Am I the only one annoyed by the "free upgrade" happening?

[Chuck S]

How do you know there is a credit card on file? If someone booked the value resort and made all payments by check or money order there is no record of a credit card. They do of course have names and addresses so that should be sufficient if they need to contact the person staying in the room. Unlikely as it seems there are some people who still live in a pay as you go cash, check or money order world. My DD and SIL do not use credit cards at all while at Disney and do not have charging on the room key. They have a credit card but use it only in an emergency so Disney would have no record of their card number.

I don't think room damage is any more likely to happen from people who are upgraded than it is from any other CRO guests. renters, trades from II or members.

Isn't an initial deposit required when you make the reservation? I know when I've booked nights at value resorts with the AP discount, I had to give a credit card immediately at the time of reservation. I booked within 5 days of the stay, though. The first night of the room is billed out immediately.

 

[castleri]

Isn't an initial deposit required when you make the reservation? I know when I've booked nights at value resorts with the AP discount, I had to give a credit card immediately at the time of reservation. I booked within 5 days of the stay, though. The first night of the room is billed out immediately.

One of the times I booked they gave me 14 days to send in the deposit. I don't know if this is still possible. I have since booked packages that did require a $200 deposit at time of booking (free dining booked while at WDW with the bounce back program this past December). I think anyone who uses a travel agent and actually goes into their office can pay the deposit with a check or cash and the balance the same way. I personally pay almost everything with a cc to get the rewards so Disney will always have one of mine on file.

 

[Anthony1971]

Isn't an initial deposit required when you make the reservation? I know when I've booked nights at value resorts with the AP discount, I had to give a credit card immediately at the time of reservation. I booked within 5 days of the stay, though. The first night of the room is billed out immediately.

Although you supplied your credit card to reservations -not always located at Disney- It would be fraud for them to share this information with the Resort and you have not yet signed anything acknowleding this ploicy. Disney would need This proof that you agreeded to this charge/Policy by something in writing or the credit card comapany will reverse this if you dispute it.

 

[BroganMc]

Hold on, now we're getting into a borderline flamefest of upgraders. CHarging damages to guests? For the record, I do not believe the upgraders are any more likely to mistreat the rooms as other guests.

My sole concern is that service might go down because of the extra demand at a normally slow time. We already see how the free dining messes with ADRs and TS. (I couldn't even reach WDW DINE yesterday because "all circuits are busy".)

Read the POS. It is all in there, when Disney can use the rooms, etc. If you are upset about it now, you should have read the POS and asked questions before you purchased. This is nothing new, Disney has been "upgrading" to unsold inventory since the first year of free dining. It's been 3 years, hasn't it?

Perhaps the scale is larger this year. I think I've counted 50 SSR rooms going to upgraders in the Resort board poll. Granted there are hundreds more, but since DIS is such a small representation of Disney guests I worry about what that sampling number means.

Also, as I understood the POS Disney owns a percentage of the point totals for the year. So is the percentage so high they can afford to use 50+ rooms at SSR for this program in one month, or are they concentrating their points in this time frame?

 

[Anthony1971]

Hold on, now we're getting into a borderline flamefest of upgraders. CHarging damages to guests? For the record, I do not believe the upgraders are any more likely to mistreat the rooms as other guests.

There was never a point made about charging guests or that they will cause damage ......... It was original stated as the memebers are responsable for upkeep of the rooms/resorts so we do have an interest although we do not own or have anything to say about the upgraded rooms.

 

[castleri]

Perhaps the scale is larger this year. I think I've counted 50 SSR rooms going to upgraders in the Resort board poll. Granted there are hundreds more, but since DIS is such a small representation of Disney guests I worry about what that sampling number means.

Also, as I understood the POS Disney owns a percentage of the point totals for the year. So is the percentage so high they can afford to use 50+ rooms at SSR for this program in one month, or are they concentrating their points in this time frame?

I have been wanting to ask this same question but wasn't sure how to word it. In fact I was thinking that these upgrades were reported to be over a 2-3 week period and that some people had been offered them if they would change their vacation from July to August. It does seem that there are a lot of disers reporting getting these upgrades.

