Was told check in time is 5pm by Disney

[Howdoyoudo]

Went to POFQ in June. The girl at the front desk told us our room would be ready by 3:15, then 3:45, then 4:00, and so on. Long story short-we did not get a room untill 5:45. She also said check in time is 5:00pm so I shouldnt' be upset.(we arrived at 1:00pm, had lunch and decided to get everything in the room before heading out to the parks). Didn't realize we would be sitting around-didn't get into the parks until 7:00pm. I called Disney to see what the official check in time is since I will be going next month. Official time-5:00pm-makes you wonder why 3:00 is printed on the reservation page. High note: Manager did give us a one day pass to make up for the problem.

[Tiffany]

Originally posted by Howdoyoudo
Went to POFQ in June. The girl at the front desk told us our room would be ready by 3:15, then 3:45, then 4:00, and so on. Long story short-we did not get a room untill 5:45. She also said check in time is 5:00pm so I shouldnt' be upset.(we arrived at 1:00pm, had lunch and decided to get everything in the room before heading out to the parks). Didn't realize we would be sitting around-didn't get into the parks until 7:00pm. I called Disney to see what the official check in time is since I will be going next month. Official time-5:00pm-makes you wonder why 3:00 is printed on the reservation page. High note: Manager did give us a one day pass to make up for the problem.

Well, this is news to me. I always thought it was 3pm and 4pm for the DVC places and I think the All Stars. Which number told you 5pm? The 1-407 number? If it truely in 5pm then they should put that on the confirm slip and not 3pm.

[Mickey1]

I have always been told that check in is at 3pm....we always get to the resorts WAY before 3 and only one time a room was not ready and we still got it before 3....that 5 o'clock rule is news to me.....It seems that there are so many diffrent things told to diffrent people...I think Disney needs to get thier act together with CM's so there is less confusion for all....just my opinion! :)

[CaliforniaDreaming]

Well, they are WRONG! Check-in time is 3PM for resorts, 4PM for DVC (and, maybe All-Star, I'm not sure). Our room at the Grand Floridian until 3:30PM - a front desk CM told me at 2:45 "I promise your room will be ready in 15 minutes - guaranteed!" Well, he was wrong! He told me about the rush he was putting on the room, how they "owed" him a favor. Some CM's truly are worthless, LOL.

[Steffi]

I thought it was 3PM, also. We usually arrive at about 2PM and have never had a problem getting into our rooms right away.

[corvair]

We were there in JUne. I also was very dissappointed. We checked in around 2:00. Room was not ready. I thought OK, I requested building 5 poolside. Maybe my room is not ready. Our room was not ready until about 5:30, and guess what , it was not even poolside. We did pay extra for water, we were on the very end at the side, we could see alittle of the lake. I was dissapointed. If we would of got poolside I would not of minded waiting. We were not offered anything for the late time. The first time we stayed there it was great. Had pool side and did not even pay extra. I will try another resort next time. corvair amy

[DancingBear]

Official website says 3 p.m. check-in (11 a.m. check-out).

[mrsmom]

This happen to us too in June and we were told to call back after 3:00 and we did and made several calls then at 5:30 we went to the front desk and it still wasn't ready but they gave us a different room. but no tickets or anything. I had four kids to keep busy for that time.
Mrsmom

[kylara]

The "official" check in time is the time printed on your confirmation...for most resorts that is 3pm. However, the problem with rooms not being ready has to do with people not vacating the room by the check-out time. If someone is suppose to be out at 11am and doesn't leave til 3pm, then housekeeping's schedule is thrown off....end result, no room ready when the next guest arrive. This usually isn't a problem in the slower seasons since they can just change to a different room. But in the summer or certain holiday when the resorts are almost at capacity, it creates problems.

I think most of the problems with guests being unhappy isn't about the fact that the room isn't ready...but that the CM's just don't seem to care! Add to that the fact they can't seem to give any good information to the person waiting..instead they keep telling them to come back at different times, only to find out the room still isn't ready.

[melindaandrob]

Haven't I read that you can leave your luggage with bell services?

[bobcat]

Yes you can leave your luggage at Bell Services, which we usually do and then go to a park for the day.

[corvair]

I agree with the above post. The CMs do not really care. WE must of check back 4 times each time with them saying it will be done shortly. So you just wait and wait. I think if they print 3:00 then they should try to do something nice or extra to make up for the time. If it would have been alittle late it would have been OK. But not until 5:30, I thought was a little late.... corvair amy

[Howdoyoudo]

Yes, you can leave your luggage and head out, which is what we would of done on the spot if we were told we would not be getting a room until after 5pm. However, they told us 3:15 so, we decided to eat lunch, get in the room and head out to parks by 4:00. Then another 15 minute promise was made and so on. The CM was rather rude. When I asked to talk to a manager, she told me it wouldn't make any difference.....the manager understood how we felt, like we missed a day in the park, thus the free pass.

