Rooms without reservations?

[CoasterKing]

Is it possible to just show up at say a value resort sometime next week (not July 4th) and be able to get a room for one night without having a reservation?

Thanks,
CoasterKing

 

[copcarguyp71]

Wow...what a really good question. I have no answer for you but with all the uber-enthusiasts on this site that plan years in advance I now wonder myself if this is possible.

Worst case scenario would be one of the hotel/motels in Kissimee(sp). We stayed at a HoJo's in Kissimee years ago when we got pushed out of the keys by a hurricane and walked right into the motel and got a room.

 

[rufio]

Probably not, but I don't have a solid answer. Can't say I've ever tried it.

 

[AmongMadPeople]

At the least, you can see if there is availability now for the day you want. If it's not available now, it probably won't be next week. If it is available now, it might be next week. A few times I've known people to get really excited and drive all the way through instead of stopping. The only time I remember a Disney hotel not being able to accommodate them was around Christmas.

 

[quirkle]

Wow...what a really good question. I have no answer for you but with all the uber-enthusiasts on this site that plan years in advance I now wonder myself if this is possible.

Worst case scenario would be one of the hotel/motels in Kissimee(sp). We stayed at a HoJo's in Kissimee years ago when we got pushed out of the keys by a hurricane and walked right into the motel and got a room.

Omg we were there for a hurricane too.

Almost every year we go and just show up for a night. I call ahead and give them a few possible days and ask what is available.

 

[Monty]

If you go to a resort and they're full, they can check if there are any openings elsewhere in WDW for you very quickly. I've seen signs on the roadside that have the reservations number and say "Rooms available".

 

[copcarguyp71]

Omg we were there for a hurricane too.

Almost every year we go and just show up for a night. I call ahead and give them a few possible days and ask what is available.

It was back in 1996 and we were on our first anniversary trip. We had a free house in Islamorada and the hurricane chased us out and we had zero dollar budget. It was either suck lemons or make lemonade so we headed for WDW. We made do on a shoestring budget but I can honestly say that it is one of the best times I EVER remember having!!! Maybe all of our trips back have been just trying to recapture a bit of that magic

 

[CoasterKing]

Hey, thanks everyone for the comments!! We don't know what day exactly we will be in the area, but it sounds like we might have a chance. It is good to know that whatever resort we try first, that they can check the other resorts to see if they are full or not. And I guess we always have the option to stay just off property. We usually go in Sept, so not used to how crowded it will be the first week in July. I assume it will be much more crowded than in Sept.

Thanks again,
CoasterKing

 

[rufio]

Hey, thanks everyone for the comments!! We don't know what day exactly we will be in the area, but it sounds like we might have a chance. It is good to know that whatever resort we try first, that they can check the other resorts to see if they are full or not. And I guess we always have the option to stay just off property. We usually go in Sept, so not used to how crowded it will be the first week in July. I assume it will be much more crowded than in Sept.

Thanks again,
CoasterKing

You assume correctly, my friend.

 

[DisneyJoe]

Is it possible to just show up at say a value resort sometime next week (not July 4th) and be able to get a room for one night without having a reservation?

Thanks,
CoasterKing

Rather than waiting in line at a resort (which can be long), and then having the CM check for availability once you reach the check in desk, call from your car 407-W-DISNEY (Disney reservations) and they can check immediately for that resort and all others and tell you what resort, if any, has rooms available - and they can make the reservation while you are on the phone. This should let you know quickly if you have a chance at an on-site room or need to go offsite.

 

[crosswagon]

One year we drove down to do some shopping a day before our check in date at Disney. Checked in at the offsite hotel went up to the room and my husband called from the van and asked me to call Disney to see if they had a room for that night. We were checking in Disney within the hour. The offsite hotel was a well know chain but just not the security you want when you have the vehicle loaded down and you are not unpacking everything until the next day.

 

[pixiesteno]

We were able to get into FW campground a day early in Sept of 2010. It was our first trip down the coast with the RV and things went much smoother than expected so we found ourselves at a rest stop about an hour and a half away from WDW. So right after breakfast I called the central booking number and explained the situation, they got us taken care of and we were checking in around 10:30 am.

 

[quirkle]

It was back in 1996 and we were on our first anniversary trip. We had a free house in Islamorada and the hurricane chased us out and we had zero dollar budget. It was either suck lemons or make lemonade so we headed for WDW. We made do on a shoestring budget but I can honestly say that it is one of the best times I EVER remember having!!! Maybe all of our trips back have been just trying to recapture a bit of that magic

That is funny - ours was during Charlie - we were on St Pete and if I was going to die it wasn't in my parents' mobile home - my last gasp was to be Disney air. We drove overnight and stayed in that HJ and watched the sign twist and fall down.

 

[slappy magoo]

Rather than waiting in line at a resort (which can be long), and then having the CM check for availability once you reach the check in desk, call from your car 407-W-DISNEY (Disney reservations) and they can check immediately for that resort and all others and tell you what resort, if any, has rooms available - and they can make the reservation while you are on the phone. This should let you know quickly if you have a chance at an on-site room or need to go offsite.

I'd agree with this, and also plan ahead by getting the numbers of the Swan/Dolphin and resorts in the DtD area. So if Disney resorts can't accommodate you you have some options.

 

[EpcotCenter82]

I've done this a few times but it was back in the 1990's. Planned to drive only part of the way to WDW but ended up getting all the way to Orlando. I stopped by All Star Music two times and was able to get a room for one night then transferred the next day to whatever resort I had reservations for. There was another trip where I did the same thing but called CRO from my cell just as I got close to Orlando and was able to reserve a room at POR for one night.

 

[gardenia]

We never, ever do this for one reason: if you just "show up", you pay full rack rate. We never go without a discount of 20-30%. The current "general public" discount on value resorts is 20-25%, which you can get online or by calling.