Warning: Art of Animation thermostat WILL NOT go below 68!

[BridgetBordeaux]

At POP the bypass feature has been turned off for any consumer use. The entire conplex is trying to be green and keep their overhead down.

I think this change happened in the past year or so because we have always had the maintenance guy in the past do his override on the spot, but during recent visits this summer and fall they had to install the special medical thermostat.

It is certainly possible that some other facilities, like another hotel/resort may have the ability to press a few buttons and change the mode of operation. If you are staying at a hotel/resort that has a system with a wall mounted thermostat, always call and ask what can be done to improve your comfort. I assure you that you will not have been the first person to have called!

 

[deserrai]

I must admit when I first read this I was thinking that is really cold, but then I remembered I always have to turn the thermostat down at the Disney resorts to much colder than I would ever at home. At home, my thermostat never goes below 78 and it usually stays around 80. I am that cold natured. But at Disney I think I usually have to run it closer to 72. I can definitely see how someone would get hot if they are used to colder temperatures, as I believe most people are.

 

[maxiesmom]

You can call maintenance and ask them to install a "medical thermostat". It is really just a new "face" and has different programming than a standard unit. We have used them before and it allowed us to be comfortable. And yes...............hot flashes are a good enough reason to get one!

They install the new face and then remove it on the day you check out. They re-install the standard face before the next guest arrives. Admittedly this was a POP but I am pretty sure this approach applies to other resorts as well.

Hope this information helps somebody during their next visit.

I can't help but think though that if a lot of people start requesting a medical thermostat, that they will do away with them. Lets not start abusing something that is supposed to be a medical device. Hopefully posters will find other ways of dealing with the room temp. Even if it means a visit to the front desk.

 

[nanalisa]

I have come to this discussion a little late and admit I have not read all 5 pages.

You can call maintenance and ask them to install a "medical thermostat". It is really just a new "face" and has different programming than a standard unit. We have used them before and it allowed us to be comfortable. And yes...............hot flashes are a good enough reason to get one!

They install the new face and then remove it on the day you check out. They re-install the standard face before the next guest arrives. Admittedly this was a POP but I am pretty sure this approach applies to other resorts as well.

Hope this information helps somebody during their next visit.

Good idea! If enough people go to the front desk to request this, then hopefully they will change the thermostat situation permanently. Maintenance won't want to mess with this very long. Squeaky wheel get the grease.

 

[maxiesmom]

Good idea! If enough people go to the front desk to request this, then hopefully they will change the thermostat situation permanently. Maintenance won't want to mess with this very long. Squeaky wheel get the grease.

Or they will just stop doing it at all.

I'm curious if anyone has tried e-mailing Disney about this, and if so, what their reply was. Very curious as to how they would handle a complain that their rooms are just too hot to be comfortable, and you would never return.

I would never ever claim to have a medical need when I didn't or ask for a medical accommodation when it wasn't really necessary. Bad Karma. Just as I would never ask for a GAC because I didn't want to wait out in the sun.

 

[angelbear425]

68 is definitely not that cool. I also get warm in the Disney rooms. When I stayed at ASM the second time this year the room was set at 72 and it was warm and humid in the room. I turned it down to 66, but when I came back the following day housekeeping turned it back up to 72. Again, it was warm and humid so we turned it back down. I do t think its right that you cannot turn it below 68. That would make for an uncomfortable night sleeping.

 

[nanienamou]

We moved to the Dolphin after our Little Mermaid nights and the thermostat goes much lower than 68. However, at 68, we were freezing, so we kept it around 70, and we slept under the blankets without sweating. We could also turn off the A/C and keep the fan on.

For whatever reason, 68 at AOA had a much stuffier and hotter feel than 68 or even 70 at the Dolphin.

FWIW, no we did not complain at AOA, because we weren't in the room long and we were transferring after 2 nights. I could have mentioned it at check-out, but frankly it slipped my mind and was not a big issue. I can see it can be a big issue for others, however.

 

[jennilouwho]

I emailed Disney about this since we were thinking of staying at Art of Animation and my husband won't be happy if he's in a stuffy room at night. We aren't going until 2014, but still.... Curious what they would say. This is their reply which doesn't seem to go along with what everyone else is saying.

Dear Jennifer,

Thank you for contacting the Walt Disney World® Resort.
I do understand your concerns about the resort room accommodations. The
resorts rooms are not motion activated. However, the rooms at Disney
including Art of Animation have a traditional air conditioning unit, and
like most units you can set the temperature at a degree, and once it
hits a certain temperature that you've set it for, the thermostat will
then stay at that particular temperature that suits you and your
families needs. I hope this has helped.

If you have questions or need further assistance, feel free to contact
us.

Sincerely,
Annelisa Richardson
WDW Online Communications

 

[disneymagicgirl]

I think ceiling fans would help this problem. The fan running would cause the motion need to keep the air on. It would also move the air and keep the room cooler. A ceiling fan is such an inexpensive way to improve the performance or air conditioning and heat. I never have understood why a ceiling fan is a perk for the mods and deluxe.

I hated that in Europe - at a lot of hotels you insert your room key card in to get any electricity. It alway took quite a while to cool off the room especially when the temperature was high. It got to the point that we left one key in the slot and just took hubby's key when we went out.

This is what we did on the Fantasy, where they have it set up like that.

 

[dcibrando]

I emailed Disney about this since we were thinking of staying at Art of Animation and my husband won't be happy if he's in a stuffy room at night. We aren't going until 2014, but still.... Curious what they would say. This is their reply which doesn't seem to go along with what everyone else is saying.

