12th Annual DVC Holiday Tree Exchange *See you in July 2015*

[sarahk0204]

Signups have ended! Trees will be shipped soon.

If you have signed up, check your PM's and make sure your coordinator has the name your reservation is under, as well as an email address that you check regularly, especially while you are on vacation.

 

[sarahk0204]

When preparing your shipment, please include these:

1) Instruction letter to tree families (see below)
2) Envelope for shipping donations
3) Tree!
4) Lights (for room (optional) and for tree (if not pre-lit))
5) Extension cord
6) Ornaments & decorations (these can be sparse, since many families may choose to add an ornament)
7) Gifts for families (optional) - this could be candy, a DVD to share, ornaments
8) Tape to repack the box (preferably in a roll with a holder that will cut it so you don't also have to ship scissors)
9) Include your address. Optional: include a prepaid shipping label.

When shipping the tree, make sure it is a good, sturdy box. Using bright tape, colored labels or box can help it stand out in the storage room. This might help if tree is misplaced.

Ship tree with TRACKING. Send me the tracking number. Please insure your tree. Make sure there is enough time for it to arrive - and watch out for weekends and holidays! Try to have t arrive at last one business day before it is needed (hopefully more).

Put a list on the side of the box (separate from the address label):

RESORT NAME staff:
Please hold for guest:
guest real name 1, CHECKIN: checkin date
guest real name 2, CHECKIN: check in date
etc.

Address the box to:

RESORT NAME
Guest: guest real name 1, CHECKIN: checkin date
RESORT ADDRESS

Note only the first guest name should be on the actual address label.

 

[sarahk0204]

Post 6 has all of the mailing address for DVC resorts.

http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=2823609

 

[sarahk0204]

Trees are starting to be sent! Let's get ready to share in the Holiday Magic!

 

[WilsonFlyer]

Yea! Can't wait for Friday at OKW!

 

[sarahk0204]

Our tree is stranded at SSR.

The last family was to have sent it back January 4. I finally got on the UPS web site today, and it had not been sent back yet. I emailed the last family, and they forgot to get the tree. I know the previous family turned the tree in to Bell Services, so I am assuming it is still there. We will be in Florida this year, but not until June, so I can't just stop by and pick it up.

I am planning on calling WDW tomorrow (weekday during the day just seemed better), but does anyone know if Bell Services could open the box, stick the prepaid label back on, and give it to UPS? I don't know if they could interfere with a package that way? Help!

 

[Pirate Granny]

Hopefully, Bell Services will do that. If not let's try to find someone at SSR and see if you can't get bell services to release the tree to them, and they can open and put the label on.

I'm sorry this happened. . How do you forget to pick up a tree that you signed up for, and knew you were the last one and needed to mail it back...

 

[WilsonFlyer]

This crap keeps happening and people are going to stop sponsoring it. Similar to what happened to us at OKW back in Dec with PirateGranny's tree but not nearly as bad.

If you're not going to follow-thru and enjoy it and do your part, WTH do people get involved to begin with? Just to screw it up for the rest of us?

Better stop while I'm behind.

Unbelievable!

 

[WilsonFlyer]

Hopefully, Bell Services will do that. If not let's try to find someone at SSR and see if you can't get bell services to release the tree to them, and they can open and put the label on.

I'm sorry this happened. . How do you forget to pick up a tree that you signed up for, and knew you were the last one and needed to mail it back...

If they will open it (and that's a BIG "if"), they should have no problem since the enclosed paperwork by its design authorizes the return in the end to its rightful owner. Surely someone at a supervisory level at SSR has been there long enough to know the drill (about the tree sharing) and will be willing to open the box.

 

[tidefan]

This crap keeps happening and people are going to stop sponsoring it. Similar to what happened to us at OKW back in Dec with PirateGranny's tree but not nearly as bad. If you're not going to follow-thru and enjoy it and do your part, WTH do people get involved to begin with? Just to screw it up for the rest of us? Better stop while I'm behind. Unbelievable!

