Trouble with pneumatic spring door closures on resort room

[BroganMc]

I had a very frustrating and disturbing experience this week. I've been a DVC owner since 2006 and visited Orlando every year for the last 15 years. Since 2006, I've come 2-3 times a year. I split my time between our Marriott timeshare and Disney timeshare. My main homes when in town are Marriott's Cypress Harbour and Disney Saratoga Springs resorts.

One of the things that always comes up when I stay at Disney are those pneumatic spring closures they install on all the hotel rooms. They are meant to make the doors close and lock as you leave, but for someone in a wheelchair they become a hazard and a hindrance for egress in and out of the room. They're also screwed in so tightly by default (making the door incredibly hard to open), you need significant hand/arm strength to open one at all. The wider you pull the door open, the tighter it is and heavier the door becomes.

Marriott deals with this by removing the closures from their ADA rooms. Those doors swing open freely and need to be pulled shut to lock. No safety hazard there. So while at Disney, one of my first calls is to Maintenance to get the closure detached during my stay.

This week, however, I had the most insanely difficult time getting this done. It all started when I checked in. I requested Maintenance be sent to my room when I picked up my room number (the text never did arrive). This was around 6pm. The young CP girls checking me in failed to request Maintenance. Ok, they were new to the country and I covered a lot of things with them.

What bothered me was an hour later when a Maintenance worker arrived at my building. She initially refused to help because there was no work order. She wanted me to go back to the Front Desk to submit one. But I convinced her to have a word with her supervisor and submit/create a work order. (Maintenance has a rule forbidding workers to enter guest rooms without an order on file. A little nuts when the guest is standing right there asking for help.)

But it got worse from there. Once her supervisor got involved, I was informed of a new rule forbidding anyone in maintenance from removing the closure. Security was the reason sighted. (Saratoga is one of the resorts prone to the pizza flyer thieves who routinely look for unlocked rooms to rob.) I requested a word with another supervisor trying to explain why that closure was not just a hindrance but a fire hazard to me. I cannot pull the door open and exit the room, not in my wheelchair, not quickly and not in an emergency.

I was told the night manager would be around to talk to me. I waited up until 1:30am. No visits, no calls.

So at 8am the next day I began my day with a call to the Front Desk (I used the Back Office number so I could be certain I was talking to someone at Saratoga and not the call center). I spoke with a manager there who assured me someone would be around soon to work it out.

I got ready for my day and (with family) left for Universal Studios. When we returned at 11pm that night there were yet again no calls, no visits, and no attempts to fix my door. So I called down to the Front Desk again for help. I was assured the night supervisor would be in touch soon. I fell asleep around 1am again.

When I woke up the third day and still no calls or visits, I called Front Desk again. This time I was downright livid. Not only was I not getting service but no one was following through as they said they would. Fortunately this time I spoke to a newer manager who was equally disturbed by the lack of attention. She managed to get the chief engineer down to my room.

Unfortunately I was in the shower when the engineer initially arrived. My dad tried, as best he could, to explain the problem. This engineer (a nice young woman who was rather bullish in her regulation following) still did not grasp the concept of the closure being a hazard. She left briefly to go fetch some rubber doorsteps to keep the door open. (She was responding to my dad's explanation that getting out with an ECV was difficult.) By the time she returned, I was dressed enough to speak to her myself.

I managed to get hold of my emotions enough to ask her if I could show her something. Then I kicked the doorstop out of the way and let the door close. I made her watch as I spent the next 5 minutes struggling to open the villa door, hurting myself and my chair in the process. The door slipped from my hand. I bumped my head. My footrest got twisted. I had to start over twice. My caster wheels got caught up in the welcome mat outside. And by the end the door did not slam closed enough to lock. So the very reason for the pneumatic closure (to ensure security) failed while creating real harm to me. The doorstop was useless to me since as soon as I can prop the door open enough to drive my chair through, I don't need it to stay open further. And the closure was worthless because my chair catches the door requiring me to turn around and pull it tight to lock. Getting the door open is a little easier (my chair can provide the muscle to push the door open). Of course, both exiting and entering require me to scrape the door with my chair thus damaging the door.

