Ever upgraded on DVC points

[ice cube]

I made room only reservations using our DVC points for us and friends. Yesterday we checked in at the VWL in a studio and our friends at SSR in a studio. Its their first time in Disney plus they are celebrating their sons 6th birthday. Anyway, after they went to their room they realized that a larger room would probably suit their needs better. They went back to the front desk and asked about upgrading to a larger room. In turn Disney spread a lot of pixie dust and they were upgraded to a 2 bedroom lock off for free!! So I wanted to know has anyone been upgraded for free using their DVC points as I have never had this happen or heard of this in the past?

 

[Paula Sedley-Burke]

That is great! I am pleased for your experience and in front of friends.

Yes we booked an accessible studio with view at AKV but it was out of action and all they had was a regular studio but no roll in shower. This would not work for me I am a wheelchair user. So they offered us 2 rooms to use opposite each other one with roll in shower but no view and 1 without shower without a view. I really wanted the view but did not want to keep crossing the corridor to have a shower and it was my birthday so my wife asked if they had anything else. We were given a 2 bed suite....in club! We were blown away! How super generous. We did not expect that!

 

[_auroraborealis_]

Confirm that more points weren't taken from your DVC account. It happens quite a bit.

 

[Jennasis]

It is VERY rare for free DVC upgrades. I would immediately check your account and make sure they didn't use more of your points for the upgrade.

now, that said, it has happened before, and if it truly was a free upgrade, consider yourselves blessed with pixie dust above and beyond the usual LOL.

 

[Hopefully]

I agree. Check your account carefully. Over the years there have been numerous reports of people doing this and the points being deducted our of the owners accounts.
I have to say that I wouldn't be pleased with my "guests" for even asking for a larger room. I would be upset with them for that/
I hope it truly was a free upgrade
Good Luck

 

[sndral]

Well, if it were to happen anywhere - SSR as the largest DVC and not being 100% booked all the time is the most likely place for it to happen but as others have said - it may be free to your friends but have cost you the points needed to go from a studio to a 2 br..
OP if you check your DVC account & verify that no points have been removed thus it truly was a 'free' upgrade from studio to 2 br. please let us know, we'll all start booking SSR studios when we need 2 br.s.

 

[DisBuckMan]

As others have said, it is a rarity. Hopefully, the pixie dust was on the part of Disney, and not your DVC account.

I always STRONGLY advise any friends/family who I make a reservation for to book what they want/need...no changes midstream so I'm not caught by surprise.

 

[bumbershoot]

I made room only reservations using our DVC points for us and friends.

they were upgraded to a 2 bedroom lock off for free!!

You need to check your account.

It CAN happen, but it's rare.

 

[Lynne M]

Ooooh, yes. Definitely check your account. The concept of the 'pixie dust upgrade' is pretty much nonexistent in DVC. There's also no mechanism to pay cash to upgrade a room. Upgrades are paid for by taking points from your account.

 

[ice cube]

OMG.....I never thought of them taking my points. I'm going to go on my account and see if they took any points...will check and update....

 

[Ndusmama]

I have had an upgrade and no extra points were taken. But I was at dl and staying at the GC. Disney messed up my room and gave me the largest suite since they didn't have any other rooms. So I do know they can upgrade you. But I agree with everyone else and check your points. Dvc recently screwed up my account and it took 2 months and several weekly phone calls for them to fix their mistake.

 

[DisBuckMan]

I have had an upgrade and no extra points were taken. But I was at dl and staying at the GC. Disney messed up my room and gave me the largest suite since they didn't have any other rooms. So I do know they can upgrade you. But I agree with everyone else and check your points. Dvc recently screwed up my account and it took 2 months and several weekly phone calls for them to fix their mistake.

The problem is the family the OP discussed actively asking for an upgrade. One should NEVER do this when staying on someone else's DVC points. Hopefully, his/her points have not been used for the upgrade.

 

[Ndusmama]

The problem is the family the OP discussed actively asking for an upgrade. One should NEVER do this when staying on someone else's DVC points. Hopefully, his/her points have not been used for the upgrade.

The fact that it was not the op asking for the upgrade but someone else using the points may mean that the family got it without taking points. There is also the fact that no one on this thread was there including the op so what was actually discussed with cm is up for interpretation unless it was recorded. so we don't know if the exact wording was the family asking for an upgrade or having a problem with the room they were given and Disney saying let's try to fix this for you, which has been known to happen.
My response was only that yes I have had an upgrade through dvc and through Disney itself. But my experience has mostly been in California. I agree with everyone saying check the points because if the op did not authorize an upgrade then Dvc should not be taking the points. And yes lately dvc has had issues that has affected several accounts.

