Smoking at Pop...My review and experience..UPDATED W/ RESPONSE

[red01]

Let me start by saying how sorry I am for your experience for the night while on vacation. Thankfully it was handled the next day and you were moved so you would not have to endure it any further.

The response you received from Disney management seems pretty generic and I'm not sure how much farther going with it will get you. I don't believe your intention is for something for yourself anyway but rather to raise awareness about the faults of the current non-smoking policy. How decent of you being a non-smoker!

Just my thoughts:
I am a smoker and just returned from a weeks stay at the Beach Club Resort. I always use the designated areas when I smoke, both in the Parks and at the resort. I never use the hotel room - my daughter's in there, plus others are in the building with me, and I ain't paying any more for the room than I already have!
I agree with others about the designated areas being in main walk-through locations. I especially felt ridiculous smoking outside the enterance to the resort. I tried to back as far away from the doors as possible but the butt trays were located on either side of the main doors (?) . That struck me as stupid. The point is to have the smoke away from the building and from others who do not smoke. Having DA areas that are right next to doors and where non-smokers have to pass through makes a non-smoker angry and a smoker self-concious and guilty.
I also thought it a little ridiculous that I had a full size balcony which was almost as big as my room (no kidding it was that large) and I couldn't smoke on it. The whole week I was there I never saw ANY of the balconies around me in use. It just struck me as odd that I was supposed to go outside the main doors and smoke there with others passing through but couldn't smoke outside on my balcony where no one was present.

Anyway I didn't smoke much that week (which is a good thing) around 3-5 cigarettes a day, but I agree with all you non-smokers that smoking shouldn't take place in the rooms at all and that designated areas need to be looked at a little closer by Disney management.

 

[disneyholic family]

Let me start by saying how sorry I am for your experience for the night while on vacation. Thankfully it was handled the next day and you were moved so you would not have to endure it any further.

The response you received from Disney management seems pretty generic and I'm not sure how much farther going with it will get you. I don't believe your intention is for something for yourself anyway but rather to raise awareness about the faults of the current non-smoking policy. How decent of you being a non-smoker!

Just my thoughts:
I am a smoker and just returned from a weeks stay at the Beach Club Resort. I always use the designated areas when I smoke, both in the Parks and at the resort. I never use the hotel room - my daughter's in there, plus others are in the building with me, and I ain't paying any more for the room than I already have!
I agree with others about the designated areas being in main walk-through locations. I especially felt ridiculous smoking outside the enterance to the resort. I tried to back as far away from the doors as possible but the butt trays were located on either side of the main doors (?) . That struck me as stupid. The point is to have the smoke away from the building and from others who do not smoke. Having DA areas that are right next to doors and where non-smokers have to pass through makes a non-smoker angry and a smoker self-concious and guilty.
I also thought it a little ridiculous that I had a full size balcony which was almost as big as my room (no kidding it was that large) and I couldn't smoke on it. The whole week I was there I never saw ANY of the balconies around me in use. It just struck me as odd that I was supposed to go outside the main doors and smoke there with others passing through but couldn't smoke outside on my balcony where no one was present.

Anyway I didn't smoke much that week (which is a good thing) around 3-5 cigarettes a day, but I agree with all you non-smokers that smoking shouldn't take place in the rooms at all and that designated areas need to be looked at a little closer by Disney management.

none of the smokers near us were smoking in designated areas..
there were no ashtrays, as their many butts littering the ground made clear...

 

[C.Ann]

My sister and I were at Pop Century from Nov. 26th until Dec. 4th.. Upon check-in, the CM's were informing smokers where the DSA's were - and also informing them that they were allowed to smoke anywhere around the lake and/or on the "bridge to nowhere" - whether there were ash trays there or not - and to be sure to bring a towel from their room each morning (or after it rained) to dry off the benches and then toss it in the towel drop on their way back to their rooms..

I found it odd that the largest DSA (aside from going down to the lake) was just to the right of the back doors of Classic Hall, with the outside food court being on the left.. There were also 3 tables with umbrellas (that were DSA's) located near the bar.. Other than that, all DSA's had no cover from the elements..

During our entire stay there I saw 2 people smoking in areas where they clearly shouldn't have been, but it was raining at the time.. You could tell just by looking at them that they didn't feel comfortable smoking outside of the areas the CM's indicated were okay, but they really had no choice since the 3 poolside tables were already taken..

Personally, I don't see Disney ever going back to the policy of having smoking and no smoking rooms - but - if they are truly interested in maintaining their current smoking policy and encouraging people not to smoke in their rooms they should give some serious consideration to providing some kind of shelter from the elements for the courteous people who do use the DSA's.. It's Florida - not unusual for it to rain a bit every single day or night.. Benches also get wet overnight from the humidity.. And then there's the scorching sun beating down on ones head..

Just another Disney policy change that was thrown together without any real thought..

