An open letter to Disney about mandatory room checks.

[Fldisneyfamily4321]

They also have the legal right to come in and sit on your bed and watch you sleep. What's your point? We should be ok with whatever Disney has the legal right to do even if it's disruptive and creepy?

Jeez ... THANK YOU !!!! have not MANY people even on here finger wag at people “ Its in bad taste , doing what it legal just because they can “ on subjects? it’s nothing but the “ Disney can do no wrong “ crowd .
As a matter of fact I was even shamed on here for saying I will stay in my room till 11 am check out because I paid for it even if Disney gives me a room ready text before check in time ... I mean really .. some people will defend anything .
Although I think the minute Disney says “ you need a legit medical purpose to use a scooter “ wow would people blow up .. or heaven forbid “ strollers are for kids 3 and under to avoid stroller congestion “ people would loose it .
The people THIS concerns are people that enjoy sleeping in , people that don’t spend all day in parks and that choose to enjoy the resort so for these people it’s a pretty big issue .
What baffles me is the clear bullying that goes on when someone dares disagree with Disney the great and powerful , does that mean the rest of us do not enjoy Disney ? No , we just enjoy vacationing OUR way also .

 

[Nancyg56]

They also have the legal right to come in and sit on your bed and watch you sleep. What's your point? We should be ok with whatever Disney has the legal right to do even if it's disruptive and creepy?

I do not understand the all or nothing mentality of this statement. I have not seen one person deem it acceptable for any hotel employee to enter willy nilly. I have seen folks counter the civil liberties argument by explaining the difference between private property and public areas. I will agree that the room checks are within any hotellier rights, and have been voval here in regards to that policy, however I am not planning to agree that employees can come in and spend the night with me. Not on my bed, not in the bath, and not on my balcony.

I think most folks here are also okay with reasonable entry times, but are not willing to put up with early morning revielle. I have offered what I woudl do if I have specific concerns and how I would address the situation if my concerens were not respected, however I also added that I woudl nto go in looking for issues to upset me.

I respect that there are people who do not share my view and have refrained from riducule or sarcasm. I wish that was the case if folks disagree with me.

 

[ENJDisneyFan]

I do not understand the all or nothing mentality of this statement. I have not seen one person deem it acceptable for any hotel employee to enter willy nilly. I have seen folks counter the civil liberties argument by explaining the difference between private property and public areas. I will agree that the room checks are within any hotellier rights, and have been voval here in regards to that policy, however I am not planning to agree that employees can come in and spend the night with me. Not on my bed, not in the bath, and not on my balcony.

I think most folks here are also okay with reasonable entry times, but are not willing to put up with early morning revielle. I have offered what I woudl do if I have specific concerns and how I would address the situation if my concerens were not respected, however I also added that I woudl nto go in looking for issues to upset me.

I respect that there are people who do not share my view and have refrained from riducule or sarcasm. I wish that was the case if folks disagree with me.

Agree 100%. I am totally fine with reasonable room checks, which is what I'm expecting on future vacations. If at any point I experience anything that I feel is unreasonable, I will certainly take appropriate action and change my opinion on this policy. But I'm not going to boycott Disney or change any travel plans based on something that IMO is unlikely to happen.

 

[Canesfan3234]

The people THIS concerns are people that enjoy sleeping in , people that don’t spend all day in parks and that choose to enjoy the resort so for these people it’s a pretty big issue .
What baffles me is the clear bullying that goes on when someone dares disagree with Disney the great and powerful , does that mean the rest of us do not enjoy Disney ? No , we just enjoy vacationing OUR way also .

I sleep in every day at disney and have yet to have a problem. I'm not trying to bully you. I'm not trying to tell you how to enjoy disney. All I am saying is that these policies seem to have negatively impacted a small minority of people so far. So to me, I think it is counterproductive to go into a vacation expecting to be be inconvenienced. All you are doing is adding unnecessary stress to your life. Now if I ever have a problem where the room checker is waking me up at 10:00 am because he wants to enter my room, you better believe my next call is to guest services to complain because that one room checker decided to be difficult when he easily could have made a note that the room was currently occupied and that someone should come back in a few hours to re-check.

Im not trying to say the people who have been inconvienced shouldn't be upset. They absolutely should. But that doesn't mean every Disney guest should be worried that someone is going to walk in on them while they sleep/nap/shower/whatever they want to do in their hotel room.

