Walt Disney World Resort to "Green" All Resort Hotels by Earth Day 2008

[Remzlightyear]

Boy, sounds like a lot of you are for saving the planet, as long as it does not inconvinience you. With proper insulation, rooms stay pretty cool during the day. Besides, Disney's A/C units are pretty powerful and cool down rooms in just minutes. I think it's a minor sacrafice that allows Disney to stay ahead of the game in the entertainmenmt industry. I don't suppose some of you turn off the A/C when no one's home?

[SurferStitch]

I feel I am about to get flamed....

For full disclosure, I am a "green" person. We recycle all plastics, cans, bottles, etc. We have one A/C unit in our home (not central air), which we turn off when we're not home. Lights go off when we're not in a room. My 11-year-old DD is well-trained for this. We take public transportation. We have only one bathroom in our home and it has a water-saver showerhead. I wash clothes in cold water. And our hot-water heater is at a medium setting.

HOWEVER....

When I am on a WDW vacation that I have saved every penny for, and paying lots of pennies for a luxury room, I want my luxury.

I want an air-conditioned room when I walk in. I want clean, dry towels every day. And above all, I WANT A GOOD SHOWER WITH LOTS OF WATER!

This is my vacation. I sacrifice all year. Can I just have one week where I don't have to sacrifice these things?

Won't get any flaming from me. I totally agree!

And no....I don't turn off the AC when we're not home. I set it at 75 during the day (if it's not terribly hot out), and set it to 71-73 for when we sleep.

I hate getting up in the middle of the night (especially at WDW) a sweaty mess because the air turned down/off. It's happened before (CBR, GF, POR), and it drives me nuts.

[SurferStitch]

Plus - this should not be new to any one that's visited WDW regularly over the past 2 decades.... You used to be able to walk through whatever park and feel a mega cold blast of AC when an attraction let out. That just doesn't happen anymore. Disney has been on this path for a long time.

Actually, I've noticed the gushing AC for the past 11 years we've been going to WDW. Especially the AC coming from the stores that leave their doors open.

[GrumpyFan]

We've stayed at Pop for the last 3 trips, and they have the sensors on the A/C thermostat. However, the only time I've noticed the temperature change is when we've been out of the room for the day. But, even then, it only takes about 30 minutes or so to get the temp back down to where we're comfortable.

I think Disney is already pretty close to being "green" at most of their hotels. So, it would seem that all they have left is to update the others so they are as well.

[Horizon93]

I don't suppose some of you turn off the A/C when no one's home?

Actually, we have a programmable thermostat that is programmed to increase the temperature significantly when we are not at home.

I completely support Disney in this case. I was only suggesting that the motion sensor method may not be the best. Green is the way to go.

[mttafire]

Green or not, All i care about is a cool room! As for the enviornment...I do my part but at times i think the whole "green" thing is just a fad. BUT...Im willing to participate if it actually does help.

[GrumpySue]

I feel I am about to get flamed....

For full disclosure, I am a "green" person. We recycle all plastics, cans, bottles, etc. We have one A/C unit in our home (not central air), which we turn off when we're not home. Lights go off when we're not in a room. My 11-year-old DD is well-trained for this. We take public transportation. We have only one bathroom in our home and it has a water-saver showerhead. I wash clothes in cold water. And our hot-water heater is at a medium setting.

HOWEVER....

When I am on a WDW vacation that I have saved every penny for, and paying lots of pennies for a luxury room, I want my luxury.

I want an air-conditioned room when I walk in. I want clean, dry towels every day. And above all, I WANT A GOOD SHOWER WITH LOTS OF WATER!

This is my vacation. I sacrifice all year. Can I just have one week where I don't have to sacrifice these things?

I agree 100%....I always reuse towels, recycle everything, take public transportation and do my part the other 50 weeks of the year. When I am paying $300-$400 a night for a vacation, I want a fresh towel EVERY DAY and a cool room. Sorry. The only GREEN thing here is the amount of money in Disney's pockets

[crazypoohbear]

I don't mind the a/c being off while I'm away. I do NEED my a/c on when I'm sleeping. Being large and perimenopausal and in Fla in August. I need to be really cool.

I only keep the heat on in my house at 64during the winter. Ask my sister, she usually wears a big sweater when she visits.

I also wake up when the a/c goes off at night, need the white noise.

too bad the couldn't make it programmable.
turn it off when you leave and set a time for it to kick back on
say 11:00pm when you know you'll be back to the room by 11;30.

[tltcats]

I'm all for "Green-ness" - but I agree with many of you about the A/C. The Swan has these kinds of units and (even though I love the Swan) - it's hot and sticky to come back to that room at the end of the day. They do turn off at night as well - we usually have to physically get out of bed and stand up to get the A/C to kick back on....I assume that's because of the location of the sensor - but just typical moving around in bed has never been enough movement to activate the sensor in my experience.