At first she was going to stick to the rules and leave me to struggle through it for the rest of the week. She had her supervisors to answer to, after all. But I think she felt so guilty watching me suffer she changed her mind half an hour later. A team of maintenance workers were dispatched to my room and a myriad of problems were solved including removing that closure. (The shower faucet leaked due to a worn washer/seat making it impossible for me to turn off tightly and the drawer in the armoire was stuck.) Supposedly a note has also been included in my file so when I return I won't get the "push back" of "this is against regulation" when I ask for the closure be removed.

The experience leaves me with mixed feelings. I've been frustrated more and more by decisions and attitudes from WDW over the last couple years. It seems it's become harder and harder to find simple understanding let alone magic there. I'm glad I won my battle this week, but I should never have had to fight it. And in the past (as in 4-5 years ago) I never did. If I needed anything, CMs eagerly and pleasantly helped. Now it seems like disability awareness has disappeared.

There are established rules that ensure some things are done, but when something isn't in the rule book it has become much harder to explain your need and get assistance.

What stood out most to me was that I split my time with Disney's competitors this trip. I was at Marriott for 2 weeks. When I needed to call the Front Desk, I spoke directly to someone there. If they had to dispatch Maintenance or Housekeeping to my door, they followed up 30 minutes later with a phone call to see if my needs were met. (Disney staff made a note in the file and everyone just looked at the note which said "we did the best we could". No one bothered to check with me to see if I was satisfied.) And it wasn't just where I stayed.

I know a lot of people usually come here to talk about DAS. My physical limitations mean I have changing abilities throughout the day. It is extremely difficult for me to stick to any schedule. For this reason, I find I just cannot use the FP+ or DAS system to help me. FP+ involves too much pre-planning and scheduling I cannot keep. It adds to my stress rather than reduces it. The DAS 10 minute window usually means I just skip things with lines entirely. However my time at Universal (in March and October) has been very fruitful. Their 30 minute window means there are more things I can do when my body is able. Yes, there are many rides I cannot physically go on, but when the ride vehicle is inaccessible the attraction itself is made available to me with a guided tour. The only attractions where I find I need to employ a return time become the big events for my day (Minions or Shrek). I'll get a Return Time on my way into the park and redeem it sometime later in the day, if I feel up to it. Otherwise I go entertain myself with things that have minimal to no wait. (Hogwart's Express and Men in Black are favorites.)

So my last trip was dominated by frustration and disappointment at Disney and service and magic at their competitors. I'd say I'm content that maybe my demonstrate and fight was going to improve things at Saratoga. But I really doubt any policies or practices will get changed. I've talked to numerous managers over the years. Notes have been written in my file. I've talked to DVC Member Satisfaction. I've written letters. Always I get a polite agreement and then a year later, those folks are transferred and I have to fight it all over again with clueless newcomers. It makes me feel WDW has just gotten too big, too corporate and too distant from the guest.

 

[aaarcher86]

I'm sorry about the door problem. Is there any kind of liability for personal belongings that would make them reluctant to remove the closing mechanism?

Just for comparison, MK alone sees about double the amount of annual visitors as universal. I know a lot of people compare the 10 min to 30 min times on the disability card, but operationally it really isn't comparable.

http://articles.orlandosentinel.com...seaworld-orlando-blackfish-nick-gollattscheck

 

[BroganMc]

I'm sorry about the door problem. Is there any kind of liability for personal belongings that would make them reluctant to remove the closing mechanism?

Not that I'm aware of. And even so, I can't imagine their liability for lost/stolen goods is comparable to their liability for guest's personal injury. Imagine if there was a fire in the unit? They put the wheelchair-accessible roll-in shower rooms on the first floor for the very reason of fire safety/egress. But on the balcony side my path is blocked by 3 foot tall bushes and the front door has that impossible to open closure. Fire code regulations alone counter any security reasons they have.

 

[DisneyOma]

I had a very frustrating and disturbing experience this week. I've been a DVC owner since 2006 and visited Orlando every year for the last 15 years. Since 2006, I've come 2-3 times a year. I split my time between our Marriott timeshare and Disney timeshare. My main homes when in town are Marriott's Cypress Harbour and Disney Saratoga Springs resorts.

One of the things that always comes up when I stay at Disney are those pneumatic spring closures they install on all the hotel rooms. They are meant to make the doors close and lock as you leave, but for someone in a wheelchair they become a hazard and a hindrance for egress in and out of the room. They're also screwed in so tightly by default (making the door incredibly hard to open), you need significant hand/arm strength to open one at all. The wider you pull the door open, the tighter it is and heavier the door becomes.

