Why Disney Checks Hotel Rooms and What to Expect

Posts and videos about “room checks” at Walt Disney World Resort hotels have gone viral, leading many to question the practice. But the checks have been underway for years and are aimed at safety.

Disney Hotel Room Checks

Checks are conducted daily in all Disney hotel rooms, usually in the middle of the day when most guests have left to enjoy the parks. Checks are done outside of housekeeping and whether or not guests have placed a “Do Not Disturb” sign on their door.

In a viral TikTok video, The Mouselets shared their experience controlling rooms. As she explained, the Cast Member(s) conducting the checks will repeatedly knock on your hotel room door. If no one answers, they will enter. If you’re in the room, you can ask them to come back, which they usually will within 15 minutes. The Mouselets recounted a time when they knocked when she had just gotten out of the shower, and they told her they would be back in a few minutes, so she would have time to get dressed.

Unfortunately, due to the nature of room checks, Cast Members are forced to interrupt guests at inopportune times. Guests whose children nap in the room mid-day can ask Cast Members at the front desk to perform a room check earlier in the morning. Disney cannot guarantee an earlier room check-in, but will make every effort to accommodate guests.

Guests concerned about whether the person knocking is a real Cast Member can keep their door locked so the person cannot enter and call the front desk to confirm if a room check is taking place.

Some guests said Cast Members called the police because they refused to allow a room check. It is important to know that daily room checks are intended to ensure safety and began after the October 1, 2017 mass shooting in Las Vegas.

That day, a gunman opened fire at the Route 91 Harvest music festival from his room at the Mandalay Bay hotel, killing 60 people. The shooter had visited his suite a week earlier. A few days later, he moved into the suite next door. He brought five suitcases to his rooms and placed “Do Not Disturb” signs on the doors. After the mass shooting, authorities found 24 guns in the rooms.

In their TikTok caption, The Mouselets also referenced the Manchester Arena bombing on May 22, 2017 at the end of an Ariana Grande concert. The attack killed 22 people and injured more than 1,000.

Many hotels began checking rooms daily after these incidents and other mass shootings to ensure guests were not storing weapons. The checks also serve as a wellness check in the event of a health emergency or traffic in the hotel. As guests may refuse cleaning, checks must be carried out separately from these services. Hotel room checks are included in the terms and conditions that all guests agree to when booking a stay at a Disney hotel.

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Shannen Ace