New security measure: Do not disturb signs being Removed!

[Miffy]

I'll respond here rather than 2 places. I appreciate your information you have been able to provide.

While I could see an isolated case of trashed rooms or leaky sink I do agree with mom2rtk it's out of place for Disney to assign blame like that. Plus..why on earth continue to give gift card incentives for opting out of housekeeping if it led to such adverse conditions that it contributed to a 180 turn in a policy? Sounds like perhaps they were trying to give some sort of reason other than security IDK weird.

I would like to underemphasize the "trashed rooms" comment. It was really said in passing, not as a Big, Main Reason or anything. I left out a lot of our conversation. We spoke for over 10 minutes. She also mentioned that if a guest had put the DND on their door and no one from their staff had had access for a couple of days in a row, then the guest's welfare is an issue as well. Someone could be ill or injured, etc., and if no one checked in the room, no one would know. I don't think this comment was disingenuous at all. People travel alone and anything could happen.

The main reason I wrote to them was that I wanted clarification, not justification. I wanted to find out exactly what they're doing and my question was answered. Before I spoke to the CM, I was under the erroneous impression that if you had housekeeping, someone else would also later show up to inspect your room. According to the CM I spoke with, this is not at all the case. If you've had housekeeping, that's it. No one else will come to your room that day.

 

[Mackenzie Click-Mickelson]

I would like to underemphasize the "trashed rooms" comment. It was really said in passing, not as a Big, Main Reason or anything. I left out a lot of our conversation. We spoke for over 10 minutes. She also mentioned that if a guest had put the DND on their door and no one from their staff had had access for a couple of days in a row, then the guest's welfare is an issue as well. Someone could be ill or injured, etc., and if no one checked in the room, no one would know. I don't think this comment was disingenuous at all. People travel alone and anything could happen.

The main reason I wrote to them was that I wanted clarification, not justification. I wanted to find out exactly what they're doing and my question was answered. Before I spoke to the CM, I was under the erroneous impression that if you had housekeeping, someone else would also later show up to inspect your room. According to the CM I spoke with, this is not at all the case. If you've had housekeeping, that's it. No one else will come to your room that day.

Thank you. I wasn't saying it was a big or main reason but that it contributed to it. That's a very different thing then saying this was the reason or it was a big reason.

 

[WDW_Ding]

I'm not buying the "people were trashing their rooms" line though. I find that very disingenuous of them to say that.

Same here.

 

[mom2rtk]

To be fair, the CM said "one of the reasons" was to check if something was trashed/broken/etc - not the only reason or necessarily the main reason. If they are giving that impression to guests I agree that is disingenuous - but I could see it being an added benefit

Regardless of how they are phrasing it, the phrasing just feels like they aren't being honest about it. Of course there's no requirement that they give a reason at all. It still seems misleading to me.

 

[mickeyluv'r]

Again ... if they're not actually searching the room including poking into bags and closets ... what is the point?

I've long considered two important things:

1. Remember the fatal gator attack? Maybe I'm incorrect, but at the time, many wondered if it had to do with guests feeding the gators. Why would anyone feed the gators?

Maybe part of this really is about removing trash so that waterfront guests aren't tempted to throw trash into the lake. Call me crazy, but as soon as WDW introduced the bungalows, I just assumed folks would start dropping food into the water, which would attract assorted wildlife. Remember gators aren't all that picky. Draw some birds, fish, any other critters, and gators will also join the party.

2. I've not chosen to stay in the new waterfront cabins/bungalows, because daily trash removal is especially important to me when staying in FL. I've been going to FL for many years, and have experienced too many undesirable critters in my hotel room before. When it comes to critter infestations, prevention is far better than trying to remove them.

Maybe WDW doesn't want rats, mice, roaches, ants, etc infesting their rooms.

Daily trash removal is kind of a no brainer, IMO.

 

[rteetz]

I've long considered two important things:

1. Remember the fatal gator attack? Maybe I'm incorrect, but at the time, many wondered if it had to do with guests feeding the gators. Why would anyone feed the gators?

Maybe part of this really is about removing trash so that waterfront guests aren't tempted to throw trash into the lake. Call me crazy, but as soon as WDW introduced the bungalows, I just assumed folks would start dropping food into the water, which would attract assorted wildlife. Remember gators aren't all that picky. Draw some birds, fish, any other critters, and gators will also join the party.

