Check in procedures at WDW

[DisSurfer878]

Hi! So, we are taking a red eye to WDW. We in no way expect our room to be ready on arrival. But, we wanted to know: Are rooms generally not available before the listed "check in time"? We have stayed at some places where they put you into a room based on who checks in earliest (ie first to check in for standard room gets first one available).
Also at our last stay at Disneyland in CA, the cast member at the front desk told us they fill requests of course first based on availability, but secondly on who is there first.
So if 15 people request a room in Fantasy tower at the DLH, and they have 7 available, the first 7 people to check in with that request get it. Is this also true at WDW?
Just trying to get an idea of what to expect, thanks!

 

[siren0119]

They generally match up arriving guests with room assignments a few days ahead of their check-in day based on expected check-outs the same day. When your room is available will depend on when the person who is checking out of your room actually leaves. They can make some adjustments on the fly but it's not really a first-in-first-out system.

If you made room requests and those requests are important to you, then you'll get the room that was assigned to you the few days before you arrived when it's ready - they do try and accommodate when possible which is partly why the room assignments are done ahead of time. If you don't care about room requests, stop in at the front desk and tell them you'll take first available room, they may be able to get you in earlier than check in time.

 

[DisneyWishes14]

If you do online check-in, there is a spot where you can indicate that getting your room earlier is your top priority (over getting special room requests). There is also a place where you indicate your estimated arrival time. Unless a room location or type of room is super important to you, I would let them know you will take first available and also reiterate this request when you arrive. We just checked in to RIV a little over a week ago and arrived around noon. I asked if we could get a room early and they said they would make an "expedited" request. I got a room-ready text around 1:30 pm.

 

[willowsnn3]

We've been fortunate enough over the years to not have to wait long. Can think of only once we had to wait til actual check in time. A couple times rooms were ready at 6am when we checked in.

 

[Brett Wyman]

Just ask when you arrive and ask for first available. Just know once you do that you will most likely receive a less desirable room location(within your booked category).

 

[DisSurfer878]

We really don't care about first available, we are just scarred from the Disneyland Hotel. We checked in at 10 am and check in time is 4, and we didn't have a room until 6:30, after going to the front desk twice and being told 25 minutes AND we didn't get the tower we requested nor the view we paid for.
We basically don't want to get to Florida at 6 am and wait 12 hours for our room and 2+ hours past check in after a redeye.
We prefer a better spot (CBR Aruba or Jamaica) over first available, but also didn't want to suffer lol

 

[DisSurfer878]

If you do online check-in, there is a spot where you can indicate that getting your room earlier is your top priority (over getting special room requests). There is also a place where you indicate your estimated arrival time. Unless a room location or type of room is super important to you, I would let them know you will take first available and also reiterate this request when you arrive. We just checked in to RIV a little over a week ago and arrived around noon. I asked if we could get a room early and they said they would make an "expedited" request. I got a room-ready text around 1:30 pm.

We're taking the Disneyland Bus transportation from the airport, do we need to indicate that at check in or will they know?

 

[SharonZ]

Usually when they tell you that check-in is at 4:00, it usually means that it starts at 4:00.

 

[DisSurfer878]

Usually when they tell you that check-in is at 4:00, it usually means that it starts at 4:00.

Maybe so, but we have never waited 2.5 hours past check in time for a room at any other hotel including Disney properties.

 

[DisneyWishes14]

We're taking the Disneyland Bus transportation from the airport, do we need to indicate that at check in or will they know?

Do you mean Disney's Magical Express? If you do online check-in, there is a spot where you can indicate your expected arrival time. They should be able to see that you've reserved Magical Express, but you might as well click on the time on online check-in as well.

 

[KayaWildfire]

We're taking the Disneyland Bus transportation from the airport, do we need to indicate that at check in or will they know?

Just in case you didn't know, you do need to book the magical express. If you do online check in, it will show up.

 

[MomOTwins]

Usually when they tell you that check-in is at 4:00, it usually means that it starts at 4:00.

