Aggressive DVC Housekeeping Checkout Day

[RoseGold]

I make a lot of excuses for Disney and DVC in particular, and I've accepted a lot of it and worked around some of it with Owner's Locker. The TP, no robes, rooms not ready, prewashing gross dishes, no daily housekeeping, the sad views, no room service, the toiletries, the mattresses, the linens. I can live with all that. Well, except the website, that's an embarrassment.

But banging on my door to force me up and ruin my last day on my expensive vacation was gross. There are a half-dozen solutions in this thread, like $20 in hang tags, but DVC just doesn't care. This thread is right. I am actually going to have to put a Post-it on my door that says I am leaving at 10:30, that's crazy. I wouldn't even consider this at any other hotel, I'd be furious someone entered my room at 8:55AM. But we all accept this as par for the course with DVC.

 

[mickeyfan100]

We had a horrible experience with mousekeeping both on arrival and departure… departure was the knocking beginning at 8am. On arrival, we walked into our bathroom and it looked clean… well, except for the in the toilet.

 

[Genie+]

Doesn't work like that, at least according to a Housekeeping Mngr at SSR last year.
Specific housekeeping staff have different roles & titles that determine their employment status, pay scale & reponsibilities...Not always interchangeable.

If that’s the case maybe cross-training some aspects could alleviate staff having nothing to do at 9 or 10am on days when more guests intend on utilizing rooms until the 11am checkout.

 

[paults]

How can HK enter your room if you push the bar lock slider over the night before? Can they open that to?

 

[Mceee]

We had a similar experience as some of you. September 2021 @ Boardwalk Villas. At about 8:30 am, my wife had taken our granddaughter down to the pool for one more swim before we checked out and headed for the airport. I got in the shower - a few minutes later (8:40-ish) - someone knocked. I opened the bathroom door wrapped in a towel - within 3 seconds the housekeeper walked in. There I stood looking at her, and she basically just went ahead and asked what time we would be leaving. I said "at checkout time". She seemed miffed and walked out.

By the way, upon arrival, everyone in our party had their villas ready at about noon - but ours wasn't ready until after 6 pm! Ugh - don't get me started on that.

 

[Grandmaof2]

I think one of the reason why they want to start early because short of housekeeping staff. But that is no reason to bang on doors. We usually get In early but don’t expect our room to be ready when we arrive. We usually go around the resort and then one of the parks. Our room is normally ready by 4.

 

[KAT4DISNEY]

How can HK enter your room if you push the bar lock slider over the night before? Can they open that to?

If someone has gone out for whatever reason you would not typically put the safety latch on the door.

 

[RoseGold]

How can HK enter your room if you push the bar lock slider over the night before? Can they open that to?

They just bang on it until you open it. So yea, it keeps them from physically entering but not from ruining your morning.

 

[lowlight]

Reading all this, I feel for the housekeeping staff. There is no way they want to be stuck in the middle of angry owners and management. The issue is that a lot of the negative experiences center around housekeeping. Crack checks/trash checks/safety checks, whatever the term du jour is, rooms not available by 4 PM, knocking at 8 AM on checkout day, these are all issues that put housekeepers on the front line when they really should be mostly invisible to the guests unless needed. It all results in what is sold as a home away from home feeling more like a Motel 6. The anxiety I get from worrying about housekeeping waking up my younger kids during a midday nap despite asking them politely not to do so several days in a row ruins the whole "welcome home" thing, luckily I am already up early with them so I don't have to worry about being woken up at 8 AM checkout day, but for the people who can sleep in, it's not something they should have to worry about.

 

[DonMacGregor]

I spent the morning dusting, sweeping and scrubbing the floors on my hands and knees.

Why?

 

[Genie+]

Reading all this, I feel for the housekeeping staff. There is no way they want to be stuck in the middle of angry owners and management. The issue is that a lot of the negative experiences center around housekeeping. Crack checks/trash checks/safety checks, whatever the term du jour is, rooms not available by 4 PM, knocking at 8 AM on checkout day, these are all issues that put housekeepers on the front line when they really should be mostly invisible to the guests unless needed. It all results in what is sold as a home away from home feeling more like a Motel 6. The anxiety I get from worrying about housekeeping waking up my younger kids during a midday nap despite asking them politely not to do so several days in a row ruins the whole "welcome home" thing, luckily I am already up early with them so I don't have to worry about being woken up at 8 AM checkout day, but for the people who can sleep in, it's not something they should have to worry about.

