Coronodo Springs - Look Out

[dumbo33]

Just got back from a weekend at C.S. Springs resort and have a word of warning. My wife checked in before I did on Friday as I was at work. While she was in the room there was a knock on the door and someone identified themselves as a Disney worker wanted to get into the room, without a clear explanation. My wife opened the door a bit, but still had the chain locked. The man insisted he had to get into the room, but still, upon questioning wasn't clear about why. When she wouldn't let him in the room, he began to get agitated, clenching his fists. My wife closed the door and called the front desk, telling them what happened and asking to send someone over. Meanwhile she called me, as I was on the road towards the hotel. All this happened at approx. 4:00. I arrived at the resort at 5:45, we returned to the room at 6:10 and finally there was someone there. This person was only a room key reader. We were shocked that it took then so long to respond and then only with a woman (who was nice) bet certainly not equipped to handle any situation that could have been dangerous. I couldn't believe that it took that long for Disney to respond and then with no obvious concern. That was callous and certainly not the way we expect Disney to handle such situations. I am writing a letter to the General Manager of the hotel of course, and can't wait for his/her response. We are Vacation Club members and stay at Disney quite often since we only live an hour away. This was by far the scariest experience we have had. For my wife her weekend was ruined of course as this resort didn't garner much in the way of positive marks.
The food court situation didn't get many positive reviews from us. We ate breakfast at the food court on Sunday; the food was cold, and they seemed to not be very good at accommodating handicapped situations (we were with a friend in a wheelchair).
I have been to Disney long enough to know that you always give the resorts at least twice, especially if you have a bad experience the first time. It's to bad, because the resort is beautifully themed and would be a pleasure to stay there, (except the food court). I do hope they beef up their security measures and be a little more responsive to situations that arise.
On the bright side, it is Disney, and the rest of the weekend was a great one!!!!

 

[tmustain]

Wow! My family is staying at CS in June- this is NOT reassuring to us. I am thankful your wife was not hurt- but Disney's response, in this time, is just shameful.

 

[rosiep]

This is quite alarming! I'm so glad your wife wasn't hurt..though I'm sure she was very unnerved.
Disney's response is almost as surprising as the incident itself .
My Mom and I are staying at the CSR in October. I'll be sure to keep my door locked and be wary of opening it to strangers!

Please let us know what response you get to your letters. This is a serious matter.
Thanks for reporting.

 

[safetymom]

Is there a reason why you didn't take it up with someone while you were there?

 

[dumbo33]

After the front desk call, we were waiting for friends to get there and check in. My wife went to the front desk to talk to someone when the friends and I arrived almost at the same time. When they checked in and I got there we went back to the room and thats when the door key reader was there. We talked to her for quite awhile and guessed that this person was the person that was sent to respond to the situation.

 

[ameraumi]

Interesting. When we were there in April 06 we had nothing but great things to say. There was one day we noticed that a small gator was near the beach area outside of the Cabanas (still in the water but close to the edge) and called Security. They were there in a flash and had the area secured while trying to catch the gator.

 

[ilovebassets]

To be fair to CSR, that is the type of situation that I think it would have been more appropriate to call 911. If there is a strange person attempting to assault your family member (who could possibly be armed), a hotel manager isn't about to send over an unarmed person from the front desk just to check things out.

It's one thing for security to deal with a small alligator (they're generally harmless anyway and more scared of us than we are of them). I'd rather be within 10 feet of an alligator than 10 feet of a potential assault criminal!

Sorry you had to deal with that on what's supposed to be a relaxing vacation.

 

[JulyGirl]

If an unidentified man were trying to gain access to my room and refused to leave, I would call 911. I would THEN call the front desk and let them know that 911 was alerted. This guy could have pushed his way into the room and could have done God knows what. Things like that should not be taken lightly by any hotel, let alone Disney.

 

[alldiz]

OMG

I would have wanted a line up of employees to make sure that some
sicko wasn't wandering around.

Was it ever found out who that man was
Kerri

 

[shellybaxter]

To be fair to CSR, that is the type of situation that I think it would have been more appropriate to call 911. If there is a strange person attempting to assault your family member (who could possibly be armed), a hotel manager isn't about to send over an unarmed person from the front desk just to check things out.

It's one thing for security to deal with a small alligator (they're generally harmless anyway and more scared of us than we are of them). I'd rather be within 10 feet of an alligator than 10 feet of a potential assault criminal!

Sorry you had to deal with that on what's supposed to be a relaxing vacation.

