On Line Check In Question

[SPOERLX3]

Our package starts on Nov 18, but our flight doesn't land until 11:55pm, meaning we will not actually get to our resort until the 19th sometime around 1:30-2am(if we are lucky). I have read somewhere that even though they assign your room 4-5 days prior to checking in, they can pull your room and give it to someone else that checks in if they decide they don't like their room (unless they have already sent you your room text). I'm not sure what they use the "arrival time" for exactly and hopefully someone can explain it a little better but my question is.....When doing online check in on MDE, to have my best chance of getting 1 or both of my room requests, would you recommend putting our check in time as "after midnight" since that is when we will actually check in OR should we choose an earlier time (3 or 4pm) to have the best chance of getting our requests? AND...if we choose an earlier time should we then go in and change it to "after midnight" once we get the room text so they know what time we will actually be there?? Any thoughts?

in advance

 

[dansdad]

Our package starts on Nov 18, but our flight doesn't land until 11:55pm, meaning we will not actually get to our resort until the 19th sometime around 1:30-2am(if we are lucky). I have read somewhere that even though they assign your room 4-5 days prior to checking in, they can pull your room and give it to someone else that checks in if they decide they don't like their room (unless they have already sent you your room text). I'm not sure what they use the "arrival time" for exactly and hopefully someone can explain it a little better but my question is.....When doing online check in on MDE, to have my best chance of getting 1 or both of my room requests, would you recommend putting our check in time as "after midnight" since that is when we will actually check in OR should we choose an earlier time (3 or 4pm) to have the best chance of getting our requests?

They use the estimated arrival time to assist in getting people into their rooms when they arrive. They want guests in the parks, buying things, etc as soon as they arrive instead of hanging around the resort etc. The later your estimated arrival time is will up your chances of getting your room requests met. If your estimated arrival time is say before Noon, then your room will have to have been unoccupied the night before. This will greatly reduce the number of rooms for the room assigners to choose from. If you estimated arrival time is say 5PM or later the room assigners can choose from any open room regardless of whether it was occupied the night before. That ups your odds. Now if someone doesn't like their room location and asks to switch the CM will first offer up any and all unassigned rooms. After that to give said guest a room already assigned requires getting the room assigners involved as you can imagine the domino affect that would cause. So they really try to not do that.

AND...if we choose an earlier time should we then go in and change it to "after midnight" once we get the room text so they know what time we will actually be there?? Any thoughts?

in advance

I have no idea why you would do that. Once your room is assigned your estimated arrival time will not be seen by anyone.

 

[AngiTN]

We had a late arrival last month, landed at 11:00 PM, got to resort about 12:30. We got our text alert that our room was ready about 3:30 PM (while I was still at work).
I put in 3:00 as our arrival time, which is what I always do when we are not arriving early.

 

[SPOERLX3]

They use the estimated arrival time to assist in getting people into their rooms when they arrive. They want guests in the parks, buying things, etc as soon as they arrive instead of hanging around the resort etc. The later your estimated arrival time is will up your chances of getting your room requests met. If your estimated arrival time is say before Noon, then your room will have to have been unoccupied the night before. This will greatly reduce the number of rooms for the room assigners to choose from. If you estimated arrival time is say 5PM or later the room assigners can choose from any open room regardless of whether it was occupied the night before. That ups your odds. Now if someone doesn't like their room location and asks to switch the CM will first offer up any and all unassigned rooms. After that to give said guest a room already assigned requires getting the room assigners involved as you can imagine the domino affect that would cause. So they really try to not do that.

I have no idea why you would do that. Once your room is assigned your estimated arrival time will not be seen by anyone.

In my crazy mind I thought that the room assignment text is sent out around the same time you are checking in, give or take an hour or so. And thinking that they can move your room anytime prior to the room text being sent out. The only reason, I would do that, was to hopefully get my room # text and get my room secured and then change the time to "after midnight" so they would know that we are a late arrival and that we are coming.

We had a late arrival last month, landed at 11:00 PM, got to resort about 12:30. We got our text alert that our room was ready about 3:30 PM (while I was still at work).
I put in 3:00 as our arrival time, which is what I always do when we are not arriving early.

Thank you both!
I wasn't sure what they used that for so I was just trying to determine the best time to put as my arrival and if there was a benefit to putting an earlier time vs later to have a better chance of getting my on line check in requests. Sounds like anything after 3pm, since that is the actual check in time, weighs about the same.

I appreciate you both!

 

[SPOERLX3]

AngiTN, just curious ......did you get your room requests that you chose at on line check in?

 

[AngiTN]

AngiTN, just curious ......did you get your room requests that you chose at on line check in?

Yes but I believe mine were filled based on the fax from touring plans vs online check-in. The reason is we requested, and got, a king bed. The only place we requested king bed was on the fax

 

[SPOERLX3]

Yes but I believe mine were filled based on the fax from touring plans vs online check-in. The reason is we requested, and got, a king bed. The only place we requested king bed was on the fax

for another great piece of info! We will also be using the fax from touring plans so I am excited to see how it works for us.
I was nervous about choosing anything during on line check in but I bit the bullet and did it anyway
We will be checking in at POP in 11 days and like you, I guess we will know if they use the fax or the online check in when they assign our room. We have made the same requests on our online check in and on the fax with the 1 exception of connecting rooms that we included in the fax.