Any Advantages to Checking in @ 60 Days?

[4GoofyCrew]

I was just looking at MDE and noticed that I can check-in very soon. Wow! Are there any advantages to checking in at 60 days? That seems very in-advance! For our previous trips in was only about a week prior that we could check-in. Even then, we still had to go to the 'express check-in' counter. Now it sounds like we would by-pass that all together (I'm guessing thanks to the Magic Bands?) If there is an advantage - great! If not, I think I'd prefer to wait until about a week or two out.

Do you get to select your room now? Because I can see that being a BIG advantage.

It just seems strange that my final payment hasn't even been made yet and I could check-in! I mean, technically, I could even cancel without penalty yet. Would I lose that advantage if I check-in? (NOOOOO plans of cancelling...but I haven't paid in full because it didn't give me the option to purchase vacation insurance this time...in the past it did/I have.)

TIA!

 

[Robo]

Nope.

 

[Accident]

i've actually found that if I go into the checkin after I've paid in full closer to the trip that it's not matching what I put in at 60 days. I would say pay off the trip and then do it and check it right before you arrive to make sure it's the same.

I've also wondered if when they are in a situation to get more rooms of a certain type and upgrading some to better if they might use the information from check in to help target who moving might help sell those rooms. I don't think disney is this smart though.

 

[DekrRini]

I don't know if it's true or not, but I've always hoped that the earlier I check in the better chance I have of getting the room requests I've asked for.

Magic bands do allow you to bypass the front desk. Once your room is ready, you can get a text with the room number and head right there. So online check in does have that perk, but I don't think it matters when you check in.

 

[addiln]

The only perk is that is it is done and you don't have to worry about doing it again. I generally check in online around the 1 week mark.

 

[loves to dive]

I could be wrong but I think I read somewhere here on the boards that they don't even assign the rooms until 3 or 4 days before your trip so there is no advantage. No disadvantage either. MBs have nothing to do with whether or not you get to by pass the front desk. It will depend on if you have made any specific room requests they are trying to meet and whether or not a room is ready. If you have not put your cc info. into MDE I can guarantee you will not by pass the front desk. I always do on line check in, never do any room requests because frankly I don't care and do have my cc in MDE. I think I've had my room number texted to me once before I got there in over 30 trips of going. In all fairness, I usually arrive around 2 or 3 so the rooms aren't normally ready at that time but I do put early check in on my request.

 

[2Pirates2Princesses]

I started to do the online check in but I stopped once I saw that there isn't an option to request connecting rooms even though there are two rooms on our reservation. It just gives us options for both rooms like lake view, ground floor, lower floor, near elevator, near transportation, etc. Should I pick something for each room just to get the check in done or just hold off and not do the online check in at all since connecting rooms are our priority?

 

[Dug720]

I started to do the online check in but I stopped once I saw that there isn't an option to request connecting rooms even though there are two rooms on our reservation. It just gives us options for both rooms like lake view, ground floor, lower floor, near elevator, near transportation, etc. Should I pick something for each room just to get the check in done or just hold off and not do the online check in at all since connecting rooms are our priority?

I didn't think you had to pick any preferences - a couple of years ago they seemed to be optional. Has that changed?

If you want to request connecting rooms (NOT guaranteed, no matter what the phone CM tells you), you need to have that noted on both reservations.

 

[ellie05]

It really depends if a resort is at high capacity you bet the inventory managers are doing room assignment as soon as they can to prevent problems so I think if you have request that you are able to put when you do the online check in it will definitely help them see it. It will also help when trying an early check in because since they ask time of arrival this is something they are able to see.

 

[2Pirates2Princesses]

I didn't think you had to pick any preferences - a couple of years ago they seemed to be optional. Has that changed?

If you want to request connecting rooms (NOT guaranteed, no matter what the phone CM tells you), you need to have that noted on both reservations.

Yes, the connecting rooms request is noted on the reservation. I am wondering though if I should opt out of doing online check in so to ensure that request is granted as priority or if doing the online check in and selecting those room preferences will nullify the connecting rooms request made at the time of the reservation?

 

[4GoofyCrew]

Thank you for the info! I will probably wait until closer to our trip to check in. We don't have any specific room requests, so that isn't really a concern. I guess, if given a choice and the option to specify, I'd choose a second floor room overlooking the secondary pool at the All Star. But if my odds of getting that aren't higher by checking in sooner, then there isn't much point.

