No more iHome Clocks

[mybabesuz]

I just returned from a split stay at OKW and Kidani.

Neither room had the iHome Clock.
They had regular Timex Alarm Clock/Radios.

Before I left home I couldn't find my charger.
I never use it at home. I think one of my kids borrowed it.
I didn't worry because the rooms have always had the iHome Clocks to charge my iphone.

At OKW they were able to find one for me.
They said some of the Master bedrooms still have them.
But as they break or disappear they are not replacing them.

But at Kidani they said they only had them in a few rooms.
And they were not getting anymore.
They were replacing them with the regular clocks because too many people steal them.
I was only able to find a USB charger, so I could atleast connect it to my computer to charge it.
No one sells phone chargers at Disney either.

I will be bringing one to keep in my Owners Locker next time for sure.

 

[karrit2000]

Personally I'm glad they are removing them & putting back the regular clocks. We had no end of trouble with one on one visit & they ended up just bringing us a regular clock radio to use. It wasn't so bad once I discovered how to access the clock controls. But every room I've had one in the clock time was incorrect and no one ever knew how to reset them.

 

[Corinne]

You cannot even reset the time on the model in the BCV. The time was off and it drove us crazy. It's a nice option to have when they work properly.

 

[vicki_c]

Wow - those didn't last long in the big scheme of things, did they? They were still just adding them to some resorts in the last year or 18 months. Good info to know though, one more cord/plug to bring for the multiple iPod/iphone family.

 

[hakepb]

You cannot even reset the time on the model in the BCV. The time was off and it drove us crazy. It's a nice option to have when they work properly.

I had to remove the little cover on the back to change the time.

It was nice to have the built in charger, but also a bit of a pain to remove mt Otterbox to use it. And then one night I forgot to turn iPod Off and got static every time I got an email all night :/

 

[hakepb]

But, yes things like this needs communication so owners know what to pack!

 

[BWV Dreamin]

We did not have one while staying at VWL in March. I wonder if it was a theft issue?

 

[jekjones1558]

Now this is sad. Theft has caused this change? We should be a lot more concerned about the costs of the stolen iHomes and the costs for the new clocks and less concerned about someone asking for and getting an extra bottle of shampoo free (per another recent thread here on the DIS).

 

[Technosavant]

Those things were junk... I'm not going to miss them. While the iDevice dock was potentially useful, it wasn't all THAT useful. Moreover, as others noted the time would often be incorrect and setting it properly was sometimes outright impossible.

 

[Muhlenberg]

I won't miss them. My DH uses a CPAP, and inevitably, we have to move the clock (or iHome) from his side of the bed to mine so he can plug it in. At Kidani, we had the iHome, and it took a LONG TIME to figure out how to change the time when I moved it. We had to look it up on the internet. For what amounts to...changing the time on a clock.

 

[disneynutz]

Apple will be moving to a different connector on the i products. Maybe Disney knows this and decided to stop supporting old technology.

Bill

 

[Starr W.]

We had those last November at SSR, of course the weekend that the time changed. I was about ready to throw the thing out the window, gave up and just used the clock on DH's Iphone.

My eldest has a clock/charger on his desk at home for his Ipod, it is not as complicated as those at SSR.

 

[Starr W.]

I just returned from a split stay at OKW and Kidani.

Neither room had the iHome Clock.
They had regular Timex Alarm Clock/Radios.

Before I left home I couldn't find my charger.
I never use it at home. I think one of my kids borrowed it.
I didn't worry because the rooms have always had the iHome Clocks to charge my iphone.

At OKW they were able to find one for me.
They said some of the Master bedrooms still have them.
But as they break or disappear they are not replacing them.

But at Kidani they said they only had them in a few rooms.
And they were not getting anymore.
They were replacing them with the regular clocks because too many people steal them.
I was only able to find a USB charger, so I could atleast connect it to my computer to charge it.
No one sells phone chargers at Disney either.

I will be bringing one to keep in my Owners Locker next time for sure.

Nor does Disney sell cords for computers. Last trip we were off on a Radio Shack detour between MK & AK to pick one up. Someone (DH) took it out of his travel bag.

 

[jekjones1558]

Apple will be moving to a different connector on the i products. Maybe Disney knows this and decided to stop supporting old technology.

Bill

 

[LisaS]

I'm upset to hear they were being stolen but I'm also glad they are getting rid of them. They were too big, especially at BWV where the nightstands have raised edges that made it impossible to position the iHome where you could see it from both the bed and elsewhere in the room.

As others have mentioned, resetting the time was awkward since it requires unscrewing that plastic cover in the back. It took a while to figure that out the first time I had to do it.

I hope the replacement clocks are much smaller than those big hulking things and easier to use!

 

[DenLo]

I'm upset to hear they were being stolen but I'm also glad they are getting rid of them. They were too big, especially at BWV where the nightstands have raised edges that made it impossible to position the iHome where you could see it from both the bed and elsewhere in the room.

As others have mentioned, resetting the time was awkward since it requires unscrewing that plastic cover in the back. It took a while to figure that out the first time I had to do it.

I hope the replacement clocks are much smaller than those big hulking things and easier to use!

My first stay at BLT, drove me nuts because the time was off on our iHome, until I finally figured out there was a cover over those buttons. One time I called maintenance for an iHome problem and when the CM came, he mentioned that they had lots of them stolen. I asked why didn't they use the theft proof cord and attach it to something to prevent stealing and he shrugged it off and said it was a management decision.

Personally, I glad they are being phased out as they took up too much room on the small night stands, especially at BLT. Those nightstands are almost postage stamp size as it is.

 

[jekjones1558]

I'm upset to hear they were being stolen but I'm also glad they are getting rid of them. They were too big, especially at BWV where the nightstands have raised edges that made it impossible to position the iHome where you could see it from both the bed and elsewhere in the room.

As others have mentioned, resetting the time was awkward since it requires unscrewing that plastic cover in the back. It took a while to figure that out the first time I had to do it.

I hope the replacement clocks are much smaller than those big hulking things and easier to use!

It always seemed to me that the time on the iHomes was intentionally set ahead a little so people would check out a few minutes early (yes I am paranoid). I think the mousekeepers liked the fact that you had to unscrew the plastic cover to reset it because most people didn't bother with doing so. I routinely reset the time to the correct time when we checked in.

 

[KAT4DISNEY]

It always seemed to me that the time on the iHomes was intentionally set ahead a little so people would check out a few minutes early (yes I am paranoid). I think the mousekeepers liked the fact that you had to unscrew the plastic cover to reset it because most people didn't bother with doing so. I routinely reset the time to the correct time when we checked in.

Every single stay for the last 2 years the room clock has been 10-15 minutes ahead. I'm apparently paranoid too b/c I came to the same conclusion as you!

 

[Sammie]

I am glad, as a clock and alarm it was useless to us. I ended up using my phone to wake me.

 

[Mike2023]

I was at AKL and BC 3 weeks ago and both rooms still had the ihome clocks.