New members disappointed in first trip to VWL-Caution,Upset

[Dean]

I understand that not every person with a handicap is going to be ideal for the HC rooms as set up. They are intended to be as flexible as possible but it's a compromise. I also have no problem with one requesting a first floor non handicapped. The problem is that these rooms are also limited and are a request only, where the HC rooms are scheduled direclty from what I'm told. The examples given though do no make the HC rooms inappropriate, only inconvenient and different than requested. If one doesn't need a roll in shower, but needs handicapped access otherwise, that's part of the compromise that has to happen to have the rooms serve the most people possible. I bet DVC even has shower chairs and I seem to remember a fold down chair in one of the units we stayed in once at OKW.

The problem I have is when one expects to get a first floor non handicapped for medical reasons when a regular HC room would go empty or to someone who doesn't want or need it in any way and when the HC room be about as appropriate for that person whether they prefer it or not. That makes it truly a request and should carry no more weight than any other request. It is not appropriate for DVC to create an unofficial set of semi HC rooms. If they want to convert more rooms to HC over the years, that's different.

Nanajo1, I am not unsympathetic to your situation but there are other ways to deal with it besides the first floor none HC. It seems to me that you just don't like the shower. I can understand that but a shower chair would fix your stated concern, there may be others and that was only an example. Obviously the lower bed should not be a problem at all. What happens if you don't get a first floor room? You would have been guaranteed a HC room but now you're taking your chances. This is one of the problems with timeshares, what may be great at 30 may not at 60 and vice versa. This will be a real problem was the members age. Eventually there will not be enough rooms as are needed for HC. What if 20% of the rooms need to be HC in 20 years but only 10% are (numbers for illustration only). Will we then be discussing that some need a HC room and they are all full even though other rooms are going empty. I guarantee you it will happen eventually and that is what we bought into, we will take the good with the bad.

 

[lsutigger]

Sorry that I'm so late in this discussion. Oct 01 on our first visit as DVC members we were given a HC studio at VWL. I don't remember them saying anything at check in, but who knows. Between being excited to be there and tired from the trip, I was just glad they had a room available, It was noon-ish when we got there. often wonder if I had waited if a non HC/non smoking studio would have been available. We stayed in the room, as moving rooms doesn't sound like fun to me. I didn't realized it was handicapped until we had be in there a few minutes. The kitchenette and shower were the give aways. It was also a smoking room. I do have to say there was no smoke smell at all, thank goodness. Had there been I probably would have requested that they move us. Yes I was disappointed as the only two request I had were non-smoking and non HC! Didn't get either. I did email Jackie (name from one of the other posts) and she called me at home. Told me the resort was full and since I had reserved at the 7 month window and it was first come first serve ..... I reserved the room exactly at the 7 month window at exactly 9:00 am. I would love to know the types of rooms others who called later in the day got. She was very nice on the phone but there was no resolution to the problem.
But I still love my DVC. Going back in Oct 02 in a one bdroom at BCV. I'll ask at the desk what type of room it is before leaving the area and be more assertive in getting what I want.

 

[CaptainMidnight]

Well, I guess hindsight is easy, but if an extra $25 gets you the room you'd like, I would have gone ahead and paid the extra $25. After all, that's a drop in the bucket compared to what you'll probably spend on the vacation. Then, send in a letter with your bill and ask for a refund of the fee.

i know it's easy looking back, but $25 isn't enough to ruing your vacation over.

I confess, HC rooms are not my favorite, but I am glad they are available for members who need them.
Hope your next trip goes much better, and thanks for the heads up. We can ask if the room is handicap or not.

I guess not everyon'e vacaton can be perfect every time. I think you've got the best shot at it through Disney.

 

[KNWVIKING]

..did your HC room have a whirlpool tub ? I was under the impression they didn't,but another poster states they do.

 

[LindaDVC]

We have always stayed in handicapped units since DH is a power wheelchair user.
We requested info. on these unts prior to joining to make sure the bed would be lower and the bathroom accessible. Without the quarantee of there availabilty we could not book a reservation.

To me the real issue is making the unit functional for all!
They need to fix the bathroom shower problems. No one needs the floor of the bathroom wet especially the handicapped who often have decreased balance or strength. They also should add more shelving since many complain about the difference in counter space. People have been writing about the lack of closets??? We have always had closets in the accessible units.

Personally I find this thread very annoying. I wish people would count their blessings and accept a few accessible features to help everyone vacation!

Linda

 

[SueM in MN]

..did your HC room have a whirlpool tub ? I was under the impression they didn't,but another poster states they do.

