No more segmented vacations for ddp

[hakepb]

DVC and what any of you as a member bought and paid for and are entitled to in your POS is very different from Disney Dining, Disney tickets, Disney transportation. etc.

You will be less disappointed going forward as a DVC member if you remember that what you actually paid for and what you have as perks that can come and go without notice are not the same.

If you own at BLT and at 11 months you call and were told sorry you can't book yet, then yes you have plenty of reason to be upset as you were being denied something you actually have legal right to.

Dining plan changes, disappointed maybe, truly upset to the point of complaining to DVC, sorry just don't see it.

No one was lied to, you were given current policy at that time. The policy changed and at no fault of DVC and certainly not the fault of the person who told you.

But the 11 month booking deal kinda started the whole thing with lack of notifications.

Members booked AKV concierge and BWV BW view rooms at 11 months, only to get bumped out by planned, scheduled maintenance to resort exteriors.
You think you still have 11 month booking at BLT, but the way things are currently run, Disney could decide to install a bird deterrent system (due to the poop issue) and during check-in you find out your reservation was moved to SSR because BLT is being evacuated while they erect scaffolding around the entire tower. Now if DVC was responsible, they would not allow it on short notice, and would give members more than 11 months notice....

 

[hakepb]

How can you not tip using TIW? The 18% gratuity is automatically added using the non-discounted total.

Eat at the few QS TiW locations (including getting a discounted mug @ SSR's AP)

But technically, when there is a true service issue, you can complain to a restaurant's manager and have gratuity removed.

 

[Deb & Bill]

Why should we have already added it onto our segmented stay when we were told we could add it 48 hours before our trip? I may not be able to even go on the trip if we have any snow days in our school district. That's why I was waiting to add. I have the money. I just didn't want to purchase it if I was going to have to cancel. I don't know why you say we should have already added it when we were told it wouldn't be a problem to wait.

You can still add the dining plan to your reservation up to 48 hours before. You just have to add it for all the nights of your stay, just like the guests who book through Disney Reservation Center. You don't get to pick and choose anymore. That loophole is closed.

 

[quirty30]

As I've posted previously, I don't believe this was ever intended to be a perk, but was rather a loophole that most DVC members never even knew existed. And I honestly think it took a lot of extra time for MS to make all the adjustments to reservations. I'm pretty sure my dues pay for MS, and if those dues had gone up in order to continue allowing this loophole, then I, for one, am glad they stopped allowing it. As I also mentioned, I'm guessing front desk CM's (and their managers) were probably not keen on all the extra work it created for them.

But I do think it would be a nice good faith gesture to allow anyone who previously segmented their trips to add dining to their reservations, especially if members were told they could call back and pay for it later. This only seems fair.

 

[Castillo Mom]

Just posting an update to my segmented reservation issue. I'm typing this on my iPad so I can't edit my initial post for some reason. Anyway, as you may recall I had a fully paid segmented reservation, 1 night deluxe, 10 nights regular. When I made my ADRs months ago I had major issues when I called in at the 160 day mark which I won't go into detail about here. Based on those issues it appears that a well intentioned CM tried to fix the problem by combining the segments, thus eliminating the segment entirely. That explains why I never received a credit for the difference between the deluxe and regular DDP for that first night.

Again, my opinion is that Disney is doing away with segmenting because of the issues it has caused for members and the painful process the CMs have to go through to fix those issues. I really think they were trying to do the right thing here but it was poorly orchestrated. I know some of you have different theories though.

The manager ended up making two completely separate reservations but gave the disclaimer that I may still experience issues at the resort but that they could be fixed if a problem should arise. She also made a notation on my reservations so that we won't have to switch rooms but suggested that I inform the front desk of the two reservations.

As for adding my son who will arrive several days after us, I would need to purchase the regular dining plan for him for the entire 10 nights. If I don't add him now I can add him when he arrives but we won't be able to purchase the dining plan for him and he won't be able to take advantage of ME. So we either go ahead and add him on and use the credits he won't need or don't add him and either pick him up at the airport or pay for transportation.

