WWYD: Screaming kid on the other side of the wall of your hotel room

[justdoip]

I literally had her over my back walking 20 miles back to our room. She was screaming as if she were kidnapped. I became alarmed that no one questioned me as I drug her back to our room. I still don’t know how no one called security on us.

Been there, done that. Never been so thankful that my son looks just like me!

 

[Betty Rohrer]

Yeah, some of the WDW hotels rooms seem to have very thin walls and the connecting doors don't help. There are some hotels that seem worse than others. We had terrible noise problems at AoA and BWI, but never seemed to have issues at other hotels. I think it's probably luck of the draw regarding who your neighbors are during any given vacation.



It's a popular misconception on this board that the CMs in the call center cannot help with anything. Certainly, they cannot reassign rooms, but I've had two emergency situations in WDW resorts and the call center immediately dispatched WDW security in one instance and the sheriff's department in another. If you have an emergency while in your room, guests should most certainly pick up the phone and not walk all the way to the front desk.

but from sound of what you are saying that would not be a screaming child I would still head to desk not call

 

[fla4fun]

I use a white noise app, and travel with 3-4 devices. If necessary, I will run the app on all four at full volume, with two on each side of the bed. I do keep earplugs in my suitcase, but I haven’t had to resort to those yet. You can usually tell how old the child is and I tend to give the really young ones some slack. The only time it’s really a problem for me is if I am checking out early in the morning.

I always put a towel down between the connecting doors, and that helps a lot.

 

[VandVsmama]

I'd let it go for the first 24 hours. I'd also use a white noise app on our phones to help drown out the sound. If after the first full day of that it didn't subside, I'd either call the front desk or go to the front desk in person to complain.

 

[Marthasor]

but from sound of what you are saying that would not be a screaming child I would still head to desk not call

As I said, in an emergency situation, the call center can dispatch help very quickly. If it's a child simply throwing a tantrum, no one is in imminent danger and you simply want to switch rooms, go to the front desk. Many replies on here imply that you should never call the call center - I think it's important that people know that is exactly who you should be calling if there is an emergency situation in or around your resort room. I've also had the call center dispatch engineering and housekeeping to various resort rooms we've stayed in. Other than their inability to switch rooms out for a guest, they are actually very helpful.

 

[TaraWasHere]

I try very hard not to judge other parents in places like Disney. On our last trip I saw a woman rinsing out her sons very stained underwear in the ladies room sink at Epcot. She looked so defeated. My heart ached for her. Kids who have never been a problem can turn into complete monsters at Disney. It's the nature of the beast. I think some parents just lose all their energy trying to control situations they never saw coming. That being said, the worst we've encountered are the herds of elephants tramping through the halls on their way back to their room. We also tend to stay CL though and there are generally less children to be found there. If one of my neighbors did become intolerably loud however I think I would be making a trip down to the front desk to have the issue resolved as discreetly as possible.

 

[dez1978]

The same thing happened to me when my DD was a little older. She threw a fit to end all fits at DHS and I hauled her little butt out of the park and back to our resort screaming the whole way. She continued to scream for over an hour back in the room. I felt bad for the people next to us even though it was in the middle of the day, but frankly I had my hands full with a child who was inconsolable.

I try to expend grace to parents who are going through something like that. Even though it appears that they are not doing anything, I remember being in their place where everything I tried failed and the only thing I could do is let her cry it out.

Been there done that. And even then, when you know you are doing exactly what needs to be done, you know people are looking at you judging. Let them throw a fit in public, you're a bad mom. Take them out kicking and screaming, you're a bad mom. Try to settle them down by whatever means necessary, and you're a bad mom bc you "gave in" It doesn't matter, someone will tell you you are wrong.

To each their own, and I'm not slamming anyone that does, but I could never take a baby to disney. My sanity couldn't take it. Some parents have the patience of the Gods. I honestly don't know how some of you do it!

