Complaints About Housekeeping

[mickeymyfavorite]

I have noticed the complaints about housekeeping and I started wondering if it has anything to do with so many people wanting "towel animals"? When I first came on these boards I had never heard about "towel animals" now if people don't get them it can ruin a stay. Over the years more people would post about them. Now I wonder if many people think it's the norm to receive them?

I think they are cute, but personally I'd rather have housekeeping spend more time in my room cleaning and getting it done early then have a "towel animal" hanging out in our room. I have just noticed that since the complaints of housekeeping have gone up, so has the increase in these so called wash cloth creatures.

I know that Disney is lacking in housekeeping, but I wonder if making towel animals is hurting or maybe even perhaps helping how people view housekeeping? Is your stay more magical if you get them or would you rather have them come in and do a good job cleaning and get it done fast? I would think one or the other would have to give.

You know it would stink even more if you didn't get a "towel animal" and housekeeping still did a lousy job. I've never really had any complaints with housekeeping. The only issue I've had is when turn down service comes around 6:00. It's to early for me to be thinking about turning in for the night.

I agree! I wish they spent more time on the room.........towel animals are cute, but me and DS12 couldn't really care either way.

 

[drew64]

I noticed two posts were more about security than cleanliness.

First- All hotel housekeeping staff tend to leave doors blocked open when cleaning. This is quite common and why nothing valuable shoudl be left except in a safe.

Secondly, I am curious as to how anyone can walk into an occupied room. Don't people know to engage the privacy bar - provided in every Disney room - when in their rooms.

As to cleanliness, I have never had an issue in over two dozen stays in moderates and deluxe - CBR, CSR, POFQ, POR, CR, GF, YC, BC, BWI.
Rooms always clean, well supplied, etc. Sometimes towel animals, sometimes not - no big deal.

I did overhear last year at the BC, a guest complaining at the front desk that they are not gettign towel animals. How petty and how desperate to waste oyur vacation time on such a trivial matter. CM later told me it happens frequently.
Perhaps some of the little extra magic things are going away because CMs are sick of guests demanding them because they read on a board that someone else got them.

What I have noticed is a steady decline in the cleanliness of guests. Perhaps, Disney is just not able to keep up with the mess left by some people. For example, all of those tables in food courts covered with trash - it is called lazy, dirty guests who are not able to clean up after themselves. Self-service means you dump the trash when done. Same with the trash thrown in bushes, on walkways, etc.

 

[djm99]

It might be just me, but I prefer not to have my room cleaned everyday. I always think they are 'going thru my stuff' anyway. Its okay to make the beds, change towels, add soap, empty my trash cans. I can pick up my trash off the floors and tables, I can (in all honesty) make up my own bed. On vacation, this would not bother me one bit. What bothers me is when my things have been moved (so they can clean). I am really okay, as long as I have clean towels, soap, etc. All the other stuff is just extra. Other than my honeymood (almost 10 years ago - August 9, 1997) I hardly EVER spend anytime in my room anyway. Oh yeah - I had turn down service once, it's wierd - really wierd that individuals would pay money for this. The only person that I feel comfortable turning down my service is DH!!!!

 

[Barbers2005]

Oh yeah - I had turn down service once, it's wierd - really wierd that individuals would pay money for this. The only person that I feel comfortable turning down my service is DH!!!!

I agree about the turndown...I've had it at other hotels, and it's kind of creepy. I can get ready for bed myself, thanks- just give me the chocolate. Honestly, I just want housekeeping to be thorough and unobtrusive. Almost like they were never there and the room just magically stayed clean. That being said, I recieved excellent service and towel animals when we stayed at Pop last year (first trip on-site).

 

[djm99]

I noticed two posts were more about security than cleanliness.

Secondly, I am curious as to how anyone can walk into an occupied room.

Back in 2004, I did a trip report and had this same issue. I wouldn't call it a complaint because nothing was missing but this is what happen. During the mid day of our vacation, I returned to my room to get my camera battery. I was vacationing with two other families. All three of us were next door to each other. My room was on a corner. Mousekeeping was cleaning one of our rooms (my friends) and had mine WIDE open with the cart in the door. I simply walked in my room to get my battery. I walked out and went next door to the room she was cleaning. I asked her if she could close MY door. I had literally walked in and out of my room without her even knowing it. And a confident con man (or women) could have easily done the same thing. Taking anything out of my room they wanted. Yes you are absolutely correct when you stated that valuable items should be placed in the safe, but in all honesty, what's wrong with opening ONLY one room at a time. Now, I did not complain because nothing was missing, but it kind of freaked me out for a minute.