No, I'm not angry and I'm not whining as another poster mentioned members are doing when raising some very valid points, in fact I agree with the policy change. What I disagree with is the manner in which the manager dealt with me. I understand that she may have been dealing with some difficult situations over the last few days, but there was no reason to become short with me when I was politely explaining my situation, nor should she have asked me to justify why their error should impact me or my family. It was her job to make it right. In her defense, she had a much more personable tone once she came back on the line with a solution. All I was asking for is to get back what Disney offered, what I agreed to and what I paid for and had in place. I wasn't asking for an exception to be made or any special favors.

On a more positive note, I'm beyond thrilled that we'll be in WDW in just 16 days. Can't wait to go home!

 

[Tiger926]

No, they changed the reservation system to require segmenting when you add or remove guests to your reservation.
Segmenting had a dining plan side effect.

Now, on the new system without segmenting, it seems if you want to add or remove a guest, you may have to change rooms. That is a big room use effect.

I'm not sure how your response fits with mine?

Segmenting was created by Disney for a room or guest issue, just as you stated, and again, this has nothing to do with dining. It was a loophole that was found, and thus the being able to choose your dining plan for certain nights was an effect of this. It may have been an effect of the segmenting, but Disney's creation of segmenting was not to reward DVC members with a way to purchase the dining plan for only certain "segments" of a reservation, thereby saving money, especially if doing DxDP.

Segmenting only had a dining plan effect because they allowed us DVC members to utilize it that way.

If you go on the Restaurant or Resorts board, none of those cash paying guests ever had any idea what us DVC people were talking about when we were talking about segmenting a reservation for the sole purpose of the dining plan.

Perhaps I've misunderstood your response, but not one CM ever said to me that segmenting was created for DVC members to switch up their dining plans, and in fact, not one CM ever advertised this to me at any time during any of my calls this past year. And even further, many CMs had no idea what segmenting was, or, how to do it.

A few people on this message board found out about it, and that's about it. The majority of DVC members had no idea that this was even possible.

Tiger

 

[Dean]

Just posting an update to my segmented reservation issue. I'm typing this on my iPad so I can't edit my initial post for some reason. Anyway, as you may recall I had a fully paid segmented reservation, 1 night deluxe, 10 nights regular. When I made my ADRs months ago I had major issues when I called in at the 160 day mark which I won't go into detail about here. Based on those issues it appears that a well intentioned CM tried to fix the problem by combining the segments, thus eliminating the segment entirely. That explains why I never received a credit for the difference between the deluxe and regular DDP for that first night.

Again, my opinion is that Disney is doing away with segmenting because of the issues it has caused for members and the painful process the CMs have to go through to fix those issues. I really think they were trying to do the right thing here but it was poorly orchestrated. I know some of you have different theories though.

The manager ended up making two completely separate reservations but gave the disclaimer that I may still experience issues at the resort but that they could be fixed if a problem should arise. She also made a notation on my reservations so that we won't have to switch rooms but suggested that I inform the front desk of the two reservations.

As for adding my son who will arrive several days after us, I would need to purchase the regular dining plan for him for the entire 10 nights. If I don't add him now I can add him when he arrives but we won't be able to purchase the dining plan for him and he won't be able to take advantage of ME. So we either go ahead and add him on and use the credits he won't need or don't add him and either pick him up at the airport or pay for transportation.

No, I'm not angry and I'm not whining as another poster mentioned members are doing when raising some very valid points, in fact I agree with the policy change. What I disagree with is the manner in which the manager dealt with me. I understand that she may have been dealing with some difficult situations over the last few days, but there was no reason to become short with me when I was politely explaining my situation, nor should she have asked me to justify why their error should impact me or my family. It was her job to make it right. In her defense, she had a much more personable tone once she came back on the line with a solution. All I was asking for is to get back what Disney offered, what I agreed to and what I paid for and had in place. I wasn't asking for an exception to be made or any special favors.

On a more positive note, I'm beyond thrilled that we'll be in WDW in just 16 days. Can't wait to go home!

It sounds like you may be better off eliminating the segment and adding him for the entire time.

