Transportation and Mousekeeping Trouble

[DarleneAnne]

Hi,
We had a very nice time for our stay last week at the BW on the 3rd floor, view of a leisure pool. Two problems we had were the bus system and the poor mousekeeping service.
I'll start with the bus problem, they seem to be running on a computerized system that has the same destination show up for more than one bus at a time when you are waiting for a particular bus stop. We waited for a long time for a Typhoon Lagoon bus at our resort only to see 2 MK and then 2 AK buses first. It was like this throughout our stay for other parks as well. We have always had a good experience getting around in past visits. This time the bus drivers didn't always know if they were on the same route as they started, it sometimes changed mid trip, though they still took us to our destination. Then we also saw this at AK park, buses were jamming up at the bus stops because they were heading to the same resort or theme park. Apparently you can get a bus from AK to go directly to other theme parks as well as resorts. So some buses were leaving packed, then the bus to the same location, just a minute later would leave empty. Any idea of what is going on?

Next, we have not only stayed as DVC members but also as regular resort guests. I know that you do not receive daily mousekeeping as a DVC stay, but the rooms should be thoroughly cleaned prior to arrival. Now 2 of the 3 resorts we have stayed in as DVC vacations have been less than clean upon our arrival. Last year at SSR there were clean and dirty clothes and a used toothbrush left by the last guest, somehow missed by the housekeeping staff. Unfortunately we don't always find out what wasn't cleaned until we are unpacked and settled. With this stay, we received 2 very badly stained towels on our towel and trash day, called to exchange them. We were told to leave them outside the door and new ones would be brought and exchanged. We never received the new towels and the old were taken. Does DVC have different cleaning service requirements or staff than the regular guests? As a regular guest, we were always pleased by the condition of the rooms upon arrival. I will say that VB was in great shape and there were even cute towel sea animals. We stayed there last weekend after the BW.
Just curious if anyone has had these issues.

[oakmanner]

Thanks for the post, its good to hear both the good and bad with the DVC resorts. I hope that you immediately went to Guest Services and demanded that you're room be properly cleaned. The only way they can resolve the issue is if they know an issue exists. What you describe is totally unacceptable!

Dennis-

[tjkraz]

Does DVC have different cleaning service requirements or staff than the regular guests? As a regular guest, we were always pleased by the condition of the rooms upon arrival.

Is it the norm? Of course not. The room should look just as good as any cash room. While 2-of-3 rooms being in poor condition isn't a great track record, I'd chalk it up to the luck of the draw. Best thing you can do is take 5 minutes to walk back to the front desk and report the problems.

That said, DVC does face a few more challenges than cash resorts. First, they are almost always at 100% occupancy. Cash rooms run around 90%, so rooms that need extra attention can be left empty for a night or two while the cleaning is scheduled. Second, with the limited schedule housekeeping is often cleaning a week's worth of mess all at once. Finally, with the point tables slanted against weekend stays, there appears to be a lot of room turnover on two particular days--Friday and Sunday. I wouldn't be surprised to hear that 70-80% of a resort's guests depart on Friday morning to avoid the high weekend points. That gives the housekeeping staff a window of 5 hours (11am to 4pm) to clean hundreds of rooms. Not ideal circumstances from their POV.

[DarleneAnne]

At SSR we actually brought back the clothes to the front desk the first time along with the toothbrush. This time we called about the towels as I mentioned but only commented at checkout and we were told we might want to speak to the housekeeping manager. We may still give a call. I think it's very unfortunate, not good for the reputation. It's funny the cm at checkout said we would love the VB resort and she was right and it was spotless.

[Lynn5700]

Oh I didn't know that you don't get mousekeeping.......I can clean my own mess lol the only thing I want to know is if you get the H2O products in your room LOL..I love the shampoo and conditioner.

[DarleneAnne]

Congratulations on your wedding.
You do receive additional shampoo, conditioner and soap with new towels and trash service, depending on the length of your stay. We arrived on a Sunday and that service was provided on a Wednesday.

[DarleneAnne]

Is it the norm? Of course not. The room should look just as good as any cash room. While 2-of-3 rooms being in poor condition isn't a great track record, I'd chalk it up to the luck of the draw. Best thing you can do is take 5 minutes to walk back to the front desk and report the problems.