[Dallas_Lady]

I think they just told you 5pm to get your off thier back, that's all. It's 3pm.

[Nolcrest]

Interesting because when we checked into CBR at 2:00. our room was not ready until 5:00. I don't really buy the theory of people checking out late. Our room wsn't cleaned several times until after 2:00. This made me a bit crazy. We were always out of the room by 8:30am. We'd be back by 2:00 wanting to swim and come back to a room not serviced yet. Then, we'd leave the room again hoping housekeeping would come in the meantime. I guess our room location was maybe always on the bottom of the list when being cleaned.

[Howdoyoudo]

Hi dallas lady- I wrote an email and explained what happened and asked what the official time was. I received a phone call last night and 5pm was the answer they gave me. I don't think on was "getting on someones back"- they should of been upfront about not having a room ready and I would of been off to the parks-no problem.

[cindyfan]

Check in has always been 3 or 4pm depending on the resort.
I have our confirmation in front of me for All Star Music....it says check in 4pm check out 11am.

IMHO.....if it says 4pm then they should have a room ready!!!

Could be that the one that was assigned to me wasn't what I preferred and a room that is assigned to someone arriving late or the next day is something I would rather have. Then I would gladly wait. BUT....they should be a room ready for you at the time of check in!!:)
They do ask when you expect to arrive and sometimes I think they plan around that....is it possible you told them your were arriving later and came in earlier??

I don't know where this 5pm thing is coming from?????:confused:
I have never heard of a hotel haveing such a late check in time!!!
That is just nuts!!!

[Howdoyoudo]

Yes, I think its nuts also! We told them we were arriving around 1pm, which we did. I did fax in a request in bld#5 non-smoking. However, we were told at 1pm that was not available. So, we said we would take anything non-smoking. Still had to wait.

[Mamu]

I do not understand this policy if the room is suppose to be ready at 3:00, then the room should be ready at 3:00.

On the day of departure we wake up at 4:00AM for our flight out at 7:00. The last thing I would want to hear is my room will not be ready till after 5:00. This is unacceptable to me. Is Disney changing it's policy? Or have they cut back so much that there aren't enough housekeepers?

I would be in their face every 10 minutes. They would get my room done fast or find a room that was done. If I'm paying for a 3:00 o'clock check-in, I expect to be in my room at 3:00.

[4 Princess Morganne]

When we stayed at BWV several years ago, our room wasn't ready until after 7:00 pm. We had called and checked back from about 11:00 AM - so by 7:00 PM - my patience (and my cold medication) had run out. I was nearly in tears. My then 4 year old DD was in tears. After waiting in about a 5 minute line, we finally got to the CM and I said "please - I don't care what room - we just need a room and our luggage please". Our reservation was for a Studio - imagine my pleasant surprise when I finallly opened our room door to discover that they had upgraded us to a 1 bedroom suite! What an awsome room! IMHO it was worth the wait! We had just checked our bags and hit the parks for the day. It wasn't until I ran out of cold medicine and my DD's missed nap had reduced her to tears that it became a problem, at which point I feel that Disney more than compensated for our discomfort!

Morganne's Mommy

[cindala]

If they told you 5pm, then it's another example of the left hand not knowing what the right hand is doing!:rolleyes:

We all know that the 'quality' of CM's varies greatly. I would call back and see if ANYONE else states this as the new check-in time, just in case there is a change in policy. :):D:)




:bounce: :bounce: :bounce: :bounce: :bounce: :bounce: :bounce:

[SKJandBG]

I think Nolcrest has hit the nail on the head. I know that our room was consistently never cleaned by housekeeping until the afternoon; I think the latest came around 3:00 or 4:00. We had already been to the parks and swimming and were just chillin' with our two little boys. Not an ideal time to duck out so the room can be cleaned.

BTW... this was @ the Polynesian. Overall, I think it reflects more on the reductions in CM numbers that I've read about than anything else. Does anyone really expect a frontdesk CM to say, "I'm sorry, but we are so understaffed...."

[DancingBear]

Originally posted by SKJandBG
I know that our room was consistently never cleaned by housekeeping until the afternoon; I think the latest came around 3:00 or 4:00.

Since they have to get the rooms cleaned first for the new check-ins, it wouldn't surprise me that the rooms which aren't turning over get cleaned later in the afternoon.

