Overbooking in the MS system

[LouisianaDisneyFan]

A while back, someone posted about potential overbooking at BLT. I can't find that thread now, so I don't have updated info. Did anyone ever receive confirmation from MS that their reservation had issues? The reason I ask is because I received a call this morning from MS about an overbooking that affects one of our reservations for a *different* resort... Aulani. I was informed that there had been a "glitch" in the system that has now been corrected. I was also told that there had been an overbooking of villas for our travel dates as a result. We were offered a room on the hotel side with an upgraded view (partial ocean view as opposed to island view), daily housekeeping, and free breakfast for every day of our stay in exchange for agreeing to be moved. Since I made that particular reservation for a friend, I was unable to confirm whether the change was acceptable (until I talk with her). So, I'm supposed to call back later today to confirm or decline the offer.

This latest contact lets me know two things... (1) overbooking could occur due to system errors, and (2) if overbooking happens, Disney DOES contact members to resolve the issues. I think those potential BLT overbooking problems would have been addressed by now and members should feel assured that if they didn't get a call already, they won't have problems with their reservations.

Evey

 

[lilpooh108]

Just curious...what are the travel dates, and was this for a studio (as in, MS is moving your friend from a studio to a regular hotel room on the hotel side)?

Thanks!

 

[LouisianaDisneyFan]

The booking is during Phase I of the opening, for an island view studio... which would have a queen size bed, a pull-out couch, a small refrigerator and a microwave. Disney offered to move her to a "partial" ocean view room with two queen beds and a small refrigerator on the hotel side. I was told that the rooms were similar in square footage. When I said that the loss of the couch and the microwave in the unit could be a problem, I was offered complimentary breakfast for each morning. It's a buffet style breakfast and also has characters on many mornings. I was also reminded that the hotel side includes daily housekeeping. I also inquired about whether there would be additional transient tax charged with this change, since the rack rate on the hotel side would obviously be higher than the maintenance fees on the points used on the villa side. I was told there would be no additional charges with the change. I haven't been able to reach my friend yet to see if she wants to accept the change.

 

[TisBit]

I am thinking that this might not be an "overbooking" problem as maybe a construction delay problem. Maybe they have identified some issues that will keep those villas from being ready on time.

I am unsure of issues at BLT with overbooking, but there might be confusion when things are overbooked vs maintenance issues taking more rooms out of service than expected.

Also, remember that it is typical hotel practice to overbook cash rooms and at resorts that have lots of undeclared rooms where more cash bookings occur, maybe they are "overbooking" and creating some issues, which can get blurred with the DVC side pretty quickly.

 

[Lady Hiss]

Four days before our trip (this past week), MS called and left a message for us to call them regarding our reservation. After being put on hold for a while, we finally reached a manager who told us that there was an 'issue' with our confirmed reservation for a studio at BWV, and our reservation has been changed to a studio at SSR. This wasn't acceptable to us. After a half hour on the phone with MS (using our polite, but firm voices), we were given a studio at BCV (our home resort where we'd been waitlisted a few weeks earlier). It worked out OK in the end, but it was a little stressful. It makes us uneasy about future reservations. I'm not sure if they're overbooking or if there's another issue.

Lady Hiss

 

[3 Hobbits 2 Disney]

Seems Aulani is having issues. See this thread.

http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=2666441

 

[LouisianaDisneyFan]

I definitely would NOT be okay with being rebooked at SSR (or any other resort that I did not personally choose). If we wanted to stay at SSR, we would have paid the bargain basement price per point and purchased there... not at the home resorts we chose. We followed the advice of "Buy where you want to stay." As Disney strips away privileges and perks from the memberships, it seems only reasonable that we be able to count on the one fact that we can indeed stay where we purchased and booked!!!

 

[DebbieB]

I don't think member services intentionally overbooks DVC rooms but sometimes there's an issue when there's a maintenance issue or a glitch in the system. I think the regular hotels do, for example they will overbook standard view to get rooms sold and then upgrade some to a different view or even to another resort (example - value rooms upgraded to SSR).