That said, DVC does face a few more challenges than cash resorts. First, they are almost always at 100% occupancy. Cash rooms run around 90%, so rooms that need extra attention can be left empty for a night or two while the cleaning is scheduled. Second, with the limited schedule housekeeping is often cleaning a week's worth of mess all at once. Finally, with the point tables slanted against weekend stays, there appears to be a lot of room turnover on two particular days--Friday and Sunday. I wouldn't be surprised to hear that 70-80% of a resort's guests depart on Friday morning to avoid the high weekend points. That gives the housekeeping staff a window of 5 hours (11am to 4pm) to clean hundreds of rooms. Not ideal circumstances from their POV.
Thank you for that explanation, it makes sense based on what you have said. I still don't think it's fair to the guests. We are given a model to look at which is is great condition before purchasing points. If you are a regular Disney vacationer you come to expect the clean conditions and that extra bit of magic. It sounds like they need to staff more heavily on Fridays if possible. I guess I should make a comment to the manager and let them know this is not the only occasion that I have had this situtation. Maybe if enough members comment when they have a problem, something will be done to improve the situation.

[Deb & Bill]

We were at OKW last week and had wonderful housekeeping and transportation. No problems at all.

[peemagg]

We have stayed at SSR twice now. On both times our room was not clean. The first time there were dirty towels left in the bathroom and a dirty spoon on the floor. This past time we found most all of the dishes dirty. One of the pots still had macaroni left in it. We have learned now to wash all the dishes before we use them. Even the coffee cups still had rings of coffee in them. Obviously they were all just placed back in the cupboard and not washed. DVC needs to do something about Mousekeeping big time! Maybe they should hire more staff to clean properly.

We will not be tipping them anymore if we find anything wrong in our room. Why should you tip someone for not doing their job? They need to earn it not expect it.

[photobob]

We had some bus issues at BW as well. I noticed some of the same things you did. While waiting for an AK bus for an hour we had 8 DTD buses come, honestly that is no exaggeration. Six of them came in a thirty minute period. Fortunately at BW two of the four theme parks don't require bus transportation. I've found bus service there spotty at best. Sometimes you can be fortunate in your timing (that's true anywhere) or unfortunate. The bus loops at BW do seem to take longer than other resorts and I believe that is due to them servicing so many resorts. I do take a car but soley use Disney transportation. The location of the resort still outweighs the less than stellar bus service.

[Chuck S]

I also wonder if perhaps, once the room is cleaned and serviced, if the previous guest returns to the room to "freshen up" before departing. Say housekeepers check and the room appears vacant at 9 am. They service the room, and then the previous occupants return.

There is really no way to get the DVC rooms ready between the hours of 11am to 4pm with the number of housekeepers employed, so they do start earlier.

[50 years Too!]

I usually get flamed for complaining about housekeeping, but here goes.

Stayed in April at BCV. The room had obviously been gone over by housekeeping, but I swear, they must have been blind. Jam left on banquet,
smudgy mirrors and tables, dirty floor that showed mop marks, but had the dirt swirled in, and dust everywhere, on top of light fixtures, baseboards, etc.

Stayed at HHI last week and had excellent housekeeping. Everything looked very clean.
Stayed a few days at SSR and had same as BCV experience, but with food smudges on refrigerator doors, "crumbs" in the silverware drawer and heavy, black dust in the radiator vent.

My theory--not enough staff to do a thorough job. Like at home, you do the basics but need to do the heavy cleaning every few weeks or so. Isn't being done at WDW.
As an owner I try to not leave a pigsty for housekeeping. The more "picked up" (throw your own garbage and leftover food away, don't leave personal things, run the dishwasher, etc), the more time housekeeping would have for the dusting, etc.
I think both DVC needs to better train staff and provide adequate time to clean, and we owners need to leave a cleaner villa when we leave.

Deb

[makthompson]

Wow! I cant believe what i am hearing!!! I have never in all of my 35 years of staying with Disney seen any of this. I'm SHOCKED!

I just got back from Grand California Resort and the room was spotless. We did however have a problem with the Bar in the Resort wanting us to wait 30 minutes for approval to get our DVC Discount. They kept saying "you might as well just pay now". I said no i think i will wait...all of the discounts you get really add up. We got $35 off at Blue Bayou and $22 off at Goofy's Kitchen not to mention a dollar or five here and there. It seems though some of them change their tone with you when they see the member card. you would think they would be happy that they have members with as much as you pay. we have 300 points wasnt exactly cheap!

[patriotsfan]

My DD stayed at SSR this past weekend using our points for the first time. When she arrived at 9:00 a.m of course she was told to come back at 4pm. She opened the sleep sofa because there were 3 adults staying to find "poop" stains on the sheets!! She immediately called at 4 and again at 6 and then went to dinner and wishes. At 11 upon her arrival, guess what? The same sheets!! Nobody had come. So she called again and they were very apologetic and came right up to her room. If it takes all day to clean a room ,why can't it be done thoroughly. Is Disney outsourcing mousekeeping? I did hear that rumor while we were there in April.

