DVC temporary policy rooms now between 4pm and 6pm?

[DVCSunDevil]

Average hotel occupancy hovers around 60-65%. Think about what that means for a hotel with 100 rooms.

- 35 rooms are empty from the night before. Dozens of guests could arrive at 9am and immediately be given a room.
- Only 30 vacated rooms need to be cleaned to accommodate everyone. The 35 holdover rooms from the night before plus 30 more that are turned-over will get you to the 65 needed for the new day.
- 35 rooms don't have to be cleaned by any specific time because they aren't needed.

Disney hotels typically operate around 90% occupancy. DVC resorts are effectively 100%. Barring an unbooked room or no-show, every single vacated DVC villa must be turned over by 4pm. If you have 300 guests checking out, 300 rooms have to be cleaned by 4pm.

Disney should operate with that standard in mind. But any variety of factors conspire against them on a daily basis: employee sick calls, no-shows, rooms that are left in particular disrepair by departing guests, rooms that need maintenance attention, etc.

Plan for the worst and hope for the best. Years ago we gave up on things like 6am flights and arrival-day ADRs because there's too much uncertainty. It's less about giving Disney a free pass for bad performance, and more about acknowledging the things that can go wrong, and not putting myself in a position where they will cause our trip to begin with anger and frustration.

Do I believe that some exhorbitant number like 25-50% of all arrivals are getting their rooms after 4pm? No, absolutely not. But there's always a chance I'll be the one who gets hit. I'll report the problem to management. But I'm not going to let it damage the start of my trip, I'm not going to unload on some poor desk clerk, and I'm not going to assume that dozens of others are suffering the same fate due to widespread managerial incompetence.

This!! Especially the 2nd to last paragraph. It is not about giving them a free pass, but rather knowing that things can go wrong. Just like they can go wrong at any hotel.

 

[KAT4DISNEY]

Uh...they do??

I feel like I heard it once or twice here on the Boards but it was like close to check out time (although in practice I've never ever ever had anyone even contact us about when we'll be checking out) never at 8am

At Boardwalk we have gotten the call and hang up starting at 8am. The one and only day - check out day. It is the only resort it's ever happened. We have gotten houskeeping knocking on the door a little early like 10:30ish a couple other times at other resorts.

I have a couple other stories from Boardwalk that lead me to feel they are a bit so-so on the back end management of things there so I rarely doubt a bad story from there. On the other hand we've had some very good interactions. It's just very mixed.

 

[accm]

At Boardwalk we have gotten the call and hang up starting at 8am. The one and only day - check out day. It is the only resort it's ever happened. We have gotten houskeeping knocking on the door a little early like 10:30ish a couple other times at other resorts.

We had this happen at Kidani earlier this year. I was not impressed, since for once in their lives both my boys slept in, and the phone ringing ended up waking them up. I want to say it might’ve even been before 8…

 

[KAT4DISNEY]

We had this happen at Kidani earlier this year. I was not impressed, since for once in their lives both my boys slept in, and the phone ringing ended up waking them up. I want to say it might’ve even been before 8…

Yep, same with us. Early enough flights to not have time for the parks so instead we were just sleeping in a bit. Or trying to.

 

[accm]

Yep, same with us. Early enough flights to not have time for the parks so instead we were just sleeping in a bit. Or trying to.

We stayed late at MK the night before for the extra hours, and we’re changing resorts, so everyone needed the extra sleep. The thing is, that’s not even really something you can complain about, since they can turn around and say it wasn’t them.

 

[DVCSunDevil]

Yep, same with us. Early enough flights to not have time for the parks so instead we were just sleeping in a bit. Or trying to.

These are good stories to hear. Even though I haven’t experienced this, I may unplug the phones the night before checkout.

Not that it makes it any better or less frustrating for you, but housekeeping routinely knocks on my door before check out when I am staying at non-WDW resorts for work. In November my company had our national sales meeting at the Rosen Shingle Creek (pretty nice resort in Orlando) and the awards dinner was the night before check out, and those awards nights go late and get a little crazy. My return flight was around 1:00pm the following day so I was going to be able to sleep in…aaaaaand there was a knock on my door at 8:30am. Ugh…that was not pleasant. I should have hung the “Do Not Disturb” sign.

