Because of Frances, I couldn't get to either home! (long)

[LakeAriel]

About a year ago as my daughter and I were about to enter a cab to Amtrak the driver told me Amtrak was about 12 hours behind schedule due to a derailment. Thank God for him! I quickly confirmed with Amtrak and canceled the cab. No way was I staying in the Orlando train station! I immediately went to a kiosk and was told there were no rooms available should the train not leave till the next day. I asked for a manager on the phone and had to get pretty assertive. As a DVC member I did expect some assistance and I got it. The CM told me how many points I had and what Disney Hotels had a room. She also said the luggage would be brought over by them. We checked the luggage again and put our backpacks in the lockers and used the pool for the afternoon. We then had dinner in the Whispering Canyon and awaited updates. We left Orlando at about 11PM instead of 4PM but the CM helped us to be prepared for the worst! We knew we would have a room to place our heads overnight, need be. Thank you DVC!

 

[kda]

FYI -- The current rack rate for a BWV 2 BR on the WDW site is $608 -- DVC rooms are outrageously expensive!

Other people have posted that they were offered rates at the regular resorts that were comparable to the current specials that were offered for September (ie, $199 + tax for a regular room at BC). $450 for a 2 BR doesn't sound like price gouging. Too high for me to ever pay cash for, but not even close to rack rate.

I can't imagine what it was like to be there as a guest or to try to provide some type of services to guests and all those who chose to evacuate their homes. Thank goodness it's over, and hopefully there won't be another difficult time with the next storm.

 

[DrTomorrow]

Originally posted by kda
FYI -- The current rack rate for a BWV 2 BR on the WDW site is $608 -- DVC rooms are outrageously expensive![...]

FYI - the Regular Season rate for a Lagoon View GF room w/2 Queen beds is $455. So for $153 more, you get a 2 BR DVC Villa in a great location, that sleeps 8, has a full kitchen, Master Bedroom w/Jacuzzi, washer/dryer, etc. At least by comparison, that's not outrageously expensive to me - YMMV.

 

[lurontravel]

PLEASE!!!
Not to blast anyone here, but I live in Florida, and I understand that a risk of living here is hurricanes. I would think that most, if not all people who live on this planet are aware of the risk of hurricanes in Florida. All of us have a responsibility to make plans for a disaster whether we live or vacation here. Those plans include, but are not limited to evacuating the threatened area, going to a hurricane shelter (these are always free), finding a friend or relative to stay with, or avoiding the area during hurricane season. DVC and WDW do NOT have a responsibility to anyone except their current guests (including those in Fort Wilderness), and the employees (and their families) that Disney requires to stay on grounds during a storm. Disney is in a tough spot, and they (IMO) do a fabulous job. They do NOT have an obligation to do more then that. Anyone who thinks that DVC has any other obligation to members is not looking at the "big picture".

PS I had reservations for 9/5-9/8 that I cancelled on Thursday afternoon, and DVC did allow me to cancel it without penalty. I am sure that this was done to minimize the number of guests on property during a storm, and to free up another room for an employee who was staying on grounds as a mandatory requirement. I work in a hospital, and we "slept" on floors, stretchers, in the cafeteria, as well as a few empty patient beds and empty stretchers in between our shifts during the over 50 hours I was required to be there. I am sure that DVC is reimbursed to correct $ value from Disney to cover the cost of the rooms, and I am sure that it is mandatory that they cover the $ value under a state law, even if the rooms are used during a disaster . That is why people are charged the usual and customary points or the $ amount that would usually be charged. DVC can't change that, though because we are a timeshare, but Disney CAN change the room rates of their other hotels and resorts (as long as they don't price gouge) b/c they don't answer to timeshare laws.

PPS Yes, we sustained damage from Frances to our roof, fenceing and landscaping, and are aware that we took a risk living in Florida of sustaining damage from a hurricane, and choose to continue to live (and work in the nursing and medical field knowing that we have to be available to our vocation during a disaster) where we do. My parents house in Punta Gorda sustained roof and landscaping (and more) damage from Charley. No, I'm not unsympathetic on unempathetic, just being a realist.

 

[anniet]

You are absolutely right! And when I signed my DVC contract with Disney and they said I wasn't buying anything except accomodations subject to availability, I shouldn't have even expected THAT!

How stupid of me!

Sorry, but I did NOT want to go to a hurricane shelter set up for residents of Florida and take provisions away from those who they were meant for when I had plenty of points and a Disney Visa card with a limit that could buy me six months of accomodations.