I have called security once in all of our trips. The couple next to us were screaming at each other, and couldn't tell if it was getting physical or not. Security came up and it was quiet after that. Dunno if they were still in the room

I'm with you. We didn't take our kids on any kind of trip until they were 4 & 6 and that was just for 3 days to someplace 3 hrs away and we ended up renting a cabin vs a hotel room because of things like this thread. Constantly worrying that my kids will disturb someone else would make it miserable for all of us.

Most parents I know:

View attachment 588849

Daily.

I get that babies cry with ear infections, fever etc, but I hope if it’s late at night and for a prolonged period of time, the parents would get the child medicine or go to urgent care, so the baby and hotel neighbors could sleep. When in such close proximity as a hotel room you would hope that everyone is considerate of other guests.

I'm sure that most parents' first reaction when they think a child is in pain is to get them meds. If thats why a baby is crying, I can guarantee they've already tried to figure out a way to accomplish this. And I'm sure they've already thought about the other guests. The other guests just aren't their top priority, the baby is and that's how it should be. If my baby was sick, his comfort and helping his feel better should be my first concern.

 

[Dakota731]

Been there done that. And even then, when you know you are doing exactly what needs to be done, you know people are looking at you judging. Let them throw a fit in public, you're a bad mom. Take them out kicking and screaming, you're a bad mom. Try to settle them down by whatever means necessary, and you're a bad mom bc you "gave in" It doesn't matter, someone will tell you you are wrong.


I'm with you. We didn't take our kids on any kind of trip until they were 4 & 6 and that was just for 3 days to someplace 3 hrs away and we ended up renting a cabin vs a hotel room because of things like this thread. Constantly worrying that my kids will disturb someone else would make it miserable for all of us.



Daily.


I'm sure that most parents' first reaction when they think a child is in pain is to get them meds. If thats why a baby is crying, I can guarantee they've already tried to figure out a way to accomplish this. And I'm sure they've already thought about the other guests. The other guests just aren't their top priority, the baby is and that's how it should be. If my baby was sick, his comfort and helping his feel better should be my first concern.

Hopefully most parents think that way but I’ve been around way too long, and I know not all parents do. There are some who have a mindset of “if my child is screaming or acting up, that’s just the way kids are so deal with it.” It doesn’t matter to them if they wake up the baby in the room door who then is exhausted and fussy all day for his parents. They don’t care if they disturb an elderly person who has health issues or a child who has autism. I wish I could say most people are considerate of others, but I think most of us have shared way too many hotels with those who never bother to think of others.

 

[Malfie Cent]

It has never occurred to me that walls are so thin that you could hear a baby crying that loudly in your room that it would disrupt your sleep when they are in a completely separate hotel room. If I was the person with the crying kid I wouldn’t even think that it would disturb my neighbors. To me it’s like living in an apartment.

If I were the OP I wouldn’t have said anything. 20 minutes at 6 am and 11 pm is no big deal to me. I have kids. They cry sometimes. Especially at unfamiliar places and being overly stimulated. I do sleep with a white noise machine so that would drown some of the noise out if we were sleeping. I would find it to be more of a pain to pack and unpack again.

20 minutes of a non stop temper tantrum is a big deal to some people. The OP wasn't talking about crying "sometimes" she was said non stop yelling of "no" and "I don't want too".

I have 3 kids, my youngest was prone to temper tantrums when he was a toddler. I get that kids get over stimulated and I know that there are times where parents cannot control what their child is doing no matter how hard they try. Been there done that, left many stores and other places with a screaming child in tow. Felt shame and embarrassment and judgment.
But, my kids are grown, and if I'm on vacation there is no way I'm going to tolerate what the OP did.
The inconvenience of throwing some things back in a suitcase and moving to a new room pales in comparison to spending 20 minutes each morning and night listening to a screaming child having a fit.
I would never say anything to the parents, but I wouldn't hesitate to get my room changed for my own sanity and enjoyment of my vacation.

