Is anyone actually accessing their room earlier than check in time anymore?

[tony67]

In general it depends on how busy the hotel is.
I also provide my arrival time, but in the end check in time is check in time and you should not expect the room before that.
If the hotel is full and people are checking out late or there is a big conference you will probable not get in before your check in time.
At the Dolphin I've gotten my room as early as 7AM, but also later than check in time.
If they can accommodate you they usually will.

 

[mistysue]

I think the only time in the past few years our room has been ready before around 2 PM was the year our flight got delayed by 9 hours, so our 11 AM check in didn't happen until around 10 that night after we ate. Most of our rooms have been DVC, I feel like it's become the norm to get a text around 3-5ish for us. We usually end up hitting a park or hobo napping.

 

[MIChessGuy]

I did online check-in for my stay at AS Sports last week and got the 'room ready' text at 2:05pm. As I was driving in from Michigan and didn't arrive until the evening anyway, it wasn't a priority for me. Also I never make any special requests; as someone who's not in great shape, I need to walk so I figure go ahead, put me on the 3rd floor and far away from whatever, I need to walk anyway.

 

[lovin'fl]

We have been DVC members since 2006 and it has been like this for a while, if not always... the rarely getting a room ready early. And occasionally it's after 4pm. I will say most of the time we have the room by around 2:30. The 2:30 to after 4pm is once in a while. But around 2 to 3 seems to be the norm. I am excited when it's before 2:30. And before noon is like a very very rare gem. We go often and maybe had rooms before noon like twice, ever. After 4pm has been like 3 times total. Right at 4pm has been a few times too. But typically around 2 to 3.

We used to do location requests. Back when we came from out of state and stayed several days. But we moved to Kissimmee 2 years ago and now book 1-2 night stays every month. And I just put room ready early as our only priority. And it's around the 2-3 range most of the time. SSR is one of the better resorts to get in between noon and 2. Love SSR. BWV, BCV and AKV are always on the later side.

 

[0FF TO NEVERLAND]

Usually around 2:30ish 3pm

 

[jmenjes]

On my trip back in February, my room was ready at 1 pm, but it was a different process than what I've gone through before.

I do online check-in for my trips. In 2022, I arrived at Sports about 2:30, but I didn't get the text that my room was ready until after 3:30. In 2023, I received my "room is ready" text at 1 pm, while I was still on the train in Kissimmee.

For this year, I arrived at Pop at 1 pm, but hadn't received any texts yet. When I got out of my Lyft ride, a cast member approached me with an iPad and asked for my name. After verifying my info, she then told me my room was ready. Curious if this check-in process happened to anyone else.

 

[gottalovepluto]

On my trip back in February, my room was ready at 1 pm, but it was a different process than what I've gone through before.

I do online check-in for my trips. In 2022, I arrived at Sports about 2:30, but I didn't get the text that my room was ready until after 3:30. In 2023, I received my "room is ready" text at 1 pm, while I was still on the train in Kissimmee.

For this year, I arrived at Pop at 1 pm, but hadn't received any texts yet. When I got out of my Lyft ride, a cast member approached me with an iPad and asked for my name. After verifying my info, she then told me my room was ready. Curious if this check-in process happened to anyone else.

I had this happen recently at CSR, no room ready text despite online check-in but upon checking in with a CM on arrival a room was ready. If there is no text and you’re at the hotel always check with the front desk in case a room is ready!

 

[thanxfornoticin]

On my trip back in February, my room was ready at 1 pm, but it was a different process than what I've gone through before.

I do online check-in for my trips. In 2022, I arrived at Sports about 2:30, but I didn't get the text that my room was ready until after 3:30. In 2023, I received my "room is ready" text at 1 pm, while I was still on the train in Kissimmee.

For this year, I arrived at Pop at 1 pm, but hadn't received any texts yet. When I got out of my Lyft ride, a cast member approached me with an iPad and asked for my name. After verifying my info, she then told me my room was ready. Curious if this check-in process happened to anyone else.

