Great Trip at OKW - But 1 Thing Made Me Mad

[arcruiser]

OK, 1st of all, my thanks again to the Forum Member from whom we rented points. We had a great time in our Studio at OKW.

This was our second experience renting points, and both trips were excellent.

We stayed Sun nite thru departure Fri morning.

On Friday morning, while taking stuff to the car, I noticed this fellow in a big hurry going down the stairs ahead of me. Then I noticed why he was in such a rush. The cleaning staff was there setting stuff at the doors of the units they were gonna clean. And he was trying to get past them unnoticed with his duffel bag.

Not an ordinary duffel bag... this one had a mesh covering at one end... and a dog's face happily looking thru the mesh.

Boy was I mad!

Why?

We left our Golden Retriever at home with relatives while we took our vacation. This girl is a family member in every sense, and even sleeps with us, etc. It really gets my hackles up to see someone smuggle in a dog, which is clearly forbidden, because what? They think they are above the rules? AARGH !.!.

My only regret is that I had already stowed away my digital camera which I had carried in my pocket all week. I would like to have taken "Mr. above the rule's" photo, and another of his car to show to Guest Services. I also regret that I did not see what room he came out of... I just know it was 2nd or 3rd floor of Bldg # 38.

...and Lastly, I thought I had been tagged, but I guess not
Well, it looks better than the old New Member, or whatever it said.
So I guess I'll thank the Tag Fairy in advance, in case she ever comes my way!

 

[dianeschlicht]

I think a photo would have been a great way to prove something, but DVC doesn't seem to really care if folks break the rules. The response I got when I called about someone smoking in a non-smoking building (it was coming through the bathroom vents) is proof of that. They said they "couldn't do anything" except have housekeeping leave a note "reminding" them it was a non-smoking building. I think folks who break the rules should be charged extra cleaning fees for doing so. Sure, the dog might have been very well housebroken etc, but if the next person in that unit is deathly allergic to dogs, the "dander" and allergens would still be around. You don't get rid of that with a vacuum cleaner. Just like you can't get rid of the smoke residue that is a problem for those of us sensitive to that.

 

[garydeb]

I can not believe that people think they are about the rules!!!! Don't they think about who comes in that room after them. I am allergic to Dog & Cats, and his stunt could have put me in the hospital for my vacaction. I can't believe that someone didn't hear that dog or see them walking to and from the room.
I also agree that the smoking issues need to be enforced better in DVC. Each CM has their reponse to someone smoking in a non-smoking room. They think that smoking in the bathroom will hurt no one. Well it hurts me!!!! My asthma can't take all this stuff and unless you have gone through an attack you don't know how scary it can be not to be able to breathe.

Maybe DVC needs to charge the people that think they are above the rules, maybe if you hit their pocketbook they will think twice about it.

Sorry this is a touchy subject for me,
garydeb

 

[chrissyk]

On the one hand, a rule is a rule and he shouldn't have broken it by bringing the dog in. On the other hand, I've been saying forever that DVC should allot a some # of units per resort as "pet friendly". I would NEVER have advocated for this until one of my pets became acutely ill. Now, it is impossible for us to go anywhere on vacation unless we have a pet sitter staying with him or unless he can come with us. He is a family member too, so we deal with it accordingly. Frankly, Disney is the only place I haven't been able to bring him. That has meant spending time elsewhere when I'd rather be at Disney in the past. It's frustrating, but I deal with it because (right now) that is the rule.

 

[dianeschlicht]

On the one hand, a rule is a rule and he shouldn't have broken it by bringing the dog in. On the other hand, I've been saying forever that DVC should allot a some # of units per resort as "pet friendly". I would NEVER have advocated for this until one of my pets became acutely ill. Now, it is impossible for us to go anywhere on vacation unless we have a pet sitter staying with him or unless he can come with us. He is a family member too, so we deal with it accordingly. Frankly, Disney is the only place I haven't been able to bring him. That has meant spending time elsewhere when I'd rather be at Disney in the past. It's frustrating, but I deal with it because (right now) that is the rule.

Why could you not take him along and put him in the kennel at one of the parks? WE have done that when we have combined WDW with dog show trips. The kennels are great, and the only issue is having to take time out of your touring to excersise and care for them. We were quite impressed with the kennels.

 

[shelbyjosh]

I don't feel animals should be smuggled into rooms, either. For as fast as this clown was trying to get out...it seems obvious he knew he was in the wrong. But in the other hand, aren't service dogs welcomed at resorts? Who's to say that a service dog wouldn't be in a room and the next guest has allergies? Or are there designated rooms for service dogs?

 

[Scoootch]

Why could you not take him along and put him in the kennel at one of the parks? WE have done that when we have combined WDW with dog show trips. The kennels are great, and the only issue is having to take time out of your touring to excersise and care for them. We were quite impressed with the kennels.

