HH disappointment

[ZerasPride]

Slyhubby, I am sorry you dislike the Hilton Head resort so much. Personally, I love it there and hope other members who have not given the resort a try do so.

I am very sorry for Haunted Mansion Ma and the series of things that added up to make her stay unpleasant. I hope if I experience similar frustrations on my trip to Hilton Head and OKW in November that they can be taken care of in that special "Disney" way we've all come to expect and love from DVC.

As far as Hilton Head not "being" Disney but a DVC resort, I guess its a matter of personal perspective. I don't expect to get the same chills and thrills from Hilton Head that I do from an on-site stay (and for me that is HH's beauty and charm and makes it most appealing). I would also not expect to have the same atmosphere and experience at Vero as an on-site stay but I am looking forward to staying there some time in the future. I found Hilton Head to be very Disney - a different sort of Disney - but very Disney nonetheless. Again, I hope any members considering a visit to HH will do so, it can be an awesome resort and you can have an awesome time!

 

[Haunted Mansion MaMa]

Slyhubby seems to understand how we feel. We were expecting a typical Disney vacation and were, unfortunately, disappointed this time. There was plenty that we enjoyed about our vacation. I simply was looking for an address so that I may call our situation to the attention of management so that it does not happen to anyone else. You have to admit that it is unusual to have such a long list of things go wrong. We paid the same as anyone else and are entitled to the same as everyone else....no more, no less.

It is the usual attention to detail that Disney is famous for that seemed to be lacking.

 

[Dean]

Was the baloon issue directly related to the resort? Or was it simply a delivery issue from the DVC standpoint?

From reading through your summary, it's clear that you were/are unhappy. I suspect it's more with how it was handled than with the specifics though you say things were handled in a "very timely manner". Obviously things like light bulbs, toasters, pool closures, parking closures and the like are part of the normal happenings at resorts and though disappointing, not things to be upset ubout as long as the things that can be fixed are taken care of. I was wondering if you actually spoke with a manager regarding your issues or if you just assumed someone would let one of them know. I'd agree to have so many issues is unusual, I do hope you spoke with a manager or will call back and do so. One of the problems with some of these type of problems is that there is a finite window of opportunity. I suspect there is nothing going to make you happy with what's happened at this point, the time to throw you a bone and show they were truly sorry was at the time.

 

[ZerasPride]

Haunted Mansion Ma, I hope I have not seemed unsymphathetic to you in my defense of Hilton Head. It is never a good thing when one occurrence after another is negative in a resort stay. I was not in any way trying to diminish your unpleasant experience.

I'd like to say I hope you give the resort a try again some time but your experience has put you off to the point that I won't say that to you but I will say that I hope now that you are home, you can get the satisfaction you are looking for. As Dean said, at this point it may be too late, you were looking for acknowledgement from the resort "powers that be" at the time of the incidents - not after.

DH and I had a horrible (disgusting) experience at one of the Pocono resorts that came highly recommended from many of our friends. Just about everything about our stay was unacceptable to us from the large stains on the carpet to the crud in the jacuzzi tub and the "breakfast in bed" that was a complete joke! I can't believe so many of our friends like it there but they do. After a 3 page letter and long talk with the general manager of the resort, they sent us a gift certificate for a complimentary stay. I would not go back there if they paid me! So I can understand when you have one bad experience after another with a resort. Of course the Pocono Palace is not a DVC resort and Disney supposedly prides itself on customer service and obviously dropped the ball in your case. Again, I hope matters are resolved to your satisfaction and that your next DVC stay is as magical as you expect it to be!

 

[Haunted Mansion MaMa]

Zeraspride (love the name! ) I never intended for my post to become a "complaint-fest." I have a letter to send and needed help with the best person(s) to send it to so as to avoid this happening again either to us or anyone else. It was never my intention to insult anyone. I am truly very glad that overall people have had a positive experience at HH. That is entirely what I expected. If I expected anything less we would not have booked our vacation there. I can't say that I would definitely never visit HH again. There are just so many other places to see first. The people (cast members) were wonderful (for the most part). We had a blast with all of the organized activities we chose to participate in. I would never tell anyone *not* to visit HH based on our experience.

