How late would you check into a DVC resort??

[edk35]

I hate to say "to justify spending points because it is different for each and everyone one of us. I was just wondering if most of us try and get there fairly early to get most of that full day in and make it worth spending those precious points, or whether we get a cash ressie for that first night if it is a weekend and we know we are arriving later. I know in Nov. we didn't check into til 8:15 but it was a week day...I probably wouldn't do that on a weekend. I wonder what the percentage is for actually being able to check in and get into our rooms before 4:00????

 

[antree]

We take the first flight of the day. I want to be there early. The latest we ever arrived at DVC was 2pm. If I was getting in at night I think I would stay at a value Resort the first night. I can't see spending points or money to arrive late in the evening, but if that was my only choice I would have to stay at a value resort.

 

[dianeschlicht]

We use our points. We didn't pay that much for a timeshare to check into a cheap motel the first night.

 

[OlderMan]

When we used to fly to FL, we always tried for early flights.

Once, however, we had a PM flight and didn't get to OKW until 11:00 PM or so.

We never thought about staying anywhere else.

 

[Starr W.]

We use our points. We didn't pay that much for a timeshare to check into a cheap motel the first night.

Can I be a member of the that club?

We took a 3pm flight MLK weekend and checked into BCV about 6:30pm.

 

[vbarry]

I think when I read another post about your trip you are moving from OKW to BCV. I would not want to make another move. I will go to OKW and enjoy your trip. Otherwise...you have to get up the next day and move your bags again and check-in. Then you may not get into your room until 4:00 p.m.

Have a great trip!!

 

[Sammy]

We've checked in around midnight a couple of times. It was "worth" it to us not to check in elsewhere, then have to get up the next morning and check back out....just to check in at DVC. We just got to the villa, dumped our bags and crashed in the beds, knowing we'd be waking up in Disney the next morning!!

 

[edk35]

I think when I read another post about your trip you are moving from OKW to BCV. I would not want to make another move. I will go to OKW and enjoy your trip. Otherwise...you have to get up the next day and move your bags again and check-in. Then you may not get into your room until 4:00 p.m.

Have a great trip!!

Yeah I had eliminated that 3rd move by not going to St. Pete and just spending more nights at Disney. I was just curious as to what most do. I know that some people will move out of a DVC on weekends and then back in or to another DVC for weekdays.

 

[sandyh67]

We have always taken the first flight, but because we are using frequent flyer miles this time we were limited and are not arriving until 12mn. Ugg.
We are sharing a AK grand villa with a friend who will be there early and can get settled in with groceries.
I have to say I considered briefly getting a hotel for the first night, but moving would have cut into the next day, so we spent the points. Whenever we get up and moving the next morning we will be ready to hit the parks!

Sandy
Owner at BCV, SSR, and now AKV! We have addonitis!

 

[BirdsOfPreyDave]

I've adjusted the way we travel to Disney -- Sunday check-in and Friday departure, staying 12 nights instead of 14. But any night we're there, we stay in a villa. We always get the first flight of the morning, which usually means an alarm clock that goes off at 3:30 AM. (That's okay, who can sleep on the night before a Disney trip, anyway?) We're usually in a park for lunch.

 

[edk35]

I've adjusted the way we travel to Disney -- Sunday check-in and Friday departure, staying 12 nights instead of 14. But any night we're there, we stay in a villa. We always get the first flight of the morning, which usually means an alarm clock that goes off at 3:30 AM. (That's okay, who can sleep on the night before a Disney trip, anyway?) We're usually in a park for lunch.

Sounds like a good plan....except the getting up at 3:00.

 

[sajetto]

We've always checked in before 2pm, but didn't get a room until 5 pm on one trip. We take an early morning flight or drive all night and all morning the day of check in.

 

[DisDaydreamer]

I hate to say "to justify spending points because it is different for each and everyone one of us. I was just wondering if most of us try and get there fairly early to get most of that full day in and make it worth spending those precious points,

We definitely try to get there early. And we have had a great experience in that we probably get a room before noon 70% of the time.

