When staying at a Disney Resort hotel, you will receive daily room checks. Whether you’ve opted out of housekeeping, have a Do Not Disturb sign hanging on your door, or have the door latched, Disney Cast Members will enter your room at least once daily.
To some, this may sound like an extremely intrusive and disturbing practice. However, Disney has very good reasoning for doing this. In this article, I’m going to fully explain room checks at Disney.
I will go into detail about what they are, what they entail, why Disney does them, and what you should do if you are present during them. Keep reading to learn all about this safety practice that takes place at Disney Resort hotels.
Room checks at Disney are simply a security measure. A Disney Cast Member will enter your room and take a look around, making sure that no suspicious, illegal, or threatening activities are going on. These checks are very lowkey and don’t take a lot of time.
Before entering your room, the Cast Member will knock on your door and announce that they will be entering. They will attempt knocking multiple times before coming into your room. If the door is not opened for them after they make multiple knocking attempts, they will let themselves in.
Once the Cast Member has entered your room, they will simply look around. During room checks at Disney, your items will not be looked through. The Cast Member will walk through your room and review the situation only visually.
READ MORE – Top 7 Dining Hacks at Disney Parks to Save Time and Money During Your Trip
Of course, the reason for room checks at Disney is security. However, the specific reasoning for these checks is to avoid tragic events.
Room checks at Disney began after the mass shooting that took place in Las Vegas on October 1st, 2017. This shooting was the deadliest modern shooting in U.S. history, leaving 60 dead and more than 850 others injured.
The gunman collected and stashed guns in his hotel room for quite a while prior to the shooting. Had a room check taken place, hotel staff would have without a doubt been able to see the disturbing plans that were in place. Instead, over 1,000 rounds were fired from the gunman’s room towards the concert-goers that were attending the Route 91 Harvest Festival.
Events like this commonly happen, or are at least planned, in large tourist areas such as Disney. Because Disney wants to keep their Guests as safe as possible, they now perform these daily room checks. During room checks at Disney, Cast Members are not only keeping an eye out for weapons, but are also making sure that other activities such as kidnapping and human trafficking are not taking place.
Normally, room checks at Disney happen in the middle of the day. Chances are you won’t even realize that a room check has happened. Usually, these checks happen when guests are at the theme parks or other locations.
However, there are instances when you may be in your room when a Cast Member comes to check it. While this may be a non-issue for you at the time, there are certainly moments when it can be.
Since these checks are random and unannounced, there are times when a Cast Member may catch you off guard or come at an inconvenient time. Perhaps you are in the shower and don’t hear the Cast Member knocking at the door. Maybe you or someone else in your party is trying to take a nap. You might even be taking advantage of private time and taking part in adult physical activities. The possibilities are endless. However, the fact remains that the Cast Member will enter your room if they are not let in.
It also will not matter if you have a Do Not Disturb sign hanging on your door. Around the time that room checks began, Disney actually retired their Do Not Disturb signs and switched to Room Occupied signs. Disney then included in their terms,
“The hotel and its staff reserve the right to enter your room for any purposes including, but not limited to, performing maintenance and repairs or checking on the safety and security of guests and property”.
When agreeing to the terms and conditions at the time of booking, Guests are agreeing to the room checks at Disney.
READ MORE – Introvert's Top 5 Tips to Actually Enjoy Disney Character Dining Meals
If you have nothing going on, the easiest thing to do during a room check at Disney is let the Cast Member in. They’ll do their check, leave, and you can go about the rest of your day.
If you won’t be letting the Cast Member in when they knock and you don’t want them coming in on their own, you can keep your door latched. By doing so, the Cast Member won’t be able to make their way into your room.
It’s understandable that, for your own safety reasons, you may want to confirm that the person coming into your room is actually a Disney Cast Member. You can confirm the validity of the room check by calling the front desk of your Disney Resort hotel.
If you’re busy, and you simply don’t want the room check to take place at that exact moment, speak to the Cast Member at the door. You can request that they come back later to do the check. However, this will usually only give you about 15 more minutes before they return again.
While room checks at Disney may not always feel ideal, they are in place for our safety. I welcome this additional security and appreciate that Disney has put in extra precautionary measures for the safety of their Guests. I think we can all agree that a slight inconvenience in our day is much better than a tragic event occurring.
Planning a Disney World Vacation?
Get exclusive access to prices on hotel & tickets just for Mickey Visit subscribers. Don't miss our travel hacks newsletter!
What Are Disney Room Checks?
Room checks at Disney are simply a security measure. A Disney Cast Member will enter your room and take a look around, making sure that no suspicious, illegal, or threatening activities are going on. These checks are very lowkey and don’t take a lot of time.
