VWL Room Assignment at Check In Didn't Work For Us!

[jmminarik]

Originally posted by Granny
I like the idea of providing a doctor's statement to have on a membership file at MS. And making NS a guaranteed category to anyone who has such a statement on file.

I agree with your thought and intention (and belief that some number of people will lie about medical conditions), but given the number of 'handicapped' people getting notes to get handicapped tags/parking placards, all this would do is cut out the truly lazy unethical people and make the unethical doctors a little richer.

I think the only solution so long as smoking is legal is to go the guaranteed route when you make the reservation...adding more value to the 11 month vs. 7 month advantage. I also think HC rooms should be a guarantee, and all other "requests" be dropped.

BTW, anyone know where Gail Hayden has gotten? Just dawned on me I've not seen any posts from her in a while.


-Joe

 

[lenshanem]

jmminarik, she was....

:space:

 

[CarolMN]

Originally posted by Granny
...(snip)...I like the idea of providing a doctor's statement to have on a membership file at MS. And making NS a guaranteed category to anyone who has such a statement on file.

I don't think it will work - such statements would be too easy to get. It would just end up being a nightmare to administer and really wouldn' solve the underlying issue.

FWIW, I think that the CMs should be forbidden to give a guest permission to smoke in a non-smoking room. IMHO, that is more likley to be the reason that a non-smoking room smells of smoke than an inconsiderate smoker. If you are a smoker, get a non-smoking room and complain, you are more likely than not to be told to go ahead. Housekeeping willeven bring you ashtrays. Apparently, Disney thinks that it can "deodorize" the room afterwards.

I know that isn't the case the OP had. Nothing short of declaring every DVC room non-smoking (and then consistently enforcing it) will eliminate situations like she encountered. I don't think DVC is ready to go there yet.

Best wishes -

 

[off to neverland]

Perhaps management needs to start slapping guests who smoke in nonsmoking rooms with big room damage fees. That might help deter some of the nonsmoking rooms from being smoked in.

 

[lenshanem]

How rude for a smoker! If you get in a nonsmoking room, you can't step out onto the balcony to smoke with the door closed? I don't get it!

(And I smoked back in college so I understand a tad, maybe.)

 

[robinb]

This is exactly why I will never check into a DVC resort after 6:00 pm. I would rather stay somewhere else on a late arrival night instead of getting a smoking or handicapped room I don't need.

 

[off to neverland]

How rude for a smoker! If you get in a nonsmoking room, you can't step out onto the balcony to smoke with the door closed? I don't get it!

Rude for a smoker? Please say you are joking.

Nonsmoking rooms mean nonsmoking rooms. When you smoke outside a room and open the door, the smoke and the smell go in the room.

I shouldn't have to move off my nonsmoking balcony because someone next door insists on intruding on my clean air by blowing their smoke my way.

I don't get this. In this day and age, when we know all the dangers secondhand smoke poses to us, and we know the overwhelming costs smoking is costing our health system, how can this even be an issue?

Would we tolerate a wall full of asbestos to be present in our DVC villa, or a wall covered in lead paint? Of course not. Would Disney stand for guests to be racing through their properties at a hundred miles an hour in a car? No way. The effects of secondhand smoke are just as dangerou and documented as other hazards we wouldn't dream of tolerating. Yet here we are discussing whether we are being rude to smokers by not lettting them contaminate our lungs with their carcinogenic air because they happen to have a habit they don't have the strength or will to quit.

My rights are being violated when I have to worry that if I check in to my home away from home after 9 in the evening, I may be putting my childrens' health at serious risk.

I'm so disappointed in DVC in this regard. DVC needs to get with the times and address this smoking issue, head-on. They should be able to guarantee me that I can bring my young children into a room that hasn't been contaminated with cancer causing smoke.

If that means making the entire resort smoke free, so be it.

 

[CarolMN]

Originally posted by raewhid
....(snip)......

I'm so disappointed in DVC in this regard. DVC needs to get with the times and address this smoking issue, head-on. They should be able to guarantee me that I can bring my young children into a room that hasn't been contaminated with cancer causing smoke.

If that means making the entire resort smoke free, so be it.

Most of us agree with you.

That said, hope you tell (or already told) DVC. That's the only way the present situation will ever change.

Best wishes -

 

[chris1gill]

Does anyone have the email or address of the DVC Satisfaction Manager? Maybe I will send an email or drop a note....

I think the only thing Disney can do to solve this dilemma, is to change their reservation system to guarantee your Smoking or NS policy... most hotel chains do this, I'm not sure why Disney can't?

For those that mentioned, this room WAS as bad as stated & probably a bit worse I can tell you it's the worst room I've ever smelled.... My experience does give more weight to the option of staying off site the first night when you're coming in on a late flight.

On an aside I just switched our December reservation to SSR, not because of this incident, but because there will be no pool hopping during our stay & my kids will enjoy the SSR pool more than the VWL pool... so off to SSR we will be (checking in a 10am mind you)

 

[Dean]

They need to book non smoking directly and separately and enforce the non smoking by fining those that violate it.

 

[ClarabelleCow]

DVC really needs to guarantee smoking and non-smoking. That is the only way to solve the problem, then a smoker knows up front and if the except a non-smoking room, and they smoke in it, they pay for the cleaning. Forget the doctors notes, this is something that has bugged me since we got back from Disney in August. I could be dead wrong, and sorry for those that I offend, but I was shocked at the amount of "handicapped" individuals with those little scooters. They are great for the truly handicapped, but the abuse I saw, or at least that is how it looked, I couldn't beleive it. One day at the VWL quiet pool, grandma was giving the kiddies rides around on the scooter, it became real annoying. Then she precedded to get up, walkaway, the the older child, maybe 6 ot 7, started riding it around? At MK, groups of people would pile on and scoot down to the next ride, I even over heard a family say how much fun they were having with it, and then telling the daughter to limp when she got off of it!!! I think these should be for the truly handicapped and that is it!!

