BOULDER RIDGE VILLAS & COPPER CREEK VILLAS & CABINS: Wilderness Lodge DVC Expansion Thread

[Music City Mama]

Update on my situation... This morning, I was about to send an email to the DVC owner I'm renting from to tell him about my call from guest services and noticed I already had an email from him. He was telling me about the upcoming construction in case I didn't know and whether I wanted him to check other options for me. He told me that one of his other renters only had AKL and SSR available to them during their dates, but he'll check for my dates. I told him I didn't want BCV or BWV if available because we'll be at one of those next June, had no interest in OKW, SSR or AKL, and I doubt GFV or Poly villas would be available, which left BLT as my only option (which I definitely wouldn't mind, although not sure about staying at a studio there). I asked him, just for the heck of it, to see if they'd transfer the points to a regular room at GF since I was so jealous of the main Lodge folks' upgrades. I told him that I might be willing to stick it out a VWL with a parking lot view for the "no strings/unassigned" FPs I was also told about if I stayed (obviously, they can't offer me a per night credit/discount since it's DVC on points). He had been told about those FPs when called for his other renter and he said that it was 3 additional FPs per day (anything you want/anytime you want) on top of your regular/scheduled FPs. I thought that sounded pretty tempting.

Anyhow, they did the DVC to regular room switch AND I'M STAYING AT THE GRAND FLORIDIAN! They are also giving me the FPs!!! This is going to be the best vacation ever! I paid $12 per point for 116 points. So, I'm getting to stay at GF for 7 nights for just under $1,400.

 

[patty57]

Update on my situation... This morning, I was about to send an email to the DVC owner I'm renting from to tell him about my call from guest services and noticed I already had an email from him. He was telling me about the upcoming construction in case I didn't know and whether I wanted him to check other options for me. He told me that one of his other renters only had AKL and SSR available to them during their dates, but he'll check for my dates. I told him I didn't want BCV or BWV if available because we'll be at one of those next June, had no interest in OKW, SSR or AKL, and I doubt GFV or Poly villas would be available, which left BLT as my only option (which I definitely wouldn't mind, although not sure about staying at a studio there). I asked him, just for the heck of it, to see if they'd transfer the points to a regular room at GF since I was so jealous of the main Lodge folks' upgrades. I told him that I might be willing to stick it out a VWL with a parking lot view for the "no strings/unassigned" FPs I was also told about if I stayed (obviously, they can't offer me a per night credit/discount since it's DVC on points). He had been told about those FPs when called for his other renter and he said that it was 3 additional FPs per day (anything you want/anytime you want) on top of your regular/scheduled FPs. I thought that sounded pretty tempting.

Anyhow, they did the DVC to regular room switch AND I'M STAYING AT THE GRAND FLORIDIAN! They are also giving me the FPs!!! This is going to be the best vacation ever! I paid $12 per point for 116 points. So, I'm getting to stay at GF for 7 nights for just under $1,400.

Wow!! That's fantastic. Good for you.

 

[DisneyWishes14]

I don't know if this is the case, but it's possible they're downplaying this so that clients don't cancel. The agency buys blocks of rooms through Disney Group Sales and they "own" the reservation. If they don't re-sell all of those rooms, they lose money on each un-booked room.

I think you need to read the rest of the posts and get your facts straight before you accuse an agency of trying to downplay a situation. The poster you are responding to was upgraded, by the agency, to GF-LV at the same, discounted WL rate because of the upcoming WL construction. That doesn't sound like downplaying to me. Sounds like a major upgrade and sounds like they are attempting to put their clients' interests first so they can enjoy their vacations and not have to worry about this construction nonsense. And you do not have your facts straight on how Disney group contracts work. Blocks of rooms are set aside to be sold, but no one is "buying" blocks of rooms. The agency only "owns" or has control of a reservation once it is booked by a client and they do not lose money on unsold rooms. Those rooms are simply placed back in Disney inventory by a certain date if they aren't booked. Please get your facts straight. Your speculation on what actually happened here is absolutely incorrect.

 

[BigMommaMouse]

I think you need to read the rest of the posts and get your facts straight before you accuse an agency of trying to downplay a situation. The poster you are responding to was upgraded, by the agency, to GF-LV at the same, discounted WL rate because of the upcoming WL construction. That doesn't sound like downplaying to me. Sounds like a major upgrade and sounds like they are attempting to put their clients' interests first so they can enjoy their vacations and not have to worry about this construction nonsense. And you do not have your facts straight on how Disney group contracts work. Blocks of rooms are set aside to be sold, but no one is "buying" blocks of rooms. The agency only "owns" or has control of a reservation once it is booked by a client and they do not lose money on unsold rooms. Those rooms are simply placed back in Disney inventory by a certain date if they aren't booked. Please get your facts straight. Your speculation on what actually happened here is absolutely incorrect.

