What DVC Property is Least Likely to Get You in By 4PM?

[gracemo]

I think we've had later than 4:00 check-ins at many of the resorts. I think the longest I ever waited was at PVB, but I learned from that time that occasionally the system to let you know your room is ready doesn't always work. Apparently my room was ready, but I never received the notification.

 

[zavandor]

I think compensation after 5 is reasonable, but compensation for anything a moment after 4 isn't. And I think that members have to realize that after 4 can mean AFTER 4. Which isn't 4:01. After 4 has been the communication for the entire 20+ years of my membership - it shouldn't be news to anyone. And then plan for "what if I can't get into the room until sometime after 4." That means having some plans - park, pool, minigolf, packing a carryon that will let you freshen up or change into a swimsuit, knowing where you are having dinner that isn't in the room, and scoping out somewhere young kids can rest - a resort quiet space.

Could Disney do better - sure - it might cost us more in dues. But we've been complaining about it for 20 years and they haven't. Spit in the wind if you want. I'd rather not get wet, myself. Hope for the best, plan for the worst.

That said, we've never had a room where the room was ready later than 3pm - and that was VAKL where we ended up with the worst savannah view possible. Most of the time our room is ready around noon or 1. Most of our stays at WDW have been at BWV (which is not the best resort for finding a quiet space for little ones to rest).

Why write "after 4pm" is it's not an internal target?
If it means "we can give you the room at any time but only after 4pm", then why they give it earlier. They should rather write "anytime after 1am". Or maybe specify no time at all and write "at our convenience".
If they write "after 4pm" it means that one should expect the vast majority of times to be given a room if they arrive after 4pm. If it's late, it's reasonable to expect an apology for a few minutes delay or compensation for longer waits.

I don't think they are doing anywhere close to their best. For 2022 $1.81 per point at BWV's went to housekeeping. That means that my 1 week stay in June at BWV in a 1BR Boardwalk View at 234 points cost me $423.54 in housekeeping. For that I get my room cleaned for check-in, some squirt bottles of soap on the wall, and some misc cleaning in the halls. Oh and I forgot maybe towels halfway thru the stay if they remember, which they rarely do now days. I am going to say that daily trash pickup is going under security, because that's why they are doing it. $423.54 for one cleaning. What are they paying that housekeeper? According to Glassdoor, Disney World house keepers get paid an average of $15-$17/hour. (I know the rate is going up, but this is for 2022 dues). So that $423.54 would be 24 worker hours. I'm sure there are some benefits in there as well so lets double the $17 to $34 and that's still 12 worker hours. Sure you have some misc items like cleaning solutions and what not. I would sure like to know the breakdown of that $423.54 housekeeping.

You also pay for the cleaning of common areas. Also, if you usually stay a week, you're subsidizing other owners.
A one week stay gets one towel change and one full cleaning. A one night stay gets one full cleaning. So 7 one-night reservations use almost 7 times the housekeeping you're getting.
Other timeshares use housekeeping credits, for every week worth of points an owner gets a credit. When they check in, if they've finished their credits they have to pay extra. It's fairer, but DVC members are used to have full flexibility, and apparently they like it that way.

 

[crisi]

Why write "after 4pm" is it's not an internal target?
If it means "we can give you the room at any time but only after 4pm", then why they give it earlier. They should rather write "anytime after 1am". Or maybe specify no time at all and write "at our convenience".
If they write "after 4pm" it means that one should expect the vast majority of times to be given a room if they arrive after 4pm. If it's late, it's reasonable to expect an apology for a few minutes delay or compensation for longer waits.

To set the expectation that it is after 4pm. The internal target might be much earlier than 4pm - maybe 2 or 3pm - heck maybe earlier (thus the knocking on doors at 9am to see if you've vacated). But they set the expectation at "after four" for the guests. Plus, Disney is the master of not committing - they don't want to have committed to any specific time at all, since that opens them up to complaints and perhaps even lawsuits. Much wiser to deliver a vague time that is later than their target that they can't be held to (thus after 4, not 4pm or before 4).

 

[zavandor]

To set the expectation that it is after 4pm. The internal target might be much earlier than 4pm - maybe 2 or 3pm - heck maybe earlier (thus the knocking on doors at 9am to see if you've vacated). But they set the expectation at "after four" for the guests. Plus, Disney is the master of not committing - they don't want to have committed to any specific time at all, since that opens them up to complaints and perhaps even lawsuits. Much wiser to deliver a vague time that is later than their target that they can't be held to (thus after 4, not 4pm or before 4).