 

[SlyHubby]

Originally posted by ZerasPride
Slyhubby, I am sorry you dislike the Hilton Head resort so much. Personally, I love it there and hope other members who have not given the resort a try do so.
...
As far as Hilton Head not "being" Disney but a DVC resort, I guess its a matter of personal perspective. I don't expect to get the same chills and thrills from Hilton Head that I do from an on-site stay (and for me that is HH's beauty and charm and makes it most appealing). I would also not expect to have the same atmosphere and experience at Vero as an on-site stay but I am looking forward to staying there some time in the future. I found Hilton Head to be very Disney - a different sort of Disney - but very Disney nonetheless. Again, I hope any members considering a visit to HH will do so, it can be an awesome resort and you can have an awesome time!

My stay at HH was not a wonderful experience. I believe that just as you and many others love to tell of the excellent experiences they've had, I feel that I should be able to tell people here that they shouldn't expect the Disney-type treatment they do expect when vacationing with Disney. It's happened to me and my family, it's happened to Haunted Mansion Ma Ma and her family, and I'm sure that it's happened to others. Were we just unlucky? Maybe. Is this part of a bigger problem with just HH? Maybe. Is it a problem with Disney in general due to the economic environment right now? Who knows? What I do know is that I expected much more from my trip to HH and it didn't happen. We also had the experience of the rude female counter-CM at the front desk - definitely not Disney! Thankfully it was a cheap points week and now we know better.

I stand by my previous statement that HH may be a DVC resort, but it is not Disney. Tell yourself what you like - it is not Disney anyway I look at it.

I'm happy you enjoy HH so much - to each his/her own.

 

[Maistre Gracey]

Yes, everyone is entitled to there own informed opinion.

I have never been to HH, but
here are some members have a different opinion!

 

[Allan]

Sorry you had a bad experience with HH, Haunted Mansion Mama. We just had a VERY sub par experience with VB and I contacted Jackie Lueders via email when our trip was over. She was genuinely concerned about our experience and indicated that she would address the issue with VB management.

 

[Haunted Mansion MaMa]

Thanks, Allan. I'm sorry to hear of your bad vacation experience. Have you also been to HH? Can you please provide me with the email address you used for Jackie Lueders?

 

[Allan]

I emailed her at members@disneyvacationclub.com and put attn: Jackie Lueders Member Satisfaction Manager in the subject line. We haven't been to HH yet but do look forward to it soon.

 

[Dean]

If you send the email as Allan suggested, Jackie will get it and will respond. She has to me on more difficult topics than this.

 

[PamOKW]

HauntedMansionMama has the right idea. When you see a problem at a DVC resort, let someone in management know so that it can be corrected. However, a DVC member should not do the complaining with the expectation of receiving compensation for the problem. I have found that they do, however, take the information seriously and very often follow-up with a phone call to discuss the problem(s) further.

I also don't think problems such as the ones mentioned here are any different at HHI and Vero than they are at the WDW DVC resorts. There have been similar problem stays at all the resorts (well, I don't think we've heard a story from BCV yet....give it a week.)

I have had bad experiences and have had them discussed. However, I never received any compensation or any acknowledgement of any birthday, anniversary, etc. from DVC. I did, however, receive excellent help in a medical emergency.

Like HMMama, one incident with a fire alarm that blared overhead throughout our meal at Olivia's would have gone over a lot better if someone had just apologized. Shrugging shoulders and a "too bad" attitude just made a bad situation worse than night.

 

[Disneyaholic]

I'd love to know who the person at the front desk was that disappointed you so much. That is so unusual for that resort.

We have stayed at HH on numerous occasions and have had wonderful experiences there. However, on our last trip (July of this year), our check-in was less than magical. (Fortunately the remainder of the trip and the other CMs more than made up for it!!) Just wondering if it was the same person....