Thanks for the information on how it works. I find that stuff interesting. I don't know if you meant to but your post was a bit harsh.

 

[laur05]

Sounds like a lot of people are switching to other resorts. We have decided to stay and see how it is. You think it's going to be less crowded or will those rooms get filled somehow?

 

[BigMommaMouse]

Sounds like a lot of people are switching to other resorts. We have decided to stay and see how it is. You think it's going to be less crowded or will those rooms get filled somehow?

I think it will be less crowded. From information over the last couple of days, they are closing rooms.

 

[cmdg]

I wonder if anyone knows whether rooms at the Villas and/or Lodge would be discounted or priced lower during construction? Thanks!

 

[patty57]

I wonder if anyone knows whether rooms at the Villas and/or Lodge would be discounted or priced lower during construction? Thanks!

I guess that's a possibility. Did they discount at the Poly when it was a construction mess?

 

[WDWKOOK]

I think you need to read the rest of the posts and get your facts straight before you accuse an agency of trying to downplay a situation. The poster you are responding to was upgraded, by the agency, to GF-LV at the same, discounted WL rate because of the upcoming WL construction. That doesn't sound like downplaying to me. Sounds like a major upgrade and sounds like they are attempting to put their clients' interests first so they can enjoy their vacations and not have to worry about this construction nonsense. And you do not have your facts straight on how Disney group contracts work. Blocks of rooms are set aside to be sold, but no one is "buying" blocks of rooms. The agency only "owns" or has control of a reservation once it is booked by a client and they do not lose money on unsold rooms. Those rooms are simply placed back in Disney inventory by a certain date if they aren't booked. Please get your facts straight. Your speculation on what actually happened here is absolutely incorrect.

Obviously, my post that begins with the qualification, "I don't know if it's the case, but it's possible…" has angered you. I apologize for missing the post where the OP who I replied to with that statement, later posted that she was finally contacted by her TA to switch resorts. However, I'm a bit confused. On Friday you posted:

"What your TA told you is correct. Disney isn't doing anything for WL rooms that were booked through group sales (which is what the "magical" deals are booked through) because the rates are already deeply discounted…"

I then replied to you on Friday:

"That's correct. The agency buys up blocks of rooms through "Disney Group Sales" and resells them, so they actually "own" the rooms, which means they run the risk of holding potentially un-booked rooms."

I still stand behind my statement. I'm actually booked with this agency, and I was told by a Disney-certified TA that this is in fact how they are able to occasionally offer rooms at a greater discount than is available to the public, even with pin codes, military rates, etc... I wouldn't have posted this information if I hadn't been told this by a TA, but if it isn't correct, I apologize. With almost 17,000 posts, some are bound to have some errors.

 

[kmorlock]

I think you need to read the rest of the posts and get your facts straight before you accuse an agency of trying to downplay a situation. The poster you are responding to was upgraded, by the agency, to GF-LV at the same, discounted WL rate because of the upcoming WL construction. That doesn't sound like downplaying to me. Sounds like a major upgrade and sounds like they are attempting to put their clients' interests first so they can enjoy their vacations and not have to worry about this construction nonsense. And you do not have your facts straight on how Disney group contracts work. Blocks of rooms are set aside to be sold, but no one is "buying" blocks of rooms. The agency only "owns" or has control of a reservation once it is booked by a client and they do not lose money on unsold rooms. Those rooms are simply placed back in Disney inventory by a certain date if they aren't booked. Please get your facts straight. Your speculation on what actually happened here is absolutely incorrect.

This post is pretty harsh. WDWKOOK is the moderator of this and 3 other threads. For that, some respect is in order. There was nothing accusatory stated in Kook's earlier post. If Kook didn't create this thread and dedicate a lot of time to it, we would all be lost re: this construction. Most of us actually have, or have had a trip that would potentially be affected by this construction. That's why we are here, following posts and informing others of our own outcomes in an effort of helping. Nothing malicious is meant by anyone here, especially WDWKOOK.

 

[DisneyWishes14]

Obviously, my post that begins with the qualification, "I don't know if it's the case, but it's possible…" has angered you. I apologize for missing the post where the OP who I replied to with that statement, later posted that she was finally contacted by her TA to switch resorts. However, I'm a bit confused. On Friday you posted:

"What your TA told you is correct. Disney isn't doing anything for WL rooms that were booked through group sales (which is what the "magical" deals are booked through) because the rates are already deeply discounted…"

I then replied to you on Friday:

"That's correct. The agency buys up blocks of rooms through "Disney Group Sales" and resells them, so they actually "own" the rooms, which means they run the risk of holding potentially un-booked rooms."

