Off to an awful start----LONG!

[Debbie H]

Returned from the DCL cruise today back to OKW. We were here, went on the cruise and came back to a Grand Villa. DH got food poisioning on the cruise last night and was sick all night. Got off the ship, took the bus back to OKW. Got here around 9:30.Of course we knew the villa would not be ready so we settled down with the dgs who turned 1 yesterday and sent the others out and about. (there are 10 of us) By 1:00, dh was feeling pretty awful (we were in Papa's Den). We called to see if by chance it was ready and it was not. Asked the woman if she could please do me a favor and see if they could rush it along since I was worried about him getting sick in the den. She came back and said yes, she spoke to housekeeping, they would put a rush on it and it would be about an hour. Well, to make a long story short, we got into the villa at 4:50. DH was really steamed by then. This red-headed Scott kid working up there kept rolling his eyes at us in front of other guests (not very Disney like). They all told us different stories to what happened. They said it takes 6 hrs to clean a villa. (yeah, ok) I said well it better be spotless and the manager that was there told us to "Have a magical day!" Well, we went to the villa, put my dgs down and within minutes his knees and feet from crawling were black! DH and dd took dgs down and showed the manager. DH must have really blew because then we had security and 3 managers in our room. What was our expectations, duh, a clean room, what can they do to correct it, duh, clean it, etc. They sent someone to clean the floor, but really, by then the damage was done. We wasted a whole day, knowing we can't check in until 4 but being told they would accomadate us. By 4 pm they said we could go to a different villa that was available but by then we knew where we were going and wanted that villa and figured we waited all that time, we could wait a little longer. Then the girl informed us that check in is at 4, not rooms ready at 4. We got at least 3 or 4 different stories.

It is really not the same DVC we bought into 15 years ago and that is really very sad. because it was once a truly magical place to come to. You would think that when you go from OKW to DCL and back to OKW on a DCL bus, they know you have to get off the boat at 8 or 9 o'clock and they would arrange for that. We even tried to rent a studio for the time we were gone, just so something like this would not happen and of course all the studios were gone, even though we were told by the front desk they had plenty available. So, again, a different story.

Well, just had to blow off some steam. I refuse to put up with dirty rooms etc. anymore and I hope if any of you have similiar experiences, voice your opinion. This has got to stop. Then they said people leave these places in a mess. I'm sure some do. I happen to be one that leaves it cleaner than when we move in, putting towels in the tub, even take out the trash and empty the fridge. Perhaps I should stop doing that. Once to often over the years I have found housekeepers in the rooms watching tv. Perhaps that should be reported as well.

Also need to deal with the food poisioning thing!

Calling our guide in the a.m......

Debbie

 

[Olaf]

Check in is at 4:00 pm, but rooms aren't required to be ready by then? So when are they required to be ready?

I'm sorry you had such a bad experience. My DS got sick on the evening of our last cruise and it totally ruined everything. Are you sure it's just food poisioning and not that hideous cruise ship virus? You might want to think about an ER visit. He may need an IV. Having been there, I can certainly say the IV will make him feel much better.

Good luck.

 

[DisDaydreamer]

Sorry for the miserable experience. Check-in time IS 4pm, but it is NOT guaranteed. The CMs should not have given you hope that things could be rushed. I hate it when people tell me what I want to hear.

Absolutely, the rooms should be clean, but I would not let my infant crawl around on any publicly used floor unless I knew for sure it was just steam cleaned. Wet mopping and vacuuming doesn't get rid of any germs. Yuck!

Unfortunately, everyone wants their room rushed and so there is constant pressure on mousekeeping to get the job done quick. I've sat in the lobby and seen some people go up to the desk every 15-30 minutes and ask if their room is ready yet. It must drive the CMs crazy.

You SHOULD have gone to an urgent care or ER, because as Stephanie said it very well could be a virus that DCL needs to know about. And if it was food poisoning there are things your DH could have been given to reduce the symptoms.

Do you really leave the room cleaner? Do you sanitize the tub, shower, and toilets? Launder the linen? Vacuum the furniture? We like to think we leave the room in the condition we got it, but technically we don't when it gets down to it. I think a lot of people leave rooms thoroughly trashed.

