At its best, staying at a Disney hotel is an integral part of the Disney World experience. However, there are certain trends we’re DONE with!
Let’s go to Disney World!
As Disney has Disney policies, these trends have us a bit concerned with the overall Disney hotel experience.
Rooms Not Ready
There are few things more frustrating than arriving at a hotel after a long day a travel only to find your room isn’t ready at the scheduled check-in time.
This can be especially frustrating at Disney World because, currently, guests staying at Disney World hotels have free access to one of the resort’s water parks on check-in day. While we obviously understand that at times delays happen, this issue seems to pop up with frustrating regularity.
If you get sick, your room is the best place for you to be
Check-Out Issues
From arrival to departure, Disney seems to have a slight check-out issue. According to Disney policy, “If you have a credit card on file — or you have a zero-dollar balance — it’s easy to check out of your room, with no need to stop by the Front Desk!
You can enjoy streamlined checkout through the My Disney Experience app. Just open the app menu and select “Hotel Reservations”. Then select “View Charges” to begin checking out. If you forget—no worries, you’ll be automatically checked out at our checkout time, 11:00 AM.”
Mobile Checkout Sign
However, some guests have fun into an issue where if they leave the grounds of their hotel — say to make a quick final rope drop visit to a park or grab a final breakfast at a different hotel — they are then automatically checked out of their hotel and are unable to get back into their room and retrieve their belongings even prior to 11:00 AM.
Yum!
While there are ways around this, like bringing all of your belongings to Luggage Assistance if you’re planning to leave your room that morning, for example, it shouldn’t be an issue in the first place, and we hope Disney works this issue out quickly.
The luggage assistance desk!
Late Night Food Options
If you decide to stay at one of Disney World’s theme parks until close, by the time you return to your hotel, you may be out of luck if looking for a late-night snack.
This is especially true if you’re at a park that’s on the opposite end of the property. On a night when the Magic Kingdom closes at 10:00 PM, it will likely take guests about an hour to get back to Pop Century, where the Everything Pop! shop and food court closes at 11:00 PM. While we obviously understand that these outlets need to close for the night, an extra hour of operation could potentially make a massive difference for many guests.
Everything Pop Shopping and Dining
These troubling Disney hotel trends need to be nipped in the bud ASAP. Stay tuned to DFB for more on the Disney World experience.
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I totally agree with all of these. I know while in my room before 11am check out, someone knocks on door or calls the room. If I didn’t answer, I imagine that since I am gone, they assume checked out. 11am period, unless you inform them otherwise.
People need to be better behaved. Children learn from their parents. I say something. After all, it’s my vacation too & I paid the same as they did.
Let me get this straight the first thing u do is complain that the rooms aren’t ready when you get there then the very next thing you complain is that ppl can’t leave their luggage in the room all day when they go to the park. I’m sorry, when is Housekeeping supposed to clean the room for the next guest? Contrary to popular belief Disney doesn’t actually run on magic and pixie dust. You can’t just wave a magic wand and have 200 plus rooms magically clean themselves at the same time instantly. Like what?
As for checking out… If you are going to a rope drop – go… Just as the desk to hold your luggage, they WILL for free.. you can pick it up when you are ready to leave… I do it almost every time I am on property. Check out time doesn’t change just because you want “one last foot in a park”…
I think the issue isn’t wanting extra time in your room. It’s when the room isn’t ready at the 3pm check-in time or when they automatically check you out before the 11am check out time.
Disney will pretty much do anything you want if you ask the right people. They want to be accom0dating.
My biggest issue is the auto check-out before 11:00 AM. If you bought a Disney room and paid their outrageous prices for it, then you should get what you paid for. It’s ridiculous for a family to have to pack up and drop their luggage off at 8:00 AM just to enjoy some of the parks. Once 11:00 hits, sure. Housekeeping needs to do their jobs. But to deny access to a family when they deserve it is poor customer service by the “Most magical place on earth.” Come on Disney. FIX THIS ISSUE!
