I was just wondering if you have an AP...there are new AP rates out...perhaps getting a total refund and get an AP rate at another hotel(I'm thinking POR Building 14) Price it out-I am not sure of the dates of the AP rate.
not an ap holder but thanks for the suggestion
I totally understand the OP's frustration because she paid for a preferred rooms because of how close it is to the pool. However if WDW were to give her some soart of a discount or credit for it, then shouldn't they do that when other guests stay at Resorts because their counter service locations are closed for renovations, or the swimming pools will be closed for renovations, or because of general renovations to their Resort if they are major ones? I know there is a difference because of what the preferred rooms mean, however I think once WDW gives someone a discount or credit for their room what does not stop other guests wanting the same thing for the reasons I mentioned?
I think the solution is for Disney to get a better handle on renovations so that guests can make decisons based on accurate information. Disney is not the only establishment that deals with this issue yet seems to have the biggest probblems with it's accuracy. I have never had this problem at other resorts, on cruiselines, etc
OP, sorry you are so frustrated and dissappointed. I think most of us understand the planning that goes into choosing a resort. Having something unexpected happen can really throw you at first
Give it a few days, maybe you won't feel as badly.
true
Sorry I haven't read the entire thread, but when are your dates? Final payments for the
free dining promo are coming up and perhaps someone will cx their trip, thus hopefully opening up more promo room availability for another family. We were booked on two 10 night packages so I could put in for vaca time off, to see which dates would work better, thus just cx Pop from 9-15-9-25. I'm sure there are others. Meanwhile I totally understand the OP's disappointment, esp. this being the second year with the same issue and esp. after having expressed the importance of the pool when the ressie was booked. I'm sure the CM who booked it had no idea the pool would be closed at the resort during that time, but it doesn't mitigate the fact that there is real disappointment over the pool closure. I remember last year someone posting that had 3-4 little ones with the same issue at ASMo and they ended up being able to be moved closer to their scheduled arrival date. I'll sprinkle some pixie dust for the same to happen for this family.---Kathy
good idea
I don't think this has to do with Disney being fair. It has to do with one customer being unhappy & Disney making them happy. I will be at All Star Sports the exact time the OP is & would in no way expect an upgrade or credit just because the OP got one. Without the Dis I wouldn't even KNOW what the OP got. Disney told me when I booked the situation & therefore I am quite happy with my decision to go ahead & stay there. Disney gives stuff all the time to one customer & not another. We may disappointed that the car ahead of us got to stay in the castle & we may say, "If only I was in that car," but we don't demand that we all get to stay there.
I am currently sending out letters at my business raising prices. About 1 in 20customers calls me & has a fit. I do whatever I can for the customer on the phone to keep them & I feel no desire to call the 19 other customers and offer them the same.
Please, Pinkerbell, keep us posted. I would like to think everyone at ASsp with me is having a fantabulous time! We'll all party together. Laugh together. But maybe not swim together.
Total side note: When we found out the pool would be closed we added water parks to our tickets & are planning on spending a lot of time at BB. Between that & the music pools, I know my girls won't miss the surf pool at all. If you do get a credit maybe you could apply it to that!
thanks for your example and good thoughts
I agree totally. Different strokes for different folks! Some things matter more to others to make their vacation what they want it to be.
Besides, the OP paid for a preferred room next to the pool and has centered their trip on having pool time. And I'm sure that Disney had to comp or move others because of the food court rehabs or other rehabs at different resorts. How would you know if John & Jane Doe in the room next to you paid full price or was moved from a value to a moderate free of charge? If I worried about that I would be a nervous wreck about what I'm paying!!!
The OP is not asking for something they don't deserve for the $ they are paying.
If someone has a "preferred room" for a pool view/use, then at the very least they should get reimbursed for the difference between a standard/preferred room if that pool is being refurbished. This
should be an automatic comp from Disney without the guest asking.
