If Disney is listening...perspective member (very close) and getting cold feet

[pharmlivin]

From what I have been reading here it seems like Disney goes out of their way to treat DVC owners like non-paying freeloaders. Why would I want to join? I first became concerned when someone posted that the housekeeping person at WLV said to her, and I quote from the post "we were told not to be nice to the DVC owners". Then the pool hopping incident and now the room scramble at BWV...I know these things can happen but it seems like Disney is developing an attitude towards its DVC members. Maybe sales are just a little too brisk for anybody's good. I'm going to watch these boards carefully for awhile before I plunk down cash to be treated like that. Comments encouraged.

 

[Synonymous]

Pharmlivin- I think you should take some of the complaints you read on this board with a grain of salt. If you ask people if they are happy with DVC, you will get an almost unanimous "yes." Check out the recent threads of people who are upset that real estate agents are calling them to ask if they want to sell their membership.

People on this board are, in large part, HUGE Disney (and DVC) fans. Because we all love it so much, we can be a little hyper-sensitive to anything that sounds like it might, possibly, maybe, somehow, become a problem. And because there's not much else to talk about here, such things get alot more attention than they deserve.

I had my first stay at BWV a couple of months ago, and I can tell you that the service was impeccable. I didn't read the post about the so-called "instructions" given to cleaning staff, but I don't believe it for a minute. Maybe that cleaning person had just gotten stiffed on the tip by a DVC'er or something. One thing you find about Disney (which I am sure explains the pool bit, as well) is that there are thousands and thousands of cast members and they aren't always all on the same page.

Before you give up on DVC, go ahead and ask people whether they think it's worthwhile. Or, just search for such a thread. And read the responses.

Tom

 

[Firefighter Mickey]

Like the room reports on this site, you need to keep in mind that for every person here that posts a problem, there are probably 100 or more that didn't have a problem and had a wonderful time.

it is the nature of humans to let others know about when they have received unsatisfactory service, but rarely if ever, do we let people know about when we received service that met our expectations, or that was excellent. Part of the problem I think comes from the fact that all of us spent a lot of money on DVC, and we expect the best!

If you go over to the Resorts Board, I expect you will also find people that have paid cash for reservations at places like the Poly or GF and also encountered problems. Likewise you'll find people that haven't had problems though they are not probably as vocal.

We've stayed at OKW a number of times, and once at BWV. 99.9% of the time, our stay has been fabulous. In one instance, the people at OKW (who are only human after all), managed to totally screw up our room requests; I was very upset at the time, but you know what, after that single problem, everyone at OKW was great! Housekeeping literally did everything they could do to make things right for us - they were prompt, friendly and just simply great. Did I talk about that on this board? Hah! I only talked (at the time) about how well they managed to screw up our room request.

No matter where you go, or what you do, you will encounter the occasional "glitch in the program" - hopefully these will be few and far between, and if encountered, it will be recovered from gracefully and with style. DVC generally (again, in my opinion) does pretty well, and usually recovers very well when problems do arise.

As an investment in future vacations, we have no regrets and are very happy with our purchase.

 

[howardk613]

we have been a DVC member since 1993 and go down to WDW at least 4 times per year. We have NEVER had a bad experience at any of the vacation club
resorts. We also stay at the other on property hotels and although the experience is usually terrific there have been a few minor issues so I would say that overall I vote for the DVC as a BEST BUY and recommend that you go for it.

 

[Geubux]

Let's face it, most of what you hear is complaints. When I was in the restaurant business, we used to say that a customer came in the first time w/ no opinion. If he liked it, he would tell 3 people. If he had a problem, he would tell 7. Same thing here. Plus, when a lot of us get to WDW, we either drove all night and put up with traffic in multiple states or we just enjoyed the hospitality of the airline industry. So, they probably got there w/ a chip on their shoulder and it's easy to take it out on the place you're going to be staying. I travel weekly and the WDW system has to be the most willing to bend over backwards.....please forgive them if they don't have one CM per room to immediately run your requests to your door, rip their clothes and throw ash on their heads in repentence. They actually do a pretty good job, I think.

76 - offsite
98 - Ft Wilderness Cabins
99 - CBR
00 - HH DVC
4/01 offsite
12/01 BWV

 

[wdwnut]

hi: yes, you usually hear about only the bad. i make it a point to let people known when they've done something outstanding as well. this works out well for all involved. you see the post about the pool-hopping incident-look at how many people replied to that thread. when i posted about an absolutely wonderful cm in ms a few months ago, there were only maybe 10 replies. so take all of this with a huge grain of salt (my post included). with this amount of people involved, some will always have problems.

