Turn Down Service at Poly

[Me&3]

So I guess you wouldn't mind if you didn't get your room cleaned for a couple of days? No big deal right? Cause hey, you're at Disney!

Tiggercat you hit the nail on the head

 

[kaffinito]

Well I'm glad to see some of us get it even though there are still some that don't . Its not that it makes or breaks the trip. Its just nice to get something for your money. Unless you have one of those great money trees at home were giving your money away for nothing is no BIG DEAL . But for the rest of us we still would like some kind of deluxe service for the deluxe price.

I agree with you on that. It would be nice since we pay almost the same amount as a stay at the GF if we had a few of the same perks. To have none kind of stinks. Maybe I'll request a robe and see what happens!

At the GF it is a normal daily activity so yes I would be a little disappointed if i didn't get turn down service. Its fun~ its sweet~ it lifts your spirtis~ you don't have to pull out the couch and make it up into a day bed~ nice fresh towels the lights dimmed down low to give a real spa relaxation feel to the room ~ think candle light mood setting =) its NICE.

See now that kind of makes me want to try to GF sometime. I'd have to do theme park view there though. I'll have to think about that for next year.

 

[TiggerCat]

It's not the same thing. You can't very well equate an extra "perk" with normal housekeeping service at a resort. Having your room cleaned daily is part of your resort stay. You only skip a daily cleaning if you stay on DVC points. Having your bed turned down is not a normal daily activity and is considered a "perk."

And yes, not having my bed turned down at Disney will not make my vacation less magical. Who do you think turns down my bed at my house? The magic happens outside the room, not in it. As I said, I might request it once for the kids, but having grown up with that, I could really give a hoot.

Sorry kaffinto, I just can't agree. Service is service. If part of the cost of the room is going for the "perk" of turn down service, than a guest is entitled to expect it. This is absolutely no different than any other service. You make it sound as if Disney is doing everyone a favour. Not so. You just happen to not care about this particular perk.

Also can't agree with your "magic happens outside the room" comment. If this were the case, what is your rationale for paying the additional amount to stay at a Deluxe Resort? I would argue that the majority of guests staying at a Deluxe Resort pay the additional amount in order to get the extra perks, which include turn down service.

I respect your choice to not care about turn down service. Heck, there are times when I don't want to be disturbed as well. But don't make the decision for everyone else. The OP's disappointment is understandable and well founded.

TC.

 

[praline3001]

Sorry kaffinto, I just can't agree. Service is service. If part of the cost of the room is going for the "perk" of turn down service, than a guest is entitled to expect it. This is absolutely no different than any other service. You make it sound as if Disney is doing everyone a favour. Not so. You just happen to not care about this particular perk.

Also can't agree with your "magic happens outside the room" comment. If this were the case, what is your rationale for paying the additional amount to stay at a Deluxe Resort? I would argue that the majority of guests staying at a Deluxe Resort pay the additional amount in order to get the extra perks, which include turn down service.

I respect your choice to not care about turn down service. Heck, there are times when I don't want to be disturbed as well. But don't make the decision for everyone else. The OP's disappointment is understandable and well founded.

TC.

one of the best things I have heard on here in a LONG time! TC your my new hero


I love you TC~ you are the best!

 

[maxiesmom]

We stayed at a Value resort for our last trip, and the mousekeeper still posed the girl's stuffed animals and dolls on the bed. So that is not a perk you are paying for at a Deluxe resort. But it did look very cute in your pics, praline3001.

I am not one to tell anyone else how to spend their money. But I can't understand how someone throwing a few chococlates on a pillow and folding blankets down makes staying at a Deluxe resort money well spent. When I stay at a Deluxe resort it has more to do with things like transportation options and the pool. I can buy chocolates and put them on a pillow myself for a few bucks. The other things you have to get from Disney.

I get wanting the service you paid for. But I don't get being sooo upset over some missing candy. Something like that shouldn't have a dramatic effect on your over all vacation.

 

[Me&3]

I hear you. I would call and request it. It stinks that all deluxe resorts don't offer it but you can still request it.

At the same time I really hope you were not referring to me when you mention how some people just like to throw money away?
We all have our favorite resorts and the choice is ours to make ~ personal and budget wise.

No I was not referring to you praline I was just about to reply to you regarding your quote and pics I love them both. You are one of the many people that gets the whole idea of the deluxe service. My thought is if you don't like all the perks you want and get at the deluxe hotels then why pay the price? If the magic is not in the rooms and only in the parks then those people should stay at value resorts and spend the extra money in the parks.