OP - Keep trying and let us know how it turns out!!
my feelings too
As the OP mentioned, the ASSports pool was due to open prior to her visit (and mine, as I am booked there 9/14-9/22). About two weeks ago I learned that the pool rehab would not be complete until October. Personally, I don't really mind that the kiddie pool will be closed, however the 8 other rooms booked under my grand gathering all have small children. To have to take these kids and all of their pool gear next door to ther other all stars will be quite a production.
My sister in law called and was told "no" and "there's nothing we can do" on numerous occasions. Finally, someone in guest services listened (note *you must speak with guest services in these instances*). All nine rooms in our grand gathering were moved to POP.
Don't give up! It's your money and your vacation, if a pool is a priority and a reason for booking a particular resort, you deserve to have use of that amenity!
glad to hear it worked out for you all YAHOO!!!
The point is, the OP booked her vacation with the assurance the pool would be open. She has paid EXTRA money to Disney to be close to the pool. Disney has now closed the pool but she is still paying the extra money. That is just wrong. She isn't getting what she has paid for. At the very least, she need to get a refund for the preferred amount.
Keep trying and ask to speak to guest relations. Don't back down and be sweet as sugar.
I think about $13 per day extra... I know that posters have listed the other perks with a preferred room but the only one we book for is the pool.
I got the letter too yesterday. I am pissed that the pool is still going to be closed. We are going from sept 12-18. I was told when I booked that it will be open around the 14th. So I booked that hotel. If I would have know it would not be open at all through out my trip then I would have booked another hotel. I am calling right now to see what they can do for me
Pixie dust coming at ya!!!! Good luck
I am quickly realizing by being a member of this board that our vacations are extremely easy.
See, we go a maximum of 6 days and a minimum of 5. We sleep and take pictures at the hotel. Oh, and watch that crazy brunette talk about how wonderful of an experience that she's having on that 24-hour Disney attraction review channel thing.
Other than that, we are at the Parks. We don't care if the swimming pool works or if they don't carry sugar-free cookies in the dining area (which I've only picked something up there once.) I don't care about upgrading our room or getting a room with a view. (We ALWAYS stay at a value resort.)
Our criteria for our hotel is as follows:
1. The room must be clean.
2. The electricity, TV, toilet, shower, sink, two twin beds (fully made with pillow, sheets, and comforter); and water must work.
3. We must have air-conditioning.
4. We cannot wait more than 15 minutes for a bus.
5. Those buses must have gas, seats, and a driver.
6. That bus must take us directly to the park safely.
If they provide us with those items, that hotel has properly done it's job. Just let us sleep and give us a ride to the parks.
ahh what my vacations were like before our children, the days when the longer the walk I had the happier I was...
You have every right to be mad. They need to work on pools in January or Febuary. Not in the hottest month of the year. I also have had bad dealings with Disney on a resort issue. They were very rude and offered very little help on the issue. I would keep calling and demanding an upgrade or be moved to a hotel that has a working pool!!!
what a great idea!! fix the pools when it's cold, who'd a thunk it!
Preferred does not equal pool proximity at the value resorts. It only gets you in a room that is in one of the two buildings closest to the food court and front desk. Pool view is not something that Disney garauntees at the value resorts. It makes the incredibly difficult job of room assigning even more impossible, especially when it's group season and one group can take up an entire building.
as stated this perception is wrong, The first item listed in pool location
It amazes me how many people on the Dis feel that they are "entitled" to "compensation" when something is not exactly what they were expecting regardless of the fact that Disney is providing exactly what they are obligated to provide. Disney makes no guarantees that every ride, attraction, restaurant, pool, etc., at the time that you are going to be at Disney. If you book a preferred room at any of the resorts Disney is fully meeting their obligation if they provide you a preferred room at that resort.
Now if the OP is able to work out a deal they are happy with more power to them but Disney is under no obligation to do anything other than provide exactly what the OP paid for, which is a preferred room in a specific resort.
I seriously doubt (although I guess I could be wrong) that the definition of a preferred room at that resort guarantees being close to a fully functional kiddie pool for the duration of your stay.
