DVC plans to unveil some enhancements spring 2010

[dizfan]

From DVCNews.com...
http://dvcnews.com/index.php/news-program-information-164/1149-dvc-to-email-booking-confirmations

"In the spring of 2010 Disney Vacation Club plans to unveil a number of system enhancements including emailing of reservation confirmations, improved linking of multiple reservations and the ability to pre-pay for Disney Dining Plan purchases.

System enhancements to improve Member experience

This spring, system enhancements at Disneyland®, Walt Disney World® and Disney Vacation Club Resorts will aim to improve the Member and Guest experience through what's being described as one of the largest Information Technology efforts in the history of Walt Disney Parks and Resorts.

Here's a look at some of the changes Members will experience when the enhanced systems are in place:

* Member Services will begin e-mailing reservation confirmations to Members and other Guests in those Members' traveling parties.
* Members will begin creating simplified "travel plans" that combine all accommodations for their trip. Gone will be the days of booking separate reservations for every room and resort included in the trip. No more juggling multiple confirmation or cancellation numbers. Instead, a single travel plan and confirmation number will represent the entire trip, regardless of the number of rooms and resorts included. Members will no longer need to link separate reservations, as they'll be included in one travel plan.
* When booking multiple, consecutive accommodations on a travel plan, Members will be able to book advanced dining reservations as many as 180 days prior to the check-in date of the first accommodation for the length of stay (up to 10 days) of the entire travel plan.
* Members who prefer to pay for their Disney Dining Plan prior to arrival will be able to do so through Member Services when booking their reservation. Members who don't wish to pay in advance will still have the option of adding their Disney Dining Plan to their reservation as many as 48 hours prior to arrival and paying for the plan just prior to the start of their vacation.
* When booking cash reservations, Members will pay a deposit of one night room plus tax at the time of booking.

Future plans call for further enhancements, including the ability to reserve Disney Vacation Club Resort accommodations online.

These changes continue a recent wave of system enhancements designed to improve the Member and Guest experience. Other recent enhancements at the Walt Disney World Resort, for example, have included:

* Online Check-In Service: Members and Guests "check-in" to their resort as many as 10 days prior to their arrival. Travelers simply pre-register for their upcoming stay from the comfort of their own home and can even add a credit card for incidentals. Upon arrival, a welcome folder containing their Key to the World card awaits them at the designated Online Check-In Service desk in the resort hotel lobby.
* Online dining reservations: Members and Guests may book advanced dining reservations online at www.disneyworld.com/dining.
* Mobile Room Ready Notification Service: Designed for Members and Guests who arrive before their scheduled check-in time, this new system notifies sends a text message or automated call to those families' mobile phones when their room is ready."

 

[vandy]

I like the part about emailing reservation confirmations. I have always felt that instead of sending a confirmation letter for each reservation through the US Postal Service, an email would do just as well. This would save DVC some money that could be put to other uses. They could give members the option to either receive these by email or regular mail. For me, keeping track of an email is much easier than a piece of paper!

 

[work2play]

I can't wait until they add online booking for DVC stays! There are many times that I just what to check to see if something is available and would be willing to try many scenarios to get something that would work for me. I love the new online dining reservation system, you can try many things before finalizing your plans....

 

[JimMIA]

I'm always a little worried when DVC starts "enhancing" my membership experience. These changes sound good on the surface, but we'll have to wait and see what the real world looks like.

For example, the "simplified vacation plan." Previously, if you wanted to make seperate reservations for some reason -- want DDP for part, but not all, of the trip, for example -- you could do so by making multiple reservations and linking them. I wonder if that will still be possible.

Also, previously if you had multiple linked ressies and had a late cancellation, you might not have any penalty for the late part of the trip. With one "simplified vacation plan," will that still be possible? Or might you have the entire bunch of points for a stay put into holding account in a situation where only one or two nights would have been affected previously?

Hopefully, they will still allow the option of making multiple ressies and linking them when the situation calls for it.

 

[kristenrice]

For example, the "simplified vacation plan." Previously, if you wanted to make seperate reservations for some reason -- want DDP for part, but not all, of the trip, for example -- you could do so by making multiple reservations and linking them. I wonder if that will still be possible.

This is the part that has me concerned. We are relatively new members with a small contract. Our plans are to split our 5 night stays between 2 nights in a studio with a dining plan and 3 nights in a 1BR without a dining plan. If this would now be automatically considered one reservation, we'd have to rethink it.

The rest of the "enhancements" sound pretty decent, if they actually run the way that they are supposed to.

 

[littlestar]

That word "enhancement" makes me nervous. During this recession, it has come to mean less money in my pocket.

 

[Sandisw]

This is the part that has me concerned. We are relatively new members with a small contract. Our plans are to split our 5 night stays between 2 nights in a studio with a dining plan and 3 nights in a 1BR without a dining plan. If this would now be automatically considered one reservation, we'd have to rethink it.

The rest of the "enhancements" sound pretty decent, if they actually run the way that they are supposed to.

I am with you and would be disappointed if they would be considered one reservation.

We do the same thing, but do the DDP for the first two nights and the QSDP for the rest. We like it this way as we only want to do TS meals a few times during our trip.

