I don't want to be the maid on this trip!

[chip1]

We plan to book our first BCV trip on March 6th. I was reading the Member's Guidebook about housekeeping. I was a little nervous when they said linens would be provided. Does this mean I have to make the bed? I understand about trash & towel every 4 days; housekeeping on day 8, etc., but will the beds be made upon our arrival? Thanks. I do not plan on cooking, so I do not need any suggestions on that end; however, any housekeeping tricks would be helpful. I plan on enjoying the trip, not being the housekeeper, if you know what I mean!

 

[SueM in MN]

The beds will be made when you arrive, so you don't have to worry about that. Whether or not they are made after that is up to you

We have been members at OKW since 1993 and don't miss the maid service at all. It's really nice to be not have to worry about when the maid will show up. I do pull the beds together each morning. It only takes 5 minutes and it makes me feel better to see it neat.

 

[Werner Weiss]

Upon arrival, you'll find your DVC room to be completely clean, with the beds made with clean sheets, towels attractively hung in the bathroom(s), all dishes clean and put away in the kitchen. It's just like checking into a regular hotel (if your hotel room had a kitchen).

But the next day, nobody will come to make your bed and replace the towels -- unless you pay for the optional daily housekeeping.

You want hints? Here are a few:

• Keep the room tidy by using the drawers and closets -- and the trash.
• It only takes a few to make the beds in the morning. It's up to you whether you want to make them up just as housekeeping would, or just straighten them out and close the bedroom doors.
• Put dirty dishes in the dishwasher, and run it when you start to run out of the items that you need. (Even if you don't plan on cooking, it's great to have beverages and snacks on hand.)
• Hang your towels up after you use them, and make sure everyone has a designated spot on the towel bars so you can use the same towels the next morning.

 

[hoosiergirl]

Here's a tip I picked up somewhere on these boards: Before we left for our last trip, I color-coded 2 spring-loaded clothes pins for each member of the family. We used these to hang our swimsuits to dry on the extension clothesline in the tub--and to clip to our towels after we showered. That way we knew whose towels were whose and I didn't have to do towel laundry every day!

 

[chip1]

Great idea, thanks!

 

[SimplyMagical]

Upon arrival the 1 bedroom room we had was spotless. All we did was straighten the beds daily, throw in a load of wash, and start the dishwasher. After that, head to the parks. The room will stay as tidy or dirty as you let it. Our children know enough to treat things on vacation as they would treat things at home. We actually enjoyed not having to worry about housekeeping arrivals, sometimes we would head back early and regroup and didn't have to wonder if our room was not available due to cleaning.

 

[chip1]

How confident are you that the dishes they provide are clean? Do they re-stock after every stay?

 

[Chuck S]

Chip1, if in doubt about the dishes, run them through the dishwasher before you use them.

 

[ducklite]

Originally posted by chip1
How confident are you that the dishes they provide are clean? Do they re-stock after every stay?

I have found dirty dishes put away in the cabinets more than once. So now one of the first things I do when we get in the room is load all the dishes, glassware and flatware into the DW and run it. That way I don't need to worry about it.

Anne

 

[DVCJman]

One little thing I do is take a king sized fitted sheet because it makes keeping the bed tidy a bit easier....the provided sheets seem to come loose at the corners and make sleeping not as nice...just a little thing, but makes for a better trip for me..

 

[Beth]

DVCJman's suggestion is a good one - several have suggested that in the past on this Board.

Someone even took it a step further to recommend that you take a "brightly-colored sheet," so it won't be confused by housekeeping on full-cleaning today and get taken away...

 

[jeanneg]

We always do a big food shop the first day for snacks, beverages, breakfast foods, etc. We also buy a large package of plastic/paper cups. Depending on how long we're staying we may also buy the small bowls and plates. If your family is like mine, nobody ever washes a glass! This way we always have clean ones and I'm not fuming on my vacation....definitely worth the price!

 

[KristinU]

I'm glad to see that others bring their own sheets. My DH and I are in LOVE with our jersey/t-shirt sheets and bring them with us to WDW. I like the tip on using brightly colored sheets so housekeeping doesn't get mixed up.

Like SueM in MN, we like the fact that we don't need to worry every day about getting out of the room before the maid comes.

Best Regards!

 

[Mary Ellen]

We also bring our own (non-white) bottom sheet. Since my sewing machine can sew text, I've sewn:

Property of (DH's name)
DVC # XXXXXX
Please return if found

This is at the top and bottom sides of the sheet in a VERY contrasting thread. It's easy to spot when the blanket is off but we don't feel it.

 

[Mickey_Maniac]

With regards to the dishwasher, do they supply the machine detergent? For that matter, do they supply the clothes washer detergent, or should we bring both with us?

 

[JudithM]

We like the fact that there is no daily housekeeping service. We can come & go as we please without worrying about someone else coming into the unit. The kingsize flat sheets they use on the bottom has always been one of my pet peeves. Maybe I need to invest in a king size fitted sheet! When you arrive in a one- or two- bedroom villa or a GV, there is a small box of laundry detergent for one load of laundry. I save small plastic soda bottles & fill them with my liquid laundry detergent from home. When I am finish, I rinse the bottles & recycle them at WDW. Don't forget dryer sheets! You have dishwashing & sink detergents - if you run out, you can ask for more. It is not difficult to take trash out on a regular basis as you pass a trash can or the trash "closet" every time you go out.

 

[normr]

That people arn't licking the dishes and then putting them back into the cupboard, we usually wash everything in the dishwasher and put them away, or at least load it up and then start it for houskeeping before we leave.

 

[Disney Doll]

The fitted sheet thing is a good idea. My DH also suggested bringing those "sheet straps" that are kind of like the old-fashioned garters, and take up a lot less room!!!!!

I don't really bring a lot with me when I go for the unit itslef. I bring a pound of Starbucks coffee(DH's favorite) a bunch of coffee filters, a stain stick laundry stick, some softener sheets for the dryer. Everything else, we buy when we get there.

 

[Firefighter Mickey]

Originally posted by Mickey_Maniac
With regards to the dishwasher, do they supply the machine detergent? For that matter, do they supply the clothes washer detergent, or should we bring both with us?

Dishwashing detergent is supplied by housekeeping - if you run out, simply call them and ask for more. Likewise TP.

You get (usually) one box of tide when you check-in (sometimes others before you haven't used their box, so occasionally you might have more than one box). Additional boxes are available for $1 - you can purchase them at the laundry locations by each pool, or housekeeping can bring you one.

What we usually do is to pack some of the Wisk tablets - they are very easy to pack, and very little chance of a mess.