I agree with Verna. I have left my luggage with the Hotel to make use of the day. Nobody has ever said no to me. I offer up tips to any employee who has gone above and beyond for me. I have had to force employees to take the tips. I appreciate people watching and I have the Hotel hold my luggage until I am ready to leave. I get a bad case of ” Disney Downs” for about2 weeks after I return home.
In the last 5year (only doing that since we come once a month) only 1 time was our room not ready at 4pm. Who cares your at the park and now free water park. Disney upgraded us and help us move all our luggage to the room and tip not allowed, per the supervisor. So relax your on vacation. The food cast members have to go home sometime. Pick up a snack at the park for your late nite munchies. Even the food places off property close at 10-11pm. Grow up and don’t think your the only person in the world. Stop trying to find fault with a company that bends over and sideways for everyone. Think ahead if your going out on the last day, driving pack your car, bus to plane leave your stuff at the bell hope. Try that at other hotels, some don’t even have bell men. If you absolutely need to leave your things in your room for the last day, pay for the next night then you can leave when you want. But it is not Disney fault you have not planned ahead.
We tend to try to make our plans in order to be able to be flexible about when we get into our hotel room, which I realize is something that it is not easy for everyone to do. We also tend to be in our room until 11:00 on the last day, so I want to show understanding about checking in, since we are late to check out. But, even so, we have had trips where our room was not available until very late (like a couple of trips it was once after 8 p.m. and once after 9 p.m. – not that we complained!). One of those was also due to wanting to wait for a room in the area we requested, but it wasn’t a special, upgrade, or high demand area – just one we prefer. I realize that housekeeping cannot possibly clean every room between 11 and 3, but it’s also true that not every room has people checking out or in everyday. And you shouldn’t be automatically checked out before 11. I’ve read articles and comments here on DFB about people going back to their rooms after only going somewhere else in the resort to find their luggage gone, and people who were checked out of rooms ehich they were still physically in. IMO if Disney wants people out of their rooms early on their last day, and if housekeeping is stretched thin, then 1) offer an incentive for people to check out affirmatively before 10 or whatever time they want to set (even a small gift card would probably work for many people), and 2) bring back the offer for a room credit for each day that you forgo housekeeping. Then at least some people will be out of their rooms early, and housekeeping won’t be stretched as thin.
I bought DVC at the Riviera back in 2022 and have been there three times since. Not once have I experienced any of these issues. Quite the opposite, actually…the staff has been nothing short of spectacular making my last day enjoyable. As a guest, I do try to check out early and have had the front desk hold my luggage around 8:30am. The plane to my home airport doesn’t leave until late afternoon/early evening, but I have no trouble waiting at the resort for it. Usually I go to Topolino’s for breakfast and do last minute shopping, enjoy the view on the terrace, or do some reading in the Voyaguer lounge. Not to mention being graced with surprise character appearances!
What about housekeeping? Value and moderate resorts have every other day room refresh. Only the deluxe have every day. They need to change this. People pay a lot of money to stay at these hotels. At least give them clean sheets every night.
I do know of some resorts that offer a ‘Late Check-out’ option for an additional fee. Perhaps Disney should look into something like that, 11am is normal check out, but if you want to have some additional time you can pay more for the 1pm check out, just pre-arrange that so housekeeping doesn’t attempt to clean those rooms for the next guest.
It really ticks me off when I have the “do not disturb” sign on the door on checkout day, and I will STILL get a knock on the door at 9:30 in the morning! It’s my last day of vacation and I have booked my flight home later in the afternoon… so I don’t have to be out until checkout time. I want to sleep in and pack leisurely. Mousekeeping needs to stop rushing us! Disney needs to hire more Mousekeeping cast members so they get the occupied rooms cleaned between 11:00 and 4:00, which are their stated check-out and check-in times.