Self Extenders

[OneMoreTry]

I totally agree that DVC can and SHOULD charge "self extenders", but I'm a little confused about why some of you think blocking the keys at 11 is a "bad" thing. If you are supposed to be out by 11, why should your key work after that?

I agree. You can't kick em out, but does the law state the door lock still has to work?

 

[pcparamedics01]

Last week when I arrived at SSR I was unable to get into a room until almost six o'clock.

I had checked in at seven that morning and requested a room in the Springs. The CM even gave me keys and circled the building the room was in- which lucky for me met all of my requests.

I called at four and my room was not ready. I called back 45 minutes later and they asked me to come to guest services at the resort. After a lot of hassle, a manager finally came out and confessed that they reason that my room wasn't ready was that its previous occupants had self extended their stay and they didn't have anywhere else to put me.

At quarter til six, after them actually telling me they had no rooms, they were able to scrounge one up in Grandstand (which met none of my requests, but at least it was a room) that they said they had just opened.

It was pretty upsetting, especially the minutes that ticked by when we thought we had NO room. We also missed our dinner PS

I would never self extend my stay. Of course, I don't know the circumstances of the people that did it, but I do know that their actions impacted my vacation and hope that it was for a good reason and not just because they didn't feel like leaving.

The manager was very nice and was as frustrated as we were. He said that this actually happens quite often.

Unless there is a sick person involved- Disney should throw them out.

I hate the thought of having to worry about whether my booked room will be available.

The last day I asked if I could have a later check out. They said no they do not give late check outs. I didn't know. I would never stay later once they said no. We checked out at 10:30am. I would never think about staying longer ever.

 

[Kickapoo Joie Juice]

We never stay late, but I do remember last early december (or the december before that, maybe) that the Mousekeepers were SERIOUSLY riding herd on me the morning of our checkout at VWL.

It was like, knock knock, (9am) yes, we plan on checking out at 11.

knock knock (9:30) yes, we're really checking out at 11, DH in shower as we speak.

knock knock (10 am) lather, rinse repeat. And so on, every half hour ON THE BUTTON until I assume 11-we were out at about 10:40.

I mean, ok, I get it!

We didn't get to check in until after 4 pm on that trip, and that's with a sick kid, so obviously there's a problem.

I don't mind the mousekeepers doing it, but it was pretty obvious from all the bags stacked by the door by 10 am that we really were planning on leaving on time.

Still, couldn't they have rustled the previous occupants out as effectively as us?

 

[Kickapoo Joie Juice]

1. There are people that will do the right thing because it's the right thing.

2. There are people who only will do the right thing if there's a consequence involved for not behaving. And they don't give a hoot about #1.

3. There are people who will do the wrong thing despite consequences. And they don't give a hoot about #1 either-I think they call them "suckers".

Guess which groups make up the bulk of the human population?

Soooo, as Disney World evolves from the land of the #1's to the land of, well, all the others, shouldn't CONSEQUENCES evolve, too?

 

[Deb & Bill]

...We didn't get to check in until after 4 pm on that trip, and that's with a sick kid, so obviously there's a problem. ...

DVC check in is after 4PM.

 

[WebmasterDoc]

According to the POS- "Holdover Owners" are supposed to pay a levy of $50 for any part of a day they fail to vacate a Vacation Home and are also supposed to be charged for any costs involved with finding alternate accommodations for the subsequent guest.

Here is the exact wording from the POS - http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?p=20539504#post20539504

 

[Debbie H]

I guess they do not enforce it. Too bad, they should.

 

[jco_direwolf]

So I guess the real question is as owners, what do we do to pressure DVD, to enforce the rules?

johno

 

[dianeschlicht]

I guess they do not enforce it. Too bad, they should.

DVC resorts refusal to enforce these things is one of the reasons I am skeptical about the Non-smoking policy working. In the past there was NO consequence for smoking in a non-smoking villa, and some were even told to go ahead and smoke. Now we expect them to enforce the charging for cleanup when a smoker smokes in a non-smoking unit???? I don't see them enforcing that one any more than they do the late checkout one.

 

[Kickapoo Joie Juice]

DVC check in is after 4PM.

I'm aware of that.

However, in 43 trips, it was a first.

Especially when you're HOLDING your feverish kid as you check in because she feels too bad to be put down and her dad is off picking up motrin. I wasn't angry at Disney, the CM obviously felt bad for my daughter and said she wished she had something available, and I believed her.

I think the problem was people not checking out and rooms not being available earlier for people to get in if they need to. We first tried to check in around noon after we checked out (on time) from Pop.

We spent most of the afternoon sitting on the chairs by the fire waiting because our older daughter had come down with a cold and we didn't want to run her through the parks when she needed to rest. It would have been nice if she could have slept in a bed, instead of curled up on a blanket in front of the fire.

 

[tjkraz]

I think the problem was people not checking out and rooms not being available earlier for people to get in if they need to.