While I agree with you that 911 should have been called; it was as much (maybe more) the responsibility of the hotel to call as the guest. At the very least, when alerted that a man was trying to enter rooms inappropriately, the hotel should have sent a trained security guard (read ex-law enforcement or certified to handle these types of situations) or called 911. A manager should have followed up with the OP to make sure everything was okay. This isn't just a guest who needed towels, or wasn't happy with their room placement; this guest was concerned for their safety.

 

[ElizabethB]

A very scary experience, indeed. I agree that management should have had someone to the room pronto. As I understand it, Disney security is the first line defense at the Disney resort in any event and that they control the access granted to non-Disney police forces. Someone correct me if I'm wrong on that.

Never forget that Cary Stayner gained access to the Yosemite hotel room of Carole Sund, her daughter Julie Sund and her daughter's friend, Silvina Pelosso by using a ruse that he was there to check a leak in the bathroom. (He actually was an employee of the hotel.) He murdered Carole and Silvina, drove Julie to a remote area and then murdered her.

It is always important to be careful about who you let into a hotel room. And, an agitated man who can't seem to say why he's there is particularly worrisome. If he had legitimate business, he should have said he'd come back with another employee and, in the interim, the guest could call housekeeping/maintenance and check his i.d. and confirm the reason for the visit. In this instance, it all seems highly suspicious -- and it is quite surprising to me that it took 2 hours to get someone there to investigate.

 

[dancin Disney style]

Just a little to further the PP. This goes for anyone in any hotel.

If someone is knocking on your door and you are not expecting anyone don't open the door. Look through the peep hole and ask who it is. If they claim to be, for example, hotel maintenance ask them to wait for a moment. Then call the front desk and ask if they have sent a maintenance person to your room. If they have NOT, ask them to IMMEDIATELY send security and call the police. Never, ever let a stranger into your room no matter what they say. We all know what could happen.

I have travelled alone and have had an experience with someone trying to open my hotel room door. Thankfully, I quickly call the front desk. In the end it was a hotel employee that was at the wrong room but it scared me terribly.

 

[Booyakasha]

First of all this was a terrible experience. However, I am confused by the lack of action on both the part of Disney and yourself. If there was truly a man trying to get in to hotel rooms to physically assault someone or steal something why were the police not called? This man obviously went somewhere else. Maybe he left, maybe he went to another floor maybe another resort. Why weren't you or the resort concerened enough about this to call the police, give a description of this man, maybe prevent this from happening to someone else? If the resort didn't do this why didn't you? If I truly thought this man was trying to hurt my wife I would certainly have involved the police.


B.

 

[UrsulasShadow]

I'm confused...your wife left the room after the confrontation at the door? Alone? Wasn't she afraid the man was still there, waiting for her?

Please don't think I'm blaming her for something terrifying that happened to her...I'm not. I'm just trying to fill in the blanks.

 

[only1alexa]

Just got back from a weekend at C.S. Springs resort and have a word of warning. My wife checked in before I did on Friday as I was at work. While she was in the room there was a knock on the door and someone identified themselves as a Disney worker wanted to get into the room, without a clear explanation. My wife opened the door a bit, but still had the chain locked. The man insisted he had to get into the room, but still, upon questioning wasn't clear about why. When she wouldn't let him in the room, he began to get agitated, clenching his fists. My wife closed the door and called the front desk, telling them what happened and asking to send someone over. Meanwhile she called me, as I was on the road towards the hotel. All this happened at approx. 4:00. I arrived at the resort at 5:45, we returned to the room at 6:10 and finally there was someone there. This person was only a room key reader. We were shocked that it took then so long to respond and then only with a woman (who was nice) bet certainly not equipped to handle any situation that could have been dangerous. I couldn't believe that it took that long for Disney to respond and then with no obvious concern. That was callous and certainly not the way we expect Disney to handle such situations. I am writing a letter to the General Manager of the hotel of course, and can't wait for his/her response. We are Vacation Club members and stay at Disney quite often since we only live an hour away. This was by far the scariest experience we have had. For my wife her weekend was ruined of course as this resort didn't garner much in the way of positive marks.
The food court situation didn't get many positive reviews from us. We ate breakfast at the food court on Sunday; the food was cold, and they seemed to not be very good at accommodating handicapped situations (we were with a friend in a wheelchair).
I have been to Disney long enough to know that you always give the resorts at least twice, especially if you have a bad experience the first time. It's to bad, because the resort is beautifully themed and would be a pleasure to stay there, (except the food court). I do hope they beef up their security measures and be a little more responsive to situations that arise.
On the bright side, it is Disney, and the rest of the weekend was a great one!!!!

