The Wilderness Lodge and Villas FAQ (Part 7) Simbas and Tiggers and Humphreys OH MY!

[JPN4265]

In my own experience housekeeping has been going downhill for the last several years at all levels of resorts. Our bathroom at GF was surely not vacuumed between guests, same for the entire room at FQ, CBR and POP. I know there have been cutbacks and outsourcing, but one has higher expectations for a Disney resort - especially after 27 years of stays with the excellent housekeeping experiences. We beagan to notice a difference in September of 2004 at GF and each stay since, at any resort, has been the same or worse.

A guest can no longer expect Disney's former excellent service in most areas. It's sad...but has not kept us from going until recently.

With everyone in agreement that housekeeping is not what is use to be, but pricing for the rooms still going up, what can we do about it? I ask this because I don't like to complain,(but I will if necessary) but I also refuse to pay $450.00 plus per night for a room that is not spotless. I not only expect this, but I guess I really demand this. Does going straight to the head management at the resort do any good? Does standing in the lobby and shouting at the top of your voice get the attention you desire? Help, anyone, any advise would be welcome. What worked (or didn't work) for you?

 

[Tinkerbellie16]

All year long. Just without the bows.


Just a side bar: Does it seem like that the WL is having an increasingly number of complaints about Mousekeeping? Seems like I read more and more post about how bad the rooms are kept up, and how dirty the rooms are.

Thanks for the info!

I haven't stayed at WL but I agree that mousekeeping in general is not as good as it should be (I make the assumption it is because it is outsourced, but that's my opinion). But I'm happy to say that on my last trip, I called with any concerns I had and they were addressed right away. I also left tips (not sure if that helped!) and I did get lots of animal towels (I NEVER expect these so it was a pleasant surprise!).

 

[Scubee]

Wow! So much great info! Subbing for this thread.

We'll be making my first trip with our little ones (DS7, DS3) and WL looks like the place for us.

 

[rcraw45425]

We stayed CL right before Thanksgiving and I have to echo others about Mousekeeping, Our first full day there we returned to our room around 4PM and the room had not been cleaned. She came around 5PM to clean, I jsut swapped towels with her. Funny thing, turndown was completed before 8:30 that night

 

[Shoshana]

We're arriving on the 23rd! I just completed online check in and the confirmation said "ground floor" room request. I did not make a room request. We're staying club level and I HOPE we can be on the 7th floor. Please, someone tell me that there are handicapped rooms on the 7th floor!

 

[amberg@eastlink.ca]

In my own experience housekeeping has been going downhill for the last several years at all levels of resorts. Our bathroom at GF was surely not vacuumed between guests, same for the entire room at FQ, CBR and POP. I know there have been cutbacks and outsourcing, but one has higher expectations for a Disney resort - especially after 27 years of stays with the excellent housekeeping experiences. We began to notice a difference in September of 2004 at GF and each stay since, at any resort, has been the same or worse.

A guest can no longer expect Disney's former excellent service in most areas. It's sad...but has not kept us from going until recently.

i agree that really is quite sad.

With everyone in agreement that housekeeping is not what is use to be, but pricing for the rooms still going up, what can we do about it? I ask this because I don't like to complain,(but I will if necessary) but I also refuse to pay $450.00 plus per night for a room that is not spotless. I not only expect this, but I guess I really demand this. Does going straight to the head management at the resort do any good? Does standing in the lobby and shouting at the top of your voice get the attention you desire? Help, anyone, any advise would be welcome. What worked (or didn't work) for you?

here's what i did. we arrived sept 30th. that nite we went rite to hs. then came back, so nothing to complain about. the next day we were off and when we returned we noticed the floor had pieces of popcorn strewn on it(yes from my 2 and 4 yr olds) and cheerios- shock! lol normal mom stuff to me i guess. we didnt say anything- silly us!

i let this go, along with 2 nites of no soap(thankfully i bring a bar form home to hand wash clothes!) and no tp- yikes! the sunday nite that was i think the 4th, i went to the front desk, the cm was named lourdes- and i remember this very clearly as its madonnas eldest's name. so she took all my complaints, including stained sheets from my daughters chocolate chip cookies- darn you famous amos! lol i was there a good 5-10 minutes telling her of these issues. she noted it- or so i thought- and she said it woudl be resolved.

shock- nothing was done. it took me and my hubby callign mousekeeing direct to speak to a supervisor and then they sent someoen to vaccumm at 1 am i kid you not, in a one room room. yeah not happening. i think that was the 6th. they did bring tons of soaps, tp and towels that nite tho. so then i called i think the front desk againa dn spoke to a wonderful cm who said i shoudl speak with mk themselves. told her my prior steps. she did up a papertrail/email report rite there and told me no complaint had ever been filed on my behalf ont he 4th!!!! i was beyond angry. i think the reson i called back to the front desk was that i wanted to speak to mgt. and she wouldnt patch me through. she was very nice tho and i can promise you ont he 7th- our last nite, the place was immaculate. we had loads of towels, tp, soaps(again) a clean table that something had stained it, turn down service, towel annimals, the kids stuffies all arranged in various ways, a window display, etc.

i did not tip on a daily basis and was planning to athe the end. but with the lack of service until that last day- too little too late.