The main problem I have with this discussion (and sorry, KJJ, I'm not singling you out on purpose) is that most seem to be making the ASSUMPTION that departing guests are to blame. And that's a HUGE assumption, IMO.

After 43 visits and always getting into the room on time, can you point to any recent changes that could have upset the apple cart? Is there any remotely valid reason to conclude that after 35 years of WDW and 15 years of DVC, suddenly in 2007 a much greater proportion of guests have decided to be total jerks?

On the other hand, we've heard repeatedly about how under-staffed Disney is in housekeeping. We've all read the reports about dirty rooms, CMs caught watching TV and so on. I realize that I'm painting all of the housekeeping CMs with a rather broad brush, and that's unfair to most of them. But based upon what I have been reading, if anything has changed in the last year or two it's the staffing levels / training / management of housekeeping.

I can't think of a single bit of evidence I can point to which would suggest that guests now feel more entitled to stay afte 11am than they did 3 or 5 or 10 years ago. And I say that despite the excuses being offered by front desk CMs. After all, I suspect arriving guests are much more sympathetic toward the CMs if they are told that someone other than resort staff is to blame for the late entry.

 

[loribell]

The only evidence I have to support it being late check outs is my recent visit. Everyday we saw 4 or 5 groups loading up their cars as late as 2. This was only in our area of SSR, the Grandstand. Now I can't believe that this just happened in this one section of the ressort or only at SSR.

The other thing I can say is that every morning there were an amzing amount of CM's on golf carts going to each building to get started. Even my sister, who is never impressed by anything & is happy at a motel 6, commented on how impressive the whole operation was.

Of course, I have no idea what they do once they are behind closed doors though! Just my recent observations.

 

[kidsister]

I agree with TJ.

Haven't you ever walked down the halls of your resort (the LLOOOOOOOOOGGGG halls at BWV come to mind) and seen one maid cart and about 30 check out rooms? And maybe even the maids on break?

I remember checking into AKL a few years back. THere were some people from England who had been up all night flying and they just wanted a room...any room. And the desk told them , sorry no, come back at 4.
I was ASTOUNDED and probably that' sthe reason I haven't bought at AKLV.
I couldn't get over the rudeness at the front desk (and as I recall they were kinda rude to me too, tho I don't remember what I was asking for, cuz I was just so shocked at how they treated those people.

I understand if you don't have the inventory, but lots of times the rooms have been cleaned for hours and the front desk just hasn't gotten the ok clear signal.

But insofar as late check outs...I tend to be one of those people that cannot get my act together check out day. I'm out by noon, so please don't hate me, but 11 just seems too hard. Maybe it has something to do with the timing of flights out...If you have a morning flight, you're gone no problem. At Disney, if you have an late afternoon, evening flight, you check out and head to the parks for a last day of fun. It's those dang 2:00-4 flights that kinda leave ya hanging.(Leisurely breakfast and sHOPPING and then back to shower and pack.)

And what if you check in at 6pm due to no rooms ready and then have to check out at 11 the next day...It's almost like you don't really have a full use of the room for the money. (This isn't to excuse late check outs, but if I stayed at the Poly for $500 a night, I might feel that I deserve at least 18 hours in the room)

I've been known to check out the check in ready rooms before I even approach the front desk (not necessarily at Disney)...sometimes I'll ask the maids...who checked out today, what rooms are available and then I go up and request one. So many times I'm told that that room isn't ready. And then they'll call housekeeping and voila.

So it's probably more that the hotels are generally understaffed and their isn't updated info getting sent to the front desk, and there are people who don't check out as early as others, and the maids can only clean as many room between 3-5 as they do between 11 aand 1 ...and all of this plays a part.

 

[doconeill]

The only evidence I have to support it being late check outs is my recent visit. Everyday we saw 4 or 5 groups loading up their cars as late as 2. This was only in our area of SSR, the Grandstand. Now I can't believe that this just happened in this one section of the ressort or only at SSR.

Seeing people loading up their cars late in the day does not mean they checked out late.

We had a evening flight out on our last day, and wanted to hit a park again. We had the valet service store our bags (we tried remote checkin, but that completely fell apart), and then loaded our car up around 2pm - but we were out of our room by 9:30am.

We will be doing the same in December, as we have an even later flight.

 

[loribell]

Seeing people loading up their cars late in the day does not mean they checked out late.

We had a evening flight out on our last day, and wanted to hit a park again. We had the valet service store our bags (we tried remote checkin, but that completely fell apart), and then loaded our car up around 2pm - but we were out of our room by 9:30am.

We will be doing the same in December, as we have an even later flight.

Well that is true, but if they are loading their cars in the parking lot of the rooms then most likely they are leaving their room slate. If bell services had their bags wouldn't they be loading their cars in the lobby area?

 

[tjkraz]

The only evidence I have to support it being late check outs is my recent visit. Everyday we saw 4 or 5 groups loading up their cars as late as 2. This was only in our area of SSR, the Grandstand. Now I can't believe that this just happened in this one section of the ressort or only at SSR.

Nor do I. I am quite sure there are a percenatage of guests who leave after the posted time on any given day...and that's been happening for years now.