I don't want to sound terse or mean, but it sounds like your whole trip was ruined by this one bad circumstance and everyone else is to blame. I hope you otherwise had a good cruise and stay at OKW. And I hope your DH is feeling better.

 

[alldiz]

Sorry you had a bad trip....

Unfortunately the food poisoning really put a damper on
everything....
If he didn't get sick...everything else probably wouldn't have
been so bad...
Hope he is better
Kerri

 

[spiceycat]

write to DVC now. while you are mad.

OKW use to be the best - now it is going down - time for new management!!!!

I am ready to wipe the slade clean.

they are not the CM we love. those went to SSR. we got most new people who we are paying MORE.

when they charge more in maintence than ever before - but the service is definitely the worst - it is time to complaint.

my feeling is OKW needs a new management and has for at least a year.

How about getting the manager from Pop Century - now he know what service is about.

Also very, very tire of the front desk making mistakes and blaming the members.

As I say it is past time for OKW to get new managers who care about the members and know what service is - not protecting themselves by blaming others.

 

[JimMIA]

Check-in time IS 4pm, but it is NOT guaranteed.

To be technically correct, we should say that checkin time is AFTER 4 PM -- as in not before 4 PM. Checkin starts at 4 PM. If we get in earlier than that, we just got lucky.

Sorry you had such a bad start to this leg of your trip, and I hope the unpleasantness fades as the trip gets better.

With regard to the intestinal problem, that should receive medical attention.

Best case scenario, DH might get dehydrated, in which case an IV would make him feel better. So would just drinking fluids -- Gatorade diluted 50% with water is a good choice.

However, hydration alone will not "fix" his problem unless he just had a little stomach virus that has run its course. Abdominal problems can't be diagnosed on a discussion board (even the DIS!), and there are many very serious problems that present like an upset tummy. He needs to see a doctor if he's still symptomatic.

 

[CarolA]

About six years ago I took my mother to OKW after a Disney Cruise.

Room was not ready until 5 PM. I admit it was an INCREDIBLY long day since you have to get up early but I don't think I expectd Disney to "make special arrangements" since they "knew" I got off the cruise (how did they know? DVC members are not on Land/Sea packages???)


(And why do folks call thier guides? What is he/she suppose to do? LOL!)

(So how has the situation gotten so much worse? Why is it not the DVC it was? Hmmm.....)

IMHO I would NOT write DVC now. I would wait 24 hours.

I agree the carpet was an issue, but the truth is that having spent a LOT of time at a LOT of hotels etc, it's not that unusual. (Look at the bottom of your feet sometime) Carpets are on a "schedule" And of course the day they clean them your check in is even FURTHER delayed as they have to dry out for you to get the room....(That's what happened to me a few years ago at BCV. At 6 PM my carpet was FINALLY dry LOL!)

 

[Disneyhappy]

Sorry for the miserable experience. Check-in time IS 4pm, but it is NOT guaranteed. The CMs should not have given you hope that things could be rushed. I hate it when people tell me what I want to hear.

Absolutely, the rooms should be clean, but I would not let my infant crawl around on any publicly used floor unless I knew for sure it was just steam cleaned. Wet mopping and vacuuming doesn't get rid of any germs. Yuck!

Unfortunately, everyone wants their room rushed and so there is constant pressure on mousekeeping to get the job done quick. I've sat in the lobby and seen some people go up to the desk every 15-30 minutes and ask if their room is ready yet. It must drive the CMs crazy.

You SHOULD have gone to an urgent care or ER, because as Stephanie said it very well could be a virus that DCL needs to know about. And if it was food poisoning there are things your DH could have been given to reduce the symptoms.

Do you really leave the room cleaner? Do you sanitize the tub, shower, and toilets? Launder the linen? Vacuum the furniture? We like to think we leave the room in the condition we got it, but technically we don't when it gets down to it. I think a lot of people leave rooms thoroughly trashed.

