'd been upgraded. We settled the bill at the Concierge desk and we were charged for the standard room we'd booked. At this point, nobody ever said anything about an upgrade, or anything. So, we went to the room and my husband was wary of the whole situation. I suggested that it was an upgrade. So, I went back to the desk to ask about it. The CM told me it was an upgrade. I thanked her and asked why. She told me, "Don't ask why, just enjoy the magic."
 
DizneyPryncess

DizneyPryncess

Well-Known Member
On our first anniversary stay at the Boardwalk Villa's, we were upgraded from a studio to a 1 bedroom villa. We didn't ask, and they didn't tell us or offer it to us. It was a surprise when we opened our room door. I didn't know upgrades ever happened, so at first I thought it was a mistake. We had a beautiful water view as well - my favorite room we've ever had at Disney!
 
Master Yoda

Master Yoda

Pro Star Wars geek.
Premium Member
I have gotten a few free upgrades, but they always required the completion of complicated rituals involving a goat prior to travel. :cautious:

The official word on free upgrades is that they are only given out due to operational needs of the resort.

If putting you in the standard room you booked would result in needing to activate additional housekeeping staff, but putting you in an empty preferred one will not, you will be upgraded.

If a pipe bursts in the last available room at Pop Century, you very well might be walked to one of the moderate or deluxe resorts.

Per official policy, if you ask for an upgrade and it is available you will be charged for it.
 
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ShookieJones

ShookieJones

We need time for things to happen.
Upgraded? HA! I'm usually on the verge of getting kicked out of most places.

If they let me in, I slink quietly to whatever room or broom closet they've given me.










We got upgraded to a Savannah view a few years back when we stayed at AKL.
Nothing since then. However we often get the room requests we're looking for.
 
J

jmargarone27

Active Member
When I was younger and traveled to WDW with my parents and sister, they would always book garden view at the Grand Floridian. Several times at check-in, we were taken to the Sugar Loaf concierge building...but we also had a cousin who managed the Grand Floridian convention center. When we moved to Boardwalk, he informed us that he had no pull at the GF anymore :( It was fun while it lasted!
 
C

CaptainShortty

Well-Known Member
Master Yoda said:
I have gotten a few free upgrades, but they always required the completion of complicated rituals involving a goat prior to travel. :cautious:

The official word on free upgrades is that they are only given out due to operational needs of the resort.

If putting you in the standard room you booked would result in needing to activate additional housekeeping staff, but putting you in an empty preferred one will not, you will be upgraded.

If a pipe burst in the last available room at Pop Century, you very well might be walked to one of the moderate or deluxe resorts.

Per official policy, if you ask for an upgrade and it is available you will be charged for it.
Click to expand...

Couldn't have said it better myself Yoda! This is exactly how it works. As someone who spent a few years working in the resorts I can tell you that Asking for an upgrade will almost never get you one.
 
Jahona

Jahona

Well-Known Member
I booked a standard room last year at CSR and ended up getting a lake view that opened onto the beach. No one made a mention to it when I checked in and I didn't realize we got upgraded until we got to our room. It was a pleasant surprise and much nicer than the parking lot view I got last time.
 
LuvtheGoof

LuvtheGoof

DVC Guru
Premium Member
Jahona said:
I booked a standard room last year at CSR and ended up getting a lake view that opened onto the beach. No one made a mention to it when I checked in and I didn't realize we got upgraded until we got to our room. It was a pleasant surprise and much nicer than the parking lot view I got last time.
Click to expand...
That kind of upgrade is just fine. Not asked for and not expected. Maybe the room with the parking lot view had a pipe break or some other reason to take it out of service, and they had no others to place you in. Good for you!

My issue is with people that come onto boards like here (well, DIS is worse by far), and ask how they can get upgraded for free, even though they don't deserve it. What do I have to say, how should I act, what do I put on my reservation, etc. They say, well X got an upgrade, and so should I. Well no, you shouldn't. There are usually very specific reasons for the change, and most have to do with the room you booked having to be taken out of service for some reason, and they had nowhere else to put you. The entitlement mentality displayed by all too many folks is just sickening nowadays, and I wish they would all stay away from WDW. Sorry, rant over.
 

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