An open letter to Disney about mandatory room checks.

[KrazeeK120]

Yeah, I'm sure WDW is an absolute magnet for traffickers...

It does make sense that it could be.

 

[Fldisneyfamily4321]

Then presumably someone would have followed up with them... no...?

You would have thought ? We were there for a week ... mostly it stays out of view it just so happened we had just came back from off property..

 

[Three60guy]

Where is this spelled out? I just went through my confirmation for last weeks stay, and it isn’t mentioned in any of the fine print. It was not mentioned at check in, I only heard about it here.

If you are a DVC member go visit my post #31 in this thread (I see it on page 3). You will see the verbiage there. If you are not a DVC member it should be in the fine print of the terms and conditions you agree to at some point when making reservations or something similar. Hope that helps.

 

[Jen1995]

I'm going to be honest here. I'm not believing some of the reports of the level of some of these room checks. I know, folks will say it happened. Yeah. You can post anything you want online. Posting doesn't make it true. If you (collective) don't think people embellish stories, especially online, I've got some ocean front property here in Tennessee to sell you.

Before you ask why would someone do that there are a lot of reasons. Some are just pot stirrers. Trouble makers would be another word to use. Attention seekers. My story is worse than yours. You name it, there is someone who had posted a false story for that reason.

That and many times details are left out to twist a report to make it look way more negative than it was. I've seen it all.

I'm pretty cynical about most everything I read online anymore. Some even from legit news sources

When you start adding in indignation from folks who haven't even gone yet it's all just much ado about nothing, or at least nothing that has actually happened. How could it if you haven't gone?

I haven't gone yet but I am going in a few weeks. The policy and its implementation are already in place. It will affect my stay because now I have to sit and wonder when, if at all, I will hear someone banging on my door demanding entry. Hard to relax while you are sitting there wondering if you will be awakened 5 minutes after you drift off to sleep. So unless Disney announces a change, I don't need a crystal ball to know that yes, this will negatively impact my vacation whether or not someone bangs on the door. Remember the Dread Pirate Roberts from Princess Bride? "Good night Wesley, I'll most likely kill you in the morning." The joke is that of course is going to stress Wesley out even though the Dread Pirate Roberts never killed him. So Disney saying "We will maybe bang on your door while you are in the bath and scare the dickens out of you, and then call incessantly until you get your butt out of the bath and open the door" no one is going to have a very relaxing bath, whether or not Disney ends up doing anything during that particular trip.

 

[Planogirl]

I must be odd because I have chosen to not spend money at certain places because I didn't care for certain policies. I didn't have to actually visit to decide that.

I see this snooping policy as much the same thing. I'm not as upset about this as some people but there is plenty that I dislike otherwise. It's way too easy to be frustrated with Disney nowadays.

 

[katdralion]

Will you also be sure to let your friends know you were well aware of the checks prior to your stay? Because they are called out in the Terms and Conditions. So any complaint would have to start with how you knew about the room checks, decided to book anyway, and then were mad that they really did them.

We are DVC members so we can't just decide to book elsewhere, we are locked in! DVC was sold to us as a home away from home. To me this means somewhere private where you can relax and unwind not somewhere where you are on edge all the time, knowing that on a daily basis a stranger will be knocking and demanding entry to "inspect" your room, convenient or not! We are not criminals, we don't own any guns and in the 25 years we have been vacationing on Disney property we have never caused any problems so they have no valid reasons to disrespect our privacy as paying guests. (and human beings!)

I need to rest daily for medical reasons and spend a lot of time in our resort room so because they no longer provide "Do not disturb" signs there is no way to let housekeeping know not to knock and wake me up. I also suffer from insomnia so my family will often go out in the morning and leave me to sleep late so the latch can't be thrown. I would not feel safe knowing someone could just walk in whilst I am in bed asleep! I called member services to discuss the policy but they weren't very reassuring so we were forced to rent out our points this year for the first time and if the policy doesn't change, we will sell and be done with Disney. I'm sad that it's come to this!

 

[AngiTN]

I haven't gone yet but I am going in a few weeks. The policy and its implementation are already in place. It will affect my stay because now I have to sit and wonder when, if at all, I will hear someone banging on my door demanding entry. Hard to relax while you are sitting there wondering if you will be awakened 5 minutes after you drift off to sleep. So unless Disney announces a change, I don't need a crystal ball to know that yes, this will negatively impact my vacation whether or not someone bangs on the door. Remember the Dread Pirate Roberts from Princess Bride? "Good night Wesley, I'll most likely kill you in the morning." The joke is that of course is going to stress Wesley out even though the Dread Pirate Roberts never killed him. So Disney saying "We will maybe bang on your door while you are in the bath and scare the dickens out of you, and then call incessantly until you get your butt out of the bath and open the door" no one is going to have a very relaxing bath, whether or not Disney ends up doing anything during that particular trip.

Ever heard of trouble finding those looking for it? Or negative attracting negative?
Go looking for bad things and it's funny how bad things seems to find you.

