Too Much Noise in OKW?

[Islamom]

Hi! This is my first post, but I have enjoyed DIS for over a year. I am a DVC member and have been for several years going to WDW on both family trips (with children & grandchildren) & Adults only trips (with my husband). We have stayed at OKW ,SSR ,AKL, & WL. Two weeks ago, while staying at OKW,I received a call from front desk saying someone had complained about the noise my grandchildren were making. We had come in from Ohana at about 10:30 & honestly all they did was run around a little bit & go to bed. We did make noise coming into the 2nd floor villa, but isn't that to be expected? The reason this upsets me is that I hate to disturb anyone's vacation, but I felt helpless to solve the problem. With a 4 yr old, a 6 yr old, a 9 yr old and an 11 yr old...how do you make them not run around? It is WDW & they were excited to be there! We have heard other people's children having fun on previous trips & other people using bathtubs, toilets,etc. but would never complain! I guess I felt helpless because, other than ask them to be quiet..what could I do? Tuesday night we came in from Boma at about 9:30 and everyone went straight to bed. We received another complaint call the next day and were told if management could help they would. I went straight down to the front desk, asked for the manager & was told that I needed to make my grandchildren aware that they needed to be quiet after 10. They were in bed by 9:30. So.... I felt helpless in this situation & am now wondering if I should avoid OKW? What should I have done about my grandchildren?( honestly, they were just acting like children excited to be at WDW!) We were in a 2nd floor 2 bedroom villa. Any thoughts would be appreciated. I love WDW with a first visit in 1977, but was very hurt by this situation.

 

[mrsgoose8]

I just want to say hugs!! My fear is that this will happen to us. You do the best you can do. Some people are more sensitive or whatever. Mainly they need to complain to DVC so that maybe that will one day get better sound proofing there.

I stayed in a hotel this past summer without my children (4&2) and I was awoken in the night by both a crying baby and drunk people. I was much more upset by the drunk people! Can't control a crying baby!!

Anyway sometime people DO forget that you can't control everything. Sure I try to have my kids remain quiet and calm in the hallways but like you said-- it's Disney and they are going to be extra wound up!!

 

[twinsouvenirs]

Very upsetting!! I suppose I would ask to be moved if possible, explaining that your kids were in bed before 10 and that you really didn't believe there was any excessive noise but you would be happy to move if there were vacationers that were bothered.

Unless OKW has thinner than normal walls, I would say it was a problem with your neighbors, not the resort

 

[ludari]

I've stayed at many DVC resorts including OKW several times and since the units are spread out things are a little more quiter than some other DVC resorts. Nevertheless like other DVC resorts I often hear noises in common areas and adjoining rooms (primarily children) but I understand I am on Disney property and the excitement they must be experiencing so I have a greater understanding and allow more latitude then if I was staying at another resort. Some people are just not that understanding and I wouldn't let that reflect your decision to stay at OKW again.

 

[BillPA]

When our children were little, I would always request ground floor. They ran around like most kids that get to Disney, this way I would not have a noise problem with anyone below us. Plus that helped with the strollers and luggage.

 

[Islamom]

Thanks for all the positive replies! You helped me feel better about the situation!

 

[disneemama]

Seriously don't let it bother you, people need to get over it. I have stayed DVC and at every value and mods with my family including very energetic grandsons who make noise when they are being quiet. We stayed at OKW in a 3 bedroom Villa for my daughters Disney wedding. There were 6 boys ages 7 to 16. I have NEVER had front desk call or complain about the noise. additionally would never complain about normal family/kid noise. (Drunk parents? well maybe that ) I love OKW its my favorite DVC. I think you must have just been near cranky people. I know large groups of pop Warners and cheer groups have been known to really get too loud but it is Disney. If I wanted to be in a quiet noise free resort I wouldn't go to Disney that's for sure. I have always found most (not all) Disney vacationers to be happy normal people. I am sure some will disagree on some of this but its OK.

 

[amym2]

We were in a 1st floor villa at OKW so didn't experience this, but I've read that with the new flooring, noise of little feet running around is much more annoying than when there was carpet. We have traveled quite a bit with our kids (now 12 and 10) and have always made it a point to monitor their movement while in hotel rooms, hallways, etc. Of course it's not possible to contain all of their excitement, but I think it would have been considerate of you to explain to them that they needed to go into the villa quietly and not run around because it could bother the people below them.

 

[Islamom]

Thanks for the suggestion! I did explain this to them. That is why I was upset to get a second complaint call because they were trying to be quiet...but it was hard for them!

 

[EPCOTatNight]

! I guess I felt helpless because, other than ask them to be quiet..what could I do?

Ask them to be quiet. Explain to them BEFORE you get to the resort that it is quiet time. Since it is WDW, I would assume that they have been able to make noise all day, so it shouldn't be hard to calm down if you address it before you are at OKW and give them time to wind down. I routinely have 8 boys in my care between the ages of 5 and 15 (only 1 of them is my child). I understand the job is tenuous, but it is achievable.

Sent from my IPad using DisBoards.

