BAD EXPERIENCE - Stay Past check out time at SSR?

[David Raguso]

My friend had a pretty crappy experience at SSR where she wanted to stay past the 11am checkout time and she got a hard time.

When she checked in they told her she could stay past 11am no problem i thikn just pending availability but that the resort was not at capacity, just alert the front desk the night before she leaves.

She then tried to alert then she was going to stay later than 11am the night before as she was told and the front desk people told her no way even though the resort was not full they had already lined up someone to take her exact room when she left. they then proceeded to charge my friend 11 points for staying the extra few hours in her room.

Has anyone had experiences such as this for extended their stay by merely a few hours at a DVC resort?? this is terrible especially when the resort is barely being occupied.

 

[LIFERBABE]

 

[conandrob240]

Sorry, disagree. Late check-outs are NEVER to be expected even at a regular hotel and are MUCH less common at DVC resorts. If they aren't too busy, you are sometimes granted an extra hour or two MAX. You say "a few hours" beyond and to be honest with you, I have often not been able to get an extension of a few hours even at some of the finest hotels in the world. Your friend deserved a charge for the extra 11 pts because she was told "no" and then she proceeded to stay in the room anyway for an extra "few hours".

 

[mgilmer]

You came to the wrong place to find sympathy. There is no delayed checkout at any DVC resort. Her 11 point penalty was justly given.

 

[DebbieB]

I think DVC has always been clear about check-out time. It's right on the confirmation. How would you feel if you were the person waiting for the room because the person before did not vacate on time? Not only waiting for the person to leave, but also for the room to be cleaned.

I think a strict "no late checkouts" is fair to all members, not making exceptions here and there. The member always has the option to add another night if they want to stay later.

 

[DiznyDi]

You came to the wrong place to find sympathy. There is no delayed checkout at any DVC resort. Her 11 point penalty was justly given.

Agreed!

 

[David Raguso]

i have 2 issues with the arguments against this:

1) the person who told her upon checkin that she can stay past checkout no problem was dead wrong. if the rules are so tight then why did this person indicate it wasnt a problem>???

2) i can understand if you all disagree that my friend asked to say past checkout thats fine but the part that everyones missing is that the hotel is at low capacity. even if someone was supposed to stay in that room, big deal there were so many rooms that they could have easily been put somewhere else. my friend was undertstanding to the fact that if the resort is full she would have had to go but the resort was very empty.

 

[Tink6666]

Newbie here, so I don't know the answer to this, but do the DVC's have a bell service your luggage can be left with so you can vacate the room before 11 am, enjoy the rest of the resort or one of the parks that day until you would need to leave for the airport? Some of the flights I have looked at have a late (5pm or later) departure time. I would rather check out and leave my luggage at bell services if possible and enjoy the park or the pool or DTD for the afternoon. Thanks for any information you can give me and maybe the OP would be interested also.

 

[hlyntunstl]

The only time I ever checked out late without a penalty was because I called bell services at 10 to pickup my bags and they didn't get to our room until 11:30.

Your friend can mention the conflicting information at check-in but I wouldn't consider that a resort issue.

 

[Deb & Bill]

DVC villas take longer to clean and have a higher occupancy level than the non-DVC resorts. Having been kept out of my villa until nearly 6PM while the housekeepers had to clean the mess left by guests who did not vacate by 11AM, I am very unsympathetic for requests for late checkouts.

Where did you get the idea that the resort was barely occupied?

If she was told the night before that they could not allow a late checkout, why did she stay in the villa for a few extra hours anyway?

 

[Chuck S]

DVCs are pretty strict about check-out times. The larger rooms take longer to clean and service for the next guest. DVCs are designed to operate at 90 to 95% capacity year round, and if they are experiencing a truly slow period, large resorts like SSR & OKW could take entire buildings out of service for rehabs or even just not use them to save on utilities, so it is very possible they truly needed her room.

The resort not operating at nearly full capacity really has no effect on check-out times, the rooms still need to be serviced during the housekeepers shifts, they pretty much run a skeleton housekeeping crew except during the main make-ready shift of the day.

It really is a shame the front desk CM told your friend it would be OK, that just isn't true. And your friend was informed the night before that a late check-out really wouldn't be possible. Did they tell her that night that she would be charged the extra points?

 

[BroganMc]

1) the person who told her upon checkin that she can stay past checkout no problem was dead wrong. if the rules are so tight then why did this person indicate it wasnt a problem>???

Wasn't she told that it would be ok depending on availability and that's why she was to check the night before checkout? Things do change.

