Noise from above

[Jeanne]

I am looking for your opinions as fellow DVC members. Last week my family of 4, was at OKW in a ground floor 2 bdrm. Each morning the children ( I assumed it was children) above us were up and about quite early, and very excited to get going. I knew this by the running they were doing, must have been trying to help the adults move faster. By the 3rd morning I called the front desk at 8 a.m. asking for them to call the unit above and explain the problem. I called back to the front desk at 9 a.m. This time I was told that there is nothing they could do, quiet hours are from 10 p.m. -7 a.m. I explained to them that since we have been members, my children have become teenagers, and this is when they sleep. I thought that calling the front desk and asking them to address the problem would be the best way of handling the situation, but if they are telling me to handle it myself, I certainly would. How have others who like to sleep late handled this problem?

 

[eva]

Once we had a 1st floor villa at OKW and had the same problem. Except the noise started about 5am. And it sounded like people were jumping off the furniture. Luckily our teenage daughters are very sound sleepers. It would sometimes wake me up but everyone else seem to be able to sleep through it. I called the front desk one time and the noise quieted down that particular morning but started right up again the next. Since it only seem to wake me up and I usually am an early riser I just gave up. From that time on we have always requested a top floor villa. I don't know any other suggestions, since I really am not into confronting people myself.

 

[PamOKW]

Tough situation. I know how annoying elephants overhead can be. Especially when they start bowling. I'm also a bit leery about confronting people directly.

However, I think DVC is right that they do not get into the middle of these situations during the day. There is too much of a "grey" area in what annoys people and what is tolerable behavior. It becomes "he said/she said".

I think a great majority of people live in their own house. They are not used to the consideration necessary in apartment/hotel living. Knowing this, you have to be aware that noise will increase once the parks open and will die back down until it's time to come back for the afternoon break. Top floor is really the only solution for sleeping late.

 

[sueg]

We had a bad "noise-above" situation in HH. Ironically, I didn't want a top floor unit, because I brought 2 exercise tapes w/ me & didn't want to "make noise" for about 20-20 minutes while I exercised. However, we were subjected to hours of noise, which started early each day & continued throughout the day. We had a terrible weather wk. at HH, so I understood the stuck-in-the-rm noise, but starting at 5 AM every day, I was awoken by kids jumping. Whenever we ran into our upstairs "neighbors" outside our units, they looked away & hurried off, like they knew I was dying for a noise-chat. I just started referrring to them, whenever they were in ear-shot as the "People who wake Mommy every AM at 5". I knew they checked-out a day before us, because it was the only morning that I slept late. But I tend to agree w/ DVC, there is nothing that you can do about rude people. I think this is a special problem for some people who feel that they are spending alot of money on their trip & feel their kids can do ANYTHING they want because its vacation. Exercise tapes or not, I'll always request a top floor after this last trip.

 

[dcfromva]

I'm not sure what can be done about it....

We visited BCV this past New Year's. I figure that everyone would be up late on New Year's Eve, but a day or so after New Year's, we had a family move in the unit above us who were fond of running a bath and turning on the jacuzi jets at 2:00am in the morning. ( I don't think folks realize how much racket those jets make. )

And the "quiet pool" had children in it making noise after midnight. Our room was on the first floor, right in front of the pool on the first floor. The sound proofing kept out the outside noise pretty well overall--but, the ambient noise levels at night are pretty quiet--so, the noise they were making was really noticable. I figured they must have been folks from another time zone, I can't imagine having that much energy at that time in the morning after going to the parks all day otherwise....

(Maybe we will try to get a room on an upper floor next time...)

-DC

 

[DebbieB]

When we stayed in bldg 28 at OKW, our room faced the golf course fairway. Not sure if it was every morning, but the lawn mower was going early, before 7:00am I think.

 

[crisi]

We spent this last weekend in a hotel in North Dakota. I have a 3 year old and a 4 year old. They swam in the pool for a couple of hours and everyone collapsed into bed at 7:30 - including me.

At 12:30 our next door neighbors came home from whereever they were. A family with teenagers. Boy were they loud! Although I don't think they were purposely loud, they were talking in normal teenager voices and moving around getting ready for bed and laughing about their day. But, at 12:30 in the morning, it was loud. They didn't wake the kids, but woke me up.

We, of course, were wide awake by 6:00 - the kids were really excited to get into the pool and couldn't sleep any longer! (imagine being at Disney or what its like Christmas morning!) We were as quiet as possible with two hyped preschoolers, the pool didn't open until 7:00 and there wasn't anything to do except stay in the room and try to keep the kids distracted. Though the three year old did have to have a tantrum about something or another - and the four year old did manage one leap from the bed before getting scolded. Plus my mom plugged in her blowdryer at 6:30 to get ready - if I could hear their TV at midnight, they could hear our blowdryer at 6:30. I'm sure we woke our next door neighbors and has them complaining about their inconsiderate neighbors who get up too early and can't keep their preschoolers under control.

I'm not sure you can do anything about it. It is not reasonable to expect them to adjust their children's routines because sleep in - any more than if you occupy the upper floor, you are going to arrive home before their kids get in bed so as not to wake them coming back from a late night at DisneyQuest. If you spoke to them, they may agree to try and keep their children quieter in the morning, but you need to be prepared to realize that even well behaved preschoolers of responsible parents are going to be hyped and running around getting ready by 7:00am at Disney - and there is only so much they can do.