I agree
If it's that important to have your pet with you on vacation, Disney does provide a pet hotel - the kennels. Don't get me wrong, I have 2 pets and love them dearly but I don't feel it's right to have them in the hotels/villas and I especially do not want to have my dues increased to account for shampooing the rugs more often or replacing furniture more often because of allowing animals to stay. And sorry, but the odor and pet dander they leave behind is awful. I have a family member who just got done replacing her carpeting throughout the house with tile and what a huge difference it made with how her house smells (she has 2 dogs). Carpeting holds pet odor very badly - even with shampooing (and I'm sure dander as well). Before she replaced the carpets with tile I would get knocked over by the horrific odor as soon as I walked through the door - and her dogs are housebroken, it's just their body odor. Sorry, JMO.

posted by shelbyjosh -- But in the other hand, aren't service dogs welcomed at resorts? Who's to say that a service dog wouldn't be in a room and the next guest has allergies? Or are there designated rooms for service dogs?

You raise a good point here though - that does make me wonder. But I still cannot see them allowing it on a regular basis for your everyday house pets.

 

[dianeschlicht]

By law, service dogs MUST be allowed. I have seen them often at OKW. There is a blind family who is often there in early January and we have had a couple of very nice conversations with them. They travel with two service dogs who stay with them in thier villa.

As to the shampooing costs, I think there is just as much of that with messy people who stay in the villas. Many times, we have come in at check-in to find our carpet on the damp side from shampooing. I am quite sure this happens when a non-smoking unit is smoked in as well. That's why I think there should be a damage/cleaning charge for folks who don't follow the rules. Other timeshares do it, why not DIsney?

 

[kathleena]

Asthma sufferer and allergic to dogs here. Dog order causes severe asthma reaction and occasional hives from the dog itself, depending on the type of dog.

I don't want to see pet friendly rooms DVC resorts at all.

I would prefer that rooms be designated for service animals.

When all of us 90,000 plus DVCers bought - we knew we would have expenses for maintenance caused by people - but not by pets. Not willing to assume that cost for pet owners. Ok for service animals - but you can be more assured that they are trained and controlled.

JMHO

And re: the dog in question, I would have asked the guy what room he was in or at least reported the incident.

 

[barb45]

I won't even stay at a hotel on my way down to WDW that is pet friendly. The smell is horrible even if they are house broken and I don't think that the family who just loves little poopsy can smell it. I am allergic, I don't want to pay higher fees and I don't want to step in the droppings. We stayed at a time share that was pet friendly and will never go there again. There was dog poop everywhere, the rooms had that doggy odor and you could hear dogs barking. You can't keep a dog quiet 24/7. I know that some pet owners clean up behind there dogs but there are plenty that don't. Also why would you want to take a dog to WDW to sit in the room by itself while you are touring around all day?

I also think that we should be more vigilant and demanding when someone is breaking the rules so that these ignoramus'es know that can't get away with it.

 

[spiceycat]

boy that is definitely reason to complaint.

Spicey, my cat, stays in the kennel.

this time I also went with an off-site resort - Celebration World Resort that allows animals in some of their rooms - no carpet in most of the rooms and you pay $50 extra.

Spicey, seems to like the kennel better......

He has been staying at FW kennel since he was a kitten - when they changed the cat room - it took him about 2 years to get use to it - but now he knows where he is going - he didn't like this place because it was different.

but to take an animal into a non-pet place and then try to hide it because you knew it was wrong.....well it is not right.

when you complaint (and I would) - tell them what building you saw this in.

too many people are allergic to dogs, cats and birds.....

that is what the kennel is for.

I have heard that if WDW/DVC caughts you they just insist that you put the animal in one of their kennels. they haven't even charged extra for the extra cleaning.......

I won't want to chance it - with my luck - Spicey would be taken to the pound....besides I won't - being a DVC member - means being a good neighbor too.....

thig guy wasn't.

 

[barb45]

I have also stayed at a couple of non-smoking inns. When you check in you have to sign a "contract" type paper that says they will charge you $500.00 if there is any "evidence" of smoking in your room, including ashes or smoke odor.

 

[laceemouse]

We are a dog loving, no allergies family here but that guy has a lot of nerve IMO!!! Didn't he have to take it out to potty? How could no one see that? Our pound puppy is a holy terror. If we left him in a hotel room all day he would bark, chew, and scratch the place to death. He would try to escape everytime we went in and out. It would be a nightmare!!! He is housebroken though We leave him at a kennel and he survives just fine, in fact he will be there in a couple of weeks when we go to Louisiana for New Years

 

[chrissyk]

Why could you not take him along and put him in the kennel at one of the parks? WE have done that when we have combined WDW with dog show trips. The kennels are great, and the only issue is having to take time out of your touring to excersise and care for them. We were quite impressed with the kennels.

