Bumped for Free Media Room

[Song of the South]

So, I had a reservation last weekend in a 1 bedroom at VGF. The day of our arrival I received a phone call from Member Services saying that I was being bumped. I posted about it over on the "Miscellaneous" board when it happened.

Fast forward to this morning at work, where a colleague whose partner is a Disney media reporter for a famous Disney blog, tells me he mentioned the situation to his partner who said the reason we were bumped was so that media could come in for the weekend to stay at the new VGF rooms and be at the resort.

I am beside myself with anger over this situation. It puts the total lack of compassion, care, and lack of apology in perspective. This wasn't an accidental breakage situation. This was a purposive and willful last minute choice to prioritize media over DVC members.

Has this happened before? Is it standard procedure when opening a new DVC unit? What do y'all think about this? I am floored.

 

[peabody58]

Sorry this happened to you. The VGF2 new resort studios are all studios. There are no 1 BR's in the new room inventory. So I'm not sure how media getting placed in a Resort Studio impacts your VGF1 1 BR.

 

[Judique]

So, where did you get bumped to?

Never mind - I read on Mousecellaneous.

Sorry that happened to you. I certainly would not want to be bumped from The MK area to Riviera. It's not always about the room. For those who love Riviera - fine. I think it's beautiful, but not my cup of tea as far as transportation options and area. I won't ride the Skyliner. That leaves - nothing? If I wanted to go to HS and Epcot.

And, the whole point of staying in a MK resort for me would be walking to the parks.

 

[Brian Noble]

a colleague whose partner is a Disney media reporter for a famous Disney blog, tells me he mentioned the situation to his partner who said the reason we were bumped was so that media could come in for the weekend to stay at the new VGF rooms and be at the resort.

Disney bloggers are rather infamous in that they are sometimes wrong but never in doubt.

In other words, I’m not sure I believe that this is what happened—particularly in light of the fact you were originally booked in a 1BR and none of those are new. Could it have happened!? Sure. But there are a hundred other reasons it might have gone down this way and some of them are (much) more plausible.

 

[Allison]

They are making an assumption that doesn't hold up very well.

 

[tjkraz]

Fast forward to this morning at work, where a colleague whose partner is a Disney media reporter for a famous Disney blog, tells me he mentioned the situation to his partner who said the reason we were bumped was so that media could come in for the weekend to stay at the new VGF rooms and be at the resort.

If Disney were hosting bloggers to showcase the new rooms, wouldn't they have put the bloggers *IN* the new rooms?

(None of the new rooms at VGF are One Bedroom villas.)

 

[Sandisw]

Lots of assumptions being made by those that one was the reason for the other.

Just because they had media people in a 1 bedroom, doesn't mean what you were told isn't true....your room could have been the last one booked. For all we know, this room was booked for them at 11 months or when they knew opening would take place, using DVDs own points.

I am sorry this happened to you and I know it was frustrating.

 

[bumbershoot]

he mentioned the situation to his partner who said the reason we were bumped was so that media could come in for the weekend to stay

How could his partner POSSIBLY know this?

And if the point was to stay at the resort in question (as you said the partner said), why would your room be changed?

 

[Narcoossee11]

1st...... this happens ALL the time for many reasons. Resorts over book and move guest around every week for some reason. Most guest really don't care.
2nd........ you don't have to move. They tell you that but the most the time they will just go to the next person the list.

### The caught to #2 is if you are at the bottom of the list, your choice my be nothing.

Don't take it personal. Enjoy your trip

 

[Skicks35]

1st...... this happens ALL the time for many reasons. Resorts over book and move guest around every week for some reason. Most guest really don't care.
2nd........ you don't have to move. They tell you that but the most the time they will just go to the next person the list.

### The caught to #2 is if you are at the bottom of the list, your choice my be nothing.

Don't take it personal. Enjoy your trip

I'm sorry, but this is not an acceptable rationale (Disney's - not yours!).. We are expected to make a ton of plans (most of which based off of a hotel reservation made 11 months in advance) and Disney can just up and change it right before check-in b/c they overbook?

I get it, things do happen, but a VGF trip would be very different from a RIV trip: I might schedule more time at MK; I might schedule more ADRs (again, planned out 60 days) at GF Cafe, or Citricos for convenience. Will Disney then reimburse me for ubers needed to get to the existing ones at my first resort? Or will they offer new ADRs at the new resort? Will they replace MK park reservations with EP or HS park reservations, even if sold out?

I would be livid if this would happen to me after all the planning that goes into a Disney trip now. I would absolutely expect some kind of compensation for the inconvenience.

 

[kristenabelle]

I'm sorry, but this is not an acceptable rationale (Disney's - not yours!).. We are expected to make a ton of plans (most of which based off of a hotel reservation made 11 months in advance) and Disney can just up and change it right before check-in b/c they overbook?