 

[annie1995]

We had the same issues with the strong smell of cigarette smoke coming out of our bathroom. I called and complained a couple of times, but they said its nearly impossible to find the person doing it as the way the venting is several rooms are connected. They told me they would keep their eye out for the tell tale sign, but nothing ever happened. We still smelled it everyday. We just kept our bathroom door shut all the time, which we had to do anyways cause my 1 year old found that he likes to wash his hands in the toilet water

 

[C.Ann]

We had the same issues with the strong smell of cigarette smoke coming out of our bathroom. I called and complained a couple of times, but they said its nearly impossible to find the person doing it as the way the venting is several rooms are connected. They told me they would keep their eye out for the tell tale sign, but nothing ever happened. We still smelled it everyday. We just kept our bathroom door shut all the time, which we had to do anyways cause my 1 year old found that he likes to wash his hands in the toilet water

--------------------------

That's crazy! Then how can they possibly enforce this so-called "fine" on anyone? If the smell is coming into your room via the vents, then the maid could "smell" it in your room and report you as the "smoker"..

Sheesh! Drives me nuts when Disney makes ridiculous policies without thinking them through ahead of time.. It really makes them look absolutely stupid..

 

[Got Quattro?]

I nor my wife smoke, and we don't like the smell either, but I sympothize to a point with smokers.

Smoking has been an accepted part of our WORLD for hundreds of years. IN the last 10 - 20 years, the rules have changed and what used to be hard to find a non smoking section, is now next to impossible to find smoking.

So smokers have to break rules and they all stick out like a soar thumb.

It will be a few years and the problem will phase itself out. We have to be patient.

My bigger pet peive than smoking is the ones who complain about my allergies, or asthma...bla bla bla. (I know the OP does not have this issue)

No one likes smokers, dont make yourself special because of some horrific allergy. These allergies never existed 30 years ago.

 

[Got Quattro?]

Thank you for contacting the Walt Disney World® Resort.

I am very sorry for the disappointment you experienced during your
visit. When we receive comments from Guests, such as yours, they are
shared with various areas of our organization. This allows us to
identify what we are doing right, and what we can do better. You may be
assured that your observations have been shared and taken seriously.

If you should wish to discuss your comments further, or provide us with
additional details, you may call me at 407-xxx-xxxx. If I am not
immediately available when you call, please leave your telephone number
and an indication of the best time to reach you.

Mr. and Mrs. xxxx, thank you again for taking the time to share your
honest and constructive feedback. We hope to have future opportunities
to entertain you at our Resort.

Sincerely,

Marlana Antifit
Executive Offices
Walt Disney World® Resort

Classic big company form letter. Your response was sent striaght to file 13.

 

[graygables]

For any future concerns, when you are at Disney and you call the Front Desk from your room, you do not get the Front Desk you get the Disney Call Center and yes they could care less about what is going on the resort.

I suggest two things either go to the Front Desk in person and ask to speak to the on duty manager and express your concerns in person, or ask to have a manager sent to your room to smell the problem in person.

Also please write Disney and let them know. They say they never get complaints about the new policy.

First, just so you know, my oldest DD is one of the CMs at the resort call center and you BET she cares about what's going on at the resort. They are not ON the resort site, but they do handle the calls/situations to the best of their ability. Also, some of them do try to "make light" sometimes and I don't think the CM meant anything about the wife smoking in the bathroom thing. If it had been me, I would have escalated it and insisted that a manager bring the air purifier (then figure out where it's coming from).

I agree with getting a manager ONSITE to assist with a problem of this degree. I had an issue at Pop with their horrific handicapped parking situation and located an onsite manager who dealt with it for me. I had an issue at AKV earlier this year and again, front desk, AKV staff, handled.

As far as the letter you received with the canned response. CALL THEM. You may be surprised how much more seriously they take your complaint when you make the effort to call (most people won't "waste" their time). Calls are taken more seriously than letters, letters more seriously than emails.

 

[disgram]

Classic big company form letter. Your response was sent striaght to file 13.

By all means, call the lady! I had a problem a couple years ago and I e-mailed Disney. I got almost the same response. I called. She wasn't in the office so I left my number and she DID call me the very next day!!

This year, I had a wonderful experience and again I e-mailed Disney and got the familiar letter. I called, she wasn't in, left my number and was called the VERY NEXT DAY!!!! So, two different e-mails, and I got a response to both! So I would say most definately call!!!!

 

[Luv2Roam]

The response may appear to be a canned response. But I really think it is true that the appropiate areas will be notified.
Years ago I worte a glowing letter and it was really shared between whatever teams were involved. I ended up getting responses later from a few different teams at various times.
It may take a little time to really be handled or noted, and you may never hear more. But the best thing to do is contact them and let the know of the situation. Glad you did. Although disappointed you had to deal with it.
This is good info for others as I would hate to think so many rooms are connected by one vent, as they apparently are. Certainly would make me hesitate to stay there for that reason alone.

