Best Way to Handle a Problem?

[livndisney]

Disney use to have smoking buildings and nonsmoking buildings. Now there is just nonosmoking. Geez, Disney would be better off to let someone smoke on the balconies. More ventilation out there! I told Disney that too!


Charleyann

I strongly disagree with this! The last thing my DD and I need to do is to be walking through the smoke haze of people standing outside our room smoking. And then all that smoke goes right into the rooms.

 

[Charleyann]

I strongly disagree with this! The last thing my DD and I need to do is to be walking through the smoke haze of people standing outside our room smoking. And then all that smoke goes right into the rooms.

My son got very sick from someone smoking in the rooms at POP! All I said to Disney was that if they were going to allow smoking, wouldn't it be better on the balcony that in the room with little ventilation!

My son has a fatal lung condition. I am telling you I'd rather have someone smoke outside then in a room where smoke travels via vents. At the very least outside provides better ventilation. I would prefer no smoke at all!

Charleyann

 

[mommyaof2]

Are all the resorts vent systems set up this way? We are staying at Music and I don't want this to happen.

 

[Charleyann]

Are all the resorts vent systems set up this way? We are staying at Music and I don't want this to happen.

No. Pop is newer and this is a engineering problem with this newer resort. (This out of Disney's head office's mouth)

 

[taximomfor4]

Just curious: was smoking in a non-smoking room an issue when they had designated smoking rooms or has it become an issue since they banned smoking rooms all together?

We went to WDW 2x before they got rid of smoking rooms. My oldest dd and I have asthma. Both times, we had smoke from another room coming into ours (we were definitely in the NONSMOKING buildings, btw).

I've been to WDW 3x since they went all nonsmoking. 2x, I have had smoke coming into my room and had to be moved to another room mid-stay.

So even back when there WERE smoking rooms, the rules were broken in the nonsmoking ones. Sometimes, I am sure, people who requested smoking rooms didn't get them. But then again, I KNOW my friend isn't the only smoker who WON'T book a smoking room (hates stale smoke smell).

 

[liftn]

The theory is good but the problem with that is that Disney would be making housekeeping, mantainence, bellhops etc, go into a room that is potential a health risk. What if the housekeeper has asthma, CF or was allergic to smoke and was being forced to work in that condition?

Now, if Disney had persons whom were willing to go in and clean and then a few years later those same people came to them and said " working in those condition caused me cancer" . Disney would be leaving themselves open to lawsuits So pleasing the guest isn't the only really they chose to go smoke free!

Charleyann

Yes your are right. Sometimes I forget about bad our sociaty has become. They sue at the drop of the hat. I have asthma and certain things bother me, but I learn to deal with them.

Just like I am allergic to onions, so when I go out to eat, I order he most basic thing, because I am always somewhat afraid of what might be mixed in. i don't sue the restaurant because of what they cook with.

The world is just full of complainers. I hate to be negative, but thats what it seems like. If you have that much trouble with things, then stay home! Everyones special needs can't be accomidated. If you compile everyting people have a problem with then they would have to close down. They can try their best but, that is it.

Your on vacation, you shouldn't be in your room that much anyway.

 

[taximomfor4]

If you have that much trouble with things, then stay home! Everyones special needs can't be accomidated. If you compile everyting people have a problem with then they would have to close down. They can try their best but, that is it.

Your on vacation, you shouldn't be in your room that much anyway.

Actually, I do often just stay home. Smoke sets me off terribly, so many times I didn't go out with my sister or my friends. If I did go, I left at the very first sign I was in trouble. I learned to deal with my own health condition -- by avoiding smoke. Just like my mom, with her cat allergy, avoids places with cats.

Honestly, though, someone with respiratory ailments shouldn't have to stay home. They should be able to safely sleep in a room without smoke, if it's a nonsmoking room.

Luckily, each time we've had a problem with smoke in our nonsmoking room, the hotel's been able to move us to new rooms. If they couldn't do that, I would have them move us to a different resort. If they couldn't do that, I'd have to leave and find other accomodations. I would do all that, rather than always stay home, though.