 

[robinb]

Hi! This is my first post, but I have enjoyed DIS for over a year. I am a DVC member and have been for several years going to WDW on both family trips (with children & grandchildren) & Adults only trips (with my husband). We have stayed at OKW ,SSR ,AKL, & WL. Two weeks ago, while staying at OKW,I received a call from front desk saying someone had complained about the noise my grandchildren were making. We had come in from Ohana at about 10:30 & honestly all they did was run around a little bit & go to bed. We did make noise coming into the 2nd floor villa, but isn't that to be expected? The reason this upsets me is that I hate to disturb anyone's vacation, but I felt helpless to solve the problem. With a 4 yr old, a 6 yr old, a 9 yr old and an 11 yr old...how do you make them not run around? It is WDW & they were excited to be there! We have heard other people's children having fun on previous trips & other people using bathtubs, toilets,etc. but would never complain! I guess I felt helpless because, other than ask them to be quiet..what could I do? Tuesday night we came in from Boma at about 9:30 and everyone went straight to bed. We received another complaint call the next day and were told if management could help they would. I went straight down to the front desk, asked for the manager & was told that I needed to make my grandchildren aware that they needed to be quiet after 10. They were in bed by 9:30. So.... I felt helpless in this situation & am now wondering if I should avoid OKW? What should I have done about my grandchildren?( honestly, they were just acting like children excited to be at WDW!) We were in a 2nd floor 2 bedroom villa. Any thoughts would be appreciated. I love WDW with a first visit in 1977, but was very hurt by this situation.

It sounds like the people below you were already annoyed by your grandchildren running around at 10:30 the day before so they were less forgiving the next night. It does seem unfair that they would complain a second time when they really had no reason since it was not yet "quiet time. As others have suggested, you should probably request a ground floor next time and work with the kids to try to be quiet once you get back to your resort.

 

[Disbug]

Definitely get a 1st floor room! The problem is that darned wood laminate flooring. We had a 2 bedroom villa on the 1st floor. Above us there was obviously a family with little children running around gleefully... I actually went upstairs and knocked on the family's door. Explained that I had just put my little one down to sleep and that it was very loud downstairs. The mom totally understood and I don't know if she put socks on their little feet or just asked them to stop running and jumping up and down on the bed... but it was not a problem for the rest of the trip.

 

[Islamom]

Thanks for the first floor suggestion ! I will definitely request that in the future! I also think you're right about the laminate flooring. As for talking with the grands I did and so did their Mom but they are small children and often they will laugh or speak loudly and the be corrected after the fact after the loud noise has already occurred. They were actually quieter this year than in the past. I don't like to make people unhappy which is why this is bothering me! But thanks for any and all comments and suggestions.

 

[OKWJan]

We had a complaint years ago when we were staying in a OKW grand villa with wood floors. Must have been just cranky people below us because we were actually just sitting around the dining room table talking....no running around. We could just not figure out what they were talking about.

You have to expect some noise when you are staying at any hotel or resort.

 

[Sammie]

Let them run outside, on the way from the bus stop. Get them really tried and then a reminder that others might already be asleep and lets use our quiet voices and quiet feet.

I am fine with voice noise but running inside is something I personally did not allow with my children and would expect others to do the same. We run outside, not inside. Because yes 4 kids running on those floors sounds like a stampede to the those below.

And you might not even allowed this, but surely no one thinks jumping on beds is appropriate.

I am ok with noise that is normal levels until midnight, then yes that is my limit on it.

 

[Islamom]

No no jumping on beds! Minimum running around, honestly! Just general carousing with the 2 boys which was kept to a minimum which is why I was so upset by this incident and why I wanted to know what you thought! Thanks again!

 

[ancestry]

I'm glad to see this thread. We will be staying at OKW in May. It is me and four teenagers/young adults (ages 18-22). While none of us will be running around, the kids keep different hours than most people. The four kids don't usually go to sleep until 2 or 3 AM. The parks don't appear to be open very late during our trip so they will be hanging out in the room in the wee hours of the morning and sleeping when most families will be leaving in the morning.

We will be in a 1 bedroom and have requested the turtle pond area. Is there something else we can request (location in a building - 1st floor or 2nd - corner room - etc.) where our late hours won't disturb others and where others won't disturb us in the morning?

 

[lovin'fl]

We were in a 1st floor villa at OKW so didn't experience this, but I've read that with the new flooring, noise of little feet running around is much more annoying than when there was carpet. We have traveled quite a bit with our kids (now 12 and 10) and have always made it a point to monitor their movement while in hotel rooms, hallways, etc. Of course it's not possible to contain all of their excitement, but I think it would have been considerate of you to explain to them that they needed to go into the villa quietly and not run around because it could bother the people below them.

Bolded above: We stayed in a first floor 2BR (Dec 2011) and we could hear every little step above us. Though it didn't bother us as it was mostly from 8am to 10pm and we are up at that time anyway. What would bother us would be if it were after, say, 11pm or like at 6am. But it wasn't. My FIL and MIL were with us and FIL would blast the AC (and it was Dec ) but it was so so cold in there and I would wake to the vents loudly popping and cracking. That stunk. After the first couple nights, when FIL went to bed I'd put the AC back down.

 

[PatMcDuck]

but they are small children and often they will laugh or speak loudly and the be corrected after the fact after the loud noise has already occurred.

Honestly, you had me until you said this, 9 and 11 are not small children, and if they were running and yelling, it might be too loud. I could maybe see if they were all toddlers.

And the older 3 (6,9,11)should understand your rules about quiet. Am I missing something, is it ok to run around a hotel room? I did not allow my kids to run inside my house for example. (kids tend to slip and fall and get hurt after all).

I would be upset if people were complaining about me, too, sorry this happened to you. I have 4 kids myself, and our first trip with all 4 to WDW they were 3-5-7-9, and we went every year or so for quite some time. SO I do get the excitement of Disney with 4 kids.

 

[wdwkdggal]

We have stayed at OKW frequently throughout the years. The only noise complaints we had were in a lock off. The people came in when parks closed, then proceeded to drink and play cards. They were extremely loud, pounding on table, etc. They would wake up their small child who would stand by the lockoff door crying. We called three times, and people above the unit complained. After the third visit their company left. We were flying the next morning on an early flight. The people would have been obnoxious regardless of their location.