disney just called;error in their system

[Pumba's Truth]

...Unless I have missed it, no one in these 11 pages has thought about PAYING to stay at Mod or Deluxe instead of taking the AS switch? Is that not an option?

No don't think you missed it, I didn't see it either. However, what has been the consensus, is that there are no rooms available at the Mod or Deluxe level.

I'm trying to check online right now.

OK ... having just checked (Aug 16 - 22) . There are no rooms at all. None of the resorts have any, value/mod/deluxe ...none nadda.

Now that's not to say that there aren't some that are being held back for this scenario.

OK .. also the way in which I searched was for a room for 2 Adults and 1 child for 6 nights. This may not be the exact situation the OP has but it gives us an idea.

Even checked for just 2 adults 6 nights, nothing.

 

[StacyMarie]

No don't think you missed it, I didn't see it either. However, what has been the consensus, is that there are no rooms available at the Mod or Deluxe level.

I'm trying to check online right now.

Even if there are rooms at the mods and deluxes, I don't think Disney is going to fill them all up with free upgrades to the people from POP. They might give some of them to the overbooked people, but I also think they will reserve some of their inventory at the mods and deluxes for people booking last minute trips who are willing to pay for these rooms.

Edit: I wonder if the first week of FD and the last week of summer vacation before school starts has to do with no availability.

 

[Have3Kids&aHusband]

I would be very disappointed & upset if I had to switch resorts. My husband & I were planning on staying at CBR with our family to save some money. Our friends stayed there prior to having children and said the theme is great but very spread out. We could end up with a lot of walking to do with our 3 children 5 years and under. She also gave other reasons why to wait til they're older to stay there. After reviewing our plans and seeing we were going to spend most days at MK we switched to WL. It has the boat to MK and everything in the resort is not too far for the kids to walk. We really would love to stay at Poly, but it would have taken us way over budget. That being said, the only other deluxe comparable to WL in pricing is AKL. We would be very upset not because of theming. It looks great, but the location is far from MK. I don't think our children would fare well at night on the longer return to our hotel. It would definitely leave a bad feeling for us. I totally understand why people are disappointed about the switching of resorts. Yes, Disney has covered themselves legally, but if this happened to anyone who has posted that Disney has the right to do so, I don't think they would be so happy with it. My sister didn't have this happen at Disney, but it happened to her when she traveled to Chicago. She, her husband, and 2 small children just spent 12 hours traveling by car to get there. When they got to their hotel, they found out it it was overbooked. They had prepaid for the room. The hotel said they would pay for the room at another hotel. Well it turned out to be a big mess. They were billed by the other hotel on their credit card which the first place was supposed to pay. It took months to resolve the issue. I know you don't have to worry about the money part when Disney switch's resorts on you. But it still can be a hassle for you and it would be nice to be compensated some way or another for having to change resorts. Hopefully everything works out well for those who have been asked to switch.

 

[tami82]

This thread has really made me stop and think about Disney's reservation system, something I never gave a second thought to once I had my room booked at the resort of my choice(after much thought and consideration)Call me nieve, but it never occured to me that Disney overbooked, the room I just reserved and recieved a confirmation for maybe is not "really" available at all and Disney just took my $$$ and will hold onto it for months, money I gave freely in good faith and yet might find out at a later day I gave them the $$$ for nothing other than the priviledge of staying somewhere on site depending on some over booking error on their part.

You really have to wonder what they are doing with the dining reservations also, probably way overbooking them too

 

[KELLY]

Even if there are rooms at the mods and deluxes, I don't think Disney is going to fill them all up with free upgrades to the people from POP. They might give some of them to the overbooked people, but I also think they will reserve some of their inventory at the mods and deluxes for people booking last minute trips who are willing to pay for these rooms.

Edit: I wonder if the first week of FD and the last week of summer vacation before school starts has to do with no availability.

The thing is they did. There are at least 2 people on this board that are starting vacation at the same time. They got upgraded to CR. So it is just that some have gotten a huge upgrade while others have been given the all stars. There is nothing wrong with either to me but I can understand why people are upset.

