Have I got low standards?

[Buttercup]

:mickey:
I often read posts about how people are disgusted by their rooms at various Disney resorts. But in all honesty, I've never really come across anything horrible in 30+ years of going to WDW.

The worst thing I've encountered was when I stayed one night at All Star Music (the rest of my reservation was beginning the next day at Ft. Wilderness). It was a very busy time of year so all the rooms were booked full - and since I was only there for one night, I think I got relegated to the absolute furthest room from the main building/lobby! Normally no big deal -- the only thing I noticed was that the shampoo/conditioner set in the room was the old-style red & black mickey bottles (before the current blue ones that have been around quite a while). So my guess is that nobody had stayed in there for a long time since the old shampoos were still there! But it wasn't a dirty room or anything. Just something I noticed!

So really, are my standards super low? I always find the beds comfy, the sheets clean, the bathroom in good shape...
When people say their rooms were awful, what was so bad about them? :confused:

[lawgirl]

Interesting post...I've never had a bad room either. I've never had a dirty room- the bathroom has always been spotless, beds comfy, etc...of course its not the Ritz or Four Seasons, but I've always found the rooms to be very comfortable, and the theming immaculate.

[retiredfigment]

Agreed. Of course the family does call me 'Pollyanna'. Never a bad experience and always the most magical place on Earth.

[2Epcot]

I don't think I've ever had any bad room experiences. There are resorts I liked better than others for various reasons, but the rooms themselves have always been great.

[gauvin4]

I have never had a bad experience either and I have stayed in value, mod & deluxe resorts. Like a previous poster said I have my favorites but it doesn't have anything to do with cleanliness of the rooms.

[Gregandmel]

I don't think your standards are low - I think sometimes other people's standards and expectations are too high maybe?? We stayed at POFQ and I was a bit nervous as some people posted how much they didn't enjoy their experience - the rooms were dated, etc.... but we were thrilled with our accomodations. We are always just so darn happy to be having a Disney vacation that we probably overlook the little things that other people may pick out. But we are pretty easy to please anyways but I think it's usually "all about the attitude". :thumbsup: However, some people do have legitimate complaints that I've read. Disney isn't perfect - but it's pretty close in my opinion! :cloud9:

[SBETigg]

I don't think your standards are low. I think complaints stand out more. Since you mentioned it in a positive light, this whole thread will probably be taken up by most of us who have had great experiences and no complaints about our rooms. :)

Also, I think Disney vacations might stretch the budget for some. Some people are possibly paying more than they normally pay for a room, so they're expecting perfection along with some bells and whistles. But the fact is that just because it's Disney doesn't mean regular hotel issues won't come up, like an occasional shabby patch on a rug, a spot on a comforter, or a bug in the room. Things happen. I have stayed in lots of hotels and many different price points and what you're paying for is usually location, while rooms, beds, and baths are much the same at any hotel-- with some outstanding exceptions on both ends of the budget.

[Mickey'sGirl]

We have spent hundreds of nights at WDW hotels ... at all different levels ... and we have only had issues once (at the Wilderness Lodge :sick: )... and the one time we caused the issue at POFQ :secret: (But that's another story!) I think people like to complain ... especially when things don't turn out how they imagine them to be when looking forward to a holiday. I think because there is such a cost associated with staying at Disney, that we expect things to be a certain way, and topped of with Pixie Dust and Neverland Dreams. When a hotel room is just a hotel room, there's space for disappointment.

[Ms. Mode]

On our second trip to WDW we stayed at POP and our room was not kept at the same standard that it had been two years before. Having said that, the room was still as good or better than other resorts we have stayed at in the past. I always say that a room at WDW is better than any place else...and it's true!

I guess, like others have stated, that people think they are paying for perfect...actually it's more like..location, location, location. :thumbsup:

[BugeyedMuggy]

We have always been happy with mousekeeping but we do leave a note if anything else is needed so you don't dwell on it all vacation. The cost of Disney hotels (esp at peak) is a bit higher than most comparable outside the World but that's what you pay extra for. That may be why people want more for their money.

[DizneyRox]

Surprisingly, I was thinking the same thing. I don't think I've ever had a disgusting room, or at least nothing stands out. I have stayed elsewhere and found unmentionables in rooms, food, etc, but never at Disney. I've gone so much that the law of averages would seem to indicate I should have however. I'm also not all that demanding on vacation. Everything doesn't have to be perfect because I've paid a ton of money and I deserve it...

The cast at the resorts is another issue, but the rooms, not so much...

