Warning - Treehouse Villas

[BeccaG]

Some people will laugh at you being afraid of deer, but deer injure more visitors in our National Parks every year than any other animal...except man, of course. A deer is much more likely to be a problem for you than an alligator or snake, but people fear 'gators and snakes much more.

I guess that proves we can look at all the statistics we want, these kinds of fears are not rational and it doesn't matter what the data shows. If someone is afraid of something, no pile of statistics is going to help them overcome that fear.

Aren't most of the deer injuries though (and I would guess alligators and snakes too) from people not respecting the wildlife and trying to feed it etc.? And of course with deer, you have to factor in the car accidents. . .

 

[BeccaG]

This reminds me of a hotel I stayed at in India earlier this year. You had to put your key into a slot by the door when you entered the room in order for the room to have electric. When you left the room and took your key with you, the electric turned off. I assume the AC turned off too.

Same in Vegas! I know many of you will probably hate me for this, but for the sake of the planet (and I am far from what you would classify as a tree-hugger) and our dues, I am OK with the thermostats being on motion sensors or require a key in a slot or something. In my experience, it does not take that long to cool down a 2 BR villa, so I am assuming with it being about the same SQ footage, it would not take too long to cool down a treehouse. . .now a Grand Villa may be a different story!!

 

[Inkmahm]

Same in Vegas! I know many of you will probably hate me for this, but for the sake of the planet (and I am far from what you would classify as a tree-hugger) and our dues, I am OK with the thermostats being on motion sensors or require a key in a slot or something. In my experience, it does not take that long to cool down a 2 BR villa, so I am assuming with it being about the same SQ footage, it would not take too long to cool down a treehouse. . .now a Grand Villa may be a different story!!

The problem is keeping the room cool after you go to bed. The a/c turns off and you wake up sweating to death. (At least, I do.)

 

[Sammie]

if the air conditioner sensors work based on the heat of the humans in the room how does a moving balloon help.

I did not think they were motion detectors but heat sensors.

 

[TnRobin]

I have a real problem sleeping if I get hot. (gotta be less than 72 degrees or I lie awake) I even wake up at home and turn down the a/c. Honestly, I have had no problem here at the Treehouses with the room getting hot. It has actually been slightly cool some mornings. Maybe we have just had cool evenings this week, but I have slept like a baby.

 

[SleepyatDVC]

I'm actually one of those people that leave the a/c on normal when I leave the room and turns it OFF completely when I come back or at least before bed. I think it does make a difference that we have stayed at hotel-like DVCs like BWV and AKV lately where the hallways are frigid.

I actually do like it cold when I sleep but only because I like to snuggle under blankies. The thin blankets at WDW don't cut it for me and I never use the actual comforters. If I leave the a/c on at night, I get chilly or I'm up all night to pull the blankets back up on the kids. Easier for me to just shut it off before bedtime.

Sometimes if the room is stuffy when we get back from the parks, I turn it on high for a bit and it cools quickly and then I turn it back down low or off. I do think the hallways do leak a bit of the a/c into the room.

Now I'm not a fan of creepy crawlies so I'm not sure how that will go over with me. Will have to try it out at least once to judge for myself one day but will have to bring LOTS of repellent.

 

[whithouston]

I just spoke with both Members Services and Saratoga directly and was told that parking 2 vehicles at the THV would not be a problem at all. The cast member I spoke to with Member Services said that he stayed there one night and the spot in front of his villa was already taken so he had to find another spot, but he assured me that two vehicles isn't a problem. Also when I spoke with Saratoga directly, that cast member said the same thing. She said that parking is limited there, but if there were two parking spots we could take them. While I somewhat disagree with this (the possibility of taking someone else's spot,) cast members are saying to do this....so...what do to??? We will have 9 and 2 vehicles at the end of the month...

 

[danielle782001]

Here's a tip about overriding the air conditioning sensors, posted several times on DIS:

"On the thermostat push the power button and the down arrow (that adjusts the temp) at the exact same time. If you do this correctly there will be the letters "bp" where the temp numbers usually are. You are now bypassing the sensors in the room. You can then set the temp to whatever you want and it keeps the room that cold whether you are in it or not. The maintenance man said that you might have to do this once a day as the thermostat tends to go back to sensor mode after 24 hours. We found that it stayed on bypass for a couple of days at a time. It was great to come back to a cold room or not wake up in the middle of the night in a sweat again. The CM that did this for us said it was not a problem doing this as they do it for people all the time. Guess they get a lot of complaints."

