Do people stay past eleven?

[smidgy]

we must be really lucky. our experience: at BCV, vero beach, and BLT. the room offered wasn't quite up to our requests, but there were other rooms available, just not ready yet. we always wait.. always seems like as soon as we get settled at the pool the phone rings, "rooms ready!"

and great ones, too. pool views at all 3.

at AKV (jambo house) we were offered a savannah view instead of our standard room, pool view). but it was a long walk from the elevator, and at the end of a not often "populated" savannah, so we stuck with the original great pool view, (which was what the points covered), ready right away.

(I should point our that we usually get to a resort about 11 am or noon)

only time we really had to wait was boardwalk.. we got stuck with a first ploor with a patio, driveway view, and wasn't ready until about 4 :30.

like I said, we have really been lucky.

 

[dianeschlicht]

Thanks for the response, Dean. I appreciate your take on it. I have had quite a few "later than 4:00" times for getting into our villa the past few years. In fact, it's been rare to be in by 4:00 if we went by the last 5 trips. We did get in early this last one in March, but we had made only one request (building 45 or 46) because we wanted that view, and we got building 50 with a "view" of the highway. When I heard what the unit was, I protested a bit that it was going to be highway view, and the castmember informed me that it was golf course view....No...it was highway view. She also told me I had only requested South Point, and that's what I got. Evidently there is nothing in their request form at MS for anything other than bus stop locations. That seems to be new since they started treating DVC requests the same as CRO requests. Granted that has nothing to do with getting into your unit on time, but I suspect some of the issues we are having with timely check in might have something to do with how they are standardizing DVC ressies to CRO ressies. Perhaps they are trying to fit a square peg into a round hole.

 

[bnk1120]

I am a total rule follower and expect others to do the same. In February, my DD and I literally RAN from Epcot to BWV to be able to vacate the room by 11. There should be consequences for people who do not follow the rules. Period.

 

[mkunichi]

There should be consequences for people who do not follow the rules. Period.

I have to say that the idea of a late-fee sounds fair to me, but I'm at a bit of a loss to balance two things:
1. I think the idea of a minimal fee to incentivize people to check out on time would be good. Even $20 would encourage me to take time-management seriously.
2. If people view the fee as a late-checkout fee, we may see an *increase* in late check outs. The above $20 might result in *more* people checking out late because of people thinking "if there's a fee, it must be acceptable as long as I pay the fee". I don't think the system can handle late checkouts without affecting check-in times.

 

[pchivvy]

I never realised that checking in would be such a problem.

We are not expecting to arrive until about 7pm which I thought was quite late (will be about midnight for our body clocks) and I won't be at all happy if we end up waiting for a room to be ready.

 

[kamik86]

I have to say that the idea of a late-fee sounds fair to me, but I'm at a bit of a loss to balance two things:
1. I think the idea of a minimal fee to incentivize people to check out on time would be good. Even $20 would encourage me to take time-management seriously.
2. If people view the fee as a late-checkout fee, we may see an *increase* in late check outs. The above $20 might result in *more* people checking out late because of people thinking "if there's a fee, it must be acceptable as long as I pay the fee". I don't think the system can handle late checkouts without affecting check-in times.

I think for it to work it would have to be a higher amount. So it doesn't seem worth it to most people. Which is why 1/2 the cost of another night stay or something higher in price like that would work better. That way its obviously not worth it to self extend your stay.

I have never had an issue checking out on time. We just get ready in the morning and send our bags to RAC and bell services if we want to hit the parks still. Or even if we just have something like a 12 pickup in which case we hang out at the resort for the rest.

 

[dianeschlicht]

I have to say that the idea of a late-fee sounds fair to me, but I'm at a bit of a loss to balance two things:
1. I think the idea of a minimal fee to incentivize people to check out on time would be good. Even $20 would encourage me to take time-management seriously.
2. If people view the fee as a late-checkout fee, we may see an *increase* in late check outs. The above $20 might result in *more* people checking out late because of people thinking "if there's a fee, it must be acceptable as long as I pay the fee". I don't think the system can handle late checkouts without affecting check-in times.

I think that would actually make the problem much worse. If you charge people to stay late, you will NEVER get those 2 bedroom units turned around by 4:00, because more people would be staying past the 11:00 check out when they know they can pay for it.

I think the flip side is a better solution....Charge them a full day's cash rate on the room if they stay past 11:00, and guarntee that ALL will be in their units BY 4:00 and not AFTER 4:00.

We are not expecting to arrive until about 7pm which I thought was quite late (will be about midnight for our body clocks) and I won't be at all happy if we end up waiting for a room to be ready.

