Walt Disney World has introduced that full housekeeping will return to all resorts within the close to future, following the restoration of the companies most resorts over the course of the final 6 months. This submit shares the most recent replace, plus our commentary and up to date reader reviews on Mousekeeping experiences.
Let’s begin with the official announcement itself, edited and condensed for readability: After a day stuffed with adventures, there’s nothing fairly like coming again to your Walt Disney World resort room to search out that it’s been refreshed and remodeled, as if by magic, by the gifted housekeeping forged members who carry a bit of additional enchantment to our rooms and hallways.
Walt Disney World has heard from many visitors about how a lot they love and have missed the extra common housekeeping companies supplied previous to the pandemic. Disney signifies that the corporate has been ramping Mousekeeping again up throughout Walt Disney World Resort resorts…
By the top of February 2023, full housekeeping room cleanings will as soon as once more be accessible in any respect of Walt Disney World resort resort rooms, with companies offered every day or each different day relying on the place you might be staying. These full cleanings embrace all the pieces you’d count on – from changing towels and facilities to cleansing the loos, making the beds, emptying trash and recycling, tidying the room, and vacuuming.
Guests may generally come throughout some additional magical touches, like coming again to your resort room to search out your new Mickey ear hat on show or your Disney plushies posing playfully, that make your Walt Disney World resort room really feel that rather more like residence away from residence.
This follows an replace a couple of month in the past that full housekeeping was being restored to all Deluxe Resorts at Walt Disney World. That was by no means printed in any guest-facing areas, so it’s doable that was a goal relatively than a promised amenity or visitor service.
With this official announcement, the most important change must be better consistency in housekeeping. As we’ve beforehand shared, on-the-ground experiences with housekeeping have been all over within the final 6-8 months at Walt Disney World.
For our half, we’ve carried out a couple of half-dozen multi-night stays throughout that point at Walt Disney World. During that point, the most important factor we’ve seen is that there was a major shift since across the finish of the summer time final yr–service has been far much less hit and miss.
Our Deluxe Resort stays throughout that point have been at Disney’s Polynesian Village Resort, Grand Floridian, and Yacht Club. All of these offered every day housekeeping. Not actually an enormous shock, because the official coverage was to supply every day housekeeping throughout these stays. Still price sharing that the precise expertise matches the marketed one.
More noteworthy is that we’ve additionally had optimistic and comparatively constant experiences at Value and Moderate Resorts, the place the printed coverage hasn’t actually promised something, save for the pandemic-era mild housekeeping service each different day. That has meant elimination of trash and used towels, replenishment of towels and facilities all through room and loo, wiping and cleansing of the vainness and counter surfaces, and vacuuming, as needed.
Our stays throughout that point have included All Star Music, All Star Sports, Pop Century, and Coronado Springs. At the final one, we’ve carried out each the outlying buildings and Gran Destino Tower. At every of those resorts, we acquired full housekeeping each different day, at minimal. On a number of events, it was every day–above even the official “full” coverage.
Based on anecdotal reviews we’ve heard from readers, on-the-ground experiences at Value and Moderate Resorts have been all over. Some readers have shared related tales as to ours, suggesting that housekeeping went above and past. Others said that housekeeping barely entered their rooms over the course of a 7-night keep, with trash and used towels piling up. (Suggesting that the sunshine housekeeping each different day was not even occurring.)
Many additionally shared that they didn’t obtain any Mousekeeping in any respect with out calling the entrance desk, and that didn’t even at all times do the trick. Other readers had much more markedly unfavorable experiences, with nobody coming into their rooms apart from the notorious security/safety checks.
Speaking of which, Housekeeping “Hassles” at Walt Disney World are nonetheless very a lot a factor based on readers. That applies to each the safety checks and early wake-up knocks on check-out day. The former has been a frustration since December 2017, whereas the latter is the more moderen results of staffing shortages. Hopefully the restoration of full housekeeping doesn’t exacerbate this problem.
These are two issues we’ve got (mercifully) not encountered within the final 6+ months. The lack of safety checks is unsurprising–we haven’t been utilizing the ‘Room Occupied’ door hangers, in order that is smart. (As a reminder, Disney doesn’t have a ‘Do Not Disturb’ choice.)
As greatest we are able to inform, the diploma of housekeeping within the final 6-8 months has been a direct byproduct of resort occupancy, staffing, Cast Member workloads, and different variables. During busier seasons or on days when room turnover is greater, the chance of full and even mild housekeeping is decrease.
