Is it still a "vacation" if you have to clean?

[cathyz]

I guess this is a silly question, but...do you mind cleaning your villa while you're there on vacation? Part of vacation for me is leaving unmade beds and all, and coming back to a sparkling clean room.

I'm still trying to justify this whole DVC thing to my family, and this is one thing that I'm having trouble with. Granted, it's not my house - so, atleast that makes it a little bit more fun!

Just curious.

[Disneyaholic]

Your personal preferences are what will have to make your decisions.

For us, the "at home" feeling far overrides having to pick up after ourselves each day. We make our beds and clean up the kitchen before leaving for the day -- but for us, that's probably something we would do even if we did have daily housekeeping. (Well, maybe not the making the beds part, but you know what I mean! ;))

If vacation to you means not having to do all that for yourselves, then maybe DVC is not for you.

Maybe you could try renting some points and staying at a DVC resort without daily housekeeping to see how well your family likes that...

[Basser]

We have no problem with keeping the room clean. Lets face it your at Disney World, how much time are you in the room?

[Regina]

It's really not much. You only have a couple of suitcases worth of stuff with you that goes into closets and drawers.

It's a snap to make the beds. They're not shoved against the walls, and you don't have mounds of stuffed animals to contend with. ;)

I don't mind at all. I wish it was as easy to straighten up here as it is at the resort. :(

[CarolMN]

Well, if it really bugs you, you can always request daily housekeeping. The charge for that varies by the size of your room.

Personally, it never bothers me to make the bed. (That's probably because DH does it most of the time, LOL). It really only takes a minute or two. Don't do any other "cleaning" while were there except maybe load the dishwasher if we use the dishes. We do take the trash out if it builds up, though. People have said that the rooms have vacuum cleaners in the closet, but I can't say I ever noticed one:p. About the only thing we do for the bathroom is hang up towels after we use them.

Anyway, I actually reallly like not having a housekeeper in my room every day. Feels more private and I don't have to worry about when housekeeping is coming - we can sleep in, take a nap or just hang out and not worry about getting out for the maid.

Good luck with your decision.

[DeeP]

I am also someone that likes having daily maid service when I am at any other WDW resort but when I stay at a DVC resort it does not bother me at all not to have daily maid service. The only thing I ever do is make the beds and do the very few dishes we have because we eat out every meal but breakfast. The extra room the beautiful DVC villas provides is well worth not having daily maid service to me.

[Corinne]

We just returned from our first trip as DVC members. We have been going to WDW for years, and I thought it would bother me to not have daily maid service & only 4 bath towels! I can honestly say, it did not bother us at all. Having the washer & dryer in the room made it easy to wash the towels and when the maid came in on the 4th day, she left a new set, so we had plenty. As another poster mentioned, we enjoyed the privacy, and not having to worry about people in the room daily.

[PamOKW]

Corinne's response is pretty typical. To many of us, it seemed shocking to think we wouldn't have daily maid service on vacation. But, once you try it, you don't miss it. As others have said, you also have the freedom of not having anyone standing outside your door waiting to clean every day or returning to the room to find it hasn't been made up yet. ;) It's not like taking care of your house. All you really need to do is make the bed....or not.

[Peggy Sue]

our first dvc trip, we stayed in a 2 bedroom and brought along BIL and SIL....We were worried about the lack of maid service and decided to purchase the service daily. After a couple of days we all agreed that it was totally unnecessary. It's easy to quickly make the bed and the washer/dryer gave us the opportunity to have fresh towels every day. The places are spacious and easy to keep clean. We like not thinking about when housekeeping might be coming in. Try it...I think you'll like it!

Good luck with your decision

[Doctor P]

I actually found I did less room cleaning with the DVC set up. I didn't leave towels laying around, and I made the bed, but I didn't have to repack my CPAP machine or other things that I like to keep out or by my bed (things I would clean up and repack every day with maid service). I actually liked it better overall.

[robinb]

I stayed at CR in July because I couldn't pass up an $89 Shades of Green rate that my mom got for our annual family trip. We had daily maid service but I actually missed having a vacuum cleaner when my 2 year old crushed cookies all over the floor. I had to wait until morning for the maid to clean it up ;).

