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Disney World is generally regarded as a pretty safe place with little serious crime to speak of in general. Most of the people who stay on the Disney World property are there with the express purpose of visiting the parks, security at Disney is pretty strict, and Disney World has a pretty much zero-tolerance policy regarding bad behavior from guests. You should still follow the basics of travel safety while visiting, but you don't have much to worry about.
However, that enhanced sense of security comes at the cost of certain personal freedoms, including the right to privacy. Disney World expert "The Mouselets" revealed a little-known safety practice followed at all Disney World hotels, and while she's more or less in favor of it, not everybody is as accepting as her.
If you decide to take an afternoon off from park-hopping to nap at your Disney hotel , you might get a rude awakening! According to @themouselets , all Disney hotels run daily "safety checks" separate from the normal housekeeping visit. Normally, these are done around mid-day when most people are exploring the parks, but hotel staff still won't hesitate to enter even if someone's in the room- and no, they don't care about your "do not disturb" sign!
Related: Disney World Just Announced a Major Perk to Hotel Guests for the First Time
"The Mouselets" claims she's been surprised by these safety checks twice, once while she was in the middle of a remote work meeting, and the other while she was taking a shower! These sudden safety checks are also a problem for parents with young kids who need mid-day naps- and let's be honest, I know there's also those grown-up guests out there who try to grab a little "afternoon delight" back at the hotel between park visits. A surprise safety check can get awkward fast!
Though guests can try to ask the front desk for an earlier "safety check" time to work around naptimes, work meetings, and the like, the staff may not be able to accommodate these requests. It's one of the compromises guests have to make when staying on Disney World property!
What Do Safety Checks Entail- and Why Do Them At All?
The safety checks themselves are pretty basic. According to Erin Foster of TouringPlans.com, a staff member enters the room , takes a lap, maybe does some minor housekeeping if needed, and leaves. Doesn't sound like they go digging through your luggage! Still, a lot of guests think it's invasive, and while "The Mouselets" is in favor of it for the tradeoff of enhanced safety, not all of her fans were of the same mind.
"This is something that should be done while housekeeping is in the room, a separate check is intrusive," critiqued @truckerrob414.
"This is giving summer camp vibes. I'm not a child. If I buy a hotel room/ cruise ship room I expect it to be treated as my property for the amount of time I've bought it," said @brandicunha5.
"Sorry, but a 'do not disturb' sign is meant to keep you from being in a compromising situation perhaps," commented @dyba2022. "Complete invasion of privacy if they come in anyways when the sign is up."
As a private person myself, I don't mind saying that I'm not crazy about this policy either. Why even do it? Returning to Erin Foster's piece, she writes that Disney started the practice in 2017 after the Las Vegas mass shooting, during which a gunman was able to stockpile weapons in his hotel room. She also notes that human traffickers often operate out of hotels in touristy areas like Disney World. Thankfully, I personally couldn't find any verifiable evidence of human trafficking happening within Disney World proper, even prior to 2017- though sadly, a few Disney cast members have been implicated in human trafficking busts as recently as 2023.
There are understandable reasons why Disney hotels run these room checks, but I think that guests having reservations about this policy is reasonable, too. At the very least, it's something every potential Disney resort guest should be aware of so they can make an informed decision!
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