Dear Jennifer,

Thank you for contacting the Walt Disney World® Resort.
I do understand your concerns about the resort room accommodations. The
resorts rooms are not motion activated. However, the rooms at Disney
including Art of Animation have a traditional air conditioning unit, and
like most units you can set the temperature at a degree, and once it
hits a certain temperature that you've set it for, the thermostat will
then stay at that particular temperature that suits you and your
families needs. I hope this has helped.

If you have questions or need further assistance, feel free to contact
us.

Sincerely,
Annelisa Richardson
WDW Online Communications

The thermostat only goes down to 68 and its never felt 68. It also has a sensor but not sure how its used. I know I have to get up in the middle of the night to turn the fan on to have some air circulating because it gets really hot/stuffy

 

[jennilouwho]

The thermostat only goes down to 68 and its never felt 68. It also has a sensor but not sure how its used. I know I have to get up in the middle of the night to turn the fan on to have some air circulating because it gets really hot/stuffy

Yeah, I brought both of those points up in my letter to them, but apparently they don't really know what's happening inside the rooms. We're hoping for a September trip and wanted to do free dining, but maybe it's better to stay off site where we can be comfortable. My husband needs it cool to sleep. I don't want to spend all that money and not be comfortable.

 

[jennilouwho]

So I wrote back saying several people on Disney message boards were reporting the same thing and they wrote back again saying that it can go below 68 and that it can stay on all night and that you need to go to the front desk and ask for help. So I don't know if that's true or not, but hopefully that can maybe help someone.

 

[BridgetBordeaux]

The high humidity in Florida can make 68 not feel nearly as comfortable it might feel in your house.

There are a number of reasons why someone may need the room to be cooler. The number one factor is that it takes a good night's rest before starting out on a long day in the parks. We all know that we walk miles and miles during a typical Disney day.

There are a number of medical reasons that a lower temp may be needed to ensure the comfort of a guest. Lower humidity/cooler air may help those that have sinus issues. Skin rashes or sunburn may require a cool down period in order for the discomfort to be decreased by the next morning. Many women, and few men, can tell you that hot flashes are miserable to deal with particularly in the summer. People that are overweight or have thyroid issues also may have a higher sensitivity to heat. These people may be able to "suck it up" during a daily visit to the parks, but at night they need to cool down and relax.

Going to Disney most months of the year expose many visitors to temps and humidity very different than what they experience in their home town.

When you factor in that a 5/6 night lodging bill on property may be between 500 (off season) to 1200 dollars, it is entirely reasonable for the guest to expect a comfortable nights sleep.

 

[Sparkly]

Could be worse, you could come from a country that doesn't have AC in houses! When we have a heat wave it's so hot and uncomfortable.

On topic, we have the opposite problem at the condo. The AC suddenly turns on at 10pm at night and because there's a vent in my room, makes it freezing! There was a notice by the unit informing guests not to turn it below 68 or it would freeze up.

 

[TDC Nala]

If Disney is really serious about being "energy efficient" and a "green" company (as opposed to saving money) I would look for minimum and maximum thermostat settings to come to all their resorts in the future, with the possibility of no bypass unless it is specifically requested for medical reasons.

A "green" resort that lets its guests regularly bypass the thermostat limits is not a "green" resort.

 

[hrt2hrtmomdeb]

We are here right now and im really tired of waking up sweating in the middle of the night while sleeping on top of the sheets.... the blankets are completely off the bed. It was 73 today and it was warmer in the room than outside and the thermostat said 68. Not sure what the problem is but I hope for others sake they fix it. We wont be staying here again unless our family gets bigger and we can use a suite. I think the LM rooms are entirely too far away from everything but that's a different story for another thread ;o)

 

[dcibrando]

I don't think the little mermaid rooms are that far away of course in use to staying at Saratoga Springs

As for Disney possibly moving all rooms/thermostats to "Green rooms" you can bet they will lose green. I am a DVC member and annual passholder and have visited wdw 12 times in the last 5 years and for the first time ever my wife and I have been discussing the possibility of staying off property for our next trip due to trends we are seeing

 

[MickeysFantasia]

So, if its winter and 50 degrees outside at night, du still likeit below 68? 68 is cold!

 

[dcibrando]

So, if its winter and 50 degrees outside at night, du still likeit below 68? 68 is cold!

At night while I sleep yes. And remember just because it says 68 doesn't mean it feels or is 68 especially when it shuts off at night. In fact i just woke up and it's in the 40's outside right now and it's incredible warm and stuffy in here not to mention my allergies kill me first thing in the morning too. If the unit could at least have the fan running all night or they install $30 ceiling fan it would help a ton!

The issue isn't whether or not you think 68 is low enough, it's paying a lot per night and Disney dictating your comfort level and no ceiling fan or air circulating at all at night.

Another issue I have with the value resorts is I can literally hear those around and above me taking a leak. Seriously. Im not talking about the jet powered toilet flush either im talking about peeing like its amplified. How hard would it have been to insulate the walls a little better. This is why the rooms here seem so loud too

As much as we pay per night, these rooms aren't as good as some of the local hotels for half the cost a night.

 

[maxiesmom]

Another issue I have with the value resorts is I can literally hear those around and above me taking a leak. Seriously. How hard would it have been to insulate the walls a little better. This is why the rooms here seem so loud too

Unfortunately that is not just a value resort problem.

I can see why Disney wants to set a temp limit. How may people crank the air down and then leave the room for the day? What a waste of energy, not to mention a huge cost for Disney.

It sounds to me like they don't really grasp yet that the rooms are too hot, and the air isn't working properly. Maybe there is something wrong with the units at AoA, and this is a new resort glitch. Every person who stays there and has temp issues needs to report it. That is the only way to get thru to them that there really is a problem, and one they need to fix.