Before entering your room, the Cast Member will knock on your door and announce that they will be entering. They will attempt knocking multiple times before coming into your room. If the door is not opened for them after they make multiple knocking attempts, they will let themselves in.
Once the Cast Member has entered your room, they will simply look around. During room checks at Disney, your items will not be looked through. The Cast Member will walk through your room and review the situation only visually.
The Reason Disney Will Check Your Room
READ MORE – Top 7 Dining Hacks at Disney Parks to Save Time and Money During Your Trip
Of course, the reason for room checks at Disney is security. However, the specific reasoning for these checks is to avoid tragic events.
Room checks at Disney began after the mass shooting that took place in Las Vegas on October 1st, 2017. This shooting was the deadliest modern shooting in U.S. history, leaving 60 dead and more than 850 others injured.
The gunman collected and stashed guns in his hotel room for quite a while prior to the shooting. Had a room check taken place, hotel staff would have without a doubt been able to see the disturbing plans that were in place. Instead, over 1,000 rounds were fired from the gunman’s room towards the concert-goers that were attending the Route 91 Harvest Festival.
Events like this commonly happen, or are at least planned, in large tourist areas such as Disney. Because Disney wants to keep their Guests as safe as possible, they now perform these daily room checks. During room checks at Disney, Cast Members are not only keeping an eye out for weapons, but are also making sure that other activities such as kidnapping and human trafficking are not taking place.
When to Expect a Room Check at Disney
Normally, room checks at Disney happen in the middle of the day. Chances are you won’t even realize that a room check has happened. Usually, these checks happen when guests are at the theme parks or other locations.
However, there are instances when you may be in your room when a Cast Member comes to check it. While this may be a non-issue for you at the time, there are certainly moments when it can be.
Since these checks are random and unannounced, there are times when a Cast Member may catch you off guard or come at an inconvenient time. Perhaps you are in the shower and don’t hear the Cast Member knocking at the door. Maybe you or someone else in your party is trying to take a nap. You might even be taking advantage of private time and taking part in adult physical activities. The possibilities are endless. However, the fact remains that the Cast Member will enter your room if they are not let in.
It also will not matter if you have a Do Not Disturb sign hanging on your door. Around the time that room checks began, Disney actually retired their Do Not Disturb signs and switched to Room Occupied signs. Disney then included in their terms,
“The hotel and its staff reserve the right to enter your room for any purposes including, but not limited to, performing maintenance and repairs or checking on the safety and security of guests and property”.
When agreeing to the terms and conditions at the time of booking, Guests are agreeing to the room checks at Disney.
What to Do During a Disney Room Check
READ MORE – Introvert's Top 5 Tips to Actually Enjoy Disney Character Dining Meals
If you have nothing going on, the easiest thing to do during a room check at Disney is let the Cast Member in. They’ll do their check, leave, and you can go about the rest of your day.
If you won’t be letting the Cast Member in when they knock and you don’t want them coming in on their own, you can keep your door latched. By doing so, the Cast Member won’t be able to make their way into your room.
It’s understandable that, for your own safety reasons, you may want to confirm that the person coming into your room is actually a Disney Cast Member. You can confirm the validity of the room check by calling the front desk of your Disney Resort hotel.
If you’re busy, and you simply don’t want the room check to take place at that exact moment, speak to the Cast Member at the door. You can request that they come back later to do the check. However, this will usually only give you about 15 more minutes before they return again.
Room Checks at Disney
While room checks at Disney may not always feel ideal, they are in place for our safety. I welcome this additional security and appreciate that Disney has put in extra precautionary measures for the safety of their Guests. I think we can all agree that a slight inconvenience in our day is much better than a tragic event occurring.
Read More Disney Planning Advice
For more information about the parks and the best planning information for your Disney trip, subscribe to our FREE Deals newsletter. We’ll provide you with helpful guides, all of the latest news, exclusive Disney deals, and access to the lowest-priced Disney tickets anywhere.Planning a Disney Vacation? Get Exclusive Discounts + Free Bonuses
In addition to exclusive discounts for Mickey Visit subscribers, get our free planning printable and guide to make your life SO much easier.
I think that’s invasion of privacy to look through somebody’s things do a background check before you make the reservation what if they’re in the shower what if they’re having sexual activities I mean that’s an invasion of privacy so let me make sure I check all hotels when I go to Disneyland I will not be staying in any of their hotels that invade my privacy everybody’s not a criminal
If you are going to engage in an activity where you don’t want them coming in then latch the door and that will physically prevent them from coming in. In fact, always latch your door when you are in your room in any hotel. Problem solved.
Secondly, not everyone is a criminal but some people are. Security protocols are in place to thwart criminal behavior not to invade your privacy.