They SAID they wanted to "bend over backwards." I should have KNOWN!

[BettyCv]

OH, how funny! I thought it was YOU that censored your own post. I'll bet there's an automatic feature that replaces any "bad" words!

I'd love to type a bunch of bad words just to see what happens, but I'd be embarrassed if they actually showed up! LOL!

BettyC

 

[Jen D]

In the transportation boards, you often see people hyphenate the word "cockpit" and it gets censored.

 

[Ajax]

I'm sorry too, MouseinMelbourne. If I were you, I'd call, e-mail, or fax the resort manager and detail your complaints, along with a copy to guest relations. You were a guest in a Deluxe Resort at WDW, not the Motel 8 in Orlando!

I know this seems to be my solution to everything, but Disney has to be made aware when they fall short. We pay too much to settle for anything less than cleanliness, competence, and punctuality.

 

[Jen D]

I guess it is all in the attitude, and the expectations.

Well, I wouldn't say it's ALL in the attitude and expectations-- I think being disappointed with finding nut shells left on the floor after a special cleaning done for a child with peanut allergies is not the result of a bad attitude or unrealistic expectations.

It is a point well taken that a positive attitude and a forgiving nature comes in handy when dealing with the inevitable service blunders that can come on any vacation, but when basic requests and needs aren't being met, I think the hotel should be blamed, not the customer.

Having said that, I agree MiM's luck has been bad. I had pristine housekeeping on my stay, and I think most people on the boards have.

 

[Epcotgal8]

Originally posted by goofy4tink
So, does anyone know if the resorts are basically short-staffed now? If this is the case, then I'll change my ressies to a value and not expect anything terrific. I certainly won't spend the money to stay even one night at a deluxe if it's going to be less than clean. I'll deal with it for $50 a night, but not for $200!!

goofy4tink, prior to our trip last May we had stayed at 2 deluxes, 1 moderate, and 1 offsite (Wyndham Palace) but this trip our budget was more limited and there was a great AP rate for the All Stars so we decided to try it. I was REALLY worried since I thought we would be very let down since we had stayed at "nicer" resorts before. I can't tell you how many times I almost switched our reservations but we didn't. We went to the All Star Sports and knew going in that it wouldn't have all the amenities we have been accustomed to in the past. I can't tell you how pleasantly surprised we were. The room was VERY clean. Yes, it was a very basic room but other than the difference in decor didn't seem any smaller than the room we had at POR. The pools aren't fancy and don't have slides but we've been there done that and really the kids just wanted to swim and play in the pool. I think in the past it was more ME wanting pool atmosphere and scenery than the kids lol. It did help that our kids are now to the age where we spend a lot more time away from the resort than we used to. We had no problems at all, actually have been very lucky because we've never had any problems with any of the resorts we stayed at but if we HAD I would have felt a whole lot better only paying $69 a night instead of what the other resorts charge. It felt very good and less stressful knowing the money we were "saving" to spend on other things. So at least consider it. There are some who have had bad experiences at the All Stars but as you can see from this thread people have had bad experiences at all of the resorts at one time or another. I tell ya, I get a whole lot pickier about things when I'm paying $200+ a night for a room!

 

[ead79]

I'm so sorry to hear that the room still was not clean. I have been blessed with VERY clean rooms at WDW resorts (much cleaner than I usually find at non-WDW resort when I'm traveling). I've stayed at the ASMu, GF, BWI, WL, Poly (x2), AKL (x2), and YC, and all my rooms were very clean except at the BWI. The room had a very strong mildewy smell, so we called housekeeping. They sent someone right away, and she was incredibly nice. She sprayed some heavy duty air freshener stuff and said that if that didn't take care of the smell to contact her and she would get us a new room and have our stuff moved for us. The odor never completely went away (after you were in the room for a few minutes you didn't notice it anymore), but we never asked to change rooms. In retrospect we probably should have taken them up on their kind offer, but we would still gladly stay at the BWI again. I hope that it's an isolated incident and not an overall trend that housekeeping didn't clean your room properly.

 

[Mackey Mouse]

Carolyn.. I feel terrible that things were not right for you this trip.... I am at a loss, but I will tell you what I would do. I would pick up that phone and call that number and let them know exactly what I thought... and how they fell short of a "clean room." There is no excuse for that, it is not as if they were discounting your room because they could not vacuum that day.. Sorry.. there is no excuse for this.. Hugs Carolyn..

 

[skiwee1]

Were you staying in concierge? I ask because you get automatic turn down service there and they should have done it without youhaving to call to remind them. If not in concierge then did you request it from housekeeping when you first got to your room? Telling the CM at check in usually won't get it for you. Did you call Housekeeping to arrange for it at the beginning of your stay. I ask as that is what I plan to do next time as I've never down the turn down service at WDW before. We had room service in the WL and the Poly and both called about an hour later to see if we were finished with our dishes. When we stayed at the Hard Rock at Universal they also called later to pick up the plates. I thought that was normal. LOL! As far as room locations, we had 4089 on the other corner from your room and we loved it. The lobby wasn't noisy at although we did hear the bell go off at the WCC once a day if we were in the room. It was a very distant sound and we couldn't even hear it we had our door shut. The only problem we had with the WL was the transportation. It is the worse I've experiencd on WDW property. That alone will keep me from the WL again.

