disney just called;error in their system

[KSDisneyDad]

It does look like there is limited availability for the few dates that appear to be a problem. However, when I check the Disney website for, say, Aug. 16-20, there is no availability at any value resort. So, if they are moving people to All Stars from Pop, they must have some available rooms stashed away somewhere. If that's the case, they likely have some available rooms at other resorts stashed away, too.

Although moving someone from Pop to All Stars seems to be substantial performance of the contract, as I said in a previous post, the resentment and bad publicity being created by this problem are costly to Disney and its stockholders. Hotel occupancy was down 8% last quarter. This won't help!

I like the question posted by another poster who asked "how would it feel to be moved unwillingly from GF to AKL?" Not good! That's for sure, if GF is what you booked -- with non-stop monorail service to MK. We booked Beach Club CL last year and were asked at the last minute to move to BWI CL due to construction. We were not happy about it. However, they gave us a gorgeous 2 bedroom, 3 bath suite at BWI CL. Had I booked that level of room? No. But did it go a long way toward ameliorating the disappointment we felt at being called about a move two days before our arrival date? You bet! Would we have been angry to be moved to a regular CL room at BWI? Absolutely. We still weren't crazy about BWI (even with the suite) but we'll be back to our BC favorite soon. We're returning because we feel good about Disney. They had a problem but treated us very well in the face of that problem.

The only way to manage successfully the sort of situation Disney is facing is to dip into the coffers and come up with something more than just a room at All Stars. If that's the only place left to put people, then there should be some effort to compensate for the inconvenience. As a previous poster said, that's what companies try to do to keep their customers happy. A gift certificate worth $50 for each night of inconvenience would go a long ways to soothing angry customers and would be less costly in the long run than what they are doing now, IMO.

It seems like some executive has directed that people are to be moved to All Stars because that's where we have room (though the website doesn't show it!) and there will not be any attempt to ameliorate the inconvenience because we're trying to conserve cash as our just published-2nd quarter results weren't so hot.

Fine, but the news today was that the economic recovery is faltering. Disappointed and resentful customers won't be banging down the door to visit again soon!

What's the saying? Penny-wise and pound foolish? Seems to apply here.

hmmm...it looks like the free dining promotion helped with the hotel occupancy issue. I don't disagree with all of your points, but IMHO this post is attempting to make a mountain out of a molehill.

If overbooking the entire WDW resort ever escalated to be a wholesale "problem" for WDW, I think they'd be overjoyed because they could just raise prices or drop the deep discounts and free dining in order to reduce occupancy. They could then make more $$ per guest which is their long-term goal anyway.

Let's face it. This is not a huge news item. There is no public outcry that will have thousands of people refusing to go to WDW. This affects what comes down to a really small number of resort guests. There is no need to over-dramatize the whole thing. It is not like Disney was throwing resort guests out into the streets.

Exactly! Yes, there are some die-hard Pop fans that are rightfully PO'd. But I would speculate that even if the entire 400 families are upset (which they aren't as some were upgraded to other resorts, some were okay with the upgrade to a preferred room at another Value and some probably fought for some other form of "compensation" for the inconvenience that appeased them), that it won't affect the overall return rate among WDW guests. The overall economy will affect it more than this first week of free dining overbooking incident.

 

[MickeyMomOfThree]

You provide an excellent "alternate opinion" and I think it's good for readers to hear.
Disney having so many on-property resorts means there is (almost) always something for everyone!
To be frank, there are only a handful of properties I choose to stay at for various reasons.

Agreed!!!

 

[GoMegGo]

I got the call about my upgrade the same day I did online check-in.

I checked in 2 days before we got the call that we were being moved to ASMu.

 

[mnmhouston]

I apologize if this is a repeat (don't have time to read all the posts here), anyone checking in on or around 8/23 get a call?

 

[keikerr21]

I finally made the decision to move to All-Stars. I was very upset about the situation, as I had my heart set on Pop. I had been reading the boards for months and had really been getting excited about it. I am a bit crushed that I will not get to stay there.

The reason I finally decided to move is that I do not want to arrive and have to be moved. I know there is a chance I would still get Pop, but the stress about it was ruining my excitment. I would rather know now and wrap my head around it. I was also worried that since I am checking in on Tuesday, and the free dp promotion starts two days earlier, there would be less chance that Pop would have rooms as people would already be checked in and not leaving yet.