 

[Caskbill]

On the surveys I sometimes get after a stay, I'm always stumped on the question of how was the service? The truthful answer is "about as I expected". Now if I was staying at any resort other than Disney, and I received the kind of attention I routinely get at Disney, I would check their survey as "totally above what was expected".

The point is, Disney and DVC are so far above everybody else that we sometimes take it for granted. I now expect this service routinely, and I always receive it, "as expected". But the corollary here is similar to our "A-Grade" student getting another "A". It's hard to improve on that.

Once in awhile, a guest received a "B" or a "C" performance during 'part' of their stay. This then hits the discussion boards. It's kind of like saying "Our 'A' student Johnny got a 'C' in history" (name your subject). It's simply so unusal that it gets everyone's attention.

Go through this board a little. You'll find more "I wish I'd bought sooner", or "I just did an add-on", or "I wish I could buy more points", than you can shake a stick at. If we, the owners, weren't happy, we wouldn't be buying up every point we could.

Caskbill

 

[JohnG]

Whether or not you "get it" when it comes to understanding the magic of Disney and DVC is a very personal thing, and if you're struggling to make this decision I would say take your time!

But, I can tell you that we have traveled to Disney virtually every year they have been open...and stayed in just about every kind of hotel, on and off (yuck!) property; have gone to Hawaii virtually every year since '83 (and stayed in MANY fabulous hotels) and also took annual trips to one or more of the nicer places to vacation in the lower 48 states. Based on those experiences I can say with absolutely NO hesitation that DVC is the best vacation value I have ever seen, the accomodations and the way they are run meet or exceed anything else in the category and the cast members have ALWAYS been as nice and as professional as you could expect.

For someone to quote a supposed statement that a Disney employ once said "we were told not to be nice to DVC members" is STUPID.....to repeat it - or even worse - to believe it.

JohnG
Offsite 73,74,75,76,77,79,80, 82
Poly 82,83,85,86
Carribean Beach 87,88,89,90
Beach Club 91,92,93,95,96
Yacht Club 94
ASM 99
BWDVC 97,98,99,2000 (3 Times)2001 (New Year's for the REAL Millenium!)

DLand 74,78,84,88,92,94,95,96,98

 

[pharmlivin]

(Except the part about being STUPID...) It's just that when you are about to jump in you need a little reassurance. Believe it or not I don't personally know anyone who owns DVC so I depend on this board for info (good and bad). I realize that DVC owners have high expectations. I have been following these discussions for quite awhile and I do know that the overwhelming theme is complete satisfaction. Hope to be another satisfied member soon! Thanks for your comments.

 

[PamOKW]

Pharmlivin I agree with the others. The negatives here jump out more because we tend to be disappointed by every problem since we expect so much. One trip I had read so many negatives here that I was expecting the place to be falling apart and was ready to have to argue for everything I needed. Know what? The trip was fabulous and OKW looked the same as the day it opened. I gave myself agita over what "might" happen for no reason.

Some CMs are better than others. Just the way life is I guess. But if you run into a problem, stay calm, and ask for a supervisor or someone else who can resolve a problem, it always seems to work out.

 

[jmatzen0106]

Glad you have overcome what could have been an
obstacle. My feeling is mostly all DVC members truly love Disney, and not only want to share this feeling, but also encourage others that the DVC is as good as it sounds. Let me be one of the first to WELCOME you HOME.

 

[KMarie]

My DH traveled across the U.S., Canada, Hawaii, and Puerto Rico for every week for nealry three decades. I also had traveled for work somewhat. Combined, we have stayed in every kind of resort, hotel, and motel, both classy and dump, you can think of. NOWHERE did we find the kind of service, attention to detail, and courtesy that we have found in Disney hotels. We would never have considered a timeshare until we discovered we have spent as much our a handful of trips with our family staying in the deluxe resorts at WDW as we would if we had bought into DVC. We joined last year and have had two wonderful trips already, and planning another for next year now.

I've seen some venting on these boards about experiences, and I'd take it as that. Where else can people talk with other DVCers?

 

[LIDisneyFan]

As the author of the pool hopping post, I would agree that, in general, we are treated very very well. I love my DVC membership, and am still (even after this incident) considering buying more points. You can't beat the value, the accomodatations are super, and the treatment is first class.

