To some folks, specific aspects of their guest room can make or break a trip.  Documenting specific requests is important if you want any chance of receiving your ideal room.

Room Requests: General Info
Changing Rooms
Room Reports

Room Requests: General Info
For many years it was standard operating procedure for Disney guests to fax their room requests to the resort several days before arrival.  In 2004 Disney put an end to this procedure.  The only way to communicate requests to DVC resorts is to do it through Member Services.  Ideally, make your requests when you first book the room.  The printed DVC room confirmation letter has space to list 2 or 3 requests.  Additional requests are stored in the reservation system, but will not appear on the printed confirmation.

Some tips regarding room requests:

• Smoking / non-smoking rooms are not guaranteed.  ALWAYS make this your top request.
• If requests are being made for medical reasons, be sure that this is stipulated in advance.  High priority will be given to those requesting—for example—a non-smoking unit (asthma) or first-floor unit (wheelchair) because of a medical condition rather than just a personal preference.
• All DVC resorts have handicapped accessible rooms.  Some people include a “non-handicapped accessible” request to help insure they do not receive such a room.  However, note that such a request is occasionally misread by the room assigners and the guest is instead given a handicapped accessible room.  We recommend not including handicapped status in your list of requests unless it is needed. (Also note that if you request a non-HA room, this request will not necessarily appear on your written confirmation, though it does seem to appear in Member Services’ computers. It is for this reason that this request can sometimes be overlooked.)
• Do not request a specific room.  The odds of getting one room in a resort of 400-500 units are slim.  Also, if you simply request one room, the person assigning rooms will have no idea why you requested that room: Is it the view, the smoking designation, the proximity to the elevators? If said room is unavailable, the room assigner will have no choice but to assign you to a random room!
• Try to limit your requests to 2-3 specific criteria.  If you list 5 individual requests on your reservation, the odds of receiving a room that meets all of your criteria are slim.
• Remember that requests are just that - requests.  The resorts will make every effort to meet your requests, but even smoking preference cannot be guaranteed.  This fact is stated in the DVC Public Offering Statement to which we all agreed  when we bought into DVC, and there is simply no way around it.  If you disagree with this policy, make your feelings known to DVC. 
• Lastly, visit the MouseOwners “Resorts” forum for assistance in the construction or wording of your request lists.  Our forum members have years of experience with each DVC resort, and can certainly offer advice to help you get into the room best suited for your party.

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Changing Rooms
You’ve arrived at your DVC room…and you hate it.  A prior guest smoked in your “non-smoking” villa.  You asked for a first floor unit and received one on the fifth floor.

No matter the reason, you just don’t like your room.  What are your options?

• Talk to the resort staff.  Do it in person if at all possible.  Yes, this may mean another walk down those looooong BoardWalk corridors, but communicating face-to-face will get you further than a telephone call.
• Remain calm.  Disney is renowned for their level of customer service, but the Cast Members providing that service are still human beings.  Being patient and understanding will get you a lot further than making demands.
• Maintain perspective.  DVC room requests are just that—requests.  There are no guarantees.  If you simply don’t like the view from your balcony, remember that you still have another 30-40 years worth of Disney vacations to get better balcony views. 
• Request a move the next day.  While this may not be an ideal solution, it may be the only one if the resort is at full occupancy.  Resorts have guests leaving every day, which will certainly open up additional guest rooms.  If you don’t like the room you were assigned upon arrival, discuss the possibility of being moved the next day.  Bell Services will assist with moving your belongings, making the process relatively painless.  DVC does have a published schedule of fees for changing rooms, but these fees are often waived if the circumstances dictate it (i.e. requested non-smoking but were given smoking). 

It’s better to deal with the one-time inconvenience of switching rooms than to spend another week in a room that you dislike.

• This is a preventative step:  arrive early at the resort.  If you don’t check-in until 10pm, the resort may simply have no other rooms to offer.  DVC resorts are designed to be near 100% occupancy year-round.  If you are the last to arrive, the resort may only have one place to put you.

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Room Reports
Several DVC members have gone to great lengths to document the make-up of individual DVC guest rooms.  As stated above, we do not recommend using this information to request specific units.  More often than not, such a practice will lead to disappointment. 

However, you may wish to print these room reports and take them along on future DVC trips.  Upon receiving a room assignment from a Cast Member, you can consult the Room Reports to quickly determine the smoking and handicapped status of the room, and other miscellaneous notes related to the location and view.

Returning WDW guests are strongly encouraged to send feedback regarding their guest room to the authors of these documents. 

Beach Club Villas (by InstImpres)

BoardWalk Villas (by InstImpres)

Old Key West (coming soon)

Saratoga Springs (coming soon)

Villas at Wilderness Lodge (by InstImpres)

(To contact InstImpres with updated room reports, please click HERE.)

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