Can I Vent, problem with our room at CBR! UPDATE 09/03/08 pg 9

[marimario]

Well, I'm a bit confused, did the OP reserve and pay for a Preferred Room, and DU accept payment? If so, then the issue is in their hands to fix. If not, then it is just a request and as we all know requests are not garanteed.

I am sorry for the OP's situation, as I am sure it has been very difficult to watch your DH go thru this. I hope DU is able to correct the problem for you.

For all of you that have many question about this, I did ask for a preferred room on April and I tough it wat taking care of. Here I copy/paste the email telling me we have the room and the insurance included. Also, we did not wanted the insurance because of my dh health, it was because we live in Puerto Rico and by the time we are planning to travel is a hurracane season.

Here the email:

Hi Ma...!

Good news.....Disney had a preferred location room available with the deluxe dining promo!!!

I went ahead made that change and added insurance.

So, this is why I am soo desapointed

 

[Schmeck]

CBR is even more spread out than CSR. To give you an idea of the scope of the sizes ...

CBR's lake, Barefoot Bay, occupies 45 acres.

CSR's lake, Lago Dorado, occupies only 15 acres.

Overall, CBR has to be much more spread out because it has a bigger "hole" in the middle than CSR does, if you know what I mean. If you walk a lap around CBR's lake, it's 1.4 miles. If you walk a lap around CSR's lake, it's a little more than three-quarters of mile (this figure is approximate, CBR's is exact).

Doesn't CBR still have the island/bridge system across the middle of the lake, cutting the walking sdistance quite a bit if you are on the other side?

 

[CleveRocks]

Doesn't CBR still have the island/bridge system across the middle of the lake, cutting the walking sdistance quite a bit if you are on the other side?

Yes, it cuts down the distance if you're near the bridge. But if you're kinda far from it, like Aruba 55 or 56, walking around (through Barbados and Martinique) may be about the same distance as walking towards the bridge.

The main purpose of that post was just to illustrate the sheer size of CBR.

 

[marimario]

It look like he is working hard to sorve this problem. He said he contact Disney Travel Agency Representative and left a message about the situation.
Also, he contact the agent that supossed to make the room and insurance change and she said she did and that her system show the change.

He still do not know where it went wrong and quote:
"Hopefully we will be able to get to the bottom of that mystery as well."

I will keep it posted

 

[Aliceacc]

Good-- it sounds as though they're making an honest attempt to make this right.

And you do have time on your side; 6 weeks is a lot of time for them to sort it all out.

 

[Luv2Roam]

The OP stated they "changed" their room type to preferred, and the TA was "able to find a prefered room". I take that to mean they were also paid more for the preferred room, and not making it a request. (OP correct me if I am wrong. Otherwise as someone pointed out this was merely a request, and one that many ask for.)
It does sound like the TA is working their best to correct a situation.
Hopefully all will work out and your vacation is great! Good luck, and keep us posted!

 

[rie'smom]

Personally I think it was a good idea by Disney. I can just imagine how many calls the front desk gets in a day. There may be guests that need the front desk for something but this way the call center can answer most questions.

If a manager is truly needed the call will be sent to them.

There are many on here that think they need to call the front desk to check on their reservations. A CM at the front desk doesn't need to take time away from guests for these types of calls.

I am sure they also get frivolous calls that are best handled by a call center.

I am sure Disney isn't the only company that does this.

It's perfectly fine to have a call center dealing with reservations and those who are checking on reservations.

I think a solution would be to have the front desk only accessible to guests staying in the hotel.

By not being able to access the desk while a guest in the hotel, there's a disconnect with the staff and you lose the personal touch that once made the Disney hotel's reputation.

Other companies might do this but not at most deluxe hotels. These places know that their guests expect the highest standards in customer service and they provide it. That's one reason that many people here on the DIS say that the WDW hotels are not true deluxe hotels. They don't take that extra step to make their guests happy. The buildings are pretty, the lobbies impressive, but it's all flash.

 

[mmmears]

It's perfectly fine to have a call center dealing with reservations and those who are checking on reservations.