 

[Fldisneyfamily4321]

I sleep in every day at disney and have yet to have a problem. I'm not trying to bully you. I'm not trying to tell you how to enjoy disney. All I am saying is that these policies seem to have negatively impacted a small minority of people so far. So to me, I think it is counterproductive to go into a vacation expecting to be be inconvenienced. All you are doing is adding unnecessary stress to your life. Now if I ever have a problem where the room checker is waking me up at 10:00 am because he wants to enter my room, you better believe my next call is to guest services to complain because that one room checker decided to be difficult when he easily could have made a note that the room was currently occupied and that someone should come back in a few hours to re-check.

Im not trying to say the people who have been inconvienced shouldn't be upset. They absolutely should. But that doesn't mean every Disney guest should be worried that someone is going to walk in on them while they sleep/nap/shower/whatever they want to do in their hotel room.

Actually .. I agree with you and when we went last week I did not concern myself with if we would be bothered at all ( we were not ) but I still think the way they are going about it is just the wrong way and it is putting people off . I really don’t think what they are doing is causing a “ deterrent “ like they think it will given like I said before ... bad guys always find a way and I probably do feel this way after many many years of being married into a LE family so I live with the stories and really if someone wants to do something and are set on it they will find a way .. this policy is just giving honest guests a bad experience if they are bothered . I KNOW they can find a better way and I think in time they’ve probably will .

Also I appreciate the adult way you replied instead of the snark that has been going back and forth .. THIS is the way adults should communicate.

 

[cruisin5]

Checking the rooms daily IS the policy. No need to argue about it. No matter if you like it or not. If they decide to change the policy I wouldn't expect a public announcement about it.

Everyone has a choice .... take it or leave it.

 

[Fldisneyfamily4321]

Checking the rooms daily IS the policy. No need to argue about it. No matter if you like it or not. If they decide to change the policy I wouldn't expect a public announcement about it.

Everyone has a choice .... take it or leave it.

I think that’s the whole point .. many people are choosing to leave it ( with new parking fees and higher costs all together with less perks ) .. I know after our trip last week we cancled our AKL CL Christmas trip and booked a 10 day trip to London ( found a amazing 500.00 round trip fair on Thomas cook airline ) and came in for less then the trip we cancled ... we also added in the cost of the train to Paris and Disneyland Paris one day two park tickets .
I spent 10 days in Manchester England near the Manchester arena in October in 3 different beautiful hotels and never got so much as a knock on the door .. and that was after they had a awful terrorist attack .
No .. Disney won’t miss our AP money or our two vacations a year money but when enough people have had enough they will start noticing .

 

[cruisin5]

I think that’s the whole point .. many people are choosing to leave it ( with new parking fees and higher costs all together with less perks ) .. I know after our trip last week we cancled our AKL CL Christmas trip and booked a 10 day trip to London ( found a amazing 500.00 round trip fair on Thomas cook airline ) and came in for less then the trip we cancled ... we also added in the cost of the train to Paris and Disneyland Paris one day two park tickets .
I spent 10 days in Manchester England near the Manchester arena in October in 3 different beautiful hotels and never got so much as a knock on the door .. and that was after they had a awful terrorist attack .
No .. Disney won’t miss our AP money or our two vacations a year money but when enough people have had enough they will start noticing .

But for everyone who stays elsewhere because of the policy there are multiple people who will happily take their place.

Disney continues to make choices that cause people to change how they vacation, yet the parks are more crowded than I can remember. DVC is selling points at an astronomical rate. Competition for rooms, dining reservations and FP+ all continue ....

What percentage of guests are even aware of the new policy? I'm guessing very very small amount. What percentage of guests will even notice the new policy? That number too is probably very very small.

However, everything has a tipping point ... maybe it will be the room checks?!

 

[MickeyMouseCD524]

Here's my fear with the room checks is that we're traveling in a large group and one member of the party has PTSD, and if housekeeping or security is to enter the room unannounced and the door slams be it against the latch or just in general. I don't need to be dealing with a breakdown because someone didn't feel the need to knock. Cause that's not going to be magical for anyone, particularly that cast member.

 

[cruisin5]

Here's my fear with the room checks is that we're traveling in a large group and one member of the party has PTSD, and if housekeeping or security is to enter the room unannounced and the door slams be it against the latch or just in general. I don't need to be dealing with a breakdown because someone didn't feel the need to knock. Cause that's not going to be magical for anyone, particularly that cast member.

Use the latch on the door and perhaps have someone keeping an ear out for a knock on the door. I'd suggest contacting Guest Services but no guarantee their advice would be any good.

