Upgrades or special treatment for "First time" guests

[fugawe09]

I'm betting you had a sweet looking family and you were pleasant to the front desk host. That and lucky timing probably played a big part.

 

[mpeters]

We once received an upgrade. We were staying at POLY and had asked prior to us arriving to stay in Samoa facing the pool on the 2nd floor. The year before we stayed in there with our twins (15mos at the time) and they loved being on the balcony watching the pool. Well when we got to the reservation desk and we had inquired about our request, the person at the desk said our request couldn't be fulfilled and was very apologetic about it. We told her why we requested it and it was really no big deal at all. We understood it was just simply a request. A look of relief came over her and she started asking us about our kids (how cute they were, names, etc) as well as how many times we have come to wdw etc. We were happily talking to her. At the end she said that we were all set and she that she enjoyed talking to us so much and laughing at my sons in the stroller (they were hams for pretty girls) that she gave us something better than our request. She actually upgraded us to concierge level. It was an awesome thing and wasn't even a remote thought on our part. Every day after that we would go through the lobby to go on our daily adventure and if we saw her we would make it a point to stop by and have the kids blow her kisses which this cast member absolutely loved. Sometimes upgrades happen and sometimes they don't but when they do it is a great feeling, just make sure that if it does happen, 9 out of 10 times its because you are being a human being to another human being.

 

[Philharmagically]

First time I went to WDW in 2010, I think we may have been given some preferential treatment when it came to getting last minute reservations for dinner, especially in Epcot. Our family's name was often called before another group who had been waiting longer (of the same size)

 

[tinkerblonde11]

My last trip may have been my family's 6th or 7th visit, and there was about a 6 year gap since our previous trip. We booked with POR, our usual hotel, and got a standard room. When we got down to WDW, we found our room was upgraded to one of the Royal themed rooms, no charge. Not sure if it was just a space issue or what, but it was definitely a treat!

 

[SSH]

of course they do.
they track everything.
pretty sure they have a system similar to amazon now.. (that; depending on your visits and purchase story.. their system recommends certain products offers via email.)

I think they're tracking that better now. But for us, we've gone 50+ times at least since the late '70s/early '80s...never changed names or household addresses and have still been asked several times by CMs at checkin or over the phone if this was our first visit. When I mentioned our number of visits, they always look surprised. (And we were married and honeymooned there!)

 

[SSH]

Not to detract from OP's question about 1st time visitors, but it made me think: I bet it must be challenging for WDW (and for cruise lines too) to prioritize and manage guest expectations regarding special occasions.

Many people probably plan their WDE trip precisely BECAUSE they are celebrating a milestone...and how do you as the company recognize them and make them feel extra special compared to an ordinary visit, while at the same time, doing that for tens of thousands of other guests who feel THEIR event is equally as special?

If there are only so many coveted upgrades, does it go to grandma and grandpa celebrating their 40th anniversary or to that young couple on honeymoon - if both ask? The daughter's sweet 16 is very special to her parents. A 50th birthday is a really big milestone...but what does that make a 75th birthday?

I think it was probably easier to surprise and delight people 15 or 20 years ago...it didn't take as much. A card in the room and a balloon was an unexpected treat that made us smile. Now I think many folks (not saying anyone here!) would be disappointed that this was "all" they got. I'm guessing a lot of people today visit with a little bit of an expectation that "hey this is a big milestone for us....what kind of free perks can we get?" Or worse...they hear that someone else received something, so they actually lie about having an anniversary or other event to get the same thing. (Again...NOT referring to anyone here at all! Don't flame me!)

Companies had to rein in their generosity a bit more in recent years, not just for cost-cutting, but also because every time a goodwill perk is given, they risk it being publicized for millions to see on social media (who will then all expect to get it themselves). The most equitable solution is to charge for "special occasion" packages...so no one can complain that they missed out on something another guest got.

I read this a lot on cruise forums: passengers returning from cruises complain that nothing "special" like free dinners, bottle of wine or other treats were given for their birthday or anniversary event.

 

[blreinsel]

I think it really just depends on the day and the CM. I went on a birthday trip in August and wore my birthday button.. I ordered a hot fudge sundae at a quick service place in MK and the CM added "Mickey ears" (chocolate chip cookies) and tons of whipped cream "for the birthday princess." None of us asked him for this, or even mentioned it being my birthday. He took notice of my button and decided to do it all on his own.

I was also given a "free" paper FastPass for Dinosaur at AK.. My friend and I were walking toward Dinosaur and passed by a couple of CMs. One of them hollered and asked if we had FastPasses, to which we replied that we didn't, and he said, "Now you do.. happy birthday!" Once again, this was all his doing and none of mine.

Any special perks that are given at WDW are wonderful and are even more magical if given when you are least expecting them, IMO.