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Credit: DisneyAn “annoying” policy at Walt Disney World hotels has angered resort guests.
With over 25 hotels to choose from, guests hoping to stay on property at Walt Disney World Resort are spoiled for choice.
Those looking for a more affordable – but still very Disney – stay can choose from the Value Resorts, which include the All Star Resorts, Pop Century, and Art of Animation. The Moderate Resorts offer slightly more expensive and luxurious stays, with a lineup including the likes of Port Orleans and Caribbean Beach.
Meanwhile, the Deluxe Resorts – such as the Riviera, Grand Floridian, and Animal Kingdom Lodge – offer the ultimate Disney experience. Guests are immersed in rich theming with extra perks, such as more time in the parks.
One thing that all the resorts have in common, however, is a strict security policy. A guest recently took to Reddit to question why they received a call from maintenance on the first day of their stay requesting to check their room as they’d declined the option of housekeeping.
“On our first full day, my wife gets a call from hotel maintenance while our family is at [Magic Kingdom],” wrote LocoMotoNYC. “After she gets off the phone, she tells me that maintenance wants to check our room because we declined housekeeping. She told them no, not until we get back to the hotel.”
After returning to the hotel, they explained that the maintenance manager knocked on the door as they were about to shower. They asked him to return in 30 minutes, but “he didn’t show up” until later.
“He walks about 15 feet into the room and does an about face and looks at the ceiling,” they said. “Then he says, ‘That’s it, Mr. XXX.” He apologizes, asks how’s the temperature in our room, and says it is mandatory that someone looks into the room once a day if housekeeping is declined.
“All this wasn’t a big deal for us…in fact, he was polite and apologetic. But it was just very, very strange and somewhat annoying to an otherwise very stellar day.”
They went on to question if – and why – this was a policy, asking, “Who wants a call from maintenance every other day asking for permission to enter our room?”
As other guests explained, this policy is accurate – and isn’t new. “It’s a security thing they put in place after the Las Vegas incident,” said Derango, referring to the incident in 2017 when a man stockpiled weapons in his Mandalay Bay hotel room and fired more than 1,000 bullets, killing 60 people and wounding at least 413.
“Ever since the Vegas shooting, this is now SOP,” said Rottin. “They just open the door, make sure you do not have an arsenal in there, and close the door. It’s not a personal violation. It’s protection on liability for them.”
“It doesn’t need to be communicated at check-in because you consent to this when you reserve and pay for your room,” added Grimace4Eyes.
However, as some users pointed out, it isn’t the most thorough of security procedures. “It’s awful security theater,” said ChaosFactor37. “Nobody else is still doing these checks except Disney. And they frequently don’t honor the Do Not Disturb door hangers or time requests made at the front desk and will gladly wake you up from your mid-day break nap.”
Do you find this Disney World policy annoying? Let us know in the comments.