 

[Dean]

I've told this story before but thought it might fit in here. Not long after VB opened, there were no BBQ grills. Of course I didn't know that and since BW and OKW had them I assumed VB did too. Part of my requests was to be near the BBQ grills, I even emailed MS saying I assumed VB had BBQ, along with a couple of other questions. I got a very cryptic message back that said simply "Your assumptions are correct". As we got close, I was emailing DVC to check on a couple of things including our requests. This was just a couple of days before our trip. I got back an email saying there are no BBQ grills. I was stunned, we'd already bought enough steaks for 2 nights for 9 people (NY Strip and Rib Eye).

DVC started working on the problem and had the emails to document what had happened. They offered to pick up the steaks and cook them then drop them off. While I think this could have worked, I was concerned because timing is everything with the steaks. What they ended up doing was treating us to lunch at the resort. 9 people for lunch including appetizer or salad, desert and even the tip. We tried not to order desert but they made us, said they'd just bring something if we didn't tell them what. The restaurant manger kept coming by to check on us until late, he never came back around. I had to ask for him because I wanted to make sure the young lady that waited on us got a nice tip and I didn't know how much to base it on. When asked, the manager came back by, he said they were taking care of the tip also. I said but she did a great job and wanted to make sure she was tipped commensurate with the situation, he said she would be and refused to let us leave anything extra.

This experience really solidified our DVC ties as we were still pretty new at the time. I don't know if it came out of dues or not, if it did, I thank those of you that were members at the time.

 

[Haunted Mansion MaMa]

That is a very nice story, Dean, and one worthy of Disney. I am not, repeat not, looking for compensation. If that were the case I would have made a lot of noise at the time. Today, as when it happened, I want management to know the situation so that they may be more mindful of carefully monitoring the units. One or two items on the list can be and would have been overlooked; however, I think a list of items is a bit much to take. A simple apology and acknowledgment is all that is necessary to make us feel better.

 

[Sammie]

The only part I don't understand is how can a maid walk into your room unexpected if your door is locked with the deadbolt and security bar?

I would never leave my door unsecure regardless of a paper note on it saying Do Not Disturb. Too many of those fall off and/or kids get them.

I am sorry you had bad service, as we have gotten the best service ever at Hilton Head DVC including light bulbs changed at midnight within 5 mins. of the call.

 

[gscott8075]

I hardly think that people not liking Hilton Head is a trend. The larger problem seems to be the expectation of compensation when anything is wrong. The correction of the defect should be enough. The overwhelming number of people on this board and at the resort seem to really enjoy it - and those that do not are a distinct minority of two in the two years since I joined the board.

I am unaware that Disney had balloon delivery on the birthday. The pool was closed one day I was there, too- we went to the Beach House. Disney seemed to try to work with folks as they increased shuttle service. In the future, if you deadbolt the door, the maids won't be able to come in. But, most folks only have one trash/towel day during a stay. That is if they are DVC members.

I am sorry you had bad experiences. If you went expecting to find Splash Mountain, Mickey Mouse, and Spaceship Earth, you are going to be dissapointed with the One Fine Day Promenade and the campfires.

Are you DVC members? I note that you have just stumbled on our little community. Welcome!

 

[baileybrad]

Sorry for the bad experiences that resulted in you having a subpar vacation at HH DVC Resort. I assume that the helium that you were expecting the birthday balloons to be filled with was the unit that they use to fill the Unbirthday Party balloons. I did not know that DVC resorts made a habit of delivering "birthday" balloons to rooms but if this was pre-arranged then the "helium" guy screwed up. Light bulbs burn out, toasters break and maids sometimes wander in unexpectedly (good idea about locking the deadbolt, of course, that wouldn't be an option if other family members were already out and about) but I suppose when other things like a pool being rehabbed for a day happen you begin to feel a bit put upon. When you top that off with an unfriendly experience with a castmember not on their game then you can get a lousy feeling in a hurry. I would bet that things like a burnt out bulb and a dead toaster were replaced fairly quickly. The fridge problem you had...was experienced by us at OKW...just didn't keep the ice cream frozen are handled by regular maintenance of the units but only if the guests make management aware of the problem. Fridges do get old.

