I've learned that Members should not complain about Mousekeeping...

[marklynpa]

Last Feb was my first visit to BWV as a 'visitor'. Saw the light and purchased shortly after.... Anyway between the CM and friend who checked in the day before, I had my room key and # even though it wasn't ready. I promised not to go in until getting the 'all clear'. Yes I know it was wrong, but I wanted to see 'my' studio. I didn't get past the threshold. I was shocked to see bed linens, trash, food/beverage containers strewn all over. I can't imagine anyone could believe that was an acceptable condition to leave a room in and I didn't think housekeeping would be able to 're-build'. When I returned later I was happily surprised the room was in great shape. I had a new appreciation for housekeeping and some of the challenges they face.....

 

[PamOKW]

There are no official rules or requirements for how DVC members should leave the rooms. (There's sometimes a notice in all WDW resort rooms about leaving towels you'd like replaced in the bathtub to save on laundering towels that are still clean.) I'm among those who also consider it "home" and do my best to leave it in pretty good shape.

That said, I can only begin to imagine the condition they'll find some rooms in. They are also basically cleaning "houses" more than "rooms" so it will take additional time. It would be great if they could impose a penalty but if there's no actual damage, they'd probably have a tough time enforcing it.

 

[Disney Hot Mama]

We have only stayed on points once -last summer. Wether or not I am a DVC owner or staying in a 'regular' hotel room I am a neat freak. I know the beds have to be stripped and remade between occupants BUT I still make the beds every morning check out day or not. I have a pet peeve about unmade beds. I also make sure all the dishes are put away and the counters are wiped down, trash taken out, etc. I don't vaccum though. That is housekeeping in my opinion.

Can the Mousekeepers take any unopened food?

 

[fran99999]

I am not a DVC owner YET. I rented points to show my Dh the finer points of owning vs renting a hotel room. I am however amazed at how "dirty" these rooms become. Is it partly a result of having a kitchen? Is it because DVC owners/renter feel they dont have to clean as a perk?

I have stayed onsite in several disney properties (not just the ones I listed). I take my DS6 down for weekends, just a mom and son vacation.

I thought when you left a hotel room/DVC you put the trash in or near the trash. I usually leave a note the day prior for Mousekeeping to leave me an extra trash bag for this purpose. I put the sheets, pillowcases and towels by the door. I throw out the unused shampoo/soap. I do a fast look round to make sure I haven't left anything behind. I also leave a healthy tip. In a Mousekeeping envelope my DS has decorated every day not just check out day.
When I stay at VWL this May I will do the same as any hotel room. I just thought this was the way of it. I must be very strange. My kids do the same thing when they travel for business/pleasure. Maybe this should be a vacation law.

I leave the room cleaner than my house ( raised 10 kids, I gave up long ago on the house beautiful).

Now cross your fingers I have all the $$ saved for DVC. I just have to convince DH. SSR here I come.

 

[PamOKW]

Fran, FYI you'll find extra trash bags at the bottom of the wastebaskets in the DVC resorts. (Not sure if the regular hotels do this also).

Suer hope hubby agrees to join DVC -- I'd love to call you "neighbor".

 

[jnrrt]

Don't you all think some of this could be because there isn't regular housekeeping in these units? We're pretty neat people, and especially when we're living in a smaller space as we do on vacation, it makes me crazy to have everything a mess, so we clean up after ourselves. But still, I'm amazed at how fast things get icky when we're concentrating on being elsewhere, and you have kids, and you're just running in for a snack or whatever. I think a lot of people take a vacation from everything, including cleaning, and that's why the rooms get so bad. I know we had a lot of stickiness on cabinets and things in our unit at BWV which made me cringe, and so I felt the need to wash everything before we used it.

That's my theory, but even so, point taken. It's just not kind to leave a huge mess for housekeeping.

 

[jarestel]

I don't know about this one. Granted, some guests leave the rooms a bit more tidy than others, but I believe there is a housekeeping component included in our dues. Some members may want to leave the room as clean as possible when they leave and others may simply think they're paying 1500+ a year in dues, so why not let the housekeepers clean up. I don't have a problem with either way of thinking. It probably evens out at the end of the day. Sometimes we get a little carried away with the illusion of ownership at DVC.