[cajunprincess]

I have never had a terrible room either! The only complaint I have EVER had at a Disney hotel was when we broung my son who was 22 months at the time, he spilt his fruit loops on the floor. Of course we picked them up but the crumbs stayed in teh carpet for our entire 9 day trip. I am one of the people who NEVER complain unless the a/c isn't working but in my opinion, a room at any Disney Resort is better than being anywhere else on the entire earth!!!!!:cloud9:

[clausjo]

Add me to the list of happy visitors as well. We've stayed many, many nights at various Disney properties, mostly value and moderate and have always been very pleased. As long as the room is clean, I'm happy. I can honestly say that I've never had a room that wasn't clean in any of the times I've stayed there, and that's one of the reasons why we continue to go back.

Off property is another story . . .

[Mousemates]

I think that when it comes to room cleanliness (and many, many other things) at WDW there are two extremes that often come into play.

1. Unreasonably high expectations ...some folks seemingly arrive with expectations that Disney is truly a "different world" where everything is magically perfect and not subject to the general rules of life and its randomness that apply elsewhere on the planet. (i.e. whereas we might not be overly upset when we encounter a less than perfectly clean room with say a cobweb in the corner at the Comfort Inn at Podunk Beach...at WDW it upsets some folks because it pokes a hole in their "perfect world" expectations. And thus that cobweb gets blown out of proportion. And as Disneyrox mentioned above, the higher costs of an on property stay do tend to fuel this mindset.

2. Pollyanna-ism... and what I am referring to here are the folks who also believe that WDW is "Another World" as well...but here instead of overly high expectations making them impossible to please --they actually become less discerning consumers and will become accepting of levels of service that they likely would not tolerate at other places....simply because it is Disney.

folks, who fall into this line of thinking will sometimes try to talk the dissatsified in their parties out of registering a complaint, will make excuses for poor service (they must just be having a bad day), or even get upset with people that point out the deficiencies. Any criticism on WDW (even mousekeeping) is taken as a personal affront.

So are your expectations low...I doubt it. My trips to WDW began in the early seventies and have increased in frequency through the years. We have traveled the entire lower forty-eight and stayed at some pretty nice places along the way...but my favorite place to vacation is still WDW. The overall cleanliness and suitability of our rooms have varied somewhat from stay to stay and we have had a couple times where we refused the room assigned or demanded a move because of in-room issues (once for a musty/smoky smell and the other time because of some water issues related to a leaky sprinkler system in the wall at the CB)...we have also had to make some maintenance requests along the way (broken bathroom doorknob that cut my hand at the Music and an AC issue at CSR).

But none of those issues were trip-ruiners by any stretch of the imagination...and in each case Disney was quick to address the situation and "make things right."

And that is what probably has kept me so firmly in the WDW fold (so to speak)...I do not expect perfection at WDW...but I do expect them to take care of the real issues that I bring to their attention when (in my experience) those rare miscues occur. They have met that expectation. :mickey:

[mickeefan]

We have not had any bad experiences either. I will add that the most immaculately clean rooms we have ever had are our stays at Boardwalk Villas and Beach Club Villas.

[megustamex]

We've stayed at almost all the Disney deluxe resorts and the values, several times. I really have had the same level of housekeeping at both levels. Where I notice the difference is in the speed of service. At the value resorts, it takes a long time to get more towels or something cleaned, where at the deluxe resorts, they are on it in 5-10 minutes. But it always gets resolved in the end. And the one time it didn't after 3 requests, and I spoke to a manager, they promptly refunded me $50 for one night. But that was a rarity, and we've stayed probably 100 nights in the values. So it's more a matter of patience with the value resorts than anything.

[MOJoe]

I think when people get upset, money is usually the issue. Staying at a Disney resort, especially a Deluxe or even a Mod, is considerably more expensive than comparable accomodations elsewhere. So when people say their room was "awful", what they may mean is that "For what we paid for this room, we expected much more." Like bigger rooms, more luxurious furnishings, marble bathroom floors and such.
I know that the first time i stayed at Disney i was somewhat surprised that the rooms seemed no better than any standard motel room. And though i had no complaints, i would imagine that those who do complain are first timers as well.

[azcavalier]

We've never had an actual room issue, just issues with service. And service, even at Disney, is largely going to depend on the Cast Members, and the kind of day they've had.

And, in thinking about it, in the nine years that we've been going to WDW, I can only think of twice that we had bad service at a resort. Once was at All Star Sports, and then when we went to the Villas at Wilderness Lodge. That time is was more of a miscommunication than a service issue.

[Gator]

I always shake my head when I read all the bad reports of unclean Disney rooms that must need refurbishment. I've been 5 times, and have yet to come back to my room and it was not clean - except when I rented those DVC points and didn't realize that mousekeeping came by every 3-4 days. Even still, I didn't walk into the room, look under the bed searching for dust bunnies, or use a PH test to check for mold in the shower. I don't get the ultra-clean attitude - have these people spent anytime in South America?