 

[dez1978]

Hopefully most parents think that way but I’ve been around way too long, and I know not all parents do. There are some who have a mindset of “if my child is screaming or acting up, that’s just the way kids are so deal with it.” It doesn’t matter to them if they wake up the baby in the room door who then is exhausted and fussy all day for his parents. They don’t care if they disturb an elderly person who has health issues or a child who has autism. I wish I could say most people are considerate of others, but I think most of us have shared way too many hotels with those who never bother to think of others.

I get what you are saying. Sure there certainly are those parents. We've all seen them, the ones letting their kids run around a restaurant getting in the way of staff, running into other customers while they completely ignore it. But my problem is that most people automatically assume that in any situation where they are annoyed by another families child that that child must have "those parents". And you have no idea what might be going on in their family or with that child. I wish that most people were as considerate of parents who are just trying to do their best as everyone here says we should be of others instead of just assuming that they are not trying or not being considerate of others.

Like, sometimes you just have to let your kid throw a fit so they learn they won't get what they want that way. One of my kids learned that lesson much easier than the other lol. my youngest, it just took one or 2 times of taking him out of somewhere for him to figure it out. My oldest tho.... lord that child... You know what finally worked for him? Letting him sit there on the ground at wherever we were at the time (the zoo I think), crying and screaming while I was completely ignoring him and focusing on the baby. One time it took for me to do that for him to learn I was not going to give in. After IDK how many times I'd carried him out of places and done all the things "considerate, good moms" do. I was beyond mortified and embarrassed knowing people were looking at me and judging. But it never happened again after that. So I will never assume that just because it looks to me like a parent is purposely being inconsiderate or not doing anything to get their kid under control that that is actually the case. Because for the most part, they do care, and they are trying, you just don't know bc you've only seen them at that one moment of their lives.

 

[smallworldnh]

I've encountered that a few times as well but it's Disney and like others said, children get overstimulated and over tired. I have much more of an issue with adults, and especially young adults, who are loud late at night and don't care about their neighbors - or the children that those poor parents finally got to go to sleep!!

 

[robinb]

Been there done that. And even then, when you know you are doing exactly what needs to be done, you know people are looking at you judging. Let them throw a fit in public, you're a bad mom. Take them out kicking and screaming, you're a bad mom. Try to settle them down by whatever means necessary, and you're a bad mom bc you "gave in" It doesn't matter, someone will tell you you are wrong.

Funny thing, as I was literally carrying my screaming DD out of the DHS (then MGM) a very pregnant woman with an older woman (her mom?) were entering the park. They both gave me nasty looks. I had already dealt with 15 minutes of a kid meltdown (and the associated nasty looks) and I was done with all humans. I growled to the pregnant lady, "Just you wait!" as I passed by them. Not one of my finest moment ...

 

[0FF TO NEVERLAND]

I try not to complain unless it’s past midnight. Sometimes people are just getting back to their hotels late and enjoying themselves. I tell myself it’s still a vacation for others. Maybe this vacation is more work but still a vacation.

Screaming babies though at midnight? Oh I’m requesting a new room lol.

 

[stephk1981]

Bring white noise machines or loud fans for your room! This has happened to us many many times, not fun. Only once have I gone down to the front desk to ask to be moved. I try to keep my children on their at home schedule to avoid meltdowns/overtiredness, but I can empathize with parents that have this happen on both sides!

 

[VH103428]

We stayed at OKW last December and we had a Bachelorette Party next door. I let it go for a bit, but after about an hour I called the front desk. We were given a credit without asking.

 

[Dakota731]

I get what you are saying. Sure there certainly are those parents. We've all seen them, the ones letting their kids run around a restaurant getting in the way of staff, running into other customers while they completely ignore it. But my problem is that most people automatically assume that in any situation where they are annoyed by another families child that that child must have "those parents". And you have no idea what might be going on in their family or with that child. I wish that most people were as considerate of parents who are just trying to do their best as everyone here says we should be of others instead of just assuming that they are not trying or not being considerate of others.