The whirlpool tubs are in the 1 and 2 bedroom units, whether they are the handicapped accessible rooms or not. The part that is different is the shower. In a regular room, it has a shower stall with a small lip to step over. There is also a shower door. The fully wheelchair accessible showers are roll in showers without a step into the shower. The don't have a door.

 

[JudithM]

DVC studios generally come with a tub/shower whereas the one bedroom unit has the walk-in shower stall Sue described.

In a handicapped studio there is no tub, just a walk in, wheelchair accessible shower. Here lies a few problems - the shower curtain in the handicapped rooms we have stayed in at OKW did not go all the way to the floor. Therefore a cold breeze blows in on your feet & runs up your body (regardless of water temperature). Also, as others have mentioned the water from the shower tends to back out onto the floor which is a safety issue for everyone, not just folks with limited mobility.

Last month we stayed in a handicapped studio at the DVC at HHI. The shower curtain was much longer than the one I just described & none of the above mentioned problems occurred. We did have a nice size closet at HHI, too!

BillM, thank you for comments about the beds in a handicapped room - "If you aren't in a WC but have bad legs, lots of luck trying to get up off the bed !!!!" People with "good legs" should count their blessings!

 

[KNWVIKING]

.... I thought Simba was in a 1br but after rereading her original post I realized she never stated what her accomodations were. I've had HC studios and am very familiar with the screwy shower.

I'm curious about the problems people have mentioned about water getting on the bathroom floor. Is there something the non HC people are doing wrong to create this problem simply because we don't know how to use an HC shower ? I can't imagine disney is building these rooms any differently then industry standard.

 

[LindaDVC]

The water doesn't discriminate-- it is screwy for the handicapped and non handicapped folks!!!

 

[sumessefui]

Getting a HC room and not wanting it can be a problem at peak times. However rudeness from CM's to a reasonable request is not excusable. Is not part of the reason we joined the DVC the wonderful attention from CM's. Some time back at the Poly my sister told a concierge that a CM had messed up a reservation and was rude on top of it. The concierge responded that rudeness was not allowed by a CM at WDW. I guess times have changed.

 

[SueM in MN]

Linda is right. The water doesn't care if you are handicapped or not - it goes where it wants.

 

[jimmytammy]

Ya'll have got me a little worried with these replies. Reason is we bought into WLV as home resort and never even seen the place except from monorail(going home in Dec. for first time). Please somebody give some encouraging words.

 

[Mooobooks]

jimmytammy, here are your encouraging words. I bought at Old Key West and stayed there once. It was nice, but remote from the parks (but it IS so close to Downtown Disney).
I have never stayed there again. Have almost ALWAYS stayed at the Villas at the Wilderness Lodge. It is our favorite hotel in the world, not just in WDW. We have always had a great time, have never had any problems with rude cast members, and we are as happy as most of the other DVC members on this board.
I think that in relation to the overall number of people who stay in the resorts, bad incidents (which DO happen) are a miniscule percentage. It's really the luck of the draw and a lot depends on how YOU handle it at the time.
I would've paid the $25 to have the room changed immediately and then gone to see the manager, and kept going until I got a response that made sense. (And doing this without getting terribly angry is important.) Of course, if the hotel is totally booked and they can't change your room, then it's always wise to enjoy your vacation and make the best of it. The only person who suffers if you can't make the best of a bad situation is YOU! Not everything in life is perfect, not every vacation will be perfect. Whether or not you enjoy life, and your vacations, is really up to you.

 

[JudithM]

I think I described that the water from the shower tends to back out onto the floor which is a safety issue for everyone, not just guests with limited mobility.

Jimmytammy, hopefully the problems & concerns that members on this board had last week at VWL will be corrected soon .

I received a reply this morning from a DVC CM in management. I forwarded both threads from this bb to her over the weekend. I highly encourage any member who has had problems or concerns at VWL to write to the General Manager, Mr. Rilous Carter. My contact assured me she would be sure Mr. Rilous Carter is aware of these problems & concerns. Disney cannot fix something if they are not aware. I would suggest you be as specific as possible in your letter & include as much info as possible - CM name, date, time, etc.

WRITE THOSE LETTERS NOW !!

 

[jbthi]

jimmytammy,

Don't forget this thread is about the people that have had problems at VWL. this is a very small percent of the total number. People that have had great experiences will not be posting here.

 

[Granny]

Many veterans on this board know that my family absolutely loves the WL, and now the VWL. We fell in love with the WL on our first trip there and DW quickly stated that she didn't want to stay anywhere else. The theming, the pool, proximity to MK and the great service and attitude by the employees sold us.

Then when VWL went on sale, we decided to buy there. Now we love the experience even more since the same benefits are still there from the WL with the added benefit of tremendous accommodations!

