It finally happened - Room not Ready.

[peabody58]

We'll after 10 years of DVC trips with always having our room check-in time request met or earlier, our villa at BWV which was requested for 1:30 pm wasn't ready until 5:09 pm!! Oh the inhumanity!! Screaming and mashing of teeth rant to follow!

Just my DW and me. Bell services took all of our luggage (we drive) and all the food was cold in the our cooler. Initially we went out on the Boardwalk and had a drink (or two or three, we'll we lost count), thinking we'll get the Room Ready email soon. Went inside and settled into those really comfy chairs and waited till after 4 pm. Checked in again at the front desk and apparently there was a housekeeping communication issue regarding our room. Back to comfy waiting. A CM was servicing the lobby area and was doing her best to check on our situation and keep us happy (seems we were the last guests left who hadn't gotten a room yet). Trust me, after our libations on the Boardwalk, we were plenty happy. We had Soarin' FPs coming up, so the CM took our luggage claim, said she'll get it all straightened out and to watch for the Room Ready email. Off the Epcot we go, enjoy some F&C (and more drinks of course). Do Soarin' plus some more stuff. Room Ready email came in 27 minutes after we left for Epcot. Get back to the villa later that evening, all our luggage was there, food still cold, room is great, life is good. Checked my Account balance this morning and was surprised to see a modest Inconvenience Credit applied to our charges. Wow. Totally magical and IMO, not necessary for a minor room ready delay. Sent a nice survey message to the hotel manager recognizing the CM and thanking her and her staff.

Our first day plans have always allows for a Contingency Plan B for this situation (which was to drink, go the Epcot, drink, and come back), so it was no big deal for us. We were laughing with the CM's who were really concerned about us, as if they were expecting some kind of negative reaction/meltdown. Really, does that even happen? [Note the sarcasm please].

 

[chicagodisneyguy]

We were laughing with the CM's who were really concerned about us, as if they were expecting some kind of negative reaction/meltdown. Really, does that even happen? [Note the sarcasm please].

I just got back from a 6 night stay and was shocked with the amount of people completely going off on customer service as well as fastpass return line cast members. I've seen some angry people, but felt like it was maybe once or twice a trip. This time it was every time i walked by one of the blue guest service umbrellas people were raging. Maybe it's due to the fact they are now out in the parks versus just in indoors areas and these interactions are more visible.

We had 15 minutes to kill before our FOP FP this past Friday and we grabbed a blue sangria from Satu'li Canteen and waited on a bench near the FP line. They literally had a separate 15 person line going just to talk to a cast member to plead their case why they should have a Fastpass for the ride....and these people were ANGRY! The HS ones fielding BG issues were also pretty intense. I get that Disney I.T. can probably be responsible for some of these issues, but not the insane amount I saw.

I commend the OP for handling a small issue with grace and levity. I'm sure for every one of him/her there are 10 that go off on the cast member.

 

[Dean Marino]

Deleted. Just don't need the hate mail.

 

[skorpie]

Our room is never ready before 4-4:30. Many times it‘s later. We also plan early dinners. It keeps the magic going for us. IF a room is ready we consider that our pixie dust for the trip.

 

[KAT4DISNEY]

We also had a new one on New Years Eve at BWV. My nephew and his wife finally received a room ready text around 5 or so but we were in Epcot. Around 11PM they were tired and decided to head back to the resort. We gathered up their luggage from my room and trekked to theirs. And found the room had not been cleaned - as in the bed had been slept in and there was dental floss and a cup on top of the drawer bureau.

 

[LPnerd]

We also had a new one on New Years Eve at BWV. My nephew and his wife finally received a room ready text around 5 or so but we were in Epcot. Around 11PM they were tired and decided to head back to the resort. We gathered up their luggage from my room and trekked to theirs. And found the room had not been cleaned - as in the bed had been slept in and there was dental floss and a cup on top of the drawer bureau.