2) i can understand if you all disagree that my friend asked to say past checkout thats fine but the part that everyones missing is that the hotel is at low capacity. even if someone was supposed to stay in that room, big deal there were so many rooms that they could have easily been put somewhere else. my friend was undertstanding to the fact that if the resort is full she would have had to go but the resort was very empty.

Depends on the room, it's type and location. For instance, if it was a HA room those are in very limited supply. If it was in a high demand area like Springs, Congress Park or Grandstand, then isn't it fair they try to meet the next member's requests over a late checkout?

As a general rule, timeshares don't allow late checkouts. The reason being that the cleaning service is limited and works in a shift routine. They clear entire buildings within an hour or so.

It's the duty of the owner/member to know checkout time and abide by it for the next guest. I'm sorry your friend felt inconvenienced, but I'd be sorrier if I was the member coming in after her who couldn't get the room I wanted or needed because she was late leaving.

We all need to share these beautiful resorts. That means treating them well when we visit and assisting the maintenance/housekeeping staff in keeping them in tip top shape.

 

[goldilocks_63]

Sorry this happened, but FYI I often book the extra night just so we have use of the room on our last day.....

I know it's a "Waste of points", but for us it is worth it to have the use of the room.

If your friends travel plans are similiar, she should also plan accordingly going forward.

Best wishes, Goldi

 

[Maistre Gracey]

The key word is consistency.
If you allow late checkouts once in a while, people will eventually start to get mad when they can't get one.
People with evening flights will be asking constantly, and then throwing a tantrum saying "I got one last time".

MG

 

[disneynutz]

Your friend was charged an extra nights points and could have stayed until the following day at 11:00 AM. We have always been told that check out is at 11:00 AM, no exceptions. I guess for the folks with a very late flight out, the only thing you can do is reserve an extra night.

 

[bradisgoofy]

Newbie here, so I don't know the answer to this, but do the DVC's have a bell service your luggage can be left with so you can vacate the room before 11 am, enjoy the rest of the resort or one of the parks that day until you would need to leave for the airport? Some of the flights I have looked at have a late (5pm or later) departure time. I would rather check out and leave my luggage at bell services if possible and enjoy the park or the pool or DTD for the afternoon. Thanks for any information you can give me and maybe the OP would be interested also.

Yes, this would be an option and we have done it ourselves. We even left our extra luggage while we went on DCL and then came back to the same DVC resort.

I'm in agreement with most everyone else, check out time is check out time, don't ask for an extension or expect one.

 

[MikeyNS]

I didn't know resorts could just go and charge "penalty points" on a whim. Very interesting. I suppose I would have went back to the room and stayed if I knew they charged me the extra day.

 

[eliza61]

Has anyone had experiences such as this for extended their stay by merely a few hours at a DVC resort?? this is terrible especially when the resort is barely being occupied.

Unfortunately, I'm going with the majority here. Personally I think late checkouts anywhere should come with a penality. Not sure how she knew the occupancy rate but from a mousekeeping issue, the villas are not the same as a regular hotel room

The key word is consistency.
If you allow late checkouts once in a while, people will eventually start to get mad when they can't get one.
People with evening flights will be asking constantly, and then throwing a tantrum saying "I got one last time".

MG

MG,
That unfortunately is the problem with human nature. How many times do we see it here on the Dis. Some one gets a free perk (upgrade or towel animals) post about their wonderful experience and next thing you know we get 20 post mad at Disney because people went down asked for an upgrade and didn't get one.
A women posted last week how it was her ds birthday and the last time they celebrated a birthday he got free birthday cupcakes, well she was mad because this year he did not get a cupcake and she was "forced" to buy him a birthday cake.

 

[vicki_c]

I didn't know resorts could just go and charge "penalty points" on a whim. Very interesting. I suppose I would have went back to the room and stayed if I knew they charged me the extra day.

It's not "penalty" points on a "whim". She stayed past checkout and they charged her an additional night. At that point, she could have stayed in the room that night.

The non-DVC resorts generally don't give late checkout either - they might give you a few hours w/o charge, but once you get past a certain time (like 2 or 3 PM), they charge you an additional night as well because they can't give the room to anyone else. But it's not a penalty - it's the price for the room for the night - whether it's points or $$.

 

[rocketriter]

If you asked a CM's permission and the CM gave it to you, then you shouldn't be chewed out now for breaking the rules.

Next time, if a CM tells you it's OK to break the rules, make a note of the CM's name. Later, if there's a problem, a manager is more likely to honor what the CM promised (and in some cases is legally bound to do so).