 

[Chuck S]

Hold on, now we're getting into a borderline flamefest of upgraders. CHarging damages to guests? For the record, I do not believe the upgraders are any more likely to mistreat the rooms as other guests.

My sole concern is that service might go down because of the extra demand at a normally slow time. We already see how the free dining messes with ADRs and TS. (I couldn't even reach WDW DINE yesterday because "all circuits are busy".)



Perhaps the scale is larger this year. I think I've counted 50 SSR rooms going to upgraders in the Resort board poll. Granted there are hundreds more, but since DIS is such a small representation of Disney guests I worry about what that sampling number means.

Also, as I understood the POS Disney owns a percentage of the point totals for the year. So is the percentage so high they can afford to use 50+ rooms at SSR for this program in one month, or are they concentrating their points in this time frame?

Remember that when fully completed and sold SSR will be well over 800 rooms, even if 85% is currently sold to DVC, that is still a lot of rooms under Disney's control.

 

[minnie61650]

I have been wanting to ask this same question but wasn't sure how to word it. In fact I was thinking that these upgrades were reported to be over a 2-3 week period and that some people had been offered them if they would change their vacation from July to August. It does seem that there are a lot of disers reporting getting these upgrades.

The value upgrades to SSR are for those booked over Labor Day weekend.
The upgrages are for those who have check in dates between 8/26 thru 9/1 .


Some of the AKL guests are being moved to SSR in July because of construction.
AKL Floors 4, 5 and 6 are going to be closed.

As far as I can tell those floors are going to be closed around the 7th of July for a week or two (maybe more-I do not know).

 

[BroganMc]

Remember that when fully completed and sold SSR will be well over 800 rooms, even if 85% is currently sold to DVC, that is still a lot of rooms under Disney's control.

I just did the math on that.

SSR has a max room count of 1260. If 85% is member owned (1071 rooms), then Disney has 189 rooms any given night. (I believe that's more than the total number of HA rooms in the resort.) (If we take out the dedicated 2 bedrooms and Grand Villas, that leaves Disney 129 rooms.)

If DISers are reporting 50 rooms upgraded, I'm just wondering how many are out there in the real world.

Sidenote: If CM predictions are correct and SSR sells up by Fall, that will leave Disney around 25 rooms any given night. Could be the days of using SSR as overflow are ending.

 

[Nikki_Mouse]

back to the original question- yes it make me mad that people were offered this upgrade. I stayed at ASMo once- then I purchased DVC for a reason- to receive better accomadations. Yes I am glad for those lucky people- but it is not fair that I have to pay for the "premier" place and they do not. And yes I am going to SSR 9/4-9/9. I hope that I get my grand villa at the requested place- I will be really upset if I do not.

 

[Sammie]

back to the original question- yes it make me mad that people were offered this upgrade. I stayed at ASMo once- then I purchased DVC for a reason- to receive better accomadations. Yes I am glad for those lucky people- but it is not fair that I have to pay for the "premier" place and they do not. And yes I am going to SSR 9/4-9/9. I hope that I get my grand villa at the requested place- I will be really upset if I do not.

They did not upgrade anyone to a Grand Villa, so why would you get upset over not getting your request for a specific location due to the upgrades. There is absolutely no correlation.

Very possibly another member is going to get it.

 

[minnie61650]

It looks like Disney has been upgrading guests to DVC since 1994 at least.

But that was back before the Internet was so popular and most DVC members most likely were happily unaware the upgrades were taking place.

From this thread:

http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=1491673&page=2

.......... . Back in 1994 we were booked at Dixie Landing and they called and asked us to move to OKW and we turned them down...sorry, I just didn't have a clue what OKW was and Dixie was new and thought I was going to be harassed to buy a timeshare....little did I know had I done that, I probably would've bought in then instead of waiting 11 years later to buy in...............

.....

 

[Chuck S]

It looks like Disney has been upgrading guests to DVC since 1994 at least.

But that was back before the Internet was so popular and most DVC members most likely were happily unaware the upgrades were taking place.