Not to argue, but we were the family that forgot to pick it up. I did remember it later during our stay, but the instructions on the thread said for it to be turned in to bell services, there weren't any specific instructions about shipping it, so I thought that it was where it needed to be.

I apologize for the miscommunication...

 

[sarahk0204]

No, I didn't want to yell at anyone. We will get this sorted out, and it is just a reminder for me to put a reminder on the individual thread for the last family to send the tree back. I think the instructions are in the box, but of course if one doesn't pick up the box, that isn't too helpful.

I could have sent reminders to individual families during each of their trips or just done something better to stay in contact with each family. I've had families skip their sharing before, and that's OK, stuff happens. I was just glad that tidefan got to have their trip instead of having to cancel for an emergency or something.

I've been sending a tree for 4 years now, but I have only been the coordinator for two. I've learned something new every year. Last year's lessons were "Don't expect Bell Services to transport your tree to another resort" and "When you are totally stumped where the tree could be, check Floral Services ." This year's lessons are "Send UPS or FedEx instead of USPS to make sure your tree isn't stuck in Disney mailroom limbo" and "Make sure the first and last families understand their extra responsibilities". I did really well last year at BLT preparing those families for the extra business office charges and procedures, but I dropped the ball with SSR, as they don't have a business office.

I'm not going to take my tree, stomp my foot, and go home. (Well, I need my tree back first... ) I will report tomorrow if I am successful, or if we are going to have to round up a helpful DISer to rescue the tree.

Hoping for some

 

[tidefan]

No, no problem. We probably should have e-mailed you.

I think where I made the mistake in my mind was that last year, we signed up for the VGF tree. We got to VGF on New Year's Eve and asked about the tree at Bell Services, and they didn't have it. They told us that since the tree was not picked up for over 3 days (there was a lag between us and the prior tree family) they had just mailed it back a few days earlier.

So, I guess that I just assumed that bell services mailed it back, so I never really gave much thought to it this year. I figured, well, its still at bell services, so it was where it needed to be. Since we had never actually had a tree before, I hadn't gone through the exchanges and wasn't probably as up-to-date on the protocol as I should be

As to forgetting about the tree, well, you know, its just one of those things. I had even seen the e-mailed picture a week or two before, but you have so much going on during the holidays and are in such a rush to get all of Christmas done, then pack and get down to Orlando, that it slipped my mind. I thought about it mid-week, but by then, we'd have only gotten to have the tree a couple of days and well, as written above, I didn't have a handle on the procedure that I should have.

Again, I do apologize for the confusion.

 

[Sur]

Goes to show you, sometimes it's NOT about someone "screwing it up" but miscommunications and errors.

 

[Pirate Granny]

Especially people giving phony names and disconnected cell phone numbers

 

[sarahk0204]

Woohoo!

Janet, a lovely CM with a southern accent, in Bell Services at SSR, is going to put the label on the box and ship the tree back to me. Hooray!

 

[dgaston]

As coordinator of the BWV Tree exchange (We had two trees) I learned about "long term storage." I had two parties sign up, decide to bring their own trees, and forget to inform me. So tree #1 went into long term storage. With insistence it was found, but it is difficult to manage long distance when you know earlier people returned the tree to Bell Services per the plan. I guess I'm going to put something in next year's instructions about dropping out and needing to let the coordinator know.

 

[dcfromva]

Woohoo!

Janet, a lovely CM with a southern accent, in Bell Services at SSR, is going to put the label on the box and ship the tree back to me. Hooray!

That's awesome news!

 

[tidefan]

Woohoo! Janet, a lovely CM with a southern accent, in Bell Services at SSR, is going to put the label on the box and ship the tree back to me. Hooray!

Great Sarah! Sorry again for the confusion!

 

[dgaston]

Glad the SSR tree is going home

 

[tgropp]

Great to hear that all is well. I participated in the tree exchange twice (VWL....Thanks Bobbi) and was so thankful for the opportunity. I was counting the days until I could pick it up. Having grandchildren present will do that