Question about DVC & Mousekeeping

[TarheelDisneyMom]

I think I've heard before that if you are staying as a DVC member (renting or you are the owner), that your mousekeeping services are different than a regular paying resort guest. Is that true and if so, can someone tell me what the differences are? Also, are there any other "regular" benefits that you're not getting by staying DVC? I'm aware of all the good benefits to having DVC but you don't always here about the stuff that you don't get.
TIA

 

[backyardponder]

You are right, mousekeeping services are different.

On day 4 you get trash and towel service. Day 1 is counted as the day you check in. So, if you check in on Sunday, you get trash and towel on Wednesday. They empty trash and replace liners in trash bin; provide fresh bathroom towels; replenish shampoo, facial soap, bath soap, facial tissues, paper towels, and toilet paper. Also 1 packet of coffee plus sugar and creamer is refilled. If you are in a non-studio you also get dish soap, dishwasher detergent, and 1 box of laundry powder.

On day 8, a full cleaning is provided.

Once you get used to this, most people feel this is fine. If trash (especially dirty diapers) is an issue, you can ask where the trash bins are and take it yourself.

 

[Crystal_27]

Mousekeeping is greatly reduced with DVC (but you can pay for daily mousekeeping if you want to).

Essentially, if you are staying 7 nights or less, you will get a "towel and trash" service on day 4, which means you will get your towels and toiletries replaced. If you are staying 8+ nights, you will get a full cleaning on day 4 with a towel and trash service on day 8.

For us, another key benefit of staying on points is that free Internet is provided in the room. Given that DH owns his own business and has to always be "on the grid" even when we're on vacation, that perk saves us $10/night. Also, DVC members receive access to many discounts, including $100 off annual passes. As with anything, there are pros and cons to DVC, but, for us, it was a great decision to buy into DVC.

 

[TarheelDisneyMom]

Thanks to both of you for this information.
We are renting points this year for our stay for the first time so I wanted to make sure. We are staying studio so we won't have the washer/dryer, if we need new towels can we ask for them or do we have to just use what we have until day 4? Also, any idea what the cost to pay for daily service is?
We are looking into buying DVC but are still in the early stages of looking and are trying to decide between resale and buying straight through Disney. These little peices of information are great to have when you don't know anything about the DVC.

 

[Sandisw]

Thanks to both of you for this information.
We are renting points this year for our stay for the first time so I wanted to make sure. We are staying studio so we won't have the washer/dryer, if we need new towels can we ask for them or do we have to just use what we have until day 4? Also, any idea what the cost to pay for daily service is?
We are looking into buying DVC but are still in the early stages of looking and are trying to decide between resale and buying straight through Disney. These little peices of information are great to have when you don't know anything about the DVC.

You can get an extra set of towels for, I believe,, $6.00 but you typically can't just ask for towels and get them on days other than day 4 or 8.

DVC members (and renters) staying in studios do have access to the washer/dryers for free so you would be able to wash them if you need to. I am going in August with my 3 children (DS20, DD16, and DD13) and will probably just buy an extra set at the beginning so I don't need to worry about it. We will be switching resorts mid stay so we will get new towels for those last few nights anyway!

It took us years to decide on DVC, primarily because of the location--we have been going since 1994 and thought about DVC a lot but it came down to wanting to be near the MK (we stayed at Contemporary). When BLT came along, we knew we were in.

But, we weren't sure we wanted to go full force though Disney so we did start out with a small contract (50 points) at our 2nd choice resort, VWL. It allowed us to be a member with less and gave us the ability to add on at BLT with less points.

It is great that you are asking a lot of questions and researching before you buy. DVC is not for everyone, and as Crystal said, there are pros and cons to owning, but for us, knowing we can go on our typical 5 night vacation every year and stay in a 1 bedroom (instead of a typical hotel room) for less is exciting!!!

Good luck and have a wonderful time on your trip!!!

 

[The Red Head]

If you want more towels you can pay for a towel package. I think its like $6. Someone can correct me if I am wrong on the price. There are also washers and dryers available to you, they just aren't in your room in a studio.

 

[jekjones1558]

Great questions. I just wanted to weigh in as member who was a little concerned about DVC's housekeeping schedule when we first purchased. Since then we have come to LOVE not having a cleaning person coming into our room every day. In fact I usually try to catch the mousekeeper on Trash and Towel day and exchange towels so that she never has to come in our room. We take our own garbage out frequently. We really don't mess up the room and if we spill crumbs we clean them up right away. JMHO. YMMV.

 

[DebbieB]

From the member website:

Housekeeping

Trash & Towel Service
For stays of seven or less nights, Trash & Towel Service is provided on day four, regardless of whether you're using Member-discounted cash, Vacation Points or a combination of both.

With Trash & Towel service, Housekeeping will:

Empty trash and replace liners in trash bins.
Provide fresh bathroom linens.
Replace shampoo, facial soap and bath soap.
Replenish facial tissues, paper towels and toilet paper.
Replenish coffee, sugar, cream and sweeteners.
Replenish dishwashing liquid, dishwashing detergent, sponges and laundry detergent as needed in one-, two- and three-bedroom Vacation Homes.