This ought to take away that component of inconsistency, which is a particular plus. While it’s good to be pleasantly stunned by Mousekeeping going above and past, it’s equally essential to have a minimal baseline for predictable service. This reestablishes that, and is one other small step in the appropriate path. Not as symbolically important because the elimination of resort parking charges and different large modifications introduced final month, however an indication that administration is making strikes to enhance the visitor expertise.
Nevertheless, I need to draw particular consideration to All Star Sports, the place each housekeeping and the visitor expertise had been particularly good. During that keep, a supervisor of the resort stopped me to inquire in regards to the newly transformed room and the way issues had been going, usually.
She indicated that suggestions on the brand new rooms at All Star Sports has been universally optimistic. Guest satisfaction is up and Cast Members want the brand new rooms, too. This supervisor additionally supplied attention-grabbing insights about resort occupancy and constructing closures, which confirmed what I suspected based mostly on the low variety of individuals out and about on the resort. (Relevant as a result of it seemingly explains the superior service–and why you shouldn’t count on the identical if staying right here when there’s one of many many winter cheerleading occasions!)
Currently unknown is whether or not Walt Disney World will as soon as once more supply present playing cards as a part of the “Service Your Way” program for many who decline housekeeping. To one of the best of my recollection, that additionally began round 2017 when the housekeeper scarcity first cropped up. It was one of many uncommon perks that acquired higher as time went on, as Disney elevated the greenback quantity to entice extra visitors to say no housekeeping. There was by no means formally printed coverage about this on DisneyWorld.com, however we acquired dozens of those present playing cards, fairly constantly, between 2017 and early 2020.
Like so many different issues, the “Service Your Way” program was discontinued when the resorts reopened two years in the past. That determination made sense on the time; occupancy was low and rooms didn’t have to be turned over the identical day as departure. That is not the case, so this incentive must be introduced again ASAP. That’s doubly-true provided that the “alternative” has been the early morning knocks on checkout day. If Walt Disney World is worried with visitor satisfaction, bringing again these present playing cards are a sensible transfer. As counterintuitive as it would sound, they’d most likely find yourself being a cost-savings.
Ultimately, we’re actually happy and pleasantly stunned by Walt Disney World’s announcement that each one resort resorts are restoring common housekeeping. I went on document final yr predicting that housekeeping would by no means return to pre-closure norms–not simply at Walt Disney World, however for the U.S. resort trade as an entire.
I’m very pleased to be incorrect about that, and could be curious to know the motivations for the about-face. Again, not simply with Disney, however for the trade as an entire. My guess is it’s a key method to distinguish resorts from residence leases or Airbnb, giving them a bonus. Other potentialities are visitor satisfaction, or that misplaced enterprise outweighs the labor cost-savings. As the journey trade exits the interval of pent-up demand, extra of that is seemingly as trip locations as soon as once more must compete for client {dollars}.
Regardless of the rationale, it’s nice to see full housekeeping return to Walt Disney World. Obviously, this is only one small step and we shouldn’t pat the corporate on the again an excessive amount of for doing what was as soon as anticipated. However, as must be clear from our recently-updated Is Walt Disney World’s On-Site Advantage Disappearing…or Reappearing?, this optimistic change will not be occurring in isolation.
I’m certain there’s some inspirational quote about many small steps making a marathon (…or possibly one thing to do with the moon touchdown). That’s relevant right here, too. After almost 3 years of steps within the incorrect path, it’s very heartening to see the tides turning and Walt Disney World as soon as once more doing the appropriate ‘little things’ to enhance the visitor expertise.
Planning a Walt Disney World journey? Learn about resorts on our Walt Disney World Hotels Reviews web page. For the place to eat, learn our Walt Disney World Restaurant Reviews. To get monetary savings on tickets or decide which kind to purchase, learn our Tips for Saving Money on Walt Disney World Tickets submit. Our What to Pack for Disney Trips submit takes a novel take a look at intelligent gadgets to take. For what to do and when to do it, our Walt Disney World Ride Guides will assist. For complete recommendation, one of the best place to start out is our Walt Disney World Trip Planning Guide for all the pieces it is advisable know!
YOUR THOUGHTS
Are you happy to listen to that full regular housekeeping is returning to Walt Disney World? Or is your angle “it’s about time!”? Hopeful that the “Service Your Way” present card choice returns for declining housekeeping? What have been your latest experiences with housekeeping at Walt Disney World–and past? Does the reinstatement of normal Mousekeeping make you extra more likely to e book an on-site Walt Disney World resort keep? Any questions we may also help you reply? Hearing your suggestions–even once you disagree with us–is each attention-grabbing to us and useful to different readers, so please share your ideas beneath within the feedback!