Just got pack....a little disappointed!!

[quentina]

Well, just got back from a very rainy vacation. We spent Sunday-Tuesday at SSR. To be honest, I loved it. I must be in the minority here....I loved the open hallways. I think I prefer to not do the "Lobby" thing. Anyway, we were in the Springs building (I believe). The building had just opened and we were the second family to stay in the room. It was a dedicated 2 bedroom....I was under the impression that there were not any of these.

No problems with the room except that the door stoppers on the bottom all broke off. They were hanging by a thread when we got there, ended up on the floor by the next day.

MK was open until 12 on Monday and it was packed. I kind of thought it would be a good time to go....boy were we wrong. Average wait was 60 minutes.

We did find 2 park hoppers on a ride. The tickets said some type of event on them....Senior sport or something like that. We took them to the manager at SSR and she said she may be able to get them to the person in charge of the event. There was only 1 day of the 4 used. I kept thinking of this poor kid, probably no parents with them, limited cash and now no tickets. Hopefully, they got them back.

Oh yeah, we wanted a smoking room. When I check in the women says...here's what I got.....2 bedroom, ground floor, handicapped and did I mention....A view of the parking lot.

Now, I don't say a word. I swore that I would never complain about this. I must of had a look of horror on my face because she says that if I am willing to wait they can give me a non-smoking, second floor, water view. I tell her that my parents smoke so, that doesn't really work for us. She tells us....and I question 4 times....we are allowed to smoke on the porch, just not in the room. I swear I read a thread about this before and it wasn't a pleasant one. Anyway, that is the rule.

Here comes the disappointment......Did you ever dream of going somewhere, had really high expectations and were really let down when you got there. OK, I am probably the first to say this....We moved for the next 3 nights to the BWV. Sorry, I just don't see it. We had a smoking optional 2 bedroom. I believe it was 2129 -2131. Same level as the lobby, 40 miles away from the entrance. The studio side reeked. The smoke was so bad, I had to rinse my contacts after I entered ( I am not kidding on this). Now, My hubby and I do not smoke, so, it was gross. My mom was even gagging. I called to have the room sprayed or something. The smell never went away. It did get a little better, but was always there. I may be naive here, but I thought that all bedding was washed after each stay. My parents tell me that only the sheets are changed. I am assuming that they are correct since we always have the basket of sheets outside the door on check-out day. Well, let me say...The smell is never going away in this room. They need to wash the drapes and bedding. They should shampoo the rug while they are at it. I would not recommend a smoker take this room.

Anyway, I could go on. I just did not like anything about this place. I really do not know why, I cannot explain it. I was just totally disappointed and wish I never moved from SSR.

We did take the advice of the board and went to see Cirque. Well worth the money, we loved it. It was pouring when we left, so I bought a $30.00 umbrella. It is one of the golf size ones. Anyway, it cannot go on the plane, it is a weapon. So, they give me a big bag to check it. I put my sons car seat in the bag with it and it got stuck in the x-ray machine. The took the pole that they use for the way the line moves and where sticking it inside the machine trying to push it through. I was horrified, I was sure I was going to have to re-finance my house to pay for it. Well, it made it thorugh and was there to be picked up when we hit JFK.

My mom's cell phone is still in there room. I have called housekeeping 3 times and lost and found 3 times. For some reason, noone is returning my call. My mom thinks it is behind the cedar chest in the bedroom. They will not put me through to the room because I do not know the parties last name of who is there now. I guess it is a security feature. I am going to try Monday when I can get the manager in charge.

Friday, we went to the Hard Rock Hotel. I love this place, the price is ridiculous, however, front of the line is incredible.

Overall, a good vacation. I would say it rained 3 out of 6 days and was on the chilly side. We were wearing our winter coats and gloves on Thursday and Friday. I was amazed at the amount of people in shorts and tanks...They must of been freezing their ***** off, literally!!

Anyway, that is my report. We have 4 months left until HH. I belive I will start counting days....Today!!

Kim

 

[laceemouse]

First let me say thanks for the report. I'm glad you enjoyed SSR, we visited/swam there in October when we were staying at OKW and thought it was gorgeous. We would love to stay there sometime! I'm sorry you did not enjoy BWV. We own at BCV and have only stayed there and OKW. I have to remark on the smoking issue. We own another T/S that we trade through RCI. Most of the resorts do not have smoking designated rooms. I'm sure we have stayed in units that have been smoke in, some quite old ones, but we have never had a really bad smelling room. OTOH, we have been stuck in smoking hotel rooms a couple of times and it was AWFUL. Talk about reeking. Even our clothes smelled bad days after staying there. I think size of the unit may be an issue, you said the studio side was worse. Also, BWV is a few years older so more smoking has gone on in there. I must say you are much nicer than I am. My MIL smokes and NO WAY would we ever stay in a smoking room for her. We would split up and say "meet us at the lobby" or whatever. My DH is very sensitive to smoke, and we don't want our kids around it either. Anyway, sorry about the weather too. Spring is just iffy, we have had some pretty cold spring trips to WDW too. Hope you have a GREAT time on your next DVC trip....Lacee

 

[crcormier]

Glad you had a mostly good trip! I'm a smoker though I don't like my room to stink of it, and though I've stayed in smoking sections of the hotels, I've never experienced as badly as you described it. That would bother me too. Sounds like the good times outweighed the bad though, and you make me excited for my two nights at SSR in May (followed by four at the BWV, just like you guys did! Have fun at HH!