I have been just trying to aruge with myself that I have never stayed in any Disney resort before, so I really do not know what I am missing except for what I have read and heard from some friends and possibly a newly refurb room.

I did get more compensation than just a preferred room at All-Stars, but I will not disclose exactly what. I will just say that we reached an agreement that took some of the sting out of the move. It was not easy to get anything at all but a move to All-Stars, but I really felt they took away some of the anticipation of my trip. I kind of wish people would not post what they received such as upgrades to Deluxe and such, as it makes those of us who did not get something so great feel gipped. I am happy for those who got those great things and do not begrude them their luck, but I would rather not know the details. I was not going to come to this thread anymore, but here I am. I guess it is like having to look at an accident or something.

Good luck to everyone else in this situation. I hope the situation is resolved for you in a way that makes you satisfied.

FYI, I opened up two rooms for August 17-23 with my move to All-Stars. Two down,possibly 398 to go.

 

[roomthreeseventeen]

keikerr21, I'm glad at least you were able to work something out with Disney. I hope you guys have a really fantastic trip, and experience lots of magic in the parks. Heck, maybe even at the resort!

 

[Jeepchick]

Ok my friends.. I've tired to hold my tongue as long as I can, but I need to speak my peace. I am a frequent poster here on the disboards, but I decided to create a new name for this post (I know, I know.. I hate when people do that) because I am a CM at one of these resorts that has been mentioned. I've worked all over at Disney, including in Guest Relations and Concerige and Front Desk locations. Quite frankly, I've seen my share of angry Guests and you know what? The nasty ones who yell the loudest don't get much of anything. I've seen CMs, including managers, go out of their way to see to it that these Guests don't get ANY compensation that they feel they may be entitled to, whether they are in disney's eyes or not. We can leave comments up and down all of your reservations (dining, resort, etc) that say how nasty you are and not to offer compensation. I've also seen enraged guests who wouldn't take no as an answer get hauled out of the park by the Orange County Sheriffs (not just security) and not only had their annual passes revoked, but been TRESSPASSED, baned from disney property for LIFE as their childen bauled their eyes out, hearing that they'd never get to see Mickey again.

Now, that is an extreme case.. but every single day, I get yelled at by people over things that I have absolutely nothing to do with. You angry that you can't get a reservation at chef mickey's for today? Oh, well then maybe you should have booked 6 months ago when everyone else did. Personally I would never say that out loud, but I've heard the person next to me say it. Reading through most of these posts, I hope to God that I don't get most of you at my station. Next week is going to be hard enough with the sheer number of people - if you CHOSE to book during the free dining promotion, so you knew it was going to be busy. Don't tell me about all the money you're spending, because guess what? So is everyone else! We understand that Disney is expensive, but if it's breaking your budget, then you don't need to come at all. Or, stay offsite and visit the parks for less days.

Please believe me when I say I understand. I was a guest who visited every other year for over 20 years before I moved to FL. Most CMs are. We love Disney and want to help create the magic for you. We can't do that, however, if you don't let us. A large number of us also post on these boards regularly. I hope you all know that this thread is being sent around to different CMs and now we are FOR SURE dreading going to work next week. You may be visiting only for a short time, but this is our everyday life. Some CMs may be so overcome by all the anger that they'll just call-in sick next week so they won't have to deal with it. And you know what that does? It just increased your wait time to check-in, or to get your tickets. I'm sorry if any of you felt that you have been wronged, but I do personally know that this issue next week WAS a computer error. Disney does overbook our resorts by a FEW rooms, never by hundreds.

So please, be kind to your CMs next week. We're trying to help you and we do want to make you happy. By all means, throw your tantrum at Pop. After you've been nasty to the wrong CM, they'll delight in "accidentally" cancelling your Ohana or Le Cellier reservation after you walk away. Or even better, after you get dragged away and kicked out of the resort. I would never do that, but I've seen it happen. You're lucky if you get the CM who, gives an eyeroll behind your back and mutters about you paying less than $100 for a room and nothing for dining. If you're upset with a situation, please explain it to us calmly and rationally. We want to correct it for you - we want to make you happy. But please understand that in some cases, there really is nothing we can do. I'm sorry that a Guest who stayed here last week tried to smoke in her room and set off the sprinklers, ruining her room (not to mention her belongings) and the room next to and below hers. (True story - that why we were oversold one night.)

