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An open letter to Disney about mandatory room checks.

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I sometimes use afternoon rest time to take a long soak in the tub. That's particularly nice when my feet and legs start to bother me. It also gives me a chance to freshen up for dinner.

If I go back and someone comes in, I guess that I'll just wave from the tub. :crazy:
You know, it wouldn't hurt for Disney to install Occupied/Unoccupied latches on the bathroom doors...
 
You know, it wouldn't hurt for Disney to install Occupied/Unoccupied latches on the bathroom doors...

Good suggestion now what can they do to avoid interrupting naps or private time with your S.O.

Back to requesting time slots?
 
See the hardest part of the concept of "rights" is the fact that everyone, including private companies, and individuals have them. So when a conversation of this nature comes up posters tend to focus on their personal rights. No issue there, it's human nature, we all do it. But when you step back and look at the bigger picture you have to take into consideration the company's/ corporations rights as well. To put this all into perspective this is in no way a discussion of rights. Quoting the constitution, or Ben Franklin might be an attempt to express your personal feelings on the matter, but they have no bearing on the underlying facts involved. This is simply a customer service/ customer complaint situation. A private company (Disney) has instituted a policy (room checks) that some customers don't like. At that point customers can complain, write letters, make phone calls, etc. to express their displeasure. The company (Disney) can then either change the policy, or say sorry we will not change the policy. At that point the consumer then has to decide whether they will continue to consume the product (trips to WDW) or not.

Pei Wei changed their recipe for Orange Chicken/Beef that I loved. I asked about it and complained but they did not change back. I now either a) no longer eat at Pei Wei or b) choose something else on the menu. It happens in our lives every day. Heck I read an article yesterday about an 8 year old girl that was so upset about Toy-R-Us closing that she opened a lemonade stand to raise money to keep the stores open. People don't always like change, but it is the one constant in our lives.

Finally, I would point out that while some have said and to a certain extent I agree that changes in the world (terrorism, human trafficing, crime, etc.) has possibly eroded our sense of freedom in some ways, that the idea of claiming that your right to privacy supercedes others rights (private property owners, security of others) may in fact erode certain freedoms as much as other changes have.
 


See the hardest part of the concept of "rights" is the fact that everyone, including private companies, and individuals have them. So when a conversation of this nature comes up posters tend to focus on their personal rights. No issue there, it's human nature, we all do it. But when you step back and look at the bigger picture you have to take into consideration the company's/ corporations rights as well. To put this all into perspective this is in no way a discussion of rights. Quoting the constitution, or Ben Franklin might be an attempt to express your personal feelings on the matter, but they have no bearing on the underlying facts involved. This is simply a customer service/ customer complaint situation. A private company (Disney) has instituted a policy (room checks) that some customers don't like. At that point customers can complain, write letters, make phone calls, etc. to express their displeasure. The company (Disney) can then either change the policy, or say sorry we will not change the policy. At that point the consumer then has to decide whether they will continue to consume the product (trips to WDW) or not.

Pei Wei changed their recipe for Orange Chicken/Beef that I loved. I asked about it and complained but they did not change back. I now either a) no longer eat at Pei Wei or b) choose something else on the menu. It happens in our lives every day. Heck I read an article yesterday about an 8 year old girl that was so upset about Toy-R-Us closing that she opened a lemonade stand to raise money to keep the stores open. People don't always like change, but it is the one constant in our lives.

Finally, I would point out that while some have said and to a certain extent I agree that changes in the world (terrorism, human trafficing, crime, etc.) has possibly eroded our sense of freedom in some ways, that the idea of claiming that your right to privacy supercedes others rights (private property owners, security of others) may in fact erode certain freedoms as much as other changes have.


I believed in the “Magic” Disney made. That special sauce which kept me coming back year after year. Disney wasn’t a corporation, it was a container of sorts for Walt’s soul. It surely never needed to cross that line into reality because it would then start to lose that Magic. But then the Supreme Court decided, not long ago, that corporations have equal rights to human beings.

The power of Disney is based in the Magic it maintains and continues to create. It is no wonder then that Disney doesn’t want to be transparent with this room check policy. What Magic is there in this policy? I maintain there is none. I maintain that is why you will only hear about it if you confront Disney when you merely wonder why the heck do they need to come into my room “right now”. And then you will get a huge dose of reality from Disney when they state “we need access to every room, every day.” Poof, there goes the Magic.

