New Preferred View Booking Categories At BWV

[MiaSRN62]

Maria, sounds to me like you were given a standard view....since we had a very similar view that was a standard view room, at the end of the hallway, over the valet parking lot. We did have a view of Epcot from the kitchen side of our room and a view of MGM from our bedroom balcony. If you get something like that again, I'd question it. I believe the preferred views are all supposed to be facing the canal to MGM or the Boardwalk...including the pool views

I think you are right about this Lesley after hearing similar comments from several on this board. I am waiting to hear what MS has to tell me--hopefully Monday they'll email or call. I would have been fine with paying preferred points had it just been the canal----it's the huge valet lot that gets me though. That was the primary view imho.
I also agree members at their "home" resort should get priority preference on view as Dean and someone else mentioned--and my home resort is not BWV.

 

[timC]

They will have to decide if they want a points differential to decrease demand. What I'm not sure is whether the structure of DVC will allow this change, it may not.

This is before my time. Didn't they implement the standard-view points, after the fact? Wouldn't a change the BW view rates be a similar process?

 

[Lisa F]

They implemented the standard view points structure before BWV was sold out so they were able to shuffle things out with minimal disruption to the system. Now that it is sold out and there is a set number of overall points in the system, charging more for a BWV would have to involve charging less for the pool/garden view rooms. I just wonder if they will just make minor changes or if they will completely revamp the points chart, possibly narrowing the gap between pool/garden view rooms and standard view rooms. It will be interesting to see what happens when the 2005 point charts come out.

Lisa

 

[Lisa F]

Originally posted by MiaSRN62
I also agree members at their "home" resort should get priority preference on view as Dean and someone else mentioned--and my home resort is not BWV.

Regardless, if your room was designated as standard view and you paid for preferred view you should get preferred view. If that room is actually designated as a preferred view, it wouldn't surprise me if they look at some of the "preferred view" rooms that are somewhat questionable like that and relegate them to standard rooms (as a way of helping to increase the cost of boardwalk view rooms)

Lisa

 

[Dean]

Originally posted by timC
This is before my time. Didn't they implement the standard-view points, after the fact? Wouldn't a change the BW view rates be a similar process?

This change was very early in the selling process. The question is whether they can revampt the points for the entire resort or whether they have to keep each "unit" the same per year.

 

[lat]

I think this is a great change for BWV owners. Also, I cannot imagine they change the # points required for this.

 

[CarolMN]

Count me in the group of BWV owners that are pleased with this change. I never liked the idea that the first to arrive on check in day should get their choice of rooms. I never liked that non-owners could be assigned to rooms that "early-booking" owners wanted. I'm glad they are printing the views on the confirmations - that should make things somewhat easier for the Front Desk CMs.

Wonder if CRO/WDTC will now tell people that Boardwalk views are reserved for owners or that they only have Pool/Garden views available? I suppose that DVC could give CRO/WDTC Boardwalk view rooms to rent for cash, but I sure hope they don't. I always thought owners should have "request" priority over anyone paying cash, even if the owners did not book until later in the window.

Wonder if the "Member Discount" will ever be available for a Boardwalk view room? (Kind of doubt it).

Will DVC ever give Boardwalk view rooms to Interval International (World Passport Collection) as an exhange? Sure hope not!


I also wonder how much this will change the reservation dynamics - will more owners call day by day when the 11 month window opens?

Will renters now be asking to rent points for a Boardwalk view? (That could change/raise the price per point and/or create a lot more work for those who want to rent their points).

Will views of the Village Green be considered a Boardwalk view or a Pool/Garden View?

How many Boardwalk view rooms (if any) are HC accessible?

These are all rhetorical questions, but I'd be interested in what others think the answers may be.

Have a feeling that all has not yet been said or done on this issue.

 

[Maistre Gracey]

Well I would imagine this would be good for the members who own BWV points, but it puts a different spin on it for me. I will probably never stay there now, as the draw to BWV for me was a BW view. Since I will never get that view, I will probably never stay there.
On the other hand, it saves me from staying there and thinking I had a chance for the BW view, but being disappointed.

I do think there should be a 3-tier point system at BWV to balance demand.

 

[CarolMN]

Deleted - double post.