Moral of the story? You get more flies with honey that you do with vinegar.

Have a magical day

 

[pioneer89]

I'm arriving at Disney on 8/15, and have already checked in online. No change here, but we've been visiting relative in Florida since Tuesday, so if they called my house, I'll never know.

I'm staying for 9 nights though, so I'm guessing I'd be one of the last to get bumped around.

I've stayed at both Pop and all of the All-Stars, and I'd have no problem moving, but only to ASMu. But Pop is different enough from the All-Stars that I can certainly understand people having a serious problem being moved.

It would be like ordering a forest green pickup truck, and having the dealer deliver the same model, except it was red. Sure, it's the same truck, and some people would not care, but it's not what you purchased.

 

[JerseyJanice]

I did get more compensation than just a preferred room at All-Stars, but I will not disclose exactly what. I will just say that we reached an agreement that took some of the sting out of the move. It was not easy to get anything at all but a move to All-Stars, but I really felt they took away some of the anticipation of my trip. I kind of wish people would not post what they received such as upgrades to Deluxe and such, as it makes those of us who did not get something so great feel gipped. I am happy for those who got those great things and do not begrude them their luck, but I would rather not know the details. I was not going to come to this thread anymore, but here I am. I guess it is like having to look at an accident or something.

Lots of people have posted their love for the All-Stars. If you've never been to Pop and can't compare, I think you'll be totally fine. If I had to pick one of them, I'd go with the Music myself.

Best of luck to you. I truly hope you have a wonderful trip.

 

[pioneer89]

I hope you all know that this thread is being sent around to different CMs and now we are FOR SURE dreading going to work next week. You may be visiting only for a short time, but this is our everyday life. Some CMs may be so overcome by all the anger that they'll just call-in sick next week so they won't have to deal with it. And you know what that does? It just increased your wait time to check-in, or to get your tickets. I'm sorry if any of you felt that you have been wronged, but I do personally know that this issue next week WAS a computer error. Disney does overbook our resorts by a FEW rooms, never by hundreds.

So please, be kind to your CMs next week. We're trying to help you and we do want to make you happy. By all means, throw your tantrum at Pop. After you've been nasty to the wrong CM, they'll delight in "accidentally" cancelling your Ohana or Le Cellier reservation after you walk away. Or even better, after you get dragged away and kicked out of the resort. I would never do that, but I've seen it happen. You're lucky if you get the CM who, gives an eyeroll behind your back and mutters about you paying less than $100 for a room and nothing for dining. If you're upset with a situation, please explain it to us calmly and rationally. We want to correct it for you - we want to make you happy. But please understand that in some cases, there really is nothing we can do. I'm sorry that a Guest who stayed here last week tried to smoke in her room and set off the sprinklers, ruining her room (not to mention her belongings) and the room next to and below hers. (True story - that why we were oversold one night.)

Moral of the story? You get more flies with honey that you do with vinegar.

Have a magical day

Throwing a little pixie dust your way for next week.

 

[roomthreeseventeen]

After you've been nasty to the wrong CM, they'll delight in "accidentally" cancelling your Ohana or Le Cellier reservation after you walk away.

I really, really hope this wasn't a CM who wrote that.

 

[keikerr21]

Ok my friends.. I've tired to hold my tongue as long as I can, but I need to speak my peace. I am a frequent poster here on the disboards, but I decided to create a new name for this post (I know, I know.. I hate when people do that) because I am a CM at one of these resorts that has been mentioned. I've worked all over at Disney, including in Guest Relations and Concerige and Front Desk locations. Quite frankly, I've seen my share of angry Guests and you know what? The nasty ones who yell the loudest don't get much of anything. I've seen CMs, including managers, go out of their way to see to it that these Guests don't get ANY compensation that they feel they may be entitled to, whether they are in disney's eyes or not. We can leave comments up and down all of your reservations (dining, resort, etc) that say how nasty you are and not to offer compensation. I've also seen enraged guests who wouldn't take no as an answer get hauled out of the park by the Orange County Sheriffs (not just security) and not only had their annual passes revoked, but been TRESSPASSED, baned from disney property for LIFE as their childen bauled their eyes out, hearing that they'd never get to see Mickey again.

