Online Check in

[brightvalleyjrts]

Is this worth doing?? We are checking into CBR on Sat. and I have never done the online checkin in the the past. Wasn't sure if that was necessary or if I can just do it when I get there.

 

[Along4theRide]

I was actually wondering the same thing! What is the advantage of checking in online?

 

[MKay]

We are not sure of the benefit either. We go 2/28 and called in today to make sure our room request was in...and asked whether the online check-in would affect the request. CM said no so we went ahead and did the check-in. You still have to go to a counter when you get there anyway; maybe it helps them confirm that we are really coming?
Any other thoughts out there?

 

[DisneyLover75]

I did it last year, and it was very convenient. There was one person in line in front of me, and I distinctly remember it was no trouble at all to get my packet and keys.

I have already used the online check in for this coming trip, next week. I'm at CSR this time, so maybe that'll be different, depending on crowds. But last year I was at All Star Sports, and it was simple.

I'd recommend it. But then, I never much minded the process of checking in when I got there, either. But the wait was definitely a bit longer.

 

[brightvalleyjrts]

We are not sure of the benefit either. We go 2/28 and called in today to make sure our room request was in...and asked whether the online check-in would affect the request. CM said no so we went ahead and did the check-in. You still have to go to a counter when you get there anyway; maybe it helps them confirm that we are really coming?
Any other thoughts out there?

I would hope that the $7000 they have of our money would confirm we are coming! LOL! I also called today to make sure our room requests were in and they were. The girl I spoke with wasn't very friendly, so I didn't even bother to ask her about the online checking. I figured I would just ask Disboards! We have 3 separate rooms reserved at CBR.

 

[curemyreed]

I believe it is offered in order to speed the check-in process for you. For example, if you were on a Magical Express bus and half the people got off ahead of you and lined up at the resort check-in que...you might have a bit of a wait time in order to check in. If you do online check-in you are able to avoid that que.

 

[brightvalleyjrts]

I see. Maybe I will just go ahead and do it then. Since there are 3 rooms, it might speed things up for us.

 

[CLR4321]

We used it at Pop in Sept and it worked very well. There were 6 people in line for the regular check-in, and only 1 in the online check-in. It only took a few mins compared to when we stayed at POR in March, which took about 15 mins in line. We are using it again when we go in a few days.

 

[okiedokieartichoke]

It really depends and I think it depends on the resort as well. it can definitely make the check in process quicker because the CM doesnt need to verify any information and the CC should already be on file, etc etc and with the busier resorts the normal check in line is usually pretty long compared to the online check in line. at the resort i work at (disclosed) the online check in line can definitely be longer than the regular check in line, which makes online check in almost nothing to us.

 

[dawneg]

Highly recommend! At both CR and WL, regular check-in lines were huge (we arrived during busy check-out it seemed). It was great to breeze through the online check-in. Made me wonder why more people don't do it. I don't think it "cements" your room choice or anything.

 

[winterman]

We used online check-in for both parts of a split stay in Sept. There are no guarantees, but it is very likely to save you significant time. When we arrived at ASMu, there was only1 person ahead of us in the online line but a CM took me over to the concierge desk to get my packet. I was out of there in about 3 minutes.

When you check-in online you have the opportunity to tell them when you expect to arrive. I have to believe that, if you are arriving early, it increases the chances that your room will be ready. It worked for us.

We'll do it on our next trip. I think you have nothing to lose and the possibility of time to gain.

 

[RMulieri]

It did NOTHING for us in December.We did online checkin, got to the BC and no one was at the online desk, so we had to wait anyway.Only to find they misplaced our folder and had to do it over anyway.Which did work out for us, since we were able to get our request, which we apparently did not get using the online checkin....or so they said

 

[iheartdolewhips]

I definitely suggest that you do it! There is a separate wait line for it and they already have your things ready to go, so it is much faster! Last May, we did online check in for CSR. We didn't arrive until about 7:30 pm, so obviously there wasn't a crowd then and it probably didn't make much difference but shaved a few minutes off our tie. However, last December we booked our stay at POR through Coke Rewards and therefore couldn't do online check in. We arrived around 2:00 pm and longingly watched the people zip in and out that had done online check in (there were never more than 2 people waiting there at a time even though they served a lot of people!) as we waited 30+ minutes in the regular check in line. I consider it a must do if you're planning on arriving at a prime check in time (probably 11 am - 4 pm). But I think it helps you if you're arriving at an early time too because the online check in asks you what your planned arrival time is. I think it also helps if you're arriving early too because if they know you're arriving at 10 am, say, then they'll try to pre-place you in a room where someone has said they're leaving earlier or they know will be gone with Magic Express already. This isn't confirmed and definitely has a lot of room for variation, but I think generally you might get in your room faster.

 

[RMulieri]

I definitely suggest that you do it! There is a separate wait line for it and they already have your things ready to go, so it is much faster! Last May, we did online check in for CSR. We didn't arrive until about 7:30 pm, so obviously there wasn't a crowd then and it probably didn't make much difference but shaved a few minutes off our tie. However, last December we booked our stay at POR through Coke Rewards and therefore couldn't do online check in. We arrived around 2:00 pm and longingly watched the people zip in and out that had done online check in (there were never more than 2 people waiting there at a time even though they served a lot of people!) as we waited 30+ minutes in the regular check in line. I consider it a must do if you're planning on arriving at a prime check in time (probably 11 am - 4 pm). But I think it helps you if you're arriving at an early time too because the online check in asks you what your planned arrival time is. I think it also helps if you're arriving early too because if they know you're arriving at 10 am, say, then they'll try to pre-place you in a room where someone has said they're leaving earlier or they know will be gone with Magic Express already. This isn't confirmed and definitely has a lot of room for variation, but I think generally you might get in your room faster.

It works well when there is actually someone manning the on line check in line.If there is no one there you have to wait in the regular line like everyone else

 

[Luv2Roam]

I have done it, and not.
The benefit to on line is if you happen to be with many others checking in during a ME bus unloading.
The lines for pre-check-in guests is much shorter and faster.