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

[Summer2018]

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.

That's the dilemma, determining the best way to handle these situations...never traveling without earplugs again!

 

[disney_runner]

I had a sticky situation at All star sports once. Due to the extremely thin walls, I heard everything. The wife found out the husband was cheating on her. She was in the room talking on the phone, not loudly, but I could hear talking. And then the husband returned from the pool with the kids. The kids had to be little based on the way they talked, I was guessing like ages 3-5 ish. She asked him about it, he denied it for a long time, and then she showed him his phone (which he left behind), and he couldn't lie anymore. Not sure what was on there, but it must have been all the proof she needed. They fought and yelled for awhile. I heard lots of details about how long it was going on, how he knew her, etc... When I heard something get thrown ( I was thinking it was kicked luggage, or a toy or something), I called the front desk because I was concerned for the kids safety. During all the yelling, the kids were whiny to the point of crying, but not like serious crying yet. (parents, you know what I mean) Eventually, the dad walked out, not sure where he went, the mom calmed down the kids, and then I left my room. I didn't wanna be in the room if/when security came knocking. I lingered in the food court, sat around the pool, and finally went back to change for the race I was running (it was Tower of Terror 10 miler, which used to be at night, and is now defunct). I heard nothing else the rest of my stay, which was one more day. I don't know if security ever came knocking or not, but the person I spoke with on the phone was also concerned. I told her that I know it's none of my business, but I was worried for the kids in that room, and she agreed that safety comes first.
I still think about those kids and hope they were/are safe.

 

[snikki]

It has never occurred to me that walls are so thin that you could hear a baby crying that loudly in your room that it would disrupt your sleep when they are in a completely separate hotel room. If I was the person with the crying kid I wouldn’t even think that it would disturb my neighbors. To me it’s like living in an apartment.

If I were the OP I wouldn’t have said anything. 20 minutes at 6 am and 11 pm is no big deal to me. I have kids. They cry sometimes. Especially at unfamiliar places and being overly stimulated. I do sleep with a white noise machine so that would drown some of the noise out if we were sleeping. I would find it to be more of a pain to pack and unpack again.

 

[MissSha]

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.

same here! we're those parents that waited for our sons to be 11 and 9 before attempting the flights/schedule of a Disney trip! It paid off for us big time! No naps, old enough to stay out late, no melt downs standing in long hot lines, adventurous with different foods....spectacular! Our trip was so great we bought DVC when we got back and have been coming back every year (sometimes twice or more) since.

 

[snikki]

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.

I also didn’t travel to Disney with babies (or anywhere really) but it wasn’t because I didn’t want to expose others to a crying baby. It was because I didn’t want to expose myself to that! My kids thrived on routine as babies/toddlers, especially my oldest, so we didn’t start going until they were a bit older.

 

[shosh1530]

This thread is making me paranoid to stay at any of the WDW hotels (haven't been yet). I am a super light sleeper. We travel with a sound machine (plus app on my phone) and ear plugs.

I'm also a mom of a special needs 9 year old. He is thankfully usually a decent sleeper, but has certainly had meltdowns in hotel rooms during daytime hours. And when he fell out of bed during a local hotel stay last summer, I'm sure we were loud enough to wake some neighbors as he cried at 3 am.

So if I was in this situation, I'd be sure to give that family sympathetic smiles if I saw them in the hall. It's not like they want their kid to be crying at night. I also wouldn't hesitate to nicely ask to get moved if it seemed like it was going to be a regular thing. But also know that it is the a roll of the dice. I'd take the kid over the barking dog or partying teenagers that have kept me up at hotels before.

And looks like I might need to look at staying at the Ft. Wilderness cabins for our 2022 visit...

 

[Betty Rohrer]

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.

a call at Disney gets you a call center most likely offsite and maybe out of state, you need to walk to desk not call

 

[snikki]

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.

Same thing happened to us at BWV. I called the front desk around 1-2 am and the noise stopped within minutes. I never heard it again that night.

 

[Lisa_lvspplmvr]

No it was not you. My trip was last week at YC.
I am sorry for what you went through.

 

[Lisa_lvspplmvr]

We’re you on the first floor near the admiral pool ? We were there June 25-30th . We had a little boy screaming about not wanting to put on shorts every morning ! We had the best room and location so we laughed it off .

 

[SwanVT2]

No it was not you. My trip was last week at YC.
I am sorry for what you went through.

I would absolutely call the front desk and if they can't ask your neighbors to quiet down and get this to work, I'd ask to move, especially if I am paying YC prices!!