Yeah, I would never want to take it out on HK staff or leave discourteous notes on the door. There’s a reason vacancies still linger even with the $17 starting wage. It’s a very demanding job.

But these resorts cost most of us a pretty penny and sleep is a precious commodity during a trip. No fun getting woken up during sleep-in days or midday naps. Midday has been our biggest issue, always seems to happen right after we just entered a nice deep sleep.

I think what we’ll do next split stay is a sticky note with the time we plan on waking up and when we expect to check out. For break we’ll put “Napping 1pm to 3pm. Please avoid waking if possible.”

 

[SL6827]

I make a lot of excuses for Disney and DVC in particular, and I've accepted a lot of it and worked around some of it with Owner's Locker. The TP, no robes, rooms not ready, prewashing gross dishes, no daily housekeeping, the sad views, no room service, the toiletries, the mattresses, the linens. I can live with all that. Well, except the website, that's an embarrassment.

But banging on my door to force me up and ruin my last day on my expensive vacation was gross. There are a half-dozen solutions in this thread, like $20 in hang tags, but DVC just doesn't care. This thread is right. I am actually going to have to put a Post-it on my door that says I am leaving at 10:30, that's crazy. I wouldn't even consider this at any other hotel, I'd be furious someone entered my room at 8:55AM. But we all accept this as par for the course with DVC.

I did this a couple years ago. Worked fine.

 

[DL1WDW2]

Seriously Doubt a Stickie on the door is the answer.
That might be the funniest thing I ever ever read on the Dis.
Thanks I needed a good laugh today.
I hate stickies by the way.

 

[Genie+]

I love stickies!

Post It Notes Extreme is my new fav. Waterproof, stick to anything, no residue left behind.

 

[SleeplessInTO]

Just left Copper Creek. No one knocked on our door this morning. We packed up and I tried to check out in the app at 10:28am. Turned out we were already checked out. Oh well. Removed the “room occupied” sign and went on our way. Great stay overall.

 

[Genie+]

There’s alot of reports with the app showing guests were already checked out when they went in to do it themselves. Does that mean the door keys won’t work anymore, or will they still remain active anyway?

It would stink to leave the room and a second later you realize you left a charger in the outlet, but whoa… the 999 Happy Haunts already checked you out and now the decision is if your charger is worth the time and energy going down to the lobby, standing in line to get access back in to the room you had not yet checked out of, and then heading back to the room praying there are no further complications. I’ve had the headache of door locks not working properly in the past and it’s a buzz kill. PITA unless the lock waits to 11am to reset.

 

[SL6827]

Seriously Doubt a Stickie on the door is the answer.
That might be the funniest thing I ever ever read on the Dis.
Thanks I needed a good laugh today.
I hate stickies by the way.

Worked for me!

 

[lowlight]

There’s alot of reports with the app showing guests were already checked out when they went in to do it themselves. Does that mean the door keys won’t work anymore, or will they still remain active anyway?

It would stink to leave the room and a second later you realize you left a charger in the outlet, but whoa… the 999 Happy Haunts already checked you out and now the decision is if your charger is worth the time and energy going down to the lobby, standing in line to get access back in to the room you had not yet checked out of, and then heading back to the room praying there are no further complications. I’ve had the headache of door locks not working properly in the past and it’s a buzz kill. PITA unless the lock waits to 11am to reset.

I wonder if the app auto checks you out after 10, since it wouldn’t matter to housekeeping at that point.

 

[DL1WDW2]

Which paves the way to DVC matching the time for early checkouts to match other timeshares… since we all are perplexed but not enough to go to front desk and complain…
Disney is supreme at changing policy with this is what the guest wants… according to our surveys ( designed to reflect the answer we are looking for. )

 

[Genie+]

I wonder if the app auto checks you out after 10, since it wouldn’t matter to housekeeping at that point.

Oh maybe that’s what’s happening. Looks like most people said it happened after 10am. I’ll double check my room if leaving between 10 and 11.