Early check-in -- when do you get your room number?

[mintwax]

When you do early check-in online, when do you get your room number? Immediately? Or the day you actually check in? Or sometime in between? I made room requests on touring plans. I will feel assured seeing I actually got it. And if not, then I'll explore the possibility of changing it.

Thanks for any insight you can give!

 

[McMonsters]

Day of check in when room is ready for you

 

[lynnfitz]

this past summer, both reservations were ready late morning. (Bay lake and Saratoga). I do want to say, with Saratoga, we had preferred, and was given the springs section. We wanted the building closer to disney springs. In the text was a phone number, when I called, I got a very nice cm who said someone will call me back, about 10 minutes later someone called and got us into the section we wanted. Great customer service! The text includes the room number and a resort map.

 

[CarolynFH]

When you do early check-in online, when do you get your room number? Immediately? Or the day you actually check in? Or sometime in between? I made room requests on touring plans. I will feel assured seeing I actually got it. And if not, then I'll explore the possibility of changing it.

Thanks for any insight you can give!

Online checkin only gets the paperwork out of the way (credit card number, etc.). Room assignments are made separately, a week or more before you arrive, and you won't be given a room number until that room is actually ready for you to take possession of it. You can go to the front desk when you arrive (if you haven't already received a text or message with the room number) and inquire as to whether your assigned room meets your requests, if you want.

 

[Donna M]

When you do early check-in online, when do you get your room number? Immediately? Or the day you actually check in? Or sometime in between? I made room requests on touring plans. I will feel assured seeing I actually got it. And if not, then I'll explore the possibility of changing it.

Thanks for any insight you can give!

I don´t want to burst your bubble, but your chances of getting the room requests are far from guaranteed. Some people have never gotten their requests over the years. Some resorts are easier than others, and it depends on how specific your requests are as to whether they will be met or not. I would suggest wrapping your head around the idea that you are going to be in beautiful Disney resort rather than a certain room or section because it may not happen.

 

[msjprincess]

Like others have said, you don't get your room number until your room is ready. I've used TouringPlans for room requests 7 or 8 times. I've never gotten my request. LOL.

I go in knowing I probably won't get it. But maybe one day I'll be pleasantly surprised.

 

[jberndt10]

Last 2 visits received room # while on Magical Express.

 

[crisi]

I don´t want to burst your bubble, but your chances of getting the room requests are far from guaranteed. Some people have never gotten their requests over the years. Some resorts are easier than others, and it depends on how specific your requests are as to whether they will be met or not. I would suggest wrapping your head around the idea that you are going to be in beautiful Disney resort rather than a certain room or section because it may not happen.

20 years as a BWV owner and we've had ONE request met. We've mostly stayed at BWV, but we got a very disappointing assignment at Kidani after making a request as well.

 

[sndral]

I see from another thread that you are staying at VGF https://www.disboards.com/threads/room-requests-specific-room-or-general-range.3849933/ which is a small resort thus they will have less flexibility in meeting your requests - VGF tends to be 100% occupied & there just aren’t that many options for moving people - they can’t kick someone out of a villa to meet someone else’s requests & because there are fewer villas the chances that someone is checking out of a villa meeting your request that day are much smaller than at the large DVC resorts like SSR.
Villa assignments are like a jigsaw puzzle & simple math shows that the smaller the resort, the lower your chances of getting your request met, especially very specific requests. For example if you have a dedicated 2 br. standard view - of the 47 dedicated 2 br.s at VGF I think 30 are standard view, but most of those villas will have people staying in them when you arrive, so your assignment is limited by the number of villas being vacated that day - If you assume the villas turn over every 7 days or so, then divide that 30 by 7 & you have about 4 open villas on your check in day that could be assigned to you. Compare that to the 360 dedicated 2 br.s at SSR, if we assume half - 180 - are your booking category and divide that by 7 then there are 27 possible villas open.
The reality is that some days have higher turnover than others and if you check in when a lot of folks are checking out, then your chances are better, but, if you check in on a day when only 1 villa is being vacated, then you get what they have.
I personally like the different standard views I’ve gotten so far at the VGF, any resort where I’m booking standard view I feel lucky if I’m looking at something more interesting than a parking lot/street & w/ the VGF if I can see the monorail I’m good .