Now, that is an extreme case.. but every single day, I get yelled at by people over things that I have absolutely nothing to do with. You angry that you can't get a reservation at chef mickey's for today? Oh, well then maybe you should have booked 6 months ago when everyone else did. Personally I would never say that out loud, but I've heard the person next to me say it. Reading through most of these posts, I hope to God that I don't get most of you at my station. Next week is going to be hard enough with the sheer number of people - if you CHOSE to book during the free dining promotion, so you knew it was going to be busy. Don't tell me about all the money you're spending, because guess what? So is everyone else! We understand that Disney is expensive, but if it's breaking your budget, then you don't need to come at all. Or, stay offsite and visit the parks for less days.

Please believe me when I say I understand. I was a guest who visited every other year for over 20 years before I moved to FL. Most CMs are. We love Disney and want to help create the magic for you. We can't do that, however, if you don't let us. A large number of us also post on these boards regularly. I hope you all know that this thread is being sent around to different CMs and now we are FOR SURE dreading going to work next week. You may be visiting only for a short time, but this is our everyday life. Some CMs may be so overcome by all the anger that they'll just call-in sick next week so they won't have to deal with it. And you know what that does? It just increased your wait time to check-in, or to get your tickets. I'm sorry if any of you felt that you have been wronged, but I do personally know that this issue next week WAS a computer error. Disney does overbook our resorts by a FEW rooms, never by hundreds.

So please, be kind to your CMs next week. We're trying to help you and we do want to make you happy. By all means, throw your tantrum at Pop. After you've been nasty to the wrong CM, they'll delight in "accidentally" cancelling your Ohana or Le Cellier reservation after you walk away. Or even better, after you get dragged away and kicked out of the resort. I would never do that, but I've seen it happen. You're lucky if you get the CM who, gives an eyeroll behind your back and mutters about you paying less than $100 for a room and nothing for dining. If you're upset with a situation, please explain it to us calmly and rationally. We want to correct it for you - we want to make you happy. But please understand that in some cases, there really is nothing we can do. I'm sorry that a Guest who stayed here last week tried to smoke in her room and set off the sprinklers, ruining her room (not to mention her belongings) and the room next to and below hers. (True story - that why we were oversold one night.)

Moral of the story? You get more flies with honey that you do with vinegar.

Have a magical day

I definitely here what you are saying. When I dealt with the agents, I tried to be as nice as possible and not let my emotions get the best of me. I did get a little upset, but was not in all out B.... mode or anything. I was just upset and frustrated, and I am sure it showed.

I know it is not the person on the phone's fault. I know they are having to deal with hundreds of upset people. I would not want to go to work that day. I used to work for AAA, and believe me, I dreaded when there were heavy snow days in the areas I covered, because you got a lot of angry people.

 

[dclfun]

I have to disagree with this post. Disney prides itself on customer service. That is one of the biggest reasons why they are the most successful theme park in the world. When we visit disney we always stay at the GF. Last year I took my parent's with us. My mom has lung cancer and cannot do extreme amounts of walking so she really doesn't visit the parks, but enjoys being in disney with her Granddaughter (Character meals, pool, etc). Because of this situation I requested a Garden View room in Big Pine Key, which aside from Sugarloaf (Concierge) is the most centrally located building. At Checkin we were told the only Garden View rooms avaialable were in Conch Key (Very Far Away). Without getting angry, I calmly explained the stituation to the cast member and within five minutes they had a lagoon view room in Big pine Key for us. We also received a nice chocolate basket in our room that night, with an apolgy for the inconvenience. So I do believe that Disney does pride itself on customer service!!!!!!!!