[Goofy DVC]

If Friday and Sunday is really too busy for Mousekeeping, I wonder how members would respond to earlier checkouts and later check-ins on those days????
If this ensured that my room would be CLEAN, I would be game.But, I know I'm probably in the minority with that opinion. I just hate seeing people having their vacation start off on the wrong foot. The room should be clean and ready to go.FWIW, we have great luck with bus transportation the last 15 years.Mousekeeping has been okay.

[DarleneAnne]

We were at OKW last week and had wonderful housekeeping and transportation. No problems at all.
I'm glad to hear people are not having my trouble in all of the resorts.

[DarleneAnne]

We have stayed at SSR twice now. On both times our room was not clean. The first time there were dirty towels left in the bathroom and a dirty spoon on the floor. This past time we found most all of the dishes dirty. One of the pots still had macaroni left in it. We have learned now to wash all the dishes before we use them. Even the coffee cups still had rings of coffee in them. Obviously they were all just placed back in the cupboard and not washed. DVC needs to do something about Mousekeeping big time! Maybe they should hire more staff to clean properly.

We will not be tipping them anymore if we find anything wrong in our room. Why should you tip someone for not doing their job? They need to earn it not expect it.
That is really unacceptable, how can they miss that many dirty dishes? I wouldn't tip either in the future. I am usually very generous when it comes to tips, but this last visit we left considerably less.

[DarleneAnne]

We had some bus issues at BW as well. I noticed some of the same things you did. While waiting for an AK bus for an hour we had 8 DTD buses come, honestly that is no exaggeration. Six of them came in a thirty minute period. Fortunately at BW two of the four theme parks don't require bus transportation. I've found bus service there spotty at best. Sometimes you can be fortunate in your timing (that's true anywhere) or unfortunate. The bus loops at BW do seem to take longer than other resorts and I believe that is due to them servicing so many resorts. I do take a car but soley use Disney transportation. The location of the resort still outweighs the less than stellar bus service.
So you think that maybe the delay in bus service is a result of them also servicing the Swan and Dolphin. I can see that adds to the time factor. When we have stayed at the Poly or AK we didn't have any other stops to deal with. SSR had several stops within the resort but the buses were never doubled up. It always seemed to run smoothly.
I can believe you had that many show for the same destination. There was always a CM at the bus stop with a clipboard, and they were communicating with someone about the system. It seemed like they didn't know what to expect either.
We had a car and were ready to take it to AKL ourselves since we had waited more than a half hour for a bus there. We had an ADR at Boma that we were about to be late due to the delays. We were about to leave for the car when an AK bus arrived, then we hopped it and took the AKL bus from there. That's when the jam up at AK happened near us. Plus we were packed in and another bus arrived with only a small family to get on before it left. Crazy!

[DarleneAnne]

I also wonder if perhaps, once the room is cleaned and serviced, if the previous guest returns to the room to "freshen up" before departing. Say housekeepers check and the room appears vacant at 9 am. They service the room, and then the previous occupants return.

There is really no way to get the DVC rooms ready between the hours of 11am to 4pm with the number of housekeepers employed, so they do start earlier.
Wow, I didn't think you could get back in once you checked out.

[DarleneAnne]

I usually get flamed for complaining about housekeeping, but here goes.

Stayed in April at BCV. The room had obviously been gone over by housekeeping, but I swear, they must have been blind. Jam left on banquet,
smudgy mirrors and tables, dirty floor that showed mop marks, but had the dirt swirled in, and dust everywhere, on top of light fixtures, baseboards, etc.

Stayed at HHI last week and had excellent housekeeping. Everything looked very clean.
Stayed a few days at SSR and had same as BCV experience, but with food smudges on refrigerator doors, "crumbs" in the silverware drawer and heavy, black dust in the radiator vent.

My theory--not enough staff to do a thorough job. Like at home, you do the basics but need to do the heavy cleaning every few weeks or so. Isn't being done at WDW.
As an owner I try to not leave a pigsty for housekeeping. The more "picked up" (throw your own garbage and leftover food away, don't leave personal things, run the dishwasher, etc), the more time housekeeping would have for the dusting, etc.
I think both DVC needs to better train staff and provide adequate time to clean, and we owners need to leave a cleaner villa when we leave.

Deb
That is a shame and disgusting. Did you ask for a new room? I also try to clean up well before the mousekeeping comes in. It isn't right to leave the place a complete mess.