 

[CapeCodFam]

Our unit can get quite disorderly during our trip. But, we always vacuum and clean it up before we leave. For us, it's about being respectful of DVC property, mousekeeping, and the family that is wanting to check-in as quickly as possible.

 

[sjdisneywedding]

I don't know about this one. Granted, some guests leave the rooms a bit more tidy than others, but I believe there is a housekeeping component included in our dues. Some members may want to leave the room as clean as possible when they leave and others may simply think they're paying 1500+ a year in dues, so why not let the housekeepers clean up. I don't have a problem with either way of thinking. It probably evens out at the end of the day. Sometimes we get a little carried away with the illusion of ownership at DVC.

I agree, we left our room in primarily the same condition as when we came in, we cleaned the frig, ran the dishwasher, put all the dishes away, wiped everything down, etc etc etc,

but if someone didnt do any or all of that then so be it, they are on vacation and pay a maintenance fee for that kind of stuff. Its not like housekeeping is coming in every day cleaning up and straightening everything out.

we didnt do it because we thought we had to, we just did it because we wanted to and who knows maybe alot of what people actually do is a waste of time on their part anyway. We washed all the counters and the stove and tables, but whose to say housekeeping doesnt do it again anyway

 

[DrTomorrow]

Sadly, this goes beyond DVC and time-shares. I've gone on trips with friends (both "Guys" and "couples") and when I happen to go in their rooms, I'd swear that their luggage and grocery bags had exploded.

Personally, we're just not comfortable leaving a mess for someone else to clean up, whether it's their job or not (we could never have a maid ). Even at restaurants, we tend to stack the plates and move the "to be cleared" stuff to the edge to make it easier....

 

[jarestel]

My point exactly, DrT. For everyone who leaves the room looking like an "exploded suitcase" disaster zone, there's another who disinfects it suitable for hospital use. It all evens out at the end of the day.

 

[WDWMom]

Well, as a family of 7, that normally stays in a 1 bedroom, we make sure to leave our room clean as possible. The bathroom is never a problem since the boys just pee off the balcony. The only times we don't clean real well is the morning after the big parties we host for all the DVCer's we met during the week. Our 90 pound goldren retriever takes car of the dirty dishes so we don't need to run the dishwasher or vaccum. So all that's left is the linens and dusting.

 

[crisi]

Then there is the "stuff."

Disney leaves you a few magazines and information cards artfully placed around the room.....B.C. (Before Children) they stayed there. Now they get scattered, along with coloring books, park maps, the bags the suckers came home in. souvieniers, jackets, swimstuff, the apple juice bottle, and spare change.

Yes, we do pick up all that before we leave (its the only way to make sure nothing important gets left behind), but it always amazes me how fast it can clutter a small space!

 

[wtpclc]

Well, as a family of 7, that normally stays in a 1 bedroom, we make sure to leave our room clean as possible. The bathroom is never a problem since the boys just pee off the balcony. The only times we don't clean real well is the morning after the big parties we host for all the DVCer's we met during the week. Our 90 pound goldren retriever takes car of the dirty dishes so we don't need to run the dishwasher or vaccum. So all that's left is the linens and dusting.

Thanks for taking such good care of things!!!!

 

[WDWMom]

We try Carrie. As you can tell it is a family affair in keeping our room clean. If we all pitch in, it goes much faster. Of course, Ariel our GR, does most of the work.

 

[todsue99]

I don't know about this one. Granted, some guests leave the rooms a bit more tidy than others, but I believe there is a housekeeping component included in our dues. Some members may want to leave the room as clean as possible when they leave and others may simply think they're paying 1500+ a year in dues, so why not let the housekeepers clean up. I don't have a problem with either way of thinking. It probably evens out at the end of the day. Sometimes we get a little carried away with the illusion of ownership at DVC.

Sure things might even out, but if everyone picked up after themselves and Mousekeeping didn't have to do as much things might be a little cleaner. Or maybe our mousekeeping dues won't go up and heaven forbid maybe our dues might go down? Some people think they are paying for things, but doesn't give them a right to be a slob. Some times people think they should get everything for nothing, be real people.

Have you seen the commercials where the people are standing around the garbage can with the piece of garbage next to it and they are all discussed(sp?)that someone would do that? Then someone comes by and picks it up and throws it away. People we always want more for what we pay, but not everyone is willing to do anything about it. Be more proactive and help out and then we will start seeing more benefits. Having the additute of that is there job they should clean it doesn't fly with me. They work hard for the little money they make and I bet they have a magical day when they walk in the room that has been picked up.

