Online check in or not, with an early arrival but specific room location request?

[Childs1stTime2Disney]

I have never online checked in. We will be arriving around 10:30am. I made a fairly specific room request over the phone and via Touring Plans. If I online check in beforehand, what will they present as options? Will one be regarding taking a room early over my request? Can someone help me navigate how this works so I can decide what might be best to do? Any suggestions? I don't want to wait until 3 pm but I do want somewhat of what I requested if possible.

 

[Dug720]

Just don’t fill out anything in the request area when you do online check-in. You can still go to the counter if your assigned room is not to your liking.

But be aware that they may not be able to meet your request - and the more specific the harder it is.

 

[Disneylover99]

Do online check in (if you wish). Don’t check the box that asks if you want early check in, cause that will override your requests. When you arrive at the resort, go to the front desk and check on the status of your room.

They won’t tell you your exact room until it’s ready, but you can reiterate your requests and they’ll be able to see if requests were met, sort of met, or not met at all. At that point you can decide if you want to wait, see if there is something else available immediately or see if there is a room that better suits your requests.

 

[Dug720]

I'll also add - though it may be too late now since you've done a request over the phone and Touring Plans (if it's not sent yet you can change it)...

When making "fairly specific requests" it is best to a) prioritize the elements of the request and b) explain (briefly) why.

As an example, for my upcoming visits (pre-and post-cruise) I've requested the top floor and specified that is because I'm traveling alone and feel most comfortable on the top floor. Yes, I have a specific building request as a second option, but I've made it clear that top floor DUE TO BEING THERE SOLO is the most important and the building doesn't matter if that is available in another building. BUT they also know that a safer room is a priority, so if a top floor room is not available, they will hopefully put me on at least an upper floor and not ground floor. If I had not specified WHY I was requesting top floor, the assigner would not know why and might put me on the first floor in the 2nd priority requested building.

 

[Wood Nymph]

I would do online check in and then go to the front desk when arriving at the resort. I wouldn't wait until 3:00pm to check on the status of the room.

 

[loves to dive]

I would do online check in and then go to the front desk when arriving at the resort. I wouldn't wait until 3:00pm to check on the status of the room.

This is what I do, although I don't make specific requests as I really don't care where they put me. I'm always early - between one and three - so I feel like if I let them know I'm there I have a better chance. Again, I don't make specific room requests so early arrival is more important to me.

 

[Robber Baron]

We reserved Casitas Preferred at CSR and had 3 rooms we requested to be near each other. We completed online check in, but, I don't remember what requests I made there. We arrived first to check in early in the day at the desk. They told us if we wanted to wait we had 3 rooms next to each other, or, we could take one nearby if we wanted to take it now. We took that room right around the corner, and the other 2 rooms next to each other were available later.

 

[Marthasor]

I no longer do online check-in at WDW. I make my requests prior to checking in and then go to the front desk to speak with a human being to see what our actual room options are. We had a medical emergency last year on our day of check-in and had to reschedule our trip - online check-in "soft" checked me in and it took hours on hold with WDW that day to get everything disentangled so I could modify my trip dates. I will never use online check-in again unless I'm already on WDW property.

 

[thanxfornoticin]

I would do online check in and then go to the front desk when arriving at the resort. I wouldn't wait until 3:00pm to check on the status of the room.

Also agree with this strategy j- the earlier, the better. Still no guarantees on your room location or when it's available to you, but this offers the best options regarding realtime info at the resort that morning. It's worked for us already - and it's not worked at times, too - our room was set and we couldn't be moved.....

 

[QueenofPrideRock]

Do online check in (if you wish). Don’t check the box that asks if you want early check in, cause that will override your requests. When you arrive at the resort, go to the front desk and check on the status of your room.

They won’t tell you your exact room until it’s ready, but you can reiterate your requests and they’ll be able to see if requests were met, sort of met, or not met at all. At that point you can decide if you want to wait, see if there is something else available immediately or see if there is a room that better suits your requests.

When you say "the box that asks if you want early check in," do you mean the checkbox in the room request section, or the drop-down where you provide your resort arrival time?

I'm doing a resort stay in May and the plan is to drop our bags then head to a park, so we are technically arriving before check-in time. But I would rather get our room request (made via Touring Plans) than early check in ... does what time I put for our arrival impact that or no?

 

[Dug720]

When you say "the box that asks if you want early check in," do you mean the checkbox in the room request section, or the drop-down where you provide your resort arrival time?

I'm doing a resort stay in May and the plan is to drop our bags then head to a park, so we are technically arriving before check-in time. But I would rather get our room request (made via Touring Plans) than early check in ... does what time I put for our arrival impact that or no?

It should not. The check box is in the Room Request section and clearly states that checking that indicates that early arrival is more important.