I can think of no other area of Disney where their policies don’t add to the “Magic” formula. It is why Disney has had such a good reputation that people just say “they know how to do it right”.

The room check policy certainly is not based in Magic. You certainly don’t believe Imagineering came up with this, did you? I would rather believe their “legal” department did.

So, tex1989, you starkly blew my thoughts of Magic out of the water. Being at Disney won’t ever again be like it was. We will still go because again, starkly, we have a DVC Contract. Yes, we could sell it but I will hope that Disney learns to somehow execute the room check policy by taking some much needed input from Imagineering. It certainly doesn’t feel like Imagineering was consulted so far.
 
Want to have a discussion of Magic or a lack there off and we can do that, no problem. I still think there is magic there or I would not be going 2/3 times a year. But I will not let the idea of room checks spoil that magic. Further the discussion here was to this point not about magic. It was about trying to claim constitutional rights not allowing them to perform room checks, that evolved into somehow the loss of rights, which I merely pointed out that were never really rights since they have had the "right" to enter your room all along. Disney is a corporation. It is magical to many as well it should be, but it is a public corporation and therefore has responsibilities to it's employee's, shareholders, and guests. I work in the corporate world and unfortunately face the cold hard reality of corporate America everyday. When I vacation I try my best to leave those realities behind and enjoy myself. I can do that at WDW. However, no matter how much I immerse myself in the Magic at the end of the day Disney is still a corporate entity and therefore they will make decsions I agree or disagree with. The difference at this point is you are going to let those things bother you, I will not. But then again that's what I love about living in America, we can agree to not agree!
 
I'm most amused that I'm upset about a policy that has no affect on me (parking fees...we are DVC won't won't have to pay) but not at all upset about one that could (daily room checks). I've always thought I was a bit odd.

Me too. That parking charge has my bloomers in a bunch. WE use DME and never rent a car, so it has no effect on my family, but I am really mad about it just the same.

We drive, so this definitely impacts us. Fortunately for this trip we were booked last year. It's a shame; the cost of parking equals at least one or two sit-down meals that we won't partake in to offset the parking fees. For future trips however, I will price out staying off-site when making plans.
 


Have to add this: I love all things Disney, have since I was a kid. Went to Disneyland when I was 5 and got to go again in high school. I watched their movies, I watched Wonderful World of Disney and really enjoyed it all. I did not return to Disney until I was an adult in 1989 (hence tex1989, I am a Texan and the year of our first WDW trip). Since then my wife and I have been over 30 times with kids and now without since they are grown. We love it, still do. This is my second time around on this site which I left for quite a while. What I noticed and to an extent what drove me away the first time was what I felt was an unrealistic expectation of people going to WDW. Threads then and to some extent now bemoan the fact that they did not get towel animals, or did not get any pixie dust during their trip. A cast member would not let them get in line to see Cinderella on the last day of their trip and it ruined the entire trip, etc, etc. I understand some of their disappointments but at the same time understood a few other things. Disney has thousands of cast members and cannot control the actions of all of them. Disney is a business. Disney wants to offer things people want. Maybe it's me, maybe it's my life experiences but I tend to be fairly pragmatic about things. But instead of expecting things, and being upset if I don't always get those things is what makes it so special when you do get them. So if Disney does something I don't like (which believe me over the years we have gone have been plenty) I don't get upset, I just balance my continued enjoyment of what they do offer against the things I don't like. Whenever the scales fall the wrong way then I will spend my vacation dollars somewhere else.

I also realize that on our third trip to WDW it was the first time we stayed on site. I will never have a more magical vacation than that one. My wife and two children stayed at Port Orleans French Quarter. Without asking they sprinkled pixie dust all over us and gave us a first floor corner room facing the pool just steps away from the river and close to the food court. We met all the princesses with little wait and had one of our best family vacations ever. The kids had no meltdowns and everything was so new looking and clean that we thought it was heaven. That was 1994. Things have changed since then some for the better, some for the worse. But when we return next month we will once again stay at POFQ and I will look at the room we had on that first trip so long ago and I will remember how wonderful it was and I will fully enjoy our current trip for what it is. If others can't get joy out of WDW any more for whatever reason then maybe they should move on to a different vacation spot.
 
