Housekeeping in 2021

[Sue M]

I have always found Housekeeping at the Universal Orlando resorts to be top notch. Their responsiveness is excellent, and I really appreciate that. The cleanliness is on point too.

I have gravitated away from staying at Disney resorts due to all the housekeeping problems, especially at Pop Century. The floors are FILTHY, and that was before Covid. I can't imagine what shape the rooms are in now. Your feet turn black from walking on the unwashed flooring, so you must wear shoes every time you walk on the floor. That is like staying in a 3rd world country... and I'm asked to pay premium prices for that kind of garbage? NOPE! (And yes, I started out by leaving my shoes inside by the front door when I came back to the room)

I tried to get the dirty floors addressed with the housekeeper by requesting a wet mopping, but she indicated that all she had was a dry Swiffer. I then talked to a manager and their solution was to move me into another room. I turned that down because I had 2 friends staying in other rooms at Pop during that time and they were reporting that the floors were filthy in their rooms as well. Then I thought to use some pool towels to wet and clean the floor parts that I walked on myself. That was ineffective because the floors were just too dirty. It was disgusting!

Let's be honest... we never had this problem when there was carpet in the room. My socks stayed white because they were not cutting corners when they cleaned the room.

If Disney would just pay the Housekeepers a decent living wage, they would not have the staffing problems that they have now. It has not occurred to people that they are paying the price for Disney's reluctance to adequately pay what the market will bear to their housekeeping staff. Perhaps Disney should spend less time pandering to the stock profits and invest more in the employee and guest experience.

The other huge thing that keeps me away from Disney resorts is the random intrusion of any employee into my room at any time for a security theater check. In my opinion it is only a matter of time until an assault occurs. During a stay at Pop in December a few years ago the CM that was doing a room check was wearing a jacket that was not part of his costume and it was covering his name tag. From appearances it could have been any stranger knocking on the door demanding entry to the room. As a solo female traveler at times this is a HUGE NOPE.

I really don't know what Disney is thinking with these awful guest experience conditions, but I've found a place to stay off site that I am really happy with. The price is way lower than what Disney charges and I get a suite with a kitchen and full-size fridge... No more 60 degree, tiny "beverage cooler". There are no resort or parking fees, and full amenities are available, so there is no compromising. My place even throws in a free continental breakfast. People should really shop around and investigate finding a place off site. Utilizing LYFT means that you don't even have to rent a car, and that is way more convenient than using Disney transportation. Good riddance to waiting for over an hour to get back to your resort mid-day.

Staying off site means lower pricing and better quality. When you stay off site you are staying at a place where their hotel is their only concern. If they don't get it right, they don't have any excuses to fall back on, like justifying crappy rooms and lame customer service because you get to go to their theme park. Every guest is valued, they are not offered less because they are considered a "Value" or a "Moderate" guest. That is another bull excuse that Disney uses.

The new 'Disney Direction' seems to be stratifying guests and treating them as less because of where they are staying. This is inexcusable, especially considering how obscene the prices are. Raise those prices and remove the offerings. Trash and dirty towels all over the hallways? Do it yourself housekeeping? That is not happening at offsite hotels. You pay less and you get more. People need to wake up.


~NM

This The Disney experience isn’t what it used to be. At the parks or their hotels. I can’t believe they wouldn’t come wet mop your room. Even a Motel 6 would do that. The slow steady decline in service while increasing prices has been sad to watch. WDW is a fraction of its former self.

 

[Moliphino]

Deluxe seems to be more consistent. Pack trash bags and leave them outside. Clean towels could be requested but they did not remove any left in the shower on our CSR stay. Coffee was not left. We had to call for that too.

Pop has been very consistent, in my experience (2 trips, 20 nights total). Every other day we got new towels (we left the used ones in the tub and they were removed, new towels hung on the racks), trash emptied, and a light clean. Beds were never touched and we never used the coffee, so there was nothing there to replenish.