All I know is I don't go in to my trips expecting bad things and you know what, we haven't had any bad interactions. Funny, huh?

 

[Jen1995]

Ever heard of trouble finding those looking for it? Or negative attracting negative?
Go looking for bad things and it's funny how bad things seems to find you.

All I know is I don't go in to my trips expecting bad things and you know what, we haven't had any bad interactions. Funny, huh?

This makes no sense. People who are having their napping babies woken up are not "asking for it" by having a negative attitude. This isn't some spiritual event. It's Disney's intrusive policy that exists regardless of one's attitude. It's perfectly fine for you (or anyone else) to not care about privacy or relaxing on your vacation uninterrupted. What's odd is that you seem intent on shaming those who do care about such things. I don't care about eating gluten free or vegetarian. I don't begrudge people who really care about having those options at Disney. If Disney all of a sudden said it would no longer provide vegetarian options at any restaurants, a lot of people would be upset about it. Maybe if they had the right "attitude" their meat would magically transform into tofu?

 

[Nancyg56]

This makes no sense. People who are having their napping babies woken up are not "asking for it" by having a negative attitude. This isn't some spiritual event. It's Disney's intrusive policy that exists regardless of one's attitude. It's perfectly fine for you (or anyone else) to not care about privacy or relaxing on your vacation uninterrupted. What's odd is that you seem intent on shaming those who do care about such things. I don't care about eating gluten free or vegetarian. I don't begrudge people who really care about having those options at Disney. If Disney all of a sudden said it would no longer provide vegetarian options at any restaurants, a lot of people would be upset about it. Maybe if they had the right "attitude" their meat would magically transform into tofu?

You know that is not wahat she was saying. I tend to agree that mindset and expectations have a lot to do with outcome. I go on my vacations expecting nothing but a great time. I am not looking to have any internet stories confirmed, not one way or another, so I am not scrutininzing to see if a guest cuts in line, or if someone is rude at any given kiosk or restaurant. I don't look to have others negative experiences at parades, queues, buses, etc confirmed. I am not waiting for a server to ignore me due to a dining plan. You have read them all, just as I have. I don't look for it and I have never experienced it.

She is saying that we know that there have been some negative experiences concerning the new policy, but she is nto going to let that impact her trip, keeping her awake waiting for the shoe to drop, or refraining from showers, etc in the room. If it happens she will adddress it then, just as I would. If you go anywhere looking and waiting to be disturbed you will be, but at your own direction.

 

[darrengs]

If you are a DVC member go visit my post #31 in this thread (I see it on page 3). You will see the verbiage there. If you are not a DVC member it should be in the fine print of the terms and conditions you agree to at some point when making reservations or something similar. Hope that helps.

I just went through a mock booking and read the terms and conditions and it does not state that they will be doing a room check everyday as posted, it only covers that they have the right to enter the room (same as in post #31) not that they will require entry to the room daily, big difference in my book. So if you do not follow Disney fan sites such as this you wouldn't know until you are there that this daily security check policy exists, and that you stand a chance of being interrupted daily in your room.

 

[MickeyMinnieMom]

Ever heard of trouble finding those looking for it? Or negative attracting negative?
Go looking for bad things and it's funny how bad things seems to find you.

All I know is I don't go in to my trips expecting bad things and you know what, we haven't had any bad interactions. Funny, huh?

This doesn’t make any sense — sorry.

A mandatory room check policy that may or may not affect you based on inconsistent enforcement or times you happen to be in the room has NOTHING to do with karma or looking for bad things.

You don’t have to “go looking for bad things” to be disturbed by an interruption during a nap or other inconvenient time. Or for someone to barge in on your minor children. Many of these people weren’t “expecting bad things” — in fact, some were BLINDSIDED because Disney isn’t being entirely transparent!

 

[mom2rtk]

I put my money on Disney and their team of lawyers

I put my money on Disney and their team of lawyers to cover their butts. That may or may not end up being the best way to protect guests while maintaining their privacy and comfort.

 

[AngiTN]

This makes no sense. People who are having their napping babies woken up are not "asking for it" by having a negative attitude. This isn't some spiritual event. It's Disney's intrusive policy that exists regardless of one's attitude. It's perfectly fine for you (or anyone else) to not care about privacy or relaxing on your vacation uninterrupted. What's odd is that you seem intent on shaming those who do care about such things. I don't care about eating gluten free or vegetarian. I don't begrudge people who really care about having those options at Disney. If Disney all of a sudden said it would no longer provide vegetarian options at any restaurants, a lot of people would be upset about it. Maybe if they had the right "attitude" their meat would magically transform into tofu?

Show me where I've shamed anyone? Please.

She is saying that we know that there have been some negative experiences concerning the new policy, but she is nto going to let that impact her trip, keeping her awake waiting for the shoe to drop, or refraining from showers, etc in the room. If it happens she will adddress it then, just as I would. If you go anywhere looking and waiting to be disturbed you will be, but at your own direction.