[jlima]

It sounds like they are short on housekeepers and can't get the rooms done in time!! 5 pm?!? That means a housekeeper who works 7 - 4 is being asked to work 1 hr overtime so all the rooms are done by 5pm. But they won't hire more CMs to keep costs down, so the guests are supposed to deal with waiting until 5pm to check in? I think people need to vote with their wallets on this one & stay somewhere else.

:bounce:

[Lisa P.]

Do the confirmation papers say check-in is "at 3PM" or "after 3PM?" I'm only asking this because it's been argued before that when it says "after," it only implies that they need not accommodate any check-in requests prior to that time and that check-ins may begin after that time. And so, "after" would mean that this is not a guarantee of the room being ready "at" the stated time, rather could be at any time later and ought not to be expected sooner. Despite a hotel's willingness to accommodate earlier requests at times, the policy would stand.

I'm probably not being clear. And I don't necessarily agree. But I've read this before on a number of occasions so thought I'd toss it out there. Just cannot recall what those confirmation papers actually say. Anyone?

[cassie]

I stayed at CBR last May and my room was not cleaned until 3-4pm. Very annoying, as I could never come back to the room for a late shower or just to nap. I did see all the housekeepers leave at 5 pm everyday. A tram came by to pick them up. I guess they would start at the other side of my building and work their way around.

[cindyfan]

Lisa, the confirmations do say "check in AFTER 3pm (or 4pm)":)
I always took this to mean....that if you arrive early, then there is no guarentee the room will be ready.
BUT... that AFTER the time, the room would be ready.
Sooooo....if I arrive at 3:01....I expect a room to be ready:)

But for a room not to be ready til 5pm or 7pm is IMHO .... UNacceptable.:eek:

cassie, you can call mousekeeping and request that your room be cleaned earlier than their "scheduled" time of day.
We did that at CSR. The first 2 days they didn't clean it til around 3pm and BOY, was that inconvenient for us. So I just called and politely told them we planned on returning to the room every day for an afternoon break, and if they could please clean it early. They were fine with that. Alot of people don't return to their rooms and they don't know, so just tell them!:)

[cassie]

Thanks Cindy, I'll remember that next time.

[judi]

I was surprised to find that our WL confirmation had a 4pm check in time, it used to be 3pm at WL. Our YC confirmation still says 3pm.

[eeyore0062]

I just looked at my confirmation letter, and it says "Check in AFTER 3 pm". Because of the wording, they own no compensation if the room is not ready for a guest to check in at 3 pm. Sorry:(

[freediverdude]

Hi all!

Yes I experienced this "room not ready" stuff recently with Wyndham Palace in Downtown Disney. Although not Disney owned, it does seem to have similar policies, including saying "check in after 3 pm" on their room literature. I arrived one day recently, drove up to the valet parking (No one would approach, but then when I tried to walk in to check in, they yelled after me and accosted me for my keys, saying that I wasn't allowed to have my car there unless I wanted valet, which I had wanted, but no one would come up to get my car LOL), then waited in a fifteen minute line to get to the desk (at this time it was 1:45 pm). I was told the room wasn't ready, and to come back at 3, so walked over to downtown Disney and got all sweaty shopping and such, and came back and waited through the check in line again around 3:15. They told me to come back at 4:00. So, I sort of walked around the resort and looked at everything, and came back and waited in the check in line a third time around 4:15, and they could tell I was getting really tired, and finally offered a room, then the bellhops watched me pick my lugguge up off their bell cart and struggle to take it to my room, not even offering to help, finally getting into my room at 4:30. I could tell the problem was that people were not vacating the rooms. Each time I waited in line there were people checking out! In the middle of the afternoon! I think a lot of people just don't pay any attention to the check out time, and decide to kind of make it a full day the last day, and don't care if they get charged a late check-out fee, which irritates me, because i'm always careful to vacate the room by 11, even one time when I was sick and could barely get out of bed. I've decided from now on, if the room isn't available, I'm not waiting around. I'm going to take some clothes into the bathroom, freshen up, and head out to the parks and come back later, and not rely on their promises. And if I go out and come back hours after the official check-in time and it's still not ready, I'm demanding a room or taking my stuff and going to another hotel. It's not worth ruining your vacation over trying to get into your room, even if you have to end up giving them a piece of your mind and a night's deposit. There are plenty of other hotels in the area where you can just check right in, no muss no fuss. I know it's hard to give up a night's deposit if they won't offer to refund it, but IMHO it's worth it if it saves the rest of your day of vacation and you get to check in somewhere and go to the parks for the evening instead of waiting around and having the whole day be a complete waste just trying to get into your room. And it sends the hotel a message too, that we won't put up with that. If you were booked for several nights or more, they just lost a bunch of revenue by not getting you into a room within a reasonable time.