Just as a note: even making your room request through Touring Plans (or any way) is not a guarantee. The hotels are not cruise ships where everyone comes and leaves at the same time. If someone is in the room you've requested (if you're getting that specific), they are not going to make them move. That's why it's best to be more general in the requests - such as a building/location, floor, etc. and prioritize those (like first - top floor, second - building 6, third, corner room).

 

[SkyGuy]

I no longer do online check-in at WDW. I make my requests prior to checking in and then go to the front desk to speak with a human being to see what our actual room options are. We had a medical emergency last year on our day of check-in and had to reschedule our trip - online check-in "soft" checked me in and it took hours on hold with WDW that day to get everything disentangled so I could modify my trip dates. I will never use online check-in again unless I'm already on WDW property.

I’m sorry for your experience! The first of Feb ‘23, I got very ill the day we were to fly down to Orlando. I had done online check-in, and when I called to see if I could reschedule and not lose my money, GS said the res had already been sent to the resort, but they would transfer me to reservations to see what they could do. I explained my situation to reservations and said I was willing to reschedule so I wouldn’t lose my money. The gentlemen said that he could just call the resort, pull the reservation, and refund me. I was floored (and grateful). I was fully refunded by the end of the day. The entire call took no more than 15 minutes. Don’t know if I was lucky or you were unlucky!

 

[Childs1stTime2Disney]

Just don’t fill out anything in the request area when you do online check-in. You can still go to the counter if your assigned room is not to your liking.

But be aware that they may not be able to meet your request - and the more specific the harder it is.

So I just did online check in. It didn't list the requests I had on file, is that normal? It just gave the option of "near lobby" and the box to check if you want a room earlier. Is that normal that my requests on my reservation would not show up there (open rail balcony) and higher floor?

 

[Childs1stTime2Disney]

Do online check in (if you wish). Don’t check the box that asks if you want early check in, cause that will override your requests. When you arrive at the resort, go to the front desk and check on the status of your room.

They won’t tell you your exact room until it’s ready, but you can reiterate your requests and they’ll be able to see if requests were met, sort of met, or not met at all. At that point you can decide if you want to wait, see if there is something else available immediately or see if there is a room that better suits your requests.

So I just did online check in. It didn't list the requests I had on file, is that normal? It just gave the option of "near lobby" and the box to check if you want a room earlier. Is that normal that my requests on my reservation would not show up there (open rail balcony) and higher floor?

 

[dansdad]

So I just did online check in. It didn't list the requests I had on file, is that normal? It just gave the option of "near lobby" and the box to check if you want a room earlier. Is that normal that my requests on my reservation would not show up there (open rail balcony) and higher floor?

Yes, 100% normal and expected.

 

[Childs1stTime2Disney]

Yes, 100% normal and expected.

Thank you!

 

[Disneylover99]

So I just did online check in. It didn't list the requests I had on file, is that normal? It just gave the option of "near lobby" and the box to check if you want a room earlier. Is that normal that my requests on my reservation would not show up there (open rail balcony) and higher floor?

Requests you’ve made, do not show up through online checkin.

 

[Disneylover99]

When you say "the box that asks if you want early check in," do you mean the checkbox in the room request section, or the drop-down where you provide your resort arrival time?

I'm doing a resort stay in May and the plan is to drop our bags then head to a park, so we are technically arriving before check-in time. But I would rather get our room request (made via Touring Plans) than early check in ... does what time I put for our arrival impact that or no?

Yes. Don’t check that box.

It’s fine to list an early arrival time though. We always arrive early, so we usually pick a morning time from the drop down menu. That doesn’t necessarily mean you’ll get your room early. It still could be much later in the afternoon. But listing your arrival time won’t knock out your requests.

 

[bluezy]

I always do online check-in several weeks before we arrive. We drive to Disney and know we will be arriving around 10-11:00 a.m. I also make a room request through Touring Plans and have my TA add that same room request information to our reservation. While I do request a specific room, I always indicate why I chose that room and say that anything in that general area is fine (i.e., first floor, close to bus stops). The room request pull-down menus on the app are useless. Most of the time they include options that aren't even available at the specific resort and don't include all building numbers. I haven't used that part of online check-in for at least 5 years. When I do online check-in, I do *not* check the box indicating that having a room available when I arrive is my priority. In our last 5 stays we've always gotten either the room I requested or one next door and 4 out of 5 times we go the "room ready" text before we arrived. The other time we got the "room not ready" text at about 9:45 a.m. so we lingered at Walmart while picking up water and snacks and got the "room ready" text just as we arrived on property at about 11:45 a.m. I rarely even visit the front desk anymore.

 

[QueenofPrideRock]

Yes. Don’t check that box.

It’s fine to list an early arrival time though. We always arrive early, so we usually pick a morning time from the drop down menu. That doesn’t necessarily mean you’ll get your room early. It still could be much later in the afternoon. But listing your arrival time won’t knock out your requests.

Got it, thank you so much for clarifying!