I Thought I Could Bypass The Lobby With Online Check In??

[BobC]

I did receive a few emails last week (two in total) stating 'UPON YOUR DISNEY ARRIVAL.' Basically just maps and how to work FP+ and dining stuff and confirming my travel dates.

Nothing stating check in or by pass check in

 

[dansdad]

This is really informative - thank you!!! I wish I knew this before I completed my streamlined check in - I would've just gone to the front desk! I was thinking what I was doing was Bypassing the front desk (#1). Bleh! Well, thank you for this information!!!

And thank you to everyone who has replied as well!!!

You're welcome. And just another FYI, even if you're using one of the 3 scenarios I listed above you can ALWAYS still go to the Front Desk and check in normally!

 

[Accident]

So you received yours just a few days prior til arrival?

Meaning there is still hope I get mine! (4 days out)

Id say your not getting it, my email sounded likes your but that i could skip.

 

[CJLove79]

I just finished Online Check In and got the same Streamlined Check In as the OP did. But I paid it no mind cause I will be in the Club Level, which has its own separate desk upstairs, and knew that Room Assigners won't do anything till the week of my trip. Also I read the verbiage on the bottom......... and it basically explained everything there. They say clear as day "IF you already have a MagicBand or admission card, the notification MAY provide your room number & inform you that you may proceed directly to your room upon arrival at your Resort" I think the reason some people have been having issues is because they're expecting a text or email that specifically says to go straight to your room by default. Disney used two keywords "If" and "may" so at the end of the day, nobody will know anything until their Arrival Date.

 

[Wood Nymph]

1.) Bypass the Front Desk - About 2 weeks out you will receive an email informing you that you can Bypass the Front Desk when you arrive.

We check into POR on Saturday and we just received the email yesterday evening.

This is what it said:

Congratulations! You've completed your Disney Resort hotel online check-in service.

And now, for the first time, you may be able to skip the front desk when you arrive.

Since your all-in-one MagicBand has been shipped to your home and is also your Disney Resort room key, you may head straight to your room or even the Parks (if you linked Theme Park admission to your MagicBands). It's a quick and easy way to start the magic the moment you arrive!

Just ensure you've completed your online check-in with:
• Your estimated Resort arrival and departure times
• A credit card you want to use for incidentals and other charges
• Your mobile phone number and/or email address
By providing a phone number or email address we can text or email you on the day of your arrival with your room number. Our Bell Services team will be ready to assist you with your luggage upon arrival.

We'll contact you when your room is ready and you can go directly to your room. If your room is not ready when you arrive, simply enjoy the Parks or the Resort and we will let you know as soon as your room is available.

We have never stayed at POR before so I wasn't sure if we would be able to bypass the front desk this time.

 

[CJLove79]

We check into POR on Saturday and we just received the email yesterday evening.

This is what it said:



We have never stayed at POR before so I wasn't sure if we would be able to bypass the front desk this time.

See that?? Even in this email they said "And now, for the first time, you may be able to skip the front desk when you arrive." That's not a guarantee, its a possibility, no more, no less than that.

 

[Debbie7452]

I did everything on the list and got an email to skip the front desk. I was very happy. However, the promised text never came. My arrival time came and went. I visited the front desk anyway and was told my room wasn't ready. We sat around the lobby for a while and finally stored our luggage and went and had lunch then went to the pool. We still heard nothing. I went back to the desk and my room was ready. They had "no idea" why I didn't get a text. It was kind of a disappointing start. I like the concept very much, but it didn't work right.

 

[jtowntoflorida]

On our last trip we had the following experience:

Checked in online at 60ish days. Made room requests, and even re-entered credit card information just in case.

Prior to the trip, got the email that said that we could skip the desk and would get a text with our room number.

Text never came.

Stopped by front desk when we finally arrived at our resort at 1:00 a.m. via the Not-At-All-Magical Express, over two hours after our flight arrived.

Front desk CM told me that we didn't have credit card information entered into MDE and that's why I didn't get the text with the room number. She then re-entered our credit card number and gave us our room assignment.

**sigh**

ETA: That is my long, complainy way of saying even if you get the email saying you can skip the front desk...you might not be able to skip the front desk. The only way you'll know is if you receive a text on arrival day.

 

[bumbershoot]

Ugh that's annoying! I would have just done regular check in had I known this...

You can still go to the front desk. No worries!

See that?? Even in this email they said "And now, for the first time, you may be able to skip the front desk when you arrive." That's not a guarantee, its a possibility, no more, no less than that.

The email then says that b/c they have MBs "you may head straight to your room". That's rather clear.

 

[wilkeliza]

Sorry guys I was confused as to when you got the email! I thought you got something the day you checked in that said please proceed to the front desk not someone a few weeks before. Now I understand.

 

[fla4fun]

I suspect it may be because they have had problems at that resort with the MBs not opening the room door automatically like they are supposed to. Two of the last three trips we had to go to the front desk first and both times it was so our MBs could be manually linked to our room or that they could verify that they were going to work correctly (they weren't).