So, tex1989, you starkly blew my thoughts of Magic out of the water. Being at Disney won’t ever again be like it was. We will still go because again, starkly, we have a DVC Contract. Yes, we could sell it but I will hope that Disney learns to somehow execute the room check policy by taking some much needed input from Imagineering. It certainly doesn’t feel like Imagineering was consulted so far.

I think they were, and that is why for the most part the check is done by housekeeping when they clean your room. Otherwise people that had housekeeping would be getting 2 sets of knocks on the door, instead one one knock. Having housekeeping do it when they are already entering the room is about as unintrusive as it can be. The problem comes with trying to balance guest's requests with the check. It would be nice if we could all schedule the check (housekeeping) for when it was convenient, but scheduling what is a safety check kind of defeats the purpose.
 
Want to have a discussion of Magic or a lack there off and we can do that, no problem. I still think there is magic there or I would not be going 2/3 times a year. But I will not let the idea of room checks spoil that magic. Further the discussion here was to this point not about magic. It was about trying to claim constitutional rights not allowing them to perform room checks, that evolved into somehow the loss of rights, which I merely pointed out that were never really rights since they have had the "right" to enter your room all along. Disney is a corporation. It is magical to many as well it should be, but it is a public corporation and therefore has responsibilities to it's employee's, shareholders, and guests. I work in the corporate world and unfortunately face the cold hard reality of corporate America everyday. When I vacation I try my best to leave those realities behind and enjoy myself. I can do that at WDW. However, no matter how much I immerse myself in the Magic at the end of the day Disney is still a corporate entity and therefore they will make decsions I agree or disagree with. The difference at this point is you are going to let those things bother you, I will not. But then again that's what I love about living in America, we can agree to not agree!
Couldn't agree with this more. Personally I choose not to get worked up over things that may or may not impact my vacation. As much as I love being on these boards, sometimes ignorance is bliss. If it wasn't for reading it on here I would never have known or noticed that mugs were temporarily handle-less or small shampoo bottles were no longer being offered, or dogs are now allowed at the resorts. A lot of things get blown out of proportion on here IMO.
 
I think they were, and that is why for the most part the check is done by housekeeping when they clean your room. Otherwise people that had housekeeping would be getting 2 sets of knocks on the door, instead one one knock. Having housekeeping do it when they are already entering the room is about as unintrusive as it can be. The problem comes with trying to balance guest's requests with the check. It would be nice if we could all schedule the check (housekeeping) for when it was convenient, but scheduling what is a safety check kind of defeats the purpose.

How exactly do you expect the immigrant, non-English speaking, old lady (yes this was who we had at POR) to do a "safety" check? She could barely clean our room. I am pretty sure these people know less than nothing about what they are supposed to be looking for in relation to mass weapons or children tied to the bed waiting to be sent to a brothel. It's a bunch of hooey and I really, really wish I could have changed our plans for this year.
 
How exactly do you expect the immigrant, non-English speaking, old lady (yes this was who we had at POR) to do a "safety" check? She could barely clean our room. I am pretty sure these people know less than nothing about what they are supposed to be looking for in relation to mass weapons or children tied to the bed waiting to be sent to a brothel. It's a bunch of hooey and I really, really wish I could have changed our plans for this year.

Has WDW addressed specifically what they are looking for? I have seen a lot of speculation and assumption but I don't recall seeing anything from WDW that says exactly what the reason was for implementing the policy (it may be that I missed that though). I have seen references from WDW to guest safety but nothing that specifically says they are looking for trafficking victims or weapons, etc. I just assumed it was more of an attempt to cover themselves legally by being able to show that someone from WDW at least checked in on each room everyday. So my feeling was that as long as someone goes in the room they have accomplished what they were hoping for. I wasn't necessarily thinking they were sending housekeeping in to do a formal security check but rather that housekeeping servicing the room counts as a physical presence from WDW being in the room. And then if a guest declines housekeeping, someone else will do a quick room "check" so they can still say someone was in the room.

