Grumpy Old Man Rant

[mnra]

I guess I just don;t get bothered by noise. I am at a hotel and don;t expect it to be quiet but then again i have never had a kid bouncing a ball of a door. I guess I must sleep soundly enough after a full day in the parks or swimming to not wake up. I understand people need to be respectful but I guess I don;t expect that I cant talk but in a whisper since the neighbor might hear it. Maybe disney needs to have better construction.lol Then again I wouldn;t let my kids run up and down the halls or in the pool area or the room since I don;t let them do that at home.

I remind them that they needed to treat the place as if it was their home even though we are only their for a short time.

 

[Greysword]

I disagree with #3 and the preamble.

This is my home, my vacation home, and I treat our DVC with the same respect. I also make my own bed, vacuum the floor, do the dishes, cook, clean the tables, and everything else I would do at home. It is home, not a hotel with maid service.

Regardless of the room, I will speak in a normal decibel level at anytime of the day in which I am awake. If we are up early for parks or reservations, and eat breakfast in the room, I will load the dishwasher before departing. Same goes with returning later at night after a bedtime snack. Just because a neighbor is a light sleeper, does not mean my family needs to alter their behavior.

That said, we are very respectful of our neighbors and do not talk loudly in the room, nor do we speak loudly in the hallway. If my DVC neighbors need extra consideration above and beyond general etiquette, then they will receive it, after they ask. I, and my family, do not read minds, but we will provide additional consideration if it is requested. As such, don't get angry to the point of rage before reaching out. A kind knock on the door (anytime during the visit), introduction, and polite request will set a positive tone for the whole trip. Plus, it forms relationship, even temporary.

#3 is a two way street that requires nothing more than simple communication. Many times people are more than happy to comply with requests, if they are made known. Heck, it may be one of us in the room next door, so if you wake up early, just ask for a bit of quiet after a certain hour. Same goes for late risers. Communicate instead of fume, and things will be better overall. That said as long as the noise/activity is within standard limits of etiquette, you could be like me and just suck it up.

 

[bumbershoot]

3 - if you are in the one bedroom side of a lockoff, your kitchen is right next to where others are trying to sleep, and the metal doors between the rooms are not soundproofed. I get that you may have had a fun day at the parks, but I don't want to hear about it at midnight when you come strolling in, nor do I want to hear about it at 5:30 in the morning. Nor are either of those times appropriate for you to load and unload your dishwasher, and to bang silverware and dishes doing so.

If you are in the studio side of a lockoff, I can hear EVERYTHING. This has happened at Kidani and OKW. I mean everything. Normal speaking voices come through nearly amplified.

People have to do things, especially if they have a room with a kitchen. I know from experience at home that what one person thinks is quiet, another person thinks is loud.

The one that makes we want to run screaming is when they leave the door latch on, so the kids can go in and out and in and out bang the door.

FWIW, that's not always done in order to allow kids to bang the door. I have done it so that it is *quieter* when I know we will be going in and out, like for bringing things in or taking things out of the room, with the stated intention that we all actively close over the door (not passively let it shut). Those door locks are loud as they KU-CHUNK to open or close, even when *being* closed by a careful person. To avoid that, I've put the latch out. Of course, then you get the people (kids and even fathers from our recent trip) who don't realize and just go letting the door slam hard.

This is my home, my vacation home, and I treat our DVC with the same respect. I also make my own bed, vacuum the floor, do the dishes, cook, clean the tables, and everything else I would do at home. It is home, not a hotel with maid service.

Regardless of the room, I will speak in a normal decibel level at anytime of the day in which I am awake. If we are up early for parks or reservations, and eat breakfast in the room, I will load the dishwasher before departing. Same goes with returning later at night after a bedtime snack. Just because a neighbor is a light sleeper, does not mean my family needs to alter their behavior.

That said, we are very respectful of our neighbors and do not talk loudly in the room, nor do we speak loudly in the hallway.

I do have to say I agree with this.

Things have to get done. I'm not going to vacuum at 9pm, but I don't vacuum that late at home, either. But I am going to wash dishes if I need to. I am going to take a bath if I need to AND run the jets if I care to. I'm not going to complain if someone else does that, either. Nor do I complain about the person flushing a toilet at 3am, because these things have to get done.