Now I am not complaining about anyone specific(not even the person I quoted...sorry), but think about it a little bit. That is all I am trying to say.

 

[tjkraz]

Some times people think they should get everything for nothing, be real people.

According to the 2005 SSR dues, $.7363 per point goes toward housekeeping services.

If I use 125 points to spend 5 nights in a 1B, I get one full cleaning (before I check-in) and one Trash & Towel service. For that I am paying $92.03. I'd say that's far from getting "everything for nothing."

This may sound harsh, but frankly it gets a little old hearing the housekeeping staff portrayed as victims. They know what they job is and they accept the job. If the wages are poor, they need to take it up with their union. If we, as members, feel they are underpaid, the easiest way to remedy the situation is to leave a tip. (I kinda doubt that trying to influence Disney's union negotiations will have any impact.)

Many guests choose to go above-and-beyond in straightening-up their room before departure. Some choose to tip the housekeeping staff, although it is not required nor expected. Those are personal choices.

Until Disney or DVC publishes standards for the check-out condition of a room, none of us has any right to cast stones at other guests. However distasteful housekeeping may seem to some of us, it's all part of the job.

Besides, if a housekeeper walks into a room that has the linens stripped, garbage emptied, floors vaccuumed and dishwasher running, I wouldn't be surprised if she spent the next half hour watching Days Of Our Lives. To automatically assume that time not used vaccuuming is then spent scrubbing tile floors or working on other rooms would be naive.

 

[crisi]

Housekeeping does pay for other things than just your room. Hallways and public areas are maintained as well. Those of us who stay for a week are efficient housekeeping guests, but there are DVC members staying for one or two nights, and they still need to do a full cleaning between guests.

I do think housekeeping is high, but I think a lot of that has to do with room abuse. I suspect that housekeeping often enters rooms where they are confronted with a lot of dishes, jam on couches, etc. I also suspect there is a lot of overhead in housekeeping I don't have when I paid a housekeeper to clean my house. It would be interesting to find out what the "housekeeper to management" ratio is within Disney housekeeping staffs.

Hotel housekeeping is notoriously (from my old having hotel managment friends days, and a few friends who have done the job) inefficient. Some housekeepers have great work ethics and move their way through their rooms - but it isn't uncommon for housekeepers to watch TV as they clean.

 

[scootert]

We do the same thing whether we're at a hotel or DVC...

Dirty towels are placed in a pile in the bathroom

Trash is put in the wastebasket

If at DVC... dirty dishes are in the dishwasher

If at DVC ... refrigerator is emptied of all food ... if unopened, we leave it on the counter. If opened, we put it in the trash.

I don't feel I should have to clean the room, but I certainly don't think folks should be able to trash the place and walk away. I figure if we do the things I listed, there's a better chance the room will be ready for the next person before 4 p.m.... JMHO

 

[kweaver]

According to the 2005 SSR dues, $.7363 per point goes toward housekeeping services.

If I use 125 points to spend 5 nights in a 1B, I get one full cleaning (before I check-in) and one Trash & Towel service. For that I am paying $92.03. I'd say that's far from getting "everything for nothing."

This may sound harsh, but frankly it gets a little old hearing the housekeeping staff portrayed as victims. They know what they job is and they accept the job. If the wages are poor, they need to take it up with their union. If we, as members, feel they are underpaid, the easiest way to remedy the situation is to leave a tip. (I kinda doubt that trying to influence Disney's union negotiations will have any impact.)

Many guests choose to go above-and-beyond in straightening-up their room before departure. Some choose to tip the housekeeping staff, although it is not required nor expected. Those are personal choices.

Until Disney or DVC publishes standards for the check-out condition of a room, none of us has any right to cast stones at other guests. However distasteful housekeeping may seem to some of us, it's all part of the job.

Besides, if a housekeeper walks into a room that has the linens stripped, garbage emptied, floors vaccuumed and dishwasher running, I wouldn't be surprised if she spent the next half hour watching Days Of Our Lives. To automatically assume that time not used vaccuuming is then spent scrubbing tile floors or working on other rooms would be naive.

Couldn't agree more!