Can you check into your resort as early as 12:30 a.m.?

[FINFAN]

Not sure if we will need to, but here is one scenario for our August trip: We are scheduled to arrive 11 pm Friday night, 8/11. We are planning on staying 2 nights at POP, on FFmiles OR *FREE*. Since we are arriving BEFORE the new DDP special is in effect, we are planning on going to a water park on Sat 8/12 using our leftover plusses. Then, we may transfer to CR for the remainder of our stay 8/13-8/21. If we choose to do this it will be on the DDP package and then get our KTTW and start hitting the parks and food on Sunday 8/13. In order to have as much park time as possible on 8/13, I was hoping to check into CR just past midnight, then go back to POP, crash, have our stuff transfered by WDW do express check out and off to AK to enjoy the day, then check back by phone to see when our room is ready, and when we are done w/AK just return to our new room at CR. O.K.,,, now...does our entire party need to be present to check into CR at midnight or later, or can my family stay at POP and DH or I just do the check in at CR? can we be booked at both POP and CR during the middle of the night? As long as we are paying for both resorts it should be o.k. right? I am just trying to avoid a long line on the 13th, since we are not able to enter any parks until we have our passes from the DDP package.

Thanks all,


Pam

 

[formernyer]

You can check in any time that day (even 12am I believe). You will get your hotel folder and your keys...the keys will just not be activated for your room yet. You will be given a business card with a number to call to check your room assignment. Once the room is assigned, your key will work. You don't have to go back to the front desk at all after check-in, as long as you call that number to find out your room assignment.

 

[FINFAN]

THANKS FORMERNYER! So we would be "park activated" at the time of registration at CR. Right now, we are planning on the POP and a Dolphin split stay, 'cause we DO love the DOLPHIN nad the 129 rate is awesome...however, even with that, to compare 8 nights at either, one DDP, one our own food budget, puts us at about a $200 difference(more) to move over to CR, and not have to worry about watching the food budget (waistline is another matter) and DS will have his own daybed...a huge perk, plus the monorail is totally cool and we won't have the fridge rental fee based on our food budget....but we'll see by Tuesday what happens. We could save even more by staying at POP the whole time, but just too small for 9 nights. HHHMMMM, bettter start deciding.....


Pam

 

[TammiMcMan]

This is kind of strange, but I could see why you'd want to get your package initialized the night before, so that you can get right into the parks without delay in the morning. Unfortunately, if I remember some previous threads, the earliest you can be checked in (without having to pay for the additional night) is 6am. We've arrived to the resort after midnight on a few occassions and had to pay for the "previous" night (arrive 1am on 12/5, paid for 12/4). I know there are some CM's who frequent these boards, so hopefully someone will know for sure. If you were staying at the same resort, it probably wouldn't be a problem at all. A great question though as it does involve a resort change, but a room is not necessary for the night. You just want your package to be initialized.

 

[formernyer]

if this is correct, then i apologize for posting false information. last week i checked into my hotel earlier than 6am, but it was very close to 6am, so i guess they may have just made an exception for me.

 

[FINFAN]

Thanks for pointing the time out...I think I will call CRO in the morning and ask what the earliest time check-in is allowed for ticket activation. Thanks for your help!


Pam

 

[gigi1313]

while you're still deciding on resort... you could do what we do... book one room at the value w/the package and then book a second "room only" w/the AAA discount and request connecting rooms... we've done it three times at slow and busy and free dining and other times and have had no problem... it's worth a thought if you're seriously considering staying at pop but are concerned about being cramped (and it's still a LOT cheaper than CR!)

 

[kaytieeldr]

I would suggest one adult from your party take a taxi from Pop to CR very early on the thirteenth and check in and get all park admission and dining plan media activated, then return to Pop and start your day. Checking into a hotel anywhere during 'typical sleep hours' generally incurs a full night's cost for the room.

 

[AJKMOM]

I think I read here that you can't check in until 6:30am. Maybe it was 6:00am, but I don't think it was earlier without being charged.

 

[Sammie]

I think it is 6am. Anything any earlier is still considered part of the previous day.

 

[momma2em-n-mia]

In september we checked into the AKL at 11:30 am and our room was ready and waiting for us and we were given our keys to the world. HTH!

 

[CDSTapisRouge]

Sorry but you can not check in that early, you would have to have a reservation for the 12th.

The earliest you could check in would be about 5am on the 13th. The computer system will not allow any reservations for the new day to be checked in until "around" 5-6am. Here is what happens, from the hotel side. The computer systems go down at 2am (midnight on Tuesday's) at that time the system does all it's night processing. During the downtime it will switch over to the next day, download reservations from CRO, process room and tax, etc... The system usually comes back online around 4am, but they still can not check anyone in for the new day until they have the night audit report from the previous night. It is usually around 5am, but the request is no check in's for that day until after 6am, just to be sure...there have been nights when I worked graveyard that the computers did not come up until after 7am (but that is rare). Also the ticket entitlement system takes a little longer to come up, so if the system comes up around 4am (which is about the normal time) it is usually about 6am when the ticketing is back online.

I hope that makes sense

 

[bicker]

It does, and you're correct. You cannot check in until the computer systems have been loaded with the data for the new day. That's actually the case at just about every hotel with an automated central reservations system.

 

[FINFAN]

WOW! Thanks SO MUCH everyone! Yes, DH or I will hop a cab over in the a.m. while kids get ready...I know it sounds crazy to do all that for a few extra hours, but I am pretty sure starting the 13th there may be a few hungry folks checking in.
gigi1313...we have thought about the 2 room plan at POP, but we would most likely just do a 4/5 POP/DOLPHIN split and not to DDP. We are still gong over menus etc and seeing if we would REALLY make use of it...it is hot in August and we really do not need to be stuffing ourselves silly, but yet we would try at least 2 new places...staying at the Dolphin would not give us 2 bathrooms or each a bed but we love those HEAVENLY BEDS , location of the Dolphin and the service...to us experiencing a POP/D Split would be really fun....but you never know! We could always get the roll-a-way if we need it.
Such problems... The best thing is we were planning on going anyway...so having the choice of including the dining plan and being able to alter rresorts is GREAT!


Pam