My question is whether we have any evidence to suggest that in 2007 people are departing late in significantly greater numbers than they did in 2005.

Let's think about this. The ONLY way that late departures would impact houskeeping is if there are so many late departures that the housekeepers have nothing to do at 11am. If they are standing around because every room that needs to be serviced is still occupied, only then is it a problem.

If 20% or 30% or even 50% of guests haven't left by 11am, it shouldn't have a single bit of impact on room cleanings. They can't clean every room at once and it doesn't take 3 hours to service a single room. If a guest is still putting the finishing touches on his packing at noon, the CM should move on to the next room.

The more I think about it the more convinced I am that departing guests are being used as scapegoats for housekeeping issues.

 

[loribell]

Well I also have to add that I checked in to 3 different rooms at SSR during this trip and only had to wait until even 11 am for 1 of them, one I got at 6:30 in the morning & the other I got at 7:30. (I did not expect to actually get a room number that early but wanted to get it out of the way & was pleasanlty surprised both times.) So even with what I was seeing with guests leaving late I was still receiving a room early.

Who really knows what the problem is? Most likely it is a combination of late check outs & low staffing.

 

[sharond150]

I don't think your flight time or the inability to get up early should change when a person checks out of a room. I bet if Disney starting charging per hour after 11 AM, people would move a lot faster. The problem is that they don't make you check out either by video or in person so they DON'T know who has left and who hasn't. I think daycare providers have solved this problem by charging $1 per minute for each minute after the stated closing time. It doesn't really matter why you are late, if you're late, you pay!

 

[dianeschlicht]

I agree with TJ.

Haven't you ever walked down the halls of your resort (the LLOOOOOOOOOGGGG halls at BWV come to mind) and seen one maid cart and about 30 check out rooms? And maybe even the maids on break?

I remember checking into AKL a few years back. THere were some people from England who had been up all night flying and they just wanted a room...any room. And the desk told them , sorry no, come back at 4.
I was ASTOUNDED and probably that' sthe reason I haven't bought at AKLV.
I couldn't get over the rudeness at the front desk (and as I recall they were kinda rude to me too, tho I don't remember what I was asking for, cuz I was just so shocked at how they treated those people.

I understand if you don't have the inventory, but lots of times the rooms have been cleaned for hours and the front desk just hasn't gotten the ok clear signal.

But insofar as late check outs...I tend to be one of those people that cannot get my act together check out day. I'm out by noon, so please don't hate me, but 11 just seems too hard. Maybe it has something to do with the timing of flights out...If you have a morning flight, you're gone no problem. At Disney, if you have an late afternoon, evening flight, you check out and head to the parks for a last day of fun. It's those dang 2:00-4 flights that kinda leave ya hanging.(Leisurely breakfast and sHOPPING and then back to shower and pack.)

And what if you check in at 6pm due to no rooms ready and then have to check out at 11 the next day...It's almost like you don't really have a full use of the room for the money. (This isn't to excuse late check outs, but if I stayed at the Poly for $500 a night, I might feel that I deserve at least 18 hours in the room)
I've been known to check out the check in ready rooms before I even approach the front desk (not necessarily at Disney)...sometimes I'll ask the maids...who checked out today, what rooms are available and then I go up and request one. So many times I'm told that that room isn't ready. And then they'll call housekeeping and voila.

So it's probably more that the hotels are generally understaffed and their isn't updated info getting sent to the front desk, and there are people who don't check out as early as others, and the maids can only clean as many room between 3-5 as they do between 11 aand 1 ...and all of this plays a part.

I bolded two parts of your above quote for clarification. You say you didn't buy AKV because of the "late" check in, and yet you have an AKV banner.

The second bolded part is exactly what is being talked about in this thread. IF you are going to always check out late by DVC standards, and IF you hate getting into the room after 4:00..... Do you see the incongruity of those two statements? You really can't have it both ways in a timeshare. You do have to abide by both the check IN and check OUT rules.

 

[Kathi OD]

Inkmahm,

I know YOU don't want points back to compensate you for getting your room late. But many people would LOVE to get the points, particularly if the penalty/reward curve were quite steep. Again, look at the number of people volunteering to get bumped at the airport.

Most guests check out on time. Mosts guests will get to check in on time. A few guests check out late and pay a huge penalty. A few guests, I assure you, will more than gladly check in a little late in exchage for a big point savings or dollar credit, so you won't have to.

Don't know if this has been addressed elsewhere in the thread, since I haven't gotten all the way through yet, BUT....those points, what UY would they be credited to? I'm just sitting here picturing the person who is vacationing during the last 4 months of their UY who won't be able to bank them because it is too late in the year deciding to use them by EXTENDING their vacation. Then they only really get charged for 1/2 the points they would have (or at least that's the way it will seem).

Bottom line is that people need to get out of their rooms when they are supposed to and not be permitted to extend unless the room is vacant. I really am getting tired of peoples' sense of entitlement extending to everything w/o regard for others.