Check In Question...

[Inignotlover]

I had such a great response from you guys last time, so I thought maybe you could help me out again...

My boyfriend and I are going to WDW the second week of Feburary. It was my Christmas gift. He doesn't have a credit card, so he planned to give his dad the cash or write him a check and have him book it.

Well, our room is offically booked as of last night , but now I am panicing b/c won't we need that credit card to check in and out? Don't you usually need the person whose name is on the credit card too?! Do you Disers think this is gonna be a problem in anyway?

Thanks in advance for your advice and information.

 

[allaboard]

One thing you could do is ask your boyfriend's Dad to call the resort (assuming he booked through Disney straight) and tell them the room is a gift to his son and ask if there will be problems with his son not having a credit card.
When we arrive at our resort, we are always paid up, but for any expenses we want to charge to the room, we always put a credit card in their system for those privledges. They don't charge anything on it unless we tell them too. It is possible to have a cash only experience. We have done that before, but they still held on to a credit card number.
I know you'll want to make sure all is okay before you go! Good luck!

 

[Booyakasha]

I think you might be in trouble on that one. Certainly call Disney and tell them exactly what you need to do. Legally unless he is an authorized signer on the card he can not sign the receipt. Most credit cards allow you to get a card in someone elses name on your account. There is usually a minimum age requirement to do so but I think this is the best and safest thing to do. I wouldn't want to be travelling with out a credit card.

B.

 

[DisneyWisher]

You don't need a credit card to book a room. Just send a check as payment or use your check card.Credit cards are easier but since its not your boyfriend, I think a check would be easier.

 

[Inignotlover]

Thanks for the responses...

This is turning into a bit of mess (for a vacation planning freak like me)...

He is booking it through Disney, but his uncle works at Disney and is able to get us a lil bit of a discount on the room. So it is his dad's credit card through his uncle...if that makes sense.

I'm just terrified of us getting there and not being able to check in...

If the room is all paid for previous to us getting there through the credit card, would he still have to sign something? Or would it be a problem.

Thanks again all!

 

[Tnkrbelle565]

If the room is completely paid for...I don't think they will ask for a CC unless you want to charge things to your room. If you do need one, I don't know if this is an option for you but you can use a debit card if you have one.

 

[Shmily1]

It depends on who's name is on the ressie. Is it booked in your BF's name? If so, all is good. I've never had them ask me for the same credit card (or said this has to be the one you booked it on). Just check on the name and all is good. They didn't even ask me for an ID when I went this past weekend!

 

[Jasminetigger]

You shoudln't have a problem as long as the reservation is under your name or your boyfriends name. It doesn't matter whose credit card you use to book it with. I have never been asked to see the credit card I used to book with. Usually I book the deposit with a credit card and then pay cash for the remainder of the balance when we check in. I have never been asked to leave a credit card on file unless I wanted room charging privileges.

 

[Inignotlover]

Thank you for all your answers!! I hope it will all be alright... we were just sitting there looking over the passporter and all the sudden I FREAKED out thinking about that. I know when we go to pick up tickets for a game or concert they won't give them to you without the credit card and we are both young (24 and 22) enough that we have never booked or stayed in a hotel room of our own doing, so I wasn't sure what to expect.

I have another question.... How long on average does check in take? We have an earlyish flight on our arriving day and as it is only a 4 day trip, I was wondering if we could just go straight to the parks and we can check in late or if it's a painless check in that won't take time away from us at the parks.


Thanks!

 

[skipperkim]

Check in after you arrive. It shouldn't take too long. It normally only takes about 20 min. I generally have a package, so in order to get your tickets you have to check in if you have a package. They are attached to the room.

 

[disnut8]

When we travel with my in-laws, I book everything. And I use my credit card number to book it with. When we get there, we're asked if we want the room on the same card as the reservation. My father-in-law then says, "no, here's the one I want to use". So he pays for everything. We've done this at Disney World too.

The reason for needing a credit card when you make a reservation is so that the hotel or resort has something on file in case you do damage to your room. Then they will charge the card on file for repairs. As long as you don't leave holes in the walls, you should be fine. Actually - if you do leave holes in the wall, the father's credit card will be charged. So party on!

 

[Shmily1]

Check in is quick as long as it's not right at 3 PM. Then the lines are a little longer. Last Friday night, it took us about 5 minutes to check in. I would check in as soon as you get there and that way it will be all over!