[IleneF]

I am sort of worried about this as well. Your posts have made me feel better
though. Mostly I worry about the towels in the studio with no washer/dryer
option. Four towels would never last us 4 days....and where do you hang them to dry from day to day. We are so spoiled and used to leaving them in a pile and coming back to fresh ones. The beds being unmade won't bother me but having the maid leave cute animals made of towels is part of the Disney magic/fun. I guess we'll find other "magic" things traveling this new way. BTW, finally bought at BCV yesterday...YAY!

[Richyams]

Because DVC savings are so dramatic, you could factor in paying for daily maid service, it is available, and still come out way ahead.

[Poohjan]

Like everyone says, the lack of maid service is not a problems at all. I love not having to make sure things are "hidden" away, and the room does not really get dirty in a week. Just a little tidying does the trick. The towels we wash.

We often stay in condo type accomodations when we go away, and in most cases they treat it like a "home" you are on your own as far as cleaning for the week. I love the feeling of rest and relaxation that provides.

Jan

[lsutigger2]

IleneF - I was also concerned about towels last year when we stayed in a stuidio at VWL. It was really no problem. I washed the towels and other dirty items in the laundry located on the bottom floor. It was free and we were spending an afternoon at the resort anyway.
You can "purchase" (rent?) extra sets of towels for about $6 from Mousekeeping.

We had a mini-magical moment. I had gone into to the hall to ask the Mousekeeper a ? about trash/towel day and she gave me several sets of extra towels. It was nice to have the extras.

We didn't miss the daily housekeeping.

[EROS]

I'm available as a LIVE-IN maid at DVC if you'll simply provide me a bed to sleep on:p :p :p :p :p . I have excellent references, love children and will throw in free medical care...........such a deal;) ;) ;) ;) ;) ......

[RweTHEREyet]

I have to where I actually prefer someone not coming into the room at all. Even when staying in a studio, we just hang the towels up on the towel rods provided and they are dry before next use. We are not ones to use a clean towel every day at home anyway, so this is not a big adjustment.


I find that when we stay in a regular resort now, it is a nuisance to have to worry about what to put away before housekeeping gets there.

You will adjust very quickly. The nice accommodations will make the towel thing seem very minor.

[DeeP]

[QUOTE]Four towels would never last us 4 days....and where do you hang them to dry from day to day. We are so spoiled and used to leaving them in a pile and coming back to fresh ones. QUOTE]
There are several towel bars in the bathroom and also an extendable cord over the tub where you can hang the towels to dry. All WDW resorts do ask their guests to please conserve energy and use the towels more than one day, so even when we stay in a non dvc resort we still hang up our towels.
We always seem to end up with too many extra towels because the kids wrap them around themselves coming back from the pool and I have to take them back the next day.
You won't get daily cute washcloth animals at a dvc resort but they are not a guarantee at any WDW resort. I have and have not gotten them at all the resorts, including a dvc resort. I am sure you will find plenty of Disney magic at the dvc resorts. Have a great trip!

[Deb & Bill]

Each of the DVC resorts have washer and dryers located around the resort or in a single laundry room for the studio folks who don't have a washer and dryer.

We just stayed in a BCV studio (wow, was it ever neat!!!! - our newest HAFH) and there were plenty of towel bars, plus the clothes line in the tub to hang up towels and wet clothing to dry. We only had three of us, but I used the 4th towel since I have long hair.

I make our bed every day and am getting our 9 yr old son in the practice of making his bed everyday, so it's no big deal to make i while we are on vacation. The vacation part of it is that I don't get calls from work at all hours of the day, I don't have to attend meetings, I don't have to supervise employees, I don't have to respond to request for information from our regional office. Making the bed? It's a breeze.

[Cruelladeville]

I refused to join DVC in 1992 because I thought I HAD to have daily maid service. DH kept at me until 1998, when we joined, and I still thought it was a bad idea. When we went back to our room to look over our DVC materials, I was horrified to realize that I had forgotten to pick up my dirty underwear before we left that morning:eek: I could have died! It was then that I began to see some advantages to not having daily maid service. Now I only straighten up for the maid once every 4th day. When I spent 4 days this summer at AKL ($127 a night--WOW!) I was offended with the maid because she knocked on the door to clean between 8-8:30 every morning, and we enjoy sleeping in. Once the maid brought us extra towels (she was just being nice--being DVC members we're used to one!), and she used her pass key. She got an eyeful, and now knows that people over 50 still enjoy sex! With that and the underwear, I know now that DVC is a good choice for us. ;)

[BrerMom]

Cruelladeville, LOVE your sense of humor!