They have chosen that language to muddle the waters, but we shouldn't get dazed by clever misdirection. We should get a room at 4pm. It may happen that one is not ready and it probably happens more often than with normal hotels because it's 99% occupancy, but when it does it's not normal. That's why compensation should be given if the delay is significant.

It has to be said, I've never received a room after 4pm (now I'm jinxing it), so they're not bad at it. But if it happens, I refuse to think it's normal just because they have used the word "after".

 

[WDWLODGE]

Out of our recent trips, Jambo House wasn't ready until after 5:30 & the Boardwalk around 4:30.

 

[SL6827]

Give them an inch, they will take mile. If people started a accepting a 6 pm check in time, Disney would be more than happy to oblige.

 

[thanxfornoticin]

Give them an inch, they will take mile. If people started a accepting a 6 pm check in time, Disney would be more than happy to oblige.

I'm not really sure that's how Disney views it - like they can get away with later check-ins. I really think it's a matter of several things working together on the day of check-in - how full is the resort, what size room are you moving into, and one that often goes unsaid - when did the previous guest actually get out of their room? We have seen on several occasions housekeeping having carts outside of a room, and the people only meandering out around 1:30/2PM. You must include rude guests in the equation for possible room availability. And I can't blame Disney for not having security forcing a family with kids out the door.... Not a good look....

We've checked in to DVC rooms perhaps a dozen times in the past 3-4 years - and we've had one time we only got in around 5:15. On average, we probably got our notifications by 2/3 PM. We've had similar experiences at other hotels around Florida and the country. Check in after 4PM, 5PM is pretty much the norm for hotels.

 

[Hubalorian]

I personally think the after 4 pm check in is for people with late flights. I don’t need my room ready by 4 if my flight doesn’t land until 6 or 7 PM. Letting Disney know this helps them prioritize the cleaning schedule. However, call offs, high turnover day and I’m sure a whole list of other factors can affect this as well

 

[MsChristy12]

I did the online check-in for SSR couple months ago, I got our villa # at 830AM!!
I also gave them the wrong building # when I put in my request, so I called their front desk to change building. CM said he had to ask a supervisor and call me back. Less than 20 mins later, supervisor called me back and said it was no problem at all, gave us a villa in the exact building I requested (and by now it was about 930am). Love it!

 

[crisi]

They have chosen that language to muddle the waters, but we shouldn't get dazed by clever misdirection. We should get a room at 4pm. It may happen that one is not ready and it probably happens more often than with normal hotels because it's 99% occupancy, but when it does it's not normal. That's why compensation should be given if the delay is significant.

It has to be said, I've never received a room after 4pm (now I'm jinxing it), so they're not bad at it. But if it happens, I refuse to think it's normal just because they have used the word "after".

I think we are in agreement. If there is a significant delay, some compensation can be given. But significant delay is not 4:01pm. I just don't think its misdirection - its Disney saying "hey, you might not get into your room until AFTER 4, plan accordingly." Like you, we've always gotten in a room well before 4 (I think the latest was a room ready text between 2 and 3 - we were in Epcot so it wasn't like we were sitting in the lobby) and I think the number of times that people wait until after 4 isn't high, but there are a lot of DVC Disboarders and when it does happen to someone here, we are likely to hear about it.

 

[MamaKate]

In all my stays, my rooms have been ready before 4pm. On some occasions really early.

The only time I've had a room ready after 4pm was at OKW and that was many, many years ago. I don't recall what time our room was eventually ready, but they did pay for dinner at Olivia's while we waited so I'm thinking it was around 6 or 7pm...

 

[Kmk2]

Checked in to Riviera on Tuesday. Arrived at the resort at 1:15 - got a text that our room was not ready yet. Went to the front desk and got key cards, and were told they’d try to get us our room as soon as possible. There were a lot of people waiting in the lobby that afternoon, and they seemed to be getting rooms one by one starting around 4:05. We got ours at 4:15, and others were still waiting.

This was our experience on our last trip to the Riviera — we noted the full lobby well after 4:01 on both our check in day and the next day. With people with suitcases waiting. I had the passing (tin foil) thought that they were holding rooms until 4 for some reason for some unknown reason.