Marriott deals with this by removing the closures from their ADA rooms. Those doors swing open freely and need to be pulled shut to lock. No safety hazard there. So while at Disney, one of my first calls is to Maintenance to get the closure detached during my stay.

This week, however, I had the most insanely difficult time getting this done. It all started when I checked in. I requested Maintenance be sent to my room when I picked up my room number (the text never did arrive). This was around 6pm. The young CP girls checking me in failed to request Maintenance. Ok, they were new to the country and I covered a lot of things with them.

What bothered me was an hour later when a Maintenance worker arrived at my building. She initially refused to help because there was no work order. She wanted me to go back to the Front Desk to submit one. But I convinced her to have a word with her supervisor and submit/create a work order. (Maintenance has a rule forbidding workers to enter guest rooms without an order on file. A little nuts when the guest is standing right there asking for help.)

But it got worse from there. Once her supervisor got involved, I was informed of a new rule forbidding anyone in maintenance from removing the closure. Security was the reason sighted. (Saratoga is one of the resorts prone to the pizza flyer thieves who routinely look for unlocked rooms to rob.) I requested a word with another supervisor trying to explain why that closure was not just a hindrance but a fire hazard to me. I cannot pull the door open and exit the room, not in my wheelchair, not quickly and not in an emergency.

I was told the night manager would be around to talk to me. I waited up until 1:30am. No visits, no calls.

So at 8am the next day I began my day with a call to the Front Desk (I used the Back Office number so I could be certain I was talking to someone at Saratoga and not the call center). I spoke with a manager there who assured me someone would be around soon to work it out.

I got ready for my day and (with family) left for Universal Studios. When we returned at 11pm that night there were yet again no calls, no visits, and no attempts to fix my door. So I called down to the Front Desk again for help. I was assured the night supervisor would be in touch soon. I fell asleep around 1am again.

When I woke up the third day and still no calls or visits, I called Front Desk again. This time I was downright livid. Not only was I not getting service but no one was following through as they said they would. Fortunately this time I spoke to a newer manager who was equally disturbed by the lack of attention. She managed to get the chief engineer down to my room.

Unfortunately I was in the shower when the engineer initially arrived. My dad tried, as best he could, to explain the problem. This engineer (a nice young woman who was rather bullish in her regulation following) still did not grasp the concept of the closure being a hazard. She left briefly to go fetch some rubber doorsteps to keep the door open. (She was responding to my dad's explanation that getting out with an ECV was difficult.) By the time she returned, I was dressed enough to speak to her myself.

I managed to get hold of my emotions enough to ask her if I could show her something. Then I kicked the doorstop out of the way and let the door close. I made her watch as I spent the next 5 minutes struggling to open the villa door, hurting myself and my chair in the process. The door slipped from my hand. I bumped my head. My footrest got twisted. I had to start over twice. My caster wheels got caught up in the welcome mat outside. And by the end the door did not slam closed enough to lock. So the very reason for the pneumatic closure (to ensure security) failed while creating real harm to me. The doorstop was useless to me since as soon as I can prop the door open enough to drive my chair through, I don't need it to stay open further. And the closure was worthless because my chair catches the door requiring me to turn around and pull it tight to lock. Getting the door open is a little easier (my chair can provide the muscle to push the door open). Of course, both exiting and entering require me to scrape the door with my chair thus damaging the door.

At first she was going to stick to the rules and leave me to struggle through it for the rest of the week. She had her supervisors to answer to, after all. But I think she felt so guilty watching me suffer she changed her mind half an hour later. A team of maintenance workers were dispatched to my room and a myriad of problems were solved including removing that closure. (The shower faucet leaked due to a worn washer/seat making it impossible for me to turn off tightly and the drawer in the armoire was stuck.) Supposedly a note has also been included in my file so when I return I won't get the "push back" of "this is against regulation" when I ask for the closure be removed.

The experience leaves me with mixed feelings. I've been frustrated more and more by decisions and attitudes from WDW over the last couple years. It seems it's become harder and harder to find simple understanding let alone magic there. I'm glad I won my battle this week, but I should never have had to fight it. And in the past (as in 4-5 years ago) I never did. If I needed anything, CMs eagerly and pleasantly helped. Now it seems like disability awareness has disappeared.