 

[praline3001]

No I was not referring to you praline I was just about to reply to you regarding your quote and pics I love them both. You are one of the many people that gets the whole idea of the deluxe service. My thought is if you don't like all the perks you want and get at the deluxe hotels then why pay the price? If the magic is not in the rooms and only in the parks then those people should stay at value resorts and spend the extra money in the parks.

I totally agree! There are many many ways to spend your money at Disney~ maybe a special fireworks cruise, back stage tour ~ those things dont overly interest me~
have the deluxe dining plan ~ been there WAY TOO MUCH FOOD LOL
tons of souvies to bring home~ I just went through summer clothes and my boys have at least 20 disney t shirts that are now my DD as they don't fit the guys anymore
The one thing I get the biggest joy out of is staying in a beautiful resort and feeling like a princess LOL
I love YC, I love GF, I love the poly, I am not big on the AKL but thats just cause I had a bad experience there and it left me sour to it LOL to me the magic is all about the resort ~~~ but that doesn't mean everyone should think the same way I do. I totally get that others find the magic in different experiences. For me its a breath of fresh air and a calming soothing feeling to walk in my room and see everything spotless, turned down and the lights down low. After a crowded hectic day~ it just does the soul good to walk in on that
But thats not the only reason I stay deluxe~ just many of the perks that are a normal part of every day customer service.

 

[Me&3]

one of the best things I have heard on here in a LONG time! TC your my new hero


I love you TC~ you are the best!

TC I agree 100% with praline and you are now my new hero too

 

[kaffinito]

No I was not referring to you praline I was just about to reply to you regarding your quote and pics I love them both. You are one of the many people that gets the whole idea of the deluxe service. My thought is if you don't like all the perks you want and get at the deluxe hotels then why pay the price? If the magic is not in the rooms and only in the parks then those people should stay at value resorts and spend the extra money in the parks.

At Disney a deluxe resort is not close to being in the same category as a Deluxe resort elsewhere. The only exception to that as I recently learned is the GF. I don't expect a Disney deluxe to be a true deluxe and I haven't been disappointed yet. I've stayed deluxe outside of WDW so I know exactly what a true deluxe stay is like. And no, the "magic" is not in the parks, but in the resort itself in my case. If you think that the "magic" is only in the room, then stay somewhere else or at least find out what you're paying for.

In my case I am paying for a stay at the Poly because of the memories I have there of my now deceased parents and the opportunity to share those memories with my kids. I am considering it money well spent. Does that answer your question?

Sorry kaffinto, I just can't agree. Service is service. If part of the cost of the room is going for the "perk" of turn down service, than a guest is entitled to expect it. This is absolutely no different than any other service. You make it sound as if Disney is doing everyone a favour. Not so. You just happen to not care about this particular perk.

I respect your choice to not care about turn down service. Heck, there are times when I don't want to be disturbed as well. But don't make the decision for everyone else. The OP's disappointment is understandable and well founded.

TC.

Yes the OP was disappointed, and I understand that it was their anniversary. If the OP had read any of the websites and information regarding Poly, they would have known ahead of time which services are offered at which levels. The OP didn't pay for that service, they just expected the service to "magically" appear, sort of like the families who want a freebie birthday cake or multiple towel animals. If that "perk" was that important to the OP or to anyone, then they should pay and stay at the level of resort that will give them what they desire. (Excepting the towel animals of course ) A little resort research goes a long way. After that many trips to WDW I would think that the OP had known at least a little bit about the resort.

Finally, I really don't care which services anyone wants. And I did not "make the decision for everyone else" - last time I looked I wasn't in charge of anything at WDW.

I just think that people have to be willing to pay for what they want and not always expect freebies like towel animals and cakes. I am going to ask about it, but I don't expect it because I think they should offer it. I know they don't offer it unless you stay CL.

"Nuff said.

 

[mmmears]

My family really enjoys the nightly turndowns at some of the hotels we stay at. Since we tend to all shower before dinner, we especially like how we get fresh towels and toiletries in the evening. And at the end of a tiring day, it's lovely to come back "home" and have our beds turned down, and a note, chocolate, or even a flower on our pillows.

Is this necessary? No!
Does it ruin our vacation if it isn't included? Absolutely not!

But we really do enjoy it.

