Changes/Upgrades at DVC Properties

[JeannineP4]

As a new DVC owner, I was wondering if anyone has ever been moved to another DVC property or upgraded from what they booked with their points.
Thanks. J9

 

[_auroraborealis_]

it is extremely rare. If you get moved, it's because the room you were supposed to be in is out of service. If you get switched on resort, it's usually switched out to Saratoga or similar, not some magic moment where you book Saratoga and get VGF.

Expect to get the room you pay for.

 

[supersnoop]

As a new DVC owner, I was wondering if anyone has ever been moved to another DVC property or upgraded from what they booked with their points.
Thanks. J9

Exceeding rare. DVC doesn’t overbook. I think I got a better view than I booked once, out of 25 or so reservations.

 

[tjkraz]

As a new DVC owner, I was wondering if anyone has ever been moved to another DVC property or upgraded from what they booked with their points.
Thanks. J9

Hotel industry average occupancy rate is about 50%. Disney hotels are higher (80-90%), which still leaves the typical Disney resort with dozens of vacant rooms to potentially use for upgrades. Sometimes hotels will knowingly overbook cheaper rooms and then upgrade people--better to get SOME revenue rather than letting the high-priced rooms go unbooked. It also increases odds that a customer may like the upgraded room and pay extra for it next time.

DVC is not a hotel. It's a timeshare. Timeshare occupancy rates are near 100%. Aside from a VERY small number of villas (single digits) which may be held back for possible maintenance needs, when a resort is full, it's full.

The ONLY time DVC resorts do upgrades is if they're left short a room due to maintenance. For instance, a resort has 100 reservations for Studios and only 99 rooms available because one was in need of emergency repairs. In that case, they would bump someone up to a One or Two bedroom villa, whatever is available from their maintenance stash. Or it may simply be a view upgrade--paid for a Standard room and moved to Preferred.

When they do upgrade someone, as a practice they'll look for the shortest reservation possible. They won't bump-up someone with a 7-night stay if they could instead upgrade a guest who's there for just 2 nights.

 

[Deb & Bill]

Upgrades on cash reservation happen occasionally. On points, seldom.

 

[disneynutz]

With DVC you will not be moved even if your room has some issues. We had an issue at BWV, I don't remember what it was and maintenance sent us to the front desk to get a different room. The front desk CM began working on getting us a different room and then stated, "oh you are DVC, I can't move you". That was the beginning of us learning about the DVC difference.

Bill

 

[Cyberc1978]

With DVC you will not be moved even if your room has some issues. We had an issue at BWV, I don't remember what it was and maintenance sent us to the front desk to get a different room. The front desk CM began working on getting us a different room and then stated, "oh you are DVC, I can't move you". That was the beginning of us learning about the DVC difference.

Bill

How did they compensate you then? Refund of some or all nights points wise?

 

[tjkraz]

With DVC you will not be moved even if your room has some issues. We had an issue at BWV, I don't remember what it was and maintenance sent us to the front desk to get a different room. The front desk CM began working on getting us a different room and then stated, "oh you are DVC, I can't move you". That was the beginning of us learning about the DVC difference.

Bill

You had a problem serious enough to request a room change but cannot recall what the problem was? Interesting.

You are incorrect to matter-of-factly state that guests will not be relocated if they have problems. We were relocated once. Resort staff was quite accommodating. That was at the Boardwalk back in 2009 or 2010, and I remember the details quite vividly.

 

[NHLFAN]

Last 4th of July we had used our points to book a DVC standard view studio at Poly and when we arrive into MCO we received a call that our DVC studio was not available and they had upgraded us to a Poly Club Level Theme Park View room

 

[disneynutz]

How did they compensate you then? Refund of some or all nights points wise?

Over the years we have had many issues but we have stayed in up to 7 different rooms/resorts in some years. We discovered that the more rooms the greater chance of having something wrong. We have never been offered any points back but have received meals, cash credit on our room folio, deserts delivered to our room, room visits by management, a chocolate photo of the BWI/BWV, and we were crowned family of the day.

Bill

 

[disneynutz]

You had a problem serious enough to request a room change but cannot recall what the problem was? Interesting.

You are incorrect to matter-of-factly state that guests will not be relocated if they have problems. We were relocated once. Resort staff was quite accommodating. That was at the Boardwalk back in 2009 or 2010, and I remember the details quite vividly.

We didn't request the room change, maintenance did. Pretty sure it was at BWV, either when big river grill was exhausting into the rooms or the time that they replaced our refrigerator three times due to installing defective ones during a replacement project.

As far as my relocation statement you are correct, I should have said that it depends on the room issue, who the resort manager is at the time, and other factors. We were told by the front desk that at that time, that day, they didn't move DVC.

Bill

 

[jo-jo]

Once in 11 years, maybe 25 DVC trips. About two years ago, we are waiting for a room ready text. Nothing, nothing. Looked on my tablet, a one bedroom is listed.....no, no, no, what did I do, I don't want to use that many points.......I go to desk. We were being upgraded from a studio. No reason given. It was a 4 night stay.

