Touring Plans Room Request

[AugieMorosco]

Touring Plans gives the option to request a room, wherein you search using particular criteria, are given room numbers that meet the criteria, look at the rooms on the resort map, then choose your desired room. Five days before you check-in, Touring Plans sends a fax (this is a current post, the year is 2019) to the resort to request that specific room.

I'm debating whether it is better to use the Touring Plans method or use the room preference selections on the Disney online check-in. My concern is that if the specifically requested room is unavailable 5 days out, you're just going to get whatever. In my head, providing general preferences via the online check-in would give you a better chance. Anyone have experience or insight on this?

 

[lentesta]

The default language in the faxes should cover you in the event a specific room is unavailable. For example, here's the text for BoardWalk Inn room 4227:

Bldg Disney's BoardWalk Inn,Flr 4,W-facing room.Exmple:4227,4225,4229,4223,4219

So in the event your primary room isn't available, and the next four alternates aren't either, the room assigner knows you want a west-facing room on the 4th floor. You could add a couple of sentences to say that either west-facing, or high-floor rooms are your preference, too, in case one or the other isn't available.

You could also just send a regular fax over to the BoardWalk. FaxZero does it for free.

Len

 

[Ariel1986]

Touring Plans gives the option to request a room, wherein you search using particular criteria, are given room numbers that meet the criteria, look at the rooms on the resort map, then choose your desired room. Five days before you check-in, Touring Plans sends a fax (this is a current post, the year is 2019) to the resort to request that specific room.

I'm debating whether it is better to use the Touring Plans method or use the room preference selections on the Disney online check-in. My concern is that if the specifically requested room is unavailable 5 days out, you're just going to get whatever. In my head, providing general preferences via the online check-in would give you a better chance. Anyone have experience or insight on this?

You could still do both- that's what I do. The online request covers what you generally want then the fax might get you a specific room. I don't think one would lock you out of the other? I think if they see a fax even after a room was assigned they may see if they can accommodate your request.

The last 3 trips I have done both and faxed about 5-7 days out. I have to say so far I have received the specifics from the fax request- though not an actual room number as I haven't asked for that. The requests were definitely from the fax too as they were not something that would come from the online check-in (for example at the Beach Club I asked to have a room with a partial boardwalk/lake view and a large balcony, when we had booked a garden/woods view room and we got exactly that- I'd even say a full boardwalk/lake view!).

 

[lentesta]

You could still do both- that's what I do. The online request covers what you generally want then the fax might get you a specific room. I don't think one would lock you out of the other? I think if they see a fax even after a room was assigned they may see if they can accommodate your request.

Good point - you could do both. The thing I've heard from room assigners is that sometimes the two requests contradict each other, and the RAs don't know what to do. So don't do that.

The last 3 trips I have done both and faxed about 5-7 days out. I have to say so far I have received the specifics from the fax request- though not an actual room number as I haven't asked for that. The requests were definitely from the fax too as they were not something that would come from the online check-in (for example at the Beach Club I asked to have a room with a partial boardwalk/lake view and a large balcony, when we had booked a garden/woods view room and we got exactly that- I'd even say a full boardwalk/lake view!).

The room assigners are really great people. I'm moderately concerned about the upcoming move to Team Disney, just because the existing RAs have so much resort-specific knowledge.

 

[CaptainAmerica]

The only time I don't use TouringPlans is at the Fort Wilderness Cabins. It's not particularly useful for that purpose IMO.

 

[aliceismad]

I've only used the TP fax once, but I got one of the exact rooms I requested. (One the of Kidani standard studios that actually has a savannah view.) Of course, it was also a short stay in late-January, but it was a weekend. I've read good things about using TP though.

 

[Weather_Lady]

Last time we used the touringplans fax request (for a room at a particular end of a particular building at the Polynesian, closest to the monorail), I also made what I thought was a similar request (close to transportation) via online check-in. I don't know if the two requests were considered "conflicting," or if they canceled each other out, or what. All I know is that when we checked in, the CM made a big deal about the fact that our request for a "room on an upper floor, close to the elevator" had been granted, and gave us a room as far from the monorail/transportation as possible! When I indicated that we had never made any such request, and that in fact, we had requested something entirely different, I got the old, "well, I can find you a different room, but it won't be ready yet." As it happened, we decided to just let it go, and ended up loving the room we were assigned. Still, if I had it to do over again, I'd have made my request using either the fax or online check-in menu, but not both.

 

[ninjaprincesst]

I always use touring plans and so far I have either received the exact room requested on Touring Plans or one that the exact features of what I requested. I never had any luck with Disney like someone else said when I tried using the Disney request i got the exact opposite of what I had asked for.

 

[Tom P.]

The default language in the faxes should cover you in the event a specific room is unavailable. For example, here's the text for BoardWalk Inn room 4227:



So in the event your primary room isn't available, and the next four alternates aren't either, the room assigner knows you want a west-facing room on the 4th floor. You could add a couple of sentences to say that either west-facing, or high-floor rooms are your preference, too, in case one or the other isn't available.

You could also just send a regular fax over to the BoardWalk. FaxZero does it for free.

Len

How would TouringPlans' feature handle it if we had two rooms and our primary request was that we would prefer connecting rooms? Since each room is connected to a different reservation number, would we submit a separate request for each room?

 

[nickys]

How would TouringPlans feature handle it if we had two rooms and our primary request was that we would prefer connecting rooms? Since each room is connected to a different reservation number, would we submit a separate request for each room?

Yes, but on each request you would state something like “we are travelling with reservation # 12345678. Our top request is that we would like connecting rooms. If possible, also upper floor”.

 

[lentesta]

Yes, but on each request you would state something like “we are travelling with reservation # 12345678. Our top request is that we would like connecting rooms. If possible, also upper floor”.

You could also just give both reservation numbers on the same fax, putting one in the fax text body.

 

[nickys]

You could also just give both reservation numbers on the same fax, putting one in the fax text body.

Good to know. So you’d have your own reservation number on your dashboard, and just quote the other one? Thanks Len.

 

[AugieMorosco]

The default language in the faxes should cover you in the event a specific room is unavailable. For example, here's the text for BoardWalk Inn room 4227:



So in the event your primary room isn't available, and the next four alternates aren't either, the room assigner knows you want a west-facing room on the 4th floor. You could add a couple of sentences to say that either west-facing, or high-floor rooms are your preference, too, in case one or the other isn't available.

You could also just send a regular fax over to the BoardWalk. FaxZero does it for free.

Len

I hadn't realized it allows you to submit multiple room options with the preferences! Thank you.

 

[Meghan McCrary]

We just returned, and I used both! I called and had a request put on our reservation. I also had a request done thru Touring Plans that was basically the same. I figured it couldn't hurt. And for what it's worth, one of them worked...I'll never know which one!

 

[AugieMorosco]

We just returned, and I used both! I called and had a request put on our reservation. I also had a request done thru Touring Plans that was basically the same. I figured it couldn't hurt. And for what it's worth, one of them worked...I'll never know which one!

Thanks for the report!