Motion Sensor Thermostats

[johnnyblz20]

I've been searching and there's a lot of mixed reviews about which resorts have these thermostats and which ones don't. Does anyone have a concise list of the resorts who need to have these sensors turned off so you can sleep cool at night?

I will be staying at the Poly in July as well as Yacht Club in November and am curious if I need to worry about overriding these systems?

 

[cobright]

This has come up a few times already so I looked through old posts and can say that All-Star Movies uses them, as do POR, Grand Floridian, and maybe CBR. My guess would be that most of the resorts have been upgraded to them.
The systems they use are the SensorStat DDC and DDC2F. Guides for putting these into sensor bypass mode are available online (including youtube).

 

[Dis703]

This has come up a few times already so I looked through old posts and can say that All-Star Movies uses them, as do POR, Grand Floridian, and maybe CBR. My guess would be that most of the resorts have been upgraded to them.
The systems they use are the SensorStat DDC and DDC2F. Guides for putting these into sensor bypass mode are available online (including youtube).

Our most recent stay at CBR was this past December and the air stayed on all night without having to rig the sensor or anything. Not sure what they actually have or not, but we had no issues with the AC. I read complaints about Pop and AC issues too (shutting off at night) and never had a problem there either.

 

[FelisLachesis]

This has come up a few times already so I looked through old posts and can say that All-Star Movies uses them, as do POR, Grand Floridian, and maybe CBR. My guess would be that most of the resorts have been upgraded to them.
The systems they use are the SensorStat DDC and DDC2F. Guides for putting these into sensor bypass mode are available online (including youtube).

I looked it up, like you said, and here's what I found:

http://www.ecolodgix-hosted.com/Ecolodgix DDC 2F manual 2-20-12.pdf

Soft Bypass® To cancel Soft Bypass mode, press the Power and Fan buttons at the same time. At times it may be necessary to bypass the energy management features of the SensorStat. Typically this is done when a guest complains that the room temperature is not kept at the set point when not in the room. To bypass the unit, press the Power and Cooler buttons at the same time. The display will show ‘BP’ which means bypass. The SensorStat will act as a thermostat only for 48 hours. To cancel Soft Bypass mode, press the Power and Fan buttons at the same time. The display will show ‘CA’. The SensorStat will automatically cancel soft bypass mode after 48 hours.

And a quick Youtube video on how to do it:

 

[RMaas1]

So glad I saw this thread today. Stayed in ASM last December and coming back to hot room after being out all day was terrible. Can't imagine what it will be like when we return in August.

This has come up a few times already so I looked through old posts and can say that All-Star Movies uses them, as do POR, Grand Floridian, and maybe CBR. My guess would be that most of the resorts have been upgraded to them.
The systems they use are the SensorStat DDC and DDC2F. Guides for putting these into sensor bypass mode are available online (including youtube).

Thankfully your post will help us keep this room cool. I completely understand why they use these sensors but I sure do wish they didn't.

 

[cobright]

I think the resorts received a lot of pushback on the issue and made some adjustments over the years.

The older system, the DDC, once put into bypass mode was fine. The problem was we found that some days Mousekeeping would reset the thermostat while we were out. Once we identified the problem, a quick comment to our Mousekeeper the next day (coupled with a conspicuous glance towards the Mousekeeping envelope) and problem solved.

The newer system, DDC2F, that was installed at GF and CBR and probably others, is more devious. It has a "feature" called soft-standby. Even when in bypass mode, the display will only show the set temperature and the AC will cycle off at a different (higher) temperature programmed into the thermostat by building maintenance. So the room is 78F when you get there, you set the temp to 67F and the AC kicks on. You come back an hour later and the display reads 67F and the AC is not running, but the actual room air temp is 74F. That's a dirty trick. It added to the general sense of reduced magic I experienced on our 2014 trip. Ya know, not a huge thing on its own but still worth putting on the list.

There is a field service manual available for the DDC2F that includes enough information that an enterprising person with a couple dollars worth of easy to find electronics could reprogram the system with more favorable temperature presets. On our last 2 trips, I ended up jumping the sensor leads so the thermostat was always getting the motion sensor signal. That worked fine and I didn't have to deal with a balloon bobbing around and creeping me out every time it moved in my peripheral vision.

