Help !!! I just got a call from DSVC saying that

[CraftyMouse]

We have a Grand Villa booked for HHI for spring break. I don't think there is one owner who has read this thread that won't be nervous about any future reservation until they see the room they reserved in person from this point on. I know I won't!!!

I feel so sorry for all that are going through this. That said, I don't think we should over-react to the situation. This is one event that has happened in one resort. It is the only time something like this has happened in the 10+ years we have owned DVC, at least that I can remember. Do I think that they are mishandling it? MOST DEFINITELY! And I think that all of the affected members should get fair and just compensation for their inconvenience (comparable room w/comparable services, return of points, etc.). But I don't think we need to assume that this will spill over to other resorts or will happen again. Personally, we have never had an issue with our reservations (except for once being assigned a smoking villa by mistake, which they took care of) and I don't anticipate any in the future.

Good luck to all of the affected members. I hope that a fair and acceptable solution is found for each of you.

 

[3guysandagal]

WOW! Just WOW!
DW and I have been juggling #'s and researching DVC for about a year now and thought we were ready to buy in very soon. Have been watching the resales diligently lately. Home resort was the only thing we could not decide on. We have always thought that with Disney you would be treated right. The changes to the reservation system had brought up concerns of not being able to get our desired ressie when we wanted it, as we were fine with the DBD thing at 11 months out if that is what we would have to do. We were looking at buying a contract to fit our needs, not a huge contract so that we could book 2 or 3 weeks ahead of what we wanted and then cancel down to what was available! Now, not to say that is what we would do, but if people booked the day before we wanted and the next day everything else for that week is gone....just sayin. Our vacation time is that time and not really flexible, especially at 11 mos out! Hence the home resort advantage, right?
NOW THIS!! Just move you along and say "too bad, so sad, bye bye".
I can tell you that if we showed up for our Concierge Level stay and was told this at the front desk, I would go into "Carnival Ape Mode"! (thanks Kevin!).
Last Dec at POR there was a problem and the CM was a little (well, a lot) snotty with us. Lets just say the four letter word button was about to be pushed when a manager came over and straightened everything out in about 2 mins. NO PROBLEM! Service as expected at Disney. If this is the way Disney will be treating their DVC owners, I'm not sure they would be any better than all the other timeshares (read Vacation clubs!) and just not worth the $$ to be treated like dirt just because they CAN.

I hope Disney comes up with some sort of compensation for all of you that is worthy of the stay you had envisioned and planned for so far in advance.
I think the best resolution, other than CL at another resort or DDP, would be a "temporary" concierge club at SSR and a future CL stay guaranteed. JMHO

Seriously rethinking our decision now.

Waiting and watching to see what happens.

ETA...Oh yeah, the whole Filet Fiasco is just wrong! I am a hard core meat and potato guy and losing this is just another example of Disney Dictatorship. WAKE UP DISNEY!!!!

 

[cathydisneynut]

subscribing. I hope everything works out for you guys!

 

[irish dancer]

Ok, am starting to get nervous. As was told this morning by MS that my 2bdr room reservation (10/18-10/25) will not be affected by the partial closure. Has anyone else gotten confirmation that they are not affected??

Sorry, haven't been online since earlier yesterday. I was told by Maggie that our reservation was not affected by the construction. She said I wasn't on her list.

The posts from yesterday and today though have me quiet uneasy. I've left a message at MS for Maggie to call back. Hopefully I'll still get the same answer and we still have our 1br for 10/4-11.

 

[atpatt]

IrishDancer, I really think you are fine. Dh just talked to MS yet again and actually got some answers. April, I think, talked to him for quite a while and basically told him that about half of the rooms would be effected. She said that the decision of who stayed and who didn't was made by AKV and they only received a list of names to call.

I think you said you were a party of 5? Ah, I see it in your siggy! That probably helped you out with keeping your reservation. Maybe I should call back and add one, lol.

I just posted on another thread that I would be reasonably pacified if they would call those of us who didn't make the cut and ask us if we would like to book another AKV concierge vacation in or beyond an 11 month time frame. Obviously I don't know the dynamics of that or how it would complicate things, so who knows if its even possible. I just think we should be at least made to feel like they care about screwing up our plans.

 

[RickNJShore]

I’m sure MS isn’t happy about having to be the bearer of bad new but to make folks haggle over any sort of comparable replacement is outrageous. The bad news should have been delivered along with, not just a FAIR offer, but a BETTER than fair offer! I can’t imagine going back and forth with MS and Supervisors and still not being able to have some sort of comparable offer.

