Check-in at BLT...view isues

[Bob Price]

" and so I wound up with the 3rd floor room for our 4 day stay at BLT. They told me there was nothing higher available. I said I would wait. They said there was none and would be none later. I believed them, and had to settle for what I got. I checked in at 11 AM, by the way, so not a last minute trip or late check-in. It was in fact the first 4 days it was open!!! I can tell you definately, 3rd floor leaves alot to be desired view-wise. Parking lot is what you get. However, walking to MK for EMH so quickly and easily, and monorail to TTC to Epcot monorail was really nice. On our last day we walked back to MK Ice Cream Shoppe for a hot fudge sundae. Wouldn't have been able to do that if we had to mess with buses. So the location was a convenience, and it is what sells. The views will always be a problem for the lower floors.

What room number did you have? What was the view designation? Do you have any pictures for work2plays's thread?

 

[anna08]

I have to admit I will be very bummed if we get a 3rd floor MK view with our first BLT stay, but am the sort who will find other things to love about the place. I do think it is prudent for folks who are assigned these rooms on the lower levels to send their comments to dvc member satisfaction team so that maybe this can be improved. I think the December DVC crowds will be a trying time for the CMs there with most folks coming for their first stay then.

 

[mnra]

I agree on your 1 to 6 floor statement. But what REALY TICKS ME OFF is the attitude of the CT desk staff.

We stayed the first week the place opened. The CR staff treated us and others we spoke to like some poor hillbilly cousin checking in to sleep on the sofa. We had an issue with our room and it took 2 days and several phone calls until we met with a CM who held a senior managment position. In the end he made Disney magic happen and fixed the problem too.

My point is the lack of respect and the failure of really meaning, "Welcome Home". I'm going back to the BW!

I agree with this posting. I booked the first day the you could to stay at blt. I had a magic kingdom view on floor four and if you hung off balconey you could see the top of the castle. In addition the contemporary staff was terrible. The girl was rude and even though we came in after 4 our room wasn;t ready. She offered no guidance on where to go except her comment was "here is your key and call this number or they will call you when it is ready. We didn;t get into the room after 5 and when we said we are suppose to have a mk view room they said this is what we have and no possible chance to change. If I had stayed at any dvc property and was not an owner I would never have purchased figuring this was the way they treated their guest. It was by far the worst check in I have ever recieved in 25 years of going to Disney World.

 

[DenLo]

It's very interesting to see the OP's post and how she honestly thinks she is being rewarded for being "assertive". ...

Agreeably we are spending a lot of money to go away but I honestly feel really sorry for the poor Cast Members who have to put up with some of these really aggressive people day in and day out. Show a little respect for these people, will you?

I was assertive (and, for the record, it is possible to be assertive and still be completely polite without any raised voices, yelling, tantrum or nasty behavior).

This me attitude from the OP is sad. That the OP thinks it was something good even sadder.

I've noticed this change in definition of what assertive means. I just checked the dictionary and the adjective is defined as having or showing a confident and forceful personality. Maybe the word forceful is overpowering the minds of these people.

I agree with all of the above posters, being assertive has nothing to do with be rude. A polite request and a smile often works wonders. It makes you feel good and the CM feel good especially when they are able to fulfill your request. And when they can't comply when the request, then a polite thank you is appropriate.

But when it comes to a roll in shower request, I agree that is a need. And the CM should do everything in their power to fulfill the request. And if the CM cannot figure out what rooms have the proper shower, the CM should immediately contact a superior to find out the proper procedure to identify these rooms.

 

[Cmbar]

You could stay somewhere else for one night before you check in. We've done this on our last three trips, partly so that we could check into our DVC resort first thing in the morning. It was our choice to do that, or check in later in the day and get what was available then.

I know this is not the case with the DVC, but my girlfriend was nervous about arriving and checking in about 10 pm on the evening they had to arrive at the GF. We even talked about paying that much (they had a good deal for garden room, but still it was costly). Well they arrived that late and to her surprise they upgraded her to Concierge. So for her the late arrival was a great thing. I don't believe for a second she would have gotten that upgrade if she had arrived at 7 in the morning or even 3 in the afternoon. The late arrival was benefit. Now arriving earlier is only an advantage in room booking if you insist on getting something. So if you get a room and you don't like it you have the option of changing. We probably won't do that, so I will have to see what will happen to us since we will be arriving at 7pm ish with two studio reservation the Saturday before Thanksgiving. I am assuming I will be very lucky to just get two studios on the same floor! And I will be happy as long as both of them have a Lake View!

 

[Deb & Bill]

I agree with this posting. I booked the first day the you could to stay at blt. I had a magic kingdom view on floor four and if you hung off balconey you could see the top of the castle. In addition the contemporary staff was terrible. The girl was rude and even though we came in after 4 our room wasn;t ready. She offered no guidance on where to go except her comment was "here is your key and call this number or they will call you when it is ready. We didn;t get into the room after 5 and when we said we are suppose to have a mk view room they said this is what we have and no possible chance to change. If I had stayed at any dvc property and was not an owner I would never have purchased figuring this was the way they treated their guest. It was by far the worst check in I have ever recieved in 25 years of going to Disney World.

