Just Returned from HHI -- Didn't feel the magic!

[Towncrier]

I have to agree with the sentiment that HHI will only improve if we let DVC know our criticisms. We stayed for two nights in 1999 (paying cash). Our experience led us to write an extensive letter to DVC management listing our concerns. My wife was contacted by phone and she was given the opportunity to explain in a little more detail what we had written. I thought that DVC was being very responsive to our concerns.

A couple years later (our next drive down to WDW), we stayed in a motel at Hardeeville. Sue and I drove over to HHI just to see the resort again. We were pleasantly surprised that a few of the problems that we had noted had been corrected. We like to think that we had a (very) small part in those changes.

There are some things about HHI that just can't be corrected and, after staying once, I seriously doubt that we'll ever go back. It's just doesn't suit our needs. I hate to see any property associated with the Disney brand that doesn't live up to the standards that our family has come to expect. And from my perspective, HHI has improved. It's just not where our family wants to spend vacation time.

BTW - While we were there, a child slipped and fell in the pool, hitting his head on the bottom. The lifeguard on duty was there in an instant and did her job well. It's a shame that your experience at the pool was so different.

 

[mmmcq]

As one of the last replies stated, "HH may be a DVC resort, but it is not Disney!" and I feel the same about Vero now. Maybe there's the "let down" of leaving the activity of the parks to go down to Vero that made our experience this past week worse. We had generally great weather thank goodness and very little rain either in Orlando or Vero so we didn't have any weather doldrums.

But in Vero what we were really looking for was a calm, restful 5 days in the pool and on the beach before the kids went back to school tomorrow. It's what we do every year in a beach rental in August. And from discussion boards and other DVC friends that's what I thought we were going to do at Vero. But our Vero experience was just way too stressful and the resort was too crowded and clearly overbooked. We actually overhead griping by the staff about the "Celebration teens/kids" who were there with their families and about how unruly they were. We don't know if that's true or not, but it was strange to hear it coming from the staff without prompting. And there certainly were literally a hundred kids there on Sunday.

I think the programming they provide for the kids is great if you WANT to participate...but you shouldn't have to leave the pool area to seek refuge elsewhere because the activity level is too high (DJ blasting EVERYDAY 12-3pm, pool games and general microphone announcements every 3- 5 minutes). We wanted more time at the pool, but honestly couldn't tolerate the noise or activity level and fled to the beach most days or our room if we really needed quiet time.

And then even when we did seek refuge in our room we weren't safe from the noise there. As I mentioned earlier, as we all waited in darkness in our room for the baby to wake from her nap (we'd had enough sun for the day) she was rudely awakened by the bubble wrap love fest in the lobby downstairs. It sure made a great noise for the kids who participated, but why didn't management think it was necessary to warn unsuspecting guests about the activity and the outrageous noise it might cause in the center of a hollow 4 story lobby????

In addition to the facility being so "full" and therefore I believe the staff stretched --- the room (s) and overall facility didn't meet our expectations (and is below DVC standards from what we've experienced elsewhere at BWV and certainly other onsite facilities like the Yacht Club). I don't honestly think the staff at Vero, the facility managers and DVC Member Services did all they could to have prevented what happened to us or to have remedied the situation.

Vero just became a hotel for us that we won't choose to go back to. I've stayed in other resort area hotels like Vero on a beach (actually an island) with pools and have had much better experiences. The programming was much lower key for those who wanted it (and my kids did participate there) and the facility wasn't so overjammed with people that you couldn't enjoy yourself.


Oh well.....another Disney lesson learned.

 

[Desperado]

Sonya the GM (also GM at Vero & OKW)?

Does anyone know Sonya's last name? Is perchance the restaraunt named after her?

Sorry to hear about your unfavorable Vero experience. It is different from our own, except for the crowds on the weekends. During the week there is a big difference.

If you would, it would be great if you could express your concerns to:
DVC Member Satisfaction Manager
Jackie Lueders, 800-800-9800,
members@disneyvactionclub.com (mailto:members@disneyvactionclub.com)
(subject: ATTN JACKIE LUEDERS),
Disney Vacation Club,
Attn: Jackie Lueders,
200 Celebration Place,
Celebration, FL 34747.

My concern is that the weekend crowding is sometimes due to local pool crashers. This is something that can be resolved. The bubblewrap party can easily be moved to a more quiet location, like the comunity room, which would solve the one noise problem you shared.

We have been very pleased with the service provided at Vero beach, and hope that the high levels of service continue. Reporting breaches in service like you described will help keep service levels up.