I don't like this -- tell me if YOU ALL don't like it either .....

[* Potential DVC'er *]

I was just thinking of something. I really don't like the fact that there is no maid service while staying at your resorts. (I.e., I know there is towel/trash on the 3rd or 4th day? and then on the 7th or something??) -- but really -- all the money in dues we are paying - you'd "think" that they could afford to have the maids at least make the beds and refresh the towels!!!

I wonder if it's just me or if anyone else cares? I note this now, because while brainstorming the other day with friends, one of my girlfriends brought this up and was HIDEOUSLY appalled that this was the case!!!

Awaiting your all's responses .... :)

[PamOKW]

It sounds like a big deal at first....but it really isn't. I'm not that familiar with other timeshares but I understand that it is pretty standard practice not to have daily maid service. The cost in dues to provide the daily service would be prohibitive. As it is now, you can pay an additional fee to get the daily service if it's necessary for your vacation. Many of us have found that we actually kind of like not having to arrange our schedules around the maid. If you are staying more than 7 nights, you will get full maid service on the fourth day and then the T&T on the 8th day and that schedule will alternate for the length of your stay.

[robinb]

I actually like that a maid isn't in my room every day. If I want to leave it a mess I can ;). Making the bed only takes a minute, after all. The only down-side is that I end up bringing soap and shampoo because we run out of the starter stuff before it gets replaced.

[KNWVIKING]

We actually don't like people going into our room when we're not there so it's no problem for us. It keeps the dues down and really-how dirty can your room get to require daily house keeping.I know our room mostly gets cluttered with resort papers & shopping bags which house keeping isn't going to mess with anyway.

[Werner Weiss]

Housekeeping service is optional. You decide whether you would rather have daily housekeeping or extra money in your wallet. For example, you can have full cleaning in a 2-BR for $40 per cleaning.

-- but really -- all the money in dues we are paying - you'd "think" that they could afford to have the maids at least make the beds and refresh the towels!!!

The dues represent the actual cost of operating the resort (and maintaining reserves) plus a set percentage management fee (profit for Disney). DVC dues would probably go up between 50 cents and a dollar per point (depending upon the level of service) if we had mandatory daily housekeeping.

[Firefighter Mickey]

Most timeshares do not have maid service, and in fact the only time the room gets serviced is when you check out prior to another guest checking in.

Since the 1BR and larger units all come with a washer/dryer, we don't find it a major hassle to do the laundry when needed. And it's pretty easy to carry the trash out to the bin when heading out to the parks.

Remember, these are "Home away from home" resorts.

The good news is, that for a nominal fee, you can have daily maid service. This is the best of both worlds, since I suspect that most members would not want to pay for daily service in their dues, but those members that want this service can easily get it.

[PamOKW]

Just so there's no confusion....if you stay in a DVC resort as a WDW resort guest you do get daily maid service.

[Pluto4President]

Just think how much more our dues would be if we paid for daily maid service. I can do without.

[Chuck S]

I know it sounds"odd" to folks who usually stay in a regular hotel room. But I really like not having daily service....for instance, we went to Vegas last month, and we felt we 'had' to be out of the room for several hours every day to allow the housekeepers to do their job. While probably not a problem finding things to do at WDW, we don't feel "rushed" out of the room, and can enjoy a leisurely cup of coffee and danish in the room, throw the beds together (if we want to :0 ) then go to the parks or whatever. We can return early in the afternoon, not wondering if the maids have finished, etc. I think there are advantages (besides dues) to not having daily service. And if you really MUST have it, it is available.

[Lhargus]

We wondered about the lack of daily housekeeping before we bought this year. We've had two stays so far and haven't missed housekeeping at all.

We throw the used towels in the dryer before leaving and just re-use them.

We drop off the trash after breakfast.

We vacuum once a stay. (takes 10 minutes tops)

It really makes for a more relaxing stay. I must say, I'm surprised.

[baileybrad]

Sorry, but ugh used towels in the dryer....now back to the orginal question. We do not miss the daily "maid service" at all. We have little ones that go down for naps and we don't have to play housekeeping tag the way we do at hotels or resorts that have daily maid service. But again the used towels in the dryer everyday is as my 13 year old nephew is so fond of saying a bit gross.

[MdmMim]

I thought I would miss housekeeping, but I don't at all. I find that I sort of enjoy puttering a bit in my room(s)--like I'm "at home." No maid service there either! ;)

[Lhargus]

We don't wash our towels every day at home (they are usually hung to air dry) and we don't do it when we are at WDW. The towels are replaced after a few days and I don't see where it is gross.