 

[lovin'fl]

Yeah, never got an upgrade in my 10 years of ownership. I hope they didn't take more points from you. That would be super awkward and a mess trying to correct...might put a damper on your trip with your friends. But maybe this family told the desk that their friends were the DVC owners and a smart CM thought how impressing this family with an upgrade may get them hooked on DVC and they'd become members. Smart.

 

[ice cube]

OK everyone here is an update.....just so you know their reservation is split stay. The first 2 nights were at SSR and now the next 5 are at AKV. As I mentioned before they were upgraded to a 2 bedroom from their studio. I came online this morning and didn't check the responses until after 4:00pm not thinking anything could be wrong. During those hours not realizing anything but pixie dust could have only caused the upgrade our friends checked in at the AKV and again asked for and received an upgrade. They were suppose to be in a studio with savanna view and instead given a 1 bedroom savanna view. I just spoke to our friends and they told me that the front desk asked if they were the members and they responded no and I asked them if they were charged on their cc for the upgrade and they said also no. The answer they received for the upgrade was because it was their first time visiting disney and management was upgrading for free. Well one free upgrade ok but twice in less 3 days gets me nervous so in between all this I checked my account and as of right now no points have been taken out of the account. So my question to everyone who is more knowledgeable then myself is if they were to take points for the upgrade would it show right away or will it take a few days? I have access to their mydisneyexperience online account and have screen shot their reservations....now understand the original AKV reservation has somehow been deleted and replaced with the AKV 1 bedroom but the original SSR and upgraded reservation still shows. What does R Room only mean?

 

[_auroraborealis_]

I'm not buying the "first time at WDW!" upgrade reason.

Upgrades usually happen for the convenience of the assignors or desk, even with DVC. That you're at two lower-occupancy resorts here may help some, but I'd keep watching your DVC account (not MDE) like a hawk. DVC is rare to upgrade, and one of the hazards of renting is when your renters ask for an upgrade and Disney take your points.

 

[vicarrieous]

Eesh. That's crazy. I am not ballsy enough to ask for an upgrade unless I am prepared to pay for it and if I wanted a different type of room/upgrade to bet n with I would have paid for it from the start. I hope it all works out. Unfortunately stories like this if it's all good will lead to more people asking for free upgrades for whatever reason. I think the internet has already killed some of the pixie dust since people now expect something for anything. Our first trip was last November and we didn't receive any pixie dust. I didn't expect it and it didn't make our trip any less special. It was magical and obviously hooked us. Our next trip is during my birthday, my sons 4th birthday and dh and my 10th anniversary. I have planned a few surprises and do not expect anything above what we have pre-planned even though tons of friends and a travel agent have "assured" me of pixie dust. The trip itself is our celebration. I think a trip is more what you make it and you should not expect special treatment just because. That doesn't mean I don't agree with upgrades and pixie dust just moreso don't agree with the entitlement. ::sorry if that got preachy::

 

[ellie05]

From someone that has worked at the hospitality industry and upgrade just to be nice is very very rare. Maybe to a better view but same room since it doesn't cost the hotel anything for the upgrade. But upgrading to a bigger room means the hotel is losing money since they spend more money cleaning a bigger room and twice in one stay I am not sure.

 

[bumbershoot]

The fact that it was not the op asking for the upgrade but someone else using the points may mean that the family got it without taking points.

.

IMO it's opposite. There have been cases of points renters getting upgrades that ended in points taken from the owner.

The front desk doesn't have a good way to upgrade by paying extra points from the member. I've actually never heard of a member paying points to the front desk.

So what the op is describing, with what appears to be a renter getting an upgrade, is pretty much the scenario where points are being taken.

 

[DisBuckMan]

There is also the fact that no one on this thread was there including the op so what was actually discussed with cm is up for interpretation unless it was recorded. so we don't know if the exact wording was the family asking for an upgrade or having a problem with the room they were given and Disney saying let's try to fix this for you, which has been known to happen.

Well, it is a fact that no one, including the op was there, but from less than brilliant deciphering of the original post, I've deducted that they said that the room was too small for them and asked for a larger one. Here's the quote from the first post in case anyone has forgotten or doesn't feel like scrolling up:

Anyway, after they went to their room they realized that a larger room would probably suit their needs better. They went back to the front desk and asked about upgrading to a larger room.

Maybe it's just me....but I'm thinking the only "problem" was that they thought the original room was too small, and went to the front desk and asked about getting a larger one.