[POOH&PIGLET]

Whenever we stay at a hotel, we are afraid that some our property will "walk off" with the maid. We are happy with no maid service. Plus we try no to be slobs. ;)

[erikthewise]

Eros: Please send references AND pics!

(Just kidding! ;) )

[slc224]

I have trained my family not to move while sleeping. So when we get up in the morning the beds are practically made:D

[MickeyMcMouse]

Just come back from VWL last week and it was great to be able to have a long lie in back without waiting for that dreaded knock from mousekeeping.

This was a "chill out" visit so there was no rush to get up to go to parks, instead we did everything at our own pace and enjoyed the resort rather than our day be dictated by escaping the room before mousekeeping appeared.

These WDW visits just keep getting better and better ...... and there's another 40 years worth to go :D

David :D

[cathyz]

Well, I certainly thank you for your eye-opening responses! Seeing all this almost makes me excited about cleaning LOL!

No, seriously, I do agree with you. It is a hassle "hiding" things and making sure that the room is ready for the maid. THe towel thing was a concern, though. But, with the W/D in the room - gosh - it would probably be almost FUN to actually do wash! Perhaps, I could relax in the jacuzzi waiting for a load to dry:smooth: :o :smooth:

Now, if I could just figure out a way to justify this whole DVC thing...but, that is a totally different subject. Thanks so much for your advice!

[dianeschlicht]

Everyone has the same concerns about lack of maid service when they first buy a timeshare. Just think of it as your personal vacation home, and it will make more sense to you. We love the fact that no one is coming in the room each day. On the day we have trash and towel or a full cleaning, we usually get up early and get out, so we don't have to worry about when they are coming. On the other days, we never notice. We make the bed at home as soon as we get out of it, so it is no big deal to do it here either. We hang our towels at home and use them two days in a row at home, so we do that here too. We throw the dishes in the dishwasher at home, and that can be done easily here too. I have never used the vacumn cleaner at OKW. It doesn't seem to be needed until the maid does it on the full cleaning day. I would say we don't notice spending any time "cleaning", but we do enjoy spending uninterupted time together!

[queenof4hearts]

Hello, the daily maid service was a concern of mine before we bought into the BCV. This thread has helped me feel even more happy with our recent purchase. I think it will be nice not to have anyone in our room most of our stay. If one needs a couple extra towels w/out hunting down mouskeeping couldn't one just take a few extra from the pool area?? Or just pack a couple extra washcloths and handtowels? Just a thought.:teeth:

[dvc guy]

DVC owners since 99. Never missed housekeeping, All we do is take out the garbage and load the dishwasher, which take about 1 minute. We only eat breakfast in the room, saves a ton of money and time so not much to clean up.


Only draw back my wife likes to use 3 towels to shower, so we get an extra set.

[DVCajun]

Ditto, RweTHEREyet and Cruelladeville! ;)

[KNWVIKING]

Can you guess when my DW decides to make the beds ? That's right, the day house keeping is due in !! she doesn't want them to think we're total slobs.

We actually prefer no daily house keeping. We don't like people coming in our room every day.

[Pumbaa_]

It's a snap to make the beds. They're not shoved against the walls, and you don't have mounds of stuffed animals to contend with.

Regina, what do you mean? I always have lots of stuffed animals with me!!!:p :p :p

[baileybrad]

We prefer not having housekeeping "visit" everyday. We pre-arrange the times for our weekly housekeeping visit if our stay warrants one. If you miss the service, you can always pay for it.

[gmboy95]

I agree, housekeeping can be quite the nuisance....my wife has this habit of making a bed before she gets into it to go to sleep, it drives me nuts...if i go to sleep before her i am usually awoken by having the covers ripped off the bed, and having the bed made aroiund me as i sleep.....so houskeeping would be a waste, that is of course unless they want to come to my room at bed time every night and have my wife supervise.:p :p :p :p

[MHopkins2]

Just out of curiosity :cool: what kind of stuff do you all have in your room that you feel like you have to straighten or especially "hide" before the maid comes? The only specific thing mentioned was dirty underwear, and I can understand that one (!), but what else? I guess I have no shame, but part of the joy of daily maid service for me is that my hodgepodge mess of beauty products / magazines / shopping bags / whatever is tidily arranged when I come "home." (Yes, I tip! ;) )

[anniet]

We've always stayed offsite before at the Tropical Palms and they don't provide housekeeping unless you request it, but it was free if you did. We never requested it. I would always just make the bed and tidy up a little before we left.