What a great story, and I'm so glad they went the extra distance to be sure your Mom had what she needed in terms of view and convenience. Back to the OP in this thread- I'm sure when she explained about the reason for this trip and her husband's military service, that prompted the CM to also go the distance for her. Maybe there weren't many upgraded rooms available but out of all the guests, why not help someone who is serving our country? I guess I feel that Military guests and those that are gravely ill deserve a bit more than others in terms of finding that bit of pixie dust. ---Kathy

 

[baler31]

Ok my friends.. I've tired to hold my tongue as long as I can, but I need to speak my peace. I am a frequent poster here on the disboards, but I decided to create a new name for this post (I know, I know.. I hate when people do that) because I am a CM at one of these resorts that has been mentioned. I've worked all over at Disney, including in Guest Relations and Concerige and Front Desk locations. Quite frankly, I've seen my share of angry Guests and you know what? The nasty ones who yell the loudest don't get much of anything. I've seen CMs, including managers, go out of their way to see to it that these Guests don't get ANY compensation that they feel they may be entitled to, whether they are in disney's eyes or not. We can leave comments up and down all of your reservations (dining, resort, etc) that say how nasty you are and not to offer compensation. I've also seen enraged guests who wouldn't take no as an answer get hauled out of the park by the Orange County Sheriffs (not just security) and not only had their annual passes revoked, but been TRESSPASSED, baned from disney property for LIFE as their childen bauled their eyes out, hearing that they'd never get to see Mickey again.

Now, that is an extreme case.. but every single day, I get yelled at by people over things that I have absolutely nothing to do with. You angry that you can't get a reservation at chef mickey's for today? Oh, well then maybe you should have booked 6 months ago when everyone else did. Personally I would never say that out loud, but I've heard the person next to me say it. Reading through most of these posts, I hope to God that I don't get most of you at my station. Next week is going to be hard enough with the sheer number of people - if you CHOSE to book during the free dining promotion, so you knew it was going to be busy. Don't tell me about all the money you're spending, because guess what? So is everyone else! We understand that Disney is expensive, but if it's breaking your budget, then you don't need to come at all. Or, stay offsite and visit the parks for less days.

Please believe me when I say I understand. I was a guest who visited every other year for over 20 years before I moved to FL. Most CMs are. We love Disney and want to help create the magic for you. We can't do that, however, if you don't let us. A large number of us also post on these boards regularly. I hope you all know that this thread is being sent around to different CMs and now we are FOR SURE dreading going to work next week. You may be visiting only for a short time, but this is our everyday life. Some CMs may be so overcome by all the anger that they'll just call-in sick next week so they won't have to deal with it. And you know what that does? It just increased your wait time to check-in, or to get your tickets. I'm sorry if any of you felt that you have been wronged, but I do personally know that this issue next week WAS a computer error. Disney does overbook our resorts by a FEW rooms, never by hundreds.

So please, be kind to your CMs next week. We're trying to help you and we do want to make you happy. By all means, throw your tantrum at Pop. After you've been nasty to the wrong CM, they'll delight in "accidentally" cancelling your Ohana or Le Cellier reservation after you walk away. Or even better, after you get dragged away and kicked out of the resort. I would never do that, but I've seen it happen. You're lucky if you get the CM who, gives an eyeroll behind your back and mutters about you paying less than $100 for a room and nothing for dining. If you're upset with a situation, please explain it to us calmly and rationally. We want to correct it for you - we want to make you happy. But please understand that in some cases, there really is nothing we can do. I'm sorry that a Guest who stayed here last week tried to smoke in her room and set off the sprinklers, ruining her room (not to mention her belongings) and the room next to and below hers. (True story - that why we were oversold one night.)

Moral of the story? You get more flies with honey that you do with vinegar.

Have a magical day

So if everyone calls in sick and people are rioting in the Pop will the CM's pull a JetBlue Diva, release the emergency fire exits and grab a case of Mickey soap on the way out and say take this job and shove it

All fun aside I do agree that if it stretches your budget you should not try to visit Disney, I also think free dining should just be discontinued. I am sure that is not a popular opinion but it is JMO. I think food quality is way down due to DDP and free dining, JMO.

 

[dclfun]

First off, I plan on asking for new Pop rooms for our trip, but if one is not available, I'll be O.K. knowing that 2003 is the oldest our rooms can possibly be.

Secondly, I've stayed at Pop twice and did NOT have dirty carpets or uncomfortable beds in either room.

Third, it's news to me that AS Movies was recently renovated. I haven't seen that mentioned on any boards, and yes, I have looked.