 

[DVC Nut]

The only thing you can do to stop the noise from a neighbor is to call the front desk while the noise is happening. This of course does need to be between quiet hours (as you know 10-7). I am suprised that the front desk suggested you confront your neighbors yourself. When I worked there we did everything we could to discourage our guests from doing this. As a note: three noise complaints on the same neighbor will get this person evicted from the resort. If your home happens to be directly below a grand villa you can expect noise much like elephants even if someone is just regularly walking across the hard wood floors. I don't know which room you were in, but this could have been the case. Hopefully this was just an unfortunate experience and you'll have better luck in the future

 

[Claudia Kellenberger]

The noise level above me is the main reason why I requested a top floor. In early December I will have my very first stay in a one-bedroom on rented points. I know that I am a very light sleeper, and this is a solo trip, so sounds might seem amplified.

I don't know if I will get my request, but it doesn't hurt to try.

I am a very quiet middle-aged woman , I don't have children, and DH will be staying home with our cats. You won't hear a peep out of me.

I would never want to disturb anyone's sleep, however, there might be a chance that I might be running the washer/dryer,
or the jacuzzi around 11 pm. I can imagine myself coming back after Illuminations, getting one load of laundry on, and then relaxing in the jacuzzi before going into bed.

Please tell me.......Will I be a disturbing neighbor ????

 

[InstImpres]

Not sure if it was every morning, but the lawn mower was going early, before 7:00am I think. [/B]

Debbie -

Sounds like they let you sleep in. They were mowing at 5am President's Week

 

[DeeP]

I have also been awakened by the lawn mowers in the very early am at OKW, well before 7 am. I guess they have to get the golf course ready for the early am golfers.
I also always request a top floor room to avoid hearing the sounds from above which helps alot. However sometimes I have found the worse noises are from your neighbors right next door.
I think Pam is right and when you are used to living in a house vs an apt/condo you are not used to the noise so it does tend to bother you somewhat. That combined with being a very light sleeper really does me in sometimes, but on the bright side I am always up and ready for early entry to the parks! LOL!

 

[BigTigger]

The most annoying noise at OKW is in the second floor units in three story buildings - the morning dew or light rain will drip, drip, drip down the drain pipe and hit the bend at the water table molding between floors. It makes quite a monotonous noise and is worse than any upstairs neighbors in our eight years of OKW visits.

 

[DisneyDuo]

I truly can sympathize with everyone and the noise problem. I'm a very light sleeper myself, and the slightest noise will wake me up. The solution is very simple - earplugs! I always bring foam earplugs when I travel. They block out most annoying noise, but not so much that I can't hear the alarm clock in the morning.

A much easier solution than dealing with your neighbors directly or through the front desk!

Lin

 

[Cinderelli]

Jeanne,

Would you mind telling me what building you were in? We were at OKW last week with 5 children in a 2nd story 2 bedroom. You can PM me if you like. I don't think it was us (the kids were up by 7 or 7:30 each day, but they aren't very loud in the AMs - and we were gone by 8:15 each day). I was more worried about our 1st nite there (Sun 3/23) when we had guests. If it was us, tho, I would like to know so we can request a bottom floor next time.

Thanks!

Lissa

 

[chrissyk]

We've had this problem a bunch of times at different hotels, so now I request the top floor whenever possible. We always get much more sleep when we are on the top floor.

 

[cognac]

Actually I find this is not a problem with Disney only. I have been to many hotels, both expensive and inexpensive. Same noise problems. Also bad if you're near an elevator. BTW, same problem at HH and started requesting top floor rooms away from elevator. I have found that of many hotels, disneys are very noisy. Was just at AKL, the savannah view room, and heard toilets flushing constantly all night long. Actually, about the quietest hotle I've stayed in are the Embassy Suites.

 

[Cmadsen]

We came back a week ago from our first stay at OKW. I travel a lot for my job and always request a top floor room because I, too, am a light sleeper. On our first night or two we had a very unhappy child next door to us. We put up with it and then they checked out and another family checked in. Well, the new neighbors deserved an award for being quiet..it was wonderful. However, every morning at between 5:50 and 6:30 Disney employees were driving some type of tram (I assume with bedding and such for housekeeping) down the road past our windows. We certainly didn't need an alarm clock! My friend decided it was really Disney's way of telling us..."Get up...spend money at our Parks...Get up!"

I agree with many of you that we are all used to our homes and sometimes just have to be tolerant. However, I do get discouraged that some (please note, I said some, not all) parents don't teach their children to be reasonably quiet and considerate of others. Is there a way DVC'ers can help spread this philosophy?

 

[MnParrothead]

We were at VB two weeks ago on the bottom floor of building 15 and it was very noisy above us. (I did request top floor 11 months out but we were told by the front desk that since we didn't get to VB until 11 at night to check in we got the last room that was cleaned.) So much for requesting anything. We did change rooms the next day to top floor but we did have to pay the room change fee. I will pay it again if I get stuck on the bottom floor next time. It was a small price to pay for peace and quiet the rest of the week.

We have also stayed in a suite at Radisson Port Canaveral in Building 4 I think it was and our room was so loud because of the mechanicals (air conditioning). When a cold spell hit later in our stay, it was much quieter, but I could still hear the people above running around like elephants. Call me sensitive. I admit it. I didn't last more than a few months living in an apartment years ago.

I agree that Embassy Suites is one of the quietest hotels I have stayed in. AmericInn is also quiet. They advertise that they are a quiet hotel/motel and they do enforce it.

 

[nezy]

Lin-What a good suggestion!! Travel w/your earplugs.

Maybe Disney can organize the rooms in such a way where families w/ teens are grouped together, familiesw/young kids are together and families w/ no kids are together!! Better yet, disposable earplugs should come with every room that has upstairs neighbors!!

Don't want to jinx myself but I haven't had a neigbor problem at any DVC resort-an I am a light sleeper, first one up-but not before 7:30 or 8:00 am. The only time I was awakened was at OKW by a sprinkler that hit the terrace doors-scared me and wet the clothing left on the porch!