 

[DisneyStarWisher]

You can still add the dining plan to your reservation up to 48 hours before. You just have to add it for all the nights of your stay, just like the guests who book through Disney Reservation Center. You don't get to pick and choose anymore. That loophole is closed.

But that is not what I was told. I was told I could add it to either segment. I understand the "loophole" is closed, and segmented reservations won't be allowed anymore. I just think Disney should honor the existing segmented reservations and allow us to purchase what we were told we could purchase, not force us to purchase more if we want the DDP.

 

[twinklebug]

Segmenting was created by Disney for a room or guest issue, just as you stated, and again, this has nothing to do with dining. It was a loophole that was found, and thus the being able to choose your dining plan for certain nights was an effect of this. It may have been an effect of the segmenting, but Disney's creation of segmenting was not to reward DVC members with a way to purchase the dining plan for only certain "segments" of a reservation, thereby saving money, especially if doing DxDP.

Segmenting only had a dining plan effect because they allowed us DVC members to utilize it that way.

If you go on the Restaurant or Resorts board, none of those cash paying guests ever had any idea what us DVC people were talking about when we were talking about segmenting a reservation for the sole purpose of the dining plan.

Perhaps I've misunderstood your response, but not one CM ever said to me that segmenting was created for DVC members to switch up their dining plans, and in fact, not one CM ever advertised this to me at any time during any of my calls this past year. And even further, many CMs had no idea what segmenting was, or, how to do it.

A few people on this message board found out about it, and that's about it. The majority of DVC members had no idea that this was even possible.

Tiger

Thank you Tiger for putting to words my feelings on this. Segmenting and DDP were always intended to be separate entities. As DVC members we need segmenting in the system for the times we change rooms/resorts or add or remove people from our stays. It's a timeshare and the software has been built flexible enough to allow us to to such things day by day. DDP on the other hand was created as a money maker for WDW to be taken for the entire length of stay, knowing that it's a convenience being offered and the credits would not be maximized by all users.

Aside from my personal feelings on how the database should have implemented for DVC reservations (Disney's IT is also now thinking hind site is 20/20), The addition of DDP, per the request of DVC members who wanted it, created a whole new level of programming chaos to deal with in regards to linking DDP to the reservations. To their credit, the software folk managed to add it to the system, tested it, and released it assuming it would be used as intended. Then along came the internet boards analyzing and hammering at every aspect of the system until we found a weakness. We'd make a fantastic testing group if it weren't for the fact that the software is now live and we're the customer base, exploiting every loophole found. Disney had to put a stop to it, the change was due to come.

Unless the database is redesigned, segmenting HAS to be reinstated just so we can regain some of the functionality we've now lost, such as adding people to the reservation mid-stay. If these DDP/segmenting exploitation issues continue, DDP might be on the way out for DVC all together and written off as lesson learned.

 

[HotdogDncrs]

If these DDP/segmenting expolitation issues continue, DDP might be on the way out for DVC all together and written off as lesson learned.

That would be too bad, and very unfortunate for those owners who use the DDP for the entire duration of their stays, and did not nor ever intend to segment their reservations to allow for different plans for different parts of their stay. Sometimes we do the DDP sometimes we don't - it really depends on what type of mood we are in as our trip approaches. We are however going to add the DDP to our upcoming family vacation where there will be 11 of us staying together in a Grand Villa. I think that it will be so much easier and more enjoyable when we go out to dinner to not have to worry about who ordered what and how much each family owes (yes we are planning to have at least one TS together daily). I would hate to see Disney change their minds, and not permit us to purchase the plan because what I am guessing is a small percentage of the ownership finding a "loophole" as others are calling it, and using it to their advantage (and why shouldn't they if it worked for them?).

That being said, I had considered adding the DxDP to the first 2 days of our upcoming stay, but now we'll just go back to our original plan to purchase another TIW card, and pay OOP. I find doing it that way helps me eat better anyway, as I don't eat dessert with every meal like is included with the DDP.

Good luck to all those who had already segmented their trips, and have been told that their DDP plans will be honoured. Sometimes the early bird does get the worm!

 

[robinb]

Bold text added by me.

