Great, a UK Board

[gadb1]

Hi all

I am new here and have only just found the UK boards.

We are heading off to AKL on March 16 for 15 nights with Virgin Atlantic. The other day when making priority seating bookings the CM on the phone suggested I ask Disney for an upgrade to my standard room at AKL as we were staying there for so long.

So last night I rang Disney central reservations and they offered me an upgrade to Deluxe Savannah rooms (we have infact booked 2 rooms as there are 7 of us going)for no extra cost. Having got all this sorted out they found that they couldn't change the booking as it was owned by Virgin.

Consequently I can't upgrade the room. Virgin can't upgrade the room as they don't even offer Savannah rooms.

Has anyone else had this problem, and have you got around it at all.

Thanx for your help

 

[uktigger]

hi
i;m not sure but can't you ask an upgrade when you check in,i'm sure someone else will be along and tell you for sure
by the way where in london do you live, we are from bermondsey, london

eve

 

[UKDEB]

Hi, and welcome to the boards

I think you'l find there's not a lot you can do about it other than cancel your booking with Virgin (if you can do that with minimal penalty) and rebook the individual elements separately. I guess it's a bit late for that now. You'll probably need to put this one down to experience.

We're currently planning our 10th and 11th trips and we haven't booked a package since 1998. We simply couldn't afford the standard of accommodation we want at package prices.

 

[keswick1uk]

Do you know Virgin can't?...

I would contact them by email...quote your booking reference and say you have contacted AKL and they have agreed an upgrade but Virgin hold the booking for it. Ask them if they would consider, as a goodwill gesture, contacting AKL to note the 'free request'. Also note that you are not expecting them to guarantee anything.

Do it today and hopefully you will have a reply email within a week.

Personally, I have never had less than excellent experience with virgin online, however phoning just gets you the easy way out..'no sorry' most of the time.

There is no real need to quote how good a customer you are..thats obvious! However, I would give them any frequent flyer, or virgin holiday club number (whatever the club is called)..if you have one.

If they say no then keep on trying. Maybe email AKL a couple of days before referring to the conversation. Don't word it that you expect, just a polite 'pleeeeese'.

Maybe ask on check-in.

Maybe ask if you can be moved during the holiday as you are there for so long.

I would think polite polite polite all the time, and crossed fingers. You have nothing to lose!

We are eating at BOMA while you are there!

 

[Hilary]

I can only reiterate the excellent advice already given, and just wanted to add
Welcome to the UK DIS boards!

 

[Disney owl]

Just wanted to say welcome to the boards

re. your hotel question if all else fails mention it again on check in, surely once you are there it won't matter which room you are in.

have a great holiday

 

[gadb1]

Thank you for all the advice

I am not so worried about it. We have been to WDW twice before and I know we will have a great time whatever. I was just an annoyance that this was offered to me and there was no way of taking it up.

However, I have since discovered (which may be useful for everyone else) that AKL don't know about you as a guest until 5 days before you arrive. It is held at central reservations.

So 5 days before, I have been advised to call and ask (polite polite polite) if there is any possibility of the upgrade. Apparently they are very flexible with long stay people particularly at Deluxe resorts. So I will try. If I don't get it, it doesn't matter, it is WDW and AKL, for 15 nights, how bad can that be ??

Also I am interested in the post that said you couldn't afford the accommodation you wanted at package prices. How do you book all the bits separately as I have found this to always be more expensive especially if booking via Dinsey themselves.

Any advice welcome as we are taking my parents this time and we may try ot go again at Xmas without them. Xmas in WDW is just fantastic

Thanx again

 

[Mrs Dazzle]

Just wanted to say Hi and welcome

I would go for the ask very nicely route, even back it up with a fax. I have each stay onsite and it's worked. The Savannah view rooms at AKL are fabulous, but even the standard views are not bad and you can see the animals from all sorts of angles.

How I envy you 15 nights there - lucky you

 

[keswick1uk]

Hi Gadb1,

I thought the same as you. We booked an offsite hotel deal with Virgin Holidays last June and I have (how sad is this) been trying to find a cheaper price since using flydrive, and hotel bookings direct.

I once got within £30 of our price but have never matched or beaten it.

However, the package villa holiadys when we looked were very expensive and I would think from surfing those packages could be booked very much cheaper with flight, car and villa direct. They also have the advantage of knowing exactly where you will be staying and not a lottery.

I have lloked at the AKL for 2005 on VH and the price is very good I feel. Just still a bit too high for us, unfortunately.

 

[UKDEB]

We usually book a private villa for the bulk of our stay with one or two nights onsite, although recently that has been onsite at Universal rather than Disney. Still, the premise is the same. There are various ways to get discounts at the onsite resorts. Go to www.mousesavers.com to check them out. The best discounts are often Annual Passholder rates and we have always been lucky at both WDW and USF. We stay at a villa because that's what we prefer. If we booked a package, we could expect to pay more for an inferior property.

This last trip we stayed at the new Ritz Carlton resort and booked through HotelMartUSA at a rate of $173/night - half the rack rate! There are a couple of discount sites which offer the Universal resorts, but not Disney. I think Hotel Kingdom is one of them. And they are available through Priceline too - if you're interested there are threads on the Universal forum which show you how to work out which they are.

We seem to get lucky with flight prices, too, either by shopping around, or by getting Virgin Miles Plus Money fares.

In July we are spending two nights at Portofino Bay for $188 per night + tax of 11.5%. Our flights are £680 each + tax flying Virgin Premium Economy. Our car hire for a Luxury car and fully inclusive insurance package is just under £500. If you multiply this out for a 14 night stay for a family of four, that works out at a little under £5200. The same thing booked through Virgin Holidays (to include the upgrade to PE and Luxury car) for our dates is approximately £8850

 

[KayleeUK]

Just wanted to say Hi and Welcome to the UK Boards