midnight check-in experience

lbshel22

Earning My Ears
Joined
Jul 9, 2018
Messages
2
We live in Georgia and will be driving 8 hours to our resort, Pop Century. We have our reservation technically starting on a Friday. We are thinking about leaving Thursday afternoon and driving down, arriving around midnight. I was recently informed in a Disney Facebook group that we can technically check in under the Friday reservation if we arrive after midnight on Thursday, assuming there is a room available, for no extra charge (this person claims to have had success numerous times). Has anyone else had experience with this that can confirm?
(We will pay for another night if need be, but we would of course rather not if we don’t have to since it’s just to sleep for about 6 hours before we head to MK for EMH.) Thank you.
 
We live in Georgia and will be driving 8 hours to our resort, Pop Century. We have our reservation technically starting on a Friday. We are thinking about leaving Thursday afternoon and driving down, arriving around midnight. I was recently informed in a Disney Facebook group that we can technically check in under the Friday reservation if we arrive after midnight on Thursday, assuming there is a room available, for no extra charge (this person claims to have had success numerous times). Has anyone else had experience with this that can confirm?
(We will pay for another night if need be, but we would of course rather not if we don’t have to since it’s just to sleep for about 6 hours before we head to MK for EMH.) Thank you.

The earliest you'd be able to check in is 6AM Friday morning. The reservation system rolls over to the next day at 6AM, not midnight. What that person suggested is only possible if the front desk CM gave them a room for the night before for free. While possible, is definitely not normal and I would not expect that. We've been checking in twice between 2-3AM and witnessed a family, who assumed the new day started after midnight, deciding between paying rack rate for a room in order to get some sleep or hang in the lobby until 6AM. It wasn't pretty either time.
 
We live in Georgia and will be driving 8 hours to our resort, Pop Century. We have our reservation technically starting on a Friday. We are thinking about leaving Thursday afternoon and driving down, arriving around midnight. I was recently informed in a Disney Facebook group that we can technically check in under the Friday reservation if we arrive after midnight on Thursday, assuming there is a room available, for no extra charge (this person claims to have had success numerous times). Has anyone else had experience with this that can confirm?
(We will pay for another night if need be, but we would of course rather not if we don’t have to since it’s just to sleep for about 6 hours before we head to MK for EMH.) Thank you.
Take it with a grain of salt. People in the Dis Facebook group share a lot of incorrect information. I don't know for sure, but I would bet Disney is not going to let you use a hotel night for free.
 
The earliest you'd be able to check in is 6AM Friday morning. The reservation system rolls over to the next day at 6AM, not midnight.

This is correct. While midnight is technically the next day, it's considered the current day as far as your reservation is concerned. If you wanted to arrive Thursday night and have a room, you'd have to book a room for that night.
 

We've shown up at 4 am before and were told that, as someone mentioned above, they couldn't access our reservation to even check us in until 6 am. So, I would assume that the information you were given was wrong. Perhaps it worked for them, but it's definitely not something you should expect. We arrived at 4 am and were able to check in at 6 am, but we didn't get our room until 2 pm. You may want to consider adding a room-only night to your reservation if you're going to get there that early or plan on sleeping in your car.
 
Take it with a grain of salt. People in the Dis Facebook group share a lot of incorrect information. I don't know for sure, but I would bet Disney is not going to let you use a hotel night for free.
I often think there are folks out there that go around and spread crap just to see if they can get folks to believe it. This is one of those cases.
You can't check in till 6 AM, just as the good folks above have told you.
I would pay for Thursday as suggested OR stop an hour or so out, get some sleep and get up and drive in at 6 AM and check in then.
 
I often think there are folks out there that go around and spread crap just to see if they can get folks to believe it. This is one of those cases.

Yep. And it’s so much easier to do on FB than it is here.
 
We've arrived at 4am and had to wait until 6am to check in. The room wasn't available until almost 3pm and 3pm is when it is guaranteed to be ready.
 
I often think there are folks out there that go around and spread crap just to see if they can get folks to believe it. This is one of those cases.
You can't check in till 6 AM, just as the good folks above have told you.
I would pay for Thursday as suggested OR stop an hour or so out, get some sleep and get up and drive in at 6 AM and check in then.
I wonder about that too or is it the people don’t understand the hotel business. We sell nights, not days, cause you really need our room for sleeping and that will cross midnight or one calendar to the next in one night. So a hotel day is actually from early am, 6:am or so, until the next morning at the same time. In the OP’s case that means they’re Friday reservation starts at 6:00am Friday and goes to 6:00am Saturday. To checkin at Midnight Friday they’ll need a Thursday reservation.
 
Actually, 3PM is the official start of Check In. It's a common misconception that all rooms will be ready by 3PM.

This is definitely true. I have had to wait until after 4 pm for my room before.
 
Stop over in Valdosta and get a good nights sleep there and arrive at Disney well rested.
 
OP. Pay for Thursday. You'll be glad you did.

Yep to that!!! Like other posters have said, I also have had check in times / room ready times at 4PM or later. That's a long time to wait after a late drive, I would pay for Thursday
 


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