Uh oh are there clean dvc rooms?

[wide receiver]

So I was just reading another post about the quality of the DVC rooms. We were looking at renting one next trip (not currently under contract with anyone). But after hearing others talk about how the rooms are less clean than a hotel room.....I'm concerned. We stayed at AKL (hotel) in 2005 when it was new...on purpose because we knew new=clean, it would be a 9-10 on scale of 1 to 10. Then we stayed at CSR which wasn't so nice...our room was dirty....like a not great motel, I would say a 5 on a scale of 1-10. The carpet was gross. I did hear the rehab was in progress and maybe we just got a room that was not done. The staff was very nice by the way. Still would like to try DVC, but will I find a gross room? Thinking about VWL or BWV, BCV or maybe BLT or AKL. For hotel I was thinking about WL or POFQ, or AKL. Is POFQ clean? Are the DVC rooms clean???

 

[ToddyLu]

I think I read the same thread--heart wrenching wasn't it. We just bought our points for the first time 2 weeks ago and our trip is in October. But alas, we are staying at AKV when we had booked Pop....even if there is dust, the giraffe outside will distract me. I try not to go on what others say unless it is fact, operational base. When you get into personal experiences one persons drippy faucet could be another persons Fountain of Youth.

I just tell myself that if DVC has over 100,000 member households and maybe there are 200 who post here (who knows), isn't their opinion only like 1/10 of 1%. Never was good at math, it is just an analogy. Vacation is always what you make of it IMO. Years ago we were standing outside DHS during a soon to be horrible lightening storm, Fantasmic was cancelled and people were fleeing in all directions. A large angry man walked up to a smaller radio/bus guy and got right in his face about not having the bus right there. Right in front of every one. I was trully horrified for the smaller man. But he took charge. He got right up in the big man's face and pointed his walkie talkie at Big Man's chest. And this is almost a qoute, " Sir I understand your concern, but I am in charge of evacuating 75,000 people in the next 15 minutes...please step back in line and the bus will be here momentarily". And just like that Big Guy turned around without saying a word and did as he was told. It amazes me when people do not step back and think at how terrific Disney really does most things well.

Maybe I just do not have high expectations when it comes to accommodations (sp?). But consistently Disney has given us a quality vacation, darn good food for the amount that they have to serve and wonderful atmosphere. Including the transporatation system that even with the occasional wait is pretty cool. SO I am going to AKV with an open mind and if I need to chase away a few dust bunnies--heck the dinner that night or riding POC for the 100th time will take my mind off of it.....just my thoughts....I hope your trips work out well for you...I have waited a long time to enjoy owning a piece of Disney.

 

[wide receiver]

Point well made! Thanks!

 

[Goofy's apprentice]

5 years of membership....two to three trips a year...only once was a room substandard cleaning. We called housekeeping, they fixed it immiediately. there have been minor maintenance items. We always call and they always take care of it. We let them know and then both us and the next visitors will have a better vacation.

 

[allison k]

We've been happy with the cleanliness of all DVC and WDW accomodations. My friend just returned from a week stay at Old Key West using an exchange, and purposely made a comment on how clean the room was. She said, "The room was very clean." She's a bit of a neat/clean freak, so I would think the room was definitely clean. Now, this is the resort that is apparently run down and falling apart - that's if you believe what some will say here on the DIS.

I think you would be fine staying at any DVC resort. If there are any issues, call mousekeeping immediately.

 

[DVC Mike]

Just remember that people are more likely to go on a board and vent about a bad experience then to praise a great time.

Personally, all my DVC stays have been great!

 

[eliza61]

Ironically, I've been to the world a couple of times the last two years, staying at a regular resort and been highly disappointed in the rooms and the service. Every time I've stayed at the dvc villas on point I get great service and a great room. Maybe the powers to be are trying to send me a message.

 

[bobbiwoz]

BWV was getting lots of hits on the Disboard just before we had our first all family trip there for my DM's 85th birthday. This was in '04, and I was heartsick. If I remember correctly, I tried to lower people's expectations just a bit. The first night, was a Saturday, so only DH and I were in DVC (SSR Studio...SSR was nearly brand new), the rest booked themselves in value rooms. When people came to visit us and we set out a buffet spred in the room, everyone, no exceptions thought that studio in SSR was beautiful and we managed the meal. Then we walked over to DTD. By this time, no one was taking my "warnings" seriously.