It is possible for WDW to do a quick training on things to be aware of for trafficking. As an RN I am required to take a 1 hour continuing education course on Human Trafficking every two years to be licensed in the state of FL. I definitely do not consider myself an expert on the issue but I did learn some things that would potentially be red flags. And someone would not be required to speak English in order to notice something suspicious.
 
Not sure why someone who is an immigrant, non English speaking and old is suddenly blind, deaf, and dumb??????

I understand not liking the policy, but your post couldn't be more abhorrent. Racisim and ageism all in one bundle. Have her beating a puppy at the same time and you would hit all of the high notes.
 
Being at Disney won’t ever again be like it was. We will still go because again, starkly, we have a DVC Contract. Yes, we could sell it but I will hope that Disney learns to somehow execute the room check policy by taking some much needed input from Imagineering. It certainly doesn’t feel like Imagineering was consulted so far.

I apologize if I missed it, but I have not seen a post where you state that you have actually experienced this new policy and have been inconvenienced by it. There are numerous reports on these boards, including my own, of DVC members not being inconvenienced by this policy at all. Yes, some people have been inconvenienced, I am not disputing it. But why assume that your own experiences are going to be that of those who have been inconvenienced, rather than that of those who have not? There is a very decent chance that this policy will not impact your next stay one way or the other.

Again, if I have missed a post where you have personally experienced the new policy and were inconvenienced, I apologize. There have been a lot of posts on this thread.
 
I apologize if I missed it, but I have not seen a post where you state that you have actually experienced this new policy and have been inconvenienced by it. There are numerous reports on these boards, including my own, of DVC members not being inconvenienced by this policy at all. Yes, some people have been inconvenienced, I am not disputing it. But why assume that your own experiences are going to be that of those who have been inconvenienced, rather than that of those who have not? There is a very decent chance that this policy will not impact your next stay one way or the other.

Again, if I have missed a post where you have personally experienced the new policy and were inconvenienced, I apologize. There have been a lot of posts on this thread.
I'm not the poster you quoted nor am I trying to speak for them but I think there are a multitude of things that change and shift at Disney that mean "being there won't ever again be like it was"

For example the switch from Legacy FP to FP+. One doesn't have to experience it nor have a bad experience with it to be able to say being at Disney won't ever again be like it was. There are many other things.

Some people don't like things based on principle, some people don't like the overall direction a company may be going, etc.
 
I apologize if I missed it, but I have not seen a post where you state that you have actually experienced this new policy and have been inconvenienced by it. There are numerous reports on these boards, including my own, of DVC members not being inconvenienced by this policy at all. Yes, some people have been inconvenienced, I am not disputing it. But why assume that your own experiences are going to be that of those who have been inconvenienced, rather than that of those who have not? There is a very decent chance that this policy will not impact your next stay one way or the other.

Again, if I have missed a post where you have personally experienced the new policy and were inconvenienced, I apologize. There have been a lot of posts on this thread.

As stated in my original post, I read a large number of posts over about 3 months. Later, in this thread, I documented I had read a bit under 3000 posts. I concluded there was considerable concern from enough people, myself included, to respond. Have I personally experienced this? No. But, around these parts there is a saying which says “you don’t have to jump in Lake Michigan to find out it will be cold.” So, after reading some really horrible experiences, I decided that contacting Disney management about it was reasonable.
 
Some people don't like things based on principle, some people don't like the overall direction a company may be going, etc.

And some people just don't like change. If Humphry Davy hadn't invented the incandescent light bulb, and other inventors and engineers hadn't improved on it... we'd all be watching TV in the dark.
 
And some people just don't like change. If Humphry Davy hadn't invented the incandescent light bulb, and other inventors and engineers hadn't improved on it... we'd all be watching TV in the dark.
Pretty sure etc...was meant to signify other options. You'll have to forgive me if I didn't list the endless possibilities to what people may or may not think.
 
As stated in my original post, I read a large number of posts over about 3 months. Later, in this thread, I documented I had read a bit under 3000 posts. I concluded there was considerable concern from enough people, myself included, to respond. Have I personally experienced this? No. But, around these parts there is a saying which says “you don’t have to jump in Lake Michigan to find out it will be cold.” So, after reading some really horrible experiences, I decided that contacting Disney management about it was reasonable.

Lake Michigan isn't always cold. So maybe you don't know what you haven't experienced.
 
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