dlpmikki
11-02-2010, 03:05 PM
The OKW Refurbishment
With the family here, I have not had as much time to write the report. But there is an advantage. If I had told you everything about our problems with the refurbishment as they happened, it would have got very long and (at times) very depressing. I even heard my humans mention the possibility of selling their DVC points (Meeeoww)! Anyway, here’s a summary of how they see things 9 days later (Nov 2).
First, there were problems with the work done (what my humans grouped as “snagging” of the work). It wasn’t so much “one thing after another” as three things after the previous 5 – and by the third day some of the original repairs are breaking down as well. In addition to those I mentioned on Saturday 23rd, the problems range from shortage on the number of glasses to the refrigerator filling with water. Perhaps the worst is the air conditioning. The system in the one bedroom part is unpredictable and can blow a gale even after being switched off for a day. The one in the studio just doesn’t work at all. Our guests are too polite to complain at once but suffer some uncomfortable nights. By the end of the week, all the problems that bother us are fixed.
We were assured, incidentally, that there is a system of checking the completed refurbished rooms with the contractor, engineering and housekeeping. If so, we still wonder how this one got past it. It must be difficult for the checker to refuse to allow a room back into use. But the result is summed up by the family’s final day comment: “This could be a great room if it worked”. Not what we wanted to hear when treating the family – and I guess not what DVC like to hear from first time visitors!
Second, there are the changes made by the refurbishment. My humans bought the old style. They loved it. Mikki seems especially upset by the new floor and remains unconvinced for days that it could possibly be wood at all (perhaps is has been treated with some sort of plastic coating for easy cleaning). We get some Disney spiel about teams of interior designers and imagineers but when one of the engineers mentions “cost effective”, we suspect we are closer to the heart of it. We will admit that many of the changes (including the floor) make the room more practical for families with young kids. That hasn’t been us.
Whether you like them or not, it’s hard to argue that there are no changes – and DVC managers were quick to remind us that Disney contractually reserves that right. It’s something anyone thinking of buying should bear in mind. You will make a very long term commitment to Disney but their commitment to you is not the same. What you see may not always be what you get.
Third and last, I must mention the blinds. On the full length windows and balcony door, the wooden slatted binds have been replaced by “Roman” style solid fabric ones. Chatting to other guests, we have already heard a number of grumbles about how slow and awkward it is to raise and lower these and the loss of privacy when they are up. But that wasn’t the big problem for us.
My Andrew is vision impaired. This includes sensitivity to light. In the parks, he always wears dark glasses and a wide brimmed hat but still needs Mikki to guide him almost all the time. At the “old” Old Key West, he really appreciated the wide variety of controls over lighting. The old Venetian style slatted blinds gave tremendous control of daylight. Most usefully, it was easy to cut out direct sunlight without closing them completely. The solid fabric Roman style blinds can only be raised or lowered. If he left the new blinds lowered, Andrew could not read or work at the dining table without putting on artificial lighting. If he raises then enough to see, he gets very bright light which hurts his eyes. Obviously, he starts by settling for the dark but he feels he could be in a windowless box anywhere. I can tell he is getting very depressed by the thought of having this long term. Fortunately, he decides to put the problem to OKW management.
I can now report a very much more happy ending to this story. My humans want me to record their special thanks to Anthony the Front Desk manager and to Chris, the engineering chief, who did so much work on this. We now have the centre of the three Roman blinds pulled up and a small Venetian style blind (bought from a local store by DVC) hung in the space. This gives Andrew sufficient light to read and work and restores control. It’s a joy to see how much happier he is. Anthony and Chris have even set up systems to see that things can work for Andrew at future visits.
Incidentally, it was also Anthony who quickly provided an even longer cable for the internet so we could move the table back to its proper location (which also seemed to eliminate an irritating wobble).
At the end of all this, I am relieved to report the major problems have been dealt with and we have found at least two cast members who demonstrate the best of Disney customer service. The magic has not been destroyed – as it looked for a while like it might – but it has lost a lot of its sparkle.
