Bad Experience at Saratoga Springs

[Chari910]

We own at Boardwalk but needed a last minute weekend trip so got into SSR.

Check in was OK. We were in a 2BR and it was nice.

The morning that we were supposed to check out. We left the room to go to breakfast at 8.30 am and was going to come back to get our stuff afterwards. My husband forgot the car key inside and...guess what....the room key didn't work any more (We hadn't checked out yet). We found a Bell who instructed us to use the house phone (only one available was on the ground floor) to call the front desk. The phone didn't work. We were stranded because our building was too far for my 85 yo mom to walk. We waited until the same Bell came back. He used another exclusive number to call and got the front desk. They verified my ID and he let us back in the room.

Went to the front desk and got new keys. After mediocre breakfasts we drove back to the unit and none of the new keys worked! There were 3 maids there who refused to let us in the room. They let me call the front desk again and they had to send another person to come to let us in.

We spent so much time waiting around because it was FAR from the front desk. They should be able to tell the maid our names and after showing our ID's they should be able to let us in our room?????

Needless to say, being BIG is not a good thing for SSR. I will never STAY THERE AGAIN. We love the Boardwalk where it's so close to all the restaurants and easier to get service.

This was the first time we were really disappointed at a Disney Resort. I also own at 2 other Marriotts and nothing like this happened to us before.
The

 

[manning]

This happened to us a year or so back at BCV.

 

[Divamomto3]

On my check out day I always call Bell Services as soon as we're dressed and have them take and store our luggage. THEN I'd go to breakfast or whatever. If I had a car there, I'd load it and then go about my business. They want to get those rooms cleaned ASAP or else we'll have another "my room wasn't ready until 6pm" thread.

 

[Alexander]

Gee, it's too bad that nothing went well on your trip. And wouldn't you be glad that the maids don't let people into the rooms???? I am. What proof did you actually have that it was your room? There could have been 5 different Smith or Jones or Black families staying at that resort. I see this as good security measures and would be upset if the maids did let anyone into their rooms.

We'd love to hear some positive things as well. It's getting really frustrating that so many people are coming here to complain! What exactly do you want us to do about it? Cancel our memberships to DVC? If you own Marriot timeshares are so much better, maybe you should just stay there.

Sorry, JMHO, I'm sick of reading so many complaints. And yes, I could choose not to open those threads, but I am curious if there are any legitimate reasons for people to be dissappointed other than THEY locked themselves out of their room.

 

[NMW]

Why would your room key not work if you had not checked out? Is this common? We have not done our BWV DVC stay yet but have stayed at other Disney hotels. I'm pretty sure we stayed at BC, left the room for breakfast at Cape May Cafe and came back to the room for all our stuff on our last trip. It never even occured to us that our keys might not work. I think to be on the safe side we will call Bell services and have all of our luggage stored when we leave for breakfast.

 

[Caskbill]

....., but I am curious if there are any legitimate reasons for people to be dissappointed other than THEY locked themselves out of their room.

You misread the OP's remarks. Their keys did not work at 8:30 a.m. immediately after they left the room to get into the car, when her dh tried to get back into the room to get the car keys. This left them stranded there by the car with no car keys, and room keys that didn't work. This is a legitimate complaint.

To the OP I might suggest that NEVER is a strong word. Yes it shouldn't have happened. But let me ask this, if it had been your first visit to BWV would you NEVER have stayed there again. Or if it happened at one of your Marriotts, would you never go back. Don't punish yourself for someone else's mistake. It happens, that's life. Let the resort management know about it so they can figure out how it happened and correct it.

Finally, FWIW, in 12 years of membership, and more than 50 check-in/check-outs, we've never had this happen to us.

 

[fkj2]

Why would your room key not work if you had not checked out? Is this common? We have not done our BWV DVC stay yet but have stayed at other Disney hotels. I'm pretty sure we stayed at BC, left the room for breakfast at Cape May Cafe and came back to the room for all our stuff on our last trip. It never even occured to us that our keys might not work. I think to be on the safe side we will call Bell services and have all of our luggage stored when we leave for breakfast.

Maybe that express check-out has something to do with it, and the computer resets the pass key codes early. You should be able to access the room at least until 11:00 A.M.

 

[slp87]

Sorry to hear about the key problem. I can see where that would be very frustrating!! The keys should work until you check out!

 

[tjkraz]

We left the room to go to breakfast at 8.30 am and was going to come back to get our stuff afterwards. My husband forgot the car key inside...

I'm going to make a bit of a deduction here. The way I read this, it sounds like you removed everything from the room before you went to breakfast EXCEPT for the car key that was mistakenly left behind. Correct?

If so, it's standard operating procedure to deactivate the keys after guests have (seemingly) vacated. Housekeeping knocked on the door...received no response...entered the room...saw that it was vacant...and proceeded to clean and prepare the room for the next guest. Part of that process is securing the room to prevent re-entry by departing guests.

The issue with the phone and keys not working is unfortunate, but I'm with Caskbill on this one: If this had happened at BWV, would you still be saying that you would NEVER stay there again?

 

[spiceycat]

no they left everything in the room - they haven't packed yet.

I don't think the room key was changed.

when BWV first opened this happened ALOT.

we have a room - lovely view - BW - so that means a walk - we were on the fourth floor - well the key did this to us - 5 times - the last 2 times the elevator did not work - so walking up steps, too....Anyway the front desk lady came up and let us in with her key. She promised that it would be fit.

was it no - same thing the next day - but this time someone came up immediately.

it took them 3 days to fix the problems.

just be glad it happen on your final day and not your first day.

although it is a BIG problem when it does happen. Sorry SSR was not up front with you.

