Member Svs Claims CANNOT put NO SMOKING FOR MEDICAL REASONS!

[justcruisin]

Wondering .... Are requests for Wheelchair Accessible rooms guaranteed?

 

[srpietrzak]

just call at 4:20 p.m. They put medical reasons in the computer

 

[KLEONARD]

If my physical condition becomes so isolating that I cannot let chance room reservations endanger my health, I will sadly sell my points.

I hope your next trip goes better. I am sure DVC will make every effort to satisfy all 90,000 member requests the best they can.

 

[Mickmse2002]

Not to be argumentative or difficult here..........but........

Requesting a no-smoking room is just that, a request. DVC is very up front with the statement that room requests are not guaranteed. This should be considered in making the decision on whether or not to purchase here. If you absolutley cannot stay in a room that has been smoked in and DVC can't guarantee this then it becomes a personal choice to proceed. I realize I am likely to get flamed for this but at some point there has to be the recognition that DVC has held up their end of the bargain here.

 

[Patty3]

I always request a non smoking room for medical reasons, I really do have asthma. I always carry Albuterol but when I am in a smoking room, the asthma does get aggravated and the inhaler is used more often. Member Services has always put, "No smoking for medical reasons", on my confirmation. We have been members since 1998 and only once did I get a smoking room. I was not happy, but I had no choice at the time.

 

[twotoohappy]

I've always requested N/S Med. and have always gotten a N/S room. Usually that's all I put for a request so they know it's that important and I always carry a note from my dr. (along with my meds and inhaler )

 

[Beca]

Hmm...just pulled out my confirmation for BCV for Dec....it says "requests non-smoking for medical reasons".



Beca

 

[Blue&Gold]

Not to be argumentative or difficult here..........but........

Requesting a no-smoking room is just that, a request. DVC is very up front with the statement that room requests are not guaranteed. This should be considered in making the decision on whether or not to purchase here. If you absolutley cannot stay in a room that has been smoked in and DVC can't guarantee this then it becomes a personal choice to proceed. I realize I am likely to get flamed for this but at some point there has to be the recognition that DVC has held up their end of the bargain here.

No flame here, just complete agreement. Caveat emptor. The contracts and disclosures state quite clearly that requests like this can't be guaranteed.

 

[Simba's Mom]

I'm curious, is the concept of non-smoking being a request, not a guarantee, unique to the DVC resorts or is this true of all of Disney. If you reserve thru CRO, are you guaranteed a non-smoking room? I wonder if anyone who's reserved a regular Disney hotel and requested non-smoking has gotten a SO room?

 

[crisi]

I'm curious, is the concept of non-smoking being a request, not a guarantee, unique to the DVC resorts or is this true of all of Disney. If you reserve thru CRO, are you guaranteed a non-smoking room? I wonder if anyone who's reserved a regular Disney hotel and requested non-smoking has gotten a SO room?

As I understand it, true of all of Disney. Course, with a regular reservation, you'd just refuse to stay, book somewhere else and not pay your bill. If they billed your credit card, you would dispute the charge. Chances are pretty good you'd win. With DVC, they have your points and are under no obligation to refund them - moreover, refunding points with any frequency puts them in a hard spot regarding inventory.

 

[JimC]

...I can understand that they may be feeling that saying "medical reasons" is overused, and their fear that some people are just SAYING "medical reasons", but common, some people really do have medical issues. So ask for a doctor's note or something to tighten up, don't ignore it. Doesn't Disney realize that by ignoring true medical issues, they could be setting themselves up for a lawsuit (for example, just think of all the problems/sickness Debbie in Seattle had)?

I agree with the first part about their concern that "medical reasons" might be overused. But I am not sure what legal risk this represents to Disney. On what basis would such an action be sustained? I don't see it as a violation of our contractual rights. I doubt if it is covered under ADA. It is possible that it is a provision in Florida's anti-smoking laws, but somehow I doubt that.

Understand my personal view is that non-smoking should be guaranteed or if they can't to simply make the resorts all non-smoking. I just don't see what legal risk Disney has in not being able to honor a non-smoking request.

I do believe Disney has a risk with lower guest satisfaction, and that is very important to a company that heavily relies on repeat guest visits. If they become convinced that a sufficient number of guests are unhappy about the smoking/non-smoking reservation issue -- sufficient meaning a statistically meaningful drop in guest satisfaction -- they will do something about it.