Thanks for this!

 

[lugnut33]

I just spoke with both Members Services and Saratoga directly and was told that parking 2 vehicles at the THV would not be a problem at all. The cast member I spoke to with Member Services said that he stayed there one night and the spot in front of his villa was already taken so he had to find another spot, but he assured me that two vehicles isn't a problem. Also when I spoke with Saratoga directly, that cast member said the same thing. She said that parking is limited there, but if there were two parking spots we could take them. While I somewhat disagree with this (the possibility of taking someone else's spot,) cast members are saying to do this....so...what do to??? We will have 9 and 2 vehicles at the end of the month...

I might have to add some more beefy members our group in August so we can pickup and move other peoples cars so we have parking spots.

I wonder if we bring a barracade that would work to save our parking spots?

 

[BirdsOfPreyDave]

Some of the older thermostats used motion sensors. For those, the balloon trick worked fine. The newer ones, though, have a more sophisticated sensor that isn't based on motion. I don't mean to deprive your kids of a balloon on your next trip, but I don't think it's going to work at the THV.

The only tried and true way to keep the a/c running is to find the override code for the themostat. Sometimes the bellman will do it for you. (Ours claimed not to know anything about it on the last SSR trip, so maybe they've been told not to do it.) Others have reported luck with asking maintenance to show them.

Unfortunately, there's not a single standard for thermostats in Disney resorts. There seems to be a different one in every resort we try. Last trip, I had reports from the boards on how to override three different thermostat types. The villa we were in didn't match any of them.

Actually, for me, I've been able to call the a/c sensors a silver lining to getting older. Disney trips are the one time of year I don't mind getting up to use the restroom multiple times each night. Our place always stays nice and cool.

 

[danielle782001]

Is there a max temp before the air will kick back on without detecting motion?

 

[deej696]

Personally, I wish we in the US would require all hotels to have the key activate the electricity in the rooms like they do in Europe. In my travels to Europe, its always been one of the things I am impressed with. There is no telling how much electricity we could save, but I'm sure its a bunch.....

 

[global-mouse]

Maybe i have been living outside of the US for too long, but I am amazed at the lack of concern for the environment in this thread (with a few exceptions.)

To me it seems quite obvious that hotels have had to put this measure in place because guests do not seem concerned with leaving their a/c on for the 8 to 12 hours they are out in the parks. It seems everyone's concern is only to have a comfortable room when they return instead of waiting the 30 minutes or so for the room to cool down. OK, run the a/c for 12 hours so you have that 30 minutes extra of comfort. It simply amazes me that no one seems worried as to what this is doing to our environment (or our DVC membership dues.)

There is a simple solution that Disney doesn't seem to want to look at, which would be having the a/c programmed to turn on just before you return. Either programmable or come up with another way for the guest to activate the a/c at a specific time or remotely. The technology exists and this would both please guests, save money, and help the environment.

Ok, I will step off my soap box now. Sorry for the rant and don't get me wrong, I like my comfort (and cool rooms!) I just wish there was a better way.

 

[tjkraz]

Couple quick comments (sorry, it's late)

We checked into the Treehouse villas today. On the parking situation, the from desk CM was very specific in saying that we could park only one vehicle.

On the air conditioning issue, so far I don't see the big deal at all. We have been in-and-out of the room at least 3 times. Each time we arrived the room was noticably cooler than the outside temp. Not that the AC was running the entire time, but there was definitely some relief from the heat.

And within 2-3 minutes of entering the villa, the AC had lowered the room temp to what most would consider comfortable.

I guess I should spend a couple more days (and nights) here before passing judgment, but so far it seems like a non-issue to me. We have never felt the least bit put-out by having to wait a couple minutes for near freezing temps in the room.

If anyone has any other THV questions, feel free to ask and I'll do what I can to answer.

EDIT: I'll also add that we haven't been bothered by bugs yet. There are pools of standing water in the swamp areas beneath the Treehouses, but no bugs to speak of (yet?)

