Check-In Process

[WDWRR_ENGINEER]

Hi new to all this and waiting to settle on my DVC membership to Villas at Wilderness Lodge.

I have been reading for awhile on the board but was looking to gain some insight on the whole check-in process. My wife and I have gone to various Disney resorts and always plan on arriving before the check-in time to drop off luggage and verify our room preference with registration. We understand the room will not be ready but want to try and get the preferences we asked for early and leave the luggage to be taken to the room when we return and finalize or check-in. All that being said in the DVC world is this still possible or do you have to wait until 4pm to start check-in process? I am sure this is the first of many questions from me and would appreciate some veteran DVC advice.

Cannot wait for our first trip home to VWL.
DH DW DD

 

[Christopher5927]

Hi new to all this and waiting to settle on my DVC membership to Villas at Wilderness Lodge.

I have been reading for awhile on the board but was looking to gain some insight on the whole check-in process. My wife and I have gone to various Disney resorts and always plan on arriving before the check-in time to drop off luggage and verify our room preference with registration. We understand the room will not be ready but want to try and get the preferences we asked for early and leave the luggage to be taken to the room when we return and finalize or check-in. All that being said in the DVC world is this still possible or do you have to wait until 4pm to start check-in process? I am sure this is the first of many questions from me and would appreciate some veteran DVC advice.

Cannot wait for our first trip home to VWL.
DH DW DD

Last August we checked in at the Boardwalk Villas at 7.15am and the room was ready!!! I think you can check in after 6am on your arrival day.

 

[DVC Grammy]

HOME!

The check-in process is the same for DVC and non-DVC.
Have a magical first-time "Home" vacation.

 

[Chuck S]

As long as the resort computer system has completed its daily reset, usually 6am to 7am, you can check-in.

 

[kda]

Congratulations! We love VWL. Be sure any requests are already on your reservation. The room assigner will consider these when pre-assigning the rooms.

It seems that each DVC property handles room assignments slightly differently. OKW has always given us a choice of rooms, even if a room was pre-assigned. We have had spectacular rooms at VWL on 4 stays, but have always been told that our room was pre-assigned that there were no other options ..... could that really be?? Don't know, but that's the way it worked for us. We'll see what happens on our November trip.

We have always requested a non-smoking, water view/pool view room on an upper floor when making the reservation through DVC, and we have always been granted this. Three of the four times we've had excellent views of the pool and lake, and once we were given an incredible 1 BR corner room with 2 balconies (and that was the time I really, really tried hard to request another room because I didn't think I wanted the 5th floor ...... thank goodness the CM held her ground and politely told me they were full and there was nothing else available!)

PS. We're usually checking in by 2 PM at the very latest.