[jcodespoti]

I can also say that we truly enjoy the housekeeping situation. I don't like someone coming in my room everyday. We just got back from Vegas and since we were only there 4 days we put out the "do not disturb" sign.



Joe in CT

[PamOKW]

Folks can do what they like about the towels....dry them off in the dryer, wash & dry them, air dry....or if you don't like any of those options spring for the $6 and a new set of towels. ;)

[DebbieB]

I thought it would be a big deal too when I joined 2+ years ago. But like everyone else, I don't miss it and actually like the fact that no one is in the room except on Trash & Towel Day (we only go for 6 nights). We usually bring extra soap - they usually don't leave one for the extra bathroom sink & the kitchen sink (1 bedroom). You always have the option to have housekeeping come in for an extra fee (you don't have to do it everyday). You have to remember that you are an owner, Disney doesn't really own the resort, so everything related to the operation comes out of your pocket through dues. For people renting a room for cash, the daily housekeeping is automatically built into the room rate. If they said you could get your room rate reduced by $25 to $50 dollars a night by not having housekeeping, I bet alot of people would go for it.

[Brer-Rabbit]

* Potential DVC'er *-

all the money in dues we are paying - you'd "think" that they could afford to have the maids at least make the beds and refresh the towels!!!

Did you join already? I wasn't aware that you had joined.

[CaptainMidnight]

I can do without the unecessary expense. Those who do want it can pay the additional $25, no big deal......

[* Potential DVC'er *]

No, didn't join yet ... :( But I'm still workin' on it! Unfortunately I don't think it will be until the Spring (or until my husband feels more appropriate with the economy and his job).

I'm just afraid that when the spring comes there will be NO OKW for RESALE! (I know I need to not worry ..... they'll be there I'm sure ....)

It's just one thing that constantly makes me feel good about this is the fact that there really AREN"T that many resales out there -- considering the 60,000 + members! And how many "other" timeshares that are for sale (and many people aren't happy with).

[Tagrel]

Or, as our DVC rep told us, a trip to the pool provides nice clean towels every day! :)

Tagrel

[PamOKW]

as our DVC rep told us,

That's nice that a rep encourages the exact behavior that DVC management wants to discourage. They once stated that the cost of laundering the pool towels is more than that for the regular room towels.

I really don't understand why they can't just offer reasonable towel service and charge only when there is abuse of the system...or maybe that is what they are doing. The fee is there to kick in when folks request more than a towel or two.

[BobBrazeal]

It is a little different for me as I usually travel solo so the number of towels, soap and shampoo usually does just fine for me. With my first stay as a DVC member, I was glad, as with others, not to feel like I had to be out of the room at a certain time in the morning. I found that I really liked not having someone coming into the room every day.

[Tagrel]

Sorry if that was the wrong thing to say, but when we asked this exact question (extra towels) this is what they said to do. We just joined this last August, so we don't have any experience with DVC yet. Interesting that they are giving out mixed messages...

Question: at places like BW and WL, how do they know whether swimmers are DVC or not? Wouldn't the pool towel 'charges' all get lumped together? (Of course, OKW is easier to montor in this area...)

Tagrel

[Peggy Sue]

Just returned from 12 nights at OKW. We had two full cleanings and one trash/towel day. We spaced the cleaning to take place on the 4th and 8th day, and T&T on the 10th day. By the 10th day we had so many towels in the unit that I met the housekeeper at the door and just took the box of laundry soap and mickey soaps..didn't need anything else, didn't need to tie up her time.

Dropping of the trash is a snap.., plus we didn't generate that much trash on a daily basis anyway.

We liked knowing that no one was going to be entering our room. We didn't feel the need to lock up the lap top or cam corder each time we left the room.

The washer/dryer is conveniently located right next to the bathroom..it's so simple to throw in a load of towels before heading out for the day and put them into the dryer when you return. We actually like to wash/dry our own towels..they are softer that way!

We purchased additional housekeeping services on our first DVC trip because we brought guests along. Everyone agreed it was a waste of money...there really wasn't anything to clean up every day! I don't scrub our bathroom every day at home, so it's no big deal that it isn't scrubbed every day when we're on vacation. Making the bed every morning and throwing what ever dishes we used into the dishwasher takes all of 10 minutes.

Good luck with your decision.