Anyway, it happens everywhere. I’m glad it hasn’t happened to me at Disney. Probably because we usually check out before the sun comes up,

 

[New Mouse]

Uh...they do??

I feel like I heard it once or twice here on the Boards but it was like close to check out time (although in practice I've never ever ever had anyone even contact us about when we'll be checking out) never at 8am

Yup...new standard. Happened to me as well. This is what happens when poor management pushes understaffed workers to meet deadlines.

 

[pianomanzano]

This past stay at Saratoga during Presidents’ Day weekend, we had the 8am knock, followed by 9, then 10, then 10:15, then 10:30. Each time we told them we were still getting ready to check-out. The last time they proceeded to try and open the door after we already yelled that we weren’t ready to leave the room yet. Wife is 5 months pregnant and we also had our 15 month old with us, made my wife really irritated and stressed out while we were packing up. Meant to complain afterwards, but forgot about it until I started reading this thread.

 

[FinallyFL]

and the phone ringing ended up waking them up. I want to say it might’ve even been before 8…

One of the first thing I do when moving into a timeshare is to unplug the phone. I started doing that to avoid the invitation to "owner updates", etc that the other timeshare companies "offer" .

 

[snappy]

Sounds like it would likewise be a good idea to unplug the phone at Disney resorts..

 

[accm]

One of the first thing I do when moving into a timeshare is to unplug the phone. I started doing that to avoid the invitation to "owner updates", etc that the other timeshare companies "offer" .

I wasn’t sure if we could do that. My sons were so entertained by the fact that there were phones (we don’t have a landline at home), that they kept wanting to play with it. Unplugging it would solve both problems.

 

[FinallyFL]

Sounds like it would likewise be a good idea to unplug the phone at Disney resorts..

If I stay somewhere more than 1 night, I unplug the phone. I also move the phone off of the nightstand since it takes up a lot of room.

 

[DVCSunDevil]

If I stay somewhere more than 1 night, I unplug the phone. I also move the phone off of the nightstand since it takes up a lot of room.

I unplug them when I am staying at Hilton properties for work. For some reason Hilton like to call randomly at night and in the morning. I don't have that issue at Marriott.

 

[Sandisw]

Can’t complain today!! Room ready at RIV..1 bedroom PV…12:45 pm!!!!

 

[DVCSunDevil]

Can’t complain today!! Room ready at RIV..1 bedroom PV…12:45 pm!!!!

YES!! Nothing better than getting your room super early. Have fun, and may it keep raining pixie dust for you!!

 

[lowlight]

Can’t complain today!! Room ready at RIV..1 bedroom PV…12:45 pm!!!!

To be fair, Riviera is a VERY well run resort. They clearly have a good management team there.

 

[Sandisw]

To be fair, Riviera is a VERY well run resort. They clearly have a good management team there.

Sure do!I am enjoying to again!! My all time favorite!!!

 

[CraigInPA]

Talk about embarrassing. I'd be embarrassed at how awful people would have to be to do those things. To use people's passing like that wow.

Apparently, trying to be funny goes right by some people...

 

[Mackenzie Click-Mickelson]

Apparently, trying to be funny goes right by some people...

Read on further..I mentioned in another comment regarding your post "which could be in jest but was distasteful none the less"

Nothing about what you said was funny. Obviously YMMV

 

[nightwing12]

Can’t complain today!! Room ready at RIV..1 bedroom PV…12:45 pm!!!!

I had great luck at the RIV this past XMAS. We were in a 1 BDRM for 2 nights, and then switched to a 2 BDRM for 2 more nights, on the day of the switch, our room was ready @ 7am! They even called us the night before to let us know we could contact bell services to bring out stuff for us. It was so early and I have 2 sons who can help carry stuff so we just brought our own stuff over to our much larger room!