How early can you drop baggage at DLP hotels?

[trpltongue]

Hi all,

I am in the planning stages of our August trip and unfortunately we won't be arriving until 10pm or so on a Friday night flight (Aug 3), staying for 6 nights and leaving on a 9:45am flight on Thursday.

There are 4 of us going Me, DW, DD9, and DS5. I'm planning to book a Disney hotel for Me and DS5 and then buy AP's for my wife and DD9. This will save us some money, get AP's for 2, and get access to the EMH at the park in the busy time of August.

However, to cut costs, I'm considering staying off-site on Friday night since we really won't need tickets for that day. I'm thinking that we'd just take our bags to the Disney hotel first thing on Sat morning (maybe 7am?) do the baggage drop, add DW and DD9 as room only guests, pickup mine and DS5's tickets and everyone's EMH vouchers, then head to the park.

Will there be any problems dropping our bags that early? Any issues getting EMH passes for everyone?

Thanks all!

 

[DLPdaft]

nope, at 7am all of that will be fine . Will you have your annual passes already by the time you check in at your onsite hotel?

 

[A Small World]

That should be fine to book in that early - we did it just before 8am one year with no problems
EMH is offered to everyone staying in a disney hotel (regardless of whether you have APs or normal package tickets) so this will be fine.

You will be given an Easypass with the number of guests written on it and this is your pass for EMH, swimming pool access,and depending on where you are staying breakfast etc. This will have been prepared in advance so will only have 2 guests on but they can quickly print another with the additional guests on

One thing I would suggest is contact the hotel about a week before to let them know you are adding 2 extra guests room only. There are a few rooms which have one bed only so if there are only 2 guests on the booking you could end up being offered one of these and as its the busy season it may be difficult for them to reallocate at the last minute

 

[trpltongue]

DLPDaft,

That is great to hear! I will NOT have the AP's before we check in to the onsite hotel. My plan is to purchase 1-day tickets in advance for 2 of us and then take them to the AP bureau at some point in the day to "upgrade" to AP's. Alternatively, I am considering becoming a shareholder to take advantage of the savings on the 2 AP's. In that case, I would just buy the AP's from the ticket counter to take advantage of the shareholder discount on the first day in the parks and then go to the bureau later in the day to take pictures etc. and finalize the AP's.

ASW,
Thanks for the detailed info on the process! I was planning on booking in the Sequoia lodge in a Montana room. It is my understanding that all of these rooms have 2 bunkbeds and a double bed? I was hoping to avoid calling in advance because I was under the impression that you had to pay a considerable "change" fee if you wanted to add 2 room-only guests in advance?

 

[DLPdaft]

no, not all Montana rooms have one double and one set of bunks - in fact, the standard configuration at the Sequoia Lodge is 2 double beds. But A Small World is right, all the hotels also have rooms with one king bed in them. You don't have to worry about being charged a lot extra - all you have to do is call the hotel a few days before you arrive and tell them you need a room for 4 as you will be adding 2 more names to the room when you arrive (and that you don't need park tickets). you will not be charged extra for this, as you're not actually booking anyone extra into the room in advance.

If you want to make the most of your first morning's EMH, buying a one-day park ticket in advance would work best for you, as you'd already have your park ticket for that first mornings entry. Theres nothing to stop you using shareholders discount as well when you go to buy your Annual Passes later in the day - the part ticket cost would just come off that discounted AP rate.

If you decide to wait until your first morning to buy your AP (and not buy a park ticket in advance) I'm not sure how that would work for getting into EMH on your first morning - as the CM at the EMH entrance needs to see your hotel ID easypass and your park tickets/annual passes, to allow you through to the turnstile areas into the park.

 

[trpltongue]

DLPDaft,

As always, thank you for the great information.

As for the tickets, I'll definitely purchase the 2 single day tickets in advance then. Makes that easy

Regarding the room, with us booking for an August trip, would it make sense to call a day or 2 after booking and request a room that can accomodate 4 (preferably with bunk beds)? My only concern would be that the hotel will be very busy in August and I'd hate to wait until the week we leave only to find out that there are not any "4-person" rooms available.

 

[Carrie_Cat]

If you decide to wait until your first morning to buy your AP (and not buy a park ticket in advance) I'm not sure how that would work for getting into EMH on your first morning - as the CM at the EMH entrance needs to see your hotel ID easypass and your park tickets/annual passes, to allow you through to the turnstile areas into the park.

There's a few ticket windows under the DLH open from 8.00 am so they could always get their ticket there and then go in.

Depending on the queues at that time of the morning, and I'm guessing slight, they'd only miss a bit of the EMH

 

[DLPdaft]

thanks Carrie_Cat.

DLPDaft,

As always, thank you for the great information.

