DVC Vero Cancelled

[OhioDVC]

On my way to dinner I stopped at the front desk and found a very talkative and helpful cast-member.

But first! The seafood buffet was FANTASTIC! The best item on the buffet was actually the Pot Roast. It fell off your folk and melted like butter in you mouth!


Back to the cancellations...

The story from the front desk is that a large group associated with Cerebral Palsy (no info if it is a local, state, or national group) comes to Vero Beach every year (last 10-12 years) to give people with Cerebral Palsy a beach vacation. They made a "group reservation" for a large number of rooms both in the hotel and DVC rooms. When DVC changed over to the new computer system the group reservation was dropped and now DVC is scrambling to "fix" things.

This should only affect you if you have a reservation from June 17-24.

This info came from a staff member on duty at the front desk and confirmed by a manager that came up late to the conversation.

I have no way to tell how accurate the info is, but they sounded like they were knowledgeable on the subject.

 

[robinb]

Back to the cancellations...

The story from the front desk is that a large group associated with Cerebral Palsy (no info if it is a local, state, or national group) comes to Vero Beach every year (last 10-12 years) to gives people with Cerebral Palsy a beach vacation. They made a "group reservation" for a large number of rooms both in the hotel and DVC rooms. When DVC changed over to the new computer system the group reservation was dropped and now DVC is scrambling to "fix" things.

This should only affect you if you have a reservation from June 17-24.

This info came from a staff member on duty at the front desk and confirmed by a manager that came up late to the conversation.

I have no way to tell how accurate the info is, but they sounded like they were knowledgeable on the subject.

Well, well, well. My apologies to the OP for not believing her. Now I really hope things work out for her. I can't imagine being "walked" all the way over to Orlando. DVC should provide something equivalent on the beach.

 

[ELMC]

Don't worry everyone, after further research I found out that this only happened to six of us for the time frame of June 21-25ish. Disney did really good at helping to fix the problem for us. If you haven't heard anything, your reservation should be fine! Happy Vacationing!

Thank you for taking the time to follow up with this information! Glad to hear that it worked out.

 

[luv2sleep]

Wow, what a sticky situation. They've got to have done available rooms to put them in. Think the resort is completely full? Even the highest category rooms?

 

[Dean]

Well, well, well. My apologies to the OP for not believing her. Now I really hope things work out for her. I can't imagine being "walked" all the way over to Orlando. DVC should provide something equivalent on the beach.

They really don't have that option. all they can do is accommodate someone at VB, cancel or at another Disney resort. They will not pay out cash for a replacement elsewhere in all but extremely and unreasonable situations, far more egregious than this or anything else we've seen with DVC so far including the AKV concierge relocated to SSR. They often will give a room credit or reduction in price which costs them only a % of the amount in question.

I wonder how they decided who was affected as it sounds like the 2 in this thread were both cash of some type.

 

[robinb]

They really don't have that option. all they can do is accommodate someone at VB, cancel or at another Disney resort. They will not pay out cash for a replacement elsewhere in all but extremely and unreasonable situations, far more egregious than this or anything else we've seen with DVC so far including the AKV concierge relocated to SSR. They often will give a room credit or reduction in price which costs them only a % of the amount in question.

I wonder how they decided who was affected as it sounds like the 2 in this thread were both cash of some type.

I would say that cancelling a villa on the beach and attempting to "walk" someone over 100 miles away is an "extreme and unreasonable situation". DVC should pony up for these folks to stay in a local condo and give them access to VB. Anything else is completely unacceptable.

 

[AnnaS]

Still very interesting.

Does this happen, yes, but I would be livid. I also think something on the beach would be reasonable because that is the vacation I booked regardless of how close or far WDW was. Wether it was Disney or another hotel/major hotel/timeshare company - some compensation if other travel arrangements would have to be made - unless of course it was still at Vero - that is the original destination of the trip. Just my opinion.

Curious how the op was directed to the disboards since it is their first post.

I hope it works out for both posters.

 

[jennypenny]

If Disney relocated us to WDW, I would make that work BUT I would ask for comp park passes as compensation for no beach. If you hadn't planned on buying park passes that a huge expense to add to your budget. And if you're in a WDW hotel, it would be torture on kids to say you weren't going to the parks because you didn't have the money.

I would take a comparable room on site, and comp park passes.

