Beginning with the three monorail resorts near the Magic Kingdom, Walt Disney World Resort Hotels will no longer provide guests with “Do Not Disturb” signs to put on their doors. The signs will be replaced with “Room Occupied” signs that will notify cast members that guests are in the rooms. However, these guests will be “disturbed” at some point, as it will now be required that a Disney employee enter their hotel room at least once a day to ensure guest safety.
If you choose to forgo housekeeping on a given day, the Disney terms of service state that “the hotel and its staff reserve the right to enter your room for any purposes including, but not limited to, performing maintenance and repairs or checking on the safety and security of guests and property.” Disney states that cast members will give reasonable notice prior to entering by knocking and announcing that they will enter.
The popular theory is that this is a response to the incident that happened in Vegas earlier this year. The monorail resorts are quite tall and offer similar vantage points of crowded guest areas, as well as Walt Disney World transportation such as monorails, buses, and watercraft. Disney is not publicly stating why they are making the change though.
Guests at the Grand Floridian, Polynesian, and Contemporary Resorts should find a paper in their rooms today noting the change. These changes are expected to roll out to other Walt Disney World Resort Hotels in the coming weeks.
what about DVC? They don’t even do housekeeping in those rooms every day
What if you don’t want them in your room? What if your sick? Taking a shower And you don’t hear the knock ? Do I want my gf or myself to flash a manager?
Use the chain lock.
My thoughts exactly!
Received a “Happy Holidays” e-mail from DVC today and this blurb was part of it:
“Your in-room experience has never been more important to us. That’s why we will begin removing trash from your rooms at Disney Vacation Club resorts on a daily basis in addition to regular housekeeping visits. The daily service begins December 22, 2017, at five resort properties (Bay Lake Tower, Polynesian Villas & Bungalows, The Villas at Disney’s Grand Floridian, Disney’s Grand Californian and Aulani). The service extends to all other Disney Vacation Club resorts on January 7, 2018”.
Definitely sounds like a “preemptive move” on their part to reduce the chance of a Vegas scenario from occurring, IMO
So someone is going to get an arsenal of weapons into a resort room, but a little housekeeper is going to save the day by discovering it in the room? How silly….
Save the day? Maybe.
The real world is calling you. Pick up the phone.
Clearly you look down on housekeepers
I do, since when I was there last I felt violated that my bed clothes were obviously messed with in a weird and creepy way. Like they were tried on or something.
Then they seemed all too happy to take my mouse keeping tips that I left daily in cute envelopes that I printed to make sure they understood it was our special honeymoon we were celebrating, I even left extra celebration buttons near the tip so they would know and told the front desk how I was so looking forward to the mouse keeping.
So disappointed, I’ll never tip them again!
Sounds like they might be doing this because a guest put a DND sign up, died, and wasn’t discovered until they were supposed to check out.
That happened back in 2010 I believe.
Agreed. I’ve heard of this happening at other hotels (non-Disney). A decomposing body can wreak havoc on a hotel room after several days.
Not if I have the deadbolt engaged.
They can always override the deadbolt
Disney is too cheap and lazy to do this for security reasons. This is so they can issue fines for the people who bring their dogs on vacation
Disney spent 4 billion dollars to buy star wars. “Cheap” theory just destroyed.
When it comes to the guests, yes, Disney does less and cuts back every year. Go ask the Cast Members Union about how generous Disney is F.J.
wow…way out of line. my daughter works at disney, I assume you have also to know how the employees act???
Dogs have been allowed now at all resorts since August.
Incorrect
It’s actually only at select resorts and select rooms at those resorts.
They have multiple resorts that allow dogs now for an extra fee.
I heard about a new character meet & greet called “Big Brother “ but now the character comes right to your room. How convenient
If this ensures that another tragic incident like Vegas does not occur…I am all for it! If you have nothing to hide…what are you worried about??
Exactly, Sandy :)
Theft!
I have nothing to hide but I simply don’t want people walking in on me when I’m sleeping in or taking a nap, etc…
As long as I am not woken before 9am. In any event I always put the chain on etc. So they may announce their arrival but they cannot barge in if say I am in the shower and dont hear them knock (this has happened before!!)
I just got an email about how guests will soon get ‘trash’ service daily. I thought it odd and then figured it was not intended as a guest enhancement but as security etc.
Interesting move that I am okay with.
Do they have the ability to open the door if the deadbolt is set? I thought the deadbolt disabled the RFID key.
Anyone ever tried to enter a door where the deadbolt is set by someone inside the room?
I’m sure they have some sort of option (master keyRFID) that will unlock all deadbolts. If someone has the chain on the inside of the door set, all they’ll need for that is a bolt cutter if they feel something is wrong and they need too get inside.
Housekeeping locked us out of our room lasr year with the deadbolt. we were in the one-bedroom side of a lock off and they threw the deadbolt on our side and left through the studio room. We could not get into our room and it took security and management 2 hours to open the door. They did not want to go in the studio since it was occupied. Free dinner all around for that one
An RFID key cannot open a deadlocked door because the deadlock is completely mechanical and doesn’t have any electronic components or a connection to the doors electronic. However, there is a mechanical key for the door that can be used for emergencies to open the deadlock.
deadlocked -> deadbolted
I shouldn’t type when I’m tired.
Those room locks are designed so that an “E-key” can open even the deadbolt
This is excellent and I am 100% in favour! We are dvc members at the Grand Floridian and am happy to hear it will extend to us as well. Obviously the cast members arent going to just barge in. Thats what chain locks are installed for.
This is the right move at the right time. “Darrell Approved!”
This also weeds out meth labs, but seriously it does.
