Just Bcuz It Says Deluxe, Doesn't Mean It Is !!!

[erinshaneb]

We just returned from our week at WDW yesterday and I will be posting a trip report when i get a spare minute, but I did want to share this. We started out our trip at OKW, and it was so horrible we had to be transferred to AKL...I was shocked, I assumed that since OKW was a deluxe villa resort it would be up to Disney's standards..NOT EVEN CLOSE !!! I could have stayed at the Motel 6 and had nicer accommodations...It started out okay, we were greeted as we got off of Magical Express by a wonderful women that welcomed my daughter as "princess" and said "welcome home" and walked us inside and then it went downhill from there...She dropped us off at the counter that to me was a bit childish..they had ballons made into shapes of letters spelling out Welcome Home scotch taped the wall behind the counter (oh well, that may be just a matter of opinion)...The lady that checked us was non-chalant about the whole thing and then when I asked her where we were to go now she pointed out the parking pass in the folder..i told her we didn't drive, we flew and she said "oh, head back outside and see bell services..they will help you"..so we tromped back out side and waited in the heat for 15 minutes as they tried to figure out what to do..we had a crib and stroller deliverd to the resort, the crib was found, but not the mattress..then the stroller was found, but the lady that found it couldn't get it down, so the guy she sent back there to find it couldn't find it and it was just a mess..they finally load us onto a dirty golf cart that belched diesel smoke all over us the whole way to the room..The bell services guy was not very friendly and even had the stroller hanging half off the golf cart and I was very afraid it would fall off and I would be responsible....Finally we get to the room and were kinda underwhelmed....we have stayed at All-Stars Movies, Carribbean, Coronado, and AKL and there is a "Disney" standard that all resorts have (regardless of price level)..the room seemed a little dirty, but since we checked in before noon we thought that maid service might not have been there and decided to not worry too much, we unpacked and headed to the park since last year we miss Fantasmic and my daughter was soo upset..That night when we returned we discovered all the other problems..I have taken pics so that you can see i am not a nut case whose standards are way to high...Other than an over-all unfriendly atmosphere (we passed about 20 employees and not one said anything to us) we found these major problems..

• Hair dye all over the tile in both parts of the master bathroom
• Shower head constantly dripped and leaked
• Cracked tile in the master bath
• Urine stains (or lack of cleaning) at the toilet
• Mold all over the window in the shower
• Access door for jacuzzi tub had broken lock and instead of fixing it they wedged a piece of cardboard in the door to keep it closed (my 20 month old found it crawled under the tub IN the dirt they had been sweeping in there)
• A/C access door also had broken lock and it would swing open all the time
• Leaves all over porch that had been there so long some were starting to rot apart
• Lock on patio door broken
• Cart path for golf course less than 5' from patio
• All tile and shelves in bathroom covered in dust
• No toiletries left in master bath
• Fan in master bath covered in dirt and made horrible noise
• Handles on TV cabinet broken and just spun around
• Broken wire on light in 2nd bedroom
• All lights in 2nd bedroom would be one brightness when you turned them on, then dim to almost unusefulness after 3 minutes
• Fire hose connection outside of villa (glass box on wall) was missing the hose and a fire extingusher was just stuck in the case
• Dirt and mold all over door threshold going to patio

I can excuse a little dirt (that can always be cleaned), but the safety issues are unexcuseable !!! This was NOT a Disney hotel..this is our 7th trip in 10 years and we were shocked at the state of this resort..When we returned back to the resort that night and discovered all these issues we heade to the front desk to speak to someone....He offered to move us to another room and at that time, my husband was done...we decided to just move to AKL (which we should have stayed at in the first place, but I wanted to try somewhere different)..They called AKL, made the arrangements and apologized..They did say they were going to credit the cost of the room for the night..When we got to AKL after being at the park on Monday, there was NO reservation !!!! They called, but never transferred us!! So it took another 30 minutes at AKL to figure it out and fix the situation..we did get the credit, but I am not that worried about that...I do have to say the rest of the stay was as it should be...DISNEY quality to the nines....We tried to explain to the people at OKW that when you spend almost 5k on a vacation certain things should be a given...they are clueless, when we left the front desk at OKW we wanted to get some cokes..the store was closed so we asked if they had vending machines and they DIDN'T KNOW !!! He said he could call someone, but......NEVERMIND....I don't think I will ever get my husband to try a "new" place at WDW again...I can say that in the end Disney made good (as if they wouldn't), but it's a damn shame that the first two days of our vacation were filled with such hassles....I am so dissappointed, to me Deluxe Villa MEANS deluxe Villa...there should be a standard across the board for that level and OKW was NO WHERE NEAR IT !!!

https://picasaweb.google.com/110030352883970304605/OKW#

This is a photo album to all the pics

 

[xdan0920]

Firstly, that bathroom was in seriously bad shape. That is unacceptable. It almost seems like that Villa was skipped over during the most recent renovations.

