Arriving at hotel LATE! Any tips?

[disneydreamerinny]

I am helping my friend plan her disney vacation and we came across a question.
Their flight doesnt get in untl after 11pm.
Is there anything open for them to do after check in?
Any ideas on how to wind down?

This is their first trip and I'm sure they are going to be wired.
(4 adults, 4 kids under 8)

Any help would be great. Thanks.

Oh, yeah, they are going the second week of April this year and staying at the ASMo.

 

[Trekker]

I'm not aware of much open that time of night for the kids. The adults could do some of the clubs at PI or the Boardwalk.

If it was me I would get my room, get in for a short nights rest and hit the parks at opening the next day.

 

[mishoe01]

I would have to agree with Trekker - you may be able to find some restaurants open in the Crossroads area or along I Drive, but other than PI, but that won't work for the kids.


Maybe they can walk around the resort a bit (see the icons), then try to get to bed before a fun filled day at the parks!

 

[tonysgal34]

Warn them that when coming in that late, there isn't any cast members outside the check-in at ASMo and it's a heck of a trip to the rooms without a cart for baggage. They might want to ask around for some help when they get there. We checked in around 10 pm or so back in Nov and it took us(myself, DH, DS and DD) almost 30 minutes just going back and forth to the car to get all of our luggage and get it up to our room which was a million miles away from everyone and everything.

 

[disneydreamerinny]

Uh oh...
What about the pool? Is the pool open? The hotel arcade?
The gift shop? The food court???

Will there at least be carts available for them to get their stuff to their room?
They arent renting a car. Just using Disney transportation.

 

[tonysgal34]

It seemed like the pools were open late, like 11 or something but I think the arcade closed at 10 as well as the store. I think the food court was open until 11 or 12, if I recall correctly. A quick phone call should answer these questions for sure. There is cable in the rooms; maybe they should plan on settling in with some snacks and a movie and get an early start in the morning!!

 

[clkelley]

If their flight doesn't get in till after 11pm, then it will be after midnite before they even get to check-in, then almost 1am before they get to their room.

I would suggest just crashing and getting ready for the next morning.

I know it's expensive, but if they have a layover, they will need to eat something at the layover airport, because even when they land at MCO, nothing will be open there.

If they have a direct flight, then they need to have a good meal before they leave.

Don't know how they are getting from the airport, but a towncar will stop for a grocery stop and allow them to pick up snackies. If they are using Mears, then they will be taken to All-Stars without the possibility of a snackie stop.

The Mears driver or towncar driver should help them get their luggage into the lobby, then one of the check-in CMs should be able to find them a cart to get their stuff to the room.

Hope this helps!!

Carol

 

[nigel-bigel]

I would advise them to call the hotel early that day or maybe the day before to let the hotel know they are coming and will be arriving late at night.

This way, if the hotel is overbooked they are less likley to have their room given away, and if they had any room requests they have a better chance of having them honored.

It would be a shame for your friends to end up with the most undesirable room on the property because the hotel wasn't sure they were going to show!

I always call a hotel and do this if I don't plan on checking in by 5 pm.

Nicole

 

[slimplaw]

Everything will be closed when they arrive. Gift shop closes at 11:00 and the food court and arcade close at 12:00. If they are hungry when they arrive, they'll need to find a 24 hour place offsite. Ditto on calling the hotel and letting them know about the late arrival. We did this in Dec. for WL and they had our papers waiting for us. You can also fax this info to the room assigner.

 

[Lyncruiser1]

When we arrive late into Orlando, we get a room at the Hyatt for our first night. The hotel is right in the airport lobby. We get our bags, go up the escalator, check in, eat something at the restaurant, which is open quite late (until 1 a.m. I think), and then go straight to bed. The next morning, we get our car and start out fresh. This saves money as the Hyatt is often cheaper than our Disney resort room and saves having to rent a car and find our way to our hotel at midnight.

 

[TammiMcMan]

I agree with Lyncruiser, stay at the Airport Hyatt. We did this for the first time a few weeks ago and I would do it again for our next trip. You literally step off the plane and within 20 minutes you can be checked into your room. As a timesaver, pack one bag as your "first night bag" with pajama's and clothes for the next morning.

As for winding down, I'd be thinking a very light snack and a warm bath for the kids.