Just because I had one bad incident doesn't cloud my entire experience. Yes, I am angry at the way I was treated, but you can receive good and bad treatment whether you are DVC or a cah paying guest.

Just my .02

 

[DVC Chris]

I have been to Disney Resorts many times of the past few years and I have never had a bad experience. Like other have mentioned on this thread, we all have much higher expectations of a Disney Vacation then we would if we took a similar vacation outside of Disney. It is these expectations that does us in ! ! !... Disney has set high standards and have instilled these expectations in us.

Sure, there will always be times when they fail to live up to the expectations. People will tell 8-10 people of their bad experiences and only 0-2 about their good ones.

What is important is that overall, the experiences a great ones and the GREAT experiences happen over and over again. Problems are in the minority as opposed to being the norm.

I agree that whatever Disney employee made that comment did not have the "Disney Magic" instilled in them. But when you have over 55,000 people working in a resort there are bound to be some 'rotten apples'.

I think most of us put our faith in Disney when we plunked down the $$$'s for the DVC. It is a great plan supported by a great company that is still committed to creating magical experiences for their guests.

Also, just my .02 cents.....

WL, 9/00
Treehouse Villa, 9/98
BWV, 12/95
Treehouse Villa, 7/94
Polynesian 93
Yacht Club 92
Royal Plaza 92
GF/ CBR 91
Hilton/ CBR 90
GF 89
Off Site: 88

 

[Olaf]

We're new owners and haven't stayed yet on points. I would definitely let DVC know how you feel about this. Call your Guide and talk to him/her. That pool hopping thing has really got me riled. This probably sounds extreme, but I think somebody's head should role. To insult someone who has paid thousands and thousands of dollars to belong to this club. Unbelievable!

Steph
DL - 1966
DL - 1970
WDW - 1973 - Contemporary
WDW - 1975 - Day trip
DL - 1988 - Day trip
WDW - 1993 - CBR
WDW - 1995 - SOG
WDW - 1997 - SOG
WDW - 1999 - SOG
WDW - 2001 - SOG & PO

 

[WALLSTREET]

I was also really bothered by the pool-hopping problem and this one, too. I for one don't have a lot of money or time to vacation, so when I go, I DO expect perfection. If I want to be irritated or insulted or humiliated, I can stay home and get it for free at work, in the stores on the roads. I am paying to relax and be pampered. Those in the vacation industry should know that and expect to give extra. They are in business to cater to tired, stressed people who have just broken the bank to sit at their hotels and pools. If things aren't perfect, something should be OFFERED to compensate. I shouldn't even have to ask. I think the pool hopper should be given some financial compensation or at least a nice dinner for the family. Same for this poster. Call me crazy, but that is how I feel.

 

[Mickeysduck]

I am the one who posted the message about housekeeping and I think this whole thing is getting blown way out of wack. Here is the original message I posted:

"We just spent 6 days at WLV and 6 days at BWV.
Still tring to make up my mind which resort I liked better.

At WLV the housekeeping people didn't seem as experienced as BWV. I asked for a few more paper bowls (we only had 4 when we got there). One of them told me that they wern't supposed to be nice to the DVC members, but she did "sneak" a few to me later in the day.

Same situation came up at BWV. They quickly brought me lots of bowls, plates, and plastic spoons and forks. They seemed more experienced with guests (naturally, they have been there longer).

There was too many positives to list here for each resort. No matter where you are at the time, you don't know how anywhere else can top it."

This whole thing seems to be getting out of hand, like the pool hopping situation, it's just a little thing that probably will not happen again in eons, and like you said, when you are a DVC member, you expect to be treated a little more special than anyone else.

Would I buy more points in the future or
recommend DVC to anyone who is thinking about purchasing? ABSOLUTELY!!

As for JohnG, NO... I am not STUPID, and no one else who posts on these boards are stupid! If you are looking for only 100% positive feedback or else the person posting is STUPID, you will not find it here or anywhere. People are human, even the Disney Cast Members. Some are more experienced than others, and everyone has good days and bad days, and in my best estimation JohnG, when you posted that message, you must have been just having one of your bad days.

 

[jcodespoti]

DVC is not perfect...close..As has been said with 55,000 CM's you are bound to have a few cranky ones. I have been a number of times to BWV and OKW always had a good time.

Joe in CT

 

[pharmlivin]

I think Johng means that I'm the STUPID one for repeating and believing...anyway I'm moving on. My next problem is Vero or WLV...

thanks everyone for the comments.