Which DVC properties provide luggage carts?

[paults]

a couple yrs ago the bell services CM had a cart outside and a guest tried to take it to use for there bags. The CM stopped them because they need them for guests that need help. They just had to carry their bags without a cart.

Where are you going to put your bags if you get a cart? 95% of the time your room won't be ready and you can't leave the bags on the cart. If you already have someone in a room and your joining them a couple on $ ain't a lot of money when your at disney. Let bell services help.

 

[dianeschlicht]

I was not parked where bell services is. I was not blocking anyone. I was pulled over to the left away from the entrance. There were other cars doing the same thing. I saw nothing wrong with what I was doing and only needed to make two trips to get everything. Did not see it as being a big deal.

I disagree. If you were in the front where cars pick up and drop off, you WERE in the bell area. It would never be appropriate to leave an unattended car there while you transport luggage on your own. Using the carts should only be done if you are paying bell services to bring your luggage to the room or bring it to your car.

 

[dianeschlicht]

I just wanted to add that I do understand why people don't want to use bell services. I hate waiting in the room for them, so we usually carry our things ourselves. I still would never think I could "borrow" a luggage cart to do so. It would be like "borrowing" someone else's rental car to get to the parking lot.

 

[MichaelColey]

Even most low-end hotels provide luggage carts. Not providing them, or making them exclusively available to bell services (especially at a TIMESHARE, where you typically bring a lot more stuff) is downright unfriendly and self-serving, IMHO. As consumers, we should have a choice of whether to use bell services or not. And lugging everything up without a cart isn't much of a choice.

The next time we drive (we'll be staying four weeks in different DVC units), we'll bring our dolly. When we fly, everything is in rolling suitcases, so it's relatively easy without a cart. When we get groceries, we'll just use our stroller to bring them up.

Disney is supposed to be the image of outstanding customer experiences, but this is one area where they fall flat.

We're still evaluating DVC (we've stayed at three and are booked in three others) vs. off-site timeshares (we've stayed at three in Orlando). This and the unit sizes are the two biggest negatives to DVC. (There are plenty of positives, though.) FWIW, the closest contender for us is Wyndham Bonnet Creek. We can get into it for about 35% less, it has larger units, provides luggage carts, has fairly frequent buses (if you want to use them) and is really close to WDW.

 

[dianeschlicht]

Even most low-end hotels provide luggage carts. Not providing them, or making them exclusively available to bell services (especially at a TIMESHARE, where you typically bring a lot more stuff) is downright unfriendly and self-serving, IMHO. As consumers, we should have a choice of whether to use bell services or not. And lugging everything up without a cart isn't much of a choice.

The next time we drive (we'll be staying four weeks in different DVC units), we'll bring our dolly. When we fly, everything is in rolling suitcases, so it's relatively easy without a cart. When we get groceries, we'll just use our stroller to bring them up.

Disney is supposed to be the image of outstanding customer experiences, but this is one area where they fall flat.

We're still evaluating DVC (we've stayed at three and are booked in three others) vs. off-site timeshares (we've stayed at three in Orlando). This and the unit sizes are the two biggest negatives to DVC. (There are plenty of positives, though.)

REALLY????? I have never stayed at a hotel that offers bell services that had carts available for the guests not using those services. The only time I have seen carts for guest use has been at places like Holiday Inns and that level where there are no bell captains.

Besides which, most Timeshares have NONE available either, and most don't even have a bell service. The thing we like best about DVC as a timeshare is that we can travel with next to nothing with us. We don't have to bring much along except for a few days worth of clothes we want to wear. Everything else is provided in the timeshare unit, and the things we want to make it "homey" are stored in our Owner's Locker.

Oh, and you DO have a choice of using bell services or not. That's why we choose not to. We just take our own things up to the room, and yes, even our owner's locker that weighs about 55 pounds!

 

[Dean]

Even most low-end hotels provide luggage carts. Not providing them, or making them exclusively available to bell services (especially at a TIMESHARE, where you typically bring a lot more stuff) is downright unfriendly and self-serving, IMHO. As consumers, we should have a choice of whether to use bell services or not. And lugging everything up without a cart isn't much of a choice.

