So, explain these "security checks" to me, please?

[DisneyWishes14]

Again .. the latch is not really very useful and while no one has reported it yet since they are INSISTENT on someone opening up right then I’m sure it will happen at some point ... therefore causing a potential issue for Disney ... that’s why I think given it’s uselessness I don’t think it will go on very long . I doubt this “ policy” will continue very long once more people start complaining .
My bigger question is are they simply looking or are they looking into your things ? I think just looking does nothing but causing annoyance and really is not going to prevent much of anything if someone is determined.

If a cm insisted on coming in a room with my underage daughter in there alone I would have a big issue with that regardless of their reasoning... just because it’s a WDW cm does not make it ok , given it’s just like any other place and they have had plenty of cm arrested for child porn issues over the years .
If I am at the food court or lobby I would expect them to wait and come back when a adult is in the room just like I would ANY hotel or resort . I definitely think this process is going to cause so many issues that it will not last very long .

I'm not sure what potential issues you are referring to. Disney staff has every right to walk into the resort rooms and has explicitly stated that in the terms and conditions we've agreed upon when we book a WDW room. If you're afraid the security check may happen when you leave your underage daughter in a room alone , then you have the choice of not leaving her alone in the room. We are all aware of the terms and conditions now. If they don't make you feel comfortable, you either figure out a way to work with them while you are staying there or choose to stay elsewhere.

Disney has changed their terms and conditions in regard to a LOT of things over the years - paper FP to FP+, ADR cancellation policies and no-show fees, GAC to DAS, resort booking and cancellation policies, elimination of non-expire tix, etc. There is ALWAYS an uproar over all of these things initially with people freaking out and speculating about how these policies will negatively affect their trips. You can certainly write to Disney and express your dismay, but, at the end of the day, if a policy is in place we either go with it and adapt or don't go. Those are really our choices. I'm certainly not advocating for this policy. I'm concerned about our own trip in Dec. as we spend a lot of time at the resort, but at some point I'll have to decide if I want to abide with it and stay or cancel and go somewhere else. But I'm certainly not going to go and make a "big issue" out of it at the resort when I know full well what the policy is.

 

[Luckybee]

I'm not sure what potential issues you are referring to. Disney staff has every right to walk into the resort rooms and has explicitly stated that in the terms and conditions we've agreed upon when we book a WDW room. If you're afraid the security check may happen when you leave your underage daughter in a room alone , then you have the choice of not leaving her alone in the room. We are all aware of the terms and conditions now. If they don't make you feel comfortable, you either figure out a way to work with them while you are staying there or choose to stay elsewhere.

Disney has changed their terms and conditions in regard to a LOT of things over the years - paper FP to FP+, ADR cancellation policies and no-show fees, GAC to DAS, resort booking and cancellation policies, elimination of non-expire tix, etc. There is ALWAYS an uproar over all of these things initially with people freaking out and speculating about how these policies will negatively affect their trips. You can certainly write to Disney and express your dismay, but, at the end of the day, if a policy is in place we either go with it and adapt or don't go. Those are really our choices. I'm certainly not advocating for this policy. I'm concerned about our own trip in Dec. as we spend a lot of time at the resort, but at some point I'll have to decide if I want to abide with it and stay or cancel and go somewhere else. But I'm certainly not going to go and make a "big issue" out of it at the resort when I know full well what the policy is.

For some it is a "big issue", but I suspect that many/most and I include ourselves in this are waiting and hoping for their upcoming trips that once the initial growing pains wear off that the missteps we've heard about will not keep reoccurring.

I do not believe that any hotel anywhere that wants to stay in business wants unhappy customers so that they eventually end up with few. Therefore I don't accept that Disney actually expects gestapo like tactics (aka we can't come back later ) from the security personnel. As I've said in another thread it has apparently been the lack of cohesive direction driven policy that has caused these issues. I also believe, naively perhaps, that Disney actually pays attention to some extent to complaints, and this is one new policy that has caused them a great number of complaints both on social media and in writing. This isn't the same as some of the more minor issues(like adr cancellations etc) that come and go....This is a policy that goes to the very fundamental basis of a persons enjoyment of their entire holiday....people are very upset if they are (awoken and told the room check must happen NOW, or ill, or..or..or ..or ...fill in your own issue) by this and therefore I believe as a smart company Disney will get their --it together and get this working properly so that guest satisfaction doesn't go through the floor.