MK doesn't necessarily mean Cinderella Castle. It means MK. I think that is something that most of the guests at BLT don't understand. It was like our California Adventure view from the GC resort.

And when DVC says "after 4" it can mean way after 4. I know we didn't get into our villa at OKW once until about 5:45. And then we had to stand outside and wait for housekeeping to clean up the mess the previous guests had left behind.

 

[dizfan]

MK doesn't necessarily mean Cinderella Castle. It means MK. I think that is something that most of the guests at BLT don't understand.

Based on this description, shouldn't the 2nd floor MK side also be MK view instead of standard?
Also, shouldn't the North side outer C also be MK view since they can see MK?

After looking at pictures from 7218, I'm even more puzzled by the points than I was before.
Second floor MK view, but standard points

 

[WoodysRoundup]

Based on this description, shouldn't the 2nd floor MK side also be MK view instead of standard?
Also, shouldn't the North side outer C also be MK view since they can see MK?

After looking at pictures from 7218, I'm even more puzzled by the points than I was before.
Second floor MK view, but standard points

I have to agree with you. Honestly, your second floor standard room wasn't much different at all from our MK view 7th floor room. You were just a hair closer to the parking lot. It seems to me that the room categories do need to be adjusted.

 

[mnra]

MK doesn't necessarily mean Cinderella Castle. It means MK. I think that is something that most of the guests at BLT don't understand. It was like our California Adventure view from the GC resort.

And when DVC says "after 4" it can mean way after 4. I know we didn't get into our villa at OKW once until about 5:45. And then we had to stand outside and wait for housekeeping to clean up the mess the previous guests had left behind.

Yes and if I leaned out the balconey of this room you could see mk view. I would say I had a nice view of monrail going by and the floirdian. After 4 means after 4. so i guess to you then checking in anytime before midnight would be ok since it is after 4.

 

[wtshirleydvc]

I just returned from BLT (another wait list victory!!) and I think that the place is spectacular. We had a STD Lake View Room on the 14th floor and had a view of MK from our balcony. Even though we had the higher room, I don't think that a room on the 3rd floor is that much to gripe about... unless you just sit in the room all day long and look out the window... but to each his/her own. Oh and we arrived at 10am and our room was ready!!! (it was probably just added to inventory but who cares!)

BLT has the Top of the World lounge that opens at 5pm. We went there every night that we stayed at BLT. You are able to get truly the best view at WDW there, as well as, drinks and good appetizers. Not to mention that you have to be a DVD member and staying at BLT... so the place was not crowded at all. Plus the wishes music is pumped through the sound system during the fireworks.

BLT = A+++ in my book.

 

[Sammie]

Yes and if I leaned out the balconey of this room you could see mk view. I would say I had a nice view of monrail going by and the floirdian. After 4 means after 4. so i guess to you then checking in anytime before midnight would be ok since it is after 4.

I don't think any of us like getting our rooms late but it comes with the territory, book a DVC stay and you are not guaranteed a room until after 4pm and yes it can be much later than that.

 

[dclfun]

I think requests should be granted in this order:

1. To the actual DVC member- not to a guest who has rented points from a DVC member and paid them cash

2. To the DVC member who booked their room earliest and made a request. Those who booked at 11 months out should have priority over those who booked the month prior to check in. I don't agree that it should be the guest who checks in first as not everyone has that possibility.

All the rest is luck of the draw. It all depends on who is checking out the day you arrive and how many guests are checking in, and for how long they're staying.

I find the attitude of the OP appalling but frankly I'm not surprised. People feel entitled and as though they "deserve" something better than others. I see this everywhere. I'll never forget when someone posted that when they told a CM to jump, that CM had better say, "how high" ? With the OP's check in situation though it's such a sad testament to Disney that the manager in charge didn't come out to even speak with the guest, but had the poor front desk CM going back and forth and caving to her demands. For her to state that her room was "unacceptable" , TWICE..isn't being assertive or standing up for herself, it's being spoiled and arrogant. I could care less what she paid- she made the choice to pay cash, and as such had a lower priority than those who used their points.

I hope they reallocate the points at BLT also to avoid disappointment-same as they did at BWV's. There are lots of instances where there is opportunity for disappointment though at every resort. I know with the limited concierge rooms at AKL and having a 50/50 chance of getting a pool view, then when you choose to book CL there are no guarantees. I would never beg to be moved knowing that I bumped someone else. Again, what makes someone's request more special or important than another? Same with BLT- you take your chances and have to accept the room you're given. As DVC members you'll be able to come back. We are so fortunate. Many people save for years and can only come once to Disney. Let's count our blessings instead of having immature demanding hissy fits at the front desk. Life's too short to stress over something that in the long run, is not that important.---Kathy

 

[jcf]

Wow, reading this has got me nervous about Thanksgiving stay.
Despite waiting over 3 hours on the first day BLT started taking reservations, there were no 1 bedroom MK views. So, I was forced to book through MS - a cash reservation (full rate no discount-$600+ night).