 

[Summer2018]

I had a sticky situation at All star sports once. Due to the extremely thin walls, I heard everything. The wife found out the husband was cheating on her. She was in the room talking on the phone, not loudly, but I could hear talking. And then the husband returned from the pool with the kids. The kids had to be little based on the way they talked, I was guessing like ages 3-5 ish. She asked him about it, he denied it for a long time, and then she showed him his phone (which he left behind), and he couldn't lie anymore. Not sure what was on there, but it must have been all the proof she needed. They fought and yelled for awhile. I heard lots of details about how long it was going on, how he knew her, etc... When I heard something get thrown ( I was thinking it was kicked luggage, or a toy or something), I called the front desk because I was concerned for the kids safety. During all the yelling, the kids were whiny to the point of crying, but not like serious crying yet. (parents, you know what I mean) Eventually, the dad walked out, not sure where he went, the mom calmed down the kids, and then I left my room. I didn't wanna be in the room if/when security came knocking. I lingered in the food court, sat around the pool, and finally went back to change for the race I was running (it was Tower of Terror 10 miler, which used to be at night, and is now defunct). I heard nothing else the rest of my stay, which was one more day. I don't know if security ever came knocking or not, but the person I spoke with on the phone was also concerned. I told her that I know it's none of my business, but I was worried for the kids in that room, and she agreed that safety comes first.
I still think about those kids and hope they were/are safe.

I'm a mandated reporter. You did the responsible thing.

 

[Ashley Marie]

I'd ask to move rooms if it's an ongoing problem. Coming from a parent who was once on the other side -- I completely understand how annoying it is. But it's not likely a parent wants to hear their kid crying and is letting the crying go on to spite their neighbors. Most likely, they're stressed and embarrassed and exhausted for whatever reason they're in this situation. I felt super awful about it when it happened to us.

My husband and youngest got sick while we were at the GF on one trip. The baby (who was a calm one and normally amazing with sleeping through the night, btw) was crying on and off all night. There's nothing you can do for a baby who can't really tell you what's wrong and who can't understand what's going on. We saw a doctor as soon as we could in the morning and confirmed it was an ear infection. But it was a rough few days. To the neighbors on the other side of us who periodically banged loudly on our walls at all hours of the night... I really am sorry you had to listen to my baby crying, I totally get that no one wants to hear it, but that probably just made it worse.

 

[Gary Stocker]

I'd ask to move rooms if it's an ongoing problem. Coming from a parent who was once on the other side -- I completely understand how annoying it is. But it's not likely a parent wants to hear their kid crying and is letting the crying go on to spite their neighbors. Most likely, they're stressed and embarrassed and exhausted for whatever reason they're in this situation. I felt super awful about it when it happened to us.

My husband and youngest got sick while we were at the GF on one trip. The baby (who was a calm one and normally amazing with sleeping through the night, btw) was crying on and off all night. There's nothing you can do for a baby who can't really tell you what's wrong and who can't understand what's going on. We saw a doctor as soon as we could in the morning and confirmed it was an ear infection. But it was a rough few days. To the neighbors on the other side of us who periodically banged loudly on our walls at all hours of the night... I really am sorry you had to listen to my baby crying, I totally get that no one wants to hear it, but that probably just made it worse.

Not only is banging on the walls the worst way to handle it you had all the right in the world to turn around and complain about your neighbors. Your baby crying is involuntary; pounding on the walls is not.
Basically your neighbors are telling the baby to shut up, which is unacceptable in my eyes. It is someone else's baby for heaven's sake.

 

[_auroraborealis_]

Again, calling the front desk gets you a call center. It won't get you any help.

I'm not sure that "the parents weren't asking the kid to stop" has any meaning. I don't think asking my kids to stop ever worked. Young children aren't that self-regulating.

 

[Gary Stocker]

Again, calling the front desk gets you a call center. It won't get you any help.

I'm not sure that "the parents weren't asking the kid to stop" has any meaning. I don't think asking my kids to stop ever worked. Young children aren't that self-regulating.

Yeah as my kids grow older (5 and 9) I have learned some times they will do the opposite in fact...I was probably the same way.

 

[piccolopat]

Of course whenever possible adults should use their inside voices and expect/encourage their kids to do the same. There is simply no excuse for disturbing others and not at least trying to calm the situation, Disney or not. Hotels need to recognize this problem and do a much better job soundproofing the rooms. Just adding a sweep under the door to the hall would help. Eliminating or minimizing the number of connecting rooms would also be good as those connecting rooms just don't help when you don't need access to the adjacent room.

When I still commuted to NYC, Metro North Railroad set aside cars as "quiet cars". On these cars, people weren't allowed to use their phones or any device that could make noise that others could here and voices were expected to be kept at a low volume. It was a wonderful idea. Maybe hotels could set aside "quiet rooms".

 

[SimonSez]

One time at the Poly, the guy across the hall from us kept pounding on his door and screaming at his kids to get up. He did it everyday and I felt sorry for the family as he must have been "fun" to travel with. He was loud and obnoxious and woke us up every morning

 

[yaya74]

We’re you on the first floor near the admiral pool ? We were there June 25-30th . We had a little boy screaming about not wanting to put on shorts every morning ! We had the best room and location so we laughed it off .

I was in room 1074 between 7/3-7/9. I LOVE that location!!

 

[Gary Stocker]

One time at the Poly, the guy across the hall from us kept pounding on his door and screaming at his kids to get up. He did it everyday and I felt sorry for the family as he must have been "fun" to travel with. He was loud and obnoxious and woke us up every morning

He tried to wake his kids up from outside the room by pounding on the door?
As much as I can be a PITA when it comes to being prompt (I create the itinerary/ADRs, etc) I have never even considered that. Not only annoying for the rest of the hotel floor this cannot be effective in getting your kids to wake up.
Dump cold water on them or something.