BTW, haven't we heard this before? Honestly, DVC's reservation system is not THAT complicated. Any decent IT dept should be able to code a system that works. They should stop trying to work around a legacy system and just upgrade that d#$% thing.

 

[Dean]

I would say that cancelling a villa on the beach and attempting to "walk" someone over 100 miles away is an "extreme and unreasonable situation". DVC should pony up for these folks to stay in a local condo and give them access to VB. Anything else is completely unacceptable.

That may be your position, but I doubt this is DVC's position. Just like a full cancellation would not cross that threshold either. Reserving a different resort at around full price, I don't see that happening. Anything short of the problem on the day of arrival or Fraud on the part of a DVC CM probably would not cross the threshold from their standpoint.

 

[Chuck S]

If Disney relocated us to WDW, I would make that work BUT I would ask for comp park passes as compensation for no beach. If you hadn't planned on buying park passes that a huge expense to add to your budget. And if you're in a WDW hotel, it would be torture on kids to say you weren't going to the parks because you didn't have the money.

I would take a comparable room on site, and comp park passes.

BTW, haven't we heard this before? Honestly, DVC's reservation system is not THAT complicated. Any decent IT dept should be able to code a system that works. They should stop trying to work around a legacy system and just upgrade that d#$% thing.

It may not be all DVC's fault, but rather Disney at large. They want DVC to integrate with their cash reservation system, not an easy task given the obvious differences between a standard cash and point system with different home resorts, booking windows, etc. While they may be on the surface a similar system, DVC has different room view classifications with guaranteed categories and other differences that could cause the systems to not be exceedingly friendly to each other and sharing room inventories. Add to that a DisneyLAND based resort, where Disneyland has a much older less integrated system to update.

As long as DVC has to rely on Disney for their go.com site and system integration, the responsibility lies with both. And remember, it is the majority of DVC members that wanted live online systems that meshed with Disney's for booking dining, trip planning, etc. The system is actually better than I expected, but there are going to be bugs.

 

[Lucia_27]

It may not be all DVC's fault, but rather Disney at large. They want DVC to integrate with their cash reservation system, not an easy task given the obvious differences between a standard cash and point system with different home resorts, booking windows, etc. While they may be on the surface a similar system, DVC has different room view classifications with guaranteed categories and other differences that could cause the systems to not be exceedingly friendly to each other and sharing room inventories. Add to that a DisneyLAND based resort, where Disneyland has a much older less integrated system to update.

I totally agree... as someone who has responsibility for migrating our company off a 27 year old mainframe system, it is hideously complex. Part of the problem is few of that the people who programmed the system that long ago are still around, so who knows what the system is actually doing behind the scenes!!!

 

[robinb]

That may be your position, but I doubt this is DVC's position. Just like a full cancellation would not cross that threshold either. Reserving a different resort at around full price, I don't see that happening. Anything short of the problem on the day of arrival or Fraud on the part of a DVC CM probably would not cross the threshold from their standpoint.

DVC may have the right to walk a member to Orlando. I'm sure the rules are spelled out somewhere in case of accidental overbooking of members. However, I believe guests booking a resort with cash have special rights and protections when a resort overbooks them and "walks" them. I would hope that DVC is taking care of their members first and walking cash reservations. I could see them try to convince people in advance to transfer to Orlando where they have plenty of empty rooms and can comp the guest internally, but I think that they will have to provide comparable lodgings to cash guests if pressed.

 

[jennypenny]

It may not be all DVC's fault, but rather Disney at large.

I agree with this. I've had vacations at BCV where, by the end of the vacation, we had several different sets of room keys because they couldn't get something right. I realize it's a large system, but it's not that large. (someone here codes for LOGSA--that's large) That's why I think Disney should give up the legacy system.

edited to add: The more I think about it, the more I think Disney is SMALL, not large, in this business. Honestly, how many hotels do they have? 15? And what, 8 gates? Think about how many Marriotts there are under different brands. Or Busch Gardens parks. Disney is way behind the IT curve here. I'm not giving them a pass on this.

Disney's IT record also makes me nervous about things like NextGen.

Sorry, way OT now

 

[Disneypapa]

Something about this smells.......overbooking at motels occurs frequently, because they expect cancellations.....but, if this really happen, then it is unacceptable to ruin someone's vacation.