At Disney, we request it when it doesn't come with our room, and hope for the best. If we really want it to feel pampered, we stay at the GF or choose a CL room in the other deluxes.

I do wish it was included no matter where we stay, but it's not the end of the world if it's not. But Disney's been really clear (in our rooms, it says that we can request nightly turn-down) about it.

 

[CoachBagFanatic]

I love turn down service!!!
It is so nice to come to your room after dinner and have the lights dimmed, the blankets all turned down and ready to jump in, the pull out couch is already pulled out for us (FYI they also put it back into a couch for us in the morning)
They place my DD little stuffed animals in cute poses, the chocolates are fun and the kids get a kick out of them.
Any trash is picked up and fresh towels are left (in case you use them for a mid afternoon shower or the pool)
The curtains are drawn and it just looks so peaceful! Such a huge treat after being in the parks! I have a few pics I took of turndown on our last trip~ you can see what it is but what you can't see is the lighting and the peaceful way everything is left!
Does it make or break my trip? noooo but walking into a freshly picked up room with nice neat bed and everything ready for bed does lift my spirits. Also if your family goes back to the room for a midday break~ the beds will be messy but like little magical pixie dust~ when you return everything is perfect!

Oh I am so with you on this one. Not that it's a deal breaker for us but we just love coming back to the room and the beds are turned down, lights are low, soft music playing, fresh towels. It's something that we don't get at home so it's kind of nice. Besides my son and I race in to see who can get to the chocolate first. It's a nice touch for our vacation.

 

[luvillians]

The turn down service is a nice perk. Do I expect it? No. We have enjoyed staying at several different Deluxe resorts at Disney just to see what's special and different about each. I'm glad they are not all the same. I do understand expecting a certain level of service since we are all paying close to the same prices across the board for deluxe......but I can't say it would bother so me much as to throw such a dark cloud over my entire vacation if I didn't get turn down service.
All that aside, I keep hearing about the Poly, Contemporary and GF. No one has mentioned anything about BC or BWI having or not having it.
Another question to those of you that request it....do you feel the need to tip extra for the turn down service? Don't mean to start a whole new wave of angst on this thread but was just curious.

 

[praline3001]

You *should* tip the evening mousekeepers for turn down~

How is that for an answer

I do tip if I am back in my room between the time of the morning and evening mousekeepers.

If by chance we don't make it back to the room~ honestly ~ I dont make a special trip just to tip the evening mousekeepers. I also feel that since we didn't touch the room since the morning housekeeper~ no need for trash removal~ straitening up or leaving new towels that it all evens out somehow LOL

If we do go back to our room I leave $3 sometimes $5 ~ it depends on the cash I have on hand lol

 

[disneyfan67]

Only the Disney corporation can charge the amounts that they do for their deluxes and get away with offering less services than a true 4 to 5 star hotel does in the real world. The best part is that they have trained their loyal fan base to accept and defend those cost cutting measures Disney uses. It's like they use a secret potion to get us who love Disney, to go along with anything they do. I have been guilty of defending some of their questionable decisions in the past.

Don't get me wrong, I love most of the Disney resorts with a few exceptions and find staying there a big part of the vacation. With Disney raising the prices of their deluxe resorts to almost obscene levels, you expect more with paying those high prices. You shouldn't pay almost 500 a night for a standard room at the Poly and expect to get less service. You should get more, IMO.

It would be like buying a new expensive Lincoln Town Car and finding it looks the same inside as a Toyota Camry. In the real world you would be mad and feel you didn't get your money's worth, but with Disney it's somehow justified. I think if don't want those benefits, then you have the right to opt out of them. You shouldn't though have to ask for them, when they should have came standard in the first place.

 

[leighe]

Only the Disney corporation can charge the amounts that they do for their deluxes and get away with offering less services than a true 4 to 5 star hotel does in the real world. The best part is that they have trained their loyal fan base to accept and defend those cost cutting measures Disney uses. It's like they use a secret potion to get us who love Disney, to go along with anything they do. I have been guilty of defending some of their questionable decisions in the past.

Don't get me wrong, I love most of the Disney resorts with a few exceptions and find staying there a big part of the vacation. With Disney raising the prices of their deluxe resorts to almost obscene levels, you expect more with paying those high prices. You shouldn't pay almost 500 a night for a standard room at the Poly and expect to get less service. You should get more, IMO.