Yea, we've had a hit and miss relationship with the texting about our room. We always to online checkin. I'd say 75% of the time it works as advertised. For some reason unknown to us, 25% of the time, we don't get the texts. We've found 2 approaches work then - if convenient, we'll check at the front desk. If we're out in the parks or some place not yet close to the resort, we always check the room information on the MDE app. When the room is ready, text or not, the room number shows in the app. Then we know our room is ready!

 

[TeamSy]

We noticed this too!!! We always take a very early flight in and arrive around 8:30/9. I can’t remember ever having to wait for a room.

We went in 2019 pre-covid and then not at all during the height of covid. When we returned in 2022, it was the first time ever we had to wait for a room to be ready. We figured it was due to staffing since things hadn’t fully opened yet. Ie, we stayed at contemporary and chef mickeys was still doing family style. They told us it would only be around an hour but thank goodness we didn’t wait because we didn’t get the notice our room was ready until about 15 minutes prior to actual check in time.

Last year we split between AKL and Swan. Swan we checked right into but I know that’s a different brand. AKL was again not until about check in time. We waited by the pool.

Obviously they still gave us the room at check in time so no issues but we must have gone every year for the 10 years prior to that and never waited!! I guess we got lucky!

 

[LilyWDW]

I think part of the problem is perception. So many people have come to expect to get into their rooms before official check in that now it is a "problem" when they don't. Which is silly. Plan on the room not being ready until after check in. Any other planning is just asking to be disappointed.

 

[thanxfornoticin]

I think part of the problem is perception. So many people have come to expect to get into their rooms before official check in that now it is a "problem" when they don't. Which is silly. Plan on the room not being ready until after check in. Any other planning is just asking to be disappointed.

Agreed. For DVC Villas checkin begins at 4PM. Some feel 4:01 is late, and it's really not.

 

[roydavid7771]

We've always been pleasantly surprised and had our rooms ready whenever we showed up at the resort, it didn't matter which resort we happened to be staying at. The only exception has been at BCV, which ironically enough, is our home resort! We usually don't mind as we have learned not to make early dinner reservations on check in day because chances are slim that the room will be ready for us so we can freshen up before going out to dinner. However, if we still can't get in to the room by 5 (which has happened), I'm heading to the front desk and asking. Mind you, I'm not looking for a freebie, but an hour is reasonable enough leeway that I feel I can gently demand that we get in asap .

 

[Justrose]

Not us, but we typically go during busier times AND I always have a room request.

 

[SkyGuy]

We are staying at Saratoga Springs this time since we are going to a concert at Disney Springs. We arrived Friday morning and got to the resort a little before 10am. The app said our room wasn’t ready, so I went to the front desk to have them hold my cold items, and she noticed my room had just been released. We also got placed in our room well-before check-in at AoA in September and at GDT in January.

 

[garris3404]

Arrived at AS Movies last week at 7:00 AM. I had requested 3:00 PM check-in, as I was rope dropping a park. Got the notification that my room was ready around 7:10 AM. Didn't actually arrive at room until 9:00 PM.

 

[Robber Baron]

We checked into AKL - Kidani on Saturday 6/22 and received our text the room was ready at 12:09 pm

 

[IanDLBZF from MCMagic]

I received my room around 12:15 pm, staying at Poly!

 

[Steffiesunshine]

I was at Beach Club CL in December and we arrived at the hotel around 9:40am and our room was ready. We even made it for breakfast.

 

[Happyjen27]

Our resort view room at POFQ was ready at noon on our check in day earlier this week.
Our GFlo CL room was available around 1PM this week as well.

 

[JBRB828]

Heading to The Contemporary CL TPV, Tuesday. We will be flying in with arrival around 9 AM. We will head to AK until room is ready. I have never done online checkin and won’t be doing it this time either. Last time was 2022, same room, and I received a text at 2:30 our room was ready. I do have one request all the time, please have a rubber tub mat for the tub floor, it’s quite slippery for us old timers.