[tony2979]

It's always hard to take issue when a company is part of a program to save the earth isn't it?

The unfortunate truth is that while most of the things that are done do, to some effect, help the environment, the end result usually is green hotel=inconvience for the guests.

Another poster mentioned something to the effect of "everyone wants to save the earth until it causes a problem for them". In this case, I agree. While the trip is worth every penny, we scrimp all year to make sure that we are able to have a absolute blast for the week that we are at WDW. I simply do not accept that after paying quite a bit of money for a vacation, that I am forced to conserve energy, reuse towels, etc. I do that at home the other 51 weeks a year.

I did just call and found out that the resort we are staying in has not yet converted to the "Disney is pleased to select your room temp" thermostats, which I thought was great. I did tell her that if that change was made next year that we would heavily consider staying offsite. I was suprised that she was actually happy to get the feedback. She said that Disney is really trying to find the line between going green and guest satisfaction.

So anywho.....Plant trees, run the buses on ethanol, build solar panels.....just don't mess with my comfort and convience while I am paying a lot of money to be on vacation. Just my two cents.

[Quasimodo]

Green or not, All i care about is a cool room! As for the enviornment...I do my part but at times i think the whole "green" thing is just a fad. BUT...Im willing to participate if it actually does help.

I agree. I believe the green/global warming movement is a popular fad for most. But a true religion for others. Regardless of how you feel politically (and I in no way want to start a political debate about this), the changes Disney is making to "green" its hotels are so insignificant that they couldn't possibly have much of an impact on the environment. The power plants will still be there, producing millions of kilowatts of electricity every day. The water treatment facilities will still be treating millions of gallons of waste water, and the landfills will still be taking in thousands of tons of solid waste. It would take a huge, huge reduction in electrical and waste production to have a positive environmental impact. The amount of electricity and fuel consumed by WDW is so great, and the waste produced so vast, that the reduction from these changes will only be a drop in the bucket. Think of it this way: If I were going to pour a 55 gallon drum of crude oil into your backyard swimming pool, do you think it would make much of a difference if I agreed to reduced the amount I poured in by 15 gallons? Of course not. 40 gallons of oil would still pollute the pool. And thats more than a 25% reduction. However, it would save me the cost of 15 gallons of oil. At $70 a barrel, thats a $19 dollar savings! I suspect that is what this is truly all about. Its a cost cutting measure. Disney is utilizing what would otherwise be unpopular methods to cut the operating costs of its hotels. They couched these methods in the ever popular green movement so as to gain PC points with the public, but primarily to deflect the wrath of guests upset that their hotel rooms are hot and there are no clean towels when they return from a day in the parks. Hence this statement, "The biggest piece we're missing is really making sure that cast members understand what we're doing in case guests ask." Translation: "We want to be sure our cast members tell our guests that the reason their room is hot and there are no clean towels is because we are trying to protect the environment. Not because we are trying to cut costs at the expense of their comfort."

[mttafire]

I agree. I believe the green/global warming movement is a popular fad for most. But a true religion for others. Regardless of how you feel politically (and I in no way want to start a political debate about this), the changes Disney is making to "green" its hotels are so insignificant that they couldn't possibly have much of an impact on the environment. The power plants will still be there, producing millions of kilowatts of electricity every day. The water treatment facilities will still be treating millions of gallons of waste water, and the landfills will still be taking in thousands of tons of solid waste. It would take a huge, huge reduction in electrical and waste production to have a positive environmental impact. The amount of electricity and fuel consumed by WDW is so great, and the waste produced so vast, that the reduction from these changes will only be a drop in the bucket. Think of it this way: If I were going to pour a 55 gallon drum of crude oil into your backyard swimming pool, do you think it would make much of a difference if I agreed to reduced the amount I poured in by 15 gallons? Of course not. 40 gallons of oil would still pollute the pool. And thats more than a 25% reduction. However, it would save me the cost of 15 gallons of oil. At $70 a barrel, thats a $19 dollar savings! I suspect that is what this is truly all about. Its a cost cutting measure. Disney is utilizing what would otherwise be unpopular methods to cut the operating costs of its hotels. They couched these methods in the ever popular green movement so as to gain PC points with the public, but primarily to deflect the wrath of guests upset that their hotel rooms are hot and there are no clean towels when they return from a day in the parks. Hence this statement, "The biggest piece we're missing is really making sure that cast members understand what we're doing in case guests ask." Translation: "We want to be sure our cast members tell our guests that the reason their room is hot and there are no clean towels is because we are trying to protect the environment. Not because we are trying to cut costs at the expense of their comfort."

100% agreed. Sometimes if something makes you "feel good" then it must be worth while. In reality, It doesnt make a bit of difference.

