Inequities to owners of view preferences

[ScottOKW2K]

Originally posted by paults
lets charge anyone who gets on a waitlist or 2 or 3 at anytime with the purpose of dropping it when their resort of choice has an opening thus causing more work for those over worked MS people who love their jobs or they wouldn't be there.

ScottOKW2K
"Let's face it - if you are a BWV owner and you call MS to make your reservation your request will probably go like this : "Are there any standard view XXX type rooms available ... No ? ... Well, any Preferred Boardwalk view ... Yes ?!? ... Thanks, I'll take it." Between "standard" and "boardwalk" view requests you will have fully a third of BWV room inventory committed exclusively to BW owners before any requests from owners at other dvc resorts can be met. This amount of inventory that will effectively be restricted solely to owners at that resort exists only at Boardwalk, and no other dvc resort."

lets change the resort name
Let's face it - if you are a OKW owner and you call MS to make your reservation your request will probably go like this : "Are there any( GV's) type rooms available ... No ? ... Well, any (dedicated 2 bedrooms) ... Yes ?!? ... Thanks, I'll take 2 ." Between "GV's" and "dedicated 2-bedrooms" requests you will have fully a third of OKW room inventory committed exclusively to OKW owners before any requests from owners at other dvc resorts can be met. This amount of inventory that will effectively be restricted solely to owners at that resort exists only at (sorry not just at) Boardwalk, at all dvc resorts in some way.
But I guess that's not the same. HuH

I see the point that you are trying to make, but once you changed the example to another resort, the analogy broke down. There are some room types that MS can guarantee at the time of your reservation that are always in short supply and will book up at the 11 month window - BW grandvillas, OKW grandvillas, and BW standard view, for example, and I'm sure a small percentage at other reorts. Once those types are removed from inventory for booking, the next thing that can be guaranteed is room size - studio, 1 or 2 bedroom.

Anything after that - non smoking, dedicated two bedroom, a particular view or location - is simply a request, and not a guarantee at check-in. As a matter of fact , and the subject of many posts on this board, anyone checking in before you on the day of your arrival has the same or better chance of getting their request as you do, even though you might have made your reservation the very first day that it was available to you as an owner at that resort.

And therein lies the crux of my original statement. In any of the dvc resorts there are specific types of rooms that well be reserved by the owners early, and unavailable to owners of other resorts. That is the nature of the 11/7 month booking window, and I have no problem or concern with this, because it affects only a small percentage of room types. The inequality that will exist now can be illustrated below.

Beach Club Villas - "Epcot View" - a request.
Old Key West - Hospitality house or Turtle Pond - a request.
Boardwalk Villas - "Boardwalk" view - a guarantee.

If , for example, MS could guarantee me turtle pond or hospitality house locations at time of booking then there would be a comparable policy for each owners resort and no inequality in reservation policy. The only resort - as the situation stands today - where the owner is guaranteed a particular view (ie - location) is Boardwalk. Why should only one resort have the ability to gearantee a location to it's members, but not others resorts.

And, believe me, I would be just as pleased with my turtle pond room as a BW owner would be with his BW view.

 

[crisi]

I've gotten to wondering if this change may be at the request of Disney's legal department.

I know that verbal statements legally are somewhat hard to prove and somewhat less binding than statements in our POS. But DVC had a track record of stating to people who bought BWV that they would have "first dibs" on the BW View during sales. During our discussions here, it appears that several BWV owners bought under this understanding. And, IIRC for my days as a legal assistant (though definately NOT an attorney), case law can be cited to support a successful class action suit in the case of a verbal committment. If enough people are willing to testify to the "first dibs" situation on a BWV, DVC could be doing this as a legal self protection move.

To the best of my knowledge, they never promised or implied at other resorts that owners would have first dibs on rooms.

 

[DeeP]

Originally posted by crisi
I've gotten to wondering if this change may be at the request of Disney's legal department.

I know that verbal statements legally are somewhat hard to prove and somewhat less binding than statements in our POS. But DVC had a track record of stating to people who bought BWV that they would have "first dibs" on the BW View during sales. During our discussions here, it appears that several BWV owners bought under this understanding. And, IIRC for my days as a legal assistant (though definately NOT an attorney), case law can be cited to support a successful class action suit in the case of a verbal committment. If enough people are willing to testify to the "first dibs" situation on a BWV, DVC could be doing this as a legal self protection move.