 

[married@wdw]

Well, I just hope this doesn't ruin my January trip. We got engaged on the beach at BC during Illuminations and married at Atlantic Dance -- January we'll be married 5 years and we requested a BW view. When I made the ressie, the MS CM was really great -- she noted the reason we wanted the BW view and told me if we could check-in early we'd probably have a better shot. We had planned on checking in by 8 a.m. (staying with family in the area for two nights before we start our Disney trip).

But as an OKW owner who made ressies 6 months out, I wonder if I'll get that now. I'll be calling MS first thing tomorrow morning!

And thank goodness for these boards! I'd never have checked the member web site this weekend, but this might be my only chance for a BW view so now I know to call!

 

[deerh]

By Maistre Gracy:I do think there should be a 3-tier point system at BWV to balance demand

I hope not! I think they will have an uproar on their hands if they change the points at BWV!
I think this is a good thing for us BWV owners, but it does not affect me since I like the standard views better (cheaper pts).
NOT ALL like the price of the preferred views, some like the cheaper points of the standard view. Can't speak for all, but I imagine there are a lot of us "standard view" people out there.
IMHO don't think they will raise the pt value, because in some people's views (mine included), a pref. view is a pool view or BW view. I personally like a pool view over a BW view, but that is me.
One question- WHAT IF a room is "on the border", I mean a little pool view, but not much, what is that ? A pref view or not? What is the cutoff rooms? Would that start an uproar or what? I would be mad if I got a pref. view and it showed a piece of a pool, and the guy 4 doors down got right over the pool. Of course I would always ask for stand. view, so it's a moot point, but others might be mad........
Deer H
P.S. Makes me glad I got that 100 pt add on in July at BWV!!!

 

[lat]

I think this will also make the waitlist harder to get the same category of room last minute. I guess the whole thing really encourages early booking and helping BWV owners who can plan ahead.

 

[pwoodham]

As a BWV owner, I like this change as well. I also prefer pool views, as I like to be able to see the rest of my family at the pool when I'm staying in the room while the baby naps.

A note on how they will catagorize rooms. Perhaps they will handle it the same way they have done on the Disney cruise ships. A couple rooms originally were designated as having an open veranda, when in fact it was partially obstructed. Not much, but enough. Those particular rooms were recatagorized as navigator's veranda (meaning an enclosed veranda, a lower price than a standard veranda room), even tho most of the veranda is open. The guests are happy now because they get more than they really had a right to expect based on what they're paying, and those rooms are some of the most popular on the ship. The same goes for the rooms that are sold as inside rooms but actually have a porthole looking out on the "backside" of the deck. I bet they handle those "borderline" rooms the same way.

 

[InstImpres]

Originally posted by deerh
...One question- WHAT IF a room is "on the border", I mean a little pool view, but not much, what is that ? A pref view or not? What is the cutoff rooms? Would that start an uproar or what? I would be mad if I got a pref. view and it showed a piece of a pool, and the guy 4 doors down got right over the pool....

That problem already seems to exist with just standard and preferred issues. I would hate to see a third category mixed in.

JMHO
Sandy

 

[CaptainMidnight]

I hope the next new category the introduce for DVC resorts is a better guarantee regarding smoking vs. non-smoking, and a financial penalty for smoking in non-smoing rooms. If this is added in addition to a third location tier at BWV, my first though is that it would be too much for reservations to keep track of. But then, this is the day of computers, they should know when making the reservation what's available.

Slight changes to balance demand levels and requests seems reasonable and good management approaches. The larger DVC grows the more these types of adjustments may be needed.

Someone mentioned not being able to capitalize on standard points? Have a few more points compenstates for that standard availability....

 

[timC]

Thinking about this some more....

If they want to differentiate BW rates from P/G rates, I assume if they increase one rate, they'll have to take away from somewhere else, to keep the orverall totals equal to the points that were sold.

So... What to do?

A) Increase the BW view rate, and decrease the P/G rate? IMO the preferred rate is already high enough. IMO the preferred rates are already high enough.

B) Increase std view rate, and reduce the P/G rate? Yuk!!

c) Keep BW and P/G rates equal, ie. first come first serve? Good for BWV owners, but not so good for everyone else. As a BWV owner, this would be my preference.

 

[Granny]

Originally posted by Maistre Gracey
Well I would imagine this would be good for the members who own BWV points, but it puts a different spin on it for me. I will probably never stay there now, as the draw to BWV for me was a BW view. Since I will never get that view, I will probably never stay there.
On the other hand, it saves me from staying there and thinking I had a chance for the BW view, but being disappointed.