 

[Luckymommyx2]

Thanks for your report. We'll be staying at BWV's in May and luckily requested a non-smoking room. (Hopefully that request will be granted.) We own at SSR and will be staying there the end of November. I'm glad to hear you enjoyed SSR and look forward to my first trip "home."

 

[Holly]

Thanks for the report
We bought at SSR sight unseen, but just from everyone's descriptions it sounds like my kind of place.

My mom's cell phone is still in there room. I have called housekeeping 3 times and lost and found 3 times. For some reason, noone is returning my call.

My son forgot his gameboy in the room at AKL last summer and it took hours for someone to get back to us about it. At first no one claimed to have seen it, although supposedly our room had been cleaned hours earlier, it was only when I finally asked to see a manager that it suddenly "turned up" in a cart.

 

[MiaSRN62]

Thanks for the report. Glad u enjoyed SSR, but sorry about all that rain & chilly temps you had.
As for the smokey smell......I own a timeshare offsite where all rooms are smoking optional and we've never even smelled so much as a hint of smoke and we've stayed there every year for the past 10 years. They must do a super job cleaning I guess ? The room you had at BWV, smoking or not, sounded unacceptable to give to a guest to me ? I'm suprised. There are proper ways to sanitize and deodorize a room. Sounds like they didn't do this.
I'm also with Laceemouse in saying that you're a nicer person than me too. My dh is a smoker and we always get non-smoking rooms and make him go outside (not on the balcony) to smoke. He doesn't mind.....thankfully.
BTW, hope your mom gets her cell phone back !

 

[CarolA]

If the maid service didn't find the cell phone and the new folks did, it may just be gone. I lost one at Disney. Disney found me LOL.... they hit the speed dial labled Mom and found out where to send the phone. So.... I would be worried that the new room occupants now have a phone.
I guess on the room since you wanted a smoking room that is the risk you take. That said I don't smoke and have gotten smoking rooms at Disney (never at DVC) and it wasn't that bad. (On second thought I have had smoking rooms at DVC when I traveled with my mom and it smelled ok with me!)

 

[SueOKW]

My theory on smoking rooms and smell -

If it's designated smoking room in a hotel where there are only smoking or non-smoking room - 99.9% of the time at least one person in the room every night is a smoker.

If the entire hotel is smoking optional (as you might find overseas) - you have a better chance of having more non smokers in a room per night than smokers. Therefore, the room is not constantly being exposed to smoke.

Does this make sense? When I smoked and stayed in Marriott's and had smoking rooms they all stunk. When I smoke and stayed in London in a smoking optional hotel - the room didn't smell a bit.

Of course, when I stayed in a smoking room in a Ritz, it didn't smell a bit either... hmm....

It's easier now that I don't smoke!

 

[kathleena]

Sorry you were disappointed in BWV. Not all experiences are like that certainly, but I understand what you mean about not "getting it". I love BWV and just "don't get" SSR.

But when you get a smoking room, that's what you can get. Perhaps this was extreme or maybe there were four smokers in it that morning! I think it just illustrates why all of us non-smokers for medical reasons say that we can't exist in one of those rooms.

And no, they don't replace all of the bedding each time - at least that's how I understand it - someone correct me if I'm wrong. Just the sheets. I take the bedspread off and sometimes the blanket also and get the one in the closet.

 

[tjkraz]

It was a dedicated 2 bedroom....I was under the impression that there were not any of these.

There are 20 dedicated 2Bs in every building at SSR--each of them with two queen beds in the second bedroom. Make sure you specifically request a dedicated or lockoff at the time you make your reservation if it matters to you. It probably won't be printed on the reservation, but for inventory purposes they do track the type of room into which you are booked.

Glad you enjoyed your trip. We loved our one stay at SSR and will me making our second trip to BWV in a few weeks. The long corridors at BWV really didn't bother us much since we spent roughly equal time at Epcot and MGM. During our second day we discovered that there was a stairwell right past our room that cut about 6-8 minutes off of the walk to MGM vs. going through the lobby.

 

[Tramp68]

I hate to be crude, and some will probably get irate about this post, but here it is...

Smoking is a disgusting habit. If smoking is that important to them that they have to have a smoking room, then they just need to live with the reek. I know I certainly have to live with it when the smoking section of a restaurant is 2 tables away from me. Those people don't care how I feel. Unless smokers are willing to pay extra points or $ for their rooms so that Disney can be rid of the smell that is a result of what comes out of smoker's own mouths I don't think they should complain about it. This is exactly why their is such a thing as non-smoking rooms : THE REEK

I realize that you yourselves were not smokers but your in-laws felt it important enough to them to make you suffer in the room, so...