 

[Colleen27]

Personally, I don't see Disney ever going back to the policy of having smoking and no smoking rooms - but - if they are truly interested in maintaining their current smoking policy and encouraging people not to smoke in their rooms they should give some serious consideration to providing some kind of shelter from the elements for the courteous people who do use the DSA's.. It's Florida - not unusual for it to rain a bit every single day or night.. Benches also get wet overnight from the humidity.. And then there's the scorching sun beating down on ones head..

Just another Disney policy change that was thrown together without any real thought..

I agree. The smoking policy is one of my bigger worries about our January trip, because there are only a few at our resort and my understanding is there is little cover at any of them. My DH is usually very good about sticking to DSAs, but I don't know that he won't "cheat" if smoking in the DSA means standing in the cold rain that is likely to come along at least a couple times over our 12 days there. He'll even tolerate August and raining, but the combination of near-freezing lows and rain (always possible during the winter) crosses a line.

 

[angelmav]

I think folks are missing the bigger picture here. If 15 or so rooms bathroom ventilation systems are linked to where you can smell smoke from any of those rooms, then all the business being done in those 15 or so bathrooms is shared as well! EEEWWWWWWW!

 

[PrincessKitty1]

The problem is, Disney does not choose to enforce their own rules. As another poster pointed out, they could have ultra sensitive smoke detectors that would detect cigarette smoking in the rooms.

Disney stopped having designated smoking rooms because most smokers want non-smoking rooms. The majority of smokers seem to prefer to smoke right outside their rooms, on walkways or balconies, to spare their children or other family members from inhaling their smoke. (Of course, that means all the non-smokers within smelling distance have to deal with the smoke, but that's another post! ). I believe I read only 3% of guests requested smoking rooms.

I believe the correct route to solving the problem of smokers smoking in non-designated areas is for Disney to ENFORCE their rules, not to rescind them. That said, I wouldn't mind a bit if they made one building in one of the Value resorts a smokers' building. I think they would do this if it was economically feasible, but as noted above, most smokers don't want to smoke in their rooms.

 

[THERESA522]

First, I'll disgust everyone. When vacationing with my BIL off-site, who's a smoker, he told us he always requests to stay in a non-smoking room - because a smoking room would smell! And yes, he smokes it in.

Now, I'm a smoker, but some of these DSA's are ridiculous at the resorts. We stayed in POFQ last September, and the main DSA was right outside the food court doors - everyone was smoking there in the morning and all the non-smokers had to walk through the cloud of smoke to get their breakfast. That's a sure-fire way to cause a problem for everyone.

Also, POP management should investigate further if there's a report on someone smoking. Is it really that hard to tell who's smoking in their rooms? Can't the maid tell in the morning? Shouldn't they be required to report it? Come on, smoke stinks! You can't tell me they can't figure out who has been smoking in a room!!

 

[alldiz]

Dosen't take a rocket scientist to know that there will be rule breakers.....

And being that lots of rooms are connected.....not only will they not catch who is doing it.....they will lose money with refunds to complaining guests....
While never finding out who does it....

BTW.....do all the hotels "share" vents....or is it just pop.
Kerri

 

[maxiesmom]

Also, POP management should investigate further if there's a report on someone smoking. Is it really that hard to tell who's smoking in their rooms? Can't the maid tell in the morning? Shouldn't they be required to report it? Come on, smoke stinks! You can't tell me they can't figure out who has been smoking in a room!!

This is what I was thinking! The maids should easily be able to tell who is smoking in their room. Why on earth would Disney not want to know? They could make an easy, what, $500 on the smoking fee?

I wonder what they would do if you told them you were highly allergic, and holding them accountable for any doctor bills, as the couldn't be bothered to take care of it. This is NOT one of the rules that they only enforce when they feel like it.

OP--I'm glad they at least moved you, but how could they guarantee that it would not happen again? Did they think you wouldn't mind switching rooms constantly because they were to lazy to enfoce the no smoking rule? I would definately call the number they gave you and tell them you found the lack of action on the resorts part unforgivable.

 

[GEM]

We had the same problem at Pop in September. Horrible smoke coming through the bathroom vents. I'm not usually one to complain. I tend to wear seriously rose colored glasses while at Disney, but this really was a big problem for us. We complained, but nothing was really done. Not sure what they could have done, other than move us - which we didn't want to do because we had already unpacked and settled into a good location. We just kept the bathroom door closed the whole time.

 

[minnie61650]

As explained earlier I think the situation is unique at Pop because 16 rooms share the same ventilating system.
I think that the only Disney owned resort that shares the ventilation system with 16 rooms is Pop.
Once that smoke travels through the ventilation system all 16 rooms will smell like they have been smoked in.

BTW:

I have read about this problem at Pop many times.

Just my 2 cents.

 

[C.Ann]

As explained earlier I think the situation is unique at Pop because 16 rooms share the same ventilating system.
I think that the only Disney owned resort that shares the ventilation system with 16 rooms is Pop.

I have read about this problem at Pop many times.

Just my 2 cents.

---------------------

Doesn't make one feel too comfortable about the possibility of catching the flu or something while staying there, does it?