2. I've not chosen to stay in the new waterfront cabins/bungalows, because daily trash removal is especially important to me when staying in FL. I've been going to FL for many years, and have experienced too many undesirable critters in my hotel room before. When it comes to critter infestations, prevention is far better than trying to remove them.

Maybe WDW doesn't want rats, mice, roaches, ants, etc infesting their rooms.

Daily trash removal is kind of a no brainer, IMO.

Why would anyone feed the crows, ducks, and other animals that hang around dining locations? It may have not been a major problem but I wouldn't doubt people were feeding the gators.

I never heard of trash being a problem.

 

[mom2rtk]

I've long considered two important things:

1. Remember the fatal gator attack? Maybe I'm incorrect, but at the time, many wondered if it had to do with guests feeding the gators. Why would anyone feed the gators?

Maybe part of this really is about removing trash so that waterfront guests aren't tempted to throw trash into the lake. Call me crazy, but as soon as WDW introduced the bungalows, I just assumed folks would start dropping food into the water, which would attract assorted wildlife. Remember gators aren't all that picky. Draw some birds, fish, any other critters, and gators will also join the party.

2. I've not chosen to stay in the new waterfront cabins/bungalows, because daily trash removal is especially important to me when staying in FL. I've been going to FL for many years, and have experienced too many undesirable critters in my hotel room before. When it comes to critter infestations, prevention is far better than trying to remove them.

Maybe WDW doesn't want rats, mice, roaches, ants, etc infesting their rooms.

Daily trash removal is kind of a no brainer, IMO.

But that probably doesn't explain why other big hotel chains are starting to make the same change right now as well, just a few months after the LV incident.

Sometimes when you hear hoofbeats, it really is horses.

 

[mickeyluv'r]

I've also long considered, and maybe I'm wrong, but with the advent of Magicbands, WDW can easily gather quite a bit of information about you.

Just for a start, I just assume they track when your Magicbands are in your room, just like they track our table location at BOG. Maybe I'm wrong, but I just kind of think in terms of why wouldn't they want to track us?

 

[mab2012]

People are being told by Managers that all the sign means is they have to knock before they try to enter. They are being very clear that it doesn't mean they will be left alone.

So the implication here is that if you forget to put out the sign, they won't even bother to knock? Just barge right in unannounced?

DVC from what I know is getting daily trash service rather than what the normal rooms have going on or at least that's what's been advised and isn't following the same procedure as other rooms.

Have there been any reports of DVC members leaving the DND sign out for an extended period (multiple days) and NOT being interrupted for garbage collection?

 

[Mackenzie Click-Mickelson]

Have there been any reports of DVC members leaving the DND sign out for an extended period (multiple days) and NOT being interrupted for garbage collection?

IDK on that.

But as far as I know it's daily trash service (that didn't used to be there) for DVC properties. From http://wdwnt.com/blog/2017/12/dvc-r...ely-related-new-wdw-resort-security-measures/ :

 

[mab2012]

IDK on that.

But as far as I know it's daily trash service (that didn't used to be there) for DVC properties. From http://wdwnt.com/blog/2017/12/dvc-r...ely-related-new-wdw-resort-security-measures/ :

View attachment 296241

Thanks. I did get that memo. Based on some of the comments in this thread, I was a little hopeful that there might be some means of avoiding this mess at DVC resorts. Unfortunately that's not what I'm reading in other threads.

I'm not a napper, and my kids are past napping age. We don't usually spend a great deal of time in our room, and I don't particularly care if an employee enters while we're not there (although, all else equal, I'd prefer they didn't). But this idea that someone is going to just demand immediate entrance whenever they feel like it, to conduct an entirely unnecessary "security" check, feels intrusive to me. It feels as though I'm being suspected of something for no reason whatsoever, and that my personal space (however temporary) is being invaded as a result without my consent. It just seems wrong, awkward, and unjustly accusatory. Even scheduling a time for my daily "inspection" feels invasive.

And again, as a DVC member, I sure as heck don't want to be paying for it.

I'm surprised that this is even allowed under the law. I get that private property owners (or in the case of DVC, timeshare management companies) need to maintain the right to enter when there is a good reason, but IMO an unwarranted "daily security check" ought not qualify as a good reason. If I were a Florida resident, or even an American elsewhere in the country, I would be writing my local representative about this.