I also liked the fact that there was no housekeeping to throw out my USAToday before I got a chance to read it!

Now that we bought DVC we'll just have a better place to pick up before we go off to the parks!:p

[DVCajun]

MHopkins2, I don't want a stranger going through my "hodgepodge mess," period! It makes me uncomfortable to think that someone else was looking at or touching my personal belongings. Call me wierd, but I definitely clean up (i.e. put my personal stuff away) before maid service.

P.S. I tip too!

[lsyorke]

July was our first DVC trip. On the fourth day(trash and towel) we turned the maid away since my granddaughter and her grandpa were sleeping.(we had to sign some paper saying we declined the service). Didn't miss maid service at all!!! Loved the uninterrupted time! Did one load of laundry,ran the dishwasher a few times. Not a big deal at all.

:earsboy:

[anniet]

I guess the point is that you shouldn't let a little thing like a lack of housekeeping keep you from purchasing the DVC. Really, the veterans could probably say it better than I can, but I purchased because I don't mind not having housekeeping come in, so that wasn't an issue. The selling point is that I'm getting a wonderful place for the next 40 years that is going to pay for itself in 5.

After that I'll be getting Disney accomodations at approximately 50-60%discount (maintenance fee vs. rack rates for non DVC members). The maintenance fee is all not for profit so I know the money I am paying is going to be re-invested in keeping up the property and let's face it NOBODY keeps up their properties like Disney. You can walk into the Poly or Contemporary and not know that those hotels are over 25 years old, like you would somewhere else. Plus I KNOW I'll use it.

Really, don't let this stop you! Go for it!

As they sing in the video "If you believe in Magic you belong!"


(okay, I know I'm getting corny now:p :p :p :p :p :p )

[DVCajun]

Nothing wrong with being corny..... ;) I LOVE that song!

I belong, I belong!!!!

[MHopkins2]

Side note, but I wanted to clarify that when I wrote "(Yes, I tip! :) )" I didn't mean to imply that people who clean things before the maid arrives *don't*, just that I didn't want anyone to think that I left things a mess and then didn't tip.

(I wasn't sure if you were offended or not, DVCajun, but wanted to clarify and apologize just in case! :) )

[DVCajun]

Not at all. :)

[boardwalk prof]

I know it was just mentioned, but NAPS are an important part of our vacation. When we stayed at a wdw resort, often times our nap periods were interrupted by housekeeping. I also don't like to return to my room and find that housekeeping hadn't been there yet.

The best thing is, if you are in a 1br or 2 br, is that your "mess" is most often in the bedrooms and not the living area. So even if you don't "pick up" you can still sit down and relax and have a snack.

Finally, I also don't liked to be interrupted when enjoying extra curricular activities with my DH. You don't have to worry about intrusions this way.

Now if I could just figure out the 4 day, 8 day thing. They always seem to arrive the day before I think they should and I forget to leave a tip out.

[Disney Doll]

Remember, you're not cleaning your DVC unit like you clean your own house either. At most, you're throwing the sheets and bedspread semi-neatly back onto the bed, throwing away the coffee grinds and putting a few dishes into the sink. The clean up takes 10 minutes, tops. I usually do it while DH is getting ready. Laundry can be done in the evening when you're hanging out, and I throw the clothes into the dryer overnight, especially if it's a load of towels and underwear.

[Bill K]

YES

[sgtdisney]

I agree with everyone here. We actually like it better when we don't get housekeeping every day. My wife gets really nervous about leaving things out so she repacks everything when we stay in a regular hotel and makes me lock the suitcases everyday.. She doesn't see the logic that if they wanted what was in the suitcase, they could just unlock it, (we all know how secure suitcase locks are) or just carry it away for that matter ;) So I prefer no housekeeping because I don't have to haul and lock suitcases daily this way.. Plus as another poster mentioned, we tend to spend more time in and around the resort now that we have been going to OKW for 10 years. Having to work nap time or just relaxing on the patio with a cold drink around housekeepings schedule would drive me nuts... :p