 

[mommytoone]

My DD7 is allergic to smoke, it sends her into a coughing/wheezing attack. Last time we stayed at ASMo and we did not have a problem. We are staying there again, hopefully we don't have a problem. I can't stand walking into a building and having to walk through the big smoke haze. Why do people have to smoke right a the front door. I don't care who smokes, I just don't want to breathe it. My DD doesn't want to either!

 

[eliza61]

My DD7 is allergic to smoke, it sends her into a coughing/wheezing attack. Last time we stayed at ASMo and we did not have a problem. We are staying there again, hopefully we don't have a problem. I can't stand walking into a building and having to walk through the big smoke haze. Why do people have to smoke right a the front door. I don't care who smokes, I just don't want to breathe it. My DD doesn't want to either!

Because unfortunately we haven't found a way to bottle common courtesy and morales or put it in a pill we can give out. So we get people who disregard every thing that doesn't concern them.

 

[kimsuenew]

Now I am worried!

We have 13 nights/14 days scheduled there in September.

Both DS and I have asthma, and allergies, and we are extremely sensitive to smoke (Ohio thankfully is now smoke-free in ALL public places, and that has been a Godsend for us).

IF we cover the restroom vent while staying at Pop, do you think this will alleviate our chance of encountering smoke?

Any other tips?

We were booked at AS Music last year for free dining and were given a free upgrade to SSR. At SSR there were little standing signs in the room and on the balcony that warned about the fines for smoking. We never encountered and smell of smoke (and I am very sensitive and can "sniff" it out quickly)! Does Pop Century have those little signs as well?

Thanks!

 

[GRRRDRBR]

Disney called me today. They are going to refund 25% of our resort stay as well a a round of 1 day tickets for the 4 of us. Considering what we've read, I think that the response was pretty good. Thanks to everyone who posted. While Pop Century was okay, we won't stay there again.

 

[maxiesmom]

Disney called me today. They are going to refund 25% of our resort stay as well a a round of 1 day tickets for the 4 of us. Considering what we've read, I think that the response was pretty good. Thanks to everyone who posted. While Pop Century was okay, we won't stay there again.

I'm glad they did something for you, even if it was a little late.

This makes me very sad, as the Pop looks like a very fun resort, but with my allergies/asthma, I just can't risk staying there. It would not be good for me to end up in a room full of smoke. Bummer!

 

[rebe1968]

I am almost sure the POP is not the "ONLY" resort that has ever had this promblem..It seems like POP is being singled out>hatr the smell of smoke as well now I am worried as I to am going to stay there in June

 

[Charleyann]

Disney called me today. They are going to refund 25% of our resort stay as well a a round of 1 day tickets for the 4 of us. Considering what we've read, I think that the response was pretty good. Thanks to everyone who posted. While Pop Century was okay, we won't stay there again.

Instead of tickets they gave us back 50% of room rate. We had an annual pass so offering us tickets really wouldn't have mattered. Disney is very good though of realizing the problem. Maybe with many refunds going out, they will correct the problem. They told me they were looking at stricter ideas. So hopefully they will. We loved the look of Pop, only we can't stay there because of the vent problem

It is not fair others break rules, which inturn leaves others out!

Charleyann

 

[minnie61650]

I am almost sure the POP is not the "ONLY" resort that has ever had this promblem..It seems like POP is being singled out>hatr the smell of smoke as well now I am worried as I to am going to stay there in June

Other WDW resorts have had a few problems but as far as I know Pop has these issues much more often because 16 of their bathrooms share a ventalation system.

Most of the other WDW resorts were not built that cheaply.

From post 7 of this thread:

1) If you look at the unfinished resort buildings, you see why smoke travels.
2) Although construction is expensive, the resort design is "cheapened".
3) An illustration of such is the common ductwork.
4) This allows air from one unit to move to another unit.
5) All of Pop has these cheaper designs.

NOTE: One of our partners is a general contractor, and he pointed out some of the design "savers" used in the new Pop resort. I guess it is the new wave for WDW. If you look at construction of the DVC's (prior to interior fit-out), it is apparent from the way the older DVC's were built. This IS NOT to say that there are construction issues, only design factors that make construction costs less, and "may" affect guests.

 

[eemmie1]

I am almost sure the POP is not the "ONLY" resort that has ever had this promblem..It seems like POP is being singled out>hatr the smell of smoke as well now I am worried as I to am going to stay there in June

I was thinking the same thing. Aren't the All Star Resorts built the same way?