There are established rules that ensure some things are done, but when something isn't in the rule book it has become much harder to explain your need and get assistance.

What stood out most to me was that I split my time with Disney's competitors this trip. I was at Marriott for 2 weeks. When I needed to call the Front Desk, I spoke directly to someone there. If they had to dispatch Maintenance or Housekeeping to my door, they followed up 30 minutes later with a phone call to see if my needs were met. (Disney staff made a note in the file and everyone just looked at the note which said "we did the best we could". No one bothered to check with me to see if I was satisfied.) And it wasn't just where I stayed.

I know a lot of people usually come here to talk about DAS. My physical limitations mean I have changing abilities throughout the day. It is extremely difficult for me to stick to any schedule. For this reason, I find I just cannot use the FP+ or DAS system to help me. FP+ involves too much pre-planning and scheduling I cannot keep. It adds to my stress rather than reduces it. The DAS 10 minute window usually means I just skip things with lines entirely. However my time at Universal (in March and October) has been very fruitful. Their 30 minute window means there are more things I can do when my body is able. Yes, there are many rides I cannot physically go on, but when the ride vehicle is inaccessible the attraction itself is made available to me with a guided tour. The only attractions where I find I need to employ a return time become the big events for my day (Minions or Shrek). I'll get a Return Time on my way into the park and redeem it sometime later in the day, if I feel up to it. Otherwise I go entertain myself with things that have minimal to no wait. (Hogwart's Express and Men in Black are favorites.)

So my last trip was dominated by frustration and disappointment at Disney and service and magic at their competitors. I'd say I'm content that maybe my demonstrate and fight was going to improve things at Saratoga. But I really doubt any policies or practices will get changed. I've talked to numerous managers over the years. Notes have been written in my file. I've talked to DVC Member Satisfaction. I've written letters. Always I get a polite agreement and then a year later, those folks are transferred and I have to fight it all over again with clueless newcomers. It makes me feel WDW has just gotten too big, too corporate and too distant from the guest.

So how did you get in and out of the room before they removed the safety mechanism?

 

[BroganMc]

So how did you get in and out of the room before they removed the safety mechanism?

My dad held the door for me.

Actually since he also uses an ECV, he'd get up and open the door for me. I'd catch it and hold it with my chair. Then he'd go get in his ECV and we'd do a sort of tandem pass of the open door. The tricky part is making sure your vehicle catches the door and bears the weight while keeping your hands, feet and head clear. It's extremely easy to bang your head on the door handle as it's on the same level.

If on my own, I'd drive up as close to the door as possible, having to get as far to the side of it as I can. Then I'd sort of half lean/half stand so I could reach forward and grab the door handle. (Saratoga door handles are mounted extremely high.) Pull/push with my body just enough to catch the door with my foot and footrest. Wrong angle and the footrest blocks the way or else I am too far out and the door slams shut. There's a small window of opportunity where I could just catch the door with the outside bolt of my right footrest (I only use one) or the toes of my shoe. Then I'd back up slowly trying to keep the door wedged open with the footrest and my foot. Not a great deal of space since it's a very tight angle in those entry doors. If I rotated to my right and backwards, I could pry the door open just enough to make a bigger space. Trick is to eventually catch the door with my back wheel, since that is wider than my front wheels. When the door is at it's tightest it takes all my upper body strength just to open it an inch. Then I might be able to catch it and stop it from locking with my toes. If I can get my shoulder or head wedged in I can push/pull with my body. Usually I scrape my hands on the door frame, bang my head and/or twist my footrest so the footplate twists in. The door gets scuffed and scraped but I can't help that.

Getting in I have to lean forward to reach the lock. It's mounted above the door handle so I have to slip my MagicBand off to get it to reach the sensor. Then I have that 1-2 seconds to twist the handle and push the door just enough to keep it from locking again. I try to push the door open with my body enough to get my foot clear of the footrest and caster wheels. Then I can have my powerchair push through the door. Again keep my hands/feet inside as much as possible so I can scrape by. I drive out of the way of the door and let it slam shut.

The process is made that much more complicated because I usually have to reach and pull with my right hand (my weakest and with the shortest reach) while driving with my left hand (where my driving controls are located).

