Trying this again....positives and negatives of early online check in?

[*Fantasia*]

Actually, this has been policy for a very long time. It's a liablility issue...they legally can not put minors in a room without an adult.

I don't know Disney's policy, but I can't imagine Disney would separate children from their parent. Imagine young kids alone in their room by themselves? Disney is a family friendly resort. I agree.. Minors in a room without an adult is a big NO NO. I mean it's common sense.

 

[diznee25]

Interesting thread...I was about to post this same question because I'm on the fence about doing online check-in (again.)

On our last trip we stayed at two resorts; All Star Movies and AKL. We did online check-in with both resorts, and got different results.

Will All Stars we arrived around 9pm on Friday night. The lobby area was so packed, I can't even tell you! Lines were long for regular check-in and online check-in. The regular lines were moving fast, I couldn't believe it. But our online check-in line was crawling at a snails pace. Every person in front of us had questions for the CM. We waited 30 minutes before it was our turn, while I enviously looked at the people move quickly thru the regular check-in line.

At AKL we checked in around 8:45am Sat.; no line, and check-in was a breeze!

My thought is this: Most people are going to have questions and request room changes upon checking in. That's not going to change. Maybe the regular lines move faster because they wait and gather/print your paper work, where as for the online check-in they have to redo everything. Maybe redoing everything takes longer?? Just a thought.

ETA: At All Stars there were several check-in CMs, but only 2 desks were available to us "online checkins." The regular crowd got the remaining CMs. There were a LOT of comments from my line about that! I guess some people felt doing the early online checkin allowed them greater service or something...

diznee25

 

[maxiesmom]

I don't know Disney's policy, but I can't imagine Disney would separate children from their parent. Imagine young kids alone in their room by themselves? Disney is a family friendly resort. I agree.. Minors in a room without an adult is a big NO NO. I mean it's common sense.

They wouldn't put children all alone in a room. They would expect the adults to split up.

Again, that doesn't happen very often. But it does happen. And as far as being assured that your connecting rooms are guaranteed by a CM, Disney has right on their own web site "Adjacent rooms, connecting rooms or specific room location and types of rooms or bedding are on a request basis only and are subject to availability at the time of check-in." Still, I am sure the do their best to keep families together. However, if something happens and connecting rooms simply are not available, it does give Disney an out. They guarantee nothing when it comes to room requests.

 

[*Fantasia*]

I don't know Disney's policy, but I can't imagine Disney would separate children from their parent. Imagine young kids alone in their room by themselves? Disney is a family friendly resort. I agree.. Minors in a room without an adult is a big NO NO. I mean it's common sense.

They wouldn't put children all alone in a room. They would expect the adults to split up.

Again, that doesn't happen very often. But it does happen. And as far as being assured that your connecting rooms are guaranteed by a CM, Disney has right on their own web site "Adjacent rooms, connecting rooms or specific room location and types of rooms or bedding are on a request basis only and are subject to availability at the time of check-in." Still, I am sure the do their best to keep families together. However, if something happens and connecting rooms simply are not available, it does give Disney an out. They guarantee nothing when it comes to room requests.

That would be very impossible to split one parent in half! Disney has no choice to put young children under 6 or even under 10 and their little baby siblings in a connecting room. I have yet to read anyone from the DIS who had this experience where their preschoolers and their babies who are still in their diapers in a separate own room. I suppose it can happen, but it must be a glitched on the computer system. I think the CM is smart enough not to separate one adult from their little ones. and I'm thinking that is also one of the reasons why they need to know how old are the kids.

 

[maxiesmom]

That would be very impossible to split one parent in half! Disney has no choice to put young children under 6 or even under 10 and their little baby siblings in a connecting room. I have yet to read anyone from the DIS who had this experience where their preschoolers and their babies who are still in their diapers in a separate own room. I suppose it can happen, but it must be a glitched on the computer system. I think the CM is smart enough not to separate one adult from their little ones. and I'm thinking that is also one of the reasons why they need to know how old are the kids.

There is actually a poster who had that happen to them. It was totally a goof, but they were the only adult and they were given 2 non connecting rooms. However, I believe the number of families who travel as 3 kids or more and 1 adult is probably very small. The point is, connecting rooms are only truly a need for that type of family. For families with more than 1 adult it is just a convenience to have connecting rooms. A greatly appreciated convenience, but not truly a need in the way it is for 1 adult with multiple kids.