I really feel for those who have been treated rudely by CM's. But I must point out that this is the exception, not the rule. I don't know what the CM's problem was that treated Simba's Mom so poorly, but we have never encountered that! Thank goodness we haven't or I could see that souring us even with everything else this resort has going for it.

I hope the letters to management yield results. And if anyone has reservations for VWL, I wouldn't worry. The vast majority of DVC visitors to VWL have come back with glowing reports. I'm sure in the next 40 years of vacationing we will run into some rude CM's and poor attitudes. But taken as a whole, I'll bet the famous Disney service will be the normal experience we have.

We are going to stay at BWV next month as we sample the various DVC homes. I know we will have a great time, but if we end up with a rude CM, then I'll just chalk it off to a bad day for him/her. Now if every CM we meet there is rude, that will be different. But we know that will not be the case.

Best wishes to those who have experienced problems. I hope your future vacations restore your faith in the Disney "magic".

 

[bres@westernMA]

I was sorry to read that your first DVC trip wasn't totally wonderful. I hope your next trip will be up to DVC standards.

 

[idontknow]

Thanks for letting us know that the HC rooms are not just on the first floors. Like I said, it isn't the shower I am worried about, it's that darn closet space. LOL

As was mentioned before, I think some of us are worried about the attitudes because of what the SOG people are experiencing at the CR. Maybe Disney has a batch of bad CM's right now, but if everyone lets Disney know how they feel, that can change.

 

[lawgs]

Originally posted by JudithM
I received a reply this morning from a DVC CM in management. I forwarded both threads from this bb to her over the weekend. I highly encourage any member who has had problems or concerns at VWL to write to the General Manager, Mr. Rilous Carter. My contact assured me she would be sure Mr. Rilous Carter is aware of these problems & concerns. Disney cannot fix something if they are not aware. I would suggest you be as specific as possible in your letter & include as much info as possible - CM name, date, time, etc.

WRITE THOSE LETTERS NOW !!

would like to add my observations here about "being aware" and in particular "Rilous Carter"...

have posted this earlier in "my vwl and assigning handicap" in this thread where i included a url to a post i did last year after we returned from VWL.....i will post the pertinent part here now instead of listing the URL



they put us in a handicapped room without telling us ....a one bedroom non smoking...when i went back down to ask about at least being given the courtesy of being told it was a handicapped room, ended up speaking to the "room assigner" who said it was the ONLY room he had available in the one bedroom category and rooms are all assigned according to requests and booking date....( there is a slight smell to that but who knows )....we were not checking in too early either.....anyhow i told him we should have at least been told that it was handicapped and he agreed but says it does not show up on their screens ( main one i guess).....POINT: what is the real procedure for assigning rooms .....is there discretion on the room assigners part or does he have to follow a process


we were in the room on the second day of or reservation when we had a knock on the door.....it was housecleaning and the general manager of the resort wanting to check the unit out........they THOUGHT the unit was empty so were shocked to see us there.....somehow there seems to be a communication gap at the front desk or at least the computer system ( must say our reservations was three separate ones linked .....since we did not get all our nights the first time we tried )

....anyhow i told mr carter about not being told about this unit being handicapped at check in and he agreed that SHOULD not happen....maybe he will check into that.....he did give me his card .....and we insisted since they were there that they view what they came to see.....that they were not intruding...



thus. having spoken directly to mr carter, my assumption was that he might address this concern ( how much more aware can i make him than speaking face to face with him and telling him the above concern about not being informed ) and when i got back home i did not write a letter but i did keep his card handy in case we ever had another problem

from this thread, it now seems the "issue" was not addressed and maybe it is now time to "hard copy" my concern to mr carter in a letter

call me cynical but in "general" dealing with "people from disney" they seem to have an ear for what you are saying.....but one never really knows what happens to "your concern" once you are done

just an aside, it took me over two years to get a response from a concern we had at epcot for which we spent the time to fill out a report for at guest relations asking specifically to have someone contact us ( was assured by the cast member it would happen ).....after two years of chasing this "report" down we did finally get a call from "someone" higher up in guest relations but generally received the "disney platitudes" as they had no "evidence of our written concern"

so at least on my end, i know mr carter was aware of our concern about not being given at least the courtesy of being told we were assigned to a Handicapped 1 bedroom ( at least we had the bath tub to use, we did not make use of the shower )

sorry for the long response, but felt it was necessary to add my insight to this "issue"

 

[jimmytammy]

mooobooks, JudithM and jbthi

Thanks for the replies. I don't feel so uneasy now. I have stock in Dis and often see a lot of discontent among castmembers written on message boards about working for Dis. I'm sure it's not always a bed of roses but in this day and time people should feel fortunate to have work. Just my 2 cents worth.