Check In Advice

[DDADRLS]

We are scheduled to check in Feb. 12, 2007 and are leaving after I get off of work on Feb. 11, 2007. We have about and 8 hour drive, so I figure if we stop to get supper and drive to the resort we will arrive sometime between 1 and 2 a.m. on Feb. 12, 2007. My question is this: I have read that you can check in any time after 12:01 a.m. the day you are scheduled to arrive at your resort and a room may be available. If so, you can go to your room. If this is the case, theoretically we could possibly get into our room at this time if one is available. What are the chances of one being available? Are we crazy to try this since we are planning on going to the parks on the 12th?

Our other alternative is to drive most of the way (+/-6 hours and stay the night), get up the next morning around 7:00 a.m. drive the rest of the way, check in and go to the parks. If our room is not available we can leave the luggage in the car.

Advice Please....

 

[becky1960]

You may be taking a chance, the last few times we stayed in hotels we never got a room till afternoon although we usually arrive before 8am. A few years back we got in early, but lately its been usually booked up. It will also depend where you are staying. We just arrive at the hotel checkin and get a card ( phone #) go to the parks and call later.

 

[Hendoendo]

Well you could get lucky and have a room available when you get there. But if not you will have 7 hours before you can go to a park and no comfortable place to wait. Plus that would ruin your day as you will suffer from lack of sleep. Maybe you could call ahead to the resort you are staying at on the way down and see if you are going to be able to check in early and then make your decision. But whatever decision you make remember that it is vacation and you are going to the HAPPIEST PLACE ON EARTH.

 

[Mickiethepooh]

I would go with option two if I were you except, IF you are staying onsite, then don't leave our luggage in the car. when you check in leave it with bell services till you get a room assigned.

 

[safetymom]

If you show up at 1 or 2 you would have to have booked a room for the night. You couldn't check in for the 12th until 6-7 AM. Even then the chances of a room being ready are pretty slim.

Whatever time you get there they will check you in and give you your keys but not your room number. They will keep your luggage if you like.

I wouldn't leave it in your car.

 

[PIRATEGIRL007]

I probably woudln't risk that given I have not had good luck with checking in early ever at disney resorts. I would drive 3/4 way stop at a decent hour, get a hotel and sleep, get up in the morning and drive the rest of the way. You will be rested and can go on the parks while you wait on your room to become available.

 

[CleveRocks]

I have read that you can check in any time after 12:01 a.m. the day you are scheduled to arrive at your resort and a room may be available.

Not sure where you read this, but unfortunately for you, this is incorrect info about WDW resorts.

safetymom is correct. Check-in cannot occur until either 6 or 7 in the morning, the exact time depending on when the computer system updates that morning. If you arrive at 1:00 a.m. on the 12th and your reservation starts the 12th, you will not be able to check-in yet, unless you pay for an extra night's stay.

 

[Deb & Bill]

Plus, your room might not be available until after 3PM.

 

[DDADRLS]

Thanks for all of the advice, I did not think that Disney would allow you to check in at 12:01 a.m. on your day of arrival...We will definately go with option 2.

 

[goofy4tink]

Look at it this way...if you have reserved a room for Feb 12, you are 'supposed' to be able to check in after 3:00 that day. Sometimes we get lucky and can get into our room earlier. So, thinking that you may be able to get into your room at 1 am is not an option. I believe they look at is as..if you arrive after 7:00 am you may be able to get into your room early. Those arriving past midnight have booked a room for Feb 11 (so to speak), so they would be able to gain access to a room for those few remaining hours.
You really would be better served by driving partway, and getting a decent night's sleep and arriving at WDW bright and early, ready to go.

 

[allisonswonderland]

I would stop and stay someplace close so u can get up early and drive on to the parks for an ealry start.

We usually take a 6am ish flight so we arrive around 10-11 at the hotels and I would say about half of the time our room is ready and since 2004 we have been 7 times.

 

[mickeystoontown]

I'm going with the majority here and say go with your second option. If you plan on spending your first day at the parks, you don't want to be too tired and that might happen if you drive until 1:00 a.m.

 

[LvsTnk]

For anyone reading this who would book the room for the previous day but arrive past midnight make sure that reservations is aware you are doing this.

From past experience the computers shut down at midnight so your check in materials are already printed up and ready to go at arrival past midnight.

We do this often and have always got our requests and love that the lobby is empty. Actually the bellman at the Polynesian and AKL were so bored they brought us bottled water, I think they would have taken us on a tour of the whole resort if we would have let them.

 

[DISNEYNY]

Which resort are you staying at? I would probably just drive the whole way and book a night of room only at a value resort for Feb 11. That way you are already at Disney and you can just get up on the 12th and drive to your resort.

 

[Claire&TheBoys]

I would drive part-way and stop for the night and drive the rest of the way the next day. We did that once when we left home mid-afternoon and stopped in Gainesville. It was an easy drive the next morning, we checked into CSR around 10:30-11 and our room was ready, and we hit the parks after we had lunch.

 

[noahdove]

I would drive part way, go to resort do check in tickets etc and leave your luggage with them...they will deliver it when your room is ready and they will give you a number to call to check to see if your room is ready..first and foremost, get a good nights sleep before heading out to the happiest place on earth

 

[goofy4tink]

For anyone reading this who would book the room for the previous day but arrive past midnight make sure that reservations is aware you are doing this.

From past experience the computers shut down at midnight so your check in materials are already printed up and ready to go at arrival past midnight.

We do this often and have always got our requests and love that the lobby is empty. Actually the bellman at the Polynesian and AKL were so bored they brought us bottled water, I think they would have taken us on a tour of the whole resort if we would have let them.

I'm not sure that timing, as far as the computers go, is right. It is my understanding that the resort computers go down around 4 am, for an hour or so. At least that's how it has been explained to me.

 

[LvsTnk]

I'm not sure that timing, as far as the computers go, is right. It is my understanding that the resort computers go down around 4 am, for an hour or so. At least that's how it has been explained to me.

I don't doubt what your saying is true at all. We checked in around 1am a few Christmas' ago and our reservation was not there, DH had called on the way to the airport to remind them we were checking in late. They must have cancelled it because when we got there the CM said we didn't even have a reservation and there was no way to check it since the computers go down at midnight according to her. I didn't doubt her because every time I had checked in late our paperwork was all ready with the same explaination, but things always change.

They gave us a lovely room for the night that the next day they comped 1 night because of the confusion (we were at the desk until 2am or so) and they charged our credit card twice for a package when we had AP's. That was a little inconveient especially at Christmas time.