How many guides are there?

[Sandisw]

We had Bill Koontz, too, and loved him, but when we went to add on around 2020 he was gone. Then we got Summer Mullins, whom we also liked, and now she's gone.

He is still a guide. Just works remote now!

 

[Bmramaut]

I love our guide, Kenny, he works in California (I’m in MI). He answers emails quickly, does all the math when I ask. I also loved that he works in Cali due to the time difference. When we went to add on points I was able to talk to him after I got off work. He doesn’t bother us to add on more, just available always when we have questions.

 

[MaryAnnDVC]

Not seeing a whole lot of names or counting of them.

We purchased Vero Beach during a Disney trip in December 2000, on a whim and without prior research, and the guide, Hassan Jahanmiry, MISguided us. Said we’d never have a problem booking BWV at 7 months, which is where we wanted to stay (previous trips were all at Beach Club). BWV was sold out. He also told us we could fit 5 in a one bedroom (we had 3 kids, from 7 - 12) (the rule was 4), so if we needed extra towels, just get them at the pool.

We decided to sign the papers, come home, do research on The DIS, and cancel within the 2 week timeframe if necessary. Which is exactly what we did. I’ll forever be grateful for Richyams, may he RIP, for his vast array of DVC knowledge and bluntly telling it like it is. He was a huge asset to The DVC boards. He helped us dodge a bullet. We purchased a BWV resale a couple of months later, which works perfectly for us. (Back when resales were equal in all ways to direct sales.) We have a hard enough time booking BWV at 11 months sometimes, never mind 7.

At some point Hassan left, and I think it was Johnathon Grier who called us once years ago to touch base. But we recently got a postcard that our guide left (did Johnathon leave, or am I mistaken he was our guide? The postcard doesn’t mention our prior guide) and it’s now Laurence L. Hannafin. Not that it matters. We‘re happy with the points we have.

 

[WxKristin]

At some point Hassan left, and I think it was Johnathon Grier who called us once years ago to touch base. But we recently got a postcard that our guide left (did Johnathon leave, or am I mistaken he was our guide? The postcard doesn’t mention our prior guide) and it’s now Laurence L. Hannafin. Not that it matters. We‘re happy with the points we have.

Johnathan G has been our guide and we also just received a postcard that our guide was leaving … just completed the 2nd VGF purchase with him at the beginning of July. He was pretty easy to work with - no pressure and knew all the offers & restrictions. I think he had mentioned at some point he had been a guide for 10+ years.
Not sure if DVC will assign one or if I should request one of the ones recommended here (or if it even matters much going forward as I don’t plan on adding on again soon).

 

[MaryAnnDVC]

Johnathan G has been our guide and we also just received a postcard that our guide was leaving … just completed the 2nd VGF purchase with him at the beginning of July. He was pretty easy to work with - no pressure and knew all the offers & restrictions. I think he had mentioned at some point he had been a guide for 10+ years.
Not sure if DVC will assign one or if I should request one of the ones recommended here (or if it even matters much going forward as I don’t plan on adding on again soon).

The right hand side of your postcard, right in the middle, doesn’t name a new guide? At the end of the bolded paragraph. That’s what I assumed the name Laurence L. Hannafin was.

 

[MaryAnnDVC]

Johnathon Grier started as a DVC guide in 2008, per Linkedin.

 

[MaryAnnDVC]

Or is Laurence L. Hannafin someone high up in DVC? :

 

[DonMacGregor]

My guide is Gib McCain.

 

[Anthony Vito]

Our first guide was Ron Brumbaugh, when we called and purchased in 2019. He'd been there for over 25 years, I think, so he may have been there from the beginning. He retired during Covid (hopefully wasn't a forced one). We added on while staying on property in August 2020, and I'm honestly not even sure who our guide was. We decided with a couple days left to add on with the great incentives at the time (and we had been upgraded on a cash stay to a 2-bedroom at CCV, so got a taste of the good life ). Since we live in DE, we had to purchase while we were there, so it was kind of a rush - we called and said, here's what we want, we need to sign while here, so needs to be done by tomorrow or so, something along those lines. I think whoever helped us said we had a new guide assigned, but I can't remember the name or if it was after that.

