From a MS CM: recent "enhancement" to room requests

[amypetecar]

Really, well if they don't honor my single request of an even numbered room and then refuse to attempt a change at check in, they will see a serious increase in CM contact time...then an increase in manager contact time and then an increase in secretary time...

If they are going to give us reduced service during check in then i expect a reduction in check-in maintenance fees.

Well said! We all know that no request is guarenteed, but to automatically say no to your inquirery because it is an inconvenience to the staff is rediculous!

 

[gortman65]

I'm confused now.

Just got off the phone with MS. Booked Kidani 2 BDR, and requested
"close to lobby" and "close to transportation". She replied that
"close to lobby" was a valid request that had a computer code associated with it, but "close to transportation" is not. The CM was nice and sounded knowledgable enough, she stated that "close to lobby" is no problem, but for "close to transportation" she would have to put it in the notes, but the computers probably won't read it (no idea what that means)

OP here. I'm confused right along with you. Seems like they either changed the standard requests at Kidani since I called last week or the CMs aren't seeing/getting the same info.

Think I'll call tomorrow to request close to lobby and see what happens.

 

[smidgy]

there is a reason we make room requests. and a reason why.. at check-in, if we don't like the room location, we will ask for something better.
Note: ASK for... NOT "demand", throw a hissy fit, etc. just "request".

it's the same philosophy as the lesser wanted tables at a restaurant (yes, I'm a server). there are always rooms that are less preferred. and there are always people who really don't care (or don't know that they can ask for something else). so if you offer the less "popular" rooms first, and people accept them, there will be less problems later in the day. and more "popluar" room available for those who really do care. (as a PP stated, yes those who just take what they are offerred getthe worst rooms)

numerous times, both staying on cash and on points, we are shown our room "area".. and we say, "what else you got?" example Beach club Villas. we requested pool view. at check in, they gave us a court yard view.. ready now.

we VERY NICELY asked.."gee we really wanted pool view. any available?" response "well yes, actually, but it's not ready now. would you like to wait?" us "yes, thanks!"

note: we will ALWAYS wait for the better room. A few hours hanging by the pool is well worth the wait for the better room for a week or so. ironically, at both beach club and Vero beach that trip, after opting for waiting for the room, we got the call within a half hour that the room was ready!

 

[BEASLYBOO]

At check-in, if we don't like the room location, we will ask for something better.

I agree, it never hurts to ask nicely, sometime the answer is no but sometimes it works out!

 

[Dean]

Originally Posted by rock_doctor
Really, well if they don't honor my single request of an even numbered room and then refuse to attempt a change at check in, they will see a serious increase in CM contact time...then an increase in manager contact time and then an increase in secretary time...

If they are going to give us reduced service during check in then i expect a reduction in check-in maintenance fees.

That's exactly the issue that got us where we are, with no formal or effective request policy. To complain as stated based on not getting a request is not reasonable. Even when there were smoking rooms, this might have been over the top even for those with health issues (as stated).

 

[Desnik]

What happens to requests that were made months ago before the changes?
We will be in AKV Kidani Village in Aug and I requested "close to lobby" when I made that reservation. At the time I requested it I didn't specify why I needed a room close to the lobby. DD has a medical condition and can't walk long distances, should I call and specify the request is for a medical reason?

 

[Dean]

What happens to requests that were made months ago before the changes?
We will be in AKV Kidani Village in Aug and I requested "close to lobby" when I made that reservation. At the time I requested it I didn't specify why I needed a room close to the lobby. DD has a medical condition and can't walk long distances, should I call and specify the request is for a medical reason?

Yes, they give priority to medical requests. You could also look at a HC room and they prebook those directly into specific units in most cases.

 

[Desnik]

Thank you so much for the quick reply. I will call tomorrow and specify the request is due to a medical condition. We don't need the HA room. She has RSD/CRPS and walking long distances is not possible.

 

[Dean]

Thank you so much for the quick reply. I will call tomorrow and specify the request is due to a medical condition. We don't need the HA room. She has RSD/CRPS and walking long distances is not possible.

Still, the HC room gives you the possibility of locking in a room and location. However, in your situation, just making the request medical should be enough. When you check in make sure all is OK. This is the type of situation where it's appropriate to push them if need be though it's unlikely you'll need to.