Excellent tip about adding the CC prior to travel. It WOULD be nice to receive a text and just be able to proceed right to our room, especially because we won't arrive until early evening. We will be ready to just get to the fun stuff!

 

[Dug720]

Yes, the connecting rooms request is noted on the reservation. I am wondering though if I should opt out of doing online check in so to ensure that request is granted as priority or if doing the online check in and selecting those room preferences will nullify the connecting rooms request made at the time of the reservation?

So making preference selections is required now to do online check-in? A couple of years ago you could check in and NOT choose any preferences.

 

[dansdad]

So making preference selections is required now to do online check-in? A couple of years ago you could check in and NOT choose any preferences.

As of last week you can still just skip the room request section and complete the Online Check In.

 

[dansdad]

I don't know if it's true or not, but I've always hoped that the earlier I check in the better chance I have of getting the room requests I've asked for.

No, when you make your request makes zero difference in getting your requests or not. Well, as long as your requests are noted before 4-5 days out as rooms are assigned 2-3 days out. And how you make your room requests also makes zero difference.

Magic bands do allow you to bypass the front desk. Once your room is ready, you can get a text with the room number and head right there. So online check in does have that perk, but I don't think it matters when you check in.

Magic Bands and doing Online Check In are not a guarantee of being able to Bypass The Front Desk. Some guests will be able to, but some will still have to stop by the Online Check In Desk when they arrive. Nobody knows how they determine who gets to Bypass The Front Desk and who doesn't.

 

[ellie05]

No, when you make your request makes zero difference in getting your requests or not. Well, as long as your requests are noted before 4-5 days out as rooms are assigned 2-3 days out. And how you make your room requests also makes zero difference.



Magic Bands and doing Online Check In are not a guarantee of being able to Bypass The Front Desk. Some guests will be able to, but some will still have to stop by the Online Check In Desk when they arrive. Nobody knows how they determine who gets to Bypass The Front Desk and who doesn't.

That really depends on hotel occupancy. Rooms can be assigned before that specially if they are above certain capacity. So in that case online check in can help.

 

[dansdad]

That really depends on hotel occupancy. Rooms can be assigned before that specially if they are above certain capacity. So in that case online check in can help.

Interesting. That must be a very new procedure.

 

[ellie05]

Interesting. That must be a very new procedure.

It is definitely not a new procedure if you know any inventory managers you will know how much they job varies given many factors such as high occupancy and blocking rooms for maintenance etc. My trip in October 15 i had a hard time making a reservation because there was nothing available but if I put day by day it show me a room available. When I called the CM was great but he had to have it approved by the inventory manager because everything was blocked out already that was well over 2 weeks before the trip. High occupancy assigning rooms only 4-5 days in advance will screw up your inventory big time.

 

[2Pirates2Princesses]

As of last week you can still just skip the room request section and complete the Online Check In.

Thank you for clarifying that. I didn't get past that part of the online check in process because I didn't see a preference option for connecting rooms which is our priority. Being that connecting rooms is noted as a request on our reservation, should I skip doing online check in all together? My concern with doing online check in is getting pre-assigned rooms that aren't connecting.

 

[tink2]

For our Christmas week trip last year (2015)- we had 3 rooms for our big family trip and had requested a building close to the bus stop as number 1 and rooms adjoining as 2nd. We called to make these requests as they weren’t options with the online check in- and then we also did the online check in. Put our credit cards in our MDE also. We received a text pretty early in the afternoon with our room assignments- well before 3pm. They met the request of adjoining rooms, but we were the furthest building from the bus stop- which was more important to us than adjoining rooms.
I called and spoke with a CM and she said she’d see what she could do- it was Dec. 23- busiest week of the year. Within 5 minutes, we had new texts with new room assignments meeting the request of close to the bus stop- the closest building to be exact. When we arrived, we went straight to our room and skipped the lobby and everything. This was really helpful as we had dinner reservations and didn’t have to spend time doing all of that.

 

[dansdad]

Thank you for clarifying that. I didn't get past that part of the online check in process because I didn't see a preference option for connecting rooms which is our priority. Being that connecting rooms is noted as a request on our reservation, should I skip doing online check in all together? My concern with doing online check in is getting pre-assigned rooms that aren't connecting.

As long as your request of connecting rooms is noted on your reservation there is zero reason to not do Online Check In.