I think a solution would be to have the front desk only accessible to guests staying in the hotel.

By not being able to access the desk while a guest in the hotel, there's a disconnect with the staff and you lose the personal touch that once made the Disney hotel's reputation.

Other companies might do this but not at most deluxe hotels. These places know that their guests expect the highest standards in customer service and they provide it. That's one reason that many people here on the DIS say that the WDW hotels are not true deluxe hotels. They don't take that extra step to make their guests happy. The buildings are pretty, the lobbies impressive, but it's all flash.

I agree completely!

 

[marimario]

Well, I received an email from the director/owner of DU ( I did not know this) and told me he is doing everything he can but there are no preferred room available on any of the moderate resorts. He asured me the medical needs room sometime are in better location than preferred room. He will send me the room location as the Disney rep assured him he will let him know this today.

Does any of you had stay on this room??? Do you know the exact location??? How are they??? I didn't know there where such a room. Is this the same as handicap rooms???

Had to tell dh and he was not happy about it, bu I hope that when they send me the room locaion he change his mind...

 

[eeyorethegreat]

When you made the changes from reserving a standard room to a preferred room, you should have gotten a whole new set of reservation papers. The ones that indicate your Resort, room type and requests along with your balnace that needs to be paid. I have always gotten a new set of these every time any change was made in room type, Resort, or even applied discounts. Check on those and see what it has to say you are booked in that may help getting the situation resolved. If you can get what you have to match up with what they have somewhere it might help to get things resolved. It sounds like DU is really doing all they can to make this right for you. that it gets fixed and your mind can be eased before your trip.

Meanwhile you might want to think about how you are going to deal with it if you don't get in the area you would like. I know wheel chairs are are available at the resorts free of charge and perhaps if the walking is too much he could use one of those. Also the busses do travel throughout the resort so if you have to you can get to a bus stop and take it to Port Royal diminishing his walking time. Also as someone mentioned you will have a fridge in your room so regardless of where your room is it would be a good idea to keep some healthful snacks in your room in case he needs them. Also remember that there is a huge amount of walking in the parks. Have you thought about perhaps renting an ECV either offsite to be delivered to the hotel or directly at the parks? That might help to relieve some of the strain he might feel. Also stop on over to the DISability board they will have lots of suggestions to help make your trip as stress free as possible regardless of how the room situation turns out. Good luck !

 

[SueM in MN]

Meanwhile you might want to think about how you are going to deal with it if you don't get in the area you would like. I know wheel chairs are are available at the resorts free of charge and perhaps if the walking is too much he could use one of those. Also the busses do travel throughout the resort so if you have to you can get to a bus stop and take it to Port Royal diminishing his walking time. Also as someone mentioned you will have a fridge in your room so regardless of where your room is it would be a good idea to keep some healthful snacks in your room in case he needs them. Also remember that there is a huge amount of walking in the parks. Have you thought about perhaps renting an ECV either offsite to be delivered to the hotel or directly at the parks? That might help to relieve some of the strain he might feel. Also stop on over to the DISability board they will have lots of suggestions to help make your trip as stress free as possible regardless of how the room situation turns out. Good luck !

wheelchairs are available on a first come, first serve basis at resorts. But, there may not be one available when you get there, the one that is available may not be the correct size or several people posted recently that it was not in good shape.
If you think you may need a wheelchair or ECV and don't want to rent one ahead of time, I's suggest taking along the phone numbers of several of the off-site companies (there are a bunch listed in the disABILITIES FAQs thread - link in my signature).

Well, I received an email from the director/owner of DU ( I did not know this) and told me he is doing everything he can but there are no preferred room available on any of the moderate resorts. He asured me the medical needs room sometime are in better location than preferred room. He will send me the room location as the Disney rep assured him he will let him know this today.

Does any of you had stay on this room??? Do you know the exact location??? How are they??? I didn't know there where such a room. Is this the same as handicap rooms???

Had to tell dh and he was not happy about it, bu I hope that when they send me the room locaion he change his mind...