This kind of makes no sense unless they are giving the Mousekeeping staff special training on recognizing certain types of weapons or signs that a certain type of weapon could be in a room (cases/ammo box etc.).
It’s not like the would-be terrorist is going to have their weapons sitting out on the table next to their park maps. It would take a trained eye to notice subtle signs of something amiss. I just don’t see the people making towel animals as the right people for this job…if that is what they are expected to be doing.
Im sure they are trained to look for common sense out of the ordinary things. Also, security might accompany them on random checks. If they didnt have this in place and something happened then everyone on here would be belching off about how disney should have learned from vegas. People are never happy.
Please fix for clarity: “nomenclature” means name/logo – I think the author means “terms of service” or something similar.
Fixed, thanks!
I’m shocked how many people here just don’t get it. It’s not a matter of thinking a housekeeper is going to wrestle weapons away from a would-be mass shooters. It’s about the fact that mass shooters, and all terrorists, for that matter…look for easy targets. The less easy you make your target, the better off you are.
It appears they get it just fine. WDW is asking for price in privacy not everyone is willing to pay to avoid worst case scenarios. People will disagree on where that line is, but setting a different line isn’t irrational or ignorant.
Once housekeeping is in, are they going to search the room? Rummage through drawers and closets? Go through luggage? Seems unlikely to be very effective otherwise.
Exactly. Plus, I’m now worried about the safety of the staff and unarmed disney security. The kind of person who is capable of mass murder, could just as easily shoot them when they walk in. It’s not like they are going to have all their weapons lying around and then go, I surrender to the unarmed disney guy. Plus, doesn’t Disney have cameras EVERYWHERE? Just monitor those.
I used to work as a Bell Person at the Beach Club Resort, and on one particular occasion, a guest had stored a firearm in the luggage room. We didn’t know how or why it had gotten through check-in; however, he was a licensed officer staying at the resort. The managers just shrugged it off as if it were another day, but imagine the scenario being different?
Sorry but thats a deal breaker for me. Do Not Disturb to me = do not snoop around my room and take things from me. Sorry I just dont trust your staff.
News flash: staff snoop around everyone’s room. Everywhere. And who said anything about taking anything????
Things do come up missing, I accidentally left a expensive bottle of perfume on the bathroom counter, forgot to lock it up in my suitcase, when I returned to my hotel room it was gone
What about deaf folks? They will not hear the door knocks nor announcement at the door…..
The reason I use DND signs is to keep housekeeping out of our room. Once I’ve checked our mattress and furniture and feel reasonably certain there are no bed bugs, we settle in and stay for our trip duration. Housekeeping can bring bugs in on themselves or stuff. I also don’t like my bathroom stuff rearranged, which is something they’ve done before. I guess I’ll have to make a sign saying please do not bring in bed bugs when you Snoop in our room.
I’ve booked meetings at Disney for years, but this will be unworkable for my clients. Privacy is big issue for attendees, and this will be a bridge too far, even for a trip to the Mouse.
This is ridiculous.
According to the website CryoFreezer33(dot)blogspot(dot)com, the decision to remove “Do Not Disturb” signs was because the Dept. Homeland Security told Disney that there was a specific and highly credible terrorist threat from ISIS to bomb crowds inside the Magic Kingdom during the nightly fireworks show over New Year’s.
While at the Boardwalk Villas in October, we encountered Security in the hallway knocking on each door. The had two dogs on leashes. The eventually got to our room and knocked. When we answered they said they did not need to enter, thanked us and moved on. They didn’t give any explaination.
The best security is to stay home!
The U.S. is on a path to fascism — on a long historical arch featuring authoritarian policies of Presidents Lincoln and Wilson. Anybody who thinks we’re not doing too badly in this country has not been flying on an airplane lately. That’s about as authoritarian-fascism as you can get. And now it’s spreading to hotels.
These companies forget or don’t care that we the people and our. Money make these companies what they are today. So if enough people boycott they could put a big hurting. On there pocketbook
A sign of the times
people need to boycott these hotels and any other that say they can enter the room you paid for without your permission
What!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!????????????????????????????????????????????.
All of the people here saying negative things are weird. The most scarry thing is that YOU people are roaming around the parks. No wonder security measures are being taken. Looks to me like a LOT of people have something to hide!
Right? Who cares about this? Who on earth is in a WDW resort room for an entire day, anyway? They’re not going to be entering rooms unless this Occupied sign is up for extended times. This will not even be noticed by 99.999% of guests. Do we really need to be outraged about EVERYTHING that everyone does??
We are at the Treehouses right now and you could not be more misinformed or ignorant, pal. They come every day, irrespective of how long the occupied sign is up or not. The security checks are a joke as we watched the process and very disruptive, but, then, that would not bother you, apparently. They knock at odd times, wake the napping kids, and if the door is not answered, they call incessantly. This policy is poorly thought out. They apparently do not inspect the giant SUVs (with blacked out windows as is common in Fla.) in the Treehouse parking areas. Why not?
No, Matt, we get outraged by knee jerk CYA policies that are a net irritant rather than a safety precaution. Maybe be more informed before contributing silly guesses.
Your comment takes the cake for being the most vapid.
I would rather be safe then sorry. Who wants someone in the room next to them locked in their room with an arsenal of weapons? Not me!
False sense of security, Cathy. They are not searching under beds, in drawers or in closets. They can not ensure that there is no arsenal of weapons with these invasive “checks.”
Absolutely correct. They don’t even check the massive vehicles parked in the parking areas of the Treehouses. Very disruptive and poorly thought out. Will anger many seasoned DVC members.