 

[Kurby]

around early afternoon latest for us.

we're going down next may have have already planned to stop in at POR the first night because we won't get there until after 3pm. we only have enough points for 14 nights and we'll be there for 15 nights so cash it is and we just won't pay 250+ to stay at AK on cash plus dh likes POR since it was the first place he ever stayed.

 

[castleri]

We try to get there early -sometimes 11 am more often 1pm and if the room isn't ready we head off to do something else after checking in. Most times we have been lucky with getting into the room before 4. The exception has been BCV and all three visits we have had to wait until after 4 even when arriving early in the day. My best experience was getting into a GV Christmas week at 8am. If it was a weekday I would check in at any time so I could just get up and do whatever we had planned for the next day. Depending on the points involved I might be tempted to stay somewhere else if it was a weekend and we were arriving late in the day or early eveining. I made a reservation for my daughter for a Friday night at BCV the week after Easter and it is 43 points for a studio. That same 43 points would get a 5 night stay at OKW in Sept, Dec or Jan. She is there for a conference the 3 days before and it seemed like a good thing to add a day for her to just relax. She works two jobs one full time as a sales service manager for a textile manufacturer and as a waitress/bartender 4 nights a week. She is treating me to an Alaskan cruise in May as my Christmas/ 65th birthday gifts this year. Seems the least I could do is get her a room for one night. Would have gotten it for two nights but she already had her flights to come home on the Saturday night.
DH and I will be arriving at OKW about 2:30 on the 4th and if the room isn't ready we already have the afternoon planned out. I had originally looked at a flight that didn't get in until after 6 and then decided it was worth the extra $30 each to get there 5 hours earlier and have a nice relaxing afternoon and evening. Had also looked at the one that got in at 10am and decided we didn't want to have to get up at 4 and have someone get us to the airport for 5 since it is just DH and me. When we take one daughter and her children she "needs" to be there early so as not to lose a minute of the Disney magic - of course we are all ready for bed about 6:30 so don't think we gain anything except a couple of cranky kids.
We also work it the other way - we try to take a late flight out and not use points for a night where we would have to get up the next morning and leave early to get to the airport. That can be determined by airfare more than anyhting but I really hate using points for a night and then having to be at the airport for a flight any time before 5 or 6 at night.
All in all I don't think there is any way that is any better than any other - it is really what works for each person and for each trip.

 

[Kathi OD]

We've checked in around midnight a couple of times. It was "worth" it to us not to check in elsewhere, then have to get up the next morning and check back out....just to check in at DVC. We just got to the villa, dumped our bags and crashed in the beds, knowing we'd be waking up in Disney the next morning!!

ITA! We NEVER arrive before 10:30 PM. Once I'm there, I want to be THERE. I have no desire to waste time in the morning checking out and checking back in again somewhere else. The way we look at it, the points we spend for the late night check-in are worth the time we would lose the next day.

 

[tomandrobin]

We checked in one time at 3:30am!!!

We had a 5PM flight out of BWI that got delayed, delayed and more delayed!

Needless to say, we don't do the evening flights anymore.

 

[Kurby]

We checked in one time at 3:30am!!!

We had a 5PM flight out of BWI that got delayed, delayed and more delayed!

Needless to say, we don't do the evening flights anymore.

hey but at least you got an entire day and when you woke up you were already checked in and on vacation.

 

[Inkmahm]

The earliest we land at MCO is just after 11 am so on those trips we can be checking in by 1:30 or so. After a DCL cruise, we've checked in by 8:30 or so. In December, we decided to go the night before instead of the morning we planned, so now we'll be arriving at 10:30 pm and probably not getting to our AKV villa until midnight or so.

 

[dgaston]

Just back from a trip where we did the 3:30 AM departure for the airport. Due to my frugal nature, and not having limitless points, we rarely spend Friday or Saturday at DVC. We often take a late flight out of PVD and spend the first night in a priceline hotel near MCO. They all have shuttles and sometimes it saves me a day on car rental charges, or we take ME in the AM, check in early into the resort, and go about our plans. I have to say that the early am departure left me far more tired, and I spent most of our first day in FL lazing about or napping . I like the stay near the airport late arrival plan better.