It would be like buying a new expensive Lincoln Town Car and finding it looks the same inside as a Toyota Camry. In the real world you would be mad and feel you didn't get your money's worth, but with Disney it's somehow justified. I think if don't want those benefits, then you have the right to opt out of them. You shouldn't though have to ask for them, when they should have came standard in the first place.

I argee. Disney "deluxe" resorts aren't truly deluxe in my opinion. For $500 a night you ought to get a great location AND 4 or 5 star service.

 

[TiggerCat]

Yes the OP was disappointed, and I understand that it was their anniversary. If the OP had read any of the websites and information regarding Poly, they would have known ahead of time which services are offered at which levels. The OP didn't pay for that service, they just expected the service to "magically" appear, sort of like the families who want a freebie birthday cake or multiple towel animals. If that "perk" was that important to the OP or to anyone, then they should pay and stay at the level of resort that will give them what they desire. (Excepting the towel animals of course ) A little resort research goes a long way. After that many trips to WDW I would think that the OP had known at least a little bit about the resort.

Finally, I really don't care which services anyone wants. And I did not "make the decision for everyone else" - last time I looked I wasn't in charge of anything at WDW.

I just think that people have to be willing to pay for what they want and not always expect freebies like towel animals and cakes. I am going to ask about it, but I don't expect it because I think they should offer it. I know they don't offer it unless you stay CL.

"Nuff said.

"Pay for what they want" - what do you consider $355+ per night? I also don't see where freebies such as towel animals or cakes came into this discussion. We were talking about turn down service and I believe the argument is whether a deluxe resort should be providing this service based on the category of resort. Again, you may be satisfied with paying for what many consider sub-standard service and I won't take that away from you. My contention is with your belief that no other guest can express their displeasure with the continuous degradation of service. These are real reductions in service and they are so frequent that it is tough to keep track of them without a program. Turn down is a service that is provided at luxurious hotels worldwide so I think it is perfectly understandable for guests to expect such perks at a Disney Deluxe Resort where they claim to provide the "ultimate in luxury, style and service" (their words not mine)! Especially when they are charging a rack rate ranging from $355 to $580 for a standard garden view room.

These are the thoughts according to TC.

 

[TiggerCat]

TC I agree 100% with praline and you are now my new hero too

Is this like having "Dis Groupies"? Actually, I was only stating what many people feel. I also mean no offence to anyone as I also appreciate that there are many posters who are perfectly happy with the level of service they receive. This topic is relative to each individual's personal preference so there will be a wide range of opinions. Isn't free speech wonderful!

TC.

 

[Sammie]

I think for the cost of a deluxe especially the monorail resorts, it should be offered. I can understand not automatically doing it, as many don't want it but it would be so easy to simply have a printed note in the rooms saying, it is available and please call housekeeping if you want it.

It could be an auto service where you dial a certain number from your room and activate it.

 

[leighe]

"Pay for what they want" - what do you consider $355+ per night? I also don't see where freebies such as towel animals or cakes came into this discussion. We were talking about turn down service and I believe the argument is whether a deluxe resort should be providing this service based on the category of resort. Again, you may be satisfied with paying for what many consider sub-standard service and I won't take that away from you. My contention is with your belief that no other guest can express their displeasure with the continuous degradation of service. These are real reductions in service and they are so frequent that it is tough to keep track of them without a program. Turn down is a service that is provided at luxurious hotels worldwide so I think it is perfectly understandable for guests to expect such perks at a Disney Deluxe Resort where they claim to provide the "ultimate in luxury, style and service" (their words not mine)! Especially when they are charging a rack rate ranging from $355 to $580 for a standard garden view room.

These are the thoughts according to TC.

Exactly! The Sheraton we stay at in Lexington provides all those ammenities for around $200 a night.

 

[praline3001]

I think for the cost of a deluxe especially the monorail resorts, it should be offered. I can understand not automatically doing it, as many don't want it but it would be so easy to simply have a printed note in the rooms saying, it is available and please call housekeeping if you want it.

It could be an auto service where you dial a certain number from your room and activate it.

But from my understanding they do this. Turn down services is by request in all deluxe resorts. You only have to call and request it. They are not charging you more for it. This is what is advertised to us when we book the room (well except for the GF which turn down is standard no matter what room you book)
So what happens when you read this as a selling point for the resort and once you are in there, you request the service and still don't get it? If Disney is going to use turn down service request as a selling point then they need to deliver when it is requested.

Disney does NOT sell the resort by stating "You can request turn down and if we feel like it or are not too busy we might fill your request" oh yeah that would go over big