 

[MickeyMouseCD524]

Use the latch on the door and perhaps have someone keeping an ear out for a knock on the door. I'd suggest contacting Guest Services but no guarantee their advice would be any good.

Yeah I called and asked and they said "we always knock before entering a guests room." So we'll see how it goes.

 

[Nancyg56]

Here's my fear with the room checks is that we're traveling in a large group and one member of the party has PTSD, and if housekeeping or security is to enter the room unannounced and the door slams be it against the latch or just in general. I don't need to be dealing with a breakdown because someone didn't feel the need to knock. Cause that's not going to be magical for anyone, particularly that cast member.

Yeah I called and asked and they said "we always knock before entering a guests room." So we'll see how it goes.

Don't call. When you check in to the resort ask to speak to someone empowered to assist you. The CM at the desk can get a supervisor to speak to you. Be sure that they understand the necessity to wait until they are granted entry.

 

[lanejudy]

Here's my fear with the room checks is that we're traveling in a large group and one member of the party has PTSD, and if housekeeping or security is to enter the room unannounced and the door slams be it against the latch or just in general. I don't need to be dealing with a breakdown because someone didn't feel the need to knock. Cause that's not going to be magical for anyone, particularly that cast member.

I recommend that someone from his room go to the front desk your first day -- if not for check-in, sometime that day. Ask to speak to a manager. Explain the situation. Ask them to plan the housekeeping visit for a specific window to accommodate his disability. This will work best if you have somewhat similar timing to be in/out of the room for the duration of your visit, rather than changing the hours each day. Give them a chance and I believe they will try to work with you.

Enjoy your vacation!

 

[MickeyMouseCD524]

Don't call. When you check in to the resort ask to speak to someone empowered to assist you. The CM at the desk can get a supervisor to speak to you. Be sure that they understand the necessity to wait until they are granted entry.

Yeah we plan on doing that as well. I just wanted to call and see if it could be noted on the reservation.

 

[Bella Paige]

Would you ? Attys argue law they don’t make or decide law . I would also like to point out again how they are REALLY doing anything ? We had a room service man in our room for a good 10 minutes helping us set up a large dinner .. we had a gun sitting out in plain sight ( we actually had to move it for him ) we would normally already have it in the safe but had just come back from the outlet malls and taken it off , nothing was said .. not a comment or anything .. now I know from 20 yrs + of trips it would have been no issue as long as we followed what we normally do but what if it had been someone that DID pose a threat .

FYI weapons are not permitted in guest rooms on Disney property. The only place you may store them is in your vehicle or in the resort main safe at the front desk. Since room service employees have nothing to do with housekeeping/security room checks it's possible that he was unaware of Disney's policy but I'm guessing if security had entered your room their reaction would have been much different.

 

[Fldisneyfamily4321]

FYI weapons are not permitted in guest rooms on Disney property. The only place you may store them is in your vehicle or in the resort main safe at the front desk. Since room service employees have nothing to do with housekeeping/security room checks it's possible that he was unaware of Disney's policy but I'm guessing if security had entered your room their reaction would have been much different.

Actually they will not store a LE duty weapon at the front office , they ask you lock it in the car or “ preferably “ ( their words ) in the room safe so it can be kept safe . We have always carried it to Disney ( never in the parks obviously) he is actually required because of his particular job to carry his weapon and badge even out of county ( his unit covers more then one Florida county ) And Disney has never in 20 yrs had a issue with it , the mang in the lobby even came up and said “ thank you for your service , have a great stay “ .
My point with it was while it would normally be out of sight the cast member saw it no doubt and didn’t even blink and if they had it wouldn’t have offended us .. but what if it had been someone with a true bad intention? That’s what I mean about how the checks are not really as much as people would like to think .
Disney security was also nice enough to exchange LE challenge coins with my daughter which are extremely hard to find .. got one from Disney security and from OCSD Disney unit which is a beautiful coin .
We were at a offsite convention center the day the nightclub shooting happened attending a “ specialty unit “ event and the hotel was packed with hundreds of LE , all carrying their weapons on their hip .. given the events during that time I definitely felt I was in one of the safest hotels in town at that moment . While they don’t offer up the information Disney is extremely accommodating to off and on duty LE .

Posted the coins for people that collect so they can keep a eye out

 

[Jen1995]

I sleep in every day at disney and have yet to have a problem. I'm not trying to bully you. I'm not trying to tell you how to enjoy disney. All I am saying is that these policies seem to have negatively impacted a small minority of people so far. So to me, I think it is counterproductive to go into a vacation expecting to be be inconvenienced. All you are doing is adding unnecessary stress to your life. Now if I ever have a problem where the room checker is waking me up at 10:00 am because he wants to enter my room, you better believe my next call is to guest services to complain because that one room checker decided to be difficult when he easily could have made a note that the room was currently occupied and that someone should come back in a few hours to re-check.