If they don't fix this it wont impact the next upcoming on property stays for the perhaps 12 months, because , as I said, most who are staying on property for already booked trips are saying to themselves things like, "this wont happen to me" when reviewing some of the bad reports. But if it does....it will be the follow up trip to Orlando where Disney is more likely to lose business when people say "let's look at alternatives". For those who say "more room for me", all I can say is no company, not one wants to see droves of people going elsewhere because of a poorly implemented policy and I cannot for the life of me imagine Disney would be that company.

 

[Fldisneyfamily4321]

For some it is a "big issue", but I suspect that many/most and I include ourselves in this are waiting and hoping for their upcoming trips that once the initial growing pains wear off that the missteps we've heard about will not keep reoccurring.

I do not believe that any hotel anywhere that wants to stay in business wants unhappy customers so that they eventually end up with few. Therefore I don't accept that Disney actually expects gestapo like tactics (aka we can't come back later ) from the security personnel. As I've said in another thread it has apparently been the lack of cohesive direction driven policy that has caused these issues. I also believe, naively perhaps, that Disney actually pays attention to some extent to complaints, and this is one new policy that has caused them a great number of complaints both on social media and in writing. This isn't the same as some of the more minor issues(like adr cancellations etc) that come and go....This is a policy that goes to the very fundamental basis of a persons enjoyment of their entire holiday....people are very upset if they are (awoken and told the room check must happen NOW, or ill, or..or..or ..or ...fill in your own issue) by this and therefore I believe as a smart company Disney will get their --it together and get this working properly so that guest satisfaction doesn't go through the floor.

If they don't fix this it wont impact the next upcoming on property stays for the perhaps 12 months, because , as I said, most who are staying on property for already booked trips are saying to themselves things like, "this wont happen to me" when reviewing some of the bad reports. But if it does....it will be the follow up trip to Orlando where Disney is more likely to lose business when people say "let's look at alternatives". For those who say "more room for me", all I can say is no company, not one wants to see droves of people going elsewhere because of a poorly implemented policy and I cannot for the life of me imagine Disney would be that company.

Yes!! You said it so much better but yes !

 

[Ninja Mom]

If you are using housekeeping and call them to service your room when you are leaving for the parks, will this prevent the unannounced security checks?

The problem with calling housekeeping and requesting that your room be serviced at a particular time is that it is just not happening that way.

When you press the housekeeping button on the phone I suspect that it goes to a call center where your request is added to a long list of requests.

Housekeeping has a stated priority of cleaning first the rooms that are vacated by people checking out so they are ready for the next guest. The only way calling and requesting that your room be cleaned while you are gone works is if it's convenient for the housekeeping schedule. That is just the way it is. The concept that you can just call and schedule housekeeping is not something that is going to happen on a reliable basis. That has been my experience during my Dec. 2017 trip at Pop Century.

During my stay at Pop Century (Dec 2-14th) I noticed a precipitous decline in housekeeping. There were many days where my room was skipped completely and the floor was DIRTY upon check in and never really cleaned during my entire stay. I suspect that the skipping and substandard cleaning were the result of the shortage of housekeepers. Now you have Housekeeping staff that have to perform these room checks. This further impedes their ability to focus on cleaning the rooms.

I am paying a premium price to stay in these rooms at Disney. Now there exists a situation where the rooms are not being cleaned properly and skipped on some days. Now add in these security theater checks and I am off site for my future stays. Add to the fact that room discounts for Disney resorts are disappearing. The price for Disney rooms is going to skyrocket beyond the current obscene levels .

I can stay off site near Disney Springs in a suite that has a kitchen, a living room and other amenities such as a free breakfast every morning for $92 per night with no resort fees. There is no one knocking on my door demanding entry. Do the math on this whole Disney resort room situation and see if staying off site isn't the better deal. Less money spent on a better room equals a win for off site. Disney has artificially inflated the room prices while stripping away the quality of the experience. To me that means off site for the win.