Then on Sunday we went to BWV. We had 5 rooms, 1 2 bedroom and 4 studios, and there wasn't a thing wrong with any of them! This was during the busy December time...just prior to Christmas.

We've had at least 20 DVC stays, and once there was an odor in the room that we thought was offensive. That's it for problems.

I still read the threads. I do this more to understand how I sould handle something bad if it does turn up. We have been very very pleased with all of our DVC experiences.

Bobbi

 

[wildernessDad]

I've only experienced a couple of minor issues with my room and those were fixed immediately. As owners, we are obligated to report problems. For me and my family, those problems have been minor.

 

[jakenjess]

I think what a couple of previous posters have said is true; you're much more likely to hear about it when there's a problem. We've stayed at all the on-property DVCs except AKV and have never had a dirty room. We had one experience at OKW where the room smelled very strongly of cigarette smoke and we were moved. We've had a couple of maintenance issues that were taken care of promptly. Overall our DVC experiences have been wonderful!

 

[Lynne M]

First rule of message boards: people tend to post bad or unexpected experiences, far more than good or expected results. If you read the DISboards without understanding that, you're going to think that WDW has nothing but filthy hotel rooms and bad restaurants, but that everyone gets a fabulous resort upgrade just for the asking.

I've owned DVC for nearly 8 years, and in all that time, I've never had a room that was in bad condition, or that wasn't cleaned properly. All together, in DVC and non-DVC resorts, I've had something like 25 resort stays since 1987, and I've never had a problem with room condition or cleanliness.

That is NOT to say that all rooms in WDW are in excellent condition, or that all housekeepers do a great job. I'm sure I've been lucky in that regard. But my larger point is, in DVC, or in any WDW resort, dirty, worn-out rooms are not the norm. Not at all.

Sure, it's possible that you'll get a room that really should have been taken out of service for maintenance, or that you got the new housekeeper who's not cut out for the job. WDW is run by humans, and humans screw up. Just go back down to the front desk, tell them that the room is not in acceptable condition, and you want it re-cleaned, or that you want a different room. Give them a chance to make it right. Nine times out of 10, they'll fix it, and then some.

 

[CMOORE185]

I do not know about the rest of you, but when I go to a DVC resort I want a room I do not have to call maintenance about a majority of the time. I realize once in a while your going to have maintenance problems with a room, and I do not have a problem with that. But in my experience I have to call maintenance about 3 out of every 5 times I stay. And the problem is alot of the things I have to call for the cleaning staff could not have missed, they just ignore it. I do not like to check into a room I know is going to have a good chance of needing attendance before I can relax and start my vacation.

 

[BEASLYBOO]

Member since 2000, have stayed at them all except BLT & THV (hoping to experience them soon), my favorite resort is OKW (a favorite among resorts who gets regular bashing since it's the Grand Daddy of DVC and not the new youngster on the block)

My experience in 30+ stays, 98% happy. Any issues I've had w/ mousekeeping have been quickly addresses and resolved, except one. Each resort other than the very new have shown some wear and tear (rings on the coffe tables at some, a stain on the sofa etc.), but my expectations are realistic and if people are purchasing DVC with 5 star accomodation expectation, then they will be disapointed. Disney services the masses, hundred's of thousands of people come through these resorts, for the most part I think Disney's doing a good, with the exception of dining (way down hill in both service & quality)

The truth is that every resort is under some sort of constant refurbishment but you may not always get a refurbished room, but IMO as long as it's clean and in good working order, I'm satisfied and I continue to be so!

Yes, there are clean rooms available!

 

[LuckyMamaInDE]

People don't come to the disboards to post "my room was clean!"

We've been staying on-site since 1991 and DVC since 2007. We have never had a cleanliness issue. One stay at BWV, we had a missing lightbulb in the master, so dh asked housekeeping for a replacement. No biggie.