[PKS44]

Anybody who doubts the cost of housekeeping should look at the annual budget. I was shocked how much housekeeping costs now. To increase it even more (and our dues accordingly?) No way!

[eva]

I agree with the rest of you. We have never missed having daily maid service. When we used to stay at one of the WDW resorts that was one of the things we hated. Right when you wanted to go back to the room to change and enjoy the pool you find that maid in the room. I really enjoy taking care of things myself. Like everyone said it only takes 10 minutes in the morning to make the bed and throw the dishes in the dishwasher.

[dianeschlicht]

Just putting in my vote for no more maid service than we have. I like not haveing people in the room, and I would rather make my own bed and tidy up in between. The trash and towel and full cleanings every 4 days is just fine with me.

Also, Potential, you have not stayed as a member yet, so how would you know if you like it or not?

[Regina]

Since you just stayed there, and you experienced not having daily housekeeping, I assume that it didn't bother you since you now want to become a member.

We toss our towels in the washer and launder them ourselves during our stay. It's not a big deal.

[Cassjoejack]

I'll add my 2 cents and agree that it is no big deal NOT having housekeeping come in once a day. How dirty can a place get in a 24 hour period? ;)

[one_cat]

Like others here at first I thought I would miss the daily maid service. Now I count it a plus. We can bring the kids back to the room for a nap at any time of the day or nap ourselves without having to worry that a maid will be knocking on the door. I also don't have to worry that a maid will be entering our room when we aren't there.

Think about it - when staying in a normal hotel room how many times have you had a nice breakfast and decided to go back to your room only to find a maid "making it up" so you don't feel comfortable going into the room that YOU ARE RENTING? I do not miss that.

[DVCDAVE]

I wholeheartly agree with the posts on this thread. It is the best of BOTH worlds. If you want it everyday, then you pay extra, if you don't then you don't pay for it in the dues.

In 1992 when we were staying at the Poly, our oldest boy was just 6 months old and took 2 or 3 naps per day. Maid service was a problem as they wanted to get in to the room EVEN if we hung a 'privacy' tag on the door knob. (they probably thought we forgot to rehang the tag inside the door)

The previous poster is also right, the dues reflects the actual cost of maintaining the resort plus a fixed percentage management fee paid to Disney....there is NOT extra 'fluff' built in to cover daily maid service.

The washer and dryer in the larger units certainly eliminate a lot of the need for daily maid service anyway. We just ask the kids and guests to trow their used towels in to the washer when they are done bathing, and run the unit while we walk out the door in the morning, when we return we transfer the load to the dryer.

[PamOKW]

Tagrel, you certainly didn't say anything wrong. It's great to have new DVC folks posting on the boards. When we share what we've been told, the inconsistencies in DVC policy tend to come out. It's crazy that people are being told to help themselves to the pool towels for use in the units at the same time we are told not to ask housekeeping for an extra towel unless we are willing to pay. It costs more to provide the pool towels and there isn't any control over how many people take....why not just let housekeeping give out the towels and if someone takes a ridiculous amount, charge a fee?

[downontheBW]

I'd just like to agree with the other members here. Initially I thought that I'd miss daily housekeeping. Now, after 2 stays, I'm glad we don't have it. I like not having to make sure the door is dead-bolted when I'm in the shower in case housekeeping may come in. I also like to keep miscellaneous items (hair spray, lotion, toothbrush, etc.) out by the sink from day to day; when I expect housekeeping to come, I put all those things away.

Our towels air dry at BWV or OKW just as well as they do at home and it's easy to drop the trash off on the way out. It's great that we have the option to pay for daily housekeeping only if we want it.

[Tiggeriffic]

BTW, I've also been in some major hotels in cities such as San Francisco where they were no longer changing the sheets or towels every day unless the customer insisted. This was supposedly to reduce water and electricity usage - i.e. help the environment. Although this was true, I'm sure cost saving was a major incentive as well.

So, I personally believe that this will become more and more common at many hotels.

[DebbieB]

Disney has a sign in their regular resort rooms saying they only change the sheets every 3 or 4 days unless requested to conserve water. They also have a sign saying to rehang your towel if you don't need it replaced, put towels in the bathtub that need replaced.

[Beverly Lynn]

you mean that if you stay DVC and you need say 2-3 extra towels in your room that they charge you to use them?
and do all the units in all the DVC rooms have thier own washer and dryer? I was told that WLV don't have them in each room.