I don't think you'll have to wait. I've never heard of a check in THAT late.

 

[Tamar]

We are always out by 11. And it seems the same is true of the previous tenants of our rooms....I don't recall ever having trouble getting in before 4pm.

 

[KingK12]

I have never understood this point, and for the most part I sleep in hotels for a living..
I have been denied late check outs at hotels because they are full, but that always seemed backwards to me. Unless they have a housekeeper for every single room, they can't get to your room for a few hours anyway because they are busy cleaning all the other rooms. If the hotel is 30% full, you would have housekeepers sitting there doing nothing waiting for you to leave. See my point?
I have asked hotel managers that question several times and I always get a blank stare in return.

MG

I don't understand it either my friend. I think they designed it to make us ticked off!

 

[Dean]

Thanks for the response, Dean. I appreciate your take on it. I have had quite a few "later than 4:00" times for getting into our villa the past few years. In fact, it's been rare to be in by 4:00 if we went by the last 5 trips. We did get in early this last one in March, but we had made only one request (building 45 or 46) because we wanted that view, and we got building 50 with a "view" of the highway. When I heard what the unit was, I protested a bit that it was going to be highway view, and the castmember informed me that it was golf course view....No...it was highway view. She also told me I had only requested South Point, and that's what I got. Evidently there is nothing in their request form at MS for anything other than bus stop locations. That seems to be new since they started treating DVC requests the same as CRO requests. Granted that has nothing to do with getting into your unit on time, but I suspect some of the issues we are having with timely check in might have something to do with how they are standardizing DVC ressies to CRO ressies. Perhaps they are trying to fit a square peg into a round hole.

We had 9 units a year ago Sept. between BWV and BCV. I think all were ready by the time 4 PM came though a couple were around 3:20 at the latest IIRC.

I am a total rule follower and expect others to do the same. In February, my DD and I literally RAN from Epcot to BWV to be able to vacate the room by 11. There should be consequences for people who do not follow the rules. Period.

I agree with you on the rules but would suggest there's written rules and there are the real rules. For example, the occupancy is an area where they semi formally to formally break the rules. There are consequences currently, they can charge them a part of a full day at rack rates. $20 or even $100 won't be enough of a deterrent for some but a full days charges will for most everyone. Once they do it a couple of times and MS and boards like this pick up on it, you'll see an incremental but significant change in the numbers.

II don't think you'll have to wait. I've never heard of a check in THAT late.

I seem to recall a couple of posts of not getting into a room until around 8 pm.

I don't understand it either my friend. I think they designed it to make us ticked off!

If occupancy is low enough they can rotate the rooms cleaned and know there are rooms to start cleaning from the moment the housekeeper(s) arrive. However, if they're full, they don't have the luxury of worrying about which rooms can be cleaned and which can't due to late checkouts. While I understand the point that they can't clean all rooms at one time, these things tend to both have a mind of their own in that it may not be 5% but 20% that want late check out. Plus this creates an inefficiency for the system, esp when people request late in the game. To a degree it goes back to one of my prior premise's, that the system is flawed related to which rooms can be cleaned when and when they are ready.

 

[LisaS]

I seem to recall a couple of posts of not getting into a room until around 8 pm.

I was one of those who did not get a room until after 8pm. It was at BWV. We kept checking back every couple of hours and when we returned after dinner we were again told our room was not ready. This time though the front desk CM checked with housekeeping and discovered they had skipped over our room and did not know it was still waiting to be done. They dispatched someone to clean it ASAP which took another hour.

To a degree it goes back to one of my prior premises, that the system is flawed related to which rooms can be cleaned when and when they are ready.

That seemed to be the problem in my case.

 

[dianeschlicht]

I was one of those who did not get a room until after 8pm. It was at BWV. We kept checking back every couple of hours and when we returned after dinner we were again told our room was not ready. This time though the front desk CM checked with housekeeping and discovered they had skipped over our room and did not know it was still waiting to be done. They dispatched someone to clean it ASAP which took another hour.

That seemed to be the problem in my case.

There should be NO excuse for that happening.

 

[k3chantal]

I am certainly not condoning this behavior. But many flights do not leave until late in the afternoon or evening. Our flight in May leaves at 7pm which is giving us a full day that we didn't count on. Though we would never think to overstay, I think the front desk needs to make it really clear that they will hold your luggage for you until you need to go. When they call to confirm the magical express time, the CM could not only remind them of the check out time but that they hold luggage for you.

With that said, I would be extremely irked if I couldn't get into my villa at 4 if I was ready to check in. I guess I should be equally happy that flights coming from California arrive around 6 pm since we are certainly ready to get in and rest when we finally get to the resort.