To the best of my knowledge, they never promised or implied at other resorts that owners would have first dibs on rooms.

Interesting thought. I have to say though, I was never told anything about first dibs when I bought at BWV neither with the original purchase or add on.

 

[tiggerguy2000]

I dont disagree about giving BW owners first pick.Hey I get the room nobody wants all the time.My last trip I finally said something.It stinks when you have no luck with getting a most wanted room.

 

[DebbieB]

Anything after that - non smoking, dedicated two bedroom, a particular view or location - is simply a request, and not a guarantee at check-in.

I believe a dedicated 2 bedroom is booked as a room category at OKW, BCV & VWL. At BCV they even break it down into 2 queens or queen/sofabed in the second bedroom. Guaranteed. Non-BCV owners probably have a low chance of getting the 2 queen 2 bedroom at 7 months.

When I bought at BWV, my guide said BW view rooms are assigned by date of reservation. I attended the BWV annual meeting in 2000, the subject was brought up by people upset they didn't get a boardwalk view when they booked at 11 months. Again, they said BW view rooms are assigned by date of reservation. This new way of booking makes sure that it works that way, less grief for DVC. I think that all resorts should go back to the reservation order rule rather than "room ready", then it would be fair to everyone. I think "room ready" is an easy way out for DVC, to get around the room request issue.

 

[ncligs]

Originally posted by joepoe
After reading this thread, I have come to the disgusting conclusion that DVC owners, as a whole, are pigs.

.........

 

[spruce]

And, believe me, I would be just as pleased with my turtle pond room as a BW owner would be with his BW view.

The Turtle Pond location does not cost extra preferred points since there is only one layer to the OKW point stucture. BWV on the other hand has, as we all know, a multi-layered points structure. As an owner at BWV, I would rather get a standard view then to spend my points (as I have) for the chance to get a BW view. With a guaranteed BWV, I will easily spend the preferred points required knowing that a BW view is reserved for me.
It is dissapointing to spend preferred points and look at the quiet pool. Any owner in a multi layered system should have the best shot for the best rooms. I've booked preferred at 11 months and not gotten BW views. So much for 1st to book 1st to have their preferences met. I like the new system.
If Turtle pond had a preferred point structure, then by all means an owner at OKW should have the ability to get that location before someone who is not......spruce

 

[married@wdw]

Just curious -- how many of you who booked at 7 months or even 2 or 3 months have gotten a BW view room?

I ask because I wonder if the disappointment of not getting the room is really because they're giving them away to people who booked later than 10 or 11 months OR if it's because there are so few to be had in the first place, that they often don't have a BW view that suits your needs (size, length of stay) when you check in. Many have said they were able to switch into a BW view in the middle of their stay. Most likely, we got a BW view at 7 months out because our dates fit with a room that was available. I imagine there could be people who booked before us who didn't get the room because they are staying for more days. Isn't that right? Wouldn't it depend on how you waitlisted -- day by day or for the whole stay? So couldn't this new policy then even work against those making reservations in the four-month window if they have to waitlist?

Don't get me wrong, I'm playing devil's advocate here and trying to understand the new system. I think the new policy was generally a good decision.

 

[Beth]

When I checked in to BWV this past Sunday, I asked the CM how the new "Room Ready" policy was going...

She had no clue what I was talking about. She, instead, started talking about the new guaranteed BW view, and said it was nice - because they had always had such a problem at check-in with people not getting the view...

She said, ".. all requests are granted according to the date of the reservation.. .and now people can reserve the Boardwalk view - <b>but it will cost them a few points more</b>."

<b>!?!?</b>

She was nice as she could be - but she seriously had no clue...

And, WDWguru - I, also, can attest that room 5024 is a dedicated one-bedroom at BWV.

 

[CRobin]

Originally posted by married@wdw
Just curious -- how many of you who booked at 7 months or even 2 or 3 months have gotten a BW view room?

Well, I'm batting .500

Had two ressies, both preferred, one for a studio 10/31 - 11/8 and another for a 2BR 1/31 - 2/7. E-mailed MS and requested BW view for both.

They confirmed the 2BR immediately, and waitlisted me on the studio. Talked to DW and we decided to try for the BW view for a few days and move if we had to.

When I called MS, I was told that BWV is "absolutely sold out" from early October thru mid-November and that the waitlist was packed. It would appear that getting ANYTHING at BWV for that window is going to require some real luck. So, we'll take what we get and have a great time, which we always do, BW view or not.