There's also a thing called Customer Loyalty, and while I commend them for what they did for cast members and current guests, DVC members are LOYAL customers to them, and they should reciprocate that loyalty. I wasn't trying to check in for a relaxing vacation!

I'm sorry about your home and your family's home, and I pray Ivan moves away from Florida, God knows the residents of that state have been through enough but I think those are entirely separate discussions.

 

[Sammie]

Originally posted by anniet
You are absolutely right! And when I signed my DVC contract with Disney and they said I wasn't buying anything except accomodations subject to availability, I shouldn't have even expected THAT!

How stupid of me!

Sorry, but I did NOT want to go to a hurricane shelter set up for residents of Florida and take provisions away from those who they were meant for when I had plenty of points and a Disney Visa card with a limit that could buy me six months of accomodations.

There's also a thing called Customer Loyalty, and while I commend them for what they did for cast members and current guests, DVC members are LOYAL customers to them, and they should reciprocate that loyalty. I wasn't trying to check in for a relaxing vacation!

I'm sorry about your home and your family's home, and I pray Ivan moves away from Florida, God knows the residents of that state have been through enough but I think those are entirely separate discussions.

Accomodations subject to availability as determined by Disney, not by a guest observing people in the lobby or hallways. Many Disney CM's had to work, but did stay at the resort. Many resorts were indeed full but might not have appeared that way.

 

[CarolA]

It is my understanding Disney held the rooms for (A) locals who were homeless and (B) their CMs. Also, Disney was not booking rooms since they were concenred that they had no one to clean them! (The CMs were understandly busy and might not be able to get in to clean!) And I can gurantee that somewhere a guest was complaining about the room ont being cleaned. LOL!



Personally, at some point I would have started calling local hotels looking for a room. (I also would have considered driving NORTH! My father has just now notified me he is on the road again! This is his THIRD evacuation! Trust me he does not consider Orlando to be far enough and I wouldn't either anymore!)

A Florida hotel cannot evict you. They can raise your room rate to the highest posted rack rate. (ie. the Christmas rate!)

My suggestion is to let go.... it all worked out in the end. Write the letter if you want, but just let go.. sometimes we tend to let the small stuff in life upset us. The fact that you lived through Frances should be the most imporatant thing, not that you had a period of homelessness.

 

[DrTomorrow]

Originally posted by anniet
[....]when I had plenty of points and a Disney Visa card with a limit that could buy me six months of accomodations.[....]

Listen to CarolA's advice - let it go.

 

[Johnnie Fedora]

Annie,

How silly of you, don't you know Disney handles everything correctly, never fails at anything in the customer service field, and does it's best to accomodate everyone...always. You know...like those Vero Beach DVCers who were booted to the street w/o even an attempt to offer an Orlando DVC resort substitution.

What is very clear is that DVC should be examining their disaster policies a little more closely. It certainly didn't seem to be well thought out at VB. You would think they would have had a better policy for an Ocean front property (subject to manditory hurricane evacuations) then pushing the guests out the door, while wishing them good luck and magical day.

With people canceling WDW trips left and right and being unable to fly in, I'm sure Disney had space. I doubt locals flock to the Disney resorts first, as they are the most expensive in Orlando.

Glad it all worked out for you, but I would only let it go after I send my comments to DVC.

 

[mkkim]

Here is my post from another thread.......

We too were stuck!
Same situation here. Same time frame too. We had to extend our stay from Friday night through Monday night. On exeception at 4:30 on Thursday afternoon we were told that no rooms were available at the Lodge and that we would have to stay at the Villas. I could not pay the 455.oo for the the two bedroom rate and had no other option but to use points... yes that's right 60 points per night for Fri. and Sat. and 30 pts for Sunday. I do not feel that they handled the situation well at all! I was forced to drain every point I have till 2006! I found out that the extended discounted room rate at the Lodge for the same time period was 109.00 per night !!! I know that the Lodge and DVC are two different animals and should not be compared BUT due to the unforseen act of nature I thought DVC would have reduced the pt. rate per night at least! They know that they were not going to fill the room in the villas because most flights were cancelled and most incoming guests were not coming in. I got to sit in my two bedroom for two days watching the wind and rain. Lots of fun. My vacations to Disney will be put on hold for quite some time. I have emailed Member services about my unhappiness and await an answer. I expected more from them.

 

[nntucket]

Here is my post from another thread.