I'm curious about a few things:
1. Your wife called the front desk and was so terrified she didn't think to call police too? I don't care WHAT Disney's policy is, if I'm terrified of someone for any reason I'm going to let them know AND contact the police.

2. You live an hour away, your wife called you at about 4 and you got there at 5:45. Do you work 45 minutes farther from your home? Did you contact police or the resort with your concerns during that 1 hour and 45 minute drive?

3. You posted that you arrived at the resort at 5:45 and got to the room at 6:10, what happened in those 25 minutes? I'm assuming you didn't get anyone to come to the room with you as you posted that you arrived at the room at 6:10 and finally there was someone there.

4. Does WE include your wife? If so, why did she leave the room if this man was still out there?

5. How many times did she call the front desk or police? You mention one call to the front desk and one to you. I'd have the front desk stay on the phone with me until someone got there, or, if I was really scared, call the police and stay on the line until help arrived.

6. Did you ever find out who the man was? Did you insist on reporting it to police in case there's some serial stalker/rapist/unmedicated nut walking around that they and all the other guests should be aware of?

7. You're writing a letter to the General Manager. Did you demand to speak to him/her and make sure s/he was made aware of what you perceived to be a lack of response to a possibly life threatening situation?

And one last, important detail: you posted that they responded " only with a woman (who was nice) bet certainly not equipped to handle any situation that could have been dangerous." As a law enforcement officer in what has consistently been labled as one of the most dangerous cities in the US, you'd be amazed at what "only a woman" can handle. I'll take the angry guy outside my room any day.::cop:

 

[Mayl]

Watch out for CSR... We had issues with guys at the main pool with my wife and another couple of ladies..

The staff was very poor about helping them out.. You get drunk convention guys there and they turn the pool into a singles bar.. Would not suprise me to know one of these guys was doing something fishy with trying to get into rooms

Just don't stay at the CSR.. worse Disney property ever.. We love all the others and enjoy/feel safe there. But not at CSR...

 

[dumbo33]

I'm curious about a few things:
1. Your wife called the front desk and was so terrified she didn't think to call police too? I don't care WHAT Disney's policy is, if I'm terrified of someone for any reason I'm going to let them know AND contact the police.

2. You live an hour away, your wife called you at about 4 and you got there at 5:45. Do you work 45 minutes farther from your home? Did you contact police or the resort with your concerns during that 1 hour and 45 minute drive?

3. You posted that you arrived at the resort at 5:45 and got to the room at 6:10, what happened in those 25 minutes? I'm assuming you didn't get anyone to come to the room with you as you posted that you arrived at the room at 6:10 and finally there was someone there.

4. Does WE include your wife? If so, why did she leave the room if this man was still out there?

5. How many times did she call the front desk or police? You mention one call to the front desk and one to you. I'd have the front desk stay on the phone with me until someone got there, or, if I was really scared, call the police and stay on the line until help arrived.

6. Did you ever find out who the man was? Did you insist on reporting it to police in case there's some serial stalker/rapist/unmedicated nut walking around that they and all the other guests should be aware of?

7. You're writing a letter to the General Manager. Did you demand to speak to him/her and make sure s/he was made aware of what you perceived to be a lack of response to a possibly life threatening situation?

And one last, important detail: you posted that they responded " only with a woman (who was nice) bet certainly not equipped to handle any situation that could have been dangerous." As a law enforcement officer in what has consistently been labled as one of the most dangerous cities in the US, you'd be amazed at what "only a woman" can handle. I'll take the angry guy outside my room any day.::cop:

Okay,,,,thats quite a lot to answer but I will give the inquisition a shot -

1 - Yes my wife was that scared and mad. She didn't think about calling the police, just the front desk. Quick, tell me the phone number of the police. Half of you probably have to look it up in the phone book in your home towns. The front desk people told her she did the right thing by calling them and that they would be sending someone over. I guess the expectation was that if someone calls the front desk saying that there is a person trying to talk his way into a room, the response should be almost immediate. No one thought about the police since we assumed that Disney security was very good and it would be handled. I guess we should have called them also in retrospect, because as of yet, no one has called to check on the situation. My suspicion is that the call got shuffled to the back burner.

2 - Yes, my work is further away than my home, plus it was Friday late afternoon with bumper to bumper. I will clock it for you on my next trip. No I didn't call the police either.

3 - I also posted that our friends arrived about the same time I did, and they were staying a couple of doors down. We did feel a bit more comfortable with them there. One man just had a stroke, and we got caught up in helping him. At this point it had been awhile and we were pretty confident that he wouldn't try again.