I hope I am not penalized because I am not staying on points though I did request a high floor (out of common sense) when I booked. I feel if your paying a premium you should be getting a premium view. Though it would have been sufficient moving from 3rd to 6th. I wouldn't be pleased with 3rd floor view of parking lot and would rather take any lake view at lower cost if given choice.

BTW, I didn't realize when paying rack rate - you get daily housekeeping free.

 

[mnra]

I don't think any of us like getting our rooms late but it comes with the territory, book a DVC stay and you are not guaranteed a room until after 4pm and yes it can be much later than that.

Maybe it is me but why do you think it takes so long to get rooms back up and running.

 

[Cmbar]

Wow, reading this has got me nervous about Thanksgiving stay.
Despite waiting over 3 hours on the first day BLT started taking reservations, there were no 1 bedroom MK views. So, I was forced to book through MS - a cash reservation (full rate no discount-$600+ night).

I hope I am not penalized because I am not staying on points though I did request a high floor (out of common sense) when I booked. I feel if your paying a premium you should be getting a premium view. Though it would have been sufficient moving from 3rd to 6th. I wouldn't be pleased with 3rd floor view of parking lot and would rather take any lake view at lower cost if given choice.

BTW, I didn't realize when paying rack rate - you get daily housekeeping free.

I don't quite understand why you are paying so much for your stay. Did you opt out of using any points so that you could get a MK view instead of a Lake View or was there absolutely nothing available at BLT.. Why didn't you waitlist? I understand wanting to have a MK view, but to pay out of pocket the amount of a small add on in points just to see the MK seems crazy to me. The OP chose to pay out of pocket because she needed to have a MK view I suppose, but I don't feel the least bit sorry for her that she paid a premium and that she got (well should have gotten) less priority than a DVC member staying on points. JMHO!


Edited to say.... I do hope you get your request -especially since you are fellow DVC member and a cool Dis member
We are there the same week but in a Studio, so don't worry we won't be bumping you but I am worried about our placement a bit since we will be checking in later in the day. I am not going to let it bother me though. I promised DH when we bought DVC I would no longer be dissappointed with room view since we can go back often! I am determined to stick to that! Hope you have a great Thanksgiving trip!

 

[Deb & Bill]

Maybe it is me but why do you think it takes so long to get rooms back up and running.

The rooms are not cleaned daily. There are usually multiple rooms and multiple bathrooms in a DVC villa. Not only is the room cleaned, but all the dishes need to be washed as well. You can't get a DVC villa cleaned for turnover in 20 minutes or less.

 

[mnra]

The rooms are not cleaned daily. There are usually multiple rooms and multiple bathrooms in a DVC villa. Not only is the room cleaned, but all the dishes need to be washed as well. You can't get a DVC villa cleaned for turnover in 20 minutes or less.

Didn't ask for 20 minutes and I am well aware of what is in a dvc villas since I have owned at okw since 1993 I was just wondering why it took so long. Is one of the reasons less help over the years or are they doing a better job etc

 

[Chuck S]

Didn't ask for 20 minutes and I am well aware of what is in a dvc villas since I have owned at okw since 1993 I was just wondering why it took so long. Is one of the reasons less help over the years or are they doing a better job etc

Could be lots of reasons. Some people, even members, are just slobs in a hotel or timeshare room. Some housekeepers may have been out for illness or emergencies. Some members may have left late, ven though it is against policy. Someone may have been ill in the room. The sheer size of a villa compared to a normal resort room, then add dishes, hot tubs, stove, refrigerators and microwaves to check and clean if necessary.

 

[mnra]

Could be lots of reasons. Some people, even members, are just slobs in a hotel or timeshare room. Some housekeepers may have been out for illness or emergencies. Some members may have left late, ven though it is against policy. Someone may have been ill in the room. The sheer size of a villa compared to a normal resort room, then add dishes, hot tubs, stove, refrigerators and microwaves to check and clean if necessary.

What I was generally after is are people seeing that the dvc properties are taking longer to recieve their room. Maybe I was just lucky the last 15 years or so but it seemed like the rooms where always ready before 4. My experience with blt (which I hope is not the norm going forward) was that the cm just didn;t want to be bothered.

 

[Chuck S]

What I was generally after is are people seeing that the dvc properties are taking longer to recieve their room. Maybe I was just lucky the last 15 years or so but it seemed like the rooms where always ready before 4. My experience with blt (which I hope is not the norm going forward) was that the cm just didn;t want to be bothered.

We've almost always have had our room ready by 2 at OKW...but there are a handful of times we've had to wait until 5:30 or 6. Remember, too, that BLT is new, so the housekeepers are new to cleaning large villas with kitchens.