 

[MsThumper]

We have stayed at every deluxe resort so far with the exception of BC, and we have never had problems keeping a room cool, even at night. And trust me, I hate being hot, especially at night.

We just spent the last 4 nights at AKL (2 different rooms), had no problems staying cool there and we are now at the Contemporary. I know the room we are currently in has a SensorStat DDC and it is currenly set at 68. We had to bump it up and warm it up a little in here. I heard it cycling on and off several times during the night and nobody was moving, no special tricks necessary. We keep our A/C at home at 74 and its much cooler in here than it is at home.

 

[shoreward]

Newly refurbished rooms at YC have new thermostats with motion sensor. The rooms no longer have ceiling fans, but instead a ceiling light fixture. Housekeeping has box fans which they can provide, upon request.

 

[Wood Nymph]

We have stayed at every deluxe resort so far with the exception of BC, and we have never had problems keeping a room cool, even at night. And trust me, I hate being hot, especially at night.

We've stayed at the BC many times and never had a problem with the AC, even at night.

 

[icc2515]

The newer system, DDC2F, that was installed at GF and CBR and probably others, is more devious. It has a "feature" called soft-standby. Even when in bypass mode, the display will only show the set temperature and the AC will cycle off at a different (higher) temperature programmed into the thermostat by building maintenance. So the room is 78F when you get there, you set the temp to 67F and the AC kicks on. You come back an hour later and the display reads 67F and the AC is not running, but the actual room air temp is 74F. That's a dirty trick. It added to the general sense of reduced magic I experienced on our 2014 trip. Ya know, not a huge thing on its own but still worth putting on the list.

It never ceases to amaze me the great lengths Disney will go to to save a couple of bucks. A "cheap" room at the GF in July is $600. Disney sure wouldn't want to lose the $2 or $3 dollars it would cost to A/C the room to the guests satisfaction.

Now at the Boardwalk Villas they have the old manual non-digital thermostats in the rooms I have stayed in. Of course, Disney does not pay the electric bill for those rooms.

 

[maxiesmom]

It never ceases to amaze me the great lengths Disney will go to to save a couple of bucks. A "cheap" room at the GF in July is $600. Disney sure wouldn't want to lose the $2 or $3 dollars it would cost to A/C the room to the guests satisfaction.

Now at the Boardwalk Villas they have the old manual non-digital thermostats in the rooms I have stayed in. Of course, Disney does not pay the electric bill for those rooms.

I'm thinking it is more the guests who put the room to 60 and then leave for the day. Over thousands of rooms it is much more than $2 or $3 bucks.

 

[ellynsoh]

I thought Beach Club Villas also used these thermostats. Since ceiling fans were removed, rooms will be hot.

 

[johnnyblz20]

Anyone know the thermostats they use at the poly and how do you override those?

 

[clayfolks]

We stayed at the Poly in a studio in May and cooked. Could not get the room below 70 degrees. We'd wake up in the middle of the night and have to turn on lights to get the ac to kick back on. There was literally almost no air movement.

 

[Shanti]

We have stayed at every deluxe resort so far with the exception of BC, and we have never had problems keeping a room cool, even at night. And trust me, I hate being hot, especially at night...We had to bump it up and warm it up a little in here. I heard it cycling on and off several times during the night and nobody was moving, no special tricks necessary. We keep our A/C at home at 74 and its much cooler in here than it is at home.

Agreed. This is nothing to worry about imo. If anything, the rooms tend to be on the chilly side at times.

Animal Kingdom Lodge: Stayed there this April & the room was always cool, a/c always cycling.

Grand Floridian, Boardwalk Inn & Yacht Club: Split stay between these three resorts in July 2016, and also never had a problem.

Polynesian Villa & Yacht Club: Split stay between these resorts in July 2015 and never had any problem, either.

Consider this: Disney makes a fortune off their resort hotels, much more than they make off their theme parks. Do you really think they're going to sabotage that profit source with shoddy air conditioning systems?

Our rooms were never hot or even warm. I know that some people want rooms to be actually cold (rather than cool), and that the heavier a person is, the warmer they tend to feel. However, I think the resort's job is to keep the air cool, not refrigerator cold.

 

[Disney & ME]

We stayed at the Poly in a studio in May and cooked. Could not get the room below 70 degrees. We'd wake up in the middle of the night and have to turn on lights to get the ac to kick back on. There was literally almost no air movement.