~NM

 

[Fldisneyfamily4321]

Exactly... the outrageous cost of being “ on property “ is just hardly worth it anymore .. and I am a on property gal 100% ! I will probably let my APs lapse and stick to DCL for another few years .. we enjoy that so much better and for the cost it’s a better deal .

 

[pattyw]

The problem with calling housekeeping and requesting that your room be serviced at a particular time is that it is just not happening that way.

When you press the housekeeping button on the phone I suspect that it goes to a call center where your request is added to a long list of requests.

Housekeeping has a stated priority of cleaning first the rooms that are vacated by people checking out so they are ready for the next guest. The only way calling and requesting that your room be cleaned while you are gone works is if it's convenient for the housekeeping schedule. That is just the way it is. The concept that you can just call and schedule housekeeping is not something that is going to happen on a reliable basis. That has been my experience during my Dec. 2017 trip at Pop Century.

During my stay at Pop Century (Dec 2-14th) I noticed a precipitous decline in housekeeping. There were many days were my room was skipped completely and the floor was DIRTY upon check in and never really cleaned during my entire stay. I suspect that the skipping and substandard cleaning were the result of the shortage of housekeepers. Now you have Housekeeping staff that have to perform these room checks. This further impedes their ability to focus on cleaning the rooms.

I am paying a premium price to stay in these rooms at Disney. Now there exists a situation where the rooms are not being cleaned properly and skipped on some days. Now add in these security theater checks and I am off site for my future stays. Add to the fact that room discounts for Disney resorts are disappearing. The price for Disney rooms is going to skyrocket beyond the current obscene levels .

I can stay off site near Disney Springs in a suite that has a kitchen, a living room and other amenities such as a free breakfast every morning for $92 per night with no resort fees. There is no one knocking on my door demanding entry. Do the math on this whole Disney resort room situation and see if staying off site isn't the better deal. Less money spent on a better room equals a win for off site. Disney has artificially inflated the room prices while stripping away the quality of the experience. To me that means off site for the win.

~NM

I'm with you, @Ninja Mom ! We have been loyal Disney guests since 2001 but have noticed the steady decline in service while the price climbs. We have visited Universal more and more lately and stay at the Hard Rock Hotel. We walk steps to the parks and City Walk,go through security with ease and efficiency, receive unlimited express pass for all rides, and have all the perks and luxury of a 4 star hotel with staff that are empowered to assist guests and are happy to be at work. Oh and no one banging on your door with "security" checks. Just twice a day housekeeping with turn down service on the club floor. We joined their loyalty rewards program and are thrilled to say that in the last two years we have accumulated enough points for 3 FREE days. With discounts and service dwindling and Disney's lack of regard for their guests comfort, I'll take my vacation $$ elsewhere. Disney shows no appreciation to their repeat guests. This "security" thing is not the only reason we're going to stay at Universal- just one reason out of a vast sea of reasons!

 

[Fldisneyfamily4321]

I'm with you, @Ninja Mom ! We have been loyal Disney guests since 2001 but have noticed the steady decline in service while the price climbs. We have visited Universal more and more lately and stay at the Hard Rock Hotel. We walk steps to the parks and City Walk,go through security with ease and efficiency, receive unlimited express pass for all rides, and have all the perks and luxury of a 4 star hotel with staff that are empowered to assist guests and are happy to be at work. Oh and no one banging on your door with "security" checks. Just twice a day housekeeping with turn down service on the club floor. We joined their loyalty rewards program and are thrilled to say that in the last two years we have accumulated enough points for 3 FREE days. With discounts and service dwindling and Disney's lack of regard for their guests comfort, I'll take my vacation $$ elsewhere. Disney shows no appreciation to their repeat guests. This "security" thing is not the only reason we're going to stay at Universal- just one reason out of a vast sea of reasons!

Completely agree ... but even with DCL the service is so much better.. I just paid the same amount to stay at a mod resort for 4 nights with Counter service dining ( we have APs ) as a 4 night cruise on the dream which is definitely “ deluxe”

 

[pattyw]

Completely agree ... but even with DCL the service is so much better.. I just paid the same amount to stay at a mod resort for 4 nights with Counter service dining ( we have APs ) as a 4 night cruise on the dream which is definitely “ deluxe”

Good to know about DCL and the value. We've never been- maybe it's time!