 

[micminnieapolis]

I can understand that room requests foul things up. In the day and age of computers though, it should be much easier. One tip would be that people who book through central reservations and are paying to use DVC rooms are not given priority before DVC members who return many times! They are using our facilities that we help maintain so we should get first priority. Also, if they can keep track of the ages of children in a family, they should be able to keep track of which rooms DVCers like in their home resorts -- that's why they call it home. A simple phone call asking if you liked your room's location and view is all it would take to put it in a computer for future reference.

I certainly hope the idea that CMs will take less time with people was a mistaken idea. Disney's people pleasing ways is what makes them a great place to intern for our young people who need to learn how to bend over backward to make a great vacation for people.

 

[dj~merlin]

there seem to be some predictable patterns repeating over
& over. the only connection i can make out are for personal
"gains & losses".

*referring back to some posters- reporting they jumped over others
on the wait list, by calling every day.

we ask our guide about cm owners & their perks. we were told
none & the same as everyone else. but out of the blue,
you read here something that no one else was getting or able
to do. it isn't hard to figure out why. hind sight is 20/20. since our
guide was an owner, we should have requested a new guide
right then. if we had, i bet we would have gottn more accurate
answers. atlas, live & learn.

i guess what i am concern about is "who" making up these new
rules & if they can be manipulated.

i agree with dean's observation. dvc would benefit from a
formal request policy. that might help would reduced the
temptation to add secret perks.

does anyone feels sometimes what isn't being denied , can be significance
as the things being told over & over again?

 

[lodgelady]

I also don't like the whole idea of room requests. There are a few necessary exceptions but overall all it just clogs the system and is really unfair to easy going people like me.

What do I mean? Well, nobody requests "room with the farthest walk" or "room with the worst view". I suspect people that don't make a stink with requests generally end up with these rooms more than they should because of all the picky people making requests (oh boy and do some of you out there EXPECT to get exactly what you request...you know who you are.) When people make these requests, in a way they are really saying "I deserve priority over someone else simply because I'm mentioning this now". They get what is probably a preferred room at someone else's expense who would have also loved to have that location. Over generalization yes, but just to illustrate the point....

Just book your room category and enjoy. Overall, if we all did this then over time we should all get our fair share of the various locations.

I totally agree! Everyone is an owner and should have an even shot at the rooms with the most desirable locations, etc. Unless there is a medical reason, getting these things should be considered the luck of the draw.

 

[Dean]

there seem to be some predictable patterns repeating over
& over. the only connection i can make out are for personal
"gains & losses".

*referring back to some posters- reporting they jumped over others
on the wait list, by calling every day.

we ask our guide about cm owners & their perks. we were told
none & the same as everyone else. but out of the blue,
you read here something that no one else was getting or able
to do. it isn't hard to figure out why. hind sight is 20/20. since our
guide was an owner, we should have requested a new guide
right then. if we had, i bet we would have gottn more accurate
answers. atlas, live & learn.

i guess what i am concern about is "who" making up these new
rules & if they can be manipulated.

i agree with dean's observation. dvc would benefit from a
formal request policy. that might help would reduced the
temptation to add secret perks.

does anyone feels sometimes what isn't being denied , can be significance
as the things being told over & over again?

I don't recall reading about any CM getting special options. The only thing I've read about are new buyers getting a reservation that would not have been available, this has been reported many times with non CM retail buyers. Now there certainly is the potential for anyone who works in MS, or has a friend that does, to get special treatment but I've never seen indications of that. I would bet their compliance policy makes that a terminable event. CM do get a discount buying in but they also have special restrictions on sales, etc, for current purchases though I don't think this has been in place more than a few years. I don't know if they went back and had current CM, who were already owners, adhere to the current policy. I'm sure they could not have made it retroactive to those that were no longer employed but had bought using the CM discount or to those who resigned due to the policy though they could have made it conditional for leave payouts, etc.

Again, I've never heard of a CM taking advantage though I'd be surprised if it had never happened. Here's how it could be done still adhering to the current membership rules. They could book as soon as MS officially opened and before any phone calls were taken. They could also check their WL multiple times a day. I would suspect it's DVC's policy that CM not access their own membership file and that they monitor this for this very reason. Those steps alone would dramatically reduce the risk of abuse but there's always the buddy system. I suspect they also require them to use the same contact media (phone, web email).

As for my proposal, it was in place previously and members abused it. Of course DVC allowed them to abuse it by accepting inappropriate requests like specific units. They prioritized by reservation date. My personal preference would be to prioritize by owner at that resort and then by reservation date but the other way is also reasonable.

 

[Dean]

I totally agree! Everyone is an owner and should have an even shot at the rooms with the most desirable locations, etc. Unless there is a medical reason, getting these things should be considered the luck of the draw.