Some day I will figure out how to break down a post thst I want to quote multiple parts of. I have seen it done, so I know it is possible

For every post you want to quote, click on this guy:

and then on the last post you want to quote click on this guy:

 

[vicki_c]

For every post you want to quote, click on this guy:

and then on the last post you want to quote click on this guy:

OT: I think ftblfan wants to break up ONE post into multiple little quote boxes so you can write separate responses under each, not quote multiple posts in one response. I don't know how to do that either except for manually including the

boxes in my response - and that's a real pain.

Back to your previous discussion ...

 

[Chuck S]

OT: I think ftblfan wants to break up ONE post into multiple little quote boxes so you can write separate responses under each, not quote multiple posts in one response. I don't know how to do that either except for manually including the {QUOTE} boxes in my response - and that's a real pain.

Back to your previous discussion ...

Yes, you have to manually segment (sorry, couldn't resist ) the post and use the {QUOTE} {/QUOTE} commands...substituting [ and ] for { and }

 

[vicki_c]

Yes, you have to manuallly segment (sorry, couldn't resist ) the post and use the {QUOTE} {/QUOTE} commands...substituting [ and ] for { and }

Good one Chuck!

 

[ftballfan7]

I love how the term "loophole" is now used as though it is fact. It is just the opinion of some (embraced by others) in this case. Noone here knows for sure that the allowing of DDP for portions of a vacation for DVC members was not intended or at least knowingly endorsed when discovered.

On a side note, thank you for those assissting me with multiple quote posts!

 

[lugnut33]

Eat at the few QS TiW locations (including getting a discounted mug @ SSR's AP)

But technically, when there is a true service issue, you can complain to a restaurant's manager and have gratuity removed.

Wat?

Even at Beaches and Cream they added the 18% gratuity (which is fine with me, matter of fact I threw on some extra tip for the great service we got). The only place I can think of that wouldn't add it is Flame Tree BBQ, but then again you have no server.

Could you imagine going up to a manager and asking for the gratuity to be removed because you couldn't get a segmented dining plan?

 

[Brian Noble]

Could you imagine going up to a manager and asking for the gratuity to be removed because you couldn't get a segmented dining plan?

I recommend holding your breath until you get your way!

( for the humor-impaired)

 

[tjkraz]

I love how the term "loophole" is now used as though it is fact. It is just the opinion of some (embraced by others) in this case. Noone here knows for sure that the allowing of DDP for portions of a vacation for DVC members was not intended or at least knowingly endorsed when discovered.

Call it what you will but the "segmenting" clearly violates the spirit of the DDP.

The DDP is a volume purchasing program. It's a way to induce guests to commit to dining at Disney restaurants for the entire length of their stay. It was never intended as a means of granting $20-40 discount (per person) off menu prices for just one day's worth of dining expenses.

Disney doesn't want your $75 per person for one day--in exchange for $100+ worth of food--they want $75 per person for every day of your trip.

Perhaps it wasn't a loophole, rather an experiment to see how members would respond. Some have long argued that they would use the DDP for their partial stay if the LOS mandate were not in place.

But loophole or experiment, the fact that this ability lasted less than a year confirms that Disney was not pleased with the results. The one thing it definitely was not intended to be was a money-saving "thank you" perk for Disney Vacation Club members.

 

[Chuck S]

Wat?

Even at Beaches and Cream they added the 18% gratuity (which is fine with me, matter of fact I threw on some extra tip for the great service we got). The only place I can think of that wouldn't add it is Flame Tree BBQ, but then again you have no server.

Could you imagine going up to a manager and asking for the gratuity to be removed because you couldn't get a segmented dining plan?

Pop Century's food court and Pizzafari also accept the DDP, and also have no added gratuity. Beaches and Cream is full table service, so they add the gratuity. The last time I was there the quick service line was for ice cream only, you could not order burgers or meals to go. I dont know if Artist Pallette at SSR adds gratuity or not...I have not eaten there.

 

[DHar]

do they add the tip in after the discount? so a 20% discount then an 18% added tip is a 2% discount? just pass on the card then

they are paid an hourly wage so a tip is a "perk" and can be removed at anytime....correct???...........