 

[DisneyArkie]

IMO attendance will not go down one bit because of this.

 

[Fldisneyfamily4321]

Good to know about DCL and the value. We've never been- maybe it's time!

It use to cost more but I have definitely noticed the past several years even with the upped cost on DCL that we come out better doing the cruise ... deluxe rooms, deluxe food and even without rides we have plenty to do and it’s more relaxing then fighting huge crowds ... the cost of Disney resorts has gone sky high over the last few years while service as declined.I have had APs for 20+years but even being a Fl res it’s just almost not worth it , even the kids prefer the cruise over the parks now.
I did a trip to England in October and spent less including airfare for a 10 day trip then a Disney resort trip.

 

[pattyw]

I did a trip to England in October and spent less including airfare for a 10 day trip then a Disney resort trip

WOW! Thanks so much! More reasons to expand my horizons!

 

[DisneyWishes14]

Completely agree ... but even with DCL the service is so much better.. I just paid the same amount to stay at a mod resort for 4 nights with Counter service dining ( we have APs ) as a 4 night cruise on the dream which is definitely “ deluxe”

I completely agree with this. We are doing DCL Fantasy 7 nights in March and it was far cheaper than 7 nights at WDW with food and tickets. There is so much to do on the ship, on CC and we are only doing one, fairly inexpensive excursion. The service is always fantastic and our room stewards have never barged in on us. Obviously a different kind of trip, but definitely a bigger bang for the buck, IMHO.

 

[Fldisneyfamily4321]

I completely agree with this. We are doing DCL Fantasy 7 nights in March and it was far cheaper than 7 nights at WDW with food and tickets. There is so much to do on the ship, on CC and we are only doing one, fairly inexpensive excursion. The service is always fantastic and our room stewards have never barged in on us. Obviously a different kind of trip, but definitely a bigger bang for the buck, IMHO.

Absolutely... and with so many ridiculous changes lately I’m just over the parks for now .. I have a trip already booked in April ( same month APs expire) and just booked a cruise so will be letting my passes lapse for a while .I am sure Disney will stay packed given someone will always want to go but for us we have been enough , nothing really new for us and after traveling to nicer places I am just less impressed with the dated rooms, crowded parks and not so great service these days .
I think it’s so weird though because DCL has AMAZING service and even when a boat is “ full “ the larger ships are so big I never feel crowded on board .

 

[Roxyfire]

If a cm insisted on coming in a room with my underage daughter in there alone I would have a big issue with that regardless of their reasoning... just because it’s a WDW cm does not make it ok , given it’s just like any other place and they have had plenty of cm arrested for child porn issues over the years .
If I am at the food court or lobby I would expect them to wait and come back when a adult is in the room just like I would ANY hotel or resort . I definitely think this process is going to cause so many issues that it will not last very long .

I would suggest speaking to her well in advance of the trip and state the facts. Perhaps if these checks do happen while she is alone, discuss what she should do. Perhaps engage the latch, then if someone knocks, answer with the latch still engaged. Make them prove they can open the door using their keycard. It would probably be best for her to step into the hallway while they conduct the check, as I've seen others suggest. That way she's more in the open and can move away from the door if necessary. While it might elicit an eyeroll (I don't know your daughter but I definitely would've done that at that age) it's just generally a good idea to have a plan in advance. Depending on her age (13 is far different than say 17) then it could be a good learning opportunity if she's on the older side. If you're away from home, she may need to answer the door at times, or even if she's in college/living with roommates or what not. Of course only you can decide when your child is ready to do something like that.

 

[Limes96]

We had an issue with the security on our trip a couple weeks ago. first of all we did not have anything to put on our door saying room occupied. Secondly, using the door latch isn't practical. We are coming and going all day long and putting a latch on while you take a shower then locks everyone else out of the room. We had security wanting to do a check before 9 am onemorning at POR. My teen daughter was in the shower, my husband was still sleeping, and I was at the food court getting coffee. A guy just walked into our room, seemingly unannounced, though I'm sure he knocked, but my husband sleeps very soundly. There was one day my husband says they came in our room 3 times. I understand the reasoning behind the checks, but they are just not that practical. They are very intrusive. They ask if everything is working properly but if you mention something that's not working, they don't make note of it or do anything at all to fix it. That was our experience anyway.

