Online Check in Advatantage/Disadvantage?

[nlm74]

We're at our mark I believe and I was just wondering what the point is of doing online check in? Advantages? disadvantages? Give me your stories and knowledge.

Thanks!

 

[SmallWorld71]

I've only done online check-in once - at POP in April.
When I checked in online I was able to choose my preference (50's, 60's, close to transportation etc...) or I was able to check off something along the line of "room ready upon arrival" as my priority. That's the one I picked.

We were driving up from a relatives house and then heading immediately to Epcot. We were really hoping our room would be ready so that we could put our luggage in it (and not have to deal with storage), freshen up and head straight to the park. We didn't care what section we were in or what floor we were on etc...

We arrived at POP, went to the counter and checked in. The whole process was very quick as they already had our packet ready and waiting for us.

Overall, I'd say online check-in saves you time. But, if you are a party with multiple needs/ wants you may be better off in the regular check-in line.

 

[nlm74]

Hmmmmm.....

Maybe we'll give it a try. We have a a couple special requests already in our file like a pack and play, but the only thing I'm concerned about is that there are 2 reservations (1 club, 1 pool) and although I know we won't be on the same floors I wanted to try and get the rooms as close as possible (also noted in our file). The other thing is I'm purchasing tix through Orbitz and will need to have them linked when we get there.

Does any of this make a difference if we do online check in?

 

[hildarumpole]

We always do online check-in. The check-in lines can be long at times, so we've found it to be a time saver. During our July trip, we stayed at POR. The check-in line was huge when we arrived. There's a separate line for online check-ins. There was one party being helped at the online counter, but there appeared to be some complication, so a CM took us over to a Concierge CM right away and had him check us in. They don't just hand you your room key and off you go. They take the time to verify all the members of your party, double-check the credit card on file, explain the resort, and show your room location on the map. It's the same level of service you'll get at the regular line without the wait. The whole process took less than 5 minutes. By the time we were on our way to our room the regular line was longer than ever and didn't appear to be moving very quickly.

 

[jcjen519]

we always do online check in and i cant say this is a result of it but our room has always been ready when we get there and we have gotten our requests. i doubt it makes all that big a difference really.

 

[prettypatchesmsu]

Yeah, I'm wondering this myself. Cannot decide what to do.