I would like to add though, that I have stayed at OKW half a dozen times, my family members trips double that number. And we have never had an experience like that at OKW. The rooms are always in great condition, and the service is usually impeccable. I have never found dirt, or mold, or urine, or anything along those lines in any room at OKW I have ever stayed in.

I am going to give Disney the benefit of the doubt here. Can't let one bad apple spoil the bunch and all that nonsense.

 

[PlutosPalace]

Any suggestions on where I should send the email too?

I have no clue who to email. I'd call the guest services line and ask them. They'll know for sure. I have just never had an occasion to have to complain about the rooms. Or much else on Disney's responsibility side of things. Most of my complaints have to do with jack*** guests that think they can do whatever they want. But that's not Disney's fault. I just love going and I hope I never see anything like that in any of our rooms. Ack! :hurl:

I remember hearing about the state of the Value rooms before our first trip and I have to tell you that we almost decided to stay off property because of the reviews. Well, those reviews were completely wrong. The rooms have always been up to the highest standards. I would imagine that Disney needs to remove that resort manager for allowing the rooms to get to that shape. IMHO, the manager should be written up for most small issues but this is a huge deal. Disney doesn't want their rooms to look like this. Ever.

 

[KingdomofDreams]

It is so important for things like this to be brought to Disney's attention, and not just the management of that specific resort, but someone outside of, and above that. When there is a failure, the staff/management is usually going to try to fix it quickly to avoid it being reported elsewhere "up the chain". Sometimes things are unavoidable, but often they are completely avoidable if proper standards are kept and controls are in place to assure those standards are met.

 

[Pioneer Hall]

Firstly, that bathroom was in seriously bad shape. That is unacceptable. It almost seems like that Villa was skipped over during the most recent renovations.

I would like to add though, that I have stayed at OKW half a dozen times, my family members trips double that number. And we have never had an experience like that at OKW. The rooms are always in great condition, and the service is usually impeccable. I have never found dirt, or mold, or urine, or anything along those lines in any room at OKW I have ever stayed in.

I am going to give Disney the benefit of the doubt here. Can't let one bad apple spoil the bunch and all that nonsense.

I agree...that room is completely unacceptable and certainly not up to standards at any resort let alone Disney. However, I to have stayed at OKW before and will be doing so again in about a week or so. The resort is really nice, and I believe that this was an exception to the rule.

As far as the issue at hand, I think the best thing you can do is to send actual letters with some of your photos to people involved in the operation. Your best bet is to go right to the manager of the resort and that is where you are going to probably get your follow up. However, I would also send the letter to Claire Bilby (the head of DVC) and to Karl Holz (the senior VP in parks and resorts who oversees DVC amongst other things). Their offices might respond to you as well.

 

[DisneyJoe]

It is so important for things like this to be brought to Disney's attention, and not just the management of that specific resort, but someone outside of, and above that. When there is a failure, the staff/management is usually going to try to fix it quickly to avoid it being reported elsewhere "up the chain". Sometimes things are unavoidable, but often they are completely avoidable if proper standards are kept and controls are in place to assure those standards are met.

Ideally, the manager should be told before you leave the resort.

 

[erinshaneb]

Ideally, the manager should be told before you leave the resort.

We spoke with the night manager (at least that's how she represented herself) she asked for pictures to show the maid service manager and when I asked where she wanted the pictures sent to the desk manager about had a cow..he started stuttering and couldn't believe she wanted pics.. I understand that there are exceptions to every rule and i don't want to let one bad apple spoil it, but it was a horrible experience with completely unfriendly, incompetent people..as my husband says, it wasn't one incompetent person (he oversees a staff of 50 and admits that you can sometimes get a bad employee), it seems that everyone there was incompetent, lost, rude and definitely not Disney friendly..I mean they didn't even know if they had vending machines..

 

[geubux]

I must just be jerk then. The few times I have had unacceptable conditions in a room, I 1. Call the front desk. If they aren't fast enough, I 2) Go to the Front Desk and ask to speak to the manager.

We always try to get things taken care of UPFRONT! The manager can't inspect every room every day, so he needs to be made aware of problems so he can make us HAPPY.!

Of course, if you're a golddigger and trying to get your vacation comped at the end, then I guess you'd take pictures, cry online and THEN send a letter to Disney.

 

[NYwdwfan]

Of course, if you're a golddigger and trying to get your vacation comped at the end, then I guess you'd take pictures, cry online and THEN send a letter to Disney.

A wee bit harsh and unfounded, no?