Fourth, I never had a "miserable saggy bed" at Pop. We even got a brand new, very comfortable mattress in the middle of our stay there in 2008.

Fifth, there are resort activities at Pop. I'm pretty certain all the WDW resorts have them.

Six, it's great for you that you like AS Music better than Pop. If I felt that way, I would have booked AS Music too. I booked Pop on a bounceback offer last year. Disney got a $200 deposit from me last September, and the balance was paid off this spring. I am really glad we're arriving early in the day next week. Hopefully, we will get the rooms we requested (4th floor, Building 6, lake side) without any problems.

And last, may I just say that it's a huge pet peeve of mine when people post that we should feel fortunate to be at Disney? There is someone in my group who is very fortunate to even be alive at this point. All of us feel very fortunate we still have each other, with or without any Disney trip.

We could have chosen to go to an inclusive resort in Mexico for a little more than what we're paying Disney, but we chose WDW and to stay at Pop, so hopefully, Disney delivers on its end.

I also hope you get a newly renovated room! If I had booked last year during bounceback, then I'd hope that my early commitment to another stay would allow me the best chance at the nicest accommodation. I'm not sure how rooms are assigned, but I hope this is the case. Having stayed at both Pop and ASMu frequently, I no longer prefer Pop, as I mentioned mainly due to the difference in the beds. Also, they took out those wonderful icee machines that did make my decision-making more difficult when I had to choose between the two as I have a son in ESRD and he enjoyed them. We never had the activities at Pop that are scheduled at ASMusic-no poolside movies, etc, but then again, perhaps that has changed. Last summer ASMusic was the only one of the All-Stars that had these activities. I just don't want anyone to feel like the All-Star resorts aren't nice, and perhaps for someone who does get bumped, they will have a nicer room there than one of the older ones at Pop.---Kathy

 

[KSDisneyDad]

Ok my friends.. I've tired to hold my tongue as long as I can, but I need to speak my peace. I am a frequent poster here on the disboards, but I decided to create a new name for this post (I know, I know.. I hate when people do that) because I am a CM at one of these resorts that has been mentioned. I've worked all over at Disney, including in Guest Relations and Concerige and Front Desk locations. Quite frankly, I've seen my share of angry Guests and you know what? The nasty ones who yell the loudest don't get much of anything. I've seen CMs, including managers, go out of their way to see to it that these Guests don't get ANY compensation that they feel they may be entitled to, whether they are in disney's eyes or not. We can leave comments up and down all of your reservations (dining, resort, etc) that say how nasty you are and not to offer compensation. I've also seen enraged guests who wouldn't take no as an answer get hauled out of the park by the Orange County Sheriffs (not just security) and not only had their annual passes revoked, but been TRESSPASSED, baned from disney property for LIFE as their childen bauled their eyes out, hearing that they'd never get to see Mickey again.

Now, that is an extreme case.. but every single day, I get yelled at by people over things that I have absolutely nothing to do with. You angry that you can't get a reservation at chef mickey's for today? Oh, well then maybe you should have booked 6 months ago when everyone else did. Personally I would never say that out loud, but I've heard the person next to me say it. Reading through most of these posts, I hope to God that I don't get most of you at my station. Next week is going to be hard enough with the sheer number of people - if you CHOSE to book during the free dining promotion, so you knew it was going to be busy. Don't tell me about all the money you're spending, because guess what? So is everyone else! We understand that Disney is expensive, but if it's breaking your budget, then you don't need to come at all. Or, stay offsite and visit the parks for less days.

Please believe me when I say I understand. I was a guest who visited every other year for over 20 years before I moved to FL. Most CMs are. We love Disney and want to help create the magic for you. We can't do that, however, if you don't let us. A large number of us also post on these boards regularly. I hope you all know that this thread is being sent around to different CMs and now we are FOR SURE dreading going to work next week. You may be visiting only for a short time, but this is our everyday life. Some CMs may be so overcome by all the anger that they'll just call-in sick next week so they won't have to deal with it. And you know what that does? It just increased your wait time to check-in, or to get your tickets. I'm sorry if any of you felt that you have been wronged, but I do personally know that this issue next week WAS a computer error. Disney does overbook our resorts by a FEW rooms, never by hundreds.