 

[Eggleboo]

As a Disney vacationer annually since the late 1970's, I can honestly say that the cleanliness standard has slowly declined over those years. However, the past five years they haven't been at all near my expectations. If nothing else in the room is immaculate, I feel the bathroom should be. Nothing grosses me out more then having to clean up someone else's hair. OUr stay at the Contemporary Tower in December proved my point once again. Our toilet was dirty and I didn't think the bathroom on a whole was clean enough. Did I complain. No and why you ask? Because the past five or six trips we have tried to point out nicely that we think they needed improvement in housekeeping overall and we are told the same thing. Thank you for letting us know. Ok, we let you know now when is something going to be done about it ? Just doesn't seem to happen. I even told the woman that I was speaking with that many of the families we know that go to DIsney have chosen it not just based on the parks, but on it's cleanliness and I believe they will continue to lose business if they don't get on top of this situation. Disney is our magic place but I have to feel comfortable in the room I am using. Hopefully, either Disney will pay their employees a little more so that they take pride in their jobs and continue to attract higher numbers of people so that they can keep a full staff hired.

 

[Peter Pirate]

Let me start by saying that there is NO excuse for this happening twice...

That said, to all of those people who make comments about Disney not 'having it together' or they should 'get on the ball'...Remember there is probably no other group of hotels anywhere discussed with such frequency and intimacy as is done here on the DIS about WDW hotels. We know every fact good or bad. Every shortcoming, every possible perk. Heck, we even know what rooms look at what.

If the Ritz on Key Biscayne were failing guests on any great basis we'd never know, would we?

And while I agree that messing up twice and particularily on a 'follow-up' is practically unexcusable, I think that many of the expectations are just too high. JMO.

 

[Eggleboo]

My only expectation of Disney as far as our hotel room goes, is cleanliness, especially on check-in. I have no other expectations. I've been to many hotels other then WDW and I don't think any of them are as clean as they use to be. And yes I have even seen the restrooms dirty on the last few visits! Are our expectations too high of Disney, possibly, but I also think that patrons need to remember that the next person using the facility would like to enjoy it as much as as the person before them did. I guess it would be nice to imagine the person before you keeping the room or rest room as clean as possible so that the simple wipe-down and vacuum job was all it needed! I guess you will always have someone that thinks they paid for their time there so they can do what they want in the room without thinking about the next person using it. All I can say is you should see the jacuzzi's at DVC sometimes. Yuk! On our last check-in there was a dirty high chair in our unit as well as all the food on the floor around it and a very dirty bathroom. I was told that someone would be there but that they were short handed. I gave them the benefit of the doubt but the unit wasn't cleaned properly on the second time around. I really don't think we have good luck with our rooms lately. But.....I'm going back and trying again!! : )

 

[Hayley]

Originally posted by Peter Pirate


And while I agree that messing up twice and particularily on a 'follow-up' is practically unexcusable, I think that many of the expectations are just too high. JMO.

This kind of thing has been debated to death on these boards, but just let me say this - when you accuse someone of having too high of expectations for anything on these boards, it makes other people afraid to post their legitimate complaints.

I come to the DIS for information. I can't tell you how many times I have used something I've learned here. I'd hate it if everyone jut posted sweetness and light about WDW because they were afraid that someone was going to accuse them of "too high expectations." We should be able to be free to express ourselves without reproach, and people should feel free to take what they want from our comments.

Contrary to what we all wish were true the magic has bugs in it sometimes and we're spending too much money at WDW to just sweep them under the rug every time. There is no disrespect to WDW intended here - just a consumer trying to be smart!

 

[perd]

I agree, Hayley. And also, different people have different expectations - and that's okay! Some people may think a few crumbs aren't a big deal; to some people it is a huge deal - even without a peanut allergy. I keep that in mind when I read posts - some people are pickier than others. I am probably on the more picky side but I'm definitely not the MOST picky. I don't expect perfection but I do expect a level of cleanliness and comfort that I can live with, especially when paying high rates. The deluxe resorts at WDW are supposed to be more on the order of a luxury hotel, and luxury hotels cater to their guests. Yet what I found at the Beach Club would not have been acceptable to me if I were in All Stars, either - or in any hotel anywhere! For $70 I might just say "I'm never staying here again." But if I am paying three times that, I'm going to be a little more upset.

 

[Eggleboo]

EXACTLY!! You should get what you pay for whether it is at All Star or Grand FLoridian, Days Inn or Holiday Inn. DIsney owned or any other company. I don't give up on Disney because I am hoping that with some minor constructive critisism, they might get the hint! If I didn't see how the resort was years ago, I guess my expectations would be different now, but I know they can do better and like anything in life, its the little things that make the difference! Hopefully we will all have many more happy Disney vacations ahead!

 

[Eyesnur]

I didn't disrespect or accuse anybody in particular of anything.