It seems that overall members are happy with the resorts outside of Disney World like VB and HHI. Maybe because they are smaller resorts the staff isn't as stressed, less rooms to clean?

[DarleneAnne]

Wow! I cant believe what i am hearing!!! I have never in all of my 35 years of staying with Disney seen any of this. I'm SHOCKED!

I just got back from Grand California Resort and the room was spotless. We did however have a problem with the Bar in the Resort wanting us to wait 30 minutes for approval to get our DVC Discount. They kept saying "you might as well just pay now". I said no i think i will wait...all of the discounts you get really add up. We got $35 off at Blue Bayou and $22 off at Goofy's Kitchen not to mention a dollar or five here and there. It seems though some of them change their tone with you when they see the member card. you would think they would be happy that they have members with as much as you pay. we have 300 points wasnt exactly cheap!
They really should be nice to DVC members. I have had good experiences in the restaraunts, we just had dinner at the Flying Fish. They were excited to let us know about our discount, we actually didn't mention it right off the bat, I forget how they knew to begin with.
With your experience, I wonder if some are concerned that they will receive less of a tip.

[Starr W.]

That is a shame and disgusting. Did you ask for a new room? I also try to clean up well before the mousekeeping comes in. It isn't right to leave the place a complete mess.

It seems that overall members are happy with the resorts outside of Disney World like VB and HHI. Maybe because they are smaller resorts the staff isn't as stressed, less rooms to clean?

I had to wait unti 6pm for my room at VB(2br villa) when I was there at Easter. They actually changed my room so I could get in at 6pm or if I hadn't said anything I would have been waiting until 7pm.

Room was spotless when I got in as all my DVC rooms have been. I think someone must have trashed the room I was assigned originally.

As for late check outs, I just got back from a II exchange at Marriott's Summit Watch in Park City UT. They have Fri, Sat and Sun check ins. Check out is 10 am. Heading out for lunch on Friday at about 11:45 we run into 3 families finally leaving.

So late checkouts are not just a DVC problem.

[DarleneAnne]

My DD stayed at SSR this past weekend using our points for the first time. When she arrived at 9:00 a.m of course she was told to come back at 4pm. She opened the sleep sofa because there were 3 adults staying to find "poop" stains on the sheets!! She immediately called at 4 and again at 6 and then went to dinner and wishes. At 11 upon her arrival, guess what? The same sheets!! Nobody had come. So she called again and they were very apologetic and came right up to her room. If it takes all day to clean a room ,why can't it be done thoroughly. Is Disney outsourcing mousekeeping? I did hear that rumor while we were there in April.
That is just really disgusting. They need to make the pull out sofa before the new guests. So either they made the bed with dirty sheets or they never checked the ones on the bed to begin with. I don't think I could have slept on the bed after that. They should have been given an upgrade or at the very least a new room.
I hadn't heard about outsourcing. They need better training for sure!

[DarleneAnne]

If Friday and Sunday is really too busy for Mousekeeping, I wonder how members would respond to earlier checkouts and later check-ins on those days????
If this ensured that my room would be CLEAN, I would be game.But, I know I'm probably in the minority with that opinion. I just hate seeing people having their vacation start off on the wrong foot. The room should be clean and ready to go.FWIW, we have great luck with bus transportation the last 15 years.Mousekeeping has been okay.
I would be fine with the later check in if we could store our luggage while we enjoy the parks. I wouldn't want to check out any earlier.

[DarleneAnne]

I am planning to post this as well as a new thread for anyone needing to make a comment good or bad to Member Services. I called this afternoon and I spoke to a really helpful Member Service rep and she said any complaints during our stay should be called in to our Member Services phone number and they can help with any problems such as Mousekeeping.
Also, after the stay you can email to the following address and let them know about what happened during your stay. Apparently they want to know about any good or bad experiences. After the email, a rep will contact you by phone to discuss the problems further.
Just thought I would update you on that.
:)

[DVCSAMNH]

I always strip the sheets off the bed and sleep sofa and close it up before I leave. I just don't trust mousekeeping enough anymore and I feel this helps ensure that the next guest gets clean sheets. I have found the sleep sofa already made up before and strongly doubted that the sheets were unused. I requested clean sheets.

[maciec]

I always strip the sheets off the bed and sleep sofa and close it up before I leave. I just don't trust mousekeeping enough anymore and I feel this helps ensure that the next guest gets clean sheets. I have found the sleep sofa already made up before and strongly doubted that the sheets were unused. I requested clean sheets.