 

[married@wdw]

Happened to us 2 nights while staying at OKW with my in-laws -- at 2 a.m.!!! They had to get out of bed to let us in. I think this was in 1994. We've never had a key problem again since, so that's 11 years, and I'd estimate 25-30 trips. I think SSR is just working out the kinks. Every resort has them for the first year or so.

 

[Desnik]

I would hate to think that you would not stay at a resort again because of this situation? This can happen at any resort. It has happened to us, twice! Once at CSR. We were swimming and it was chilly out so we ran wet, with our then 2yo back to the room when our keys didn't work! We were wet, freezing and no one was around and we were so far from the front desk! We still had 2 days left on our ressie, so we couldn't understand why our keys didn't work. DH used the phone by the pool, they said they would send someone with new keys. 20 mins passed, and no one came. DH walked to the front desk and finally came back with someone with new keys. Someone had checked us out!!
The manager apologized and we were given 2 one day hoppers for our troubles.

On our last trip at BWV it was late, I had DS who was asleep on me in his baby carrier, DD who was asleep in the stroller and after the very long walk from the elevator to our room, I get there and the key doesn't work!!! DH finally gets to the room(hallway)(he doesn't go in elevators)he has to run down to the front desk. Someone comes up with him, they try new keys, our old keys, nothing works. 2 more people come and go, nothing worked. Finally they had to get the "master key" because they said the whole locking system broke!! Needless to say the whole process took 30 mins with 2 sleeping kids at 11pm!!!
Frustrating and annoying, it happened at 2 different resorts, 2 seperate times. Things like this happen and I think how I was treated during and after made all the difference in the world! I wouldn't let one misshap in a week long otherwise great trip sway me from staying at either place. Now that we are DVC'ers, we probably will not be back at CSR, but we absolutely love the BW and will be back there again and again. We bought at SSR and after touring many, if not all the resorts on proprty, I don't think it is any bigger or spread out then some of the mods.

 

[kathleena]

Sorry that you had this experience - I bet it was really frustrating.

Aside from the issue of the room keys not working (which can and does happen) I'm reading that you major frustration was the lack of service to get them operational again - between the phones not working, the CMs not helping much.

I do agree that normal procedures requiring ID to get into a room are essential - I understand why they were frustrating to you this time.

It also sounds like you were frustrated with the food and the size of the resort.

I understand why you say you don't wish to return - it's not just because of the keys not working - it's because of all the other things that made it so frustrating.

 

[CarolA]

We spent so much time waiting around because it was FAR from the front desk. They should be able to tell the maid our names and after showing our ID's they should be able to let us in our room?????

Personally I think this is NOT a good idea. Half of the housekeeping staff can't speak English and I don't want them verifying my ID!

(By the way the Zurgs have a great story on one of thier trip reports where they sat outside thier BWV room for quite a while due to key issues LOL! Turns out that after a few keys were tried someone finally realized that the box was dead... then they had to wait on maintenance!)

 

[Patty3]

We had this same type of problem at HHI, and it was not our checkout day. After walking to the front desk on three separate occasions from being locked out, maintenance finally came and changed the lock. Would I stay there again, in a heartbeat!

 

[rascalmom]

My husband swears that I have some sort of weird electronic aura that surrounds me. We had this happen to us at three different resorts last year: one in Las Vegas, one in Dallas and one at a lake resort near home.

In two of the situations the battery had died in the lock mechanism. I never knew they were battery operated! Had to bring an interesting little device to hook up to the lock to "test" it. In the other, the hotel staff never did get the door unlocked. Sent 3 different people up to try to open it with different keys & masters. Thankfully we were checking in & didn't have any belongings in the room. But each time we had to identify ourselves & wait for the key. The eventually gave us a new room.

 

[MiaSRN62]

Something similar happened to us at BWV a couple years ago. Key wouldn't work and they couldn't cut us new ones because of an electrical storm---it was pouring/thundering/lightening outside (power outtage of some sort). We were essentially without a "home" for several hours. We couldn't even really go to the parks or walk the boards because of the torrential downpour and lightening. I just think accidents like this can happen at any resort. I agree.....I would never say "never". If everything else was ok at SSR, I'd chalk this up as an unfortunate occurrence.

 

[lulu71]

It sounds to me like the issue was not so much the fact that the key didn't work, but the timeliness of when the key stopped working.....on check out day at 8:30 am, not 11am when folks are expected to be out of the room. I would have probably felt like they were jumping the gun on my check-out, just MHO.

 

[Deemarch]

In a few different places around the country. It's probably a door glitch, as was mentioned above. Not some conspiracy done to you because you left your room early...

But if I were you, I'd NEVER go back to SSR again!!!

 

[Chari910]

Alexander, a very angry DIS cast member wrote:

Gee, it's too bad that nothing went well on your trip. And wouldn't you be glad that the maids don't let people into the rooms???? I am. What proof did you actually have that it was your room? There could have been 5 different Smith or Jones or Black families staying at that resort. I see this as good security measures and would be upset if the maids did let anyone into their rooms.

There are times that people return to their rooms when the maids were cleaning, leaving the door open. In my experience, they asked to see my ID before letting me in. (one other place she did ask for the key and tried it on the door which was very good) Do you want to have to go to the front desk in that situation??
I agree there are many same last names but your ID will show your First, Middle initial and SSN which front desk can verify them over the phone??

I understand the room key technical glitches are common and it happened to us before. What frustrated me was the SOLUTION.
Most hotels have a house phone on EACH floor in front of the elevator.

The key box was OK because the Master Keys still worked. Our room keys were just deactivated somehow.

And I always thought DIS castmembers were especially NICE and FRIENDLY??