Villas Question...

[bnbheartdisney]

I called the Grand yesterday with some check-in questions and was told that the rooms are typically ready at 3:00, but the Villas usually aren't ready until 4:00/5:00. So I was wondering, when was your Villa ready? And did you/didn't you check-in early?

We're thinking about checking in early so they can just text us when the room is ready. I think doing this will keep us from waiting in longer check-in lines later on during the day.

TIA!

 

[blackjackdelta]

Ours was ready at 1530 on a Sun afternoon in August, that is when we arrived. You can check in at anytime and bell will hold everything for you to go enjoy the park. Have fun.

Jack

 

[the donut]

I looked through my texts - the earliest we've gotten our villa was 11:38 and the latest was 4:45pm. When I look over the times, they seem to be clustering into groups from either being ready betwen 11:30-12:30 or 3-4:45, i.e. it's not spread out over the day.

We usually check in at the desk before the park opens and dump our stuff with bell services to take advantage of rope drop or magic morning. I'm not sure how much early check in really matters. I think they assign the rooms well in advance, and the time that you get your unit depends upon when the previous occupants leave and how messy they left it.

 

[disneydenisel]

We are checking into the villas on Friday. Will the front desk call us when the villa is ready if we check-in early? Or do we just keep checking back?

 

[bnbheartdisney]

We are checking into the villas on Friday. Will the front desk call us when the villa is ready if we check-in early? Or do we just keep checking back?

I was told that once you check-in, they will make your keys and text you with the room number once it's ready - that way you can just go straight to your Villa and avoid standing in the check-in line for a second time.

 

[rentayenta]

Our villa was ready early.

 

[the donut]

I was told that once you check-in, they will make your keys and text you with the room number once it's ready - that way you can just go straight to your Villa and avoid standing in the check-in line for a second time.

This is correct. Keys are issued at check-in and your room number is texted to you later. I do have to say that once we did not receive a text and when we called to check on it the room was ready. So if it starts to get late, it doesn't hurt to call guest services and check if the room is ready.

 

[DebbieB]

When I stayed there last month, my friend flew out the day before and stayed at PP. She checked in at VGC at 7:00am and asked for a WOC view. We got a great room (6504) and it was ready at 9:45am!

 

[alyssa810]

When I stayed there last month, my friend flew out the day before and stayed at PP. She checked in at VGC at 7:00am and asked for a WOC view. We got a great room (6504) and it was ready at 9:45am!

OMG! I think we also stayed in 6504!! (was it a studio?) BEST ROOM EVER (ok, it's the only room I've stayed in there, but still...)

We checked in before 8 am so we could hit the MM; we got the text before 3 that we were ready, if memory serves.

 

[Nonsuch]

I looked through my texts - the earliest we've gotten our villa was 11:38 and the latest was 4:45pm. When I look over the times, they seem to be clustering into groups from either being ready betwen 11:30-12:30 or 3-4:45, i.e. it's not spread out over the day.

I also leave all those old texts on my phone
Villa was ready: 4:25, 3:21, 5:47, 1:32, 11:57AM
Sometimes the text never arrived (could be ATT or iPhone issue), so I call the hotel starting at 3:00

We usually check in at the desk before the park opens and dump our stuff with bell services to take advantage of rope drop or magic morning. I'm not sure how much early check in really matters. I think they assign the rooms well in advance, and the time that you get your unit depends upon when the previous occupants leave and how messy they left it.

We do the same thing, which can make for a long first day. The worst was waiting for Candlelight in the rain and not having a room until 5:47

Early checkin for the Villas likely does not matter, but advance room requests certainly does.

The Villas at Disney's Grand Californian Owners & Lovers Group - 2.0

 

[bnbheartdisney]

Villa was ready: 4:25, 3:21, 5:47, 1:32, 11:57AM
The Villas at Disney's Grand Californian Owners & Lovers Group - 2.0

5:47 Wow, that is really late!

Thanks all for your input, I appreciate it!

 

[the donut]

I also leave all those old texts on my phone
Villa was ready: 4:25, 3:21, 5:47, 1:32, 11:57AM
Sometimes the text never arrived (could be ATT or iPhone issue), so I call the hotel starting at 3:00

5:47 - ouch!

Our "room is ready" text times are (that I still have in my phone at any rate):
11:38
11:56
2:44
3:20
4:01
4:45

I can see how it really varies. Sometimes we pack up on departure day to hit rope drop or magic morning, so we'll be out of the room as early as 7am. Last time we stayed with my family who didn't get tickets on departure day, so we malingered in the room until check out time. We usually call the front desk as well as notify the cleaning staff on the way out so they can get started as soon as they like. Housekeeping has come knocking on doors around 8am to see if we're about to leave on the days we've stayed late.

Every time we've gotten a room it's been pretty much spotless, and that's even satisfying my clean freak parents on 2 different visits so I can see why it takes awhile.

 

[nunzia]

The latest for us was 5:45 and the earliest was for our son, 11:30..

 

[frank808]

Just checked in on the 11th and it was ready at 2:07pm.

 

[taaren]

Right after the VGC opened fall '09 we arrived at 7a, room was ready at 11a, no requests, got a pool view. Last fall we arrived 9:30a, room ready around 2:30p, no requests, got 4500.

 

[lapdwife]

Depends on if they're striking or not I swear they waited until 4:05 to release rooms then. I talked to 2 girls who work the registration desk and we decided together it was just to be difficult.

 

[boiseflyfisher]

Our last two stays(December 2010 and February 2011)the rooms were not ready until 5pm.

 

[Silly Little Pixie]

My room was ready at 1:00 on June 1. Pool view! We also had a fantastic view of the Magical fireworks, and listened to it on the TV.

On the previous stay in February it wasn't ready until after 5!! I don't know what's up with that. We'd checked in at 8 am and had no room requests. Spent the whole day at the park, and were really ready to go change for my birthday dinner at Jazz Kitchen. I accidentally left my bag with my son's birthday gift at the counter when I went to inquire how much longer we needed to wait at 5... When I noticed it gone, I went back but nobody ever turned it in. Grrr.

However- Our visit before that was also about 1:00- and 6504!! Best room ever! If you're looking for a WOC view, that's a great one.

 

[JimmyJam838]

Out of the 8 times we've been so far, only once has the room been ready before 4PM. When we arrived on our last trip in May, it was ready when we arrived around 2:30PM. Other checkin times were usually before 1PM.

 

[bnbheartdisney]

I'm actually really surprised to see so many DISers having to wait till 5:00 for their Villa to be ready! This is one of my worries. We're going to hit Disneyland when it opens and then take a mid-day break; but if our Villa isn't ready, I'm not sure what we're going to do. To those who have been in this situation, what did you to occupy your time?

Do you think room requests could be the reason for the rooms being ready later on in the day?