 

[wdwfan16]

Wow, I step away from the computer for a couple of hours and am amazed about this situation. I do have to say, I've been there and this has also happened to me. I was booked for the A/S Movies (before Pop openned) and arrived with my grandson (6yo) and told that my medically guaranteed non-smoking room was no longer available and was being moved to A/S Sports unless we wanted a smoking room at Movies -- did you notice the "guaranteed" part. No matter how much I complained or how disappointed my GS was, I was moved to Sports or I could just leave. I had no ground to stand on because my DH was a CM and we had a discounted room. I know how disappointing this can be and I'm thinking if an upgrade was available, I'm sure Disney would be offering it, but obviously there's nothing available. I'm booked to stay at Pop throughout the first weekend of F&W and I would love an upgrade, but I'm OK with Pop. But if I get an offer like the OP, then I too would not be happy, especially since I booked Pop in Oct. 2009 as a BB. Does anyone think it has anything to do with the QS DDP and keeping the value folks at a value resort because of the QS availability. I will be watching this situaiton.

I am sure this is part of it. I am also wondering if only FD people are getting the bump or are people on other package or room only discounts getting the bump too.

Many more pages since I last read. Time to read back some.

 

[mickey2000]

Although this doesn't affect me directly, I guess what bothers me the most is that Disney is one of the few travel places in the world that requires you, the customer, to (a) pay $200 just to book your reservation; and (b) pay off the entire trip 45 days before you actually get there. And they don't really give you much leeway on either of those, a little, but not much. But, Disney, the seller and who wants your money, can change your reservation less than a week before a trip a reservation the customer may have booked up to a year in advanced and had completely paid off 40 days earlier. And Disney knows that more likely than not that, this late in the game, most customers are stuck with still coming bc they have had to take time off of work, etc. It just stinks.

And having been to all of the All Stars and Pop, they are not created equal. Pop is much preferred to me and I would also be particularly ticked - esp bc I find Sports and Music to be VERY boring since neither theme interests me at all. Now, when DS gets older and may be into sports, I may have to stay there if he is really sweet in asking , but I'm planning on avoiding it like the plague for as long as I can.

I agree with the above! POP ALL the way !!

Or an upgrade !

I would call the front desk manager at POP for help!
Once when I went to OKW at check in I was told "Sorry we have rented out your 1 Bedroom " !! We can move you to a studio
I asked may I speak to the manager. When he arrived I recognised him from the GF the year before. He asked "What can we do to help"?
I asked if he was the former manager at GF and he said yes. I politely asked to be sent to the GF where he use to work. After a few minutes on the phone off I went back to the GF again
Thus I do believe that a manager can help more than guest services. JMO !

 

[TinkerBelle_325]

I'm not involved in this particular situation, however, this has happened to me a WDW and they handled the situation entirely differently!

In 2006, my family and I were booked at Coronado Springs for a week in August. We arrived and our first night was fine. However, on our 2nd day we received a call from the front desk informing us that an Insurance company had booked the entire resort for a convention and that they were overbooked by about 100 rooms. This convention was taking over the entire resort and had even booked the Dig Site pool for 3 days straight.

This is where our story becomes dramatically different.

They apologized for their mistake and the inconvenience. We were offered a room at any Deluxe resort of our choice.

We opted for the Yacht Club, AND they gave us a waterview room because that was the category that we booked at CSR.

For those involved in this situation, speak to supervisors, managers, write letters to the President of the Walt Disney World Resort (Meg Crofton), the General Manager of Pop Century etc.

Don't give up so easily. You should be compensated for their mistake.

 

[Bradsdadg]

I don't see the huge deal here. Pop is Pop. All Stars are about the same. It's not like you're booking the Poly and they have to move you to ASMOVIES. Eh, I wouldn't let it ruin a great upcoming vacation.

 

[StacyMarie]

The thing is they did. There are at least 2 people on this board that are starting vacation at the same time. They got upgraded to CR. So it is just that some have gotten a huge upgrade while others have been given the all stars. There is nothing wrong with either to me but I can understand why people are upset.

I saw those posts too! One was even an upgrade from Pop to contemporary. I think they ran out of rooms at the deluxes to upgrade people too, the mods are pretty booked as well, and now all they have left to offer people is a switch to another value. I think it is time for Disney to move onto offering them something else if they have to switch to another value, maybe a gift card, etc.