Public bathroom doors are notorious for having the same sort of pneumatic spring closures. I don't even try to open those from the inside. I'll either block the door open on my way in and leave it propped with the built-in kickstand or wait until someone else is going out/coming in. I could try my method of fighting my way out (and will if I absolutely have to, say it's been more than 15 minutes since I've seen another soul enter the bathroom), but usually don't because I'll most likely get hurt. The chances that someone comes barreling into the door just as I'm wedged against it trying to pull is very high. In that case I get a door in the face, foot, arm, chair.

 

[OurBigTrip]

I can't speak to whether or not they should remove the mechanism, as this is the first time I've ever heard of anyone that couldn't get the door open because of it. However, I do think you're being unreasonable to expect the maintenance worker to do it without any direction from their leadership or without a work order. You're upset that someone won't do something that could potentially get them in trouble with their bosses, and I think that's a foul on your part. No one should be expected to provide "customer service" that could result in someone losing their job.

 

[TheRustyScupper]

Since I used to work "in the Back Room" at SSR, let's understand a few things.

1) Door closers are there for the guest's safety and security.
. . . they close automatically when you exit, so you room isn't ransacked if you forget to close the door
. . . they close automatically when you are in the room, so thieves/thugs don't enter if you don't firmly close the door at bedtime
. . . it is policy to not remove the closures, for WDW liability purposes
. . . if a manager goes against policy to have the closer removed and there is a problem, termination is frequently the result
. . . it the closer is removed, maintenance could be busy when you leave and not have it replaced in time for the next guest
. . . if a maintenance person removed the device without an approved WRITTEN work order, this could be a termination offense
2) For phone calls,
. . . when you call The Front Desk from your room, you get the Call Center, not the Front Desk.
. . . even though you have the number for The Back Room, many times those calls are automatically forwarded to the Call Center
. . . we get pretty busy in the Back Room, and if our phone rings and it is a room, we can hit a button to transfer to Call Center
. . . if you call from your room, the phone displays the room number and the guest's name, so we know if you are calling
. . . if we answered every call, we easily could be prohibited from doing our jobs, hence The Call Center
3) Door Closers
. . . door closers can be adjusted for strength
. . . they do not have to be removed to be made easier for the door to open
. . . they can be set to "strong" (the default) or very weak with practically no resistance)
4) Disabled and handicapped
. . . we do the best we can to accommodate the disabled and/or handicapped
. . . however, we can't change everything

NOTE: This is not to argue the closer point, but to explain the system and guidelines.

 

[charmed59]

From a Disney resort guest point of view, what should be the expectations for call back if we call the Back Room number? If it gets transferred to the call center do the requests get delayed? It sounds like, in the OP's case, the requests for the first few days were just dropped, and not acted on at all. Is this to be expected as part of the way SSR works?

I'm not surprised service at the Marriott was much better than SSR. All the money paid to the Marriott goes to the Marriott. They aren't spending part of your room rates on transportation, fireworks, road systems, lagoon shows, etc. They can spend a larger portion on maintenance and staffing.

The "magic" part of the Disney resorts is supposed to be the extras: the early morning hours, the resort buses, the water parade on the lagoon outside your window. Going back to the first time I went to Disney World 17 years ago, the service at the Grand Floridian wasn't close to the service I'd receive at a Four Seasons or Ritz Carlton. That's just not their thing. Then again, there aren't many hidden Mickey's in the lobby of the Ritz.

 

[TheRustyScupper]

From a Disney resort guest point of view, what should be the expectations for call back if we call the Back Room number?
. . . there is no standard for Call returns delays
. . . the caller seldom knows whether they have the Call Center or resort on the line
. . . the Call Center ALWAYS answers the call as if they are the resort Front Desk or Back Room
. . . even if the caller is "transferred to a manager", the manager could be at the Call Center
. . . in many cases, the call is transferred to another CM, who pretends to be a manager
.
If it gets transferred to the call center do the requests get delayed?
. . . yes, because the call-topic-guest info are just passed along to the resort
. . . then, someone at the resort has to see the notice and take action or call back
. . . if the Call Center thinks the call is important, they can call the resort and ask if they want to pick up the call
. . . it is strictly up to the resort if they want to take the "live call"
. . . in most cases, the Call Center can take care of the caller, so the resorts save manpower
. . . typically, the resort just allows the call info to be forwarded, instead of doing a "love call"
.
It sounds like, in the OP's case, the requests for the first few days were just dropped, and not acted on at all. Is this to be expected as part of the way SSR works?
. . . unfortunately, things can happen, and calls "fall through the cracks"
. . . the Call Center might have thought the call not important enough to forward the concern
. . . or, the notice was sent and no one at the resort saw the posting, so it just sat in the queue

 

[ttintagel]

Man, what an awful time you had of it! It does seem like sometimes it's the luck of the draw whether you're going to be there at a time when the particular management and workers on duty give a mouse's behind and when they don't.