[WebmasterDoc]

1BR and larger villas at all DVC resorts have a washer/dryer in the room. There are also complimentary washer/dryers at each DVC resort available for those in studio units.

[HeatherPage]

I gave my friend and her new husband 4 days at BWV for their honeymoon (never again will I go that insane!). Anyways, I forgot to tell them about no maid service, when they got back and I called to see if they had a good time her husband's first response was there wasn't any maid service. I felt like saying "Sorry, next time you can pay the $285 a night" or something similar to that effect. Personally I don't think it's that big of a deal. But everyone is different in what is acceptable service to them.

[DVCDAVE]

HEATHERPAGE; I think your friend was rude to complain to you like that. Everytime I have check in the CM has always told us when, or if, we were to have trash and towel service. Therefore, your friend would have been told upon check in.

[nuthut]

Quote:

I wonder if it's just me or if anyone else cares? I note this now, because while brainstorming the other day with friends, one of my girlfriends brought this up and was HIDEOUSLY appalled that this was the case!!!


Since you have more than ONE girlfriend, why not have them take turns cleaning the room.

[dianeschlicht]

We must remember this is a timeshare, not a hotel. Most timeshares have you responsible for the cleaning while you are there.

[DVC-94]

Originally posted by downontheBW
I'd just like to agree with the other members here. Initially I thought that I'd miss daily housekeeping. Now, after 2 stays, I'm glad we don't have it. I like not having to make sure the door is dead-bolted when I'm in the shower in case housekeeping may come in.


A word of warning. Just because you don't have housekeeping scheduled for a particular day, that doesn't necessarily mean no one will enter your unit while you aren't there. Three times at OKW, we returned after a day at the parks & noticed our stuff had been moved. One time they had replaced all the tables in the unit; the next year we came back to a new sofa & love seat; the next year we got a full housekeeping on a day we weren't supposed to because we had called about not getting coffee, soap or detergent replenished.

While it was nice to see they were replacing worn furniture, I wish they would do it between guests, especially the sleeper sofa & loveseat. When we aren't expecting housekeeping, we tend to leave stuff lying around on the sofas & tables. We always check in under the mattress & in the cushions before we check out just to be sure nothing gets left behind.

[PamOKW]

you mean that if you stay DVC and you need say 2-3 extra towels in your room that they charge you to use them?

They had problems with people abusing the towel situation. They have the option of charging for complete sets of towels for the units. I think many times a maid will give you a towel or two without a charge.

[dianeschlicht]

DVC-94,

Kind of like the time our DS was in the shower when the maintainance guy came because the shower was leaking into the unit below!!! We had a good laugh about that one!:D

[Beverly Lynn]

ok now I understand!

[SleepyatDVC]

It probably is more of a "towel abuse" deterent policy.

When we checked-in to our OKW 2-bedroom about 3 weeks ago, I noticed that we were missing ONE set of towels. I called to let housekeeping know that we were short only one set. Housekeeping promptly stopped by with FOUR sets of towels!

Between that and our full cleaning, we had towels galore. I put them to use as extra blankets for the kids.

[yasuern]

HI ALL,
OUR 1ST DVC TRIP IS COMING UP IN JULY AT VB. I HAVE STAYED IN OTHER RESORTS ON WDW PROPERTY AND WITH A SMALL CHILD I FOUND DAILY MAID SERVICE INCONVEINANT - WE JUST HAD THE STAFF LEAVE A BAG OF TOWELS ETC
OUTSIDE THE DOOR AND EVERY 3RD DAY THEY CAME AND DID THE BIG CLEANING.
AS FOR THE PERSON WHO SAID "GROSS" TO USED TOWELS IN THE DRYER - WELL UNLESS YOU ARE NOT USING SOAP TO SHOWER - THE TOWELS ARE JUST GETTING CLEAN WATER ON THEM - SO WHATS THE BIG DEAL
I CANT WAIT FOR JULY - WE ARE ALSO GOING TO VWL IN EARLY DECEMBER
YASUERN

[ZerasPride]

I was hoping this post would make its way to the top again!

I wanted to share my experience at Hilton Head. We stayed on cash to check things out and subsequently joined DVC. Anyway, staying at a home away from home resort give you a total different feel and attitude about your accommodations. You really don't want other people in your room! I have read this before on this board but frankly I was skeptical because I normally love maid service but honestly it was more of a bother to HAVE to be out of the room at a certain time everyday or have them cleaning around you and your family. Eventually when housekeeping would knock on our door, I'd get a couple of fresh towels or tell them we really didn't need anything. They would often seem surprised but a thoroughly cleaning is just not necessary (at least for the three of us) everyday. It was so easy to just toss a load of towels in the washer or on our way out to lunch or dinner to run the diswasher ourselves once a day or so.

