Is it true that once you are checked in at a resort, when you try to call the front .

[jerseygal]

I have heard that once you are checked into a resort and you try to call the front desk from the phone in the room, you are not connected truly to the front desk, but to a "central" location that for example will answer, Beach Club Resort or Wilderness Lodge Resort?

I seem to recall that this could be problematic if for example there is a medical emergency in the room!

Any truth to this? Any one out there have say an emergency in the room and you picked up the phone to call the front desk, only to find out that you are calling a central location rather than the real front desk at a particular resort?

Much thanks!

 

[Deb & Bill]

I have heard that once you are checked into a resort and you try to call the front desk from the phone in the room, you are not connected truly to the front desk, but to a "central" location that for example will answer, Beach Club Resort or Wilderness Lodge Resort?

I seem to recall that this could be problematic if for example there is a medical emergency in the room!

Any truth to this? Any one out there have say an emergency in the room and you picked up the phone to call the front desk, only to find out that you are calling a central location rather than the real front desk at a particular resort?

Much thanks!

You don't call the front desk for a medical emergency. You call 911.

 

[jerseygal]

When you are already checked in, and you call the front desk, is it true that you are calling someone "off property"????????????????????????

Much thanks!!!!!!!!!!

 

[GrumpyDad1974]

I'm not certain but when I have called "the front desk" it didn't seem like they were in the lobby from the answers I recieved....

 

[jerseygal]

I've been in different resorts where it is necessary for the "front desk" to be called due to a very noisy neighbor or a very noisy situation in the hall.

I'll give you another example..One time in a hotel, we had checked in very very late..It was almost 12:30 AM and we using the bathroom before bedtime and the room went completely black...I of course dialed the front desk immediately and they came immediately.

What would happen at the Disney Resorts and Villas if that situation arose?
I find the concept strange that an offsite person is answering the telephone when you are trying to reach the front desk! I guess if this is true you ask to be connected to Security immediately and someone comes to your resort/villa room!

I assume there is Security in these resorts/villas correct?

Much thanks!

 

[ancestry]

Yes in my experience it is true. Calling the front desk from the resort room routes the call through a central call center.

 

[Mickman0_3]

Yes, when you call the front desk, you are calling CRO.

 

[SueM in MN]

I've been in different resorts where it is necessary for the "front desk" to be called due to a very noisy neighbor or a very noisy situation in the hall.

I'll give you another example..One time in a hotel, we had checked in very very late..It was almost 12:30 AM and we using the bathroom before bedtime and the room went completely black...I of course dialed the front desk immediately and they came immediately.

What would happen at the Disney Resorts and Villas if that situation arose?
I find the concept strange that an offsite person is answering the telephone when you are trying to reach the front desk! I guess if this is true you ask to be connected to Security immediately and someone comes to your resort/villa room!

I assume there is Security in these resorts/villas correct?

Much thanks!

It is true that you don't get the actual front desk - you get a call center answering for that resort.
They do have Security and if you call the 'front desk' with a security related problem, they will get the situation taken care of. There is no reason that sending security needs to be handled by the actual front desk. The Security people have phones - it's not like they are just sitting in a room waiting for someone to come in a tell them where to go.

The phone in your room has a number of quick link buttons labeled with different departments. When you push the Housekeeping one, for example, you get a call center that takes care of Housekeeping. There are buttons for other services; all go to a call center.

I think you would be surprised how many places actually use call centers when you think you are calling directly to the place. It's more coat effective and saves time for callers to have a centrally located place take calls.

 

[TDC Nala]

Yes, it is true. They will dispatch someone at the resort, like security or maintenance, if someone needs to be sent to the room. It shouldn't take any longer for the call center to dispatch them than it would for the front desk to dispatch them.

 

[WillAustin]

It also allows the CMs at the front desk to serve the people who are in the lobby rather than spending lots of time answering the phones. With the size of some of the resorts, the front desk isn't necessarily close to your room anyway. They can dispatch someone to help you immediately.

I recently read somewhere about a drive-thru restaurant chain testing this idea, so the person who takes your order isn't at the restaurant, but at a call center.

 

[soxfan11901]

I think you would be surprised how many places actually use call centers when you think you are calling directly to the place. It's more coat effective and saves time for callers to have a centrally located place take calls.

I used to work in an airline reservation office and you would be surprised how many people called and thought I was at their local airport.

 

[snykymom]

Yes, it's true. Have you ever seen a front desk clerk on the phone at a Disney resort? I haven't. And I'll bet that with resorts the size of Disney's resorts, at least 1 CM would be on the phone 24-7!

 

[Silver Queen]

I don't see a problem with this. In our experience the services that we have received have been very prompt and efficient regardless of the nature of our need. In addition, they also immediately know which room is calling and the name of the guest. Since this call center is dedicated to answering phone inquiries from resort guests I suspect that the service they provide is probably more efficient than going through the front desk where the CMs have other responsibilities.