 

[LaWa]

Since the Woods view room face away from the courtyard, most of them would be quiet. I'd probably request one on a high floor, on the north wing. It's so nice to watch the fireworks one night from the balcony. It's also not loud.

Enjoy!!!

Brian

Hey Brian,

Staying WL CL in four days. Cannot wait.

Just interested to see what sort of room request you made. Still debating the whole inside courtyard or woods view. We have the bunk beds for the kiddos.

I'll take good notes while I'm there. My pictures are usually just so-so.

At least you have the holidays coming up as a distraction.

Take care,
LaWa

 

[Cinbride]

Hey all. I booked for a standard in the beginning of Feb with the 4/3 deal. Is that still about the best that has been offered or is there something better I need to change it to. Thanks. Also, any suggestions on a location for a quiet standard? thanks again. I can't believe it's almost here. After Christmas it is strictly Disney planning/packing time.

 

[dizneykid]

We're arriving on the 23rd! I just completed online check in and the confirmation said "ground floor" room request. I did not make a room request. We're staying club level and I HOPE we can be on the 7th floor. Please, someone tell me that there are handicapped rooms on the 7th floor!

Yes, there are handicapped rooms on the 7th floor. Don't worry. I would check with the IPO just to make sure and ask them to take the request off. Reservations probably put it on automatically being that you have a need for a handicapped room. Enjoy your trip.

 

[purplejulie456]

Hey all. I booked for a standard in the beginning of Feb with the 4/3 deal. Is that still about the best that has been offered or is there something better I need to change it to. Thanks. Also, any suggestions on a location for a quiet standard? thanks again. I can't believe it's almost here. After Christmas it is strictly Disney planning/packing time.

That is so funny and trueI just told DS on the way to school that after Christmas extra $ would be going in our disney fund so we will have spending $ while there.

 

[purplejulie456]

i agree that really is quite sad.




here's what i did. we arrived sept 30th. that nite we went rite to hs. then came back, so nothing to complain about. the next day we were off and when we returned we noticed the floor had pieces of popcorn strewn on it(yes from my 2 and 4 yr olds) and cheerios- shock! lol normal mom stuff to me i guess. we didnt say anything- silly us!

i let this go, along with 2 nites of no soap(thankfully i bring a bar form home to hand wash clothes!) and no tp- yikes! the sunday nite that was i think the 4th, i went to the front desk, the cm was named lourdes- and i remember this very clearly as its madonnas eldest's name. so she took all my complaints, including stained sheets from my daughters chocolate chip cookies- darn you famous amos! lol i was there a good 5-10 minutes telling her of these issues. she noted it- or so i thought- and she said it woudl be resolved.

shock- nothing was done. it took me and my hubby callign mousekeeing direct to speak to a supervisor and then they sent someoen to vaccumm at 1 am i kid you not, in a one room room. yeah not happening. i think that was the 6th. they did bring tons of soaps, tp and towels that nite tho. so then i called i think the front desk againa dn spoke to a wonderful cm who said i shoudl speak with mk themselves. told her my prior steps. she did up a papertrail/email report rite there and told me no complaint had ever been filed on my behalf ont he 4th!!!! i was beyond angry. i think the reson i called back to the front desk was that i wanted to speak to mgt. and she wouldnt patch me through. she was very nice tho and i can promise you ont he 7th- our last nite, the place was immaculate. we had loads of towels, tp, soaps(again) a clean table that something had stained it, turn down service, towel annimals, the kids stuffies all arranged in various ways, a window display, etc.

i did not tip on a daily basis and was planning to athe the end. but with the lack of service until that last day- too little too late.

Starting to get a little worried about housekeeping....it sounds bad but I guess I wouldnt be shocked about it at the values...but especially at deluxe level one would think it would be better service

 

[nathanyell]

Hey Brian,

Staying WL CL in four days. Cannot wait.

Just interested to see what sort of room request you made. Still debating the whole inside courtyard or woods view. We have the bunk beds for the kiddos.

I'll take good notes while I'm there. My pictures are usually just so-so.

At least you have the holidays coming up as a distraction.

Take care,
LaWa

Hey LaWa,

Since you are gonna be there in 4 days I'd put a request in ASAP! The fireworks from the balcony are so nice and not loud for the kids. My nephew said Disney gave us our own fireworks just before bed. So cute!