OMG, For what you pay for a vacation at WDW I would have flipped my s4!t. They want to jake up prices, fine, but no excuses for us any longer. NONE! and we leave the poor cast members alone and go ready to the manager on duty. It doesn't happen very often. thankfully, things usually run pretty smooth.

 

[KAT4DISNEY]

OMG, For what you pay for a vacation at WDW I would have flipped my s4!t. They want to jake up prices, fine, but no excuses for us any longer. NONE! and we leave the poor cast members alone and go ready to the manager on duty. It doesn't happen very often. thankfully, things usually run pretty smooth.

It certainly was a shock. And the odds that the one time we just didn't get to a room until late in the evening and that's what we found? They put a credit onto the room although of a size that I've seen some people post about for quite small issues. Of course our preference by far would have been to just have the room ready as it was supposed to be.

 

[kboo]

We'll after 10 years of DVC trips with always having our room check-in time request met or earlier, our villa at BWV which was requested for 1:30 pm wasn't ready until 5:09 pm!! Oh the inhumanity!! Screaming and mashing of teeth rant to follow!

Just my DW and me. Bell services took all of our luggage (we drive) and all the food was cold in the our cooler. Initially we went out on the Boardwalk and had a drink (or two or three, we'll we lost count), thinking we'll get the Room Ready email soon. Went inside and settled into those really comfy chairs and waited till after 4 pm. Checked in again at the front desk and apparently there was a housekeeping communication issue regarding our room. Back to comfy waiting. A CM was servicing the lobby area and was doing her best to check on our situation and keep us happy (seems we were the last guests left who hadn't gotten a room yet). Trust me, after our libations on the Boardwalk, we were plenty happy. We had Soarin' FPs coming up, so the CM took our luggage claim, said she'll get it all straightened out and to watch for the Room Ready email. Off the Epcot we go, enjoy some F&C (and more drinks of course). Do Soarin' plus some more stuff. Room Ready email came in 27 minutes after we left for Epcot. Get back to the villa later that evening, all our luggage was there, food still cold, room is great, life is good. Checked my Account balance this morning and was surprised to see a modest Inconvenience Credit applied to our charges. Wow. Totally magical and IMO, not necessary for a minor room ready delay. Sent a nice survey message to the hotel manager recognizing the CM and thanking her and her staff.

Our first day plans have always allows for a Contingency Plan B for this situation (which was to drink, go the Epcot, drink, and come back), so it was no big deal for us. We were laughing with the CM's who were really concerned about us, as if they were expecting some kind of negative reaction/meltdown. Really, does that even happen? [Note the sarcasm please].

The horror, the horror! I don't know you possible enjoyed the rest of your vacation!

Our room is never ready before 4-4:30. Many times it‘s later. We also plan early dinners. It keeps the magic going for us. IF a room is ready we consider that our pixie dust for the trip.

Our kids are little, so we usually book a 5pm ADR, often at the resort. That way, if the room is ready between 4-5, great, we go to the room and check it out, clean up and go to dinner. If not, we have a nice dinner and the room has always been ready by the time we are done with dinner.

We feel the same way. We have gotten a room ready text at 1pm for BWV, once, and most recently around 2:30pm for RIV (but we were in Epcot and had a dinner ADR for Le Cellier). We usually take early morning flights to MCO, but everyone is excited, so we do a moderate half day in the parks before moseying to our room in the late afternoon/evening.

It certainly was a shock. And the odds that the one time we just didn't get to a room until late in the evening and that's what we found? They put a credit onto the room although of a size that I've seen some people post about for quite small issues. Of course our preference by far would have been to just have the room ready as it was supposed to be.

That is by far the worst room not ready story ever! Yuck!

 

[holden]

We just got back from AKL. Our room was ready at 6:30pm. It was fine because we were on DME when we got the text. We’ve never had a room ready before 4pm. Maybe because they are DVC/1Br/2BR room?

 

[Jennasis]

Our trip last month was the first trip we've ever gotten a room ready text. We arrive between noon and 4pm and typically the earliest we've gotten a room was 4:30. Often much later.