As for the tickets, I'll definitely purchase the 2 single day tickets in advance then. Makes that easy

Regarding the room, with us booking for an August trip, would it make sense to call a day or 2 after booking and request a room that can accomodate 4 (preferably with bunk beds)? My only concern would be that the hotel will be very busy in August and I'd hate to wait until the week we leave only to find out that there are not any "4-person" rooms available.

the thing about the room allocations is that they are only done a few days in advance of your check-in (I was told 3 days in advance when I enquired at Guest Services in the park last year).
you could always put it on as a note when you make your package booking for the one adult and free child?

 

[trpltongue]

Carrie,

Thanks for the heads up on the ticket windows under DLH. Good to know they're there if I need to use them

DLPDaft,

Interesting. That is surprising to me as I would expect that they would separate out into categories well in advance. Perhaps a note as you suggest and then I'll call 5 days in advance to confirm.

 

[trpltongue]

Another 2 quick followup questions.

Will all members of our party need to be present to add them to the room and pickup the easypass?

What is the easiest way to get from the Kyriad to the Sequoia Lodge?

I only ask because I thought it might be easier for me to do the baggage drop and check-in process myself while the wife and kids eat breakfast at the Kyriad. Then they could just catch a shuttle from the Kyriad straight to Disney and could meet me there. (we won't have much baggage so I could handle walking it from the Kyriad to the Sequoia Lodge if that's possible).

 

[Isila]

We're staying in Kyriad and moving to HNY next morning and thinking of using DLP bus.

oh, and if I check in around 8.00, will I get my easypass?

 

[DLPdaft]

Another 2 quick followup questions.

Will all members of our party need to be present to add them to the room and pickup the easypass?

What is the easiest way to get from the Kyriad to the Sequoia Lodge?

I only ask because I thought it might be easier for me to do the baggage drop and check-in process myself while the wife and kids eat breakfast at the Kyriad. Then they could just catch a shuttle from the Kyriad straight to Disney and could meet me there. (we won't have much baggage so I could handle walking it from the Kyriad to the Sequoia Lodge if that's possible).

the free shuttles from the Kyriad to the bus terminus at DLP, and from the bus terminus out to the Sequoia Lodge, start running at 6am, so that would be the easiest way with luggage.

the person who checks in onsite needs to be the named person on the package booking confirmation (ie in your case that would be the adult name booked into the room). But apart from that, no-one needs to be there with that person to check in, they just need to take everyones passports with them in case they are asked for.

 

[DLPdaft]

We're staying in Kyriad and moving to HNY next morning and thinking of using DLP bus.

oh, and if I check in around 8.00, will I get my easypass?

yes, you'll get your easypass at 8am, no problem .

 

[Isila]

the free shuttles from the Kyriad to the bus terminus at DLP, and from the bus terminus out to the Sequoia Lodge, start running at 6am, so that would be the easiest way with luggage.

so how does this work - need to get it right, so confusing
I get on the bus at Kyriad hotel (do I need to walk somewhere?) and this bus takes me to DLP bus terminal. And then I get another bus to HNY, or it's the same bus that goes round?

 

[DLPdaft]

no, they are all different buses.

From outside the main building at the Kyriad, you get the bus (its the number 54 free shuttle). This takes you to the DLP bus terminus outside the Village. From there, with your luggage and your 2 little ones, you get on the yellow HNY bus (if you didn't have little ones I'd say just walk from the DLP bus terminus through the Village to HNY, it would probably be quicker ).

 

[trpltongue]

DLPdaft,

As always you have provided a wealth of information! Thanks so much for the details.

 

[Isila]

no, they are all different buses.

From outside the main building at the Kyriad, you get the bus (its the number 54 free shuttle). This takes you to the DLP bus terminus outside the Village. From there, with your luggage and your 2 little ones, you get on the yellow HNY bus (if you didn't have little ones I'd say just walk from the DLP bus terminus through the Village to HNY, it would probably be quicker ).

made notes thank you so much you're the greatest

And another question - if we ever want to ride back to hotel from the park, how we do it.

oh, do we buy tickets for buses?

 

[A Small World]

No the buses are free - the stops are all between the parks and the village by the station so just find the one with your hotel name over. However it will be quicker to walk to HNY than get the bus unless you have luggage with you

 

[DLPdaft]

no, all these buses are free, no tickets or any kind of hotel ID required to get on and off any of these buses .
If you do want to get the bus to the HNY or the Kyriad, just wait at the relevant bus stops at the DLP terminus - yellow onsite bus stops are nearest the train station, the associated hotel etc buses are directly opposite the onsite bus stops. The Kyriad bus stop is the first associated hotel bus stop you come to (and is well signposted) when you leave the parks.