As for being informative, I'm so pleased some of you have been appointed judge of what's appropriate and what is not, but I must have missed that memo...my post was intended to add perspective only.

I happen to believe that informaton to future travelers should include an open mind from any angle. If some of you believe that Disney Hotels are not viewed under a different set of rules or greater shared information than other hotels you're just dilluding yourself. What I said has nothing specifically to do with getting what you paid for, dirty bathrooms or the abscence of cute towel animals.

I specifically said I believe the OP's situation was inexcusable but many other so called complaints (we see here) are not as cut and dried and would like 'newbies' to be able to see both sides of a situation.

If the posts of complaints were the only things anyone listened to (or held weight) nobody would be staying at the PO or GF right now would they? Yet among the avalanche of terrible reviews come the continued stream of positive comments which must be used to balance the equation. Every single hotel on property gets through these ups and downs and while many of the complaints have merit (like this one did) many of them do not. So to catagorize my simple little comment as haevy handed is totally unfair.

Again, just my opinion.

 

[Eggleboo]

Ok ok. let's all take a deep breath!! I adore Disney. I live and breath Disney. I think (I being the keyword here) that for the size the organization has grown to, that they do an excellent job in all aspects of running it. Hey I have a hard time keeping my cape cod home clean all the time the way I want it. I am sure it is not easy to keep track of all those housekeepers. It's just I remember a time years ago when someone would come into the room and follow-up on what the housekeeper did. I guess I long for the old days! Change and growth is good, let's just hope it's always for the better!! I'm glad it all started with a mouse.......but if it doesn't start cleaning up more, it might end with several!!

 

[Sleepy]

Obviously there is a breakdown in housekeeping. When I worked housekeeping for Holiday Inn, there was a person who would go behind me to make sure I cleaned the room from top to bottom. If there was a hair on the bathroom floor it was found and if there were streaks on the mirror, I had to rewash it. For the average person looking into the mirror, the streak would not be seen. I would be told to look sideways at a different angle . If anything, reading the previous post, I would have thought that maybe the peanut hull on the floor upon arrival would have been a test by management BEFORE your arrival to test the housekeeping to see if they were more cautious of their cleaning and that MANAGEMENT would have gone behind them (as they did with us at Holiday INN) to see if the peanut hull was removed (and remove it before you arrive). Apparently this was not the case. I am sorry you did not have a pleasant stay. I would have inspected the room before ever taking my luggage up and I would have taken the manager of the resort, along with the supervisor of housekeeping with me. You deserved better since this trip was supposed to correct a bad experience previously. As others stated, try another resort. That is the beauty of Disney...you have many choices.

 

[Gabrielle]

Good post, Sleepy.

For me, it isn't that mistakes happen. It's that when these things are pointed out to management - management doesn't care. And that tells you a lot more about the organization than you really cared to realize.

 

[askmickey]

Hi All....I've been reading this thread and the previous one, debating whether I should respond. As I am of curious mind I decided that I would ask a few questions and maybe I can understand a thing or two...
My first question...The Wilderness Lodge is a Deluxe Resort on property...The rooms rates vary from season to season and certain specials that are offerred...Most Florida residents pay a little above one hundred dollars per room for a standard view room ( Allstars rates are about 79.00, which is a value resort ) and then complain about the view of the service area and or roof tops...So I really do not understand why one would complain about a view/noise if you are buying in the lowest room category. If one wants a Deluxe View it comes with a price..
My second question...I TOTALLY agree that when I enter my room, no matter what price I am paying, It should be spotless..If not, I am requesting a new room, housekeeping to come back or speaking to a manager...As far as a balcony door being unlocked, that could have been an accident and i wouldn't be upset over that..since when I am at home I check all doors before I retire..
And my last point/question.....Many times I have had Room Service call me to see id I had enjoyed my meal..and since this thread starter had prior challenges, i'm sure they were just following standard practices...How where they to know that DH was losing it or that the baby was over-tired...
If you can help me understand a different way of thinking of the above-mentioned, I would greatly appreciate it...

Have a Magical Day.......

 

[eeyore0062]

askMickey... I totally agree with you. You do get the view that you pay for... sometime you might get lucky and get an upgrade, but that is luck of the draw, and happens very rarely. Complaints in these cases, will happen, but really shouldn't.

As for the doors... I too check mine before going to bed, and before leaving the room. I am sure that there was no malice intended by the door being unlocked... just an innocent mistake that I would have never even thought of complaining about, much less getting compensated .

Many times guest services or room service will call to check to make sure everything is in order... and as you said... they aren't mind readers and have absolutely no way of knowing that you are even in the room. It is a courtesy call, and should not be looked on as an intrusion.

I think the juxt the situation boils down to the fact that those guests had been told that their room was getting a "special" cleaning and that is why they couldn't get in the room as early as they may have liked, AND when they finally did (all tired and cranky) the room wasn't up to standard... and it just went downhill from there, resulting in EVERYTHING being wrong.

Personally, if I were them, I think I would stay elsewhere next time.