 

[KingdomofDreams]

I'm all for speaking with whomever is in charge and giving the staff an opportunity to make it right, but in some circumstances, it shouldn't stop there. It needs to go higher. Why do you think hotel staff bends over backwards to makes things right when something goes wrong? It's not because they feel bad. It's to smooth things over so you won't take it further and report it to whatever entity oversees them or their operation. Sorry if that sounds cynical, but it's just the reality of it.

This was so much more than just the room. A room like that should not even exist on Disney property unless it is under construction, in which case a guest should never see it. But this was an epic FAIL from beginning to end. No excuses. It should never have happened.

 

[erinshaneb]

I must just be jerk then. The few times I have had unacceptable conditions in a room, I 1. Call the front desk. If they aren't fast enough, I 2) Go to the Front Desk and ask to speak to the manager.

We always try to get things taken care of UPFRONT! The manager can't inspect every room every day, so he needs to be made aware of problems so he can make us HAPPY.!

Of course, if you're a golddigger and trying to get your vacation comped at the end, then I guess you'd take pictures, cry online and THEN send a letter to Disney.

WOW, really??? I did go and speak to the manager and by that time it was unacceptable for us to stay there....it was UNSAFE for my children..Dirt can be cleaned..mold, busted tile, busted locks on doors (that someone DID know about bcuz they rigged it INSTEAD of fixing it), those can't be fixed while we are there..I understand the manager CAN'T inspect every room, but this was way ABOVE and BEYOND the maid service missing some dirt..I am in NO way looking to get money back, if that WAS the case I would have thrown a MUCH bigger fit when we were there and demanded it then..I took pics bcuz the night manager ASKED me to (maybe you should read the previous posts), the reason I am trying to contact management is bcuz they potentially LOST a 20k check my husband was considering writing for the DVC membership and management needs to be aware of the conditions of one of their properties..if I was AFTER a free vacation I would have stayed there, let my kids play in the dirt under the jacuzzi and then SUED them when they got injured...I have been to WDW 7 times in the last 10 years and knowing the "disney attitude" I know that they would also find this unacceptable...but if you got "I want a free vacation" from all of that, then damn...

 

[John]

I must just be jerk then. The few times I have had unacceptable conditions in a room, I 1. Call the front desk. If they aren't fast enough, I 2) Go to the Front Desk and ask to speak to the manager.

We always try to get things taken care of UPFRONT! The manager can't inspect every room every day, so he needs to be made aware of problems so he can make us HAPPY.!

Of course, if you're a golddigger and trying to get your vacation comped at the end, then I guess you'd take pictures, cry online and THEN send a letter to Disney.

"I must just be jerk then." ummmmm I say yes you are. 1) the OP said they went to the front desk and spoke to someone who presented herself as the manager. 2) even if the manager inspected this room two months ago these issue would still have been there. This didnt happen over night. 3) "Goldigger"
Really? she says she visits multiple times and spent 5 G's on this trip. She never mentioned once about wanting her money back....but just wanted the same Disney experience she recieved in the past. 4) "crying on line" once again....Really? this is a WDW discussion forum and I certianally would like to know about these issues. 5) She should have taken pictures, as some of us have already stated...we wouldnt have believe it if we didnt see it ourselves. I almost couldnt believe it was a Disney resort till I seen the Mickey's in the railing spindles...felt like someone kicked me in the stomach.

If I was the OP not omly would I send these pictures to top management, I would be sending them to Meg herself. This is totaly unacceptable for any resort much less a Disney resort. For you to chastize her for complaining, posting and talking about her visit is being a total jerk if you ask me...just sayin.

 

[PhilharMagician]

I am sorry you had troubles on our vacation. We had similar problems in OKW quite a few years ago. It all started when we entered our room and it stunk soo bad. It was rotten milk that had spilled behind the fridge and in a studio the kitchenette area is carpeted. We went to call the front desk and the phone was broken, so we had to walk there. I complained and they sent housekeeping to clean it. We walked back to the room and saw housekeeping leaving and went inside to find that they coated the floor with a scented carpet powder. Now the room smelled even worse. It was hard to explain how bad it was. We tried to leave the doors open for a while, but it just would not clear out. So back to the front office to complain. After complaining we went to dinner and returned to the desk after to find bell services guy that originally brought my luggage to the room calling to me as I was walking in the door and sayin that they had picked up my luggage out of the room. I was a little dumbfounded when he said that and asked why. He said that someone else checked into the room and they found my stuff in the room and had it removed. Now in the frenzy prior to going to dinner I left cash, laptop and cameras on the table in the room along with items in the fridge and freezer. Now we had to spend about an hour locating my stuff and I was short a $100 bill in my cash envelope and my camera was damaged.

The story gets much longer than this, but in the end I got out of the resort and the only room available on property was in CBR since it was 2 days before Thanksgiving. My stay at CBR was paid for along with DDP. I never physically got the $100 of my camera replaced, but I stayed at a moderate for free and my points returned for the length of stay.