My Very Bad Experience With Member Services

Last week, I had a very bad experience with DVC Member Services. We were staying at the Beach Club Villas for the week, and like everyone else, we were watching Hurricane Frances, because our plane was scheduled to leave on Saturday afternoon. Very early Thursday morning, we learned that the Orlando Airport would probably be closed on Saturday. (It actually closed at noon on Friday). I then called the airline and found that our Saturday flight was cancelled and that the earliest that we might be able to book a flight back to Boston would be Monday. Consequently, I called DVC Member Services when the office opened at 9:00 A.M. I explained the situation and asked to extend our stay at the BCV until Monday. The response was "No, every room in Disney World is booked through Monday." I explained that my family had no where to go and asked if there was anything that DVC Member Services or Disney could do to help us, considering the unusual circumstances. The DVC cast member responded, "No, you will have to leave the Beach Club on Saturday by 11:00 A.M. and find other accommodations elsewhere." I again asked if there was anything that she could do for us and the response was a very cold "No, you will have to leave by 11:00 A.M. and make other arrangements. Good bye." She then hung up on me. In my long experience with DVC and Disney, I have never experienced such cold indifference from any cast member. Since I had called right at 9:00 A.M., I was one of the first, if not the first person that this cast member had spoken with that day, so I cannot attribute her attitude to a long day. I can only conclude that she was giving the response to my questions that DVC had instructed her to give. But she was so cold and openly hostile to me during the conversation, that I was shocked. Throughout the conversation, I was polite and calm, but after I hung up, I was so stunned by the conversation, that in that moment, I never wanted to have anything to do with DVC again. (In the past, we have visited Disney on more than 20 occasions).

In the next few minutes after my conversation with DVC Member Services ended, I discussed our options with my wife, and then called to try to rent a car in order to drive out of Florida. At that time, the TV Stations were reporting that all roads out of Florida were jammed. In any event, none of the car rental agencies had any cars, so that was not an option.

Finally, I walked over to the front desk at the Beach Club to see if they could do anything for us. The clerk at the front desk (not a DVC employee) was very reassuring and said that Disney had told them to find a way to extend the stay of any guest that was in the Disney hotels. After about 30 minutes, we were informed that we could stay in our 2 bedroom at BCV until Monday, or longer if we needed to.

I really don't understand what was going on with DVC Member Services that their information was so different from the information that the front desk had received. The DVC cast member that I dealt with made this a really bad experience. Frankly, I may never again have the same warm feelings toward DVC that I had prior to this experience.

 

[mkkim]

nntucket...

I am with you... my warm and fuzzy feelings that I ALWAYS have for Disney are fading. And I am a true fan. Things have now changed! I am very sad about the way we were treated and truly expected more from Member Services and Disney in general.

I hope that I get a positive response from MS.

 

[DrTomorrow]

And pardon me for saying so, but I've never seen such self-centered attitudes here on the DIS before.

"For Frances, the Red Cross provided two mental health counselors to help the more than 5,000 people crammed into Palm Beach County's largest shelter."

"I think everyone is concerned, concerned about their livelihood, their property, their families. All the things you've worked so hard for," she said, "can be taken away in a single day."

"Emergency officials ordered the total evacuation of the Florida Keys on Thursday, giving nearly 83,000 residents plenty of time to flee Hurricane Ivan's deadly winds, which flattened most of Grenada. [...] It has already killed 23 people in five countries."

Thousands of people packed like sardines into shelters; people losing possesions, homes, jobs; people dying. But gosh-darn it, Disney just didn't come through with the warm, fuzzy, pixie-dust feelings.

Guess everyone has a different idea of what's important....

 

[SoCalKDG]

I posted this in that other thread as well.


I have to wonder if some of these people working during these disasters wish they could be with family, at their homes, etc.

No matter how good or professional you are, natural disasters aren't something you can ever practice for, since the emotional impact is so dramatic.

This would help explain why some CM's might not be at their very best during these times. I think we should cut them some slack during these trying times.

 

[mkkim]

DrTomorrow,

PLEASE, GIVE ME A BREAK!

This a DISNEY Forum and I am stating a valid DISNEY issue. I am glad I got home safely and I am very sorry for those suffering through the devastation of Frances. I do my part through the Red Cross. You were not there through this storm, you did not go through the stress my family and children (who were very upset!) went through, you did not have to scramble to find airflights (and have no idea when you were getting home!) , you did not have to find a a room, you did not lose your points (in fact enjoy your next vacation at SSR this X-mas!). You might think differently if you were in our shoes. Yes this is what matters to us right now at this point in time. It's our problem just as everyone has their own problems. The problems of the people in Florida do not make my problems any less significant! This is what matters to me at this point in time.

Think about it!

 

[DrTomorrow]

Originally posted by mkkim
[...] The problems of the people in Florida do not make my problems any less significant! [...]

I'll let this speak for itself ....

Be well, mkkim!