I still stand behind my statement. I'm actually booked with this agency, and I was told by a Disney-certified TA that this is in fact how they are able to occasionally offer rooms at a greater discount than is available to the public, even with pin codes, military rates, etc... I wouldn't have posted this information if I hadn't been told this by a TA, but if it isn't correct, I apologize. With almost 17,000 posts, some are bound to have some errors.

I apologize for sounding harsh. Quite honestly, I'm tired of the TA bashing that goes on on these boards, particularly when the speculation and information posted is false. Most TA's work their behinds off to get the best deals for their clients and ensure, as much as possible, that their clients have the best vacation possible. Speculating that this agency is downplaying a potentially large issue that could impact clients, based on false information you received, is a negative statement and is harmful to that agency.

Both of my statements were correct. If you look at another post of mine, you will see where I state that group sales changed their tune in the course of one day with this agency. At first they were doing nothing and by the end of that very same day, they were allowing the agency to upgrade guests. You may have responded to my post stating that the agency "buys" rooms which means they "run the risk of holding potentially un-booked rooms", but that statement is absolutely incorrect regardless of what your TA told you. Perhaps you misunderstood what your TA said. Not all TA's in an agency are actually knowledgeable about how a group contract works. This is why there are expiration dates even on agency discounts. All unbooked rooms go back to Disney inventory by a certain date. The agency runs no risk if they do not book all the rooms in a group block, so, there is no need nor desire on any TA's part to "downplay" a resort issue and put clients in a situation that might ruin their trip.

 

[BMoreWishes]

Kook, I am following your sage advice and heading over to the CR thread. Thanks for your comprehensive knowledge, your helpfulness, and your politeness!

 

[StaciaRae]

Hi! I am following this thread closely! My family and I are making our first ever Disney trip in January (marathon weekend, not participating though) and staying at VWL via rented points from David's. We are bringing two young children (5 and 3) and had planned on mid day breaks for naps so the kids don't get too worn out and crabby. I've read all sorts of different scenarios regarding this construction, some that guests with DVC rented points are locked in with no hope for change, that some are being contacted to see if they'd like to change and that some are being changed without even being notified in advance. From my understanding they are going in chronological order and are now contacting the Oct/Nov guests so we won't know whether or not we'll be changed or offered the change for a while. I am disappointed about the construction but have my heart set on WL (and all our ADRs and itinerary based on this location). Hubby is an electrician and actually intrigued by construction so he's indifferent to the whole situation. I'm sure it'll be fine either way - we'll be out of the frigid NY for a week - yay for weather above the freezing mark!!! Anyways, I just want to thank everyone who's been posting their experiences/opinion/best guesses - because this is our first experience going to Disney AND first experience renting points we are clueless on these types of experiences and this thread has been so helpful!!! So, thanks and please keep posting

 

[PetePanMan]

nothing is opening up yet for VWL (for this December) ...

 

[kiki02]

For July and August, is anything starting to be torn up there? Thank you.

 

[FTM22]

For July and August, is anything starting to be torn up there? Thank you.

Nothing there - check Post 1 of this thread if you want the latest info in the most concise form.

WDWKOOK, you are always on the ball here. I have appreciated this forum and all its information. Just wanted to encourage you!

 

[momtwoboys]

only people booked from oct - dec are being offered to move? we are booked for april and hanging tight for now... rented dvc points from someone so just have to wait until the 7 month mark to jump ship if we can. by then who knows what will still be available

 

[mrs moon]

Just curious, why would you not stay at BWI? I have a Christmastime chapter in my BWI thread, like I do for WL. BWI is beautifully decorated at Christmas and is warm and inviting. It's wonderful being able to walk right into Epcot and DHS from BWI and it's a very relaxed and quiet atmosphere over there. Obviously, the theming is not at all like WL (it's more like GF) so if you wanted to stay at WL, couldn't you stay and accept the $100 per night credit?

Just curious, why would you not stay at BWI? I have a Christmastime chapter in my BWI thread, like I do for WL. BWI is beautifully decorated at Christmas and is warm and inviting. It's wonderful being able to walk right into Epcot and DHS from BWI and it's a very relaxed and quiet atmosphere over there. Obviously, the theming is not at all like WL (it's more like GF) so if you wanted to stay at WL, couldn't you stay and accept the $100 per night credit?