We got our room at 9:30 am once. Depends on what's available

 

[StageTek]

Hi! So, we are taking a red eye to WDW. We in no way expect our room to be ready on arrival. But, we wanted to know: Are rooms generally not available before the listed "check in time"?

We a;ways take the RedEye, getting into The World around 6:30AM. Several times we have gotten the "your room ready" text as we get on DME.

So if 15 people request a room in Fantasy tower at the DLH, and they have 7 available, the first 7 people to check in with that request get it. Is this also true at WDW?

Yes, that is correct. If there are 7 rooms available and 15 people are checking in only 7 people (the first 7) will get the desired rooms. Same at WDW.

 

[AngiTN]

We really don't care about first available, we are just scarred from the Disneyland Hotel. We checked in at 10 am and check in time is 4, and we didn't have a room until 6:30, after going to the front desk twice and being told 25 minutes AND we didn't get the tower we requested nor the view we paid for.
We basically don't want to get to Florida at 6 am and wait 12 hours for our room and 2+ hours past check in after a redeye.
We prefer a better spot (CBR Aruba or Jamaica) over first available, but also didn't want to suffer lol

WDW hotels do NOT operate like the DL ones do. May as well compare Motel 6 to Four Seasons (not in quality but just they run that differently)
90% of our stays have a room before 12:00 (we always arrive about 9:00 AM)

 

[AngiTN]

We a;ways take the RedEye, getting into The World around 6:30AM. Several times we have gotten the "your room ready" text as we get on DME.

Yes, that is correct. If there are 7 rooms available and 15 people are checking in only 7 people (the first 7) will get the desired rooms. Same at WDW.

Not really.
WDW assigns room 5 or so days prior to a guests arrival.
These rooms are only reassigned if something is wrong with them.
So they are not given out at check in, one by one

 

[Deb & Bill]

The other factor in getting a room early is how full the resort is. During sometimes of the year, you might not get a room until 3PM or even later. Or you might get one at 11AM if you are lucky. It just depends. But requesting First Available will usually get you something earlier than waiting for a requested room.

 

[nkereina]

you will most likely receive a less desirable room location(within your booked category).

I don't find that to be necessarily true. I used to work in a hotel and we weren't doling out the crap rooms to people just because they arrived early. They will just be assigned any room that meets their booked criteria as soon as one is marked available in the system by housekeeping. So it more so depends on who leaves first, how quickly housekeeping turns the rooms over, etc. And as mentioned above, it depends on how busy the resort is the night before - the fuller they are, the more checking in and out, so the more work for housekeeping.

What I have found is that if you request first available, they will disregard any room requests you may have made. Its generally one or the other.

 

[AngiTN]

The other factor in getting a room early is how full the resort is. During sometimes of the year, you might not get a room until 3PM or even later. Or you might get one at 11AM if you are lucky. It just depends. But requesting First Available will usually get you something earlier than waiting for a requested room.

I was shocked that on all 3 resorts we checked in to between Christmas Eve and 1/2 we had our rooms by 11:00 am. I guess lots were leaving early?

 

[GoingSince1990]

Another option is to book the room for the night before you arrive to make certain that it will be ready no matter how early you check in. We are on the east coast so have never done this at WDW but we have done it when visiting Hong Kong with our flight landing at about 5:30 AM. Not cheap, obviously, but it's so nice arriving at your hotel early knowing for sure that you can go straight to your room and shower and change after a red-eye flight.

 

[AngiTN]

Another option is to book the room for the night before you arrive to make certain that it will be ready no matter how early you check in. We are on the east coast so have never done this at WDW but we have done it when visiting Hong Kong with our flight landing at about 5:30 AM. Not cheap, obviously, but it's so nice arriving at your hotel early knowing for sure that you can go straight to your room and shower and change after a red-eye flight.

I've done this once at WDW. We were catching a 5 AM flight and had the Halloween Party that night (or some late night event). In order to confirm we'd have a place to come in and go to sleep I booked a room the night before. It was nice, though a very pricey way to do it. Gotta be a very compelling reason to get me to pay for a room we didn't sleep in

Though heck, last week we didn't arrive to a room at YC until 3:00 AM, so it was barely slept in