We couldn't put him in a kennel. He is a high-strung cat, and the stress from being put in a kennel would no-doubt cause him to have a urinary blockage. Also, he could die from a blockage w/in 24 hours. If nobody noticed that he was straining, he could die in the kennel. That's why we always have to have a pet sitter for him or take him with us. He's traveled most places with us since he was a kitten. Disney is the exception, unfortunately. If the Swan and Dolphin become pet-friendly like the rest of the Westin chain, than I would lean towards just permanently renting out my DVC points and using the cash to stay there while my cat is still alive.

 

[arcruiser]

Well, when I spotted him on the stairs and noticed the Terrier? face looking out the back of the duffel, it just kinda astounded me for a moment.

And to be honest, my first instinctive reaction was "Awww, they smuggled in their pooch"....

After a breif moment, it dawned on me that they were intentionally breaking the rules... they thought they were above the rules.... their pet is more special than anyone elses pet... Who do they think they are!

But at the time I was carrying down our 12v Ice Chest (full again) and had a bag or two over my shoulders. I was not in a position to catch up with him. When I got to the steet, I had lost him - didn't see what vehicle he went to.... there were several folks leaving that morning along with the mouse-keeping folks and their carts... and to be honest, I didn't really wanna get "in his face" confrontational - but I would like to have reported it if I had seen his vehicle or which room he came from - but I didn't. I didn't even get a look at his face... I may have seen him again without the bag and not noticed.

We wondered how they kept the pooch quiet? Maybe a muzzle? Didn't see one on him in the bag...

I had heard of this type behavior before, it just surprised me when I saw it in person.

Next time (hopefully there won't be one), I won't be as surprised and be better prepared to notice "who" is carrying the bag...

 

[Pa@okw95]

Dogs are against the rules in all of WDW not just DVC. The rules here at DVC are broken all the time with people stuffing people into units beyond capacity which results in wear and tear on the units. The dog situation is more serious with people like myself that have asthma that is triggered by dogs. I am sorry, but it is time to crack down on everyone with heavy fines or just toss them out of the club for breaking the rules. This is what happens when a lower class of people dominate an area like they have at WDW in the past 7 years or so.

 

[MiaSRN62]

Dogs are against the rules in all of WDW not just DVC. The rules here at DVC are broken all the time with people stuffing people into units beyond capacity which results in wear and tear on the units.

If you're referring to the occupancy thread on this forum, I don't think the two topics can be compared. DVC is specifically "authorizing" 5 in a 1 bedroom on that thread. I, myself, pretty much begged for a 2 bedroom (anywhere) for our Nov trip. I was on a waitlist for 2 months to no avail. On three seperate occasions MS and the OKW resort itself told me our family of 5 in the one bedroom was perfectly fine. I hardly think they'd say that if we tried to check-in with our family dog in tow ? As for "wear and tear", there's no preventing 2 people in a room from doing more damage to that room than 5 people. What's to prevent 2 or 3 college students on spring break in a studio or a wild family of 8 in a GV from ripping the place apart while the family of 5 in the one bedroom can be perfectly respectful of the surroundings ? It's all in how one is raised.

Had MS or OKW told us "no way" could we have 5 in the 1 bedroom when I spoke to them on the 3 occasions, I most certainly would have accepted this. We never attempted to "sneak" or "hide" anything from MS or the resort itself. Sorry....don't agree with your comparison or statement Pa.

 

[ClarabelleCow]

I don't think she was referring to the occupancy thread. But in general, I have seen it also, chit chat at the pool is histarical. I overheard one family that had something like 7 kids and 4 adults in a 2 bedroom, they were stating how its a pain to step over the kids in the sleeping bags on the floor!!! (this was at VWL in the summer) You hear about little stuff all the time.

 

[Sammie]

Dogs are against the rules in all of WDW not just DVC. The rules here at DVC are broken all the time with people stuffing people into units beyond capacity which results in wear and tear on the units. The dog situation is more serious with people like myself that have asthma that is triggered by dogs. I am sorry, but it is time to crack down on everyone with heavy fines or just toss them out of the club for breaking the rules. This is what happens when a lower class of people dominate an area like they have at WDW in the past 7 years or so.

You know I don't know about everyone else but what facts do you base your persumptions that this rule breaking is "lower class". In fact how would you even know and what do you use as your determining factor.

If you want to state that rule breaking is done by people with no class, I would agree, however I have the impression this is not what you meant.

And oh by the way Oprah was allowed to bring both her dogs to Disney when she stayed in the Presidential suite at the Grand Floridian.

 

[MiaSRN62]

I overheard one family that had something like 7 kids and 4 adults in a 2 bedroom, they were stating how its a pain to step over the kids in the sleeping bags on the floor!!! (this was at VWL in the summer) You hear about little stuff all the time.

Now this I find hard to believe was on the "up and up" with MS/DVC/VWL. LOL This sounds like people who weren't upfront when making their reservations and snuck in. I believe this occurrs in all resorts.