With the family here, I have not had as much time to write the report. But there is an advantage. If I had told you everything about our problems with the refurbishment as they happened, it would have got very long and (at times) very depressing. I even heard my humans mention the possibility of selling their DVC points (Meeeoww)! Anyway, here’s a summary of how they see things 9 days later (Nov 2).
First, there were problems with the work done (what my humans grouped as “snagging” of the work). It wasn’t so much “one thing after another” as three things after the previous 5 – and by the third day some of the original repairs are breaking down as well. In addition to those I mentioned on Saturday 23rd, the problems range from shortage on the number of glasses to the refrigerator filling with water. Perhaps the worst is the air conditioning. The system in the one bedroom part is unpredictable and can blow a gale even after being switched off for a day. The one in the studio just doesn’t work at all. Our guests are too polite to complain at once but suffer some uncomfortable nights. By the end of the week, all the problems that bother us are fixed.
We were assured, incidentally, that there is a system of checking the completed refurbished rooms with the contractor, engineering and housekeeping. If so, we still wonder how this one got past it. It must be difficult for the checker to refuse to allow a room back into use. But the result is summed up by the family’s final day comment: “This could be a great room if it worked”. Not what we wanted to hear when treating the family – and I guess not what DVC like to hear from first time visitors!
Second, there are the changes made by the refurbishment. My humans bought the old style. They loved it. Mikki seems especially upset by the new floor and remains unconvinced for days that it could possibly be wood at all (perhaps is has been treated with some sort of plastic coating for easy cleaning). We get some Disney spiel about teams of interior designers and imagineers but when one of the engineers mentions “cost effective”, we suspect we are closer to the heart of it. We will admit that many of the changes (including the floor) make the room more practical for families with young kids. That hasn’t been us.
Whether you like them or not, it’s hard to argue that there are no changes – and DVC managers were quick to remind us that Disney contractually reserves that right. It’s something anyone thinking of buying should bear in mind. You will make a very long term commitment to Disney but their commitment to you is not the same. What you see may not always be what you get.
Third and last, I must mention the blinds. On the full length windows and balcony door, the wooden slatted binds have been replaced by “Roman” style solid fabric ones. Chatting to other guests, we have already heard a number of grumbles about how slow and awkward it is to raise and lower these and the loss of privacy when they are up. But that wasn’t the big problem for us.
My Andrew is vision impaired. This includes sensitivity to light. In the parks, he always wears dark glasses and a wide brimmed hat but still needs Mikki to guide him almost all the time. At the “old” Old Key West, he really appreciated the wide variety of controls over lighting. The old Venetian style slatted blinds gave tremendous control of daylight. Most usefully, it was easy to cut out direct sunlight without closing them completely. The solid fabric Roman style blinds can only be raised or lowered. If he left the new blinds lowered, Andrew could not read or work at the dining table without putting on artificial lighting. If he raises then enough to see, he gets very bright light which hurts his eyes. Obviously, he starts by settling for the dark but he feels he could be in a windowless box anywhere. I can tell he is getting very depressed by the thought of having this long term. Fortunately, he decides to put the problem to OKW management.
I can now report a very much more happy ending to this story. My humans want me to record their special thanks to Anthony the Front Desk manager and to Chris, the engineering chief, who did so much work on this. We now have the centre of the three Roman blinds pulled up and a small Venetian style blind (bought from a local store by DVC) hung in the space. This gives Andrew sufficient light to read and work and restores control. It’s a joy to see how much happier he is. Anthony and Chris have even set up systems to see that things can work for Andrew at future visits.
Incidentally, it was also Anthony who quickly provided an even longer cable for the internet so we could move the table back to its proper location (which also seemed to eliminate an irritating wobble).
At the end of all this, I am relieved to report the major problems have been dealt with and we have found at least two cast members who demonstrate the best of Disney customer service. The magic has not been destroyed – as it looked for a while like it might – but it has lost a lot of its sparkle.