The next time we drive (we'll be staying four weeks in different DVC units), we'll bring our dolly. When we fly, everything is in rolling suitcases, so it's relatively easy without a cart. When we get groceries, we'll just use our stroller to bring them up.

Disney is supposed to be the image of outstanding customer experiences, but this is one area where they fall flat.

We're still evaluating DVC (we've stayed at three and are booked in three others) vs. off-site timeshares (we've stayed at three in Orlando). This and the unit sizes are the two biggest negatives to DVC. (There are plenty of positives, though.) FWIW, the closest contender for us is Wyndham Bonnet Creek. We can get into it for about 35% less, it has larger units, provides luggage carts, has fairly frequent buses (if you want to use them) and is really close to WDW.

I think it varies just like low end hotels tend to provide free internet, often wireless, and higher end ones tend to charge for it. If they're going to have a bell services option, they need to dedicate to it. I love having carts. Most of the nicer timeshares I've stayed at have carts and do not have bell services as a routine though some may offer the option on a limited basis. As I see it, the option would be to do away with Bell services completely or to make it a paid service beyond the usual tipping.

As for comparing off property in Orlando, IMO, and ignoring theming (hard to do I know) the nicer ones outdo Disney in the areas of pools, activities, room size and often quality (but only to a small degree) and often, are more user friendly at the resort level. But there are reasons for some of the differences for example, you don't need as robust offerings for activities and other amenities with the parks at your doorstep.

 

[pnyltwk]

Even most low-end hotels provide luggage carts. Not providing them, or making them exclusively available to bell services (especially at a TIMESHARE, where you typically bring a lot more stuff) is downright unfriendly and self-serving, IMHO. As consumers, we should have a choice of whether to use bell services or not. And lugging everything up without a cart isn't much of a choice.

Disney is supposed to be the image of outstanding customer experiences, but this is one area where they fall flat.

I would agree wholeheartedly with your assessment.

Thanks to everyone for your input.

 

[Deb & Bill]

...Disney is supposed to be the image of outstanding customer experiences, but this is one area where they fall flat.
....

They provide Bell Services to do the hauling for you.

 

[DebbieB]

If they let guests use carts in a place like BWV or BCV, where do you think they would end up? People would use them and then leave them in the hall rather than taking them back to the lobby. Plus they would be hitting the walls with them and possibly other guests. Kids would end up riding them down the halls. I travel frequently and have never seen luggage carts being used by guests in hotels that have bell services.

 

[dis-happy]

If they let guests use carts in a place like BWV or BCV, where do you think they would end up? People would use them and then leave them in the hall rather than taking them back to the lobby. Plus they would be hitting the walls with them and possibly other guests. Kids would end up riding them down the halls. I travel frequently and have never seen luggage carts being used by guests in hotels that have bell services.

Thursday nights they would all "disappear" as people hide them in their room for check-out the next morning.

I've learned to pack almost everything in rolling duffel bags even though we drive. For grocery runs the stroller comes in very handy!


Call me crazy, but I've found at BCV the regular parking is super close to the villas. Not sure why it would even be a benefit to park in the front driveway to unload a car from there when you can legally park practically next to the BCV entrance door. A nice stroll through an air-conditioned hallway makes the unloading experience quite pleasant. Wish I were there now....

 

[Starr W.]

Thursday nights they would all "disappear" as people hide them in their room for check-out the next morning. :

Saw that happen at Sheraton Broadway Plantation in Myrtle Beach the other summer. Luggage carts sitting around all week until Friday night. Was out early Saturday am, and guess what I see? Carts coming out of villas loaded to the gills.

Samething used to happen when I was in college and staying in a high rise dorm. Though it must have been a very tight squeeze with one of those carts in a room.

As for DVC, we travel pretty light. We use bell services at SSR if we don't have a car and get a GG delivery. I check in and let DH get bell services start loading the cart. It also helps the kids are old enough to pull their own suitcases.

We made use of the carts at Vero Beach the other week since we had a hike from the parking garage to the Beach Cottage. But I had DS14 wheel the cart back to the garage when we were finished. I've seen them left outside units before.

 

[paults]

when ever I used a cart was at hotels where they had no bell services.