Have seen a few critters--little lizards / geckos mostly. Oh and we got a few free golf balls courtesy of the LBV golfers. Don't worry--they were lying around the grounds not pinging off of our windows.

One negative I will add is the the THV area is more remote than I had recalled. Please, please, PLEASE do not stay here unless you have a car or reasonable expectations for how long it will take you to get around. Plan as if you'll be in one of the furthest THVs from the Carriage House. You can't just cross your fingers and hope to be really close. IMHO. YMMV.

 

[cup29win]

Wow, Thanks for the heads' up. We were looking at staying there in October, but I like my A/C and hate mosquito's.

 

[lugnut33]

tjkraz...

I wish you'd start a separate trip report thread.

I do have some questions.

1. Do you think we'll be OK with 8 people (six adults and 2 children) in one villa? Listening to Pete's review on the Dis he said it will be cramped. What do you think?

2. How is the sofa bed that is furnished? Anybody from your group sleeping on it and has an opinion?

3. Can you investigate the parking situation more? We'll have two cars and I don't know where the heck we'll have to park. I'm totally not interested in having to park and take a shuttle to the room. What if you steal your neighbors spot??? (I'm not saying I'll do that, but I worry about somebody taking ours?)

4. I wonder if the THV has it's own mousekeeping or does it rely on SSR?

5. What do you think of the pool? I know it looks plain, but that's OK with us. Is it centrally located?

 

[malonefamily]

I am amazed at the lack of concern for the environment in this thread (with a few exceptions.)

I agree. I've never been so disappointed with my generally good natured DVC members.

Why do most of the references to green technologies get sarcastic quote marks around them? It's not "green" it's just plain green. The planet is in trouble and Disney has finally, over the last five years or so, really begun to step up and show some leadership on environmental issues (after decades of setting a very bad example). The A/C sensors aren't there to make some politically correct point, they are there to save energy, money, and to reduce greenhouse gas emissions.

Just how warm is it getting at night in these rooms that have people waking up in a sweat? I'm very skeptical... I want someone with a thermometer to do a trip report. Is the air conditioner completely disabled at night, or just set to a higher temperature than you might like? At any rate, there is no reason to keep a home large enough to sleep 9 people at 68-70 degrees during Florida's 95 degree days while you're in a park. Do you have any idea how much energy it takes to do that? No matter what you pay for your room you've no right to leave footprints this large in your wake.

I'm not an environmental radical, I'm a pretty boring mainstream guy... Most people accept that minor discomforts are part and parcel of a changing society that has to grapple with some difficult energy issues.

 

[bobbiwoz]

...I am amazed at the lack of concern for the environment in this thread (with a few exceptions.)
...

Thank you for saying this...I agree, whole-heartedly.

Bobbi

PS. Remember the discussions about the styrofoam cups in the studios? People rallied around that.

PPS. Let's try to find a solution other than have the a/c keeping the rooms cool for nobody.

 

[tjkraz]

tjkraz...

I wish you'd start a separate trip report thread.

good point. Just wanted to add my observations to the topics here. But i'll gladly start another one later.

 

[gkrykewy]

I agree. I've never been so disappointed with my generally good natured DVC members.

Why do most of the references to green technologies get sarcastic quote marks around them? It's not "green" it's just plain green. The planet is in trouble and Disney has finally, over the last five years or so, really begun to step up and show some leadership on environmental issues (after decades of setting a very bad example). The A/C sensors aren't there to make some politically correct point, they are there to save energy, money, and to reduce greenhouse gas emissions.

Just how warm is it getting at night in these rooms that have people waking up in a sweat? I'm very skeptical... I want someone with a thermometer to do a trip report. Is the air conditioner completely disabled at night, or just set to a higher temperature than you might like? At any rate, there is no reason to keep a home large enough to sleep 9 people at 68-70 degrees during Florida's 95 degree days while you're in a park. Do you have any idea how much energy it takes to do that? No matter what you pay for your room you've no right to leave footprints this large in your wake.

I'm not an environmental radical, I'm a pretty boring mainstream guy... Most people accept that minor discomforts are part and parcel of a changing society that has to grapple with some difficult energy issues.

Agreed 100%.