 

[Northwoods]

raewhid - well said! I agree!

I don't feel my family would warrant a medical statement - but would make my DH and DS allergies a real pain for our vacation.

I'm getting worried about upcoming Dec trip. If we end up in a smoking room I think it would ruin our vacation. I know most people say where you room is doesn't matter - your at Disney - enjoy. I agree with all other specifics for a room - Except the non-smoking request.

If I call for a PS and request a NSmoking room and they don't have one but have a smoking room - I would look to another resort - I would not accept the smoking room.

Disney needs to get with the times!!!

 

[lenshanem]

raewhid, actually I wasn't kidding. I would rather them smoke out on the balcony then smoke in the nonsmoking room.

Course, I would prefer nobody smoked at all anywhere! But, that isn't gonna happen.

My point is the least a smoker could do would be to step outside onto their balcony, close the door and smoke out there. Instead it appears many of these nonsmoking rooms are getting smoked in anyway. I understand the room is still gonna smell if they are doing it on the balcony, but at least it won't be as bad as some of these reports we are hearing.

Hey, we just got back from OKW. We had a nonsmoking room that obviously had been covered up with a deodorizer. The smell almost knocked ya over when you opened the door. Luckily, my daughter wasn't with us on that trip. There is no way she could have stayed in that room overnight without waking up wheezing.
I called and asked to be moved cause it was a handicap studio with no tub, but they had no other rooms that night we were told. So if my daughter would have been with us we would have been in the same predicament the OP was in.

 

[MiaSRN62]

If we end up in a smoking room I think it would ruin our vacation.

I agree Northwoods. We don't have anything that I believe would warrant a medical request. We always request NS due to ds's allergies (he takes Allegra daily) and cigarette/cigar smoke triggers migraines in me. I am on prescription migraine medication but I've never put down "NS due to medical reason" on my reservation request. I can tell you though.....if I got a room that wreaked of smoke, I could easily be down for a good portion of the vacation. So if the only way one could secure a NS room was with a doctor's note, as some suggested, I don't know what I'd do.
Part of me feels that perhaps the rooms aren't getting cleaned as well as they should. Chris checked in around 11 pm and the room was still with a heavy smoke smell ? I also own a timeshare offsite---Vistana---and they have no "non smoking" designated rooms. In my 10 years of staying there, I have never ever smelled even a hint of smoke. There are ashtrays in every room and they are always spotless too. I wonder how Vistana handles getting rid of smoke smells because I can't believe I've never stayed in a villa there that wasn't inhabited by a smoker---yet the rooms have always smelled fresh when we enter ?

 

[DiznEeyore]

Originally posted by Granny
I like the idea of providing a doctor's statement to have on a membership file at MS. And making NS a guaranteed category to anyone who has such a statement on file.

This isn't a meant as a personal affront to Granny, but I have to say that the idea of having to provide a doctor's note for something I pay THOUSANDS OF DOLLARS for doesn't appeal to me. That's something I left behind in high school, if you know what I mean.

If they really need "proof" that I require a NS room, I'll be glad to show 'em my inhaler at check-in.

 

[jmminarik]

Originally posted by DiznEeyore
If they really need "proof" that I require a NS room, I'll be glad to show 'em my inhaler at check-in.

I can show them ours too...bought it for bronchitis...3 years ago. The point is, there's no good way to prevent the unethical people from working the system as it is.

-Joe

 

[off to neverland]

It's the principle of the matter. You shouldn't have to show a doctor's note to have clean air in your room.

I think we should all write to MS, and demand that this be addressed immediately.

 

[Granny]

Originally posted by DiznEeyore
This isn't a meant as a personal affront to Granny, but I have to say that the idea of having to provide a doctor's note for something I pay THOUSANDS OF DOLLARS for doesn't appeal to me. That's something I left behind in high school, if you know what I mean.

If they really need "proof" that I require a NS room, I'll be glad to show 'em my inhaler at check-in.

I don't take it as a personal affront at all. I was just trying to float out an idea (actual seconding one that had already been floated) on how to manage the system. As previously stated, the only real solution I see is to make NS and Smoking room classes that are guaranteed at the time of the reservation, and then enforce it somehow.

I believe that sums up what Dean suggested as well.

I don't see the issue as going away, and sooner or later Disney is going to have to address it.

 

[lenshanem]

I have emailed MS. I was told guest satisfaction would be contacting me. I'm waiting....

 

[Disbug]

Originally posted by chris1gill
We went over to the villa's with the Bell Services CM & went up to our floor (floor 2). When we got towards the end of the hallway I started smelling smoke, we were two doors from our assignment at that point. Well, we arrived at our room, the last room farthest from the elevator & opened the door..... well there were NO MORE ROOMS in the resort anywhere, so back to the front desk we went. Well, this is very long winded, but I did want to warn those that have late arrival's...

Hey, Chris! LOL! I think you had MY ROOM! I, too, went to the VWL during the Christmas season last year and arrived late due to a family emergency. Walked in SOOO tired and lucky me... got the last room available. The last room on the left hand side of the second floor. As far as possible from the elevator! My story has a little happier ending though... even though I smelled smoke in the hallway, when I got to my room... it was pristine! You could not smell smoke (and I am very sensitive to it...) So, it sounds like there are two levels of cleaning. One for those who smoke, and one for the non-smokers!

Hope your Christmas trip is MUCH BETTER!