I'm not sure I understand the logic here. If DVC is using the requests in the date order they are placed, then I don't know if your odds of getting a BW view are much different now than they've ever been.

As you point out, under the old system, you could only hope for a BW view.....and if that is the only attraction for staying at BWV then there was a high probability of being disappointed at check-in.

At least now, you can ask about BW view availability at the 7 month mark, and not even place the reservation there if it's not available. So it eliminates that opportunity for disappointment.

 

[married@wdw]

Well, I just got off the phone with MS. I've been put on a waitlist for a boardwalk view.

Member services managers started with people who made reservations 11 months back and filled the boardwalk view rooms until they had no more to offer. Everyone else got placed in pool/garden view. However, they did not start a waitlist of people who had requested boardwalk views after the rooms were filled. I got on the waitlist at 9:07 a.m., so I have to think I'm one of the first and I had no wait time when I called so member services must not have been very busy. This all leads me to believe not many people know about this change yet.

They also told me to e-mail members@disneyvacationclub.com if I had further complaints (which I do) about this issue.

Also, according to the MS CM I spoke with, there are NO preferred view rooms with views of any parking lots so at least I know I can complain if we get stuck with a view of valet parking as someone else mentioned earlier.

I feel like I need to say here that I almost never complain about things at Disney. I follow the rules and was prepared to check-in by 8 a.m. the day of arrival (staying with family the night before) and keep checking back all day to try to get the room we wanted, with the understand that views were first come, first serve. We usually stay at our home resort -- OKW -- but wanted something really special with this trip for our 5th wedding anniversary. I was OK with the chance of not getting a BW view, since there was still a chance of getting one. Now they've changed the rules on me and since I borrowed points from next year for the trip (January trip, February use year), I'm kinda stuck. I guess I'm just having a little pity party.

 

[BEACHCLUBVILLAS]

As a BCV owner, I don't like this policy. It doesn't seem fair to me unless there are special provisions now set up for BCV, WLV, OKW requests for owners. I now know I will never get either a Standard or Boardwalk view without the 11 month window booking priviledge at BWV. I agree with most folks that the reason for choosing a preferred view at BW is with the hope of gettting Boardwalk view. Otherwise, fewer points and standard view makes sense. Essentially, this gives preferential treatment to BWV owners on views. Ok, fair enough.

However, when a BWV owner comes to BCV, its still a level playing ground on views. I stayed at BCV in Feb and requested a 2 Bedroom either a EPCOT Illuminations view with large balcony or a Pool View with large balcony. I received a small enclosed attic balcony front entrance view. I booked 6 months out and checked in at 10am. I offered to wait until a better view became available but was told this is my assigned room. I did not make a fuss and accepted my fate. My room most definitely should have been considered a "standard view". But, I figured my turn will come on my next visit. We'll see because I go again in the middle of Sept and have made the same requests while booking 9 months out. Since the booking date does not matter, I am not expecting my requests to be met. But if they are, it will be sheer luck.

Herein lies the difference. Are the BWV owners especially vocal? Should the BCV, OKW and WLV owners start complaining about views and unfair policies until a policy change is implemented that benefits us? It's happened twice so far for BW with the "standard" category and the "Boardwalk" category. How about SSR? I assume a view across the lake to Downtown Disney will be the preferred view. What assurances are they given to the preferred view?

Looks like I have to make a call to member services today.

 

[married@wdw]

I must agree with BeachClubVillas. I'm not getting any preferential treatment for my view or the placement of my room over non-OKW owners and I don't complain if I don't get all my requests. With all the special considerations at BWV now, it will be near impossible to get the room that I want, so I simply won't stay there. That said, I think it's especially unfair to BCV owners. Let's say we stay at BCV next time -- we might take away an Epcot view from a BCV owner. That too, seems unfair.

But if MS wants to change the policy to make it easier on the front desk CMs and give another perk to BWV, so be it. I'm not happy about the change, but I can live with it if I know about it in advance. But what about all the members who currently have reservations? My bigger complaint is with the way they made the changes. I planned my vacation around "the rules" -- views were first come, first serve and we were checking in by 8 a.m. With the change, I'm left high-and-dry. No chance for a BW view and no chance to move to a room for less points because we borrowed all the points for this stay. Truly not fair!