 

[jarestel]

Sure. If the majority of DVC rooms were inadequate, it wouldn't exactly be Disney's best kept secret. Most of the time rooms will be functional and clean. So your chances are very good that you'll have no issues.

OTOH, it's best not to lightly dismiss the reports of those who do experience problems with their rooms as simply the product of folks who are "too fussy", or "don't feel the magic". Room problems do exist from time to time, from simple cleaning/housekeeping to maintenance issues. If you happen to be one of the unfortunate souls who gets saddled with one of these less than adequate rooms, it probably doesn't matter to you that most of your fellow members are having a wonderful time in their clean and well maintained rooms.

So, it happens. It's a shame when one has to spend a portion of a vacation dealing with things that a "guest" shouldn't have to deal with. But chances are, all will be well and you'll have a great vacation experience!

Good luck!

 

[Simba's Mom]

We've been members since 2002, about 15-20 DVC trips at all the resorts except Vero, and we've never encountered an unclean room. On 2 occassions we've encountered "tired" rooms, rooms in need of rehab, and reported both of them. I remember telling the maintenance manager at BCV, "I wouldn't buy that used furniture on Ebay, it's in such bad shape!" And at HHI, there were so many scuffs on the walls, dents and dings in things. But never unclean.

 

[Ramsfan28]

As a new owner, I can't speak to the condition of DVC rooms, as my first BLT stay isn't until next February; however, the room condition issues seems two-fold.

1. Disney apparently needs to do a better job of maintaining "tired" rooms - not sure if there is a formal policy on when room renovations take place. If there isn't - there should be a policy.

2. Guests. I own at Marriott Aurba Surf Club and have stayed there since it opened. It is amazing what people do to these rooms. Too many times guests abuse the rooms just because they can. I walked into a room and a counter top had an imprint of an iron on it since an idiot guess decided to put a hot iron on the counter top. I highly doubt the same person would be so careless in their own home. Truly, some owners/guests don't respect the property and that is a huge shame.

I hope that since Disney is all about "Welcome Home" that owners and paying guests alike take better care of the rooms. I guess I will find out..

 

[ssawka]

The problem is that it's all about turn-around. Mousecleaning does not have time to inspect each room before the next person is coming in. Now Disney should inspect rooms when they are empty, but during busy periods (Summer, Christmas, Easter) this is unlikely to happen. That is why it is so important to report issues when you notice them. Now if Disney fails to address a problem when it is reported, that's a whole other matter.

Think about it like an airplane. How many times have you got on a plane and found trash from the previous passenger? It is because the flight attendants do not have time to inspect each seat.

 

[Lynn5700]

Out of the two DVC stays, our rooms have been perfectly clean.

 

[tjkraz]

I'm not a huge stickler for cleanliness. Don't get me wrong--I want a room that is surface clean. I don't want to see other people's hair in the bathroom, litter on the rug, obvious kitchen messes or dirty dishes. But I'm not going to go crawling under the sofa looking for left-over garbage, nor would I freak-out if I encountered someone's leftover Cheerio that rolled under the armoire. We live our lives in restaurants, shopping malls and theme parks and have no concept of the messes and germs we are exposed to. I guess it's an "out of sight, out of mind" thing for me.

What does disappoint me a bit is that there isn't better (any?) communications between housekeeping and maintenance. Many (but certainly not all) maintenance issues should be evident to housekeeping CMs. Even if they cannot resolve the issue between guests, I find it hard to believe that many DVC members would be upset if they received a knock on their door from a CM who was there to fix a previously-reported issue.

In our stays as members our only noteworthy housekeeping issue was a rug at OKW that could have used shampooing. We have had to call maintenance a few times but they always responded promptly.

I will add this--I'm always a little perplexed by these trip reports where people end up living with problems for the duration of their stay. Certainly I wasn't there to go thru the experience first hand, but I can't imagine letting the resort off the hook for some of the issues that people report. If it happened to me, I'd be standing at the front desk demanding that either the problem be rectified or that they move use to another room or resort. I'm not an unreasonable person or chronic complainer, but being told "sorry that room is slated for refurbishment so we can't fix any of your problems" just is not an acceptable answer.