WWYD: Screaming kid on the other side of the wall of your hotel room

[loves to dive]

I wouldn't have done anything. I've yet to stay in a hotel, anywhere, no matter how expensive that I have not heard people/kids at all times. At Disney it tends to be the people coming back to their rooms at all hours of the night with the either the kids yelling or the adults speaking loudly. It just goes with the territory when staying in a hotel. Heck, I was staying the 4 Seasons in Atlanta, paying way too much for the room and wouldn't you know, Janet Jackson was having a party for her then husband and guests were staying on the same floor as us. All night long it went on.

 

[Lisa75]

Not excusing it for sure. But just wondering out loud if it was same time each night and morning wondering if could be administration of medication or breathing treatment. DS was tough about that for awhile but I would have come up with something to spare neighbors. Sorry you dealt with this. Sounds like you have some good tips should it happen again. I hope you enjoyed your trip despite!

 

[Gimmer05]

I think a persistent problem is worthy of a call, but in general I try to give a lot of grace. Even before I had kids I expected kids at disney and would pack dampening ear plugs just in case.

Now that I’m a mom, I can say that in all likelihood the parents were well aware of the noise, they probably felt mortified, and were likely doing everything they could to stop it. My third was adopted from foster care and her biomom did some damage to my kiddos impulse control and emotional regulation while she was in utero. Thankfully she’s only had one Disney meltdown, but it was a doozy and all I could think about was our poor neighbors.

 

[Marthasor]

I understand Disney is a place where you would encounter young children. I have two myself. I understand kids behave like kids. But what would you do if the family staying in the room next to you has a young child who would scream from the top of his/her lung for 20 minutes in the morning at 6am and in the evening at 11pm? I, unfortunately, encountered a family like that during our recent trip and had to endure it for 2 mornings and nights. The kid would just SCREAM and repeatedly say "I don't want to!" "No!" and cried. For 20 minutes nonstop. The parents were talking but not asking the kid to stop crying and screaming. The wall was paper-thin. It was 11pm and my family was in bed trying to sleep. All conversations from the other side of the wall were loud and clear.

I didn't do anything nor say anything to the family next door. I just waited and prayed for the kid to stop crying. I didn't bring earplugs but wish that I did. DH was cursing and was adding one more thing to his list of why he does not enjoy going to Disney.

What would you do?

Calling the front desk gets you to a call center.

I would use the audio recorder on my cell phone, record the screaming for a minute or so, then walk downstairs to the front desk and play it for them

The call center has the ability to get security to a room very quickly, so, if it's late at night, there is an emergency and you aren't able to get to the front desk, calling the central call center is helpful as well. We've had to do this on a few occasions, unfortunately. One was when we were staying in a Boardwalk cottage and someone from maintenance starting drilling into the back of the wall where our bed was at 3:00 am (it was most likely coming from one of the Boardwalk restaurants). It literally sounded like the drill was about to come in through the wall by our heads. The call center was able to get someone out to ask them to stop. Also, at the Boardwalk, at 5:00 am, screaming started coming from the room next door. We then heard furniture crashing and someone screaming in, what sounded like, pain. We called the call center that time as well and the sheriff's department was there in minutes. We then went to the front desk and asked to be moved. That family was checking out that day, so we stayed in our room. Obviously, these were extreme circumstances. Personally, if I had experienced what you had two days in a row, yes, I would have gone down to the front desk on the second day and ask to be moved.

 

[maya213]

Unacceptable. Had children. Never would have allowed my children at ANY age to disrupt someone else. Would have literally taken the kid/baby, whatever… outside no matter what time it was til they calmed down.

That’s exactly what I did our last trip with my then 9 mo. We had »fun » a few times exploring the WL lobby at 5:30, waiting for the food court (coffee!!) to open. It was not only to let our neighbour sleep, but also my husband and my other kids.

 

[Jadyreen1282]

If it was March 2020 at the Poly sorry about that. .my kid was possessed being overtired most nights.
I guess all you can do is empathize with the parents as I am sure they are also wanting some sleep. It is definitely, in my eyes, the nature of the Disney beast.