Like, sometimes you just have to let your kid throw a fit so they learn they won't get what they want that way. One of my kids learned that lesson much easier than the other lol. my youngest, it just took one or 2 times of taking him out of somewhere for him to figure it out. My oldest tho.... lord that child... You know what finally worked for him? Letting him sit there on the ground at wherever we were at the time (the zoo I think), crying and screaming while I was completely ignoring him and focusing on the baby. One time it took for me to do that for him to learn I was not going to give in. After IDK how many times I'd carried him out of places and done all the things "considerate, good moms" do. I was beyond mortified and embarrassed knowing people were looking at me and judging. But it never happened again after that. So I will never assume that just because it looks to me like a parent is purposely being inconsiderate or not doing anything to get their kid under control that that is actually the case. Because for the most part, they do care, and they are trying, you just don't know bc you've only seen them at that one moment of their lives.

And that’s fine during the day to let a child have a tantrum because they aren’t getting their own way, but OP was talking about night when her family was trying to sleep. If it went on after midnight then I think she has the right to call the front desk. She paid big bucks for her room as well and has the right to be able to rest in a hotel. Same with restaurants - if a child is crying and screaming for an extended period of time then parents should take them outside. Most people understand babies fussing for a time, but when it goes on and on then other diners have a right to enjoy their meals.

 

[dez1978]

And that’s fine during the day to let a child have a tantrum because they aren’t getting their own way, but OP was talking about night when her family was trying to sleep. If it went on after midnight then I think she has the right to call the front desk. She paid big bucks for her room as well and has the right to be able to rest in a hotel. Same with restaurants - if a child is crying and screaming for an extended period of time then parents should take them outside. Most people understand babies fussing for a time, but when it goes on and on then other diners have a right to enjoy their meals.

I don't disagree. I was just sharing my experience as to why I'll never judge or assume that the parent of the child isn't doing what they can to alleviate the situation. But in that same token, the parent who has the crying baby paid just as much as the other person to stay there and has the same right to be in the room with her child, crying or not. I certainly wouldn't be walking around outside with my baby at night. She certainly has the right to call to ask to be moved to another room. I never said she didn't. My point was just that we can't assume the person wasn't trying to do all that she could.

 

[mom2rtk]

I don't disagree. I was just sharing my experience as to why I'll never judge or assume that the parent of the child isn't doing what they can to alleviate the situation. But in that same token, the parent who has the crying baby paid just as much as the other person to stay there and has the same right to be in the room with her child, crying or not. I certainly wouldn't be walking around outside with my baby at night. She certainly has the right to call to ask to be moved to another room. I never said she didn't. My point was just that we can't assume the person wasn't trying to do all that she could.

We also don't know if the parent on the other side of the wall is just tired and decided to let the kid cry it out.

 

[Summer2018]

We have found that while staying at the value resorts, we had a lot more issues sleeping because of noises outside of our room. One year there was a cheerleading competition, and the chaperones were too drunk to supervise the kids. Their behavior was outrageous, and it was more than the resort CM's could handle. That was the last time we stayed value. Once we started staying Deluxe, we had no issues at WDW. The first time we had another noise problem was at the Disneyland Hotel in California. I have read on the DIS that their walls are notoriously paper-thin.

We are off to the Margaritaville Resort this summer for an adult vacation. I am sure that there’s going to be noisy neighbors, but instead of fussy kids, it will be drunk adults. We are 100% going to bring our earplugs.

 

[jennyq87]

We have found that while staying at the value resorts, we had a lot more issues sleeping because of noises outside of our room. One year there was a cheerleading competition, and the chaperones were too drunk to supervise the kids. Their behavior was outrageous, and it was more than the resort CM's could handle. That was the last time we stayed value. Once we started staying Deluxe, we had no issues at WDW.

Agree with this. We were one and done at the All Stars because of the noise and craziness of the big groups. A big part of the reason we pay to stay at Deluxe resorts now is to try and avoid that, and things are usually pretty good. We had a little issue a few weeks ago at the Yacht Club, but it was with adults (I remember my first beer ).