The fact is, at WDW people are often in theme parks quiet early and quite late. So when ELSE are these things going to be done? If I get home at 1am from MK and I'm achey and sore, and we're planning on heading out at 7am, when exactly do I get to soak my poor muscles in epsom salts? That's right, late at night or early in the morning. It needs to be done, it will be done.

And if my neighbor needs to do that in their room on a night that happens to be a night when we got to bed early, that's OK.

I'm happy to talk in an inside voice...but everyone does get to live their normal life, even while on vacation.

 

[Tink-n-Belle]

You forgot to mention the drunks leaving Jelly Rolls screaming down the BW at 2:00AM---hazards of a BW view room.

Or the lawn crew cutting the lawn early or those golf carts zooming around the premises.

Or how about the fireworks they used to set off at DTD for the "new year eve" party they had very night....

or the special events firework that wakes me up......

 

[Deb & Bill]

After reading this thread, I would like to apologize to our neighbors at OKW during the marathon of Jan 2005 when I was up all night with digestive problems and flushing the turbo toilet about every half hour. It was not my intention to disturb your sleep, just to keep the mess in one location.

 

[Illini Al]

After reading this thread, I would like to apologize to our neighbors at OKW during the marathon of Jan 2005 when I was up all night with digestive problems and flushing the turbo toilet about every half hour. It was not my intention to disturb your sleep, just to keep the mess in one location.

TMI....


In any case, this can happen with any lodging. Those that go to sleep late, and "party" until midnight or later typically wake up later in the morning as well. That's when my wife likes to get even.

 

[SamSam]

I did not want to say that as to apear holier that thou, but when we were with our grandkids especially at BWV that would be me shushing them in the hallways, they got it finally...and so did the parents. LOL

I sometimes wonder if this entitled generation even knows what the golden rule is!!!!!

I hope I didn't come across as holier than thou. It's actually became a family joke through the years, we still get a chuckle over it. Hmmm, I actually still do it sometimes.

 

[keri125]

I was in a studio there once with the people next door so loud it was ridiculous. But I let it go, until someone started throwing a ball against the door. You know, like a kid using the door to play catch by himself.

So I went next door and the family was amazed that I could hear anything - they said they didn't hear ME. Of course not - I was by myself, just there to run the marathon and sleep.

But there was the boy holding a ball in his hands, so I pointed to him. They still denied than i could hear anything from their room.

A little OT, but my office shares a wall with two gentlemen that, when they first began occupying their office, would bounce a ball off our shared wall in the afternoons. I work in a client-based occupation, so am meeting with participants every half-hour, and it was very difficult to hold a conversation when your pictures are shaking off the wall and it sounds like an earthquake is happening in the next room. Finally I went across the hallway and explained (very nicely, I thought!) that the sound of their ball bouncing off the wall was very disturbing to my work. They were very nice and haven't done it since, but they did express great surprise that it was that disturbing to me. I just didn't understand that. They had been in our office suite before, they knew we shared a wall. I'm sure there are times they could hear rumblings from my office... how could they not have known that this would be disturbing to me? I don't think they were lying or malicious... they just didn't think about it. Anyhow, sorry for getting off-topic. This just made me think of that and empathize with how clueless people can be sometimes!

 

[granmanh603]

I hope I didn't come across as holier than thou. It's actually became a family joke through the years, we still get a chuckle over it. Hmmm, I actually still do it sometimes.

Oh no I did not mean that at all...I just have gotten trashed and the morality police on different issues so was just trying to avoid that myself by post your exact words. I agree. Thats where we have gone with PC you are afraid to say anything.

 

[DonnaL]

While I have heard loud family groups in the hallways of every resort and it does annoy me when parents allow their children to race down the halls, however, I can honestly say we've never had any problems with excess noise from any DVC neighbors at any WDW resort. However, we just stayed at VGC at DL in January and did hear very loud snoring from a room either next to us or above/below the bedroom in our 1 bdrm....we were never sure which direction it came from...but the first two nights of our stay it woke both my DH and I and also the bath flushing noise was very loud at VGC in our unit and I did also hear it from either above/below or next door not sure which. I do agree with Greysword though......we speak in normal tones, load/unload dishwasher, wash/dry clothes at a time that is convenient for us while on vacation...not our neighbors. We are respectful of the neighbors, but, our DVC home is ours just as their DVC home is theirs. If someone is SO sensitive to background noise it might be worthwhile to invest in a travel white noise device to mask any bothersome noises from other units.