I get it, things do happen, but a VGF trip would be very different from a RIV trip: I might schedule more time at MK; I might schedule more ADRs (again, planned out 60 days) at GF Cafe, or Citricos for convenience. Will Disney then reimburse me for ubers needed to get to the existing ones at my first resort? Or will they offer new ADRs at the new resort? Will they replace MK park reservations with EP or HS park reservations, even if sold out?

I would be livid if this would happen to me after all the planning that goes into a Disney trip now. I would absolutely expect some kind of compensation for the inconvenience.

If you ask repeatedly and nicely but firmly, they will absolutely make some of these concessions. We were bumped from Poly to Grand (my family hates the grand, I have a soft spot for it), and we got Disney to comp our Ohana breakfast, plus access to the GF club for snacks/drinks. It's definitely less of a move than from GF to Riv, but I think politely explaining your itinerary and how you crafted it around a specific resort helps when it comes to guest recovery

 

[Skicks35]

If you ask repeatedly and nicely but firmly, they will absolutely make some of these concessions. We were bumped from Poly to Grand (my family hates the grand, I have a soft spot for it), and we got Disney to comp our Ohana breakfast, plus access to the GF club for snacks/drinks. It's definitely less of a move than from GF to Riv, but I think politely explaining your itinerary and how you crafted it around a specific resort helps when it comes to guest recovery

That's nice to know that they do have precedent for guest recovery in these scenarios, but you are right: Poly > VGF would be a much easier pill to swallow.

I'm just surprised that this seems to be more common than I would expect.

 

[supersnoop]

1st...... this happens ALL the time for many reasons. Resorts over book and move guest around every week for some reason. Most guest really don't care.

DVC does not overbook. The only reason this should happen is if a room is uninhabitable due to a maintenance issue.

 

[pianomanzano]

No option to stay on the cash side or even club level at VGF?

 

[Simba's Mom]

But they didn't know about this problem, and that they were going to need to bump you until the day OF?

 

[kes601]

They certainly wouldn’t be showing off the resort right now with all the construction going on, and as others have said if they want the “media” to see the new rooms they would put them in the new rooms, not in a separate building. I’d be frustrated, annoyed, livid, etc. as well, but take what you were told with caution. It’s doubtful it’s true.

ETA: The bloggers were certainly here the first 2 or 3 nights in the VGF2 rooms…..

 

[MinnieSueB]

I can give you a plausible scenario. We were in a 1 bedroom VGF just a couple of weeks ago. We came in from Epcot Extended Hours about 1am. DH pulls down the new murphy bed for my DD & the headboard which weighs about 10lbs falls! Can you imagine if that happened while my daughter was sleeping? Next morning we call maintenance in & they realized they have problems. Remember these were just installed. The contractor who put these new beds in wasn't able to get to VGF that day. Maintenance realized they were now going to have to check EVERY murphy bed that was installed so perhaps they were still having issues with them??? Who knows but I would have asked to be moved to the cash side of VGF - sorry this happened to you.

 

[kristenabelle]

But they didn't know about this problem, and that they were going to need to bump you until the day OF?

Yeah, sometimes I guess between guest transitions issues are found and/or they take longer to correct? We got a call the day we were moving from BoardWalk - luggage was already sent to Poly and we were in DHS until we got our room number (I was in the middle of Galaxy's Edge and let it go to voicemail, so I still have the sad news typeout (attached)). We were told our Bungalow had a mechanical issue, which could've been frustrating at best (maybe no/bad AC?) and dangerous at worst. It sucks, I won't lie - especially when folks seem to get random upgrades sometimes. But it's better than having a bad, non-functioning, or unsafe room.

Note pollination and grand for Radion, voicemail's translation of the hotels

 

[Sandisw]

I'm sorry, but this is not an acceptable rationale (Disney's - not yours!).. We are expected to make a ton of plans (most of which based off of a hotel reservation made 11 months in advance) and Disney can just up and change it right before check-in b/c they overbook?

I get it, things do happen, but a VGF trip would be very different from a RIV trip: I might schedule more time at MK; I might schedule more ADRs (again, planned out 60 days) at GF Cafe, or Citricos for convenience. Will Disney then reimburse me for ubers needed to get to the existing ones at my first resort? Or will they offer new ADRs at the new resort? Will they replace MK park reservations with EP or HS park reservations, even if sold out?

I would be livid if this would happen to me after all the planning that goes into a Disney trip now. I would absolutely expect some kind of compensation for the inconvenience.

There are terms that say that things can happen and you may need to be moved.

And, while they do not intentionally overbook, it has happened. Also, sometimes they know of an issue in a room that needs to take a room out of service…that doesnt happen that same day.

So maybe it was one of those things?

 

[Leight19]

There are terms that say that things can happen and you may need to be moved.

And, while they do not intentionally overbook, it has happened. Also, sometimes they know of an issue in a room that needs to take a room out of service…that doesnt happen that same day.

So maybe it was one of those things?

Any idea what the requirements are for them bumping people? Do they have to provide you a room or technically can they just leave you with nothing? If the have to provide room how do the rules work in terms of what they provide? Can they offer you a downgrade and if so do they still charge the same points?