So please, be kind to your CMs next week. We're trying to help you and we do want to make you happy. By all means, throw your tantrum at Pop. After you've been nasty to the wrong CM, they'll delight in "accidentally" cancelling your Ohana or Le Cellier reservation after you walk away. Or even better, after you get dragged away and kicked out of the resort. I would never do that, but I've seen it happen. You're lucky if you get the CM who, gives an eyeroll behind your back and mutters about you paying less than $100 for a room and nothing for dining. If you're upset with a situation, please explain it to us calmly and rationally. We want to correct it for you - we want to make you happy. But please understand that in some cases, there really is nothing we can do. I'm sorry that a Guest who stayed here last week tried to smoke in her room and set off the sprinklers, ruining her room (not to mention her belongings) and the room next to and below hers. (True story - that why we were oversold one night.)

Moral of the story? You get more flies with honey that you do with vinegar.

Have a magical day

Great post and some excellent points. It probably won't make a lot of people happy, but I completely understand your points. Here's wishing you the best next week. I like to think that most people will act with dignity in person even if they may be a bit more angry in their written word. However, your examples illustrate that I'm wrong. I can't imagine being banned from WDW!

I finally made the decision to move to All-Stars. I was very upset about the situation, as I had my heart set on Pop. I had been reading the boards for months and had really been getting excited about it. I am a bit crushed that I will not get to stay there.

The reason I finally decided to move is that I do not want to arrive and have to be moved. I know there is a chance I would still get Pop, but the stress about it was ruining my excitment. I would rather know now and wrap my head around it. I was also worried that since I am checking in on Tuesday, and the free dp promotion starts two days earlier, there would be less chance that Pop would have rooms as people would already be checked in and not leaving yet.

I have been just trying to aruge with myself that I have never stayed in any Disney resort before, so I really do not know what I am missing except for what I have read and heard from some friends and possibly a newly refurb room.

I did get more compensation than just a preferred room at All-Stars, but I will not disclose exactly what. I will just say that we reached an agreement that took some of the sting out of the move. It was not easy to get anything at all but a move to All-Stars, but I really felt they took away some of the anticipation of my trip. I kind of wish people would not post what they received such as upgrades to Deluxe and such, as it makes those of us who did not get something so great feel gipped. I am happy for those who got those great things and do not begrude them their luck, but I would rather not know the details. I was not going to come to this thread anymore, but here I am. I guess it is like having to look at an accident or something.

Good luck to everyone else in this situation. I hope the situation is resolved for you in a way that makes you satisfied.

FYI, I opened up two rooms for August 17-23 with my move to All-Stars. Two down,possibly 398 to go.

I'm glad you received something in addition to the resort move. FWIW, we have thoroughly enjoyed all of our stays at the All-Stars. You'll love the pool at the AS Music.

I also feel like knowing the upgrade details sets expectations that everyone should get one or else you didn't get the Disney "pixie dust".

I spend a lot of time on the cruise boards and there are a lot of upgrades posted. Again, I think this causes some cruisers to become disappointed if they don't get one. We've been on 5 cruises (after the one in 3 weeks) and have never received an upgrade. I'm not disappointed as we book the category that we are happy with, but I know from the DISboards that there are cruisers in my category or higher that paid a lot less than me. That's okay as there was no guarantee they'd be upgraded whereas I knew my category.

 

[JerseyJanice]

I also hope you get a newly renovated room! If I had booked last year during bounceback, then I'd hope that my early commitment to another stay would allow me the best chance at the nicest accommodation. I'm not sure how rooms are assigned, but I hope this is the case. Having stayed at both Pop and ASMu frequently, I no longer prefer Pop, as I mentioned mainly due to the difference in the beds. Also, they took out those wonderful icee machines that did make my decision-making more difficult when I had to choose between the two as I have a son in ESRD and he enjoyed them. We never had the activities at Pop that are scheduled at ASMusic-no poolside movies, etc, but then again, perhaps that has changed. Last summer ASMusic was the only one of the All-Stars that had these activities. I just don't want anyone to feel like the All-Star resorts aren't nice, and perhaps for someone who does get bumped, they will have a nicer room there than one of the older ones at Pop.---Kathy

Aw, thanks for your nice post, Kathy. :

I won't be disappointed if we don't get new rooms at Pop. The rooms we had the past two summers were totally fine.