I hope that you get what you want from your complaint. The one thing that I think that a few posters have tried to infer is that the HH resort is somehow not on par with the other DVC resorts. This is just not true. All of the things that you mentioned happen at other DVC resorts. Just think how folks feel who don't realize that a resort's pool is being rehabbed for their entire week's stay. The HH resort and staff have made all 6 of our visits there as "Disney" as any stay that we have experienced in our Orlando visits. I really feel that they actually seem to take even more time with guests just due to the resort's size. Once again sorry about your bad trip but it is very rare that anyone leaves any DVC resort with a bad taste in their mouths. We are staying at Vero over Labor Day for the first time and now wonder did they ever install outdoor grills?

 

[Haunted Mansion MaMa]

In response to Sammy:

You wrote: The only part I don't understand is how can a maid walk into your room unexpected if your door is locked with the deadbolt and security bar?

Since that is the "only part that you don't understand", allow me to explain. I never said the maid entered the room. If you will re-read my post you will notice I said she "tried to enter the room", see quote below.

"....thus nothing to prevent the housekeeper from trying to enter the room at 8:30 a.m. as I am coming out of the shower and the rest of my family is asleep."

The deadbolt and security bar did not stop her from pounding on the door, making it necessary for me to answer before she disturbed my entire family.

 

[Mai Ku Tiki]

Hi HHM! I'm glad you came here for info and ultimately, told your story. These boards offer a great education and the more we share, the more we learn...my biggest lesson so far- Just because I have a good experience, doesn't guarantee that you will. And just because we have bad stuff happen doesn't guarantee that only bad will happen in the future....

Case in point... a few years ago we stayed at our fave Deluxe...(won't mention the name but there's a volcano pool, lots of palms and tiki gods are everywhere ). Well, it was our WORST vacation ANYWHERE, EVER!!! (Hope Tikiman isn't listening in!!! ).
Horrible room location which they refused to change (Front desk mngr ..."We only have lagoon front left and we CERTAINLY can't give THAT to you!!!" Us..."But this is our 21st stay here...as frequent stayers, can't you PUHLEESE change our room????).They didn't. Then there was a gas line problem outside of WDW which meant most hot foods couldn't be cooked and there was only ICE COLD (not cool) water in the shower for THREE DAYS!!! Front desk/housekeeping mngr's response..."Oh Well! Beyond our control". Several other problems along the way. I spoke to every supervisory CM I could...and never got so much as "I see your point!". Rude, unresponsive, apathetic!!!!

We left there VOWING never to return!!!! ("grumble, grumble....place is going downhill...horrible customer service....where's the MAGIC???...etc... grumble, grumble...explitive...grumble"). I wrote and called every top gun I could find until I finally gave up...what did we receive in return??? Nada! Zippo! Not even a note.

Well, we were beyond angry...we were BROKEN-HEARTED! This resort had always been our own personal PARADISE!

Sooooo...when the AP rates came around the next year...WE WENT BACK (can't teach an old dog....). IT WAS PERFECT!!! Found out that the CM's the prior year were placed with little training in a Disney flurry of hiring...the GM was no longer in charge...several supervisors had been replaced and VOILA!... MAGIC! Faith restored! We've been back several times since (WONDERFUL!) and have also plunked down a chunk of change for DVC/BCV. A satisfied guest is a SPENDING guest!

So my longwinded point is....stuff happens. But it is ultimately the CM's who can make or break a Disney experience. When you do write your letter, mention that front desk CM by name if you can...maybe she needs to be sent back to WDW boot camp to realize what Disney guest service is all about. Also be sure to mention any CMs that sprinkled you with pixiedust!

I truly hope your next WDW experience is filled with MAGIC!