Im not trying to say the people who have been inconvienced shouldn't be upset. They absolutely should. But that doesn't mean every Disney guest should be worried that someone is going to walk in on them while they sleep/nap/shower/whatever they want to do in their hotel room.

I simply do not subscribe to the theory that as long as a bad policy doesn't affect me personally, everything is hunky dory. We already know it is affecting many people, and the fact that anyone COULD be impacted affects many more. If I said to you "I retain the right to punch you in the face," you would rightly be upset. It would be absurd for me to then say "Hey you shouldn't worry about it since I only MIGHT punch you. Wait and see if I do it first."

No one has a problem with Disney needing to lay eyes on the room once every 24 hours. But it is instrusive and disruptive to demand entry without consideration for the guests' wishes for how they want to enjoy the room. It's irrelevant whether they have the legal right with regard to how intrusive and disruptive such a demand is. It is ok for others to voice their displeasure at such a policy, whether or not they end up waking our napping babies THIS time. As far as I am concerned, Disney should not be in the business of waking up any guests. It's avoidable and unacceptable.

 

[Fldisneyfamily4321]

Plus not even a speck of Disney guests are members of this board .. so your not hearing from all the people that didn’t know and are being bothered . The people on here are not the majority..

 

[Bella Paige]

View attachment 317545 View attachment 317544

Actually they will not store a LE duty weapon at the front office , they ask you lock it in the car or “ preferably “ ( their words ) in the room safe so it can be kept safe . We have always carried it to Disney ( never in the parks obviously) he is actually required because of his particular job to carry his weapon and badge even out of county ( his unit covers more then one Florida county ) And Disney has never in 20 yrs had a issue with it , the mang in the lobby even came up and said “ thank you for your service , have a great stay “ .
My point with it was while it would normally be out of sight the cast member saw it no doubt and didn’t even blink and if they had it wouldn’t have offended us .. but what if it had been someone with a true bad intention? That’s what I mean about how the checks are not really as much as people would like to think .
Disney security was also nice enough to exchange LE challenge coins with my daughter which are extremely hard to find .. got one from Disney security and from OCSD Disney unit which is a beautiful coin .
We were at a offsite convention center the day the nightclub shooting happened attending a “ specialty unit “ event and the hotel was packed with hundreds of LE , all carrying their weapons on their hip .. given the events during that time I definitely felt I was in one of the safest hotels in town at that moment . While they don’t offer up the information Disney is extremely accommodating to off and on duty LE .

Posted the coins for people that collect so they can keep a eye out

What you have been told differs from Disney's official policy on weapons on property:

"
Re: Disney World’s Concealed Carry Policy

Dear Phil,

Thank you for contacting the Walt Disney World Resort.

It may interest you to know we have a strict policy regarding firearms.

Our policy is that no guns are permitted in our theme Parks or Resorts.

If a resort guest brings one on property, it must be locked up in the safe deposit boxes at the front desk, not in a room safe. If guests visiting our theme parks bring in firearms, it must either be left in their vehicle, or checked in with security when entering the park. Only on-duty law enforcement officers whose agency has jurisdiction at the Walt Disney World Resort may carry any weapon.

If you have questions or need further assistance, feel free to contact us.

Sincerely,

— Betsy Mayer, WDW Online Communications"

 

[Jen1995]

But for everyone who stays elsewhere because of the policy there are multiple people who will happily take their place.

Disney continues to make choices that cause people to change how they vacation, yet the parks are more crowded than I can remember. DVC is selling points at an astronomical rate. Competition for rooms, dining reservations and FP+ all continue ....

What percentage of guests are even aware of the new policy? I'm guessing very very small amount. What percentage of guests will even notice the new policy? That number too is probably very very small.

However, everything has a tipping point ... maybe it will be the room checks?!

I think yes. But it was also room checks on top of a year that also included 2 room price increases, parking fees, niceties like shampoo bottles taken away, non-service dogs in resorts and in the parks, and now threats of a resort fee on top of that. I was already on the edge, thinking "this MAY have to be the last onsite for us" but then Disney gave me the final shove. I'm old enough to remember quite a number of downturns for Disney economically. So it does happen. (As for DVC, don't forget that Disney manipulates that market like De Beers manipulates the diamond market.)