Possessed huh. You could have called a priest, friend. Sure, green pea soup on walls and such but your neighbors would have had peace.

 

[karen4546]

Thank you for sharing. I didn't know that I could ask the front desk for help. I am taking notes...

Don’t ever “call” the front desk. Go down to talk to them. A call center cast member is not actually in the hotel. It may not hurt to record inside your room and bring the recording down to the front desk to prove how loud it is. Do not record in the hallway, balcony etc but inside YOUR room so that you don’t break any privacy laws.

 

[Gary Stocker]

Possessed huh. You could have called a priest, friend. Sure, green pea soup on walls and such but your neighbors would have had peace.

Yeah if his head spun around completely we wouldn't have been surprised.. it truly was a trip to remember...2 of the things he liked the most and was most excited won't be open most likely for our August trip...Hoop de do and Fantasmic. A year older now so well see what happens.

 

[Sue M]

Seen too many sleep deprived, kept out too late kids at wdw having melt downs. I would go down to front desk and ask to be moved. Unless they were checking out the next day.
Only happened to me once at POR and it was older children who should have known better and so should the parents. Let a horde of kids run up and down outside corridors in front of rooms screaming and slamming doors like they were born in a barn. We would have moved except we were checking out the next day.

 

[Summer2018]

I really feel for you.

Our first morning in the Disneyland Hotel in California, we were woken up at 5:45am by a crying baby. It cried for 26 minutes. All I wanted to do was pick it up myself and comfort it so it would stop crying. I don't think this baby slept the entire week. We ended up buying ear plugs and having to sleep on our sides with pillows over our ears all week.

When I posted about my frustration, instead of support, I got flamed. I'm glad that people are more understanding on this thread.

 

[yaya74]

I really feel for you.

Our first morning in the Disneyland Hotel in California, we were woken up at 5:45am by a crying baby. It cried for 26 minutes. All I wanted to do was pick it up myself and comfort it so it would stop crying. I don't think this baby slept the entire week. We ended up buying ear plugs and having to sleep on our sides with pillows over our ears all week.

When I posted about my frustration, instead of support, I got flamed. I'm glad that people are more understanding on this thread.

Oh my....... I am so sorry for what you went through! I hesitated about creating this thread. I didn't know if people would be supportive of the situation that I described. Luckily people on this board are some kind folks.

 

[mom2rtk]

I really feel for you.

Our first morning in the Disneyland Hotel in California, we were woken up at 5:45am by a crying baby. It cried for 26 minutes. All I wanted to do was pick it up myself and comfort it so it would stop crying. I don't think this baby slept the entire week. We ended up buying ear plugs and having to sleep on our sides with pillows over our ears all week.

When I posted about my frustration, instead of support, I got flamed. I'm glad that people are more understanding on this thread.

We had a similar issue two mornings in a row on one of our DLR trips. I asked at the front desk and was told they were checking out the next day, so we opted to stay put rather than change rooms as offered.

We didn't travel when our children were young babies. I think crap happens with all ages of kids, but if you have a baby that doesn't sleep well, you shouldn't stay in a hotel for a leisure trip and expose others to that.

OP, make note that one of your options is to see if the front desk personnel (walk on down in person since you aren't sleeping anyway) can share when neighbors will be checking out.

 

[Summer2018]

We didn't travel when our children were young babies. I think crap happens with all ages of kids, but if you have a baby that doesn't sleep well, you shouldn't stay in a hotel for a leisure trip and expose others to that.

I agree, but unfortunately many don't agree. I have gotten a lot of blowback when expressing a similar opinion, so I have hesitated to express it on the boards. When we were in DLR, I just couldn't understand why the crying went on for so long multiple times a night, every single day we were there. If picking up the baby, changing it's diaper, and/or feeding it didn't soothe it, then I think there was a problem, and like you said, they "shouldn't stay in a hotel for a leisure trip and expose others to that."