BTW, this is literally my only issue with Disney. I acted like a total ding bat that vacation. I left several $100's of travelers checks in open view one day (not smart at all) - but all were there.

 

[mirlow]

Oh yeah - I had turn down service once, it's wierd - really wierd that individuals would pay money for this.

The weird thing is you don't pay for it, it's included in CL and you can request it at any deluxe hotel. Of course you can request not to have it if you desire.

 

[djm99]

The weird thing is you don't pay for it, it's included in CL and you can request it at any deluxe hotel. Of course you can request not to have it if you desire.

I know it doesn't cost at Disney, that's why I wrote "would". But at other chain hotels individuals will and do pay extra for that service.

 

[ConcKahuna]

I hope people realize that any towel animals they recieve were created and PAID for my the Mousekeeper. They actually have to buy all of their own supplies and washclothes for these. I would hate for people to expect someone to do something with their money. You never know what their living situation at home is like and if they can afford to create towel animals!

My mother used to be a Mousekeeper at FW, and I can promise you the housekeepers do not pay for the towel animals. The animals are normally made by one or two mousekeepers on days when there is enough labor to cover all of the rooms. A lack of towel animals normally means that all the mousekeepers were needed to clean rooms, so no animals were made.

Disney does not outsource the housekeeping. The outsource the maintenence, carpet shampooing, painting, etc. but housekeepers are still Disney employees. I am a Campus Rep for the college program and it very much still a role choice.

That is mostly correct. The graveyard housekeeping is outsourced, although only for the housekeepers that don't actually deal with the guests directly (i.e., the ones who clean the public areas). Also, only some of the maintenence is outsourced (normally specialists like for the cable), and the Disney mousekeepers do the carpet shampooing in the rooms, although the graveyard company does the shampooing in most public areas.

I can't comment on who pays for the towel animals. I honestly don't know.

But it was my understanding (perhaps incorrectly) that the towel animals are made prior to the cleaning times and not 'within' in each room as the cleaners go along.

As such, it shouldn't really impact the quality of the cleaning.

Knox

Exactly!

 

[Mr. Pig]

Thanks for the post. That answers a lot of questions about why some people get towel animals and some don't regardless of tips.

 

[ribbot]

We stayed at ASMo 2 years ago and we tipped daily and never got one---but my son's animals were always arranged cutely so he got a little surprise when we got back to the hotel. I'm glad to hear that they don't spend cleaning time on making them----but I'm just wondering if they did the day before we arrived for our last trip and found medication on the floor and a receipt that laid by the door(from the guests before us) for at least 4 days! If I could see it, couldn't they? My DH finally picked it up just because I kept complaining about it! I wanted to see how long it would lay there. So apparently they don't sweep daily either---especially if they know you're going to be living in that room for 9 or 10 days. Yep, I tipped for that.

 

[wen8jr]

I agree about the turndown...I've had it at other hotels, and it's kind of creepy. I can get ready for bed myself, thanks- just give me the chocolate. Honestly, I just want housekeeping to be thorough and unobtrusive. Almost like they were never there and the room just magically stayed clean. That being said, I recieved excellent service and towel animals when we stayed at Pop last year (first trip on-site).

What's next tuck in service! I can just imagine a housekeeper saying "night night", flipping the light off as she goes out with me all tucked in bed. LOL

Like you, I like for housekeeping to come when I'm out during the day. If they were to leave a piece or two of chocolate, well that would be nice. I would find it very uncomfortable or uncontrollably funny if a stranger were to come in to get my room ready at night for my family to go to bed...especially if I were there.

To those that like it, whatever it takes to make you feel pampered all the more power to you.

 

[TeresaMc]

I guess I am one of the few that appreciate turndown service. After a long tiring day in the park, coming back to the lights lit low and the bed all ready for me to hop in makes it really feel like home. But then I turndown my bed at home a couple hours before bed too, after dinner I usually change out of my work clothes into pj's and turndowm my bed, so when I'm ready I just hop in.