Let's hope it won't affect this!

 

[arthur06]

I like the part about emailing reservation confirmations. I have always felt that instead of sending a confirmation letter for each reservation through the US Postal Service, an email would do just as well. This would save DVC some money that could be put to other uses. They could give members the option to either receive these by email or regular mail. For me, keeping track of an email is much easier than a piece of paper!

The USPS is DW's profession, so anything that keeps her employed I am all for! Sorry on that one!

 

[disney1474]

The USPS is DW's profession, so anything that keeps her employed I am all for! Sorry on that one!

I agree, since USPS is my profession also

 

[dianeschlicht]

I'm always a little worried when DVC starts "enhancing" my membership experience. These changes sound good on the surface, but we'll have to wait and see what the real world looks like.

For example, the "simplified vacation plan." Previously, if you wanted to make seperate reservations for some reason -- want DDP for part, but not all, of the trip, for example -- you could do so by making multiple reservations and linking them. I wonder if that will still be possible.

Also, previously if you had multiple linked ressies and had a late cancellation, you might not have any penalty for the late part of the trip. With one "simplified vacation plan," will that still be possible? Or might you have the entire bunch of points for a stay put into holding account in a situation where only one or two nights would have been affected previously?

Hopefully, they will still allow the option of making multiple ressies and linking them when the situation calls for it.

Those things hit me right away too. It's probably going to mean those who rent wont be able to have a renter booked at the same time they are booked either. That's especailly cumbersome if one party wants the dining plan and one doesn't.

 

[stlrod]

How will paying a deposit for cash reservations enhance my experience?

 

[wdrl]

Those things hit me right away too. It's probably going to mean those who rent wont be able to have a renter booked at the same time they are booked either. That's especailly cumbersome if one party wants the dining plan and one doesn't.

I don't see why these changes would affect your ability to have a rental reservation and a personal reservation at the same time. The proposed changes should let us link all of our "multiple, consecutive accommodations" into a single travel plan with one confirmation number. But it doesn't say that you have to place everything in the same travel plan.

I'm assuming that if we have multiple accommodations booked at the same time (such as for family gatherings when you book one villa for yourself and one or more villas for family members), each party will have to check in separately, and that each party will use their own credit card for their villa's incidentals. If the Disney system can handle separate charge cards for each villa, I expect it can handle separate dining plans for each villa.

I'm assuming that these changes will work for those members who make reservations from a single master contract. However, I wonder if the Disney system will generate a single confirmation number is a Member uses points from two or more master contracts.

 

[edk35]

How will paying a deposit for cash reservations enhance my experience?

Exactly

 

[lark]

It's interesting that disney is finally getting wise, or more wise, to the fact that many of their guests like to prepay for their vacations. From reading these boards, it seems there is a large segment of people who are not only willing to -- but would prefer to -- pay for things like dining and other stuff in advance. People even go so far as to buy gift cards for hundreds of dollars rather than paying at check in.

I've always though disney is sort of leaving a lot of interest on the table by not coming up with a very easy way to allow people to do this. If they put a link on the dvc site that allowed prepayment of dining or cash reservations or other stuff, lots of people would do it even if it were optional. Seems like dvc is getting around to taking advantage of this.

The payment of one night in advance for cash reservations is a bummer, but I've always sort of wondered why they were liberal about this, since the cancelation period is so short. I guess this is not a surprise.

The addition of 180+10 ADR for linked reservations is good.

 

[Shadeaux]

That word "enhancement" makes me nervous. During this recession, it has come to mean less money in my pocket.

Whenever I see the word "enhancement" in the same sentence as DVC, I wonder what they're going to take away and how much it's going to cost me.

 

[KYCruiseCrazy]

I hope this is going to be great!!
make life so much easier!!

 

[rkwier]

How will paying a deposit for cash reservations enhance my experience?

Perhaps they are just bringing the policy in line with other cash reservations. I have stayed at the Poly and Yacht Club for business travel, and each time they required a one-night deposit when I booked the room.

 

[WolfpackFan]

I guess I'm a little underwhelmed by these "enhancements". I didn't see any that would really make me jump up and down. Now if they announced on-line booking or if they some how improved RCI exchanges that would be a whole different thing. But looking at the list posted, my initial reaction is ho-hum.

 

[bookwormde]

Well sending email confirmations gets DVC out of the dark ages. I wish they would include all the requests and other related items so we could check them also.

Linking is great as long as it does not “mess things up” and is optional.

I was always surprised DVC did not require a deposit for cash stays, as long as they keep the same cancellation policy I think that is reasonable.

As to past “enhancements” on line check in is of marginal value since you can not make “custom” requests, and if seems to “cancel” custom verbal requests if you use it.

On line dining is much better for DVCers now 180day advance is back, now all they need to do is to create confirmation documentation.

The room notification seems to work reasonably well, but I have upon occasion gone to the front desk and found that my room was ready but notification had not been received.

As JimMIA points out the devil is in the details.

My guess with the cash reservations is that they will be “driving it” through the standard CRO system.


bookwormde

 

[LindaBabe]

That word "enhancement" makes me nervous. During this recession, it has come to mean less money in my pocket.

YUP! Health insurance improvements come to mind.