When DD was a baby, we stayed in cottages on the beach where nobody would be disturbed and we had a more homey environment, more conducive to caring for a baby. We waited for DD to be old enough to really enjoy Disney...I can't imagine how I would have nursed her and dealt with diapers and naps in that extreme heat and humidity (we could only go in the summer). I know many families don't have a choice because they don't want to deprive their older children of a Disney vacation. It just sounds like hard work to me.

 

[Disneylover99]

I would just put in earplugs and go back to sleep…..

I would never request a room change. By the time you go down to the front desk to make a request, pack, relocate, unpack, etc…….the kid will either be asleep or long gone. Lol. Then you get to listen to the new neighbours.

 

[PalmettoPath]

Disney hotel room walls are paper thin, with the exception of the originals -- Disney's Contemporary Resort and Disney's Polynesian Village. Even Bay Lake Tower has pretty decent walls (which we were happy about). So this type of thing happens to us probably 50% of the time (we spend three weeks per year in WDW hotels). Definitely, as others have suggested, call the front desk. They will help out (hotel security). We will usually wait to see if it really is going to be a chronic issue before we act. But no one wants a week's vacation to be like that.

 

[LovesTimone]

We have had some dooise with our travels... a trip to the front desk in a robe has worked many times...
in NYC we called the front desk and said you better call the police, there was a domestic that we could hear escalating, and before it got really out of control DH called... He was screaming at the woman, and beating on the bathroom door, the desk said we are aware, and need for you to leave the room right now just in case, we heard a faint knock, and DH saw the security and police, and we went into the hall, and into another room away from where we were staying, the security and hotel rep, were very nice... so we sat there about 5 minutes and talked with them, then they called I guess all clear, and we were lead back to our rooms the door was ajar to the other room and it was completely wreck, I looked at the hotel rep, I guess I had that look on my face, like OMG is she alright and she said she is on her way to the hospital... We got a free meal in the hotel of our choosing... which really wasn't necessary but appreciated.


Another poster mentioned sleep gummies... Yes!!!! ... they work really great, we have used them several times, and if there was a crying kid next door we have slept through it, a few times I would imagine.

 

[LovesTimone]

I would just put in earplugs and go back to sleep…..

I would never request a room change. By the time you go down to the front desk to make a request, pack, relocate, unpack, etc…….the kid will either be asleep or long gone. Lol. Then you get to listen to the new neighbours.

Very true words...

 

[emmabelle]

last month at the Dolphin we had grown adults throwing an apparent rager. They started at 10pm, then around 11:30pm more people joined, they turned up the music and were screaming "FIREBALL, FIREBALL"

I was like that's it, we had an early morning flight so I called the front desk, they sent up security and everything went quiet. They pretty much behaved after that. Yes I was a Karen.

 

[Obi-J Kenobi]

I understand Disney is a place where you would encounter young children. I have two myself. I understand kids behave like kids. But what would you do if the family staying in the room next to you has a young child who would scream from the top of his/her lung for 20 minutes in the morning at 6am and in the evening at 11pm? I, unfortunately, encountered a family like that during our recent trip and had to endure it for 2 mornings and nights. The kid would just SCREAM and repeatedly say "I don't want to!" "No!" and cried. For 20 minutes nonstop. The parents were talking but not asking the kid to stop crying and screaming. The wall was paper-thin. It was 11pm and my family was in bed trying to sleep. All conversations from the other side of the wall were loud and clear.

I didn't do anything nor say anything to the family next door. I just waited and prayed for the kid to stop crying. I didn't bring earplugs but wish that I did. DH was cursing and was adding one more thing to his list of why he does not enjoy going to Disney.

What would you do?

Bribe the kid to be quiet.

 

[Neener16]

Several years ago, we got mega pixie dusted and were upgraded to club level. We were beyond happy. When we tried to go to sleep that night however, the demon children next door came out in full force. We all looked at each other and laughed; no way we were going to complain. Fortunately we had a sound machine that helped, and the people ended up by going home the next day. It sort of explains why the room was available for an upgrade!