Adding a day to package for early check-in?

[disneylove16]

Hi all, I'll be doing a Sat- Sun of the following week trip to CSR in August. I'm looking at flights, and originally was planning on doing a 6 am take off on Sat morning, to arrive at MCO at 3:30 pm. Now I'm considering leaving the night before on either a 10 pm or midnight flight to arrive at MCO at either 6 or 8 am Sat morning. I know check in is at 3 pm, with a chance the room will be ready earlier. I know we'll be exhausted upon arrival, and would probably just want to go straight to our rooms to rest for a few hours. So I was thinking of just adding a day to the beginning of our trip (I know this would be silly to some, and not worth it, but for us, I think it'll be worth the convenience) we would use the extra dining credits, and would not pay for park admission for that day. I'm wondering how this would work if our arrival day is set for Fri, but we are not arriving until Sat morning. Will it cause any problems with DME? Do I need to notify CSR of my plans so they don't think I'm a no-show? How long do they hold your reservation before you have to check in? Thank you in advance!

 

[bigbabyblues]

You can check in as early as 6:30-7:00 a.m. (can't remember which, but it is by 7:00), but your room may not be ready. I think if you add the room and don't check in before the computers roll over around 7:00, you could be considered a no-show and your reservation canceled.

 

[disneylove16]

Thank you, that's what I was afraid of!

 

[bigbabyblues]

It is never guaranteed, but we have checked in as early as 7:15 a.m. and gotten right in our room a few times. The caveat was that we took "any" available room, not one that was in the area we had requested. Of course, it all depends on availability, capacity the day before, and who knows what else. You could always as for the first available room in the category you booked and hang out by the pool until it is ready. That is easier said than done, and if you have kids in your party (it doesn't look like it from your signature), you will need a back up plan.

You could also do online check in and make sure to put in your expected arrival time (however that works) as very early in the morning. Again, no guarantees.

 

[disneylove16]

Thank you, @bigbabyblues I think that's what we'll end up doing. No kids, so we will probably just check in early morning, and wait until we can get in our room. I definitely don't want to risk our reservation being cancelled. Thanks for the info!