 

[Dean Marino]

Deleted - don't need the hate mail.

 

[Sandisw]

I have been lucky. Only once have I waited until after 5 pm. Most times my rooms are done between 2 and 4 pm.

 

[CarolMN]

We've owned since 1999. In all our stays, I don't recall ever having to wait past 4 pm for our room. Usually stay at the BWV in a 1 bedroom.

I know our experience is not everyone's experience. However, it's human nature to post about problems, so if you regularly read the forums, your perception is most likely skewed. I certainly don't post that we got into our room on time every stay!

Sorry to read about the exceptions, but I do not believe 5:30-6:30 is the norm.

 

[Dean Marino]

Deleted

 

[Sandisw]

...and about a year ago (2018 season), it was NOT the norm. We must differentiate past performance from CURRENT performance, based on current DATA.

I went 6 times in 2019, and the latest at any resort was 4:20 pm I was given FPs since it was determined we should have been notified much earlier.

And, most of those were split stays so about 10 different check in days.

 

[ThinkBelieveDream&Dare]

Sorry to read that some of you had bad experiences. Our AKL arrival on Friday17th January was the exact opposite. We hadn't checked in online so thought we'd go to the lobby as they weren't too busy. Our plan was to go eat at the Mara, then to AK when the park opened...…. Our room was already cleaned and fully prepared for us - at 7am
.

 

[MaoriWhoLovesDisney]

Our last trip to Kidani was a disaster - we had four rooms and two of them hadn't been assigned at 9:30 pm. We were spending the day in the parks, so it wasn't a big deal until we left the fireworks to get back and figure out what was wrong - I'd spent most of dinner on the phone trying to figure out what was happening. They told us that everything would be sorted and delivered by the time we got to the resort. Arrived at 10:15 and there was no luggage. Our then two year old had woken up and had a complete meltdown in the hallway while we were trying to sort out whose luggage went where. It was almost midnight before everyone had their stuff.

I was really proud of myself for not blowing up at management, mainly for how exhausted I was, but they were really apologetic and they comped our BOG breakfast the next morning, and encouraged our party of 13 to get anything and everything we wanted.

This was the only time we've had a problem getting our room before 3.

 

[KAT4DISNEY]

I went 6 times in 2019, and the latest at any resort was 4:20 pm I was given FPs since it was determined we should have been notified much earlier.

And, most of those were split stays so about 10 different check in days.

Yeah - we didn't get much more for a room that wasn't cleaned.

FP's for a room at 4:20? We should be getting those every 3rd or 4th trip.

 

[Betsy82]

We just got back from AKL. Our room was ready at 6:30pm. It was fine because we were on DME when we got the text. We’ve never had a room ready before 4pm. Maybe because they are DVC/1Br/2BR room?

this was our experience at Kidani this summer, but it was 7pm and we still didn’t have a room. We’d picked up groceries at 3:30 before heading over and they wouldn’t take them because they were not in bags (Walmart pick up offloaded from crates into our car). They kept telling us they were in the room and it was almost ready. We sat on a bench by the elevator with our groceries so they’d at least be in AC. It was awful and so frustrating and doubtful we will go back to Kidani because it was just a bad experience.
we took turns taking our kids to walk and explore. They earned a few of the beads and were having fun so it was fine. But we missed our ADR, threw away some food (yogurt) and didn’t get settled in the room until it was basically bedtime. Really a disappointment but still... we were at Disney and it was ok.

 

[bianca]

Why is a late room ready okay with anybody? Rooms are supposed to be ready by 4 ...... period. If Disney can't make that happen, then they should hire more housekeeping. I'd gladly pay a few cents extra in dues to have my room ready at 4. I also agree with previous poster about WL ..... they're the worst! Late rooms are becoming "normal" and it didn't used to be that way. Seems to me that it would be cheaper to hire a few more housekeeping staff than continuing to compensate everyone for late rooms.