Realize without any formal effort and prioritization that cash guests and exchangers have just as good a chance of getting the best rooms and owners the worst. IMO, requests should be relatively general, things like floor or general area or multiple rooms close together but not specific units or even buildings and the order of preference should be:

• Owner at that resort
• Other DVC owner who exchangers to that resort through DVC. (I worded it this was specifically because I feel that they are simply exchangers).
• Cash Guest
• RCI and BVTC exchanger

 

[dcfromva]

it's the same philosophy as the lesser wanted tables at a restaurant (yes, I'm a server). there are always rooms that are less preferred. and there are always people who really don't care (or don't know that they can ask for something else). so if you offer the less "popular" rooms first, and people accept them, there will be less problems later in the day. and more "popluar" room available for those who really do care. (as a PP stated, yes those who just take what they are offerred getthe worst rooms)

numerous times, both staying on cash and on points, we are shown our room "area".. and we say, "what else you got?" example Beach club Villas. we requested pool view. at check in, they gave us a court yard view.. ready now.

I believe room requests should be allowed even though as a rule I don't make any requests. (I think it is fun to check out different rooms that I may not have known to request.)

I would prefer to have a room that has your less desirable court yard view than a pool view at BCV because I like a nice quiet room. But, I would rather check into my room right when I arrive--no matter what the view is.

So why not give everyone what they want? I think the guest satisfaction level would be greater if they at least know what some people would like (because they have stated a preference).

 

[montrealdisneylovers]

Realize without any formal effort and prioritization that cash guests and exchangers have just as good a chance of getting the best rooms and owners the worst. IMO, requests should be relatively general, things like floor or general area or multiple rooms close together but not specific units or even buildings and the order of preference should be:

• Owner at that resort
• Other DVC owner who exchangers to that resort through DVC. (I worded it this was specifically because I feel that they are simply exchangers).
• Cash Guest
• RCI and BVTC exchanger

I agree completely!!

We were cash guests at BLT for the past two years and had spectacular rooms. I then convinced my DH that we should buy DVC and he agreed. I hope that this year I will not have a poorer choice room because of this decision. I would like to think that as an owner I would have priority over the others in this list, and I agree with the list exactly as written.

 

[Sammie]

Cast members who work for DVC and are DVC owners are required to call in and book their reservations just like everyone else.

Also they have to call to make the reservation on their personal cell phone, not allowed to use DVC phones to make a reservation.

So they have no more of an advantage over getting a wait list by calling as any other member.

 

[Sandisw]

I believe room requests should be allowed even though as a rule I don't make any requests. (I think it is fun to check out different rooms that I may not have known to request.)

I would prefer to have a room that has your less desirable court yard view than a pool view at BCV because I like a nice quiet room. But, I would rather check into my room right when I arrive--no matter what the view is.

So why not give everyone what they want? I think the guest satisfaction level would be greater if they at least know what some people would like (because they have stated a preference).

I would agree except that some get upset or ask to be changed at check in when they have been given a room that has not met their request. In many cases, what happens is someone else is moved from that room-someone who may have also put in the request and was granted it.

If the policy is to allow requests but no changes at check in, then I am fine with them continuing to allow the types of requests that are being made. But, as long as they continue allow the "squeaky wheel" to get things changed because they don't like the room they were given, then things become less of a "request" but a "demand".

 

[Dean]

So they have no more of an advantage over getting a wait list by calling as any other member.

Assuming they actually do it that way. I'm sure most do but I'd also be willing to bet that some have worked back room deals with coworkers.

I would agree except that some get upset or ask to be changed at check in when they have been given a room that has not met their request. In many cases, what happens is someone else is moved from that room-someone who may have also put in the request and was granted it.

If the policy is to allow requests but no changes at check in, then I am fine with them continuing to allow the types of requests that are being made. But, as long as they continue allow the "squeaky wheel" to get things changed because they don't like the room they were given, then things become less of a "request" but a "demand".

If Disney had more of a backbone, these type of issues would be far less frequent.

 

[Sammie]

Assuming they actually do it that way. I'm sure most do but I'd also be willing to bet that some have worked back room deals with coworkers.

If Disney had more of a backbone, these type of issues would be far less frequent.

I am not always pleased with everything DVC has done lately but I do trust them, and I seriously doubt many back room deals are made. I do not think a DVC reservation is worth the jobs of two people and seriously doubt anyone working for them would consider it worth the cost either.