I know we didn't have a guide at one point, then last year we went on a DCL cruise, and the guide who was on the ship for that week became assigned as our guide. His name was Mike Caruana. He reached out a few times after the cruise as well, in advance of other trips, see if we had questions, etc. I got something early this year that he left. We then didn't have a guide.

When we were at WDW in May, we stopped at the kiosk in the lobby at Riviera to get the MagicBand sliders, and there was a guide there. They looked us up and saw we still didn't have one, so he became our guide. His name is Robert Aylesworth. I got a nice-to-meet you email from him right after we saw him. I see now on our DVC ad emails his name is at the bottom as our guide. I've never received a direct email from him though, so I don't have his email address like I did Mike or Ron.

Interestingly, I haven't received a phone call from him or any of the ASA's, and we're going on a DCL cruise next Saturday. Last year, I got a phone call from one of the ASAs who was going to be on the ship, then when we did a 3-night on the Wish last August, I got a phone call or two (think I may have received one about the upcoming cruise and they'd be there, and if I remember, may have received a call from Mike - but could have been related to our DVC stay for his call).

 

[MaryAnnDVC]

His name is Robert Aylesworth. I got a nice-to-meet you email from him right after we saw him. I see now on our DVC ad emails his name is at the bottom as our guide.

Whereabouts on the email is his name?

 

[Anthony Vito]

Whereabouts on the email is his name?

 

[MaryAnnDVC]

Thanks! Nope, I don’t have a guide name on mine.

My daughter‘s FIL is a guide and I’ll see him in a couple of weeks. I have questions...lots of questions.

 

[RamblinWreck]

We had Bill Koontz, too, and loved him, but when we went to add on around 2020 he was gone. Then we got Summer Mullins, whom we also liked, and now she's gone.

Summer was the last one I worked with!

She was enjoyable to talk with.

 

[Disney Spaz]

Our first guide was Brad Smith when we bought in a VGF in 2013. Then he left and we were assigned Mohamed Elaroussi. We have done 4 add-ones with him since that first purchase with Brad. Mohamed has been great, very informative and helped with our CCR add on in June. Never pushy and quick to help us out and answer questions.

 

[kes601]

We’ve bought our 3 contracts from David Miller. He’s been there quite a while from what I understand. We met him once at Riviera as he happened to be the guide on duty when we wanted to tour the rooms.

 

[john7994]

Our current guide is Justin Gamboa based in Hawaii, this is our third guide as the other two have left Disney (one of them was also based in Hawaii). We purchased our Riviera contracts through him. I have found Justin to be very responsive and willing to give space beyond the normal check-in here and there. In my last three park visits this year, he sent me a note welcoming me and wishing us a great vacation for both DL and WDW on the day of my check-in. I was actually surprised on the DL note, as I was paying cash and not staying on DVC points.

 

[Spivey378]

Let your conscience be your guide, OP.

 

[ParsonWedding]

Our first guide was Brad Smith when we bought in a VGF in 2013. Then he left and we were assigned Mohamed Elaroussi. We have done 4 add-ones with him since that first purchase with Brad. Mohamed has been great, very informative and helped with our CCR add on in June. Never pushy and quick to help us out and answer questions.

Our guide is also Mohamed. We have been working with him since last November. Not pushy at all. We are getting ready to purchase our 1st contract. It's been a long time coming! Other than a use year hiccup he has been great to work with!

 

[E2ME2]

My current guide is Bernard LeBeaupin.
He replaced my original guide,
Rafael Massa. Rafael was AWESOME
Taking off on a bit of a tangent to this thread, I used to make note of the helpful CMs at DVC (remember when you had an extension for specific CMs)?
I had 5, over the years, that I was happy to work with.
They are: (Top preference listed first…)
Ginger x370
Melly x399
Kramer x249
Petricia x413
Lola x288

I keep their numbers handy, just in case that level of customer service ever returns to DVC

 

[Maistre Gracey]

Cracks me up how Disney calls them “guides”.
They are SALESMEN, but that sounds too much like timeshare speak for Disney…. Whoops, did I say timeshare?? I meant vacation club.