 

[Fldisneyfamily4321]

We had an issue with the security on our trip a couple weeks ago. first of all we did not have anything to put on our door saying room occupied. Secondly, using the door latch isn't practical. We are coming and going all day long and putting a latch on while you take a shower then locks everyone else out of the room. We had security wanting to do a check before 9 am onemorning at POR. My teen daughter was in the shower, my husband was still sleeping, and I was at the food court getting coffee. A guy just walked into our room, seemingly unannounced, though I'm sure he knocked, but my husband sleeps very soundly. There was one day my husband says they came in our room 3 times. I understand the reasoning behind the checks, but they are just not that practical. They are very intrusive. They ask if everything is working properly but if you mention something that's not working, they don't make note of it or do anything at all to fix it. That was our experience anyway.

THIS ! now this is the problem.. I would have been unhappy with that .. people don’t always get up for “ rope drop “ and like to actually sleep past 8 am on vacation .I have a trip for April , if this goes on it will be our last on property.I am aware almost ALL hotels have this “ policy “ but Disney has seemed to go way overboard and it IS causing a nuisance... this is not a new policy but it IS new they are doing it , I have never been at a hotel where the staff just comes in to “ have a look “ whenever they want and if I did it would be the last stay at that hotel .
I WILL speak to my daughter but not about allowing a CM in, it will be the same as always “ do not allow a stranger in the room while mom and dad are not in the room “ and that will not change , Disney like most places still has issues with employees being sex offenders ( which is possible anywhere ) so no .. our rules stay the same .. absolutely no strangers in the room alone .I do not think that is strange or “ overprotective “ at all.

 

[pattyw]

We had an issue with the security on our trip a couple weeks ago. first of all we did not have anything to put on our door saying room occupied. Secondly, using the door latch isn't practical. We are coming and going all day long and putting a latch on while you take a shower then locks everyone else out of the room. We had security wanting to do a check before 9 am onemorning at POR. My teen daughter was in the shower, my husband was still sleeping, and I was at the food court getting coffee. A guy just walked into our room, seemingly unannounced, though I'm sure he knocked, but my husband sleeps very soundly. There was one day my husband says they came in our room 3 times. I understand the reasoning behind the checks, but they are just not that practical. They are very intrusive. They ask if everything is working properly but if you mention something that's not working, they don't make note of it or do anything at all to fix it. That was our experience anyway.

Jut unreal!! 3 times in a day, WHAT??????

 

[Betty Rohrer]

Is any notification of this policy given at check-in? Also, does anyone know how this is handled if a dog is in the room? Does the security guard know the room has a dog in it? I can't imagine everyone crates their dog while they are out, and assumes they can put the sign on the door to prevent anyone from coming in (unless they are forewarned at check-in). I know that my dog would be unsettled if someone came in, even in a crate, and it would take him a while to calm down. And I imagine it's a risk to the security staff as well.

pet rooms have a different sign and staff is not allowed in room without guest being there

 

[Catvondita]

I wonder if we should start bringing our own do not disturb signs. "Do not disturb- having 'couple time'" "Do not disturb-sleeping child" "Do not disturb-Showering"

 

[Lulu27]

We had an issue with the security on our trip a couple weeks ago. first of all we did not have anything to put on our door saying room occupied. Secondly, using the door latch isn't practical. We are coming and going all day long and putting a latch on while you take a shower then locks everyone else out of the room. We had security wanting to do a check before 9 am onemorning at POR. My teen daughter was in the shower, my husband was still sleeping, and I was at the food court getting coffee. A guy just walked into our room, seemingly unannounced, though I'm sure he knocked, but my husband sleeps very soundly. There was one day my husband says they came in our room 3 times. I understand the reasoning behind the checks, but they are just not that practical. They are very intrusive. They ask if everything is working properly but if you mention something that's not working, they don't make note of it or do anything at all to fix it. That was our experience anyway.

Your experience coupled with HopperFan's account (on the thread in the Rumor and News board) really makes the theory that this is more about human trafficking (and the Florida legislation to hold hotels liable for not doing enough to prevent it) more plausible to me.