 

[OhioWDWDuo]

Wanted to post a follow up from my recent BC stay. I used the emailed link to submit feedback to resort management about the housekeeping situation. A manager called during our stay and we had a nice conversation. He admitted that it’s a staffing issue and they are desperately trying to hire more housekeeping staff. He also said that all resorts are receiving many guest complaints about this, but especially at the Deluxe resorts. I mentioned how the GF did trash/towels/supply service each day during our stay and that was a big improvement over the service at YC/BC. He said that the GF is “testing” the daily modified housekeeping service to see how guests like it. I was very clear that for the prices charged by Disney, we expect better than the modified service. I am willing to give a pass now due to the staffing situation, but guest expectations will continue to increase as things normalize. He was very apologetic for the specific issues we encountered- told it wasn’t our “day” to receive towels/supplies, the struggle with getting extra coffee, missed trash/towel service on the appropriate “day”, and the trash all around the hallways and near elevators. I expected this response but at least received a phone call during my stay to address the feedback.

 

[notatallmagic]

I have always found Housekeeping at the Universal Orlando resorts to be top notch. Their responsiveness is excellent, and I really appreciate that. The cleanliness is on point too.

I have gravitated away from staying at Disney resorts due to all the housekeeping problems, especially at Pop Century. The floors are FILTHY, and that was before Covid. I can't imagine what shape the rooms are in now. Your feet turn black from walking on the unwashed flooring, so you must wear shoes every time you walk on the floor. That is like staying in a 3rd world country... and I'm asked to pay premium prices for that kind of garbage? NOPE! (And yes, I started out by leaving my shoes inside by the front door when I came back to the room)

I tried to get the dirty floors addressed with the housekeeper by requesting a wet mopping, but she indicated that all she had was a dry Swiffer. I then talked to a manager and their solution was to move me into another room. I turned that down because I had 2 friends staying in other rooms at Pop during that time and they were reporting that the floors were filthy in their rooms as well. Then I thought to use some pool towels to wet and clean the floor parts that I walked on myself. That was ineffective because the floors were just too dirty. It was disgusting!

Let's be honest... we never had this problem when there was carpet in the room. My socks stayed white because they were not cutting corners when they cleaned the room.

If Disney would just pay the Housekeepers a decent living wage, they would not have the staffing problems that they have now. It has not occurred to people that they are paying the price for Disney's reluctance to adequately pay what the market will bear to their housekeeping staff. Perhaps Disney should spend less time pandering to the stock profits and invest more in the employee and guest experience.

The other huge thing that keeps me away from Disney resorts is the random intrusion of any employee into my room at any time for a security theater check. In my opinion it is only a matter of time until an assault occurs. During a stay at Pop in December a few years ago the CM that was doing a room check was wearing a jacket that was not part of his costume and it was covering his name tag. From appearances it could have been any stranger knocking on the door demanding entry to the room. As a solo female traveler at times this is a HUGE NOPE.

I really don't know what Disney is thinking with these awful guest experience conditions, but I've found a place to stay off site that I am really happy with. The price is way lower than what Disney charges and I get a suite with a kitchen and full-size fridge... No more 60 degree, tiny "beverage cooler". There are no resort or parking fees, and full amenities are available, so there is no compromising. My place even throws in a free continental breakfast. People should really shop around and investigate finding a place off site. Utilizing LYFT means that you don't even have to rent a car, and that is way more convenient than using Disney transportation. Good riddance to waiting for over an hour to get back to your resort mid-day.

Staying off site means lower pricing and better quality. When you stay off site you are staying at a place where their hotel is their only concern. If they don't get it right, they don't have any excuses to fall back on, like justifying crappy rooms and lame customer service because you get to go to their theme park. Every guest is valued, they are not offered less because they are considered a "Value" or a "Moderate" guest. That is another bull excuse that Disney uses.

The new 'Disney Direction' seems to be stratifying guests and treating them as less because of where they are staying. This is inexcusable, especially considering how obscene the prices are. Raise those prices and remove the offerings. Trash and dirty towels all over the hallways? Do it yourself housekeeping? That is not happening at offsite hotels. You pay less and you get more. People need to wake up.


~NM

and Amen to the Pop Century floors being filthy!

We try to avoid carpet due to a dust allergy, but how is keeping these floors clean so difficult? My kids learned how to clean hard wood/laminate floors when they were about 8. And like you said, the floors are dirty at check in; by the 7th day...it's downright disgusting.