 

[stepdisney]

First of all, let me say that I do not have a dog in this hunt (so to speak). As a DVC owner, I don't worry about these things. That being said, I posted on this thread to give my support to the OP and anyone else who may be getting the short end of the stick on this. You plan, and save, and save some more to take your family on a special vacation and then a week before you arrive, Disney throws you a curveball. Legally Disney has the upperhand; however, from a customer service standpoint they are messing up big time. If they truly don't have rooms at the higher levels to move people, then at the very least there should be some other form of compensation: a gift card, a discount, fastpasses, or something. To those of you who think it is OK for Disney to move them to just another value resort because "that is all they paid for", I have a question for you. How would you feel if Disney handled all of the reservations this way? For example, what if you could no longer reserve a specific resort, but instead could only reserve a resort category? You could choose Value, Mod, Deluxe, or Villa. Then a week before you arrive Disney sends you an email telling you what resort you are "assigned" to. My guess is that probably would not be acceptable with you, so why should it be acceptable to these unfortunate people?

I totally agree. This is what I posted. They have taken away the OP right to choose a resort. I also do not have a nickel in this quarter (so to speak). Just supporting the OP.

 

[chicagodisneyfan]

I'd be super pissed if this happened to me. If I didn't care about the quality of Resort I could save a TON of money and stay OFF-SITE. You just cannot compare PC to the AS. I would have canceled my vacation and re-booked another time.

Glad we're staying at the Poly in Sept.

Hope everyone has a great time anyway.

What? They are both values, with as much ambiance as a motel 6. How do you figure POP is better?

Double beds, no hot tubs, no nice restaurants, no slides, outdoor corridors, buildings made of cement block with a coat of paint slapped on them, loud food courts, etc.

I have stayed at all the values (at least twice) and they are all equally poor.

 

[StacyMarie]

OP, please keep us updated as I would like to know how they resolved this in your situation!

 

[Schmeck]

What? They are both values, with as much ambiance as a motel 6. How do you figure POP is better?

Double beds, no hot tubs, no nice restaurants, no slides, outdoor corridors, buildings made of cement block with a coat of paint slapped on them, loud food courts, etc.

I have stayed at all the values (at least twice) and they are all equally poor.

So have we (although not twice) and are staying at Pop this next trip. For the price, Pop offers it's own bus, and has about 1/3 the population as the AllStars. For me, that's a big difference. Now, when the new area opens across the lake, that may change things, but for now, Pop is much better than the AllStar resorts.

BTW, the moderates are also outdoor corridors and loud food courts, all the buildings are cement block with paint, and we've found the moderates to have so-so restaurants. All that is missing are slides and hot tubs. For the price, Pop is fine without a hot tub or slide.

 

[n2mm]

I also wondered why a couple of board members were offered upgrades, while the rest were moved to equal accommodations (in Disney's eyes). What are the factors? Were the folks moved BB FD reservations with Basic DDP (like me) and the others, the newer version FD reservations with QS? Were they room only reservations? Were they AP holders? Just wondering why the 2 mentioned on the boards got upgrades and the others didn't. There has to be a link as to the difference. Though we have to keep in mind while we heard only 2 people got upgraded to CR, there are probably many more that are not disboard members to report it here. Just very curious how the decision was made.

BTW -- I normally stay at my DVC resort, but when I choose a value, it's almost always Pop because we have a rental car and we like that Pop is centrally located close to everything. We also like the layout of this resort, so that there are never any really badly located rooms for us. We have stayed at all of the A/S many times (before becoming DVC members and while CMs). A/S Music is my favorite one there, but I always choose Pop first.

 

[Rupert B Puppenstein]

Like the OP said earlier. Disney reserves the right to change, modify or cancel reservations at there descretion. They are offering a preffered upgrade. They do not have to even do that. They hold all the cards. They have the legal right to do whatever they like to your reservation. With the exception of The Americans with Disability Act. Under this situation, they would have to offer an equal or higher upgrade.
People, just be happy you get to go. There are alot of folks that cannot afford WDW. Not to mention Some local theme parks in there area.
Heck i was at walmart the other day and a little boy and his mom were walking in the toy section. The kid wanted a pretty cool lego set. Cost was like 80 dollars. His mom said they could not afford that right now. So she told him he could have the 10 lego set. When i was a kid, i love the hell out of lego`s. I felt so bad for the little guy. As they were checking out. i checked out behind them. I stopped the mom and boy and handed him the lego set. The mother was like freaked. I said i over heard her talking to her son. And i felt bad for the little guy. She started to cry. Made my day. Not to mention the boy was on cloud 9
So lets think about that when we are the lucky ones that are going or planning to go. I for one am happy that i am able to go period.
Just my 2 cents worth.

