Would you like to see separate booking categories at BLT?

[Dean]

With the view types plus room types, they have about as many cat as they realistically can handle right now. DVC generally doesn't alter booking categories unless there is a clear reason to do so. The main changes the last few years than I can think of are the addition of the BWV view and the removal of the studio plus also at BWV. Add to that the HH cat at OKW. IN all cases there was a clear reason to do so plus the resorts and categories were large enough to support it and minimize orphaned rooms. IMO, SSR is the one that needs some type of booking cat but I see no reason to micromanage the views at BLT. Still, I'm all about the owners at a given resort getting the best options. What I'd like to see is a return to a real effort into meeting requests and ordering them either based on owner, non owner at a given resorts and/or based on first come. To do so reasonably, DVC would need to limit the choices to very general terms such as floor, building, view type where applicable, relationship to elevator, multiple rooms close and the like. NO more "I want room XXX". They could come up with 8-10 fairly general choices to choose from and limit you to a max of 3.

 

[Sammie]

Exactly. Even at OKW with only 2 booking catgories that has been an issue according to reports on these boards. When OKW had a single booking category, a room was either available for an entire length of stay, or it wasn't. Now you may have to move from near HH to the rest of the resort, or vice-versa, simply because peope demanded that their "Near Hospitality" request be honored and made scenes at the check-in area, even though it was really just a request under the old system. I witnessed one such meltdown, with the husband yelling at the CM that "he paid a lot of money for DVC and he should be able to get the room he wanted, the CM worked for HIM, etc." Now, members may have to take the time to move from one room to another, and do another check-in, dining plan, and make multiple calls to Member Services, costing us all money in dues.

Which is the very reason I am against any change to booking categories at SSR. This is exactly what will happen. People who stay longer will be having to move.

 

[BWV Dreamin]

BLT has enough booking categories. SSR desperately needs them.

 

[Dean]

Which is the very reason I am against any change to booking categories at SSR. This is exactly what will happen. People who stay longer will be having to move.

SSR is large enough to accommodate appropriate booking categories without orphaning any days. The chances of having to move due to this issue would be slim to none on all but late bookings. It would slightly increase the number of people who book specifically to stay at SSR, every little bit helps. It would also give owners there a priority for getting the better rooms, always a good thing. It's no skin off my nose if they don't but it seems to be the most obvious reasonable change to the DVC system if any booking categories are to be added and it seems to be the right thing to do for the members there with essentially no cost or risk in doing so.

 

[Sandisw]

My wish list would be for them to have only two booking categories, just like BWV--SV and Preferred View, with theme park view being a booking category (like BW view).

If it were up to me I would make SV rooms all rooms floors 1 - 3. Floors 4 and above would preferred view rooms. Any room on the outer C that has views of the MK and fireworks would be part of the theme park view booking category.

This would make it clearer to people when they book and there would not be so many requests for those outer rooms. We stayed in a LV studio that had a wonderful view of the fireworks. Knowing I got that view for LV points made me realize that I would never book MK view.

I don't know if this would even be feasible, since the points chart has already been created, but I do think it would be clearer for those booking what they are getting ahead of time.

 

[quirty30]

To answer the OPs question - NO, there are already plenty of booking categories. Maybe DVC needs to clean up where some of the rooms are assigned, but adding more categories is not a good solution.

I agree with this completely.

 

[DenLo]

I think people are missing the OP's intent here. I believe that dizfan is saying that his idea would reduce the categories to two from three at BLT as they are at BWV. There would be a combined category Preferred which includes Theme park view and Lake view. At booking you can specify the Theme Park view (like you can specify a BWV view) as a booking category. But both views are the same points. And the second view is the standard view.

I have always been surprised that BWV owners are quite happy that a BWV view and a garden view are the same number of points. And then I realized that at the 11 month mark the BWV owners reserve all of the Boardwalk views and then all of the standard views and then if you are late you're stuck with the Garden/pool views.

If the DVC had set up BLT this way at the beginning, perhaps people would have accepted it. However, they won't at this time.

I propose that DVC changes the views in this manner:

1. All rooms on 5th floor and below be called a standard view room. This change will increase the cost of the standard view rooms some but will make more available.

2. All villas that have a MK view which includes the castle and space mountain from the balcony (not from the villa) are Theme park views, that will include those current lake view villas on the north end of the outer crescent.

3. All other villas will be renamed to be water view. And any requests views of the lakes or pool will be considered as a request but not guaranteed.

 

[Crystal_27]

I think that DVC needs to re-categorize some of the rooms to make them more in line with the actual views that are offered but I think that having 3 booking categories is sufficient.

 

[jstarcze]

I think splitting LV into inner and outer categories will still result in complaints. Those who end up with rooms facing the Contemporary will complain because they thought they would get at least a partial MK view and didn't.

 

[n2mm]

I think the LV should be split into an innie and outtie. I've stayed at the innie LV and felt a little cheated. Every night I could hear the water pagent music, but would have to leave my room to view it. Knowing my neighbors across the hall from me could watch it from their rooms. I got to watch my neighbors sit around in their boxers in the morning having their coffee on the balconey...

 

[Chuck S]

I got to watch my neighbors sit around in their boxers in the morning having their coffee on the balconey...