I guess I will wait and see for myself when I'm there in March. With any luck, they will have ironed out some of the issues by then.

 

[rteetz]

IDK on that.

But as far as I know it's daily trash service (that didn't used to be there) for DVC properties. From http://wdwnt.com/blog/2017/12/dvc-r...ely-related-new-wdw-resort-security-measures/ :

View attachment 296241

We never used the sign but we had daily trash and it seemed more frequent towel changes during our stay at BLT 1/3-1/9.

 

[Mackenzie Click-Mickelson]

Thanks. I did get that memo. Based on some of the comments in this thread, I was a little hopeful that there might be some means of avoiding this mess at DVC resorts. Unfortunately that's not what I'm reading in other threads.

I'm not a napper, and my kids are past napping age. We don't usually spend a great deal of time in our room, and I don't particularly care if an employee enters while we're not there (although, all else equal, I'd prefer they didn't). But this idea that someone is going to just demand immediate entrance whenever they feel like it, to conduct an entirely unnecessary "security" check, feels intrusive to me. It feels as though I'm being suspected of something for no reason whatsoever, and that my personal space (however temporary) is being invaded as a result without my consent. It just seems wrong, awkward, and unjustly accusatory. Even scheduling a time for my daily "inspection" feels invasive.

And again, as a DVC member, I sure as heck don't want to be paying for it.

I'm surprised that this is even allowed under the law. I get that private property owners (or in the case of DVC, timeshare management companies) need to maintain the right to enter when there is a good reason, but IMO an unwarranted "daily security check" ought not qualify as a good reason. If I were a Florida resident, or even an American elsewhere in the country, I would be writing my local representative about this.

I guess I will wait and see for myself when I'm there in March. With any luck, they will have ironed out some of the issues by then.

I totally get where you are coming from I know other DVC members throughout the various threads have brought up the same concerns you have as well as concerns from non-DVC guests.

 

[Mackenzie Click-Mickelson]

We never used the sign but we had daily trash and it seemed more frequent towel changes during our stay at BLT 1/3-1/9.

Thanks for that information; frequent towel changes would def. allow them to peek in the room.

 

[rteetz]

Thanks for that information; frequent towel changes would def. allow them to peek in the room.

I noticed the trash every day but towels maybe was one extra time other than the 4 day mark.That could have just been a mistake or something though.

 

[saskdw]

So the implication here is that if you forget to put out the sign, they won't even bother to knock? Just barge right in unannounced?

The impression I'm getting is that if the sign is up they will knock continually until you answer the door. There have been reports of very persistent knocking.

If the sign isn't up they will still knock, but if there is no immediate answer they will enter the room.

 

[Princess_Lisa]

I've also long considered, and maybe I'm wrong, but with the advent of Magicbands, WDW can easily gather quite a bit of information about you.

Just for a start, I just assume they track when your Magicbands are in your room, just like they track our table location at BOG. Maybe I'm wrong, but I just kind of think in terms of why wouldn't they want to track us?

That is assuming each person only brings one band and wears it whenever they leave the room. I have several MagicBands as do many folks. I have at times had 2 or 3 bands in my room so I could change MagicBands from day to day. The ones I'm not wearing got left in the room.

 

[mickeyluv'r]

I'm not assuming anything. Why wouldn't they be able to tell that your party of 4 had just used 4 bands to enter MK? Or 4 FP?

Probably the number of guests bringing multiple bands is relative low. Not zero, just relatively low.

 

[Mackenzie Click-Mickelson]

Probably the number of guests bringing multiple bands is relative low. Not zero, just relatively low.

IDK they do an awful lot of upselling for the specialty bands so it's not just having ones from previous visits. Having multiple bands also occurs if one doesn't reject MBs for split-stays and you want to bring the bands corresponding with each of your stays.

 

[Princess_Lisa]

I'm not assuming anything. Why wouldn't they be able to tell that your party of 4 had just used 4 bands to enter MK? Or 4 FP?

Probably the number of guests bringing multiple bands is relative low. Not zero, just relatively low.

They should be able to tell if you entered the park, band or no band, just not if you are still there. MagicBands could be tracked around the resorts and parks. If one of your bands is in a park, at a restaurant, or at a shop, you are likely out of room even if one is still in the room. That said, I would imagine they don't have the equipment in place at resorts to track where you are, so they would probably only be able to tell if you are in a park.