 

[Toffeewoffy]

I make no comments on whether the door should be adjusted or not, but will back you up on the difficulty of getting in and out of Disney rooms when you're in, in my case, an ECV. If I'm with my family they go in first and hold the door open for me, or open the door and let me go out first. If I returned to the room and knew one or the other were in there (say I'd gone on the hot chocolate/bagel run), I'd tap on the door and someone would let me in.

When I had to get in on my own, it was quite awkward - but purely because while I could ram the door open with the front wheel of my ECV, I didn't want to damage the door. With an ECV you're further back from the door than you would be in a wheelchair, having the front of the ECV and tiller a good 18% in front of you. It's quite difficult to open the door without slamming it open with the front wheel. And getting the door open from the inside is difficult because if there's a corrider you can't get the ECV up to the door and get it open and through it. As long as we don't stay in a studio, that shouldn't be a problem right now.

 

[wilkeliza]

I can't answer to the door. I'm use to them because in NYC every apartment building has to have them due to fire code. Silly as it is the door has to close on it's own strength with in a certain amount of time because all doors are also suppose to be fire rated for a certain number of hours. The idea is if the door automatically closes behind you while you are fleeing then the fire is contained in 1 unit for X number of hours.

I'm confused by what you mean with the DAS and the 10 minute window? The DAS can be used at any time after the initial amount of wait has passed so it is the posted wait time minus 10 minutes. So if the posted wait is 60 minutes you can return any time after 50 minutes to use your DAS return time.

 

[aaarcher86]

I can't answer to the door. I'm use to them because in NYC every apartment building has to have them due to fire code. Silly as it is the door has to close on it's own strength with in a certain amount of time because all doors are also suppose to be fire rated for a certain number of hours. The idea is if the door automatically closes behind you while you are fleeing then the fire is contained in 1 unit for X number of hours.

I'm confused by what you mean with the DAS and the 10 minute window? The DAS can be used at any time after the initial amount of wait has passed so it is the posted wait time minus 10 minutes. So if the posted wait is 60 minutes you can return any time after 50 minutes to use your DAS return time.

I believe they're comparing Disney's 10 minute reduction of time vs Universals 30 minute reduction.

 

[wilkeliza]

I believe they're comparing Disney's 10 minute reduction of time vs Universals 30 minute reduction.

Ah. I guess that would make sense that you could potentially do more. I've heard express pass lines have been brutal through out the summer since anyone can purchase them and on site premium gets them for free.

 

[DisneyOma]

Having a pass that 'allows you to do more' actually borders on superior access. Being able to stay in the parks for only a limited amount of time does not factor into access regulations.

 

[Debbie Jean]

I make no comments on whether the door should be adjusted or not, but will back you up on the difficulty of getting in and out of Disney rooms when you're in, in my case, an ECV. If I'm with my family they go in first and hold the door open for me, or open the door and let me go out first. If I returned to the room and knew one or the other were in there (say I'd gone on the hot chocolate/bagel run), I'd tap on the door and someone would let me in.

When I had to get in on my own, it was quite awkward - but purely because while I could ram the door open with the front wheel of my ECV, I didn't want to damage the door. With an ECV you're further back from the door than you would be in a wheelchair, having the front of the ECV and tiller a good 18% in front of you. It's quite difficult to open the door without slamming it open with the front wheel. And getting the door open from the inside is difficult because if there's a corrider you can't get the ECV up to the door and get it open and through it. As long as we don't stay in a studio, that shouldn't be a problem right now.

This is EXACTLY my experience. I frequently travel solo and the combination of an ECV and a Disney resort door is a prescription made in hell. I've tried every door stop I can find and eventually they all break under the weight of that darn door. I've bruised fingers, bumped heads and frankly given up in exasperation and rammed the darn ECV through the door. Not pretty I can tell you and never by choice.