Exactly. And the others know that is what I meant.
If you go in to your vacation on edge because you think you are going to be interrupted and it prevents you from being relaxed, all based on things you have read that may not even be true, well, that's all on you. Why worry about what MIGHT happen? What sense is that? All that does is make you stress where it's not necessary. Isn't there enough real things in this world to worry about? Tangible things you are actually impacted by? Not things you imagine may happen? Things you are just waiting anxiously to happen? If you go through life looking around the corner for the next shoe to drop, well, that's on you. Not the shoe. Worry about when the shoe drops. Deal with the situation at that time. You may find out, it's nothing more than a house slipper and it isn't anything that is a problem after all.

 

[MickeyMinnieMom]

And the others know that is what I meant.
If you go in to your vacation on edge because you think you are going to be interrupted and it prevents you from being relaxed, all based on things you have read that may not even be true, well, that's all on you. Why worry about what MIGHT happen? What sense is that? All that does is make you stress where it's not necessary. Isn't there enough real things in this world to worry about? Tangible things you are actually impacted by? Not things you imagine may happen? Things you are just waiting anxiously to happen? If you go through life looking around the corner for the next shoe to drop, well, that's on you. Not the shoe. Worry about when the shoe drops. Deal with the situation at that time. You may find out, it's nothing more than a house slipper and it isn't anything that is a problem after all.

This could read like: “everyone, just be like me.”

Truth is that a certain percentage of Disney’s onsite customers are going to be upset by even anticipating this possibility. That either will or won’t have consequences for the company depending on how many of them there are and whether they choose not to return because of this silly policy.

And Disney should hear from those people. And they certainly should be able to share that view in a discussion forum — preferably without being told they’re ridiculous.

I’m just waiting to see how enforcement actually works out. And I’m hoping Disney is smart enough to dump this security theater. They have solid REAL security that doesn’t intrude on their guests’ privacy and comfort.

 

[pkpope]

Disney world (or hotels in general) are not your private property, like your home. They reserve the right to enter your room for any reason they deem appropriate. They always have, and they always will. Further, just use the latch on the door if you don’t want people being able to come in to check. No one is going to bust down your door for a routine security check. This is a classic example of people blowing this whole issue out of proportion/not understanding that disney has always retained this right, this isn’t new.

 

[AngiTN]

Disney world (or hotels in general) are not your private property, like your home. They reserve the right to enter your room for any reason they deem appropriate. They always have, and they always will. Further, just use the latch on the door if you don’t want people being able to come in to check. No one is going to bust down your door for a routine security check. This is a classic example of people blowing this whole issue out of proportion/not understanding that disney has always retained this right, this isn’t new.

Just to be clear, for those that may not know, they can bypass the latch. It takes a special tool and it's not the first step they make when they encounter a door with the latch flipped so it will give you enough time to respond so yes, use it. But just wanted to mention it isn't the end all be all to keep them out. If they really wanted in, they'd get maintenance over to release the latch and come in. But you'd know it, there's not quiet opening the door, that's for sure.

 

[ENJDisneyFan]

I can certainly understand why some are upset about the prospect of their vacations being negatively impacted by this new policy. I don't think anyone WANTS to have their privacy invaded. But for myself, I won't give this policy a second thought until it actually impacts my vacation (if it ever does). While I'm not discounting the experiences some people have had, I do believe those are a very small minority. If a large number of people were being effected I believe there would be backlash on a much larger scale (outside of the DIS).

 

[MickeyMinnieMom]

Disney world (or hotels in general) are not your private property, like your home. They reserve the right to enter your room for any reason they deem appropriate. They always have, and they always will. Further, just use the latch on the door if you don’t want people being able to come in to check. No one is going to bust down your door for a routine security check. This is a classic example of people blowing this whole issue out of proportion/not understanding that disney has always retained this right, this isn’t new.

Doesn’t sound like you fully understand that this IS a new policy to affirmatively gain entry to every room every day.

While they always had the right to access a room, they are now affirmatively doing this every day. And in some reported cases, in a fairly aggressive manner.

Their enforcement is inconsistent at best it seems. But no doubt: this IS a change — not more of the same.

 

[AngiTN]

Doesn’t sound like you fully understand that this IS a new policy to affirmatively gain entry to every room every day.

While they always had the right to access a room, they are now affirmatively doing this every day. And in some reported cases, in a fairly aggressive manner.

Their enforcement is inconsistent at best it seems. But no doubt: this IS a change — not more of the same.

Yet it's not always a change either. There is a segment of guests (maybe a large segment?) who are getting daily housekeeping like they always have and they are finding there is no change at all. Their rooms are being entered daily. Just as before and it is more of the same. These guests will never even realize there's been a change, other than if they notice the sign changed.

 

[MickeyMinnieMom]

Yet it's not always a change either. There is a segment of guests (maybe a large segment?) who are getting daily housekeeping like they always have and they are finding there is no change at all. Their rooms are being entered daily. Just as before and it is more of the same. These guests will never even realize there's been a change, other than if they notice the sign changed.

That might depend on how much time they spend in the room. We have no systematic/reliable way of being able to say this.