I bought into DVC so that I could have some assurance of a certain level of service. I too am sorry for the folks who are being given the bad news, more so I am sort of outraged that this is happening and have some concerns that this could happen to me. Tonight I called my Guide and left a message asking for details about this since I have AKL as my home resort. I just bought in and have been talking it up with all my friends and family (as I am sure a lot of you all have done) to the point some of them are interested in taking the tour next year when we do our grand gathering.

I’ve been watching this thread very closely and it makes me nervous to bring my friends and family into a something less than I would have expected. I for one don’t think I can just say this is bad for these poor folks but it doesn’t affect me. I look at this thread and say if happens to them then it can happen to me or my sister after she buys in and I don’t think it should be accepted.

I’m not going to pitch a fit but I not going to remain silent. I truly hope to read next week folks posting about how great things have turned around with better than expected replacement arrangements. Until then I will remain curious and politely continue to ask the questions.

 

[Laxmom]

Very well said!

 

[2Princes2Princesses]

No happy ending here. They looked for a bigger room or some way to accommodate us. Nothing available. We get a 2BR at SSR for our party of 9 (they will try to find a bed or cot for my son) or we cancel and stay home.

Since they didnt tell me and I didnt call until our cruise was already paid in full, plane tickets were bought, and vacation days scheduled, that is not an option.

This whole thing bites. I did leave a message for my guide, so I will probably hear from him. Although I doubt he can do much.

 

[janni518]

I'm sorry everyone is in this mess, myself included. I cannnot believe how badly all of this is being handled. At least notify people before they find out themselves. It's Disney, don't they know how fast word travels??

At least my editor and I had decided that I would write about my December trip and not this one for the paper. Oooh, what an article that would have been !!

Maybe it should be written about. I bet that'd get their attention!

 

[jagson]

DVC needs to honor the reservations they made for their members, and postpone the renovations to a time 11-12 months out, when there are no reservations on the books. How dare they inconvenince their members, who obviously took a lot of time, and effort to plan their vacation, and chose Disney for it. How long ago did they know and decide these renovations needed to be done at this time? Are these just cosmetic repairs, or is there some potentially dangerous stuctural situation that could imperil the guests? Or are they bending over backwards to accomodate some special interest, celebrity, or dignitary, at the expense of their members? Disney needs to man-up, and come clean with its members. Disney needs to operate in the Sunshine, ie openly and honestly. Its too opaque!

 

[jagson]

Am I mistaken, but isn't this a relatively slow period at Disney? I'd think there would be numerous options/availability during this time period. Again, as I posted earlier Disney needs to postpone renovations rather than inconvenience their members; unless they're not coming clean; and are covering up some other reason for scheduling this at this time.

 

[CraftyMouse]

Am I mistaken, but isn't this a relatively slow period at Disney? I'd think there would be numerous options/availability during this time period. Again, as I posted earlier Disney needs to postpone renovations rather than inconvenience their members; unless they're not coming clean; and are covering up some other reason for scheduling this at this time.

No, it's a fairly busy period. Various events happen during late Sept. and October that keep the WDW hotels pretty full. These include Mickey's Not So Scary Halloween Party, the golf classic and the Food & Wine Festival. Add to that the relatively low points season and you have nearly-full DVC resorts.

 

[murphy t]

No happy ending here. They looked for a bigger room or some way to accommodate us. Nothing available. We get a 2BR at SSR for our party of 9 (they will try to find a bed or cot for my son) or we cancel and stay home.

Since they didnt tell me and I didnt call until our cruise was already paid in full, plane tickets were bought, and vacation days scheduled, that is not an option.

This whole thing bites. I did leave a message for my guide, so I will probably hear from him. Although I doubt he can do much.

Just a quick check of the Disney web site showed studios available for Oct 19-23 at SSR. I know the inventory is different, but DVC can get a room to "fall" as they call it out to DVC use. Even if they have to foot the bill for the room, this is the least they should do for you, along with a $100.00 or so a day room credit to make up for loss of concierge etc.
The site also shows a concierge level suite at both Yacht Club and Beach Club resorts that sleep 8. Now that would be a great compensation!
I think you need to go further up the chain of command.
Good luck to all displaced, Murphy

 

[Tiger926]

No, it's a fairly busy period. Various events happen during late Sept. and October that keep the WDW hotels pretty full. These include Mickey's Not So Scary Halloween Party, the golf classic and the Food & Wine Festival. Add to that the relatively low points season and you have nearly-full DVC resorts.