 

[Breyean]

A little OT, but my office shares a wall with two gentlemen that, when they first began occupying their office, would bounce a ball off our shared wall in the afternoons. I work in a client-based occupation, so am meeting with participants every half-hour, and it was very difficult to hold a conversation when your pictures are shaking off the wall and it sounds like an earthquake is happening in the next room. Finally I went across the hallway and explained (very nicely, I thought!) that the sound of their ball bouncing off the wall was very disturbing to my work. They were very nice and haven't done it since, but they did express great surprise that it was that disturbing to me. I just didn't understand that. They had been in our office suite before, they knew we shared a wall. I'm sure there are times they could hear rumblings from my office... how could they not have known that this would be disturbing to me? I don't think they were lying or malicious... they just didn't think about it. Anyhow, sorry for getting off-topic. This just made me think of that and empathize with how clueless people can be sometimes!

I have one like that too. Years ago I worked for a big company and they remodeled our offices. When the dust settled, my boss, who was also a long time very close friend, had his office across the hall from the back wall of my office.

When he wanted me, he would take a ball, chuck it against my wall w/o even having to get up from his chair. Like an intercom, except he ran the risk of beaning someone who was walking by the hallway when he threw the ball.

 

[Greysword]

... and flushing the turbo toilet ...

They are quite efficient, aren't they?

 

[keri125]

I have one like that too. Years ago I worked for a big company and they remodeled our offices. When the dust settled, my boss, who was also a long time very close friend, had his office across the hall from the back wall of my office.

When he wanted me, he would take a ball, chuck it against my wall w/o even having to get up from his chair. Like an intercom, except he ran the risk of beaning someone who was walking by the hallway when he threw the ball.

I have to say, this made me laugh! Quite rude of your boss, but also very ingenious!!

 

[Disneylifeforme]

Sometimes the parents yelling constantly at the kids is worse than the kids themselves.

Bill

Yes indeed

 

[Disneylifeforme]

My kids are usually exhausted after a day at Disney! But we did have to call 911 cause are daughter fell and busted her head, so of course it was loud , if that was a"bother" to bad

 

[Song of the South]

At OKW we were awoken from a dead sleep super early by a neighbor Mother yelling, "A capital letter goes at the beginning of a sentence and with proper nouns. Now do you want to fix it or do you want to argue?" We didn't hear a response and didn't hear anything else but this one phrase our entire stay.

SotS

 

[Deb & Bill]

At OKW we were awoken from a dead sleep super early by a neighbor Mother yelling, "A capital letter goes at the beginning of a sentence and with proper nouns. Now do you want to fix it or do you want to argue?" We didn't hear a response and didn't hear anything else but this one phrase our entire stay.

SotS

Somebody didn't do their homework before they were going to go to the parks. Oops.

 

[LookOutBelow]

My wife worked 3rd shift at a hospital for a year and invested in a sound machine. We never go anywhere without it!!!

 

[keys2kingdom]

I laughed through this entire post since we just experienced these exact same things on our trip to Colonial Williamsburg/Washington DC last week. It seems that a lot of other people just are not very courteous, it's like they don't think anyone else is there. My son probably gets very tired of all my rules in hotels but I refuse to be one of these people. We pull the doors closed quietly instead of letting them slam, no running or loud talking in the hallways, no loud talking or loud TVs in the rooms. These days hotels have such lousy sound insulation that it is almost impossible to enjoy your stay if you have a boisterous group nearby.

 

[Breyean]

I laughed through this entire post since we just experienced these exact same things on our trip to Colonial Williamsburg/Washington DC last week. It seems that a lot of other people just are not very courteous, it's like they don't think anyone else is there. My son probably gets very tired of all my rules in hotels but I refuse to be one of these people. We pull the doors closed quietly instead of letting them slam, no running or loud talking in the hallways, no loud talking or loud TVs in the rooms. These days hotels have such lousy sound insulation that it is almost impossible to enjoy your stay if you have a boisterous group nearby.

Let me know when you're going to stay at OKW next time so I can get the room next to you!