In a small attempt to redeem myself, I find it highly commendable that you would return the passes. I am extremly jaded in the sense that I might not have returned them for fear that they would never make it back to their original owners and they would get thrown out. I applaud your honesty

 

[Maistre Gracey]

Hi, quentina. I am happy that you enjoyed most of your trip. I also think SSR is very, very nice.

About the smoke smell thing, I have to agree with Tramp68 on this one. That is indeed why there are smoking, and non smoking rooms. If you want a smoking room, you must expect that it may stink to high heaven. It simply is not reasonable to wash draperies and shampoo rugs between every guest. If a smoker requests a smoking room to be sanitized from smoke, than there should be a fee.

Please don't think I am being critical of you personally. That's certainly not my intention.

Thanx again for the report...

MG

 

[3DisneyNUTS]

That stinks about the weather. What a nice thing you did returning the tickets

 

[MiaSRN62]

SueOKW says : If the entire hotel is smoking optional (as you might find overseas) - you have a better chance of having more non smokers in a room per night than smokers. Therefore, the room is not constantly being exposed to smoke.

I do see your point.....

It simply is not reasonable to wash draperies and shampoo rugs between every guest. If a smoker requests a smoking room to be sanitized from smoke, than there should be a fee.

I guess in 10 trips in the past 10 years I've just gotten really lucky then. Because our Vistana villas have always smelled really fresh. Sure, as Sue said, I may have gotten mostly all non-smokers before me.....but to have had such luck consistantly for a decade, I call that sheer fortune ! I guess I was just suprised the OP said the smell was so thick ? It seemed like housekeeping didn't even make a weak attempt to get rid of the smell ? Is this the case with strictly smoking rooms ? Perhaps if it's a smoking optional room they have to sanitize and deodorize it and this is why my villas at Vistana have never even had a hint of smoke ?

 

[Maistre Gracey]

Maria, only guessing here, but isn't the entire Vistana Resort smoking optional?
I can see why a resort that is entirely smoking would have a system in place for deodorizing, although I would doubt they wash draperies between every guest.
Since only a small portion of DVC rooms are smoking, I don't see it as practical to have such a system in place. Further more, since DVC Members often don't stay for entire week, it would be even more impractical.

-- Again, just my opinion...

MG

 

[tjkraz]

I guess I was just suprised the OP said the smell was so thick ? It seemed like housekeeping didn't even make a weak attempt to get rid of the smell ?

I was surprised by that, too.

While I understand the nature of the "you smokers are only getting what you ask for" rationale, let's not forget that there are times when non-smokers must be put in smoking rooms. Would all of my fellow non-smokers have had the same reaction if we were asked to spend a week (or even a night) in the room described?

If it comes down to a dollars-and-cents issue, then I am certainly comfortable with housekeeping investing more in the smoking rooms. Until WDW goes non-smoking (which is obviously not a realistic solution to the problem described), I'd say we're better of spending the money to reduce its impact.

Besides, we're not talking about radical expenses like scrubbing down the walls or shampooing the carpets after every guest. It sounds like just laundering the drapes, blankets and bedspread on a more frequent schedule might help the situation. Not a huge expense.

I've read reports from people who said they knew they were in a smoking room but couldn't tell one bit from the condition of the room. More than anything, quentina's post left me wondering why her room was so bad when clearly there are steps that can be taken to improve the quality of the room.

 

[FreeTime]

I just wanted to make a comment about returning the tickets. I think that it is great that you did. I wanted to add, though, that if anyone does find tickets and tries to use them, they may be in for a surprise. My BIL lost 6 PH on the second day of using them at MGM. We went to lost and found and they had half of them. They asked how they were paid for. They were purchased off of the Internet. Guest services cancelled the other tickets that were not returned and reissued them to my BIL. Needless to say, we were thrilled that we didn't have to find away to pay for new tickets. Apprently, if you have your receipt or purchased them via the website or resort, they can track them and cancel them. I always take my receipt with me now and leave it in the room just in case. Just thought that this would be a good thing for everyone else to know! Have a great afternoon!

 

[DizneyNutz]

WOW-I am so sorry that you had a bad time---I hope and pray your next trip is better! All of our trips have been awesome so far---I will say that on our first trip, we sat in a steady rain, WITH some pretty sharp lightening to watch Illuminations! My DH and I feared that this would be our ONLY trip ever and didn't want to miss a thing---now we are DVC owners looking forward to our up coming fourth trip-first as owners at SSR---I was glad that you liked it---we bought, sight unseen and were concerned with some of the comments made on this website, but it seems as more and more folks visit SSR---the comments are only getting better! Again, better luck next time!!!

 

[mark&sue]

With regard to cleaning of bedspreads. If a family spend two weeks in a room do the bedspreads get washed before the next one takes the room?

Perhaps I don't want to know the answer!



Susan

 

[quentina]

This was my question to my mom.....she was looking at me like I was nuts. Never, in my wildest dreams, would I think the blankets don't get changed in-between each guest.

Well, I am glad I do not travel with a black light

By the way, I have had smoking rooms in the past and I couldn't tell. I was extremley surprised at the condition of this room. When I would walk in...I would think in my head: "I see dead people"....Get it...the fog effect.

It was awful. I would not suggest this room to a smoker.

Kim