Need Advice: Did Disney handle this correctly? Did we?

I have a story about an experience at Disney on which I'd love to hear some feedback. It happened last year, but I still think about it and wonder if everything was handled correctly. I'd love to hear your advice...

In the middle of one trip, we got back to our room at the Polynesian (ground floor in a building fairly close to the GCH) after a fairly late night at a park. Someone from our party was in the shower, the rest of us were collapsed on the beds watching TV. I knew the room door was pulled closed and locked (I did it myself). The safety catch was on as well.

So while we were lounging about, at around 10 I would say, and all of sudden we heard a loud rustling at the door, like someone was fumbling with a key in the lock and trying to get it to open. It was pushed open, still very roughly, and the safety latch caught. I shot up with my father, and he yelled to whoever was outside, "Can I help you?"

Instead of getting an answer, the door was pulled closed again. We walked quickly to the door and opened it. Our room was at one end of the building. The hall was empty except for two cast members (as in they were wearing Polynesian uniforms but had no housekeeping gear) speed-walking down to the other end of the hallway. They were almost to the opposite end of the building.

My father again yelled, something to the effect of, "Excuse me, why did you open our door without knocking and then run off without an explanation?"

Instead of stopping, the two (a young girl and guy, I'd say in their 20s) just laughed to each other and sort of waved dismissively over their shoulders, as though we were interrupting a conversation. My dad asked them again, and the guy turned a little (without stopping) and said, "We were just checking if the locks work." (Keep in mind we had just seen them run down half the hallway without trying to open any other door. And also keep in mind, it was not like our door was propped open and they wanted to be nice and see if we had left it open accidentally. They had fumbled with the lock loudly before shoving it open.)

Of course we were a bit shaken...hearing your door forced open is never a good feeling when you're half asleep in your hotel room.

Immediately we called the front desk to try to validate the story. Does Disney send around people to check if guests close their doors? The person at the front desk told us no. We then relayed the story in its entirety. The person apologized (although didn't really ask for more details) and hung up without any attempt at an explanation whatsoever. We called back and asked for a manager. We told the story again, and they said they had no idea what the people were doing. They didn't ask for a description of them and offered no explanation.

We decided maybe we should go down to the front desk. There we got the same sort of uninterested response. We gave a description of the two castmembers, only to be told that no one like that was on duty.

To say the least, we were super disappointed by the staff's response. Their reaction was not at all "We are so sorry to hear about this and we understand your concern so we will investigate" but more like "Who cares?"

So did we overreact? Did we just encounter two rude castmembers who should have stopped to explain themselves better? Shouldn't a deluxe resort have a better response to a guest's complaint about room safety and the behavior of their employees? Should they have offered us some sort of compensation or called to give us any followup info?

I'd love to hear your opinions. Every year we go back (we are addicted of course, both to Disney and the Polynesian, so this isn't just idle complaining) but we always think about that night--how scary it was to hear your door sounding like it was being forced open and how disappointed we were by Disney's seemingly un-Disney response.

BellaBelle27 said:

...--how scary it was to hear your door sounding like it was being forced open and how disappointed we were by Disney's seemingly un-Disney response.

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To me that was not taken care of appropriately. Once you called the first time, you should have been transferred to a manager or a manager should have come to your room.... and definitely a description of the people should have taken down. Most definitley 'un-Disney'.

I had an almost similiar situation... someone came running through the hallway around midnight banging on our door. We immediatly called front desk, and action was taken quickly... there were hotel management walking the halls all night and the next morning several managers asked us if we had any other problems, etc... or if we wanted to change rooms. And we were not at Disney.

EDIT: I would have written a letter once I got back home to managers of the hotel and I'm sure you could have found an address for a 'head department' of hotels... know what I mean? I would have written one really good letter.....

I too feel your actions were warranted and Disney's response was lacking.

Security when you're visiting any hotel/resort (Disney or not) should always be a top priority, and when it is potentially violated, especially by an employee, that should be a huge deal to the hotel management.

If you didn't get anywhere with the night staff, I would have stopped back at the desk the following day to see if you could find a higher-up manager and see if they would take it more seriously. But the night manager should have taken your issue much more seriously, and whoever those employees were should have been terminated on the spot.

I certainly hope this was an isolated incident, and that you never have to deal with something like that again.

Perhaps it would have been more effective to call the security desk rather than the front desk? Seems like they might have been more likely to treat it like the serious security issue it potentially was and less likely to try and cover for a coworker.

There is no question the that staff at the Poly did not handle the situation correctly. As to what else you could have done would have been to note the names of the people you spoke to and confronted in the hallway and included them in a letter to guest communications. Also once it was apparent that the management at the resort was apathetic to your situation you could have gone over their head and called guest services directly and reported the incident. If they returned with the same apathetic attitude I'll wager a call to the Orange County sheriff's office would have changed their tune.