I don't want to sound terse or mean, but it sounds like your whole trip was ruined by this one bad circumstance and everyone else is to blame. I hope you otherwise had a good cruise and stay at OKW. And I hope your DH is feeling better.

I would never recommend anyone go to an Urgentcare Center outside of WDW. DS split his head open at MGM a few years back and needed stitches. They hooked us up with free transportation to an Urgentcare Center. There were about 3 people ahead of us in the waiting room and we waited 2 1/2 hours and still no service. Also, there was a fight with staff due to someone not wanting to be searched before giving a urine sample for a job application somewhere. He left without givng a sample. This gives you an idea of the crowd we were surrounded by. I called DH and he picked us up in a rental car. I called my sister who is a nurse and she said frm what I described that it was too late for stitches so we picked up a butterfly bandage at the store. DS now has a souvenier from MGM for life! I tell him it gives him character like Harrison Ford! If there is a next time, we will go directly to Celebration Hospital ER.

To the OP - Sounds like it was a long frustrating day! I hope the rest of your trip goes better. I agree with Spicycat about writing to DVC as well as calling your guide.

 

[spiceycat]

OKW is surpose to be using the room ready - they are NOT. so demand when you check in that they do the room ready.

as I say this place needs new management.

 

[Inkmahm]

I would never recommend anyone go to an Urgentcare Center outside of WDW. DS split his head open at MGM a few years back and needed stitches. They hooked us up with free transportation to an Urgentcare Center. There were about 3 people ahead of us in the waiting room and we waited 2 1/2 hours and still no service. Also, there was a fight with staff due to someone not wanting to be searched before giving a urine sample for a job application somewhere. He left without givng a sample. This gives you an idea of the crowd we were surrounded by. I called DH and he picked us up in a rental car. I called my sister who is a nurse and she said frm what I described that it was too late for stitches so we picked up a butterfly bandage at the store. DS now has a souvenier from MGM for life! I tell him it gives him character like Harrison Ford! If there is a next time, we will go directly to Celebration Hospital ER.

To the OP - Sounds like it was a long frustrating day! I hope the rest of your trip goes better. I agree with Spicycat about writing to DVC as well as calling your guide.

The Celebration Hospital ER is worse! My mom tripped over one of the parking cement things in front of the handicapped parking at MGM on the way to our car. It's a horrible design problem for handicap parking to even HAVE those things in the lot, much less with cars parked at angles so you have to walk around them. Anyway, she dislocated her shoulder. The Disney ambulance came and they looked at her and said she was fine but probably would be bruised. After they left, mom said she was NOT fine and asked me to take her to the ER. That was after Fantasmic. It was about 3 am before a doctor saw her at the Celebration ER. She was in pain that entire time because they couldn't give her anything for the shoulder until a doctor saw her. They couldn't fix the shoulder in ER by that point. It was finally the next afternoon before they were able to take her to OR to put her under and fix the shoulder. What a nightmare that place was. I sat in the ER waiting room with my 4 year old niece sleeping in my lap until about 2 am, then left my dad and mom to wait for the doctor while we went back to the Wilderness Lodge to wait for news. While we waited, people came to the ER and actually left to find someplace else to go when they found how long some of us had been sitting there waiting for our loved ones to get help.

 

[Chuck S]

The Celebration Hospital ER is worse! My mom tripped over one of the parking cement things in front of the handicapped parking at MGM on the way to our car. It's a horrible design problem for handicap parking to even HAVE those things in the lot, much less with cars parked at angles so you have to walk around them. Anyway, she dislocated her shoulder. The Disney ambulance came and they looked at her and said she was fine but probably would be bruised. After they left, mom said she was NOT fine and asked me to take her to the ER. That was after Fantasmic. It was about 3 am before a doctor saw her at the Celebration ER. She was in pain that entire time because they couldn't give her anything for the shoulder until a doctor saw her. They couldn't fix the shoulder in ER by that point. It was finally the next afternoon before they were able to take her to OR to put her under and fix the shoulder. What a nightmare that place was. I sat in the ER waiting room with my 4 year old niece sleeping in my lap until about 2 am, then left my dad and mom to wait for the doctor while we went back to the Wilderness Lodge to wait for news. While we waited, people came to the ER and actually left to find someplace else to go when they found how long some of us had been sitting there waiting for our loved ones to get help.