 

[minnie61650]

I was thinking the same thing. Aren't the All Star Resorts built the same way?

1) If you look at the unfinished resort buildings, you see why smoke travels.
2) Although construction is expensive, the resort design is "cheapened".
3) An illustration of such is the common ductwork.
4) This allows air from one unit to move to another unit.
5) All of Pop has these cheaper designs.

NOTE: One of our partners is a general contractor, and he pointed out some of the design "savers" used in the new Pop resort. I guess it is the new wave for WDW. If you look at construction of the DVC's (prior to interior fit-out), it is apparent from the way the older DVC's were built. This IS NOT to say that there are construction issues, only design factors that make construction costs less, and "may" affect guests.

If I read TheRustyScupper correctly the connected ventilation system was new design that was first used at Pop to help save money.

The All Star resorts were built before Pop.

I have never seen any posts about the All Stars having smoke problems due to a connecting ventalation system but I have read several posts about Pop having this problem.

Here is another post about the problem at Pop:

from this thread:

http://disboards.com/showthread.php?p=21999445&posted=1#post21999445

We recently were on vacation at the World a couple of weeks ago and I'm just now getting the chance to post about our experience at the Pop. We absolutely love this resort and this was our 5th stay there. It is cheap, new, has a great food court, and you can see the fireworks from the 50's, which is where we always stay.

Well, this was our first stay since they enforced the no smoking in all rooms and balconies. Here is what happened to us.....DH-32, Me-28

We check in on Sun. Nov. 11th around 1PM and take our things to our room. I can't remember our exact room number, but it was 31 something. It was in an interior corner the side closest to the parking lot if that helps. Well, the first night everything was fine. The second night we arrived back from a day at Epcot, ate some dinner, go to bed and at around 12AM we both wake up to the smell of smoke in our room. Neither of us smoke and I guess you could say we are sensitive to it but we don't have asthma and aren't allergic to it. At first we couldn't tell if it truly was cigarette smoke or some other smoke. It just kept getting stronger and stronger. And for it to wake us both up it had to have been pretty strong. DH goes outside to look around and see if he sees anyone smoking. Nothing. Even if someone had been smoking out there it couldn't have been that strong in our room unless they had been laying down blowing it under our door. It was stronger than alot of bars I've been to. We finally realize it is strongest in the bathroom and figure it must be coming from the vent. So DH calls the front desk and tells them how we were both asleep and were awaken by the smell of smoke. She asks if we looked around outside and he said yes and didn't see anyone. I ask to make sure there isn't a fire nearby and we aren't smelling that because it was just soooo strong I wanted to be sure. She assures us there is no fire. Then she jokes with him and says, "Are you sure your wife isn't smoking in the bathroom and hiding it from you?" He told her no, that neither of us smoke, but it was very strong. She says that they could bring an air purifier to the room for us. He asks me if that's what I want and I was just so tired that I said not tonight and maybe tomorrow if we still smell it. She said okay and they hang up. Well, we close the bathroom door and finally get back to sleep.

The next morning we wake up and it doesn't smell as bad. Until DH opens the bathroom door and the smell pours out of their. It was worse than the night before. He hurries up and shuts the door back. It was so bad it was like someone was standing right in front of you blowing it straight in your face. DH really has to go to the bathroom so he goes to the ones by the bowling pool to use that. He's also pretty upset about the girl at the desk the night before joking about it being me smoking in the bathroom. While he is gone I call the front desk and explain how we had called last night and wake up this morning, had the bathroom door closed last night and when we open it it's worse. I told her it's so bad we can't even use our bathroom. She apologizes and tells me that 16 rooms are connected through the same bathroom vents. 4 over and all 4 floors. So, if anyone in any of those rooms was smoking in their bathroom they probably had their vent on blowing it into it but all it does is send it throughout the other rooms. She says she can move us to another room not connected to these and also will give us 25% off the last nights stay. She says to have our bags packed under the window and they will move them for us while we are away today. I also got to pick which area I wanted to move to and could have even chose preferred but because we like it more quiet we stayed in the 50's section. DH comes back and I tell him about everything but he is still upset about the other womans comments and that we have to pack up everything and move because of someone else thinking they can get away with smoking in their room.