[Daisy'sMom]

We have had only one problem and that was at the CSR. The toilet was not clean when we arrived. It was taken care right away and not an issue. People always will find a reason to be unhappy, especially when they are spending alot of their money. :mickey:

[PopPhan]

In 9 trips over the past 7 years, the only 'concern' we have had was with a Studio room at BWV....The quilt on the bed had noticeable stains, the furniture had enough dust to write our names in, and we bumped the air handler and knocked the cover off to find a filter so blocked with dirt and grime that we had to report it. The filter had a date written on it, less than a month prior to our arrival. If that is how much accumulates on the filter in a month, they need to have their ductwork professionally cleaned!! (I work for an HVAC manufacturer!!)

[BluewaterBrad]

I have been staying on property since 1974. The only "problem" we have had was one day our "mousekeeper" forgot to leave coffee one morning. I will not comment on the complainers. Our moderators will delete my comments. Hopefully the complainers will not return.:mickey:

[MississippiDisneyFreak]

Nope, we've never had a complaint about the cleanliness of our rooms at WDW resorts (we've stayed values and moderate level)...and I think my standards for cleanliness are normal to high...

having said that we stayed one night in the Best Western in Down Town once and it was disgusting...mold all over the bathroom, hair all over floor and tub and the non smoking room smelled like an old ash tray...we actually paid more for this room than we've ever paid for a Disney owned room too!

[buzznwoodysmom]

Our issue with the values has nothing to do with the room being clean, we've had dirty rooms just about everywhere we've stayed (but that's a whole other discussion). We just feel we've outgrown the size of the rooms. Just this past Oct. we stayed for 2 nights at All Star Sports, then switched to Port Orleans French Quarter for 4 nights and the size of the room really made a difference. I knew the mods were bigger, but I was shocked at how much more room we felt we had once we switched. We also don't like the bus set up at the values. I like to be able to be under cover when waiting for the bus, rather than in a line in the sun. And lastly, in our experience the value resorts were so LOUD. When we stay at the mods and deluxe resorst we never encountered loud guest areas like we do at the values.

[Jayna222]

With all the trips I've had to WDW, I've only had 1 problem. Me and my then bf were staying at All Star Sports. When we first got to our room after we checked in and opened the door, we noticed it was a mess....trash still in the cans from the previous people, beds not made and stuff and crumbs on the floor. We immediately went back to the front desk and told them that our room wasn't ready or clean from the previous people, and they then gave us a different room. Other than that, no problems!

[LVT]

Good thinking. I think the same range of response and reasoning goes for all complaints. The range of ratings on restaurants and the ride likes and dislikes certainly bear out your theories.

[Mickeysbrother]

Great post! Too many times we only hear about bad experiences here on the message board. My family and I have never had a bad experience with the rooms at WDW and we've spent most of our trips at the value resorts. I'd rather be at a Disney value resort than any 5 star hotel anywhere else.

[rubato]

We've never had any negatives about resorts either. We've stayed value, moderate and camped at Ft. Wilderness. We've never had one complaint about anything.

Now, dining is a different story. ;)

[MarkC]

I am not a complainer at all, and have generally loved everything about Disney. However, there was the one time we stayed at All Star Sports. They told us after the first day we had to move to a different room-- not sure why. They were supposed to move our luggage but didn't and it took us 3 times to locate it, which they finally did back in our old room which for some reason was still not rented. So why did we have to move? Anyway, when we finally got to the new room, it had someone else's magazines and a blonde wig in the middle nightstand. The bathroom sink was not cleaned. It was a joke by any standards let alone Disney's. The manager did apologize and they took off one nights charges, but that was a really, really bad experience that I couldn't believe happened. I think it was almost midnight by the time we got our luggage and could brush our teeth, etc.

Other than that, lots of great memories with no problems.

[mom2morgan]

I was thinking exactly that - My first thought was that I've been pretty happy with my Disney rooms and wonder if the complainers are just used to real luxury digs (lets face it, some Disney goers are pretty well off!). But I must admit that my rooms haven't be "extraordinary" and where I live I could get 5 star luxury for what I have to pay at Disney, even for a Moderate. Same goes for food of course - it is fine, but I could get much BETTER meals for the same cash here. (I am serious when I say that my tip at the Cali Grill would pay for a dinner out here)


I think when people get upset, money is usually the issue. Staying at a Disney resort, especially a Deluxe or even a Mod, is considerably more expensive than comparable accomodations elsewhere. So when people say their room was "awful", what they may mean is that "For what we paid for this room, we expected much more." Like bigger rooms, more luxurious furnishings, marble bathroom floors and such.
I know that the first time i stayed at Disney i was somewhat surprised that the rooms seemed no better than any standard motel room. And though i had no complaints, i would imagine that those who do complain are first timers as well.

