Sometimes you can get unexpected room upgrades at Walt Disney World Resorts for FREE! You never know when this might happen and there is no way to predict it. It’s just a touch of unexpected Disney magic….
My reader Erica received a FREE upgrade. Here’s her story:
I am one of your many readers and I just wanted to share with you the best thing that has ever happened to me regarding Disney.
I am 23 years old and have gone to Disney 125 times (most times where week long trips). So needless to say I have been a lot. My family is the typical middle class family so we always stayed in the value resorts or at the campgrounds.On Dec 8th 2011, I booked a little weekend trip to Disney for Feb 18th. I booked the Royal Room at Port Orleans River Side. Its a little splurge for my brother and I and with a Florida Resident deal and couponing, we could afford it.
On January 6th Disney Travel called me. The Cast Member told me that the Royal Rooms at Port Orleans where not going to be ready in time for our trip. He gave me two choices. He could put me in a standard room at Port Orleans or…..
He could upgrade me FOR FREE to ANY deluxe resort of my choosing (except Grand Floridian or the Contemporary).
Of course I went with the upgrade and now my brother and I are staying at the Animal Kingdom Lodge Savannah View.Not in my wildest dreams could I have ever imagine staying in any deluxe resort, but now we are, thanks to the magic of Disney.
and bad scheduling.
Has your reservation ever been upgraded at Walt Disney World?
Learn more about split stays at Walt Disney World.
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On my first trip to Disney we where staying at All Star Sports. We where streaching the budget so we could go on this trip. We arrived and it took forever for them to check us in. She then had to go get the manager. Turned out they only had smoking rooms and we had requested a non smoking one. They upgraded us to Coronado Springs and shuttled us over right away.
When my (now) husband and I checked in for his first visit in 2010, we had booked a standard room with a standard view at AKL and were surprised to have been upgraded to a safari view room. :-) We’re taking our 2 year old back for his first trip in 36 days again staying at AKL.
That’s so exciting! He will have so much fun!
I did a split stay while I ran the Princess 10k in Feb this year. When I checked into All Star Sports, I had a standard but was upgraded to a preferred room!
for our honeymoon in April of 1998 we had booked a land and sea package. The cruise ship was brand new and we were suppose to be on one of the first cruises. It ended up being delayed multiple times and every time they would upgrade our cabin and eventually our hotel as well and took some money off. We ended up going from an inside no window cabin to a balcony and from port Orleans to the Polynesian. We had our honeymoon 6 months after our wedding but it was worth it.
March/2011, we had booked adjoining rooms at the All Star Music Resort, on check in day somehow they booked our rooms next to each other, but on different floors! We stood in line very patiently (hoping they’d give us a fruit basket or something for our trouble) the resort was booked solid, so we got a FREE upgrade to the Beach club!!! What an awesome vacation that was!
OMG! These stories of upgrades really are making my cross my fingers! ;) We’re headed to Disney in September.
I just finished my trip report on our day of being upgraded – if anyone cares to ready it :)
http://frugaldisneymom.blogspot.com/2012/02/check-in-day-and-tons-of-pixie-dust.html
Hoping I dont get busted reading it at work!
We were upgraded two times…it is a wonderful feeling! The one time we were also selected to be the grand marshals in the parade….good trip!
never had an upgrade on site, but this Christmas week the Best Western in Down Town Disney upgraded us to a top floor king suite – three rooms, including and awesome glass breakfast room. We could even see the fireworks. The Disney magic even works in DTD
About 3 years ago we booked a 7 night trip to Disney World during Free Dining in September at Pop Century. I received an email saying we could upgrade to a studio at either Old Key West or Saratoga Springs. When we arrived we were surprised with a second upgrade to a 2 bedroom villa! We were so excited! It was such a wonderful treat!
The only upgrade I’ve received was nice, but not entirely appropriate since we were on our honeymoon. My husband and I were checking in at the wilderness lodge and they asked if we would mind an upgrade. We were so excited and it was a nice location, but if we had known that we would be right next to the pool on our honeymoon, we probably would have passed. Next month we are staying at the AKL with the kids in a studio savanna view. I am crossing my fingers for an upgrade to a 1 bdrm. I’ve been told that if u ask, sometimes u can get one for a very nice deal, so I an going to see if they will help me out. A 1 bdrm with the kids would be awesome.
A couple years ago we were booked at Pop also and got upgraded (via email before our stay) to Old Key West, the email said a studio but when I called they said it would be a 1 bedroom villa! We were so exited and when we arrived they upgraded us again to a 2 bedroom Villa! We also got the free dinning plan. I think we paid about $1300 for the whole week! It was our 1st trip, our boys were 2 & 4.
On our 2nd Disney Cruise [#5 is Jan 2013] we booked a large porthole room and were upgraded to a Navigators Verandah room. Even though the Verandah is smaller then a regular verandah cabin and has a blocked view it was so nice..and loved being able to have the sliding glass door open at night and hear the ocean….Spoiled us for any/all future cruise’s. :)
We are here too and had booked the same princess rooms. We chose the polynesian resort for our upgrade. Also got a gift card thrown in. Having a great time.
WOW! I would love to stay at the Animal Kingdom. My children would love it.
that is so awesome. Animal Kingdom is my dream resort
I forgot, they upgrades us at our check in at 9pm at night, so it was totally unexpected.
Last Jan/Feb we got upgraded from POP to Caribbean Beach, but after one night asked to go back to POP. CB was so nice, but too big for us and the travel time we alotted for bussing to the parks, etc for reservations, etc was not going to be enough for getting around the resort. The idea of taking a bus to get up to the main building to eat or go the arcade was a bit much. We were a group of 11, including 5 kids between 5-10, 4 adults, and 2 seniors with electric scooters. If the bus to go the a park was full and we couldn’t load all of us or the scooters, it would mess with our plans. Luckily, we were able to be accomadated. Since this was our 3rd time at POP, it felt so comfortable and we knew what to expect, so going back to it made sense to us. At another time in life, when the kids are older, maye the bigger resort won’t seem so daunting.
Our first trip a few years ago, we were booked for Pop Century! & a few weeks before our trip, we got an upgrade to Saratoga Springs! It was supposed to be a studio…I told the guy my husband would be thrilled to celebrate his birthday there & he said, well, you’ve got an infant, let me go ahead & give you a 1 bedroom! 5 days at Disney, 1 bedroom suite, with free dining — great trip under $1000!!! Disney Magic:)
We were upgrading last year. We had booked 3 nights at in a standard room at All Star Music, and when we checked in, we found out that we were in the suite at ASM. We were very excited, since the suites are very roomy. The CM on duty also gave my little boy a brand new etch a sketch as a birthday gift. :) Still hoping to one day get upgraded to a deluxe resort!
We booked a standard room at the Boardwalk Inn for our honeymoon in 2008. When we got there we found out we were upgraded to a cottage suite and concierge level. It was AMAZING. The following year we booked a standard room at the Boardwalk Inn for our first anniversary. We were upgraded to the same suite and concierge services again!
Not sure if you can call it an upgrade or not, but we got super lucky when my family went to Disney our first time back in 2008. I had booked us at Coronado Springs. When we got there to check in, it took forever to look us up and then the cast member said she had to go talk to her supervisor in the back. When she came back with her supervisor, I was freaking out thinking our reservation had gotten messed up. Turns out it was the Year of a Million Dreams and they offered to upgrade us to The Grand Floridian! So our first family trip to Disney was definitely made even more amazing!
WE just got home and we were upgraded as well – went to Sports to check in and they didn’t have a room assigned to me so they upgraded us for all 8 days to the Beach Club – talk about spoiled!!