I also was reading throught the papers they give you when you check in and it says if they find out you have smoked in your room or balcony it is a minimum $200 fine. I would think that would just cover them having to give the other 15 rooms a percentage off if they complain of the smell. BTW, we didn't have any problems in the room they moved us to for the remainder of our stay, which was 5 more days.

Closing thoughts--
- We still love the Pop for all the reasons mentioned in the 1st paragraph.
- I do not approve of the new no-smoking in the rooms policy even though we are non-smokers.
- I do not agree with the smoking areas. I understand that they are made centrally located for all, but that also means that every non-smoker must walk through a cloud of smoke to get to where they need to. ie:Right by the doors to enter the main building, and on the main paths to the main building.
- There will always be people who think they can get away with something, thus ruining things for others, and causing headaches both for the cast members and guests.
- I think they should make one building or half a building just for smokers and furthest from the main guest areas(pool, main building) or else have one of those 16 block of rooms in each building for smokers.

I'm also thinking of sending these thoughts to Disney. Does anyone know the best place to send this and get a response?

Thank you and I hope this helps someone else, April

Edited to add another post:

From page 6 of this thread:


http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?p=20316221

We stayed at the POP in 2005 because it was the newest of the Values and supposedly quite clean, looked like my something DD would enjoy, and had the lowest percentage of smoking rooms. But the biggest reason we chose POP was because we only see our hotel room when (1) we're sleeping and (2) getting ready in the morning. We don't hang around in the room or even at the pool and rarely even eat at the food court. We're going all the time. It makes no sense for us to spend a few to several hundred dollars a night for a hotel room that we will barely see.

MIL and DD were in a connecting room and they were quiet. Next door neighbors were quiet, so we lucked out on the noise issue. I do remember the toilets were a bit loud, but we always close hotel bathroom doors, so it never woke us up. Plus, I grew up with oil wells pumping in my back yard, so what wakes me will not wake others and vice versa.

We're staying there again next month and it was my automatic choice, based on how pleased I was with the last stay. Our friends are staying there too, based on my recommendation. I have recommended it to many people since 2005. But I must say I am beginning to get nervous, because of the many reports I keep reading regarding how poorly POP is handling the "all rooms are now nonsmoking" issue. There will always be considerate smokers and there will always be inconsiderate smokers. The considerate ones may not be happy about this change, but they slog down to the DSAs and follow the rules. It's the ones that keep smoking outside their rooms (on the walkways) and in their bathrooms that concern me. The POP CM I spoke to today (some level of manager) explained that 16 bathrooms share a ventilation system, so if a person smokes in one, it goes to all 16. Oh goody. I keep reading reports that POP CMs are being lax in enforcing the new rules.....Then a smoker will say they were never told about DSAs, so they had no idea there was anyplace to smoke. It's on the map, but they weren't told.....and lots of people don't study the resort maps.

Sooooo.....I hope POP gets a handle on this problem. Too many people have medical issues that mean they absolutely cannot breathe in smoke-filled air. Yet people who are addicted to smoking must find a way to smoke, and if it's made too difficult for them, a certain percentage will break the rules and smoke wherever they want. In the past, as long as some rooms were allotted for "smoking," the die-hards who would not walk down to a DSA would have likely requested a smoking room. But that option is gone, and I fear management has failed to look ahead to the logical consequences. Ironically, it may be harder to stay away from smoke now that the resort is "smoke-free" than it was in the past.

Please know that I am NOT trying to start a smoking/nonsmoking debate. I am sincerely puzzled as to how this issue is going to be dealt with. At first glance, to a nonsmoking asthmatic like me, going totally nonsmoking seemed like something that would be very positive. Then reality set in and I realized most smokers can't take "take a vacation" from smoking while at WDW, and if the DSAs weren't heavily advertised/extremely convenient, then some percentage of smokers would simply smoke at will. That's real life. I don't know if anyone ....smokers OR nonsmokers....is coming out a winner here.

So we'll stay at the POP and pray for the best. If the smoking situation is under control, then I'll continue to recommend it and even stay there again. But if it's as bad as some of the posters are indicating, then it will be my last time there. Which would be a shame, because it's got a lot going for it.