The most disturbing part was that another guest was checked into my room and then the guest was able to have my bags removed.

We had stayed at OKW a few times before and we were quite satisfied with it until this. Unfortunately I am not sure if we will ever return. I personally have no reason to ever return.

 

[KingdomofDreams]

I must just be jerk then. The few times I have had unacceptable conditions in a room, I 1. Call the front desk. If they aren't fast enough, I 2) Go to the Front Desk and ask to speak to the manager.

We always try to get things taken care of UPFRONT! The manager can't inspect every room every day, so he needs to be made aware of problems so he can make us HAPPY.!

Of course, if you're a golddigger and trying to get your vacation comped at the end, then I guess you'd take pictures, cry online and THEN send a letter to Disney.

Maybe you didn't mean it the way it sounded, but did you read the OP? Seems they did make every effort to rectify the situation at the time. Whether Disney chooses to give them anything to comp them for their bad experience or not, this is something that needs to be brought to the attention of higher management. They can't fix what they aren't aware of.

 

[Scuttle]

Those pictures are awful! Yuck! Did you write a complaint letter. I definitely think you should and send those pictures with it.

Wow! I would send those pictures in with a letter of complaint.

 

[The Mom]

I must just be jerk then. The few times I have had unacceptable conditions in a room, I 1. Call the front desk. If they aren't fast enough, I 2) Go to the Front Desk and ask to speak to the manager.

We always try to get things taken care of UPFRONT! The manager can't inspect every room every day, so he needs to be made aware of problems so he can make us HAPPY.!

Of course, if you're a golddigger and trying to get your vacation comped at the end, then I guess you'd take pictures, cry online and THEN send a letter to Disney.

The OP did contact the front desk, and only asked to be moved when they were unable to rectify the situation.

No where in the post did it mention wanting money back or any other compensation - only a clean, safe room that was on the same level of what they had reserved. They main concerns were about safety - especially with a toddler who had access to unsafe areas because of poor repair.

Unfortunately, the OP responded before I could delete your post.

 

[Christopher5927]

Considering the increasingly insane prices Disney charges for their resorts this is absolutely disgusting.

I couldn't agree more. We are staying at OKW next August, but seriously thinking about changing now. We have stayed there twice - 2006 and 2009. The first time was great, but in 2009 we thought things had gone down hill. The floor of the shower room was actually missing a tile and others were cracked. We only stayed 3 nights before moving to VWL - talk about an improvement.!

 

[Spike-in-Berlin]

I couldn't agree more. We are staying at OKW next August, but seriously thinking about changing now. We have stayed there twice - 2006 and 2009. The first time was great, but in 2009 we thought things had gone down hill. The floor of the shower room was actually missing a tile and others were cracked. We only stayed 3 nights before moving to VWL - talk about an improvement.!

We had a similar experience in the famous Poly in 2010. The furniture looked used with several visible damages, there were coffee creamer stains spilled over parts of the furniture, there were a lot of cobwebs on our balcony, the windows hadn't been cleaned for weeks and it took THREE complaints until the not-so-able CMs at the front desk finally managed to get them NEARLY clean. Completely cleaning seemed to be a task they simply couldn't fullfil.
It was a shame for one of the most expensive resorts in WDW.

 

[Scuttle]

We had a similar experience in the famous Poly in 2010. The furniture looked used with several visible damages, there were coffee creamer stains spilled over parts of the furniture, there were a lot of cobwebs on our balcony, the windows hadn't been cleaned for weeks and it took THREE complaints until the not-so-able CMs at the front desk finally managed to get them NEARLY clean. Completely cleaning seemed to be a task they simply couldn't fullfil.
It was a shame for one of the most expensive resorts in WDW.

It is a shame. We noticed the cobwebs when we stayed at the Poly as well. I mean that's just lazy mousekeeping. The cobwebs were in reach from the balcony and the mousekeeping easily could have cleaned them, but obviously didn't. I don't expect everything to be perfect when staying there, but there definitely should not be cobwebs on the balcony. You pay 300+ a night for cobwebs!? What a joke. We also had cobwebs on the balcony at the Wilderness Lodge back in January.

 

[PlutosPalace]

Are cobwebs the only thing you found? Because if so then it is not quite Mousekeeping's fault. A spider can put out a web amazingly fast. Plus. remember that Mousekeeping does not re-clean a room if it has been checked off as cleaned and not used since. They don't have time to clean the same room every day if no one has checked into the room. They will move on to the next one allowing a spider plenty of time to form a web. Now as for the stains and broken stuff like the OP had, yikes. No way that should have been allowed.

 

[Uncle Lupe]

A dirty and unsafe room is unacceptable anywhere. The manager should not have asked for pics but looked at the room in person.