But you know what I heard, in the future somebody will come up with the IDEA of putting wheels on luggage. Right! don't count on it.

I'll bet if a couple DME buses showed up and block in the car and you couldn't move it when you got back that you would be pissed about that too.

 

[Sammie]

If they let guests use carts in a place like BWV or BCV, where do you think they would end up? People would use them and then leave them in the hall rather than taking them back to the lobby. Plus they would be hitting the walls with them and possibly other guests. Kids would end up riding them down the halls. I travel frequently and have never seen luggage carts being used by guests in hotels that have bell services.

It would be a nightmare .

 

[MichaelColey]

We just wrapped up a 3+ week trip to Orlando, including two days at a timeshare in Destin (that provided carts), one week at Wyndham Bonnet Creek (which has bell services and provides carts), two weeks at DVC properties, and a night at an Embassy Suites (which has bell services and provides carts).

I've rarely been at a hotel or timeshare that doesn't provide carts, and I travel very extensively.

The arguments about kids playing on them, people scraping up the walls (the walls at Wilderness Lodge were all scraped up anyway), people hording them in their rooms, etc. are just ridiculous. It's all about money.

 

[Deb & Bill]

You can whine, you can gripe, you can compare WDW to hotels all over the world. But it is what it is.

 

[Dean]

We just wrapped up a 3+ week trip to Orlando, including two days at a timeshare in Destin (that provided carts), one week at Wyndham Bonnet Creek (which has bell services and provides carts), two weeks at DVC properties, and a night at an Embassy Suites (which has bell services and provides carts).

I've rarely been at a hotel or timeshare that doesn't provide carts, and I travel very extensively.

The arguments about kids playing on them, people scraping up the walls (the walls at Wilderness Lodge were all scraped up anyway), people hording them in their rooms, etc. are just ridiculous. It's all about money.

Of course there's a financial component. IF you provide the service, you have to make sure it's financially sustainable and what better way to do so except to give guests limited choices. If you contract it, the contract will usually stipulate that you do not provide carts. It's fairly unusual for timeshares to provide both and when they do, it's usually large resorts with multiple buildings. Also those generally are not completely dedicated bell staff, they have other responsibilities to make it justified to have them. As I noted above, there is often an inverse relationship between the cost/rating/deluxe nature of the resort and this issue, just like there is with internet options. I'd rather have carts with no bell services and in general, I think that is the choice.

 

[shalom]

You can whine, you can gripe, you can compare WDW to hotels all over the world. But it is what it is.

And I'm very grateful for places like the Dis that let you know what it is before you go!

 

[MichaelColey]

You can whine, you can gripe, you can compare WDW to hotels all over the world. But it is what it is.

My intention certainly wasn't to whine or gripe, but to let others know so they wouldn't be surprised. Comparisons to other hotels are certainly valid, because that's what sets our expectations. If we're used to carts being provided elsewhere (and that's been my experience), it's going to be a surprise to many.

It's kind of like going to a restaurant that charges for refills on soda or tea or stopping to buy gas before you return a rental car and discovering that the gas station by the airport is $2/gallon higher than anywhere else. If you don't know in advance and plan around it, it can leave a bad impression.

 

[dianeschlicht]

My intention certainly wasn't to whine or gripe, but to let others know so they wouldn't be surprised. Comparisons to other hotels are certainly valid, because that's what sets our expectations. If we're used to carts being provided elsewhere (and that's been my experience), it's going to be a surprise to many.

It's kind of like going to a restaurant that charges for refills on soda or tea or stopping to buy gas before you return a rental car and discovering that the gas station by the airport is $2/gallon higher than anywhere else. If you don't know in advance and plan around it, it can leave a bad impression.

While you have valid reasons, you must remember that comparing DVC resorts to the offsite places you mentioned is like comparing apples to oranges.

 

[shalom]

While you have valid reasons, you must remember that comparing DVC resorts to the offsite places you mentioned is like comparing apples to oranges.

How so? If you're used to using Timeshares, DVC has quite a few polices that are as unusual as a restaurant charging for refills on soda or coffee. The lack of luggage carts free for the using is one of them.