While it may not be what you are used to in Wisconsin, long ER wait time are normal in much of the US. 17 years ago, my Mom waited 4 hours in our local ER in the waiting room, with a broken hip, before she was seen. Another 4 hours to be "admitted", laying in a hall on a gurney because the hospital was full. We also had a long wait at Celebration when she came down with pneumonia during a WDW trip last year. But at least at Celebration she was triaged almost immediately, and tests were run, even though we had to wait 6 hours to see the Doctor. After being admitted, Celebration hospital treated her like a queen for the 2 nights she was there. She tells everyone, if you have to be sick, Celebration Hospital is great.

Why do you think so many American think our health care system is broken?

I am trying to figure out what the purpose would be of calling your guide, they are salesmen, nothing more. They will listen to your complaint, and sympathize...maybe tell you to contact Member Satisfaction...but they can't DO anything.

 

[starbox]

To be technically correct, we should say that checkin time is AFTER 4 PM -- as in not before 4 PM. Checkin starts at 4 PM. If we get in earlier than that, we just got lucky.

I'm going to chime in again to say that I really, really think that I remember being told in June that they no longer were promising your room by 4, that it was now 6pm (the 4 on the card had been scratched out and "6" written in).

We keep discussing the late check-ins as if later than 4 is a violation of the terms of check-in. If those terms have been changed, perhaps we should discuss whether or not that change is okay with us (and if it's not, perhaps a letter should be drafted or it needs to be brought up at an owners association meeting).

OP - I am sorry you had a bad experience with check-in, cleanliness, and illness. There is not much worse than feeling ill and not having a quiet, private place to rest and recover. It sounds like the CMs could have been more sympathetic and less sarcastic - even if they could not have gotten you in a room, they could have at least been kind. Hopefully, DH will be on the mend and everyone else will stay healthy. You may want to ask for housekeeping to come and disinfect the bathroom and etc. after DH starts feeling better. pixie dust for a healthy and happy rest of your trip!

 

[JimMIA]

The Celebration Hospital ER is worse! ... After they left, mom said she was NOT fine and asked me to take her to the ER. That was after Fantasmic. It was about 3 am before a doctor saw her at the Celebration ER. She was in pain that entire time because they couldn't give her anything for the shoulder until a doctor saw her. They couldn't fix the shoulder in ER by that point. It was finally the next afternoon before they were able to take her to OR to put her under and fix the shoulder. What a nightmare that place was. ... While we waited, people came to the ER and actually left to find someplace else to go when they found how long some of us had been sitting there waiting for our loved ones to get help.

Having experienced a dislocated shoulder, I certainly can empathize with your Mom! I was very lucky. I just skied down to the clinic, they x-rayed my shoulder, and they were able to reduce it right away. But it was a pretty uncomfortable hour.

That said, the problems noted here are typical of today's medical care...even at outstanding hospitals. In fact, the ER delays may be worse at better hospitals, because everyone goes there.

Urgent care centers (where are the "truth-in-advertising" police, by the way???) are really just outpatient clinics designed to relieve hospital emergency rooms. A lot of their clientele comes from people who either don't have regular doctors or medical insurance...so they have nowhere else to go.

I'm currently in EMT training, and we ride frequently with Fire Rescue and work frequently in hospital emergency rooms. The ERs have two problems: 1) the vast majority of the patients who come to ERs don't belong in ERs because they have no emergency and don't need emergency treatment. Those patients are in the ER because of personal convenience, not medical necessity. And 2) the ER staff can't bring patients in the front door because they can't push patients out the back door.

The reality in many ERs is, if you are not in need of hospitalization, you are not going to be seen anytime soon. Therefore, the only patients triage sends into the ER are those who are going to need a bed eventually. Those patients are going to get stabilized, get some diagnostic work done, and then they're going to a floor. If there are no beds available on the floors, things back up in the ER and there is absolutely nothing the ER staff can do to alleviate the problem. They can't bring in new patients until they have somewhere to put them, they can't create room in the ER because they have no place to put people waiting for beds, and they can't discharge people who need further treatment.