From this thread:

http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=1491673&page=2

Exactly, they have always used unsold, undeclared inventory and developers inventory.

 

[robinb]

It seems that SSR has even more visitors ... now AKL refugees are being offered SSR because of AKV construction noise:
http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=1492744

 

[disneynutz]

back to the original question- yes it make me mad that people were offered this upgrade. I stayed at ASMo once- then I purchased DVC for a reason- to receive better accomadations. Yes I am glad for those lucky people- but it is not fair that I have to pay for the "premier" place and they do not. And yes I am going to SSR 9/4-9/9. I hope that I get my grand villa at the requested place- I will be really upset if I do not.

Since when is life fair? Disney is full of policy/program changes that creates a not fair situation. AKV went on sale with the first 150 getting the tapestry. People jumped at it hoping to be in the 150. Disney got their 150 and changed it to all sales in the month of February.

 

[minnie61650]

It seems that SSR has even more visitors ... now AKL refugees are being offered SSR because of AKV construction noise:
http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=1492744

It is more than just the noise issue.
The construction is on floors 5 and 6 but now AKL is also closing the 4th floor and apparently guests were booked on the 4th floor so now AKL has to move all the guests who would normally stay on the 4th floor.

I have read this whole thread and I still don't understand why DVC'ers are so upset about the upgrades. It makes no sense to me and no I was not upgraded. Nor do I want to be upgraded.

I am just happy for the guests who got a little extra pixie dust!

 

[2Princes2Princesses]

I didn't sort through all 22 pages, just the first few. So please forgive me if I repeat or have understood the upgrade incorrectly.

We are staying at OKW 9/4-9/9 and BW 9/9-9/16. I am not concerned with pool chairs, damages, room location (although yes, I admit, if I come home after not getting an OKW room request and find that someone upgraded for the same dates got it, I will have a pang. Moreso because they are upgrading NOW and I requested over a month ago.).

What irks me is the free dining. I have an AP, as well. This is a HUGE discount. Which should, from past policy by Disney, exclude the stay from free dining. Actually, it should exclude the dining plan completely. I could have gotten OKW for much, much less for those 5 nights (I am doing a cash/points combo) with the AP discount, but I would NOT have been able to get the dining plan. So we chose to use the DVC discount, pay more, and add the DDP, because it works for us.

SSR/OKW 1BR at $92 is a good deal without dining. Personally, I would be much less ticked had they offered the $92 room and then offered to let them BUY the DDP as we do. $130 a night for a 1BR villa with dining is a steal.

My AP discount on an OKW STUDIO without dining? $922.00 before tax for 5 nights. I never had issue with free dining not being offered to DVC because obviously, we are getting are rooms at much less than rack if you do the math, which I will not because I suck at it. I accepted that with free dining, discounts do not apply. Apparently, I was wrong.

 

[DVC Grammy]

......... Actually, it should exclude the dining plan completely.......

I think you bring up a very interesting (and good) point, one that never occurred to me............

WHY wasn't this upgrade offered with a choice: phenomenal upgrade vs free dining? Either one is a great deal for those staying in the Values (IIRC, the only ones getting this offer w/free dining; I'm not including those from AKL being offered the move due to noise issues).

I wonder if the non-upgradees (strange word, I know) and others would see this option as more like pixie-dust instead of "all this, and heaven, too"!

 

[Sammie]

I accepted that with free dining, discounts do not apply. Apparently, I was wrong.

They are not getting a discount. They did not call Disney and ask if they could book SSR or OKW for the price of a value and also get free Dining. They booked a value room at rack rate and did everything that is required to be allowed to have a free dining. Disney moved them because of over booking. Never did any of them book a room with a discount.

If the resort they were booked at had caught on fire and they were moving these people due to that, would all of you still be upset.

I am simply amazed at how petty all this is.

Disney is not stopping anyone from booking free dining. You pay rack rates, you can call CRO and you can have it too.

As to anything else it is no different from the fact that if a guest stays at a suite at the Grand Floridian and pays thousands for it, they can not valet park at the Beach Club or BW for free, but DVC can.

 

[Greysword]

Post removed due to being a rant and was not constructive.