I'm not sure what medical needs your DH has. There are wheelchair accessible rooms (both with roll in showers and with tubs that have grab bars) at various places in each resort. There are also rooms set up for people with hearing problems, but not any other specific medical needs.
As was already mentioned, all the CBR rooms have refrigerators.

The preferred rooms are a specific area, but some non-preferred rooms may be just as close - only across a bridge instead of of on the same side of the water.
Good luck.

 

[FireDancer]

Going to the wdwinfo resort page will get you the numbers directly to the resort. The number directly to CBR is 407-934-3400. I apologies if this was already posted as I didn’t read the entire thread.

 

[MollyMoo]

I agree completely!

I can only imagine how crazy things could get if every guest at the resort could pick up the phone and instantly be connected with a person working the front desk. Hundreds of rooms, thousands of guests ... it boggles the mind! Think of how crazy it is when one of the ME busses pulls in and everyone enters the lobby to check in.

I also know that many, many, many calls to the desk are frivolous ... perhaps not to the caller but why bother someone at the desk about a wake up call, a few extra pillows, or dinner reservations? These can be filtered through a call center and handled quickly and I am sure more efficiently using their current system. The system may well allow for direct connection with the desk if warranted, but most of the time I would guess it isn't.

If I want to get up close and personal with someone at the front desk I can simply go there and make my request or express my concern in person.

 

[Amy&Dan]

As soon as you see which room you are in, let us know. I have stayed in Barbados (the second furthest out location I believe) and the walk to Old Port Royale was seven minutes at a leisurely pace. The walk to the bus stop was about two minutes. And there is an internal shuttle that circulates CBR, its a regular bus, air conditioned and seemed to be very frequent and reliable (vs. the golf carts at CSR and we never saw any such thing at POR). You will also have a quiet pool (or the main pool depending on where they put you) very near your room at CBR.

It sounds like they are really trying to make amends, mistakes happen but it really stinks when they happen to you! Espeically given your husband's scenario.

I will also add that I have done preferred several times and always gotten what I paid for (and we always check in very late). So again, while mistakes happen, I think in most instances you do get what you pay for.

CBR is spead out but its not as bad as many people make it sound unless you are in Trinidad South. But I would be highly amazed if they put you in that section. I am betting they will put you somewhere in Martinique, in one of the rooms that are very near preferred (there has to be a cutoff and literally you might get the one that is next door to a preferred room but is considered standard) or maybe Aruba, very near the bridge which is also like getting a free, preferred room.

And make sure that you are refunded the cost difference of a preferred room that I assume you have already paid for. And maybe tell them to knock off one night for all this headache.

Keep us posted and I am so sorry this happened. But I do want to add, CBR is wonderful, once this is all worked out (and it will be) you will be so happy there I am sure.

 

[undertheradar]

Why is the OP due a partial refund or a free night? Her trip is 6 weeks away and the travel agency is attempting to resolve the new issues(room location and type). The OP has failed to answer whether or not she has paid for the upgraded room or if she assumed that Disney was doing an upgrade due to the request. OP, which is it?

Moderate resorts are large and hard to get around for any guest, not just guests with special needs. Reading the boards, it would be impossible to grant every guest's requests. People are posting about bad room views, noisy locations, long walks, tree in views, etc. The internet has created a needless pursuit of the "perfect" room. When my family goes on vacation to WDW, we are there for the parks and the atmosphere, not the view from our room.

 

[Amy&Dan]

Why is the OP due a partial refund or a free night? Her trip is 6 weeks away and the travel agency is attempting to resolve the new issues(room location and type). The OP has failed to answer whether or not she has paid for the upgraded room or if she assumed that Disney was doing an upgrade due to the request. OP, which is it?

Moderate resorts are large and hard to get around for any guest, not just guests with special needs. Reading the boards, it would be impossible to grant every guest's requests. People are posting about bad room views, noisy locations, long walks, tree in views, etc. The internet has created a needless pursuit of the "perfect" room. When my family goes on vacation to WDW, we are there for the parks and the atmosphere, not the view from our room.