 

[5forDiz]

I definitely would NOT be okay with being rebooked at SSR (or any other resort that I did not personally choose). If we wanted to stay at SSR, we would have paid the bargain basement price per point and purchased there... not at the home resorts we chose. We followed the advice of "Buy where you want to stay." As Disney strips away privileges and perks from the memberships, it seems only reasonable that we be able to count on the one fact that we can indeed stay where we purchased and booked!!!

While I understand where you are coming from, SSR is certainly not a bargain basement resort ( and no we don't own there ). And afaik, there is nothing written in any DVC documents guaranteeing a stay at Home Resort.

jmho, although from time to time we may hear of issues that can arise making it necessary for an unexpected change from one resort to another for a small number of reservations, doubt this will be consistently taking place or in great numbers unless there is construction delays or unforeseen destruction of a resort due to fire, etc. At least MS seems to be making the effort to work through an unexpected change to relocate to a resort of better liking for the member and in case with Aulani reservation, complimentary breakfast offer for inconvenience/disappointment is a nice gesture.

 

[LouisianaDisneyFan]

While I understand where you are coming from, SSR is certainly not a bargain basement resort ( and no we don't own there ). And afaik, there is nothing written in any DVC documents guaranteeing a stay at Home Resort.

Actually, I have to disagree with this. Using the calculations that were posted in the Operations forum regarding how much your points really cost, take a look at the difference. If you look at the first resale contract we purchased for BWV, which is when we first took at hard look at exactly where we preferred to stay most, the price we had to pay to get the UY we wanted at BWV was $87/point. The price for the same UY and points at SSR was about $70/point. BWV contracts expire in 2042 and SSR contracts expire in 2054. So, without even looking at the difference in MFs paid each year, the base price per point for the remainder of those two contracts was either $2.72/point at BWV or $1.59/point at SSR. So, SSR was essentially selling for over 40% less than BWV for the remaining life of the contract. That certainly seems like a bargain to me. With any other business, would you be willing to accept a substitute with 40% less value for THEIR error???? I certainly wouldn't!

NOTE: Of course, the price per point for contracts has varied greatly over time and each buyer has to look at the contracts that are open at the time they are purchasing and make their calculations based on those contracts that meet their needs at the time. These numbers are based on the BWV and SSR contracts that were available at our time of purchase back in late spring 2010.

 

[5forDiz]

Actually, I have to disagree with this. Using the calculations that were posted in the Operations forum regarding how much your points really cost, take a look at the difference. If you look at the first resale contract we purchased for BWV, which is when we first took at hard look at exactly where we preferred to stay most, the price we had to pay to get the UY we wanted at BWV was $87/point. The price for the same UY and points at SSR was about $70/point. BWV contracts expire in 2042 and SSR contracts expire in 2054. So, without even looking at the difference in MFs paid each year, the base price per point for the remainder of those two contracts was either $2.72/point at BWV or $1.59/point at SSR. So, SSR was essentially selling for over 40% less than BWV for the remaining life of the contract. That certainly seems like a bargain to me. With any other business, would you be willing to accept a substitute with 40% less value for THEIR error???? I certainly wouldn't!

NOTE: Of course, the price per point for contracts has varied greatly over time and each buyer has to look at the contracts that are open at the time they are purchasing and make their calculations based on those contracts that meet their needs at the time. These numbers are based on the BWV and SSR contracts that were available at our time of purchase back in late spring 2010.

Numbers aside, and again jmho, this is more a personal preference situation with you than a substitute that is of poorer value ( and I understand your mindset on this, we all will not like or feel the same about one DVC resort or another ) But again, unless I am mistaken, purchasing DVC did not guarantee you will always be staying at your HR unless there is specific language in print that I am just not recalling at the moment. Feeling short changed or that a resort is a 'poor substitution' well, everyone will feel differently on this. Bottom line, it is what our contract states, not what any member thinks or what a guide might have implied or hinted at about staying at HR, etc.