We had the same issue at the Poly last October. Even when maintenance adjusted the temperature, the motion sensor kicked it off. Being from the north, we are not used to the FL heat and need it much cooler than people who are accustomed to the heat. I normally keep my house at 63 even in the winter!

We just stayed at the BWV and their AC was much better since we could adjust to our liking and at one point I even found it too cool. I understand Disney wanting to be energy conscious but each person is different so why not allow the guest to be comfortable, especially with the $$ we are paying.

 

[steg]

In my experience BWV thermostats seemed to stay what they were set at, AKL Kidani, Poly and SSR did not.

This is definitely cost cutting being passed off or hand waved away as "environmental friendliness"

In my experience it would take the better part of 30 minutes for a 2BR villa to go back to a temperature under 70 which being from the northeast is the norm for me.

For my future trips I have the problem solved, i'm bringing one of these and leaving it in the room.

 

[ArwenMarie]

The newer system, DDC2F, that was installed at GF and CBR and probably others, is more devious. It has a "feature" called soft-standby. Even when in bypass mode, the display will only show the set temperature and the AC will cycle off at a different (higher) temperature programmed into the thermostat by building maintenance. So the room is 78F when you get there, you set the temp to 67F and the AC kicks on. You come back an hour later and the display reads 67F and the AC is not running, but the actual room air temp is 74F. That's a dirty trick. It added to the general sense of reduced magic I experienced on our 2014 trip. Ya know, not a huge thing on its own but still worth putting on the list.

I think this is where hotels are getting into consumer fraud. If you just show me the real temperature at all times, fine, I can adjust to that. But it's maddening when it is reading one thing and the actual temp is another. I am going to bring a temperature gauge next time, that should be a fun experiment

 

[melissapealo]

Agreed. This is nothing to worry about imo. If anything, the rooms tend to be on the chilly side at times.

Animal Kingdom Lodge: Stayed there this April & the room was always cool, a/c always cycling.

Grand Floridian, Boardwalk Inn & Yacht Club: Split stay between these three resorts in July 2016, and also never had a problem.

Polynesian Villa & Yacht Club: Split stay between these resorts in July 2015 and never had any problem, either.

Consider this: Disney makes a fortune off their resort hotels, much more than they make off their theme parks. Do you really think they're going to sabotage that profit source with shoddy air conditioning systems?

Our rooms were never hot or even warm. I know that some people want rooms to be actually cold (rather than cool), and that the heavier a person is, the warmer they tend to feel. However, I think the resort's job is to keep the air cool, not refrigerator cold.

I don't think it's fair to make any determination based on a persons weight. Other factors can/will determine that as well. I also don't believe that anyone is expecting to keep their room at refrigerator cold as that would be 40F or below. I do feel as if a person should be able to regulate the temperature to where they feel comfortable. If one guest wants their room to be 68 while another prefers 74 then as a paying guest they should each be able to have their room that temperature. It is nice to know there is a way to over ride the thermostat settings to keep the room a comfortable temperature at all times.

 

[HeatherLassell]

I don't think it's fair to make any determination based on a persons weight. Other factors can/will determine that as well. I also don't believe that anyone is expecting to keep their room at refrigerator cold as that would be 40F or below. I do feel as if a person should be able to regulate the temperature to where they feel comfortable. If one guest wants their room to be 68 while another prefers 74 then as a paying guest they should each be able to have their room that temperature. It is nice to know there is a way to over ride the thermostat settings to keep the room a comfortable temperature at all times.

lol It is a generalization but really...my fluffier friends say things like "I'm never cold!" We live in Canada and they are the only friends who go outside in capris and a hoodie in -15C. I fight with people at work all the time because they want the buildings ac turned down yet 75% of us are already freezing. lol

But, yes, it's all personal preference. I don't think anyone should leave there room at 64 while they are gone to the parks all day. It is a waste of energy. There should be some type of compromise. I certainly wouldn't be happy to come back to my room if I set it for 70 and it was suddenly 75. I don't know many people who can get to sleep when they are hot and starting to sweat. So I guess it all depends how quickly the room cools back down. I REALLY don't like the idea that the ceiling fans are being removed in the Poly and that my thermostat will be turning itself off during the night? Ugh.