I wish Disney could come up with a solution that served whatever security concerns they have and allowed me to get into my room without all the drama.

 

[serenitynow]

Yeah, I've had to ask strangers passing by to hold open the door to my room so I can get the ECV in and out. Makes everyone feel uncomfortable, them and me. But it's either that or leave the ECV outside my room - not good either.

 

[DisneyOma]

This is EXACTLY my experience. I frequently travel solo and the combination of an ECV and a Disney resort door is a prescription made in hell. I've tried every door stop I can find and eventually they all break under the weight of that darn door. I've bruised fingers, bumped heads and frankly given up in exasperation and rammed the darn ECV through the door. Not pretty I can tell you and never by choice.

I wish Disney could come up with a solution that served whatever security concerns they have and allowed me to get into my room without all the drama.

Yeah, I've had to ask strangers passing by to hold open the door to my room so I can get the ECV in and out. Makes everyone feel uncomfortable, them and me. But it's either that or leave the ECV outside my room - not good either.

Could you open the door, put in a stopper, ride the ECV through, then take out the stopper? What kind of stoppers have you tried? We have solid rubber ones and solid wood ones at school (similar doors), they are a few years old, and still solid and functioning. We buy them at our local industrial supply store.

 

[BroganMc]

This is EXACTLY my experience. I frequently travel solo and the combination of an ECV and a Disney resort door is a prescription made in hell. I've tried every door stop I can find and eventually they all break under the weight of that darn door. I've bruised fingers, bumped heads and frankly given up in exasperation and rammed the darn ECV through the door. Not pretty I can tell you and never by choice.

I wish Disney could come up with a solution that served whatever security concerns they have and allowed me to get into my room without all the drama.

One of my reasons for choosing to fight this fight last week was to increase awareness and get a more permanent change employed for us wheelies. I had advocated for this with previous resort managers a years ago. The solutions were to either put in electronic door openers in ADA rooms or have maintenance remove the closures upon request. The trouble with the electronic closures is that they are expensive and require maintenance themselves. Disney uses them on their ADA cruise ship cabins. Since those are tended by a cabin steward, they are constantly checked for functionality and maintenance issues addressed. However resort rooms are only checked every 17 weeks for preventative maintenance, or when a guest complains.

One thing I want to make perfectly clear here. At all times I made my requests to supervisors. I never put a low level maintenance worker in the position of going against their boss or earning a demerit, even if they wanted to help me. When I was told they needed to check with a supervisor, I was patient. When they told me the supervisor said it was against regulations, I asked to speak with the supervisor. From then on I kept asking for supervisors, at the Front Desk and in Maintenance. It took me 2 days to get ones who would respond. All the other ones said they'd look into it or forward a request then never got back to me. No calls, no visits, nothing. The chief engineer who did finally help was high up the management chain to the point she was part of the team that created the regulation. She admitted she ignored the request for two days because she didn't understand the problem. Being an able-bodied person with no wheelchair experience, she failed to imagine the physical gymnastics involved for a wheelie.

Supposedly a note has been put in my file so I won't have to fight this again when I go back and she said she'd take that experience back to her management meetings to come up with better understanding and another permanent solution. I'm hoping this fight was helpful for everyone else.

My anger inspiring my post is that this was the first time I ever had such poor service at Saratoga. Managers and staff there have been some of the best and most responsive in WDW resorts. Things changed in the last year. New managers came in and it's creating problems. I learned of some other very troubling things in Recreation that led to firings of longtime staff. This happens. There are a few managers at WDW who seem to spread problems wherever they go. Usually I have patience for WDW's mistakes but this last year has been especially brutal for longtime fans. Increasing costs, extended construction projects, reduction in entertainment offerings, more scheduling, more crowds, all combine to give you a perceived less value for your money. When you also get to experience vacation life outside the mouse (like my staying at another timeshare and visiting Universal and SeaWorld), the comparison is stark.

A lot of DVCers are questioning their future with the program.

 

[maxiesmom]

I don't think you have anything to gain by making this yet another Disney has gone bad thread. You have issues with the way the room doors close, and hopefully Disney will recognize it as a real problem and figure out a solution that keeps all guests safe.