Also when the price per point for Aulani etc. increases should members who buy at the increased price, look at your points purchased for less $ as less valuable points and so should that entitle them to receive or expect more considerations for their money than you ? but that isn't how this DVC thing works.

Again, getting bumped is unfortuante & bothersome & disappointing but it happens occasionally but for majority of members it never has and probably never will .

 

[Lil' Grumpy]

i guarantee you, we will get our home resort @ 11mos., &
wil not tolerate being relocated to a place like ssr. we
are not ssr owners, & it has nothing to do with the resort.

however, after reading ssr owners posting how they will never
stay there, only brought to go elsewhere, & to save money-
remains a dvc problem requiring some redirecting measures.

the above observations, has to do with special/few rooms
inside the resorts + high demand seasons. that is understandable,
among owners trying for the rooms.

from what i have been reading here, ssr is also used for upgrading
value rooms as a sale potential, rci trades & because it is so
large, it has the potential for short-notice trips.

but if there 's an overbooking problem, then it begins with non-owners,
who booked @ 7mos., not the owners booking @ 11mos..


we didn't pay extra $, to be in line behind non-owners. now if we
wanted to go to ssr, i would expect to be behind the owners @
ssr. [ like the treehouses or the prefer locations.]

 

[toocherie]

however, after reading ssr owners posting how they will never
stay there, only brought to go elsewhere, & to save money-
remains a dvc problem requiring some redirecting measures.

but if there 's an overbooking problem, then it begins with non-owners,
who booked @ 7mos., not the owners booking @ 11mos..

First, I am an SSR owner (since 2008) and so far all of my stays have been at SSR.

However, that does not preclude me from someday staying at a different resort. At least the rules currently don't. If I make a reservation (say at BWV) at 7 months and at two months an "owner" of BWV makes a reservation and that results in overbooking, IMO the "owner" should get bumped because they only booked two months out. The owner had the opportunity to get their booking between the 7 and 11 month windows. After that it should go in order of who booked when. Technically, at the time the owner booked its reservation there was NO availability. Surely no one would agree that owners would be entitled to come in and bump non-owners if there is no availability after we pass the 7-month window?

You are part of a timeshare system and there will be times you will not get your first, second, third, etc. choice after the 7 month window is past. (shoot--even if owners book out a resort/category you may not get what you want between 11 and 7 months!)

My opinion.

 

[dbs1228]

Lady Hiss home resort according to the post is BCV not BWV where they were trying to move her from so I would have to assume it was booked 7 months or less out. Regardless of which I know I would not be happy to get that phone call at all!!! I look forward to my WDW trips and the accomadations/location is what it is all about! Now if I got that call and they were going to upgrade my accomadations and give me points back I might have to consider it depending on who I had traveling with me!

 

[kid-at-heart]

A while back, someone posted about potential overbooking at BLT. I can't find that thread now, so I don't have updated info. Did anyone ever receive confirmation from MS that their reservation had issues? The reason I ask is because I received a call this morning from MS about an overbooking that affects one of our reservations for a *different* resort... Aulani. I was informed that there had been a "glitch" in the system that has now been corrected. I was also told that there had been an overbooking of villas for our travel dates as a result. We were offered a room on the hotel side with an upgraded view (partial ocean view as opposed to island view), daily housekeeping, and free breakfast for every day of our stay in exchange for agreeing to be moved. Since I made that particular reservation for a friend, I was unable to confirm whether the change was acceptable (until I talk with her). So, I'm supposed to call back later today to confirm or decline the offer.

This latest contact lets me know two things... (1) overbooking could occur due to system errors, and (2) if overbooking happens, Disney DOES contact members to resolve the issues. I think those potential BLT overbooking problems would have been addressed by now and members should feel assured that if they didn't get a call already, they won't have problems with their reservations.