 

[Johnnie Fedora]

Dr Tomorrow...I'm going to disagree with some of your statements. Everyone feels terrible for FL residents who have or are going to suffer loss this year. But, if I take your logic a step further...with all the tragedy in the world, how can any of us be "self-centered" enough to post about vacations on a webboard??

Being displaced as a traveler and worrying about shelter for you and your family during a hurricane hardly qualifies as "self-centered" in my book. There may be many DVCers who had a poor experience and won't post about it here. I hope they at least write MS and let them know their opinions. What happened to the VB guests was wrong, and there should have been a DVC plan to offer those guests something at WDW in the event of a mandatory evacuation.

With Ivan on the way, we may be seeing more of these "hurricane troubles" posts. These posts may appear petty, unless of course you happen to be the DVCer affected. I'm glad people post their stories as they give me needed info and things to keep in mind if I'm ever vacationing at WDW during another hurricane (we were there for Charley).

 

[rsschneck]

This thread is getting pretty heated. I know how the folks felt being told there were no WDW rooms available. I was on the phone constantly between family, airlines, car rental, MS and reservations. Then needing to get gas and food, etc. etc.

It was a very uneasy feeling to think you might be stranded in the middle of a hurricane. I felt very relieved when I was able to secure a room for my Sister and her family. I was willing to take any room and pay any point price to make sure my sister and her family were safe.

Every time I made a phone call and no one was willing to help they would say "Have a Magical Day!" I think that p'd me off more than made me feel magical.

I can empathize for the other travelers at WDW during the hurricane. I sympathize with all Floridians. These hurricanes are natural disaster's that we have no control over.

Only God knows the outcome and there was no room at the inn for him when he was born. Things always seem to work out. Keep the faith. Pray for all of those Floridians that are still dealing with the hurricanes.

 

[SoCalKDG]

I think that people need to remember that the very people we hope will make our vacation magical are the ones going through the actual problems of the hurricanes.

We fly in, have fun, fly out. Maybe we lose 3-4 days of happiness while encountering anxious moments. This shouldn't be diminished.

We just can't forget that the CM's across WDW are losing out on much, much more. It should be expected that their performance isn't going be what it normally would be, and there shouldn't be anything wrong with that, in times of emergancy.

I'll be flying in on the 18th, after Ivan is gone. I imagine that some of the CM"s I'll come across may have other things on their minds.

If people write in to MS, I hope it is constructive criticism that is given, along with deepest felt sympathies for whats going on there in Florida.

By the way, I'll probably change my mind about Disney if they try and close one of the parks while I'm there.

 

[Sammie]

Originally posted by Johnnie Fedora
Dr Tomorrow...I'm going to disagree with some of your statements. Everyone feels terrible for FL residents who have or are going to suffer loss this year. But, if I take your logic a step further...with all the tragedy in the world, how can any of us be "self-centered" enough to post about vacations on a webboard??

Being displaced as a traveler and worrying about shelter for you and your family during a hurricane hardly qualifies as "self-centered" in my book. There may be many DVCers who had a poor experience and won't post about it here. I hope they at least write MS and let them know their opinions. What happened to the VB guests was wrong, and there should have been a DVC plan to offer those guests something at WDW in the event of a mandatory evacuation.

With Ivan on the way, we may be seeing more of these "hurricane troubles" posts. These posts may appear petty, unless of course you happen to be the DVCer affected. I'm glad people post their stories as they give me needed info and things to keep in mind if I'm ever vacationing at WDW during another hurricane (we were there for Charley).

Well actually I agree with Dr. Tomorrow and I agree with you. I read many posts about "Vacations from Hell" and you know I just don't see it. I mean there is so much more to worry about. Yes I have had vacations that were not so great, but it was not the end of the world as it would seem to some.

I guess I just don't sweat the small stuff and I see alot of small stuff posted on these forums.

I do think that people that come to Florida during hurricane season have to assume some of the responsiblity if things don't work out the way they hope.

We were at WDW during Charley. It was certainly not the most fun vacation we had ever had, but I would never complain about it or what we had to do to be safe during that time. We were at the Grand Floridian at the time and yes it was a disappointment to have the pool closed early so they could prepare the area, it was disappointing to be a MK resort that we booked so we could enjoy E-Ride night, to have the park close early and E-Ride cancelled. But we got over it and would never voice any concern over the changes. Sometimes what we like for a company to be able to do and what they can actually do are not the same. That does not make them wrong.

I think the thing to remember is if under normal everyday operating conditions you do not recieve the treatment you deserve as a paying guest you have a legitimate complaint. If you complain during a major natural disaster, then you just look petty.