What is the earliest you can check in?

[mousy_in_canada]

We are looking to leave our house around 7 am and drive down, it takes approx. 19-24 hours depending on stops and weather to drive down.. if we arrive at 4-5 am can we still check in and not have to pay for that night? Or in your opinion should we find a good priced hotel in the area and crash for a few hours and arrive refreshed at 10 or later? I have my doubts our room will be ready when show up and it would suck to sit in a restaurant very tired just waiting and passing time. I know we can hand in our luggage and go and get stuff done, but lets face it after that drive we will zonked out!

Any help would be appreciated!
Mousy (happy dancing because I have 1 month to go )

 

[Yen Sid]

I would park in the parking lot of the resort you staying at and crash in your car or go into the lobby and crash there, why waste money to get a hotel for a few hour nap when it can be done for free.

 

[safetymom]

Stop somewhere along the way. If you get there at 4 AM you would need to have made a reservation for that night. If you get there after 6-7 they may let you check in but there may not be any rooms available.

 

[maxiesmom]

I would either stop somewhere along the way and get some sleep, or find a cheap hotel in Lake Buena Vista and sleep the first day. Either option would be much cheaper than paying for another night at a Disney resort.

 

[nurse.darcy]

I have arrived as early as 6:30 and was able to check in. . .when I arrived at 2 a.m. I needed to have that night booked or be charged an extra night at rack rate. . .

 

[eyor44]

Earliest I have ever arrived is 8:00am. Only one time has the room been ready, but I can get all my stuff and go to the parks.

 

[mousy_in_canada]

I think stopping is the best option.. is there a reasonably prices yet clean hotel that is less than 1 hour away? we are coming down the 95, or 75 is weather is stormy.

 

[mickeyluv'r]

I've had it go both ways. I can't I've ever tried that early, but I have been at a resort at 8am.

On our last trip, we arrived at 11am. Our room wasn't ready until after 3:30! I was disappointed. It kind of put a damper on our stay to have to wait THAT long. I realize that's check-in time, but we were there during a slow time. Honestly, I really kind of think the staff bungled our room a bit, but that's just me.

If you start your trip tired, it kind of carries over. I agree that it would be better to arrive on property rested.

Several times when we've had late arrivals, we've stayed off property at a discount place the first night. You lose time in transferring resorts, but it can be worth it, IMO. I would suggest packing accordingly - an overnight bag - so you don't have to tote all your luggage back and forth multiple times.

 

[pepe2123]

You can check in starting at 6 am but the room will not be ready until 3:00pm , sometimes they can give you a room before 3:00 if there is availability. If you are arriving before 6:00 I recommend to stay off property and then go to your Disney resort in the morning. Remember sometimes when you check in earlier you can get a better room location if its available.
Good Luck and have a nice trip!!!!!

 

[MovingThemOut]

What is your arrival date? Tripres.com has a room for $10+2.65 taxes Dec. 29 at the Days Inn Kissimmee.

We checked in one year at 5 a.m. The parks official opening time was 8 a.m It really wasn't that much time to kill. We couldn't get a room until after 11 am. so we got a quick bite to eat and arrived at the Magic Kingdom around 20-30 minutes early. It was a busy time of the year and the rope dropped within 10 minutes of our arrival.

 

[distherapy]

If you start your trip tired, it kind of carries over. I agree that it would be better to arrive on property rested.

I couldn't agree more. Do yourself a favor and get some sleep! Rooms aren't officially ready until "after 3:00" and I've heard people waiting until 5 or so. It would be a miserable way to me to spend my day and leave me "off" for a few days after. Unless you can normally function on little/no sleep, I'd get some rest.

 

[Subrbnmommy]

When we drive down, we usually stop around mindnight, sleep until 5:00 or 6:00. (Usually southern SC or nothern Georgia) Then we continue to WDW. We're usually at WDW around noon. We found that if we didn't stop or stopped later (3 -4 am) then we're kinda jetlagged for a few days and just too tired to enjoy the 1st 2 -3 days of vacation.
So, my advice is to sleep on the way at around the same time you usually sleep at home so as not to mess up your sleep pattern.

 

[caryrae]

Couldn't you just leave your house a little later? Even though stopping and sleeping for a while does sound better.

 

[mousy_in_canada]

Couldn't you just leave your house a little later? Even though stopping and sleeping for a while does sound better.

Our thought of leaving that early is so we are past the mountains and the snowy sections before night hits and before we are dog tired.. nothing like driving through a snowy mountain at 2am.. lol.. so that is our thought of leaving fresh and early in the morning.

 

[mousy_in_canada]

What is your arrival date? Tripres.com has a room for $10+2.65 taxes Dec. 29 at the Days Inn Kissimmee.

We checked in one year at 5 a.m. The parks official opening time was 8 a.m It really wasn't that much time to kill. We couldn't get a room until after 11 am. so we got a quick bite to eat and arrived at the Magic Kingdom around 20-30 minutes early. It was a busy time of the year and the rope dropped within 10 minutes of our arrival.

I have never used tripres.com.. will have to check that out. We are leaving on Dec 5th to checkin on Dec 6th