I had the same issue at AoA in January. I was paid in full, did online check in, put cc on file, etc., but instead of a room number email I got an email to stop by the front desk. One of the MB wouldn't program correctly to open the room door. Even after an hour or so of them trying, it never did work. Fortunately, there were two of us and the other MB worked for the door just fine. My other trips I haven't had this issue, and I was sent the email with the room number to bypass the front desk.

 

[VickieMouse]

We just returned from a 3-way split stay. We received emails for all 3 stays saying we could bypass the front desk. First resort- POR- got a text while on DME about the time we said we would be arriving. Room was ready. Never went to front desk. Just straight to the room. Second and third resorts- Poly and YC- never received a text and waited until hours after what we entered as our estimated arrival time. Went to the front desk after the 3:00 pm check in time and in both cases our room was ready. We had said we would be arriving around 10am.

 

[JennyDrake]

Ive read on a few threads on here that not 100% of the people that do everything via online check in qualify....the reasons are unbeknownst to me.

Oh well. A few extra minutes conversing with a lovely and friendly CM won't kill me Saturday if I don't get to skip it. No biggie.

From what I've heard, the process of checking in now is must easier even if it's not 'skip the counter' and takes just a few minutes.

YES! This is the way I look at it as well. In over 40 trips to WDW over the last 10 years, I have received a room number text ONCE.

 

[Disbug]

...I still always go to the desk even when we online check in but that is usually because they bring you your packet with parking pass and resort map.

Did you drive or use Magical Express to get there? If your drove/cab and didn't come through magical express maybe they think you drove so need your parking pass?

The last 2 times we were there... this past May and June... we did not receive parking passes. They said they are doing away with them. So that is rather bizarre! Don't know if it is a test or not, but that way you could truly bypass the front desk if you do online check-in. But OTOH, how do you get free parking if you drive to the parks...? Scan your Magic Band, lol?!!

 

[AlixaLock]

Here now and in the Magical Express! I did online check in and was listed as "Streamlined." Just as the bus pulled out I got and email and a text saying my room number and that the room was ready. Said clearly to proceed to the room no need to stop at the desk. I think they are using the streamlined thing so that people do t expect their room to be ready and no issues.

 

[wilkeliza]

The last 2 times we were there... this past May and June... we did not receive parking passes. They said they are doing away with them. So that is rather bizarre! Don't know if it is a test or not, but that way you could truly bypass the front desk if you do online check-in. But OTOH, how do you get free parking if you drive to the parks...? Scan your Magic Band, lol?!!

Scanning the magic band does indeed make sense. I didn't even think about that as an option now since they have the hand held scanners.

 

[Jon84]

Scanning the magic band does indeed make sense. I didn't even think about that as an option now since they have the hand held scanners.

In April at MK I had my AP MB scanned to let me into the car park. It's a natural next step I think

 

[nkereina]

I just completed online check-in for our AKL stay in October. I've met all the qualifiers for the streamlined check-in, yet when the online check-in was complete it said "you qualify for streamlined check-in! just show your ID at the designated spot by the front desk" - or whatever OP's message said at the end of the online check-in process. It's clearly something that everyone gets. I'd go by whatever the email confirmation says.

 

[MsThumper]

I did everything on the list and got an email to skip the front desk. I was very happy. However, the promised text never came. My arrival time came and went. I visited the front desk anyway and was told my room wasn't ready. We sat around the lobby for a while and finally stored our luggage and went and had lunch then went to the pool. We still heard nothing. I went back to the desk and my room was ready. They had "no idea" why I didn't get a text. It was kind of a disappointing start. I like the concept very much, but it didn't work right.

We had a similar experience at AKL last week. We never got a text before getting to the hotel. We arrived about 11:30am, 30 minutes later than our ETA that I entered in the online check in and we had no special room requests. We were met by a CM with an IPAD who took us to the front desk. The CM behind the front desk checked on available rooms and said an available room was imminent. He even wrote down the anticipated block of room numbers. 30 minutes later, still no text. We left our luggage and went and had lunch. Still no text. We even took the bus over to Animal Kingdom to get our AP's activated. About 2:15 pm, still no text, we went back to the front desk and asked again about a room. Yeah, I know, check-in time is 3pm. We were then assigned a room. Got to the room, 3 of our 4 magic bands wouldn't open the door. Back to the lobby. I got the text with our room number about 10 minutes after we were in the room.

I'm not really complaining. We're never in a big hurry, I never mind checking-in in the lobby. I'm just happy to be there. Just saying their by-pass the front desk concept probably works better for those arriving later in the day.

 

[afyoung]

Maybe they send some people straight to the rooms, and others to the desk as a method of crowd control. Based on the estimated arrival time we provide, etc. I know there are 2 flights out of Nashville on my airline the night we leave, that are both nonstop and 20 minutes apart. I would assume most of us will end up on the same ME together. Considering that every other airline has at least one flight coming in during that same 30 minute timeblock (possibly 2), and if even half of all of those people are going to a Disney property, despite the number of properties they could be going to, that is quite an influx of people...all.day.long. So this method provides to go ahead and send some people to the rooms and clear some of the crowd. Or maybe Disney does this just to give us something to talk about here