Wow. This was definitely not handled properly by Disney. That is a definite security issue. I'm sure that the two cast members were probably OFF for the evening and were looking for an empty room, making a mistake at your door. INEXCUSABLE. And DIsney should have taken this very seriously. I'm surprised that you didn't make a much bigger fuss. It was a serious incident and you would have been well within your right to have the police brought in. Two people tried to break into your room. I'm so sorry you had this happen.

This is just Disney WRONG!!!!!!!!!! My goodness, I would have thought and have done the same as you did. One exception you should have stopped at the front desk in the AM and asked for a Manager immediately.
You should have not taken the answer which was given to you at all. Next time if there ever is (I hope not) get names of people who you feel are rude to you and tell the Manager on Staff and if you still feel that they were inappropriate to you. I would write a letter with names of people there. I am so upset to hear this though I am not suprised.
Disney tries their best to hire trust worthy people though I am sure a few fall through the cracks and they will not last long there at all.
Take care now and have a great day email me anytime ok ~Tinkerchelli~

This was handled appalingly by Disney and you should still contact them about it. My wife and I were housekeeping managers at a resort not in Disney years ago and I can almost certainly tell you what they were doing. They were off duty and still wearing their uniforms so as to not attract attention. They swiped or did not log back in the master key card after their shift. They were going to flat out rob your room, no doubt about that. There is NO other excuse.

I can tell you people that housekeeping anywhere is NOT to be trusted, especially when college summer programs are invovled. I have seen:

Food eaten from rooms.
Bottles of liquor "sampled"
Sheets not changed, just pulled snug and tight.
The same rags used to clean floors and bathroom then used to wipe of dressers, sink, phone and remote control.
General snooping through guests things.

As a hotel guest frequently now, I can tell you that I wrap my remote control in a kleenex, never sit on the comfortor, never touch faucets without a kleenex, never lay my toothbrush on the counter, don't walk barefoot in the bathroom (Seen toilet overflows simply toweled up but not cleaned), etc...

Just assume everything is unhygeinic and your ousekeeper is a thief....BUT if you get good service because most are hard working and honest, then leave a tip for them. Just be wary is all.

I agree, the evening staff did not handle this correctly. I think the only thing different I would have done, is get the night time staffs that you spoke to name and reported to the manager on duty during the day. They should have been more concerned, to me if they said there was no one on duty by that description they should have called security and searched the place.

It seems like an unfortunately common fact that in the hospitality industry, throroughly investigating shenanigans and ensuring everything runs smoothly are too often mutually exclusive goals.

Several years ago I was on a cruise(non-disney) with my extended family and my folks had a very expensive camera swiped while they were sitting at slot machines in the middle of the ship casino. They promptly reported it to security and this ship casino had all of the vegas-style electronic surveilance. When my folks checked back later to find out what they had discovered they were told that the cameras showed nothing and they didn't have a view of the crime scene. None of us bought it for a second. I am sure they saw exactly who took it but didn't want to deal bruhaha of confronting some folks and telling them their kid or someone eles in their party was caught stealing and would be turned over to the authorities. They probably figured it would all just go "smoother" if they said they played dumb.

The fact that the management in the OP's case acted so powerless and innefective would lead me to believe they were likely also just playing dumb - easier to just quietly deal with the guilty employees than to deal with the police coming out, taking statements, calling witnesses. etc.

It sounds to me like you did everything you could to resolve the issue. Disney's handling of it was absolutely pathetic. In some regards, it almost sounds as if they didn't believe you. I've never had an issue quite that extreme at Disney, but I have had situations that have warranted a complaint to management. Sometimes, the way they have handled the complaint has been worse than the original problem. I would actually say that's the case here. The opening of your door could possibly have been an innocent mistake. But starting with the way the CMs themselves reacted, followed by the utter lack of concern on the part of everyone you contacted, that's completely unacceptable. Even though this occured last year, I would still write a letter to Disney if I were you.

KCMO said:

It seems like an unfortunately common fact that in the hospitality industry, throroughly investigating shenanigans and ensuring everything runs smoothly are too often mutually exclusive goals.

Several years ago I was on a cruise(non-disney) with my extended family and my folks had a very expensive camera swiped while they were sitting at slot machines in the middle of the ship casino. They promptly reported it to security and this ship casino had all of the vegas-style electronic surveilance. When my folks checked back later to find out what they had discovered they were told that the cameras showed nothing and they didn't have a view of the crime scene. None of us bought it for a second. I am sure they saw exactly who took it but didn't want to deal bruhaha of confronting some folks and telling them their kid or someone eles in their party was caught stealing and would be turned over to the authorities. They probably figured it would all just go "smoother" if they said they played dumb.

The fact that the management in the OP's case acted so powerless and innefective would lead me to believe they were likely also just playing dumb - easier to just quietly deal with the guilty employees than to deal with the police coming out, taking statements, calling witnesses. etc.

