Valet experts- a little info please

[lyeag]

Ok, we are staying Atrium Club in Dec. I know you tell the valet when you arrive so that they can take you to the 12th floor check in desk. My problem is we are driving down. It is a good 23 hour drive, so as you can imagine, we will have a lot of junk with us other than just suitcases. How far away do they park your car???? Dh will be making some serious trips back and forth to the car to get all the "junk" like video game system, cooler (so we can clean it out), pillows, you know all the stuff that comes along on a long trip. With 3 kids it is a lot. I certainly don't want all that stuff at one time when we are trying to check in. (Besides the fact that we will look like the Beverly Hillbillies at check in! )


So, how far do they put the car out? We have an extra set of keys, so we won't have to bother getting the other set back to do this.

 

[Lynne M]

If you let the valet park the car, I believe you have to let them retrieve it for you. They put it in a special valet lot, not the regular guest parking.

A couple of options....

1. You don't HAVE to use valet parking when you arrive. Just ask the guard at the resort entrance to direct you to guest parking.

2. Go ahead and valet. You're not going to look like the Beverly Hillbillies, anyone who drives with a family is going to have a ton of stuff in the car. They're very used to it, and you don't need to have it all with you at the check in desk. The valet who parks your car will get a luggage cart and pile all of your stuff on it, and take it back to Bell Services. You just walk inside and check in. If your room is ready, the CM at the desk will ask if you have any luggage, they will call a bellman over and he will get your luggage and bring it up to the room. If your room is not ready at that time, when you are able to get into the room, just call down to Bell Services and they bring it right up.

 

[lyeag]

Do you know where the valet section is? I was hoping dh could just take the a cart to to the car whenever we got a little settled in to get the extra junk. If it isn't too far out, I don't think it would be a big hassle.


Last time we arrived, we just parked the car, checked in and were really lucky to have door very close to our room in the South Wing. Dh kept saying it was so easy to unpack. I am SO hoping the whole drag everything up the elevator isn't going to be a big pain.

 

[Lynne M]

Sorry, I don't know where the valet parking is. I don't think they want guests to be wandering around there. I do know that they will not allow you to use any of the hotel's luggage carts....it's an insurance thing. I've seen the valets chase down guests at the CR who've taken one of the carts, they're very strict about it.

If you really don't want to unload the car when you first get there, I guess you could valet park, then when you're ready to unload, have the valet bring the car back, and you could have a bellman load up as many luggage carts as it takes to hold all of your stuff. Really, they don't mind, it's what they're there for.

Or, you could self-park, and when you're ready to unload, bring it up front and have the bellman load up the carts.

 

[nsalz]

We have driven down and yes, we have looked like the beverlyhill billies. We usually stay at the BWV's. Let me first say...use the bell hop!!!!Before we actually drive up to the bell service/valet area, I give the kids plastic bags (not ones you can see through) and tell them to throw all games, books, snacks, etc....into the bags and we will sort it all out back at the room. It is soooo much easier having the bell service. I have seen many families drive up and have plastice bags hanging all over the bell cart. You just might have to tip a couple extra dollars. Or you might want to bring extra duffle bags if you don't want to use plastic. You can still park the car yourself...just ask for a bellman.

 

[lyeag]

Thanks for the help guys. Last time was our first trip and we didn't even mess with a bellman. I guess I am going to have to learn how to be pampered. I just feel funny having people doing things I could do for myself. I don't have a problem tipping, I just feel so lazy- even when people offer to take my groceries out!!


I guess I will just be a little more organized with the car part of the trip. I will just make everyone in charge of their own backpacks, and they can't bring anything that won't fit in them.

 

[hamlet35_2000]

Thanks for the help guys. Last time was our first trip and we didn't even mess with a bellman. I guess I am going to have to learn how to be pampered. I just feel funny having people doing things I could do for myself. I don't have a problem tipping, I just feel so lazy- even when people offer to take my groceries out!!


I guess I will just be a little more organized with the car part of the trip. I will just make everyone in charge of their own backpacks, and they can't bring anything that won't fit in them.

Use the valet. We did at the Wilderness Lodge and we found out that when we paid the 7.00 we could valet for free at any of the other resorts.

 

[hamlet35_2000]

Use the valet. We did at the Wilderness Lodge and we found out that when we paid the 7.00 we could valet for free at any of the other resorts.

It was free, but you still should tip... should have made that clear in the first post.

 

[The Sweetness]

I think most of us know that it is appreciated to tip, if someone does something for you. After all, Id like a tip if I had helped you with your luggage

 

[PrincessV]

Sadly, despite my location only a 2 hour car ride away from the World, my car was a disaster from the start thanks to last minute tossing of things into the car, breakfast and snacks on the road, and general lack of interior maintenance. The bellman had half our stuff out of the car and onto the cart before I even got DS out of his carseat. I started apologizing madly for the mess and must have said something like "oh no, just the luggage - there's a lot of garbage in here! I'm so sorry!" The bellman just smiled, said "No problem! I'll be happy to throw stuff out for you and you won't want to waste vacation time coming back for the rest. Let's just get it all up there for you now!" Just another reason I love staying in the World.

 

[lyeag]

Sadly, despite my location only a 2 hour car ride away from the World, my car was a disaster from the start thanks to last minute tossing of things into the car, breakfast and snacks on the road, and general lack of interior maintenance. The bellman had half our stuff out of the car and onto the cart before I even got DS out of his carseat. I started apologizing madly for the mess and must have said something like "oh no, just the luggage - there's a lot of garbage in here! I'm so sorry!" The bellman just smiled, said "No problem! I'll be happy to throw stuff out for you and you won't want to waste vacation time coming back for the rest. Let's just get it all up there for you now!" Just another reason I love staying in the World.

Oh, that is so nice to hear! I was talking to dh about this this morning. He is such a paranoid person. He won't valet park because we really don't plan on doing any driving while we are there and he doesn't want to go several days without seeing the car. He "doesn't want someone else to be the last person who sees the car in case something should happen". Whatever... It's not like we have some WONDERFUL vehicle. It's a 2001 Venture Warner Bros Ed. It has seen better days. But hey, it is paid off, and only has 65K on it. Dh HATES to fly, so that is why we are driving. I would so love to fly.

I will just try to keep the junk to a low roar this trip.

 

[patsal]

The Valet parking area can be quite far. Here' s what we do. At our final rest stop we clean out the cooler so it can be checked with our luggage, we pick up all trash that may not yet be in the trash bag and drop it all in the trash receptacles at the rest stop. I ask the kids to know where their shoes or flip flops are and ask them to pile up their pillows so they do not mistakenly get lost. DD tucks her blanket into the front zipper compartment of one of the pieces of luggage and her bear is squeezed into a carry on. Everything except the pillows is loaded onto the valet cart and checked until the room is ready. Since the valet charge is by the day, if I need something from the car I don't hesitate to ask that the car be brought up for me, I tip small like $2.00 and let the valet know that I just need something from the car so when I am done he/she can park the car again for me. This last trip we didn't need to go back at all I think I finally have this down to a science!