 

[KorieDWnut]

lol. I don't even know what a towel animal is or what it looks like. 19 times I will have been to WDW and not once have I seen this elusive creature! Boy am I missing out!
And people actually have people come and turn their beds down for them? What have I been missing all these years!

lol

 

[Shawn429]

My complaint? At 8:30am one morning I was trying to sleep in after being at the MK until 1am the night before. Housekeeping POUNDED on my door. It was horrible.

 

[Tink415]

Towel animals are cute and my kids love them but we wouldn't complain if we don't get them, complaining about that just seems silly! But, after many years of getting only 'very nice and clean rooms', I have gotten a very few 'less than nice and not perfectly clean rooms' in the last few years. I attribute it to my high expectations to a degree, and, IMHO, to cost-cutting that results in housekeepers that are occasionally too busy for one reason or another to notice something isn't clean or is worn, and a change in standards for when things are replaced. If something really bothers me I communicate it to WDW and generally have no complaints about the response I get back. I try not to sweat the small stuff and still love to vacation at WDW

 

[djm99]

but I'm just wondering if they did the day before we arrived for our last trip and found medication on the floor and a receipt that laid by the door(from the guests before us) for at least 4 days!

R U serious. For two days you saw this - and not once thought about putting it in the trash can. If (for example) I was a housekeeper and lets say, didn't clean the room the day before, I wouldn't throw away someones medication or a reciept - if for no other reason because you might need both. You knew the meds and the reciept didn't belong to you, housekeeping didn't know that (or its possible they didn't). I'm not judging, I'm really not - to each its own, but 4 days you saw trash on the floors and you let it stay there for 4 days. Interesting.

 

[werfamily]

And a general question, here...

I know I'm an unsophisticated guy from Oklahoma, but what's the big deal about turndown service? It takes all of 10, 15 seconds to turn down your own bed, why do you want some stranger to make a special trip into your room to pull down some covers?

Am I missing something here? Mind you, I have never experienced turndown service so maybe I don't know what the thrill is.

Please educate me; I may want to insist on it when I check in next time...

It's more than turning down the bed...they also replace dirty towels & empty shampoo/lotion bottles, and do a quick tidy of the room. It's especially nice when you shower after swimming mid-day to get fresh towels prior to the regular room cleaning the next morning.

Not to mention those little chocolates on the pillow!

 

[imatoad]

Nope, no complaints here, we've had outstanding housekeeping every stay at Disney. In fact one night we had a toilet back up at CBR and had to call maintenance, they were at our room in minutes, unclogged the toilet and cleaned up the entire mess for us. Ya know what you get for $200/nt. in downtown Manhattan? A view of a brick wall next door and the alley below. Again, some people go to Disney with unobtainable expectations and return home po'd at the world because they didn't get towel animals. Every time I check in at a Disney resort I am incredibly thankful for the opportunity to be there, some people will never have the money to go.

 

[LindsayDunn228]

If you saw a reciept and medication on the floor, why not pick it up YOURSELF right away so the room wouldn't look cluttered?

I wouldn't have stepped over trash in MY room for FOUR days without picking it up. Wait....4 days? You could have atleast called housekeeping to pick it up for you THAT SAME DAY if you thought bending down and picking it up would have caused too much physical strain and caused you to miss out on going to the parks for several days.

Housekeepers can't pick up medication; they can be fired for doing that.

I totally agree. Seriously, I don't get people sometimes.

I have never had a problem with Mousekeeping. That said, I never heard of a tower animal until I found this board. I don't think they are a big deal. Big whoop. I tip the mousekeeper out of appreciation for his/her service, not to get a washcloth folded funky.

 

[CamColt]

I havent read all the replies here, but I have to say I noticed slow service on my recent stay. At PC after being out all morning we returned to our rooms once about 2:45 and the rooms were not done. Another day we had returned a little earlier, maybe 1:30 and they werent done then either.

At the CR we checked in at 3:00 and 1 room was not ready. We had a Tower MK view and they tried moving me saying there was no room (after they told me I was on the 7th floor). Since I had booked that room I declined their "upgrade" and then was told Id have to wait for the room to be ready. Another day my mother returned to her room (garden wing) about 3:00 and it had not been cleaned yet.

In the past it seemed my rooms have always been done by 12:00/1:00.