[Donald's Girl]

Boy, am I glad I'm not the only one to ask that question! In fact, I just had the conversation with my husband after returning from POFQ. I'm trying to figure out if possibly we had a refurbished room or I'm just ignorant as to what is considered "acceptable"!

When I read some of the critical posts I laugh and hope these people never come visit my house! And, anybody who takes the time to see if there is any mildew behind the toilet (as I've seen mentioned) really needs to evaluate how to spend vacation time!

[TheVBs]

We have never had a bad room experience at Disney either. :mickey: Our expectations are not influenced by cost. We've stayed in some really nice hotels in other places for less. But, we opt to pay more for a Disney property to take advantage of the transportation and the complete immersion you get with the themeing. Our rooms have always been clean, nicely decorated and we've had wonderful experiences with the CMs. We always stay at All Star Music and we always have a blast!

[princessjojo]

Most of our trips, we've had nothing to complain about at all. It is afterall a hotel room where hundreds of people stay. Things get used, worn, and unfortunatly missed on occasion.

That said, one of our visits to SSR, we had a trying time but for a number of different reasons, only one of which had to do with cleanliness. Our first day was long and after returning that evening I went to take a shower. Looked along the tile and there was mold in the grout along the wall, corners and floor. I happened to have a small amt of dry bleach with us for laundry purposes and used it to clean the shower and just kept moving along. We also filled the tub one evening and there was frothy "funk" coming from the jets of the jacuzzi. But with that, it is what it is, a source where you can't dry with a towel, and it just sits and grows. Oh well... We did mention it on check-out and took it with a grain of salt.

I guess we, as vacationers, feel that a "vacation" is a chance to get away and be in the land of perfect. But to err is human, to forgive is devine...

Now our other issues that same stay took much longer to resolve, and my persistance to have wrongs made right took hold, but none the less, they were taken care of.

[Granny Jill A]

Your standards are just fine. If you want an example of a disgusting room, I can give you a Ramada Inn where my mother and I stayed outside of Topeka, KS (no longer in business, so I can probably mention the name).:sick:

Disney rooms are very reliable, for the most part. Considering the number of people who pass through them in a season, they are quite acceptable.:D

[JerseyDad]

......we've never had any problem with cleanliness of the rooms during any of our stays at WDW. And...since we pretty much have only stayed at POP.....I think that's a pretty good review for that resort in particular (repeatedly having a good cleanliness record)

[Not2Loud]

The only issue I had was with Mousekeeping taking my stuff! I was staying at POFQ for two night while in the Orlando area for a wedding. Why not stay at my favorite place!!??

Anyways, I took my suitcase with me as it was just a small carry-on and had surrounded the wedding gift I was giving by some clothes in the bag. I left some clothes in the room and a few things I had picked up for my daughter to take home.

When I got back late that night, my room was clean, but missing all of my things! They gave me a $200 credit or so for the missing items - so no real complaints. I am just glad I had a few clothes left in my bag with me!

[Mogie]

Nah youre normal. The worst Ive ever experienced was a smoky room or maybe a few amenities missing but thats easily fixed.

Keep in mind that 9 out of 10 reviews people take the time to write are negative. Think about the number of actual stays per room in each hotel per year. There are bound to be some mistakes made by the staff and an unlucky guest that has to deal with a mess.

[cannotbelieveweowndvc]

I can honestly say our stays and even our day trips have been nothing but magical and great! So many people around us complain but I can't think of anything to complain about. I am always so gratful just to be on property!

[SandmanGStefani24]

well gotta agree with the others here...i havent had any major issues with value resorts. the only real gripe i have with them is the noise and poor sound insulation. still it's not enough to keep me away from them. they are still good value, fun to stay at and have always been pretty darn clean.

[jonahbear2006]

we had a problem once in the past 6 trips that was worth mentioning. por and the room was dirty and our children were allergic to something in the room. they only broke out when we were in the room. when we told them they told housekeeping to clean the room and change linens and they didnt do anything but change sheets and i dont even think she spoke better than broken english. she never took her tips from us even though we put them in envelopes w a date, said mousekeeping, and placed on the bed. They broke out for the entire 2 weeks we were there, only in the room. during the day they were fine. management told us there were no rooms to move us to and no open resorts to switch to. I even took photos and showed them how bad their bodies looked. This is the only case in which I was genuinely upset that disney didnt do a better job, but i think it was the manager i talked to. He was rude at check in, as well.

[lovinmesomedisney]

My theory is that some people will never be satisfied, no matter where they stay. Honestly, my favorite resorts are the values. I love the theming and the atmosphere. Seems much more DISNEY LIKE to me. We have stayed at the values, the moderates and the deluxe, such as Contemporary and Saratoga Springs. I prefer the values any day! I really feel a sense of being in Disney World when I stay at the values. The Contemporary and especially Saratoga, just seemed like any hotel in any part of the country.