But that means telling Disney as well as posting here.

 

[JimC]

One other thought. It has been my experience that Disney does a pretty darn good job at meeting requests, certainly those relating to guest safety and well being needs. It is not comforting to be told that 99% of all such requests are met when you (like Debbie) happen to be the 1% that did not. Yet I wonder if it is reasonable to expect them to get it 100% right?

 

[CapeCodFam]

While I love these boards... I think we are the vocal minority and our posts might not accurately represent the views of the 90,000 + member families. (especially my own )

Outside of complying with ADA, I do think any other request is just a request. I don't believe a note from an MD would make anyones request more valid than other member's requests who didn't have one. We should all be treated as being honest and shouldn't need to verify it.

On the issue of smoking, I'd probably prefer to ban it altogether to alleviate any poor family being stuck in a room that either smells or is potentially dangerous to their health. It would definately shift the blame to naughty members who didn't comply rather than DVC not supplying a NS room.

I think it would also be nice if DVC didn't take any room requests. While that might not be popular with all my fellow Type A personalities, it would sure cut down on "what's the best room/view" and "I'm not happy because my requests weren't met".

As an aside, I think I will notify the front desk that we are willing to move out of our NS room if some deserving family really needs it. After all, if DVC doesn't have one NS to give, we as members should offer our own.

 

[DebbieB]

I was wondering if anyone ever stayed at Sheraton Vistana. Their website says:

"The Sheraton Vistana Resort, Lake Buena Vista does not offer non-smoking rooms."

http://www.starwoodhotels.com/sheraton/search/hotel_detail.html?propertyID=5608

I can't believe that they would be able to sell the resort that way.

 

[kritter]

had problems iwht a non smoking room being smoked in alst time we were there at ssr..just talked to a women who told me this was still the case on a ressie can say for medical resasons do you want her direct line??

 

[travelbug]

On Oct. 18, I added a new ressie at BCV to an upcoming trip. My confirmation arrived in the mail today, and it says "request non-smoking vacation home for medical reasons" on it.

 

[SueM in MN]

Wondering .... Are requests for Wheelchair Accessible rooms guaranteed?

If you ask for a first floor room for medical reasons, we have been told repeatedly by MS that those requests are filled before the general requests for the same thing (very important to have "for medical reasons" or some very similar wording on your confirmation). Medical reasons are not guaranteed, but since they are filled before other requests, the chance of not being filled is very low.

If you need a wheelchair accessible room (not just first floor), those are arranged thru MS and are guaranteed. As with anything else, you may sometimes get a CM who doesn't know what they are doing and gives wrong information. That happened to us this Spring when we booked an OKW GV for next Spring. My DH told the CM that we needed an accessible GV because DD can't walk at all and uses a wheelchair. The CM told him an accessible GV was a request and could not be guaranteed. I called back the next day and got a different CM who understood that if we didn't have an accessible room, we wouldn't be able to stay there. She put it as a guarantee, which is what our confirmation now says.

 

[DVCconvert]

debbie in Seattle

Oh you poor dear.......

 

[TheRustyScupper]

1) Go ahead and list "non-smoking for medical reasons" on the ressie.
2) You will get it.
3) If not, they WILL find a non-smoking room for you somewhere else.

 

[Ali and boyz]

If you ask for a first floor room for medical reasons, we have been told repeatedly by MS that those requests are filled before the general requests for the same thing (very important to have "for medical reasons" or some very similar wording on your confirmation). Medical reasons are not guaranteed, but since they are filled before other requests, the chance of not being filled is very low.

If you need a wheelchair accessible room (not just first floor), those are arranged thru MS and are guaranteed. As with anything else, you may sometimes get a CM who doesn't know what they are doing and gives wrong information. That happened to us this Spring when we booked an OKW GV for next Spring. My DH told the CM that we needed an accessible GV because DD can't walk at all and uses a wheelchair. The CM told him an accessible GV was a request and could not be guaranteed. I called back the next day and got a different CM who understood that if we didn't have an accessible room, we wouldn't be able to stay there. She put it as a guarantee, which is what our confirmation now says.

our confirmation says - accessible vacation home confirmed - do you think this is okay