 

[dmband]

They wouldn't put children all alone in a room. They would expect the adults to split up.

Again, that doesn't happen very often. But it does happen. And as far as being assured that your connecting rooms are guaranteed by a CM, Disney has right on their own web site "Adjacent rooms, connecting rooms or specific room location and types of rooms or bedding are on a request basis only and are subject to availability at the time of check-in." Still, I am sure the do their best to keep families together. However, if something happens and connecting rooms simply are not available, it does give Disney an out. They guarantee nothing when it comes to room requests.

This is to cover their butts if they have to move you to a different resort
It is illegal to split families and not allow them complete access to each other in case of emergency
So when you check in, if connecting rooms are not available Disney wil use the "requests are not guaranteed" line to keep you at the resort but if you are not willing to split they must provide you connecting rooms at one of the resorts

I wish I had the ok from my cm friend who has told me and shown me info on this because pretty much everyone here disagrees with it

 

[maxiesmom]

This is to cover their butts if they have to move you to a different resort
It is illegal to split families and not allow them complete access to each other in case of emergency
So when you check in, if connecting rooms are not available Disney wil use the "requests are not guaranteed" line to keep you at the resort but if you are not willing to split they must provide you connecting rooms at one of the resorts

I wish I had the ok from my cm friend who has told me and shown me info on this because pretty much everyone here disagrees with it

I agree with you, it is just to cover their butts. However twice now I have been a victim of not getting the room type I have booked, and also being told that that type was not available at any of the same level resort. Sometimes Disney just messes up and sometimes we have to deal with it. Hence their need to have that cover their butt clause.

I'm not sure where you are getting that it is illegal for families to be split up. It would be illegal to put kids in a room without an adult, but it is not illegal for 2 adults to split up and sleep in separate rooms with a few kids each. They could each have room key to both rooms and therefore have complete access to each other if needed. A second adult does not have to be in the same room for built in backup.

I have no doubt CMs are told to do one thing. However they also still have the Disney out to fall back on that nothing is guaranteed. They probably hardly ever use it, but I have been unfortunate enough to have experienced it twice in my trips to WDW. Nothing is 100% guaranteed. Disney does their best, but sometimes stuff happens.

We have also experienced the not getting of the connecting rooms issue, but it was about 9 years ago. And we were staying at the Contemporary, and my Dreams Unlimited TA has sense told me they are very limited on their number of connecting rooms. She also said to stay away from the Music, as many of them were made into the Family Suites. So now we just avoid those resorts when wanting to book connecting rooms.

 

[Mamu]

I usually book a room only reservation and when I book I make my request. Been lucky every time but the last time when I did on line check-in.

In my book there no advantage to on line check-in. I think it's just the luck of the draw.

 

[sms1009]

I had thought I was on cruise forum and couldnt understand why people didnt have their rooms...wrong board! lol

 

[andreadoiron]

When you go to the Online Check-in page you can request 2 things like groundfloor or what building. You can also give them a CC number at that time for charging purposes. When you arrive to go to the Online Check-in Line and all the paper work is ready. I'm sure that if the room the give you does not match your request they will work with you to change it, But the main reason to use the Online Check-in is to be able to request at least the building if not the room that you want. It gets you 'front of the line' service.

when we did online checkin at blt, at 3:30pm our room was still not ready, when we got to our room, it was not what i requested so i called down but was told they were full and i would have to pay a room fee to change my room later in my stay if something opened up...i really don't think they like to change your room assignment so online checkin is not great for those of us that have specific requests in mind

 

[Disney-Kim]

our last few trips we did online check in and each time when I got to the desk I confirmed where the room was either accepted it or asked if something else was available.

online check in does not hinder your ability to make requests or changes at check in...

for me at least so far

 

[Childs1stTime2Disney]

Since someone bumped my old thread, I just wanted to update and say I am the OP....we are back and it was a great trip.

We never did do online check in but got our exact request for Tokelau 3rd floor! And it only took us 5 mins to check in anyway! I will never do online check in, just doesnt seem worth it to me.