 

[Missytara]

I have heard that once you are checked into a resort and you try to call the front desk from the phone in the room, you are not connected truly to the front desk, but to a "central" location that for example will answer, Beach Club Resort or Wilderness Lodge Resort?

I seem to recall that this could be problematic if for example there is a medical emergency in the room!

Any truth to this? Any one out there have say an emergency in the room and you picked up the phone to call the front desk, only to find out that you are calling a central location rather than the real front desk at a particular resort?

Much thanks!

Yes, that is true; however, when they determine it is an emergency, they transfer you to 911 immediately. But if you need 9-1-1, you should call that number immediately.

Happened to me two years ago, when I fell ill and called from my room phone - I had bronchitis and decided I needed a cab to go to the local clinic. It was about 8:00 pm.

She asked me immediately if I needed 911 and I said no; then she proceeded to determine I should be transferred the front desk, so they could arrange for me to use the complimentary service to and from CCC just around the corner from where I was staying.

Notice next time you check in that no one is answering the phone; they are all taking care of people at the resort and the calls go to a Central Call Center where it is determine where the call should be routed.

 

[Missytara]

I work for the government and am assisting implementing Central Call Centers for the courts systems.

It is very similar to the way Disney works, although those people may actually be working out of their homes, if you call very late at night. During normal working hour times into early evening, you will get CRO.

So you are sitting at a CRO; and the phone number will come up XXX-XXX-XXXX and you will answer "Grand Floridian."

The next number comes up YYY-YYY-YYYY and you will say "Pop Century."

You push the button for Maintenance and they will answer Maintenance and be able to determine which resort you are calling from.......and they dispatch someone immediately to take care of the problem - hopefully.

The funny part last year, was my phone did not work in my room. I stopped by the front desk (it was 7:00 am and I had to check in for my package reservation). I told the CM, to which she replied, "You didn't have to come all the way up here, you could have just called."

Then I reminded her the phone didn't work, so I couldn't call....

She was just leaving from the night shift.... we had a good laugh over it.

 

[TisBit]

I think it is funny that the OP is shocked that they are not at the resort, but have no way of proving it (hence the service is seamless).

Even at an off site hotel, except in the middle of the night, you are not truly connected to the front desk, but to an operator at the hotel who handles your call. As a PP stated, if the front desk really answered all those calls, they could never do any front desk jobs.

If you call with a question about your account, they can look it up from the call center. If you need a manager, they can get you an on site manager. If you need security, they will dispatch them to your room. If you need to leave a message for another room, they will put a note in that rooms file on the computer. There is absolutely nothing that the call center can't do that a person standing at the front desk can do (except tell you if the lobby is crowded)......

 

[Belle5]

We had stayed at POR many times but this February was our first time staying at FQ. I called the "front desk" at POFQ. I wanted to know if there was a marina to rent boats or did we have to go over to POR. They told me yes, FQ has a marina! They told me it was past where the laundry area is located. I literally wasted so much time walking back and forth looking for it. Finally, I went inside to the concierge and asked where the marina was located. He told me I would have to go to POR. I told him that I had talked with someone at the front desk who had given me specific directions of how to get to the marina at FQ. He laughed and apologized explaining that the person I had spoken with had likely never even been to WDW! He said I spoke to someone at a call center located in some other state. Why could that person have just been honest and told me they didn't know...that I would need to walk to the lobby to ask?

 

[Sammie]

You get the Disney Call Center you do not get CRO.

As stated if you have an emergency dial 911

 

[CR Resort Fan 4 Life]

There was one time when I was staying at the Contemporary when the remote control for our TV was no longer working, so I called down to the front desk and said I needed a new one for whatever our room number was at the time. Well after waiting at least 30 minutes for something as simple like that I called back a second time for someone to come with a new one. Now maybe the Cast Member from the call center didn't think it was a high priority to send someone up with a new remote, however when a guest needs something like that it shouldn't take that long.

In December 2010 when I was staying at a Hampton Inn located in Cleveland, Tennessee the TV in our room wasn't working and I called the front desk directly and they sent someone over to our room within 5 minutes. So in my opinion that is one thing the WDW Resorts aren't the best at.

 

[Deb & Bill]

...In December 2010 when I was staying at a Hampton Inn located in Cleveland, Tennessee the TV in our room wasn't working and I called the front desk directly and they sent someone over to our room within 5 minutes. So in my opinion that is one thing the WDW Resorts aren't the best at.

Au contraire. We stayed at the BCV right after it opened and noticed a problem with the sliding glass door- it wouldn't lock. I called maintenance and someone was there in less than 20 minutes - two guys, in fact - and they repaired it before I needed to head to the pool.

I bet if you called the Hampton Inn front desk at 10PM, it wouldn't be so quick.