The only solution for the ER mess is to decline to treat patients who don't have emergencies. But they can't ethically deny medical treatment to anyone. So we wait.

 

[DisDaydreamer]

JimMIA, technically you are correct

About the urgent care and ER care. I think most of these types of places are typically not fun to be at and frustrate you, but sometimes it has to be in order to fix what is wrong. We've been lucky... we had to go to the urgent care there on 2 occasions once DS ran a 103 fever midstay, and once DW racked her ankle on the stairway. Both times we had reasonable wait and got the appropriate treatment. I think we were lucky. What I really can't stand is having an APPOINTMENT and having to wait 30-60 minutes to see the doctor for 5 minutes.

 

[deerh]

I am sorry about your trip, hope it went better. IMHO, AFTER 4 pm (closer to 6pm) is UNACCEPTABLE!! MOST hotels/villas have check in at 4pm. I would like to hear from other people who own OTHER timeshares IF and or WHAT time their check-in time is.... I don't know who to complain too about this.. WHY was it changed from 4pm till AFTER 4pm?? WHEN and WHY was this change made?

We are going to SSR in 5 days, so I will let you know when we check-in. We check-in on a WED, not sunday, so we shall see how fast it is ready...

I think this is pretty crappy on DVC's part. After 4 is not good!!
I am usually one not to complain, but if it is 6pm when I can check in on a WED, you can rest assured I will complain!

deerh

 

[TammyAlphabet]

When my daughter got sick at WDW, I went to Buena Vista Walk in medical clinic and got right in and got excellent service.

 

[DisDaydreamer]

I am sorry about your trip, hope it went better. IMHO, AFTER 4 pm (closer to 6pm) is UNACCEPTABLE!! MOST hotels/villas have check in at 4pm. I would like to hear from other people who own OTHER timeshares IF and or WHAT time their check-in time is.... I don't know who to complain too about this.. WHY was it changed from 4pm till AFTER 4pm?? WHEN and WHY was this change made?

We are going to SSR in 5 days, so I will let you know when we check-in. We check-in on a WED, not sunday, so we shall see how fast it is ready...

I think this is pretty crappy on DVC's part. After 4 is not good!!
I am usually one not to complain, but if it is 6pm when I can check in on a WED, you can rest assured I will complain!

deerh

I think after 4pm softly implies that you shouldnt be surprised if at 4pm your room is not ready. We have been very lucky and more times than not get our room early. I really don't expect it to change much. I hope.

 

[DisDaydreamer]

When my daughter got sick at WDW, I went to Buena Vista Walk in medical clinic and got right in and got excellent service.

I think that is the place we went to also.

 

[JimMIA]

I think after 4pm softly implies that you shouldnt be surprised if at 4pm your room is not ready. We have been very lucky and more times than not get our room early. I really don't expect it to change much. I hope.

Right, and that's been our experience as well. Often we get a room when we arrive -- which is usually 12-12:30 PM. If we don't, we just get the number and go to the park. We call after 4 PM and get our room number, and I don't think we've ever gotten it past 5 PM unless we just forgot to call.

We actually almost don't care when we get in our room, as long as we can get in and change before dinner. And if not...oh, well... But we're not flying in, which would be different. Nor are we dealing with medical issues on arrival, which would put everything in a different light.

 

[spiceycat]

I'm going to chime in again to say that I really, really think that I remember being told in June that they no longer were promising your room by 4, that it was now 6pm (the 4 on the card had been scratched out and "6" written in).

if this is done by hand - which according to you it was - do you really thing that top management knows it is being done?

again OKW needs better management!

they don't know that OKW is having these problems unless you tell them. Do you really think the manager is telling his bosses that he can't handle it?

anytime you have to wait beyond 4pm - make sure that DVC knows it.

they can't improve on a situation they don't know exist.

Again love Pop. If that guy can handle that many guests and only have a few customers unhappy - think what he could do at OKW!!!

Pop has 2,880 rooms, OKW has 761 villa.