 

[DisneyCowgirl]

I have stayed onsite dozens of time and have only once gotten my request. That was arriving pretty early at WL and going to front desk. We had not been assigned a room that met our request, but they were able to change us. One other time I got upgraded view, so I can't complain!

 

[KristaZ]

I've almost always gotten the requests I make. However, I do go with just the basic ones available on MDX online check-in and sometimes will call Disney directly if I have a more specific request. I'm sure I've just been lucky, so I wouldn't count on getting any requests. I've never tried using the TP requests, but I know people report having mixed outcomes with that one.

As far as when we get the room number, it's been all over the place. It's whenever it's ready, but I've had it anywhere from 8am until after official check in time - as late as about 5pm I would say. I will say the room category does usually change on MDX a little earlier than that if it turns out we've ended up with an upgrade (for example, I pretty much always book a standard view, but have seen it change to a water view or garden view prior to getting the room number).

 

[MomOTwins]

Any room at WDW is a good room, because you are at WDW! But it IS possible to sometimes change a room, though your options may be limited day of since dvc runs close to capacity. I had a split stay and was switching to OKW whem I busted my ankle at blizzard beach and could hardly walk. I was assigned a top floor room in a building with no elevator so called and explained and begged for a room where I wouldn’t have to climb stairs. They were fortunately able to find me a ground floor room but it was super far from everything and had flood lights shining in. Just saying—with what is left day of, you are probably better off keeping what you have than trying to switch unless you have to switch for some reason.

 

[Dug720]

Your best option rather than simply stating a room number is to give them no more than 3 preferences as to WHY that is important. That helps them assign a room that will be closest to what you are looking for when your exact number is not available.

For example - once when staying at Sports, I did use Touring Plans (which gives a range of numbers including the one you "select") and stated that I preferred a room 1) in the Surfs Up section; 2) on the third floor; and 3) a corner room. That way the assigner knew that the SECTION was my most important request. Then when they saw rooms available in that section, they could look for rooms on the third floor. Then when they saw there were those, they looked to see if any corner rooms were available. I ended up Surfs Up, Third Floor, one room from the corner.

 

[Ldisneygraham]

We recently stayed at GF villas and our room wasn't given until our room was ready. We requested an early check in and filled everything out online. Our room was ready around 2:00 or 2:30.

 

[Mle8308]

In my experience, if you are arriving by DME, we have received the text with our room number while on the bus, because they know what time you are arriving. And not one time was our request (made through both Touring Plans or MDE) met, or even been close. I think they just wanted us assigned a room and hoped we'd not question it, many people don't realize they can ask for a different room. We are familiar with the resort layouts, so we stop at the front desk (without going to the room) to speak to a CM about getting a room in our desired location. We always let them know we are willing to wait for the room. It's never been a problem and the CM's really try to accommodate. But, you do risk waiting potentially hours for a room.

 

[Chuck S]

As others said, it depends upon the resort...and how many people made similar requests, how busy the resort is, and so forth. I've gotten my requests about 75% of the time at OKW, but I've always made requests through Member Services.

 

[TinkB278]

On my last stay in September, not only were neither of my rooms ready for early check in as I had indicated (did a split stay) both of my rooms were not ready well beyond the check in time of 4 pm.

 

[crisi]

We recently stayed at GF villas and our room wasn't given until our room was ready. We requested an early check in and filled everything out online. Our room was ready around 2:00 or 2:30.

They certainly shouldn't give you a room number until the room is checked out of and clean. The last thing Disney needs is the next guest walking in before the first guest checks out - or a guest abusing housekeeping to get their room cleaned. However, the system for checking in clean rooms to release them is a mystery.....its quite possible that your room has been clean and ready for hours, but the text hasn't been sent - either because housekeeping hasn't told them its clean, or because they just haven't.