CBR offers, preferred location rooms. Its not a request. Its a paid for, upgraded category. And one I assume the OP paid for and upgraded to back in April when her husband began to have health problems. Sort of like if you paid for an MK Tower room at the CR and got a nice view of a tree in the garden wing instead. Now in that case, wouldn't you expect to get your MK Tower upcharge back? Same thing here. Now suddenly, this OP finds out DU didn't quite do what they were supposed to even they told her (she has email proof) that they did. I mean I assuming that any Dreams agent knows enough to know that a preferred location at CBR is not a guarantee unless its paid for in advance. So that is where I get that she is owed a refund for that nightly rate difference that in fact she is not getting now.

I agree that some of these requests people on the dis make get really sort of silly. But this time, it isn't a rant about not getting a towel animal or "request". Its a valid complaint about someone who seemingly went through all the required hoops to insure that her ill husband could have a nice vacation.

Now then, all that said, if the OP didn't pay for the preferred room, then that is different. I am getting that she did, because I can't imagine Dreams (a Disney speicalist) telling her a request for that category was all set. They would have known that to insure that, she'd have to pay for it ahead of time.

This is all very confusing! Its confusing that the moderates have these various "preferred" categories and I think a lot of people are unclear what they are and how they go about getting them. I am not saying the OP was confused but then again, this may be her first trip to WDW or this resort so who knows? The bottom line is that if she was told by her Travel Agency that this was going to happen and she paid for it, they need to make it right, refund the money if she paid it and maybe do some sort of compensation for all this trouble. If they just put it in as a request and made her feel like it was a guarantee, they need to educate all their TA's about this type of booking catergory. And still compensate her for something since at the very least, they had a total breakdown of communication. And now given the date, its too late for her to switch to say POFQ.

 

[lisaanddenny]

did you pay for a preferred room or not, did you get billed for a preferred room in April, you should have your credit card bill and anytime they change a reservation you should of got a new confirmation with the correct changes, but if your just requesting a preferred room, I don't get it, requests at hotels are requests...if you paid for preferred, you win hands down, if you just requested preferred, that is a luck thing, preferred rooms are not disablity rooms........my brother had a handicapped room at CBR, first floor and a handicapped shower but still had to walk a lot, in his case, he was in his wheelchair and we had to walk a lot. no one is going to guarantee you a preferred room if not paid for in advance............. i would never rely on an email, i would need to see my confirmation with changes, I trust no buisness!

 

[Amy&Dan]

deleted.

Well actually with that many people you were over the legal limit for that room anyway. I am amazed with six people total, you could book CBR at all. Their room limit is five, if one of them is under three. The only time six people can get into any one room at WDW is at some of the deluxe's that have daybeds and again, one of them would have to be under three and in a crib. CBR never allows six that I know of.

 

[CleveRocks]

deleted

I'm assuming this is a joke ... right???

 

[marimario]

Why is the OP due a partial refund or a free night? Her trip is 6 weeks away and the travel agency is attempting to resolve the new issues(room location and type). The OP has failed to answer whether or not she has paid for the upgraded room or if she assumed that Disney was doing an upgrade due to the request. OP, which is it?

Moderate resorts are large and hard to get around for any guest, not just guests with special needs. Reading the boards, it would be impossible to grant every guest's requests. People are posting about bad room views, noisy locations, long walks, tree in views, etc. The internet has created a needless pursuit of the "perfect" room. When my family goes on vacation to WDW, we are there for the parks and the atmosphere, not the view from our room.

After reading all your post I went to check on the list of abbr OP. I did'n find the answer on the list. So I'm asuming when your guys are talking about OP is me, sorry I didn't ge it.

When I ask for a preferred room back in april my TA send me the quote for that specific room and the insurance at that time. We didn't have any problem paying the extra $$ for preferred. Now when you use a travel agency like DU they send you a link and a res. # so you can acces your res. In there they have a table where it describe Your Name, Arrival Date, Departure Date, ect. and the amount you paid. They do not break it down ex: room $$ tickets $$, Insurance $$$, dinning pkg $$$. ect. It just show the total $$

After reading all your post, I will ask my TA to send me what I paid but broken down. Do I paid for a preferred room? I do not know but now I will ask for sure. I'm asuming I did paid since I told her to added.