My trip is an adults only trip, so we're staying in one of the honeymoon rooms. We did request to be on the north side, since there are none with a courtyard view. I can't wait I'm so excited. I'm just trying to get through each day!

I'm curious about what appetizers you see, because I'm allergic to all pork products so kind of want to know what my chances are to be able to enjoy them. :-/

Have a great trip!!!

31 Days!

Brian

 

[nathanyell]

Hey all. I booked for a standard in the beginning of Feb with the 4/3 deal. Is that still about the best that has been offered or is there something better I need to change it to. Thanks. Also, any suggestions on a location for a quiet standard? thanks again. I can't believe it's almost here. After Christmas it is strictly Disney planning/packing time.

Cinbride,

This one is a toss up. You could request one of the 4th floor standard rooms that are right off the lobby. I've heard they are quiet, but have a view of rooftops. So you kind of trade view for quiet.

I would probably request the 6th floor north wing. It is over the service area(morning deliveries), but it is higher up, so less noise travel. The view would be much nicer and you would most likely be able to see fireworks from the balcony.

Hope this helps.

 

[nathanyell]

WOW!!!! I just realized my signature says

1 month!!!





That just made my day!

Brian

 

[Piglets Mommy]

Hey LaWa,

Since you are gonna be there in 4 days I'd put a request in ASAP! The fireworks from the balcony are so nice and not loud for the kids. My nephew said Disney gave us our own fireworks just before bed. So cute!

My trip is an adults only trip, so we're staying in one of the honeymoon rooms. We did request to be on the north side, since there are none with a courtyard view. I can't wait I'm so excited. I'm just trying to get through each day!

I'm curious about what appetizers you see, because I'm allergic to all pork products so kind of want to know what my chances are to be able to enjoy them. :-/ Have a great trip!!!

31 Days!

Brian

Brian,

Just responding to the part in red, about your allergy....
My DS is allergic to milk, egg, and peanuts, and he has never eaten better than when we are in Disney!

Have you contacted Special Diets yet? I'm not sure if you would want to email them or IPO about the offerings in CL, but I'm pretty sure that they will make sure to have some things available for you that you will be able to have. We have never stayed CL, so I'm not sure if you would go through Special Diets or IPO, but I'm sure one or the other will help you out. If you need the email for special diets, let me know, and I will find it for you.

 

[heatherb0827]

Has anyone ever done the Archery experience? I have a 6 year who might really enjoy this but would love more details.

 

[amberg@eastlink.ca]

Starting to get a little worried about housekeeping....it sounds bad but I guess I wouldnt be shocked about it at the values...but especially at deluxe level one would think it would be better service

however- you would think they would try to take better care seeing as there are normally large amounts of small kids staying at the values. with parents of course! lol

 

[Tinkerbellie16]

Hey all. I booked for a standard in the beginning of Feb with the 4/3 deal. Is that still about the best that has been offered or is there something better I need to change it to. Thanks. Also, any suggestions on a location for a quiet standard? thanks again. I can't believe it's almost here. After Christmas it is strictly Disney planning/packing time.

That's the best general deal (4/3) out there. You might get better deals if you are AP or have a PIN code (for 40 or 45% off) but that might only be 'better' if you wanted to stay less than 7 nights. I wouldn't sweat it - you got a great deal!

 

[Tinkerbellie16]

Starting to get a little worried about housekeeping....it sounds bad but I guess I wouldnt be shocked about it at the values...but especially at deluxe level one would think it would be better service

My biggest suggestion is to check the room when you arrive. If you aren't changing rooms for any reason, check all the housekeeping items - you have everything stocked, is it clean for you, etc. Then call housekeeping with any requests - needed items, anymore cleaning, etc. I've found this sets a tone on what you need (lots of towels, extra creamer, and vacuumed everyday) and helps out. I also try to find the person that cleans our room and say hello and thank you. Also, I will call and ask that the room be cleaned at a specific time if it matters to me (so if we come back to the resort to nap from 1-4pm, I don't want them cleaning then!)

And I find that it really does help to leave a tip

 

[nathanyell]

Brian,

Just responding to the part in red, about your allergy....
My DS is allergic to milk, egg, and peanuts, and he has never eaten better than when we are in Disney!

Have you contacted Special Diets yet? I'm not sure if you would want to email them or IPO about the offerings in CL, but I'm pretty sure that they will make sure to have some things available for you that you will be able to have. We have never stayed CL, so I'm not sure if you would go through Special Diets or IPO, but I'm sure one or the other will help you out. If you need the email for special diets, let me know, and I will find it for you.

I have not informed my IPO yet, but was planning on it. I've never gone through Special Diets because I usually don't have much of a problem because I know what to avoid. Thanks for letting me know about that though!!