I am really looking forward to our stay December 2002 and not having to deal with daily maid service. I almost can't believe I'm saying it but its true!

Lisa

[caverill]

When we first started looking at DVC, I thought that my wife would have a huge issue with not having daily housekeeping.

As we began to talk it over, I quietly slipping into the conversation that we only get housekeeping every fourth day. My wife, to my suprise, said that would be wonderful since we wouldn't need to hurry out of the room every morning and would be able to come back to the room anytime we wanted.

On our first visit as DVC members, that is exactly what we did and it was great. We didn't miss the housekeeping at all!

[jennybobenny]

Just wanted to jump in and add my 2 cents. I have no idea why, since there are already 4 pages of opinions equal to my own, but here goes..... ;)

I thought I would really miss the daily housekeeping. I was even a bit embarressed about it as I tried to explain the whole concept to my parents. As it turned out - we didn't miss it at all. It was nice not to feel like we had to leave the room by a certain time (and you'll find as DVC members you're relaxing in the room quite a bit more than if you were in a regular hotel room) and since I usually keep things pretty neat anyway, the only noticeable difference was having to make the beds everyday.

As for the towels - we popped them into the washer in the morning (the washer/dryer is right next to the kitchen), dried them sometime that afternoon/evening and used them again the next day. Practically no effort involved at all -- unlike at home where I have to lug them down 2 flights of stairs to wash & dry and then back up again when finished. ;)

[baileybrad]

yasuern,
I am the one who said "gross" to putting used/dirty towels into the dryer without washing them. And I still think that it is gross and disgusting. You wash towels for a reason after you use them. If one wants to put used towels into their dryer at home, go for it. If one wants to throw their wet towels over the shower bar or hang them up for later use, go for it, that is a great conservation idea. But putting unwashed towels that have dried someone else's backside, underarms, etc. into a dryer that is designed for other families to dry their freshly-washed, clean clothes, etc. is in poor form.

That's the big deal. If you don't see it then we will continue to disagree. I just hope that I don't stay in a unit after a family with this little habit.

We follow the practice that jennybobenny utilizes, throwing the towels in the washer, each day before leaving for the parks and drying them for later usage.

[MaryAnnDVC]

Originally posted by MdmMim
I thought I would miss housekeeping, but I don't at all. I find that I sort of enjoy puttering a bit in my room(s)--like I'm "at home." No maid service there either! ;) I had to laugh when I read this! I LOVED puttering around my BW Villa, and told my DH how much I enjoyed "playing house". He wants to know why I don't enjoy "playing house" at home. :rolleyes:

Really, didn't miss it at all. As a matter of fact, when the maid was in there for trash and towel day, we were locked out and had to pound on the door to get in...to my OWN HOME. :mad:

[Nanajo1]

Four pages of replies and not one that felt daily housekeeping was a must. I've posted before that I don't need daily maid service. I like not worrying about getting the room ready for the maid!

[dvc_bwv]

We had our first DVC stay in a 1 BR at BWV in November. We had 3 adults. We had enough towels, etc. from the beginning. In fact, on the 4th day when we had a full cleaning housekeeping left another bottle of dish soap (the original I had put under the sink with the dish drainer because we really didn't eat in the room) so I had 2 full bottles of dish soap! Also they left us more towels than we needed (about 6 sets) on the full cleaning day!

We also had T&T the day before we left and I really had to laugh when we came back to the room....we were leaving the next morning and we had about 8 bath towels stacked on the side of the whirlpool tub in addition to the ones hanging on the rods, along with almost as many wash cloths and double amounts of soap, shampoo and lotion!!!

The only thing is that I felt bad when we came back to the room on the day of the full cleaning because I forgot to leave the tip. I had been talking about changing it to the day after and I was thinking that we had done that. Needless to day we left the tip for the full 8 days when we checked out. I just feel bad because it may not have been the same maid who did the full cleaning while we were there that got the tip at the end. A mistake I'll not make again!

Sorry for the long post. BTW we absolutely loved it!!:)

[DVCajun]

As others have mentioned, I kind of like not having housekeeping in my room every day. I like my privacy. Hanging up the towels to use again isn't a big deal to us either as we do that at home too.

No biggie!!