I've read this whole thread, but haven't been able to post as we've had a million birthday parties to attend this week - LOL!

Here are my thoughts:

1. This is what I am thinking - for this 'maintenance' (if indeed there is maintenance to be done at such a busy time) to be done during a sell-out period, doesn't make sense. Perhaps there is a huge structural or safety issue at hand, if so, it would need to be fixed pronto.

2. If it's a celebrity or other 'special' person (I use the term loosely as we are all special since we are DVC members), who is in need of the place, then that is a big problem. DVC guests are very special as we have spent thousands of dollars in the purchase of their product.

3. It it's because they are complacent to DVC members in general because we have already purchased, or, because it will only affect a few guests and figure that moving to SSR isn't a big deal, then that is an even bigger problem!

4. If it's because there was a major scheduling screw up, then too bad. If the left hand doesn't know what the right hand is doing, then there are no worries about waiting until a slower period of time. No one should find out about this from an Internet message board - yikes!

The bottom line is that the timing of this fiasco makes no sense to me at all. Something stinks somewhere and it most definitely shouldn't be at the expense of hard working families looking forward to their vacations.

Best of luck to all of you, Tiger

 

[atpatt]

Dh was told that scaffolds would be put up that would completely block the views. 'Course he was also told by the same person that there would be no public access to the 6th floor at all, and that wasn't true.

Two different supervisors told him that they knew the work would have to be done soon (whatever it is), but they weren't sure just when it would have to be done, and the timing depended on alot of different things.

Well that clears it up!

 

[Dean]

DVC needs to honor the reservations they made for their members, and postpone the renovations to a time 11-12 months out, when there are no reservations on the books. How dare they inconvenince their members, who obviously took a lot of time, and effort to plan their vacation, and chose Disney for it. How long ago did they know and decide these renovations needed to be done at this time? Are these just cosmetic repairs, or is there some potentially dangerous stuctural situation that could imperil the guests? Or are they bending over backwards to accomodate some special interest, celebrity, or dignitary, at the expense of their members? Disney needs to man-up, and come clean with its members. Disney needs to operate in the Sunshine, ie openly and honestly. Its too opaque!

Disney has never been very open nor should they be. Delaying every project in such as way as to not book the rooms in question rather than have to change or cancel is unrealistic. There will always be things that happen and are decided that will provide aggravation and displacement. Obviously better planning or more likely in this case, better communication, should be expected. Still, they are definitely underperforming in this situation.

 

[dzorn]

Dh was told that scaffolds would be put up that would completely block the views. 'Course he was also told by the same person that there would be no public access to the 6th floor at all, and that wasn't true.

Two different supervisors told him that they knew the work would have to be done soon (whatever it is), but they weren't sure just when it would have to be done, and the timing depended on alot of different things.

Well that clears it up!

Wouldn't the scaffolds also block everyone below them? What are they doing about all those people.

Denise in MI

 

[atpatt]

That is actually what Maggie said, that it would effect all of the floors, and I guess the rooms there are just on the 4th-6th, right? She said alot of things, lol. Most of what we were told during those first few phones calls, when we talked to Maggie and Reggie, seems to be incorrect. I really think Maggie was just trying to soften the blow.

April told him that it was strictly the 6th floor, concierge level only, being effected and that it was only half of the rooms. She was really the only person willing to lay it all out there for us and give us the hardcore painful truth.

 

[jagson]

I think if more people are ahving to call to find this out and they are giving us all something that is nothing comparable, we need to start writing to higher up than the member satisfaction team or member services. My guide just kept telling me how wonderful SSR was and nothing he could do about it, he didn't even know about it until I called him.


Why call it member satisfaction team, instead of members' dissatisfaction team? And why don't the fat cats that made this lame decision man the phones, rather than low level CMs, and fields the calls from the members. What does Jim Lewis have to say about that suggestion? Or does he, or any of the other head honchos monitor these boards?
I'm bent out of shape over this, and AKV isn't even my home resort; its SSR.

 

[Simba's Mom]

Why call it member satisfaction team, instead of members' dissatisfaction team? And why don't the fat cats that made this lame decision man the phones, rather than low level CMs, and fields the calls from the members. What does Jim Lewis have to say about that suggestion? Or does he, or any of the other head honchos monitor these boards?