Virgin cancelled Windsor Hills accomodation

[Jess1ca100]

to Vista Park...
We are due to leave next week and after seeing some threads on other sites about people being bumped I thought I would check with our rep - he said that we had been sent a letter (although this has not been received) and that we have been moved to Vista Park.
I have not heard of this community, does anyone have any knowledge of it, and any tips/ideas on what to do now!?
Thanks

 

[Leajess99]

to Vista Park...
We are due to leave next week and after seeing some threads on other sites about people being bumped I thought I would check with our rep - he said that we had been sent a letter (although this has not been received) and that we have been moved to Vista Park.
I have not heard of this community, does anyone have any knowledge of it, and any tips/ideas on what to do now!?
Thanks

I don't know anything about it but just wanted to say I am sorry that happened to you.

I hope it all works out for your family.

 

[Zeebs]

When I look up Vista Park on google maps it shows it on the other side of the airport with about a 40 min drive time to WDW. Is this the Vista Park you are going to or is there one closer?

Given Windsor Hills is a 15 Mins drive aprox this would not be agreeable to me.

What reason did they give you. Maybe you should post this over on the UK board the people over there have experience of dealing with Virgin.

Kirsten

 

[Jess1ca100]

Thank you for your good wishes.
They said that Vista Park was about 15 mins futher than WH out from Disney, reason that they gave was that there was a contractual dispute with WH and that they were no longer using their properties, so I have a feeling tat this may be happening to a lot of other people as well......

 

[KayR]

I am sorry that your accommodation has been changed. I am sure the property you have been allocated is nice, but obviously there will be disappointment as you are not where you expected to be.

I believe Vista Park is on the 27 south. I looked on google, and would say it is 15-18 mins driving to AK. (where as WH is about 7-8). It should be nice an quiet in that area, but it is a longer drive home. If you wanted to go out to eat, there are some restaurants on the 27, just north of the 192 intersection. There is also a 24h Walmart there for groceries etc. On the 192 on the way to WDW, there are loads more restaurants and grocery stores. You would have been closer to these if you were at WH, but they are on your way to Vista Park.

Generally properties at Vista Park are cheaper to rent (less HOA fees and cheaper properties due to the location), so hopefully you will be getting a refund from Virgin because of that. If they haven't offered, you should ask!

Just a comment/explanation on the statement "that there was a contractual dispute with WH" - unless I am mistaken, WH operates like every other STR rental home community out there in that the HOA looks after the community but is not a rental center (like a hotel would be a rental center for its rooms). Each home is owned by a person or family like you or me and they rent them out to cover their costs. Each home should have a local contact (usually a caretaker or management company) and they look after the home itself. Some Management Companies obtain rentals for their clients through various means, including contracts with tour operators. So any 'dispute' would be with the MC or the company that obtains homes for Virgin. It may be a contractual dispute or it maybe that they don't have enough homes available for TO bookings (the amount that an owner ends up with for a TO booking after everyone has taken their cut is peanuts!)

I would say, try not to let the change of accommodation spoil your holiday. "Go with the flow" was something we adapted to very quickly after our 4 week trip around England, Scotland and Italy last year. There were lots of little things that happened that we could have let ruin our trip, instead we saw it as an adventure and took things in our stride. Sure, things didn't go 100% as planned, but we still had a great time and saw a lot.

Have a fantastic time! You will be at WDW, what is not to enjoy!

-Kay

 

[TotoToo]

This is one of many reasons we prefer a good resort (usually timeshare) vs a rental home. We prefer the "resort feel" a nice timeshare condo has vs a stand alone house and, while not unheard of, it is not likely your reservation at any timeshare is going to suddenly be canceled. They are much better set up to deal with property availability issues, usually offer far more on site amenities and a true front desk to handle day to day issues should they arise. As most have full kitchens as well as 2-4+ bedrooms space is not the issue. We feel more like we're on vacation at a resort than in what can be a rather plain jane house. And avoiding yet another worry (sudden cancellation) with private homes just adds to the pluses for us.

 

[Mrs Doubtfire]

Hi Jessica - I can say "been there done that" and I was so mad with Virgin. We were allocated a villa at Windsor Palms which is in the vicinity of WH - personally I would not accept a villa much further out - but that's down to preference as there are plenty of lovely communities. It just depends if you are visiting the parks all the time or doing other things.

I also posted when Virgin bumped me - so close to time I think you have a right to your money back for the accommodation - VH agreed I could have mine back if I wanted to book independently - but as we were staying over Christmas I found some of the supplements bumped the price up too much.

Have you spoken with VH - they also rent at Emerals Isle (again in the same area and this may be a better choice?

Virgin have now been doing this since summer of last year - they apparently had some problems with homes been foreclosed so have fewer homes available. Others say it is because they won't pay the price - as WH is a dearer community to rent from

I hope you can get it sorted - ring in the morning to get the UK call centre - it is easier to. Also see if you can get anything thrown in for the inconvenience

Please post what you decide.

 

[Frothy]

I've always wondered why people use company's like Virgin when they book a vacation. Why do you do it?

 

[Mrs Doubtfire]

Some use Virgin Holidays because you can book everything with just one company - it is easier than booking everything independently - and you get the ABTA protection if anything happens. Also if there is a problem - such as when we had the ash cloud from the volcano then you should get more support and help with sorting out things.

You can just buy a flight from Virgin Atlantic if you don't want the whole package.

I used them for my last vacation because I had some holiday vouchers that I could use against the cost.