 

[Ralph&Pam]

Once in 11 years, maybe 25 DVC trips. About two years ago, we are waiting for a room ready text. Nothing, nothing. Looked on my tablet, a one bedroom is listed.....no, no, no, what did I do, I don't want to use that many points.......I go to desk. We were being upgraded from a studio. No reason given. It was a 4 night stay.

The same thing happened to us in June, 2016. We were booked in a SV studio. We were moved to a pool view one bedroom for our 5-night stay (Sunday through Thursday nights). Only time this happened in approximately 50 visits over 17 years since we bought DVC points.

The one bedroom had just been renovated and we were the first post-renovation occupants. In fact, we spotted a couple of small problems where work was incomplete and called maintenance. These were quickly remedied. Perhaps we were beta testers for the renovation.

 

[bobbiwoz]

Once I booked a standard 1 bedroom at BWV, and got pool view. We also got daily housekeeping. I never asked why, we just enjoyed it, no issues with points, it was a great stay.

 

[crisi]

Our one big reported issue was a broken toilet (it was in the second room my parents were in). They did not get moved. The toilet got replaced, and they got cupcakes for the inconvenience.

They cannot move you if they have no where to move you to. And with room occupancy high, that tends to be the case. There aren't a lot of room issues that can't be taken care of in a few hours.

Because of the way points accounting works, they have an issue if they refund too many points. Points translate into rooms, and since there are enough points to book the hotels full, if they refund too many of them, they run out of rooms. That would create issues with timeshare law and create issues with their auditors. So refund of points is really rare.

DVC is a different corporation that the Disney Hotel division - they are both subsidaries of WDC. There are some accounting rules that make it problematic for them to just move you over to the hotel side from the DVC side - basically they need to pay fair market value for the transfer between subsidiaries. DVC doesn't have a lot of cash to do that with - the cash they get is mostly dues (DVD is yet again another subsidiary - so don't look for their cash to be used here). And members would likely balk if they discovered that a lot of their dues were going to pay cash for CRO rooms.

 

[Deb & Bill]

We were supposed to spend a week at the beach with our other timeshare starting Oct 1. Unfortunately, that timeshare was in the direct path of Irma and will not reopen for at least another week. Everyone who was unable to stay will be getting either a refund of the maintenance fee that paid for the week or a credit towards next year's maintenance. I haven't gotten our letter yet regarding the stay, but that is what I have been told. If DVC just refunded all the points for stays impacted by Irma, that would be a lot of points. My guess is they go into their inventory of points to pay for those lost stays.

 

[ParrotBill]

More than 20 years, more than 30 visits, upgraded only once from studio to 1BR at SSR. Surprisingly, another family traveling with us, members only 2 years, were also upgraded at the same time. I had requested Grandstand since we have an ECV. Got a room ready at 9:30 for Paddock while on the ME bus. Went to the desk and asked nicely if we were willing to wait until later, could we try for Grandstand? They said certainly, and then we waited awkwardly there for 15 minutes as they worked furiously on the computers. I felt bad, and told them, if it was difficult we'd make do. They said no, no, it's no problem. Then they told they were done and double checked our numbers for text messages, and informed us we would be in One BR units. Nice.

 

[com_op_2000]

My 5 upgrades that have happened since '93:
1. Once cause of over booking at VWL:
Booked a studio at VWL, when we tried to check-in, we had been upgraded to a WL 2 bedroom lake view suite. Called some family members to come and join us for an unexpected vacation.

2. Once cause of problem with check-in at AKL:
Booked a standard view studio at AKL-Jambo, checked-in, given a room key as the room was supposed to be ready, went to the room, and found suitcases and purse in the room along with the room not being made up. Went back to the front desk, they gave us an on-the-spot upgrade to a savanna view room in another part of the resort plus four free breakfasts.

3. DCL
Reserved an inside stateroom on DVC points but were upgraded to an ocean view room. We did not find out about the upgrade until we got to the room, what a surprise that was. When our luggage arrived it still had the old room number's tags on them.

4. AKL-Jambo
Booked a standard view room at 5 days out due to a last minute change in home plans. Given a Savanna View room.

5. AKL-Jambo
Got another upgrade in Aug ‘16. Reserved a standard studio, on Sunday before leaving the house checked status of points, made a reservation, etc; found that I had more points in my account than I should have and points in Holding that should not of been there. On the way from home to AKL, I called MS, asked for a status of my points, and they stated they saw the same thing on their system.
After being put on hold, MS came back with an explanation, stating that we had been upgraded from a standard to a full-savanna view room. The points in holding are there for the backroom process of the upgrade. Checked my points on Sunday evening and everything is correct. The room we were given was 5268 with no pen in the view except across the savanna.

 

[Andyman33]

we got 70+ points back one year we were there at bwv during construction - it was bad - felt like they were jackhammering the room above us - we had little kids and no naps for about 3 days. I felt that 2 free nights was appropriate and they offered that without me asking

 

[horselover]

Been a member for 8 years. I visit 3 sometimes 4 times/year. I've never been upgraded or moved.