4 - Yes "we" does include my wife. She left the room after a time period and she felt comfortable that he wasn't lurking outside the door.

5 - Yes she probably could have had them stay on the line.

6 - No, we never heard anything about it again.

7 - We will be handling that in our letter. We had PR's at Tony's for 6:15. Guess that is where our priorities were. Once our friends came my wife felt better, but face it, after that length of time we didn't think he would be still there, or try again.

On your last "important" note - you misunderstood the post. I am not saying that a woman couldn't have handled it. She really didn't know what was going on. She came only to read who has tried to come into the room, not confront a stranger trying to get access to a room.

 

[Doc631]

I'm curious about a few things:
1. Your wife called the front desk and was so terrified she didn't think to call police too? I don't care WHAT Disney's policy is, if I'm terrified of someone for any reason I'm going to let them know AND contact the police.

2. You live an hour away, your wife called you at about 4 and you got there at 5:45. Do you work 45 minutes farther from your home? Did you contact police or the resort with your concerns during that 1 hour and 45 minute drive?

3. You posted that you arrived at the resort at 5:45 and got to the room at 6:10, what happened in those 25 minutes? I'm assuming you didn't get anyone to come to the room with you as you posted that you arrived at the room at 6:10 and finally there was someone there.

4. Does WE include your wife? If so, why did she leave the room if this man was still out there?

5. How many times did she call the front desk or police? You mention one call to the front desk and one to you. I'd have the front desk stay on the phone with me until someone got there, or, if I was really scared, call the police and stay on the line until help arrived.

6. Did you ever find out who the man was? Did you insist on reporting it to police in case there's some serial stalker/rapist/unmedicated nut walking around that they and all the other guests should be aware of?

7. You're writing a letter to the General Manager. Did you demand to speak to him/her and make sure s/he was made aware of what you perceived to be a lack of response to a possibly life threatening situation?

And one last, important detail: you posted that they responded " only with a woman (who was nice) bet certainly not equipped to handle any situation that could have been dangerous." As a law enforcement officer in what has consistently been labled as one of the most dangerous cities in the US, you'd be amazed at what "only a woman" can handle. I'll take the angry guy outside my room any day.::cop:

Who are you, Sherlock Holmes? Geez, you seem to insinuate that just because the OP and his wife didn't handle the situation the way you would have, means there's something fishy. I know my DW has been spooked about something or other in the past but hasn't necessarily called the police. We weren't there, so we don't know exactly what happened, but I believe the OP's account.

Watch out for CSR... We had issues with guys at the main pool with my wife and another couple of ladies..

The staff was very poor about helping them out.. You get drunk convention guys there and they turn the pool into a singles bar.. Would not suprise me to know one of these guys was doing something fishy with trying to get into rooms

Just don't stay at the CSR.. worse Disney property ever.. We love all the others and enjoy/feel safe there. But not at CSR...

Mayl, I hope you're donning your protective gear!

 

[UrsulasShadow]

Okay,,,,thats quite a lot to answer but I will give the inquisition a shot -

1 - Yes my wife was that scared and mad. She didn't think about calling the police, just the front desk. Quick, tell me the phone number of the police. Half of you probably have to look it up in the phone book in your home towns.

UMMMMMMM, 911? Geez, didn't even have to look it up, either....

My guess is that she wasn't conveying any real concern to the front desk, and so they didn't treat it as an emergency. Evidence is supported by her willingness to leave the room shortly after, unaccompanied. This may or may not have been the way to handle it (by either party), since we only have 2nd hand reports of what really transpired. And honestly, if I called my DH and said there's a strange man trying to force his way into my room, I think he would have called 911 himself and reported it (yeah, he knows the number, too). So my GUESS (only that) is that it wasn't conveyed as a real concern to the front desk, only an annoyance, and they dealt with it accordingly.

 

[CTDis4]

Watch out for CSR... We had issues with guys at the main pool with my wife and another couple of ladies..

The staff was very poor about helping them out.. You get drunk convention guys there and they turn the pool into a singles bar.. Would not suprise me to know one of these guys was doing something fishy with trying to get into rooms

Just don't stay at the CSR.. worse Disney property ever.. We love all the others and enjoy/feel safe there. But not at CSR...

I have stayed at CSR many, many times wth huge conventions going on and have never had a problem. Could it happen? Of course, but it could at any Disney resort. We stayed at CR and the fathers (who were may I say were a wee drunk) of several small children were making such disgusting remarks (very loudly) in reference to a couple of very pretty young ladies that the ladies ended up leaving. Should I say watch out for CR?