Full Cleaning Service
For stays of eight or more nights, Full Cleaning Service is provided on day four and Trash & Towel Service is provided on day eight. After that, the cycle begins again on day 12, regardless of whether you're using Member-discounted cash, Vacation Points or a combination of both.

With Full Cleaning service, Housekeeping will provide everything included with the Trash & Towel Service, plus:

Change the bed linens.
Vacuum and dust the Vacation Home.
Clean the bathroom(s).
Clean the kitchen/kitchenette and wash the dishes.

Pay As You Play
All accommodations offer daily housekeeping service with a 24-hour notice and an additional fee.

Pay As You Play
With Pay As You Play service, you'll be provided with the following amenities free of charge at the start of your stay. After that, you may purchase more for the following fees:

Toiletries Package, $5.00 - 1 facial soap, 1 bath soap, 1 shampoo, 1 conditioner, 1 shower gel
Coffee Package, $3.00 - 1 package of coffee, 8 sugars, 8 creamers, 8 artificial sweeteners
Towel Package, $6.00 - 4 bath towels, 2 hand towels, 4 washcloths, 1 bath mat
Laundry Detergent (only in One-, Two-, and Three-bedroom Vacation Homes), $1.00 - 1 box

Additional Full Cleaning Rates:
Studio/Inn Room - $30.00 per day requested
One-Bedroom - $45.00 per day requested
Two-Bedroom - $60.00 per day requested
Three-Bedroom - $75.00 per day requested

Additional Trash & Towel Rates:
Studio/Inn Room - $15.00 per day requested
One-Bedroom - $20.00 per day requested
Two-Bedroom - $25.00 per day requested
Three-Bedroom - $35.00 per day requested

Note: Rates are subject to change

 

[maznorm]

With the trash and towel service do they make the bed or do they only do that with the full service? I know they don't change the bed linens but do they make the bed?

 

[DebbieB]

With the trash and towel service do they make the bed or do they only do that with the full service? I know they don't change the bed linens but do they make the bed?

No, not with trash & towel.

I've been a member almost 10 years, I've never purchased extra housekeeping. In fact, I like the setup better, no one coming into the room.

 

[SueM in MN]

No, not with trash & towel.

I've been a member almost 10 years, I've never purchased extra housekeeping. In fact, I like the setup better, no one coming into the room.

we've been member since 1993 and have never purchased extra housekeeping. We like it that you are not having to worry about someone coming into your room every day.

 

[crisi]

There aren't really any other benefits I can think of that you don't get - well, you don't get to take advantage of package deals on points - like free dining.

There are some differences with DVC.

Cancellation policies - you have to cancel your room 31 days before your trip or your points for that trip go into "holding" - holding points have more restrictions and may be difficult to use. Also, keep your banking window and use year in mind for cancelation...cancelling late in your use year will make it unlikely that you will be able to reuse your points.

Room configuration - except at OKW, DVC studios and a Queen bed and a Full (?) pullout couch. The pullouts are pretty comfortable, but if you are looking for two Queen beds.

Booking availability - because Disney sells DVC to run at 95% occupancy or so (as opposed to hotels where 80% occupancy is great), short term availability is often spotty or non-existant.

 

[Deb & Bill]

With the trash and towel service do they make the bed or do they only do that with the full service? I know they don't change the bed linens but do they make the bed?

All they do is take out the trash that is already in the trash cans, replace the toiletries in the bathrooms, remove the soiled towels and tub mat and replace the towels and tub mat that was removed. They do not vacuum. They do not make beds. They do not wash the dishes. They do not wipe down the counter tops. They do not straighten up the villa.

 

[jekjones1558]

I will say that we have had BWV mousekeepers make our bed and run the dishwasher on T&T day (sorry to admit that we usually don't make our bed). We have come to know some of the mousekeepers there and I think we get extra magical service. When I was at BWV in January I got the stomach bug that was rampant in spite of washing my hands and using sanitizer frequently. The mousekeeper was wonderful about doing extra stuff and checking in on me, even bringing soup. That said, I would NOT have wanted someone in my room vacuuming, etc.

 

[Chuck S]

While I haven't had them do cleaning on T & T Day in a 1 bedroom or larger unit, they have occasionally washed breakfast dishes I've left in the sink in a studio. No bedmaking or fresh linens, but we do usually throw the beds together to look a somewhat presentable.

 

[mousefan1972]

We stayed in a savanna view studio at Jambo House last month using a friend's DVC points. (we are not members ourselves) The housekeeping differences were one thing I was kind of apprehensive about before we went. We are frequent cash guests so we are "used to" daily housekeeping. It turned out to not be a big deal at all. I found I didn't mind making the bed (or setting up/breaking down the pull out sofa bed for the kids) and we kind of liked knowing that the room would be just how we left it when we came home after a long day at the parks. The trash room was about 5 steps away from our studio, so we took the trash out very easily ourselves every morning. The washer/dryer was great, once I found it. The only thing that was kind of a pain was the towel situation. We are a family of 4, and I found that the towel racks weren't large enough to hang all the towels to dry after we showered every day. So we ended up hanging 2 on the towel rack and 2 over the shower rod. Not a huge deal, just different. Overall we loved the studio, in fact so much I tried to talk DH into buying DVC.... (no luck)