Evey

Did your friend agree to the switch?

kate

 

[LouisianaDisneyFan]

Did your friend agree to the switch?

kate

Well, yes and no. I wasn't able to reach her yesterday, so I called back to decline the offer (I didn't want to agree to a switch without talking with her first). I was then informed that it was not a choice of move or not move. It was a choice of move or be canceled. So, obviously, the move is happening. When I was finally able to contact my friend, she did say the switch was okay, so it will all work out fine.

Reading the other comments above, though, does cause me some concern. All of us have preferences and those are reflected in where we chose to book. For our needs and desires, all resorts are not equal. We travel with two family members who use ECVs and staying in a location that minimizes the need for bus transport is IMPERATIVE for us. Other families have expressed that they do not like BWV because they find it too loud. Many of those families prefer SSR because it's more quiet, remote and relaxed. Wherever you CHOOSE to book and stay... the bottom line is that I don't feel it is "okay" for Disney to overbook CONFIRMED reservations. Whether it is common in the industry or not, I do not believe it is okay. Period.

 

[sweetdana]

I would switch from BLT or BC to SSR, but I would expect something to do this. .. Free Char breakfast would deff do it, discounted point use would do it... 1 bedroom instead of studio for same points would totally do it, NOTHING.... would not do it.

I also thing a choice would be the right way to do it. I wouldn't stay at AKV or BWV just a personal choice mostly due to location for AK and pool and hallways at BWV. I can understand how someone would not like a resort in some do not like SSR, and should be given a choice of 2 or 3 in over booking. IE BLT, SSR, AKV and OKW, there should be ample room at all of them due to the points Disney owns. They can upgrade an OKW or BLT cash party to Poly or GF easy.

They should not be given no choice and no "upgrade" for doing them a favor. That is not very Disney like.

 

[JimMIA]

This latest contact lets me know two things... (1) overbooking could occur due to system errors, and (2) if overbooking happens, Disney DOES contact members to resolve the issues.

That may be true if the DVC booking system is the culprit, but there have been some very suspicious "walks" of some folks with confirmed DVC reservations in the past.

Over the last couple of years, there have been several threads about DVC members arriving for their confirmed checkins and being told there was "no room at the Inn." All of these situations I've seen have been at hotel-connected DVC resorts, and I believe most or all of them have been at VWL.

These members were told thier confirmed reserved villas were "overbooked," and they were diverted to other lesser accommodations -- sometimes with some compensation, sometimes not. None of these members had any advanced warning -- they found out at the front desk when attempting to check in.

I don't recall this ever happening at SSR or OKW, and when these situations occur at hotel-connected resorts (where the hotel management runs the front desk), alarm bells start going of in my suspicious brain. How easy it would be -- if you were a hotel manager -- to sell a DVC villa for cash, and walk the member with the "confirmed" reservation.

It's happened way too often for my comfort in the past, although I do not recall it being reported on the DIS in recent months. Maybe the ruckus here on the DIS fixed the problem.

 

[Lil' Grumpy]

well, you can call it anything you want. your choice. [ & i have
heard that before]. but dvc isn't the same to us, & there are
those working in management that are willing to back it up.

we were already put to this test, and it was resolved. however,
i don't have the expectation that disney has to be prefect.
if mistakes are made, & they do problem solving then i
would be happy with the outcome.

i don't see ever ssr owners having first choices over blt owners
for blt or vice versa.

 

[simmons_m]

... the bottom line is that I don't feel it is "okay" for Disney to overbook CONFIRMED reservations. Whether it is common in the industry or not, I do not believe it is okay. Period.

Agree, beauty is in the eye of the beholder. I purchased points and book where I would like to stay, regardless of where that may be. A stay on the cash side of the resort iff applicable would be more acceptable than being moved to another resort. It is my opinion, but it sounds like DVC provided a good option for LousianaDisneyFan's guest.