So glad I could be of help, @rachdd. Have you made a decision yet?



It's very common for resorts to take rooms offline that may be impacted by rehabs. Do you still have the option of staying and receiving a $100/night credit? Have you mentioned the GF Spa to DW



Any long-term work that would be disruptive to guests or impact views usually means that at least some rooms will be taken out of inventory for some period of time.



ITA with your recommendation. The impact will most likely be to the South Wing rooms, especially those that face VWL. I suspect some VWL villas that face the pool area will also be blocked from booking.






Since you're staying CL, you could end up with a South Wing room. However, the CL floor rooms don't go beyond mid-Lodge so even those rooms wouldn't directly face the VWL pool area. Unless you're staying in a Deluxe CL room and some of those rooms are at the end of the wing fronting Bay Lake. I would recommend requesting a North Wing room so that you'll be as far from the major work as possible.



Yes, call and ask to speak to Guest Services. Many have posted that they have been offered a credit, a percentage off and/or they could be moved (upgraded). If you prefer a quiet atmosphere, BWI is a very quiet and laid back resort. If your DH's heart is set on WL, you could take the credit and request a North Wing room or perhaps he'd like a FW cabin?



The bolded made me LOL and . I think you'll need to call back and ask for Guest Services and find out what can be done for you. Have in mind before you call back whether you want to move or receive a credit, if offered. Have a resort in mind that would be acceptable to you or stay put and request the North Wing



I don't know if this is the case, but it's possible they're downplaying this so that clients don't cancel. The agency buys blocks of rooms through Disney Group Sales and they "own" the reservation. If they don't re-sell all of those rooms, they lose money on each un-booked room.



Unsubscribe now and completely rid yourself of worry! See you on the CR thread



WOW! Were you booked in a Deluxe room or suite at WL?

No just a standard woods view

So glad I could be of help, @rachdd. Have you made a decision yet?



It's very common for resorts to take rooms offline that may be impacted by rehabs. Do you still have the option of staying and receiving a $100/night credit? Have you mentioned the GF Spa to DW



Any long-term work that would be disruptive to guests or impact views usually means that at least some rooms will be taken out of inventory for some period of time.



ITA with your recommendation. The impact will most likely be to the South Wing rooms, especially those that face VWL. I suspect some VWL villas that face the pool area will also be blocked from booking.






Since you're staying CL, you could end up with a South Wing room. However, the CL floor rooms don't go beyond mid-Lodge so even those rooms wouldn't directly face the VWL pool area. Unless you're staying in a Deluxe CL room and some of those rooms are at the end of the wing fronting Bay Lake. I would recommend requesting a North Wing room so that you'll be as far from the major work as possible.



Yes, call and ask to speak to Guest Services. Many have posted that they have been offered a credit, a percentage off and/or they could be moved (upgraded). If you prefer a quiet atmosphere, BWI is a very quiet and laid back resort. If your DH's heart is set on WL, you could take the credit and request a North Wing room or perhaps he'd like a FW cabin?



The bolded made me LOL and . I think you'll need to call back and ask for Guest Services and find out what can be done for you. Have in mind before you call back whether you want to move or receive a credit, if offered. Have a resort in mind that would be acceptable to you or stay put and request the North Wing



I don't know if this is the case, but it's possible they're downplaying this so that clients don't cancel. The agency buys blocks of rooms through Disney Group Sales and they "own" the reservation. If they don't re-sell all of those rooms, they lose money on each un-booked room.



Unsubscribe now and completely rid yourself of worry! See you on the CR thread



WOW! Were you booked in a Deluxe room or suite at WL?

 

[SnowWhite112]

only people booked from oct - dec are being offered to move? we are booked for april and hanging tight for now... rented dvc points from someone so just have to wait until the 7 month mark to jump ship if we can. by then who knows what will still be available

Have the owner call Guest Services. You might not need to wait until the 7 month mark.

 

[SnowWhite112]

I was planning on staying at the VWL despite construction. I mostly stay indoors and figured that I wouldn't see too much of the construction anyways... But then I began to worry. They really seem to be wanting to move guests out of the WL. Some posters mentioned they are closing down whole sets of rooms. Maybe some rooms will not be available due to overbooking and upon check-in we might be asked to move A quick search on the DIS showed that some guests experienced this around 2007 when another resort was being refurbished.

So, I emailed the owner of the reservation (I rented DVC points for this trip) and she called guest services. They moved me to a Lake View room at BLT, free of charge. I have never stayed there and I'm not a huge fan of the theme, but I'm not risking showing up at the WL and having them move me to somewhere I dislike