Wow next time you cash you paycheck or withdraw money from a bank would you be hapy with monopoly money??? I don't know where it is written that you have to be given legal tender.....??? i guess it comes down to what your willing to accept
She is not asking for a full refund, just a refund of the cost difference between preferred and standard, or to be moved to a value with a perferred room.
exactly
I hate to post again as I feel I've said so much. But, again, I really don't think that this is about entitlement or fairness. Disney is a for profit corporation. We all understand that. Magic aside. And to this particular family a pool is extremely important. They made that clear from the beginning.
If you were staying at a resort & got a letter that said no buses would be stopping there for the duration of your stay but you could walk to another resort & use their buses, how would you feel? Or whatever it is that makes you choose the resort you choose. You could always rent a car, or walk the 15 minutes to a neighbor resort for the bus, what's the big idea? It matters because you planned your whole vacation around that bus picking you up at YOUR resort.
Of course Disney doesn't "owe" them anything. But if the OP decides that Disney saying "It will be open" and then taking their money, then saying "It won't be" will ruin their vacation then the OP has a right to say, "This is important to me, give me my money back or make this right." Disney doesn't have to. And the OP doesn't have to go to Disney.
But in this particular case with these particular needs, if I were Disney I would like the opportunity to make this right & keep this family as a loyal customer. It would be so simple & then this family would tell everyone they knew how Disney had made it right & Disney would get a loyal customer spreading word of mouth of how great Disney is.
thanks for getting it.. as most of you do, but really writing it well
The pool being opened or closed has nothing to do with paying the standard or preferred rate. Disney makes no promises when it comes to attractions being open or closed. If she booked a preferred, she will get the preferred room regardless of pool status.
Seriously, it's a simple phone call to the resort that will fix this. The 5 day window is the magic time to call and make special requests or fix problems such as these. Calling central res or waiting until check in day is the best way to not get this worked out.
last yr when we finally reolved the problem it was a mess. Our MME luggage went to the wrong resort, they didn't seem to be expecting us at our resort.. This needs to be taken care of before 5 days out since last yr we resovled it about a month out and there was still confusion at DIsney. I will also be arriving wiht our children solo and am hoping for things to go smoothly.
The point I was trying to make is that the OP has multiple options to resolve the "problem". And Disney is still providing the OP with a preferred room so why should they refund the cost difference?
Even though the OP only said "our" pool in the original post it appears that what they really meant was the kiddie pool:
This implies that the kiddie pool being closed makes the preferred room no long a preferred room and they should only be charged for a standard room.
So it is not a question of a pool not being available but a specific pool not being available.
And it is not just a question of moving to another value resort (or an upgrade to a mod as suggested by some of the posters) but being moved with the free dining intact.
a monologue conversation is tuff, a person needs to be careful how they write. I may have miswritten. The kiddie pool is important since that is where our kids can have their time, and our first day I will be alone with them so it is the only one we can use, after that however, either my husband or myself can watch them both in the kidde pool and one of us can swim in the adult pool. hope this helps
Why argue about this anyway?? No one is going to agree. And I find it pretty funny a lot of people say things on here to debate, but if they were in the other person's shoes my guess would be what they post would be totally the opposite.
Lets just wait to see how it turns out for the OP. I hope they get upgraded to GF at the same cost!!
Hey why not? But that is me, I wish the best for everyone and Disney makes enough $ to do just that if they wanted. They'll be making quite a bit off of me come October.
wow lets of Pixie dust at ya!!! but we truly want a value... I have posted numerous times how it's great for our needs with the two young ones!!!
Just figured I would post the definition of "preferred" straight from Disney's website:
Guest room locations include:
Preferred Location
Enjoy the close proximity to the pool and Guest facilities.
http://disneyworld.disney.go.com/wdw/resorts/roomsDetail?id=PopCenturyResortGuestRoomsListingPage
Hmmm...sounds like being close to the pool IS part of the price of preferred.
thanks!!!