[Remzlightyear]

It's a collective effort. We are talking about more than one "swimming pool" here. Diesney has thousands and thousands of rooms. Maybe their ulterior motive is money, but at least it's for the good. In the end, Disney will bow down to guest pressure. But ask yourself this- Would you really stay off site and deal with the parking and driving back tired after a day at the park, or stay at a Disney resort, not have to worry about driving, and take a bus back to your resort whenever you want? Cold showers or a dip in the pool sounds good to me.

[Horizon93]

I think that we have strayed a bit off topic. The original post does not specifically address AC. It is mentioned as part of a list of great ideas here:

There are a multitude of things that they can do such as use low-flow bath fixtures, use energy efficient lighting and appliances, reuse towels and linens rather than replacing them daily, recycle and use products made from recycled materials, and install A/C units that shut off when no movement is detected in the room. Many of these things are in place already.

I think an overall effort on many fronts would indeed have an impact. As has been said, we are talking about thousands of rooms. The Swan has the AC sensors, and if it wasn't that I joined DVC I would still be staying there, and I love my AC.

I guess we DVC members are a little green with the towel situation.

[jedigrrrl]

When I was in Asia, several of the hotels used a different method for turning off the A/C instead of a motion dector. Upon entering the room you had to put your room key into a slot that would activate the A/C unit. When you left the room, and took the key, the unit would shut off. It doesn't solve the problem of a hot room when you come back, but it won't shut off when you're there.

LOL!! The 3 hotels i stayed in while I was in France and Spain a few years ago had that and if we had 2 keys, we'd leave one in all day or we stuck another type of card into the slot to keep the room cool while we were out in the sweltering summer weather.

[disguy]

I think it is great that disney hotels are going green HOWEVER, I do not like the automatic A/C.... Years ago when they 1st remodeled Port Orleans... they had the a/c that automatically turned off... at night when we were sleeping the a/c would turn off... so an answer to that is to put a balloon in the room.. to "trick" the a/c .. that worked for us...

otherwise YAY DISNEY FOR GOING GREEN!!

HEY! I remember that trip. Sleep - wake up - wave your arms around until the unit goes on - sleep - repeat. Ugh!

[Butterbean]

Long time reader, first time poster. I have to agree with a number of folks above. Going green is a noble endeavor, but in this case, it is not Disney that is actually going green, it is forcing it's guests to. These are all cost saves for Disney either by requiring less staff for mousekeeping or saving on utility costs, this is no win for the customer, but is a P.R. win for Disney. As an aside, it is almost a given that Disney will raise prices next year, so in effect, they decrease expenses and raise profits! It is a win-win for Disney with a feel good press spin on it. If they were truly going to be a "green" organization, they would do things that didn't impact the customer, but would truly save energy. For example, with the unused land around the parks, they could build a solar array or wind farm system to generate alternative power for the various electrical needs of the kingdom, but that would cost a lot of money with additional back up generators needed for no wind/no sun days. I am not knocking Disney for the P.R. move, I just don't agree with some of the posters that think this is a great idea and will help save the environment, when it is really just a move by Disney to wring extra cost out of the system using the current "Green Movement"

[lockedoutlogic]

While technically accurate...the sentiment of "it's really a PR move and won't make that much of a difference"....
pretty much sums up the problem with man's relationship with the environment.

In truth....global conservation should be something that is brought into the daily discussion...and to do so...must become part of our daily discourse.

So while disney's efforts are by and large for show....that type of for show policy may lead to more of them...and maybe even a general movement.

All of our scientists and world leaders have failed to address this issue properly...in 99% of the cases....

And that isn't politics...it is kinda a general realization that seems to becoming more apparent. Many of the things that signal a climate shift can be proven with fact at this point...thanks in part due to technologies like satellite and thermal imagery. We have also seen severe shifts in our global weather patterns...nowhere more prevalent than the recent years in the south pacific and western atlantic regions.....

So it may not be much...but at least disney is willing to make an attempt...and no matter what their motivations...it's difficult to find significant fault with the effort.

[Butterbean]

Good points, lockedout.
However, this policy is not really their effort, it is being forced on guests with very little inconvience to Disney, but potentially a good bit of inconvience to the guest. I personally agree with the poster above that discussed saving up for a vacation and then having it not be what you expected. My point was that if Disney was really serious about being green, they would find other ways that did not impact the guest. Sure every little bit of conservation helps the environment, but I think it should be a personal choice. I choose to keep my air conditioning programmed at 78 degrees in the Summer and the heat at 68 degrees in the Winter. I also take public transportation rather than drive every day, but both of these are personal choices driven more by financial considerations (can't stand a $300 gas/electric bill or $3.00 a gallon gas) than it is for "green" reasons, but if Disney wants to conserve, there are many other ways to do it rather than force the guests to do it for them.

[merlinmagic4]

Is the AC that big a deal? We stay in a 2 bedroom timeshare when we go and I turn the AC OFF (!!) when we leave for the day. It takes very little time to cool down a 1200 square foot condo. I would think a hotel room would be even quicker.