Now, if we don't get rooms at Pop at all, well, that's another issue, but I am hopeful that won't happen. I don't trust the "400" number is accurate, and even if Pop is oversold, it still has lots of rooms.

 

[WavyGravy]

Ok my friends.. I've tired to hold my tongue as long as I can, but I need to speak my peace. I am a frequent poster here on the disboards, but I decided to create a new name for this post (I know, I know.. I hate when people do that) because I am a CM at one of these resorts that has been mentioned.

I too am a Cast Member, and I post regularly here. I agree with the majority of what you're saying: everyone, please keep things in perspective. The frontline Cast Members you'll be working with have nothing to do with resort changes or anything of that sort. Disappointment is understandable, and being upset is something we take to (we are human too!) and will do our very best to turn around. However, rudeness and the taking out of agressions on the Cast Member you work with will yield the same feelings you'd have if someone you'd never even seen before were shouting at you for a situation which you had no part in. For those of us at resorts, we all knew this walking in. It is our day to day reality that we will get yelled at for things that are ultimately not our fault, and most of us really do try to make right what may have happened.

In this particular instance I can guarantee that this was not an intentional situation. Overselling is typical in the service industry, airline flights and hotels being what you hear about most. Disney is not exempt, but these numbers are very small here, generally under one percent per resort (for the sake of numbers, let's say seven at Pop Century), per night of full occupancy... and never purposely are oversold where there wouldn't be comparable or better accommodations on property. Nights that truly are at "full occupancy" are probably about six a year. This situation was most likely the result of resort availability being loaded incorrectly into the system - but I'm not sure of the particulars so I won't speculate. The reality is that we would never intentionally want to oversell by the numbers being talked about here, and with these numbers, the Disney Reservations Center/Outbound Sales is dealing with it at this point, so calling your resort (call center) will not have an impact - they may not be fully aware of the situation. Having said that, and as previously mentioned, all resort reservations have the following Terms and Conditions attached, acceptance implied at the time of reservation, and covers the possibility that your resort accommodation reserved may not be the one you ultimately receive.

Adjacent rooms, connecting rooms or specific room location and types of rooms or bedding are on a "request basis only" and are subject to availability at the time of check in. These requests for specific room type or location may result in additional charges to be paid directly to the hotel.

Disney reserves the right to cancel or modify a room reservation (including after the room reservation has been confirmed) if the room reservation includes or resulted from a mistake or error of any kind, including but not limited to, a mistake or error in the rate, Resort or room type, or where it appears that a Guest has engaged in fraudulent or misleading activity in making the room reservation.

On another note, all of the Cast Members I know would never maliciously cancel dining reservations or anything like that - even for guests who are incredibly rude and abusing of us. That's (obviously) not very toward, and in the end, will only cause guests and ourselves more grief - we'll ultimately have that same guest come back yelling and screaming at us louder than they had before. Not something I or my peers want. Fact of the matter is that we will try to comply to requests where-ever we can, including attempts to get you that impossible reservation at Le Cellier. We may not get it, but we will at least try, even in the face of rudeness.

Please, be nice to those Cast Members who try to assist you. If you're an affected guest, I'm truly sorry for this situation, but again, try to be kind. If you can imagine all the anger/disappointment you may have and then multiply it by ten, then apply it liberally everyday to those are trying to assist you... you can probably imagine that what we do isn't the easiest thing in the world. In-spite of that, many of us still come in with a smile on our faces and try to make vacations as magical as they can be every day - I know I do.

 

[JerseyJanice]

Am I missing something here? Why post this quote:

Disney reserves the right to cancel or modify a room reservation (including after the room reservation has been confirmed) if the room reservation includes or resulted from a mistake or error of any kind, including but not limited to, a mistake or error in the rate, Resort or room type, or where it appears that a Guest has engaged in fraudulent or misleading activity in making the room reservation.

I can't figure out how this has anything to do with Disney selling more reservations than they have rooms.

 

[vicki_c]

Am I missing something here? Why post this quote:



I can't figure out how this has anything to do with Disney selling more reservations than they have rooms.

It's an "error of any kind." I posted that same quote way back on the first or second page, and someone else did after that as well. It's entirely relevant to the situation.