What a wonderful moment you created. Brings tears to my eyes!! It is those little things that inspire others to pass it on. Definitely a Wow Story! I loved working overtime at the All Star Resorts (it wasn't my home resort but they always needed help) because the majority of the guests fell into that category. They saved forever, with piggy banks, etc. I would get wads of cash, pennies, etc. when people checked in to pay off the remaining balance. They were just happy to be at Disney and it was those guests who inspired me to stay in the hospitality industry. The families that are there for a once in a lifetime trip, not a once a year trip are the ones that are so close to my heart! I wish everyone could witness that.

 

[dpmfloyd]

It stinks to have to get bumped - we all agree there. But that's where this branches out -- some people would push for a free upgrade -- some people will take the swap with no argument -- some people will use scare tactics and threaten to cancel or stay off site.

Here's my opinion, and I hope I'm not opening pandora's box...

if this were to happen to me, i'd respectfully ask if there might be a better solution. if there is, great - if not... i'd take the swap to another value...BUT... I would then make sure my reservation is noted that I'd prefer to go back to Pop if there is an opening before my arrival.

Inconveniences can arise. But a resort swap isn't the worst thing that could happen on a vacation (look back at the poor mother who's her son that got bitten by the snake). Asking for an upgrade to a mod is reasonable, a deluxe is simply absurd. Not getting an upgrade should be expected.

Anyone that turns into a stubborn 9 year old and throws a temper tantrum on the phone with a CM DEMANDING more than they are due should have their reservation declined and fully refunded (i.e. "I am not switching to THAT resort, you're giving me POLY or i'm staying off site!). These are the people that cut in line, use flash photography on rides and run at rope drop. These are the people that thrive on mistakes and demand the world in return. They wait for a door to open and PUSH through it.

Asking for an upgrade is fine - not getting it SHOULD be expected. Demanding an upgrade or threatening any sort of action if their request isn't met just makes you look like an a**hole.

 

[kaytieeldr]

Although this doesn't affect me directly, I guess what bothers me the most is that Disney is one of the few travel places in the world that requires you, the customer, to (a) pay $200 just to book your reservation; and (b) pay off the entire trip 45 days before you actually get there.

Well, no. MOST travel packages have similar conditions. Most hotel room-only, reservations, on the other hand, require a single night's deposit; and different hotels have different cancellation policies. I'm staying somewhere in December that requires a one night deposit and 72 hours notice for cancellation.

You really have to wonder what they are doing with the dining reservations also, probably way overbooking them too

I don't see how you can project that from this in any way.

 

[wdwfan16]

So have we (although not twice) and are staying at Pop this next trip. For the price, Pop offers it's own bus, and has about 1/3 the population as the AllStars. For me, that's a big difference. Now, when the new area opens across the lake, that may change things, but for now, Pop is much better than the AllStar resorts.

BTW, the moderates are also outdoor corridors and loud food courts, all the buildings are cement block with paint, and we've found the moderates to have so-so restaurants. All that is missing are slides and hot tubs. For the price, Pop is fine without a hot tub or slide.

This is incorrect. If the POP had been completed as originally designed it would have had the exact same number of rooms (5760) as all three All Stars (1920 each). Since only 1/2 was built and some of the rooms at ASMu were converted into suits (so less rooms and capacity) the POP has slightly less than 1/2 the population as the ***. As it stands now POP is at capacity and the *** are not.

We have stayed at the ASsp and ASMu many times. We tired to get the ASMo other times and could not. We have also stayed at PC. Some times the *** share buses but other times they do not. So to make a blanket statement that they ALWAYS share buses is false and misleading to make your argument seem more valid.

 

[MickeyMomOfThree]

What a wonderful moment you created. Brings tears to my eyes!! It is those little things that inspire others to pass it on. Definitely a Wow Story! I loved working overtime at the All Star Resorts (it wasn't my home resort but they always needed help) because the majority of the guests fell into that category. They saved forever, with piggy banks, etc. I would get wads of cash, pennies, etc. when people checked in to pay off the remaining balance. They were just happy to be at Disney and it was those guests who inspired me to stay in the hospitality industry. The families that are there for a once in a lifetime trip, not a once a year trip are the ones that are so close to my heart! I wish everyone could witness that.

Maybe that explains why we have always found the CM at the All Stars to be the kindest in all of Disney. We have never, in all our trips, not had a wonderful CM experience.