A room with a view.

 

[dizfan]

Remember that the more separate booking categories they create, the less overall availability there will be, especially for those that do not, or can not, book right at the 11 month window.

Thanks for the insight. I didn't realize it caused availability problems at BWV and OKW.

Does this also cause problems at AKV?
4 room categories (Value, Standard, Savannah, and Concierge), plus different two buildings, plus those wishing a 2BR have the lockoff vs. dedicated?

 

[Chuck S]

Thanks for the insight. I didn't realize it caused availability problems at BWV and OKW.

Does this also cause problems at AKV?
4 room categories (Value, Standard, Savannah, and Concierge), plus different two buildings, plus those wishing a 2BR have the lockoff vs. dedicated?

The examples you listed at AKV are all necessary distinctions based upon room size (value) and physical type (lockoff vs dedicated, concierge and Jambo vs Kidani).

But, even so, it would hold true if there were booking categories, for say,
But there are certainly instances where dedicated vs. lock-off could cause a similar situation late in booking windows. But if there say, categories for value parking lot view/value pool view/value savannah view/sunset savannah/Arusha Savannah/Uzima Savannah there would be potential booking problems.

Booking categories is not always a case of "more is better."

 

[KAT4DISNEY]

At AKV they have actually eliminated one booking category - the Value Dedicated Studio. That used to be a guaranteed category that you would have on your confirmation even though there were only 8 of them I think. Now it's only Value studio and you could request for a dedicated.

People wanted to book the dedicated because none of them had the parking lot view - they are either Savanna or Pool views.

 

[Disjunky]

ill be down there in october at BLT. (makes me hungry) i booked MK view room and have requested upper floor. do i need to ask for something else to ensure something above the 6th floor?

 

[dizfan]

Booking categories is not always a case of "more is better."

I agree that more room categories are not necessarily a good thing.
I tend to look at it from a supply/demand perspective. Categories with little supply (like KAT4DISNEY mentioned) or excessively high (or low) demand tend to be bigger culprits.

Personally, I wish they could come up with an easier way to break down the rooms. Right now, we look at work2play's map to try to figure out the rooms. I feel sorry for the CMs, because there seem to be many rooms that don't quite fit the room category.

Based on data on work2play's thread
http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=2257082
Room 7204-7206 is lake view. However, the rooms to the left/right and above/below are standard view.

A simpler breakdown (2-3 categories) seems like it would go a long ways toward making life easier for the CMs.

 

[karrit2000]

As others have already stated, the more booking categories you have the more difficult it is to get the reservation you want. BWV had 2 categories & they changed it to 3 so people could get be sure to get a Boardwalk View. At one time I had a preferred view which they categorize as pool/water/garden. We were at the way far end of the resort facing the valet parking lot but because there are fountains & such they consider it a preferred view. Personally I think the Boardwalk View should be more points than what they call the Preferred View. They really should rename the Preferred View to the "Everything but the driveway or Boardwalk View" and they should rename the Standard View to the "Driveway View". The majority of the rooms at BWV are classified in the preferred category. For BLT I would think that very few rooms shoulld really be classified as having a MK view. Lake View is probably a little harder to designate.

 

[Dean]

I have always been surprised that BWV owners are quite happy that a BWV view and a garden view are the same number of points. And then I realized that at the 11 month mark the BWV owners reserve all of the Boardwalk views and then all of the standard views and then if you are late you're stuck with the Garden/pool views.

I think those that understand the history behind it and the difficulty to reallocate are quite comfortable, esp when they realize that had it been that way in the beginning it's likely that SV and pool/GV would be the same and BW view would simply be higher adding additional point requirements.

Totally reworking the views wouldn't be difficult as long as you don't change the points for a given room, however, in the situation of BLT, there would be the expectation of reallocating points to do so and this creates costs and issues. Look at the differences between seasons for various resorts now and even the differences between say VWL, BCV & BWV which were all identical except for standard until last year.

 

[walkdmc]

I just came across this thread...so bump.

I think they should reclassify the inner "c" rooms, call them Pool Views. We were assigned to room 7605, a "Lake View" but you had to look to the hard left to see the lake. Looking straight out the window we saw the opposite side of BLT and the pool. It was very disappointing. (personally, I love BLT but I think that view, of the inside of the "C", is very unappealing). I don't think it was coincidence that was THE ONLY lake view room available on a Sunday check-in. It would seem to me others were offered the room before us and went through the same song and dance with the front desk.

I'm wondering, why it's okay to pay for a standard view and get a nice view of both the MK and the lake, while those of us who paid for a lake view are supposed to just settle for a poor excuse for a lake view? It would seem to me those who are fine with the current room categories had an acceptable view, in line with what they booked. Based on pictures I saw here on the DIS, I'd take a standard view BLT over our first "Lake View" - 7605, anytime.

 

[BeesKnees]

We don't get too uptight over views. We have never had one of the dumpster but even when we have had a view of a pool being refurbished we still had a nice vacation.

This would not work at AKV but I think it would be nice to have a preferred location category and a standard location category. With a preferred you make a list of rooms. If they can accomodate you it is higher points per night, if not, you get the standard rate.