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That's actually a really good point. If I had been in the OPs shoes, I would have gone down to the lobby and made the very scene that Disney might have been hoping to avoid by not caring about my problem.

I've often wondered about housekeeping snooping through belongings, I try to leave anything of great value locked up in my vehicle or leave it at home. my cameras and such would be with me in the parks, anything else would just be clothing/shoes and toiletries. anything that I might question, i would just lock in my suitcase.

pcarathers said:

I've often wondered about housekeeping snooping through belongings, I try to leave anything of great value locked up in my vehicle or leave it at home. my cameras and such would be with me in the parks, anything else would just be clothing/shoes and toiletries. anything that I might question, i would just lock in my suitcase.

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You are always going to find the exception but as a general rule your belongings in your room at WDW are about as safe as they can get. WDW has a very strict policy concerning employee theft and will fire and prosecute on the spot if an incident occurs. Quit honestly when the OP said it was a male and female cast member that did it, them attempting to rob a guest was my last thought of what they had planned doing in that room.

Some general advice (not necessarily Disney) Complaints often fall on deaf ears unless a resolution is presented.

After complaining, I would have at the very least requested a new room. And depending on my outrage requested a refund of that nights stay. Many hotels have this as their standard policy. It not only leads to better customer satisfaction, but forces a security to recognize an issue.

Master Yoda said:

You are always going to find the exception but as a general rule your belongings in your room at WDW are about as safe as they can get. WDW has a very strict policy concerning employee theft and will fire and prosecute on the spot if an incident occurs. Quit honestly when the OP said it was a male and female cast member that did it, them attempting to rob a guest was my last thought of what they had planned doing in that room.

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My first thought as well.

sublimesting said:

This was handled appalingly by Disney and you should still contact them about it. My wife and I were housekeeping managers at a resort not in Disney years ago and I can almost certainly tell you what they were doing. They were off duty and still wearing their uniforms so as to not attract attention. They swiped or did not log back in the master key card after their shift. They were going to flat out rob your room, no doubt about that. There is NO other excuse.

I can tell you people that housekeeping anywhere is NOT to be trusted, especially when college summer programs are invovled. I have seen:

Food eaten from rooms.
Bottles of liquor "sampled"
Sheets not changed, just pulled snug and tight.
The same rags used to clean floors and bathroom then used to wipe of dressers, sink, phone and remote control.
General snooping through guests things.

As a hotel guest frequently now, I can tell you that I wrap my remote control in a kleenex, never sit on the comfortor, never touch faucets without a kleenex, never lay my toothbrush on the counter, don't walk barefoot in the bathroom (Seen toilet overflows simply toweled up but not cleaned), etc...

Just assume everything is unhygeinic and your housekeeper is a thief....BUT if you get good service because most are hard working and honest, then leave a tip for them. Just be wary is all.

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You can not say that about every housekeeper everywhere...I am sure there are honest housekeepers on and off Disney property as well as unhonest housekeepers...

Same can be said for anyone in any profession dealing with others belongings..

Master Yoda said:

You are always going to find the exception but as a general rule your belongings in your room at WDW are about as safe as they can get. WDW has a very strict policy concerning employee theft and will fire and prosecute on the spot if an incident occurs. Quit honestly when the OP said it was a male and female cast member that did it, them attempting to rob a guest was my last thought of what they had planned doing in that room.

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Mine too..

Master Yoda said:

You are always going to find the exception but as a general rule your belongings in your room at WDW are about as safe as they can get. WDW has a very strict policy concerning employee theft and will fire and prosecute on the spot if an incident occurs. Quit honestly when the OP said it was a male and female cast member that did it, them attempting to rob a guest was my last thought of what they had planned doing in that room.

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No no no Masteryoda, too risky that is. Too much chance of guest walking in and there is no way of alking your way out of that...except a certain Family Guy episode I can think of where Peter was the housekeeper in a little skit.

You may be right though. Either way dirty deeds were afoot.

sublimesting said:

No no no Masteryoda, too risky that is. Too much chance of guest walking in and there is no way of alking your way out of that...except a certain Family Guy episode I can think of where Peter was the housekeeper in a little skit.

You may be right though. Either way dirty deeds were afoot.

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The couple expected an empty room. Not rented for the night.

sublimesting said:

No no no Masteryoda, too risky that is. Too much chance of guest walking in and there is no way of alking your way out of that...except a certain Family Guy episode I can think of where Peter was the housekeeper in a little skit.

You may be right though. Either way dirty deeds were afoot.

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All I can go by is me personal experience and the information I have been given by a few CM friends that work the resorts. They really drive the zero tolerance for theft into the housekeepers heads and back it up with action if it happens. If I leave money out for a tip I have to put a note on it or it will still be there when I get back. I still follow common sense (ie I don't leave a wad of 50's on the night stand) but it is not necessary to be incredibly paranoid about theft from the house keeping staff at WDW.