 

[Avery&Todd]

Wanted to post a follow up from my recent BC stay. I used the emailed link to submit feedback to resort management about the housekeeping situation. A manager called during our stay and we had a nice conversation. He admitted that it’s a staffing issue and they are desperately trying to hire more housekeeping staff. He also said that all resorts are receiving many guest complaints about this, but especially at the Deluxe resorts. I mentioned how the GF did trash/towels/supply service each day during our stay and that was a big improvement over the service at YC/BC. He said that the GF is “testing” the daily modified housekeeping service to see how guests like it. I was very clear that for the prices charged by Disney, we expect better than the modified service. I am willing to give a pass now due to the staffing situation, but guest expectations will continue to increase as things normalize. He was very apologetic for the specific issues we encountered- told it wasn’t our “day” to receive towels/supplies, the struggle with getting extra coffee, missed trash/towel service on the appropriate “day”, and the trash all around the hallways and near elevators. I expected this response but at least received a phone call during my stay to address the feedback.

For your GF stay, did they restock daily the shampoo/lotion, etc or did you have to request that? What about Coffee?

We're staying in a Villa in November and I'm hoping that's what we receive!!

I'm OK with not having my bed made daily and we're only there 4 days so DH and I can use the towels provided!

Thanks!

 

[OhioWDWDuo]

For your GF stay, did they restock daily the shampoo/lotion, etc or did you have to request that? What about Coffee?

We're staying in a Villa in November and I'm hoping that's what we receive!!

I'm OK with not having my bed made daily and we're only there 4 days so DH and I can use the towels provided!

Thanks!

We didn’t have to request anything at GF! Plenty of extras, both toiletries and coffee, were restocked daily. It was so nice! We didn’t realize how nice this was until we moved resorts, lol!
Enjoy your stay!!!

 

[Avery&Todd]

We didn’t have to request anything at GF! Plenty of extras, both toiletries and coffee, were restocked daily. It was so nice! We didn’t realize how nice this was until we moved resorts, lol!
Enjoy your stay!!!

EEEEEEKKKKK!!!! So excited to hear this and makes me even more ready for our trip!

This trip was quite the planning craziness and I'm glad we finally ended up at the VGF!! We stayed at GF back in 2016 but this is our first time in a villa..

 

[Sakura1017]

I would definitely be mad if staying at a deluxe hotel and you can't get extra towels. Trash im fine with every other day, but i feel towels are more needed. I hope when club level returns to hotels it will be a daily basis.

 

[Jen_R]

We'll be arriving at the Poly on the 23rd and I'll be honest in saying that we're not thrilled that this situation still hasn't improved. Being able to splurge on Disney means that I take on many extra duties at work for extra pay (I'm a teacher) and work a 2nd job to ensure we can save for bills and vacation. I don't mean to come across as entitled or snobbish...but my Disney vacation is the one time that I do like to just feel a bit spoiled.

We are trying to go into this with a positive attitude because we'll be at Disney and that's the most important thing. To make the best of it, we're planning the following:

• Bringing larger garbage bags. I really appreciate people here who've suggested this.
• Requesting extra towels immediately (and doing so any time we feel we need extra or clean ones)
• Requesting clean sheets a couple of times during the 10 nights we're there.

Any other suggestions? I'm thinking that the toiletries at the Poly aren't the individual ones any more so we are hopefully good there. What about coffee in the room? I'm thinking of getting refillable mugs so we don't have to worry about making coffee in the room if this is a problem.

Even though we're an extremely neat and tidy sort of group, I'm worried about what the room will be like if they don't come and do some light cleaning during our stay.

 

[MicheyMouse]

if you are convenient to the drink stations with coffee definitely do the refillable mug. They did not open until 7am at CSR though. Save(hide) the few in room ones for your extra early days and hope you get refills or request them early with your towels. We also enjoyed the light lemonade at night after long park days.

 

[Lewisc]

We'll be arriving at the Poly on the 23rd and I'll be honest in saying that we're not thrilled that this situation still hasn't improved. Being able to splurge on Disney means that I take on many extra duties at work for extra pay (I'm a teacher) and work a 2nd job to ensure we can save for bills and vacation. I don't mean to come across as entitled or snobbish...but my Disney vacation is the one time that I do like to just feel a bit spoiled.

We are trying to go into this with a positive attitude because we'll be at Disney and that's the most important thing. To make the best of it, we're planning the following:

• Bringing larger garbage bags. I really appreciate people here who've suggested this.
• Requesting extra towels immediately (and doing so any time we feel we need extra or clean ones)
• Requesting clean sheets a couple of times during the 10 nights we're there.