That's a great idea. One I never thought of because I took for granted that mousekeeping would do a good job. Now I know that not all mousekeepers are negligent in their duties but just to be sure (and help them out) I am going to strip our beds from now on.

[edk35]

Thank you for that explanation, it makes sense based on what you have said. I still don't think it's fair to the guests. We are given a model to look at which is is great condition before purchasing points. If you are a regular Disney vacationer you come to expect the clean conditions and that extra bit of magic. It sounds like they need to staff more heavily on Fridays if possible. I guess I should make a comment to the manager and let them know this is not the only occasion that I have had this situtation. Maybe if enough members comment when they have a problem, something will be done to improve the situation.


That is interesting.....our problem also happened on a Friday check in too at SSR last Aug.

[50 years Too!]

I also make sure to strip the sleeper sofa before I leave.
I assumed that if the sheets were on, they were clean. However,
I've heard from several that there should be clean sheets in the closet, not onthe bed.
I probably had my guests sleeping on dirty sheets!:eek:

I also put all the towels in a big pile. Don't want someone after me using an old towel!

[50 years Too!]

A side note. Some think we "complainers" are extra picky and complain about the smallest scratch or ding.
I don't complain about "wear". Dirt yes, gently used no.

Deb

[MrsNick]

My DD stayed at SSR this past weekend using our points for the first time. When she arrived at 9:00 a.m of course she was told to come back at 4pm. She opened the sleep sofa because there were 3 adults staying to find "poop" stains on the sheets!! She immediately called at 4 and again at 6 and then went to dinner and wishes. At 11 upon her arrival, guess what? The same sheets!! Nobody had come. So she called again and they were very apologetic and came right up to her room. If it takes all day to clean a room ,why can't it be done thoroughly. Is Disney outsourcing mousekeeping? I did hear that rumor while we were there in April.

:eek: Oh man, that is Nasty! Your daughter should not have had to call three times to get this issue resolved.

That said, who is the Pig that left poop on the sheets and didn't freakin' do something about it? I blame this loser more than housekeeping (and like I said, totally unacceptable for your daughter to have to call three times!).

[Maelstrom_]

Just got back from OKW last night. The room was spotless and was so nice and roomy. Our first stay at OKW...and we really did like the resort. BUT...the bus service was terrible!! Often we waited....and waited.....and waited....and waited.......and waited some more.....and waited.....and waited.....and waited.....is that it, nope, not us....and WAITED...What's going on? Are they curring back because of gas prices or something? Made me wish they were giving rental cars as one of the Million Dreams prizes.

[Deb & Bill]

Just got back from OKW last night. The room was spotless and was so nice and roomy. Our first stay at OKW...and we really did like the resort. BUT...the bus service was terrible!! Often we waited....and waited.....and waited....and waited.......and waited some more.....and waited.....and waited.....and waited.....is that it, nope, not us....and WAITED...What's going on? Are they curring back because of gas prices or something? Made me wish they were giving rental cars as one of the Million Dreams prizes.

Was the bus service terrible for your entire stay? We were there last week and had no trouble with the buses. In the morning, in the evening.

[johngpa705]

We just came back from BWV. As always, a great WDW trip...except the busses, which seem to get worse every visit. 3 things have happened in the world since 2002.

1. They opened up the busses (and all transportation systems) to everyone, in part to keep off-property guests from leaving once they got into their cars to change parks. Remember the good old days when you had to show room ID to get on a bus?

2. The state and local governments started to hassle WDW about emmissions, so they were unable to add the number of busses that they wanted to to accomadate everyone.

3. This is the worst part- They went to a "dispatch" system, and did away with "routes". Used to be that that busses ran on a loop, which is why you never waited more than 20 minutes for a bus. (ie, one bus constantly went from BWV to MK and back). Now they have parking lot monitors who call dispatch and tell them when a bus is needed. However, if you are one of a small group, prepare to wait a looooong time. There seems to be some magical (no pun intended) number of people waiting that prompts a bus dispatch. Also, as you said, there is huge confusion with the dispatch, often sending numerous busses to the same site over and over. Just speculating here, but the world may be trying to "herd" us. If you want to go to MK, which is crowded, they may send numerous busses out to AK to control the flow of attendence where it can be better handled, the thought being that if you have to wait long enough, you'll siimply decide to go wherever the next bus takes you. But that's just my conjecture. I would honestly pay a small nightly premium to have busses dedicated for resort guest use again. Untl then, I will rent a car, go where and when I want to. Of course, I may also use some of my vacation dollars off-property since I will have a means of getting there..........any ears get the point??