 

[disneynutz]

Something about this smells.......overbooking at motels occurs frequently, because they expect cancellations.....but, if this really happen, then it is unacceptable to ruin someone's vacation.

By design, it shouldn't happen at a DVC property unless the rooms were taken out of service due to a major reason.

Bill

 

[Sammie]

Why would anybody take the time to make up a new account and just make a trolling post on a DVC board? Really?

They work for Universal or Marriot or it could be Jim Lewis.

 

[Dean]

DVC may have the right to walk a member to Orlando. I'm sure the rules are spelled out somewhere in case of accidental overbooking of members. However, I believe guests booking a resort with cash have special rights and protections when a resort overbooks them and "walks" them. I would hope that DVC is taking care of their members first and walking cash reservations. I could see them try to convince people in advance to transfer to Orlando where they have plenty of empty rooms and can comp the guest internally, but I think that they will have to provide comparable lodgings to cash guests if pressed.

The rules are all in their favor, they make them and they enforce them. Note, when I say DVC in this thread, I'm thinking DVC and Disney are one and the same because the principles will hold with very little variation plus all DVC properties are mixed use in one way or another. If you're saying those who book for cash have more rights and deserve more than those booking points, we'll simply have to disagree. I also own Marriott and they give priority for room assignments in the order of multiple week owners over singled week owners followed by Marriott exchangers, then cash guests then other exchangers.

IMO, DVC needs a policy on these type of issues and a framework of how they should be handle. Given that we see responses all over the place and far different compensations for the same issue at the same time, they must not have one at all. I realize that there will be individual circumstances that a manager must take into account but if they have a framework, that makes it pretty simple. I do not believe that one's personal situation, amount of disappointment or how much one complains should change DVC's response to a given situation. Frankly, I do not believe that personal situations should alter rules at all and that includes that I do not believe individual problems should bypass the rules in place.

I don't think they HAVE to do anything, they could simply cancel and refund the deposit and still be in a reasonable situation. I realize this type of issue generates a lot of emotions but DVC must look at the big picture and must not let the emotions rule the day. IMO, it's VERY rare for a given hotel or resort to pay cash for outside accommodations. It's not uncommon that hotels or resorts in a given area will have some type of give and take arrangement for discounts or barter for special situations. I know you're looking at this as a life altering event but it isn't, IMO. I's a minor to moderate inconvenience, esp if alternatives are offered even if not perfect. DVC generally shines in these situations but your requirement would put them into a no win situation where they'd allow the guest to cont to be upset because they simply are not going to pay full price for a comparable option, even if one were available. I've seen many issues over the years both personally and vicariously through venue's such as DIS. The only situations I can think where DVC wasn't reasonable were the 2 situations where they allowed AKL to handle the relocations. This was handled poorly. I'd bet they would offer comparable accommodations at WDW and give either an appropriate dining credit or passes to cover at least all full days of the reservation for the party listed.

One thing they could do would be to call RCI to see if they had anything comparable but this time of year for that general location is not likely to be available. If they had a working relationship with Marriott or II currently, that might also be an option. I'd love to see the BVTC expanded to Marriott, Hyatt, Hilton and a subset of Wyndham/Bluegreen/Starwood properties.

 

[Dean]

Something about this smells.......overbooking at motels occurs frequently, because they expect cancellations.....but, if this really happen, then it is unacceptable to ruin someone's vacation.

Reliable info related suggests that they lost a block reservation in a computer conversion and essentially double booked at least some units, reportedly 6. It could be a lot worse.

 

[bwvBound]

I'd love to see the BVTC expanded to Marriott, Hyatt, Hilton and a subset of Wyndham/Bluegreen/Starwood properties.

AMEN!!! But let's also include Worldmark as so many are on the World Passport list?

 

[Dean]

AMEN!!! But let's also include Worldmark as so many are on the World Passport list?

I wasn't trying to be exclusive or exclusive. Worldmark is tied to Wyndham so to me, that's one and the same. Even if this were to ever happen, I'm sure DVC would want to exclude certain resorts based on quality or location. One could also discuss Shell, Diamond, VRI etc but I'm sure DVC would want to only include systems that would integrate well with points and where most of their resorts would meet the standard. That might leave out all but Hilton, Hyatt, Marriott and Starwood. Remember that Shell and Hilton were included in the BVTC early on.