Any other suggestions? I'm thinking that the toiletries at the Poly aren't the individual ones any more so we are hopefully good there. What about coffee in the room? I'm thinking of getting refillable mugs so we don't have to worry about making coffee in the room if this is a problem.

Even though we're an extremely neat and tidy sort of group, I'm worried about what the room will be like if they don't come and do some light cleaning during our stay.

Bring large bags. Do we see a big issue? Not only are we doing housekeeping we're bringing supplies? I'll put my overflowing waste basket in the hall before I'll bring garbage bags

 

[JCornell]

We just got back from a stay in Grand Destino Tower and were not fans of the current state of housekeeping. It's summer and we tend to shower in the evening and the morning and needed to request additional towers multiple times and housekeeping never left extra even when we made a request with guest services and left a note in the room. We also had to call for toilet paper which they never replenished. I want to be sympathetic to the current staffing issue but we're still paying full price (plus extra for our children who are now considered adults) for a subpar experience. We're really hoping this is temporary and gets back to normal soon.

 

[condorthb]

We just got back from a stay in Grand Destino Tower and were not fans of the current state of housekeeping. It's summer and we tend to shower in the evening and the morning and needed to request additional towers multiple times and housekeeping never left extra even when we made a request with guest services and left a note in the room. We also had to call for toilet paper which they never replenished. I want to be sympathetic to the current staffing issue but we're still paying full price (plus extra for our children who are now considered adults) for a subpar experience. We're really hoping this is temporary and gets back to normal soon.

That's why we always bring a extra 4-pack of double roll toilet paper

 

[Jen_R]

We just got back from a stay in Grand Destino Tower and were not fans of the current state of housekeeping. It's summer and we tend to shower in the evening and the morning and needed to request additional towers multiple times and housekeeping never left extra even when we made a request with guest services and left a note in the room. We also had to call for toilet paper which they never replenished. I want to be sympathetic to the current staffing issue but we're still paying full price (plus extra for our children who are now considered adults) for a subpar experience. We're really hoping this is temporary and gets back to normal soon.

This is what we're afraid of. I do feel bad that they are struggling with staffing issues but also feel if they are, they shouldn't be opening any other hotels until they can service what is already open. Like you, we're paying full price and it should include the things we need to stay in the room. Extra towels are a must. Not having toilet paper would make me really unhappy. Only a little over two weeks until we arrive and I hope the reports of room servicing improve a bit.

 

[Spaceguy55]

We will be at POP for 3 nights on the 4th of July weekend, expecting the worse but as long as there are enough towels and coffee we'll be fine.
Are they still doing room checks during the day... seems like they shouldn't have enough CM's for that now, if they are maybe they should be bringing towels..

The hallways are full of garbage bags at times and yet they are still doing room checks and stepping over the garbage to do it

 

[Crazy4DisneyandTink]

We just got back from a stay in Grand Destino Tower and were not fans of the current state of housekeeping. It's summer and we tend to shower in the evening and the morning and needed to request additional towers multiple times and housekeeping never left extra even when we made a request with guest services and left a note in the room. We also had to call for toilet paper which they never replenished. I want to be sympathetic to the current staffing issue but we're still paying full price (plus extra for our children who are now considered adults) for a subpar experience. We're really hoping this is temporary and gets back to normal soon.

I guess I'll be packing toilet paper in our checked bags.

 

[OThopeful35]

So let me get this straight ....I need to bring toilet paper, garbage bags, towels and a swifferwhen i check in.

 

[ajrwdwgirl]

Just returned home from a 15 night stay at the Pop. Service over all came every other day, but sometimes it was every 3rd day. I think that was because we were often back in the room napping when they would come by and had the room occupied sign up then. We requested morning service that that happened one day but we were told it couldn't be guaranteed.

One time I returned to the room and there was a housekeeping cart and housekeeper cleaning in our neighbors room. I opened our door and it hasn't been serviced yet. So I decided just wait a bit before going in, since it was our "day" to be serviced. And sure enough the housekeeper skipped our room! That was annoying.

Although one day, about 5 days in we returned to the room and our beds had been changed and made! We were very pleased and shocked about that. It didn't happen again.

 

[dmband]

here a week, one day got towels and one day got actual cleaning/sheets/towels

 

[disny_luvr]

here a week, one day got towels and one day got actual cleaning/sheets/towels

Where are you staying?