Questions about arriving to your resort for check in around 9:30 pm (negatives)?

[kiford]

We arrived at BWI last December about 1:30 am. Got the room we requested. We have typically been arriving after midnight for the last few trips and have always managed to get our requests and/or a room we thought was really good if we didn't put in a request.

 

[maxiesmom]

I have found that when I arrive later, my room isn't the best. Disney does pre-assign rooms a few days out. However, your room is not your room until you swipe in. If someone arrives before you, and wants the room that is pre-assigned to you, they can pull it from you and give it to another guest.

 

[AngiTN]

I have found that when I arrive later, my room isn't the best. Disney does pre-assign rooms a few days out. However, your room is not your room until you swipe in. If someone arrives before you, and wants the room that is pre-assigned to you, they can pull it from you and give it to another guest.

If the room number has been sent to the guest that doesn't really happen in most cases. Not to say it can never happen but when a guest has their room number it's pretty rare for it to be taken away from them

 

[TammyLynn33]

We arrived in a last min add on night to a value resort after a MVMCP. It was extremely difficult to find parking and I found it really difficult to navigate around the huge grounds at night not being familiar with where I was going and having sleeping little ones .
I def feel like we were the farthest room possible away from everything .. maybe bc we were all over tired but it wasn’t fun

 

[Disneylover99]

If the room number has been sent to the guest that doesn't really happen in most cases. Not to say it can never happen but when a guest has their room number it's pretty rare for it to be taken away from them

I agree, if they’ve given you your room number, they‘ve given you your room. I think they’d only pull it at that point if there was some kind of maintenance issue with the room.

But if anyone arrives early, or gets their room assignment early on MDE, and they’re not happy with it, they have a better chance to move, because many rooms haven’t been officially assigned yet. Meaning, room numbers haven’t been given out yet, so the guest who was supposed to get the room, will get another room and won’t ever know.

 

[MomOTwins]

I think the odds of getting a crappy room the later you arrive are greater. But that doesn’t necessarily mean you will. We’ve got crappy rooms checking in early and great rooms checking in later. It depends on your desired room location. Some locations are popular requests for everyone.

If you do arrive late and are unhappy with your room assignment, you can always request a change for the following day.

Not necessarily. I have had two situations where we arrived late and had a bad room. One was literally the furthest room in the resort from the lobby at Boardwalk when we’d requested close to lobby. One was a room at beach club with a broken door that wouldn’t lock. At beach club they were able to move us but at boardwalk they were not able to move us. I guess it just depends on availability

 

[Disneylover99]

Not necessarily. I have had two situations where we arrived late and had a bad room. One was literally the furthest room in the resort from the lobby at Boardwalk when we’d requested close to lobby. One was a room at beach club with a broken door that wouldn’t lock. At beach club they were able to move us but at boardwalk they were not able to move us. I guess it just depends on availability

As I said, you can always request a change the following day. That doesn’t mean they will 100% be able to move you, but odds are good. Availability in your room category matters. A willingness to pay the difference and upgrade to a different room category or downgrade if you’re really desperate helps as well.

 

[MomOTwins]

As I said, you can always request a change the following day. That doesn’t mean they will 100% be able to move you, but odds are good. Availability in your room category matters. A willingness to pay the difference and upgrade to a different room category or downgrade if you’re really desperate helps as well.

I actually did offer to pay for an upgrade and was told it was not possible because the resort was sold out. This was in February last year (not President's day week) in keeping with recent trend of Jan-Feb being more crowded. When they were able to move us at Beach Club, it was in August, at what is now a slower time. Disney resorts have been selling out a lot lately-I think the answer to OP's question depends a lot on when they will be onsite.

 

[Disneylover99]

I actually did offer to pay for an upgrade and was told it was not possible because the resort was sold out. This was in February last year (not President's day week) in keeping with recent trend of Jan-Feb being more crowded. When they were able to move us at Beach Club, it was in August, at what is now a slower time. Disney resorts have been selling out a lot lately-I think the answer to OP's question depends a lot on when they will be onsite.

I think the bigger factor is the room category booked. Even when resorts are full, there is always daily room turnover. I would imagine it’s much easier to switch out a standard two queenbeds room the following day since there are generally a higher number of this room category at most resorts.

 

[Dug720]

Not necessarily. I have had two situations where we arrived late and had a bad room. One was literally the furthest room in the resort from the lobby at Boardwalk when we’d requested close to lobby. One was a room at beach club with a broken door that wouldn’t lock. At beach club they were able to move us but at boardwalk they were not able to move us. I guess it just depends on availability

Though just playing devil's advocate... How do you know that those were not the rooms that were assigned to you anyway?

 

[maxiesmom]

Though just playing devil's advocate... How do you know that those were not the rooms that were assigned to you anyway?

Not the poster you quoted, but I had the CM at check in tell me the room I was originally assigned was no longer available.

That was also a time I arrived around 8pm to find they had bumped me from a preferred room location to a standard.

 

[MomOTwins]

Though just playing devil's advocate... How do you know that those were not the rooms that were assigned to you anyway?

They very possibly were, but my point was that in cases where you get a dud room assigned to you, you would probably have better luck getting moved if you arrive early in the day.

 

[AngiTN]

They very possibly were, but my point was that in cases where you get a dud room assigned to you, you would probably have better luck getting moved if you arrive early in the day.

And how much the CM wants to bother to help.
All arriving guests had rooms assigned 4, 5 days before arrival.
If a CM wants to move that guest out of their room to give it to you, they CAN. That doesn't mean they will. Some could well only reassign open rooms, leaving those already assigned assigned. Nothing makes them take them away from a guest to give to someone else. It's totally up to that CM. So arriving early doesn't mean you get a better room any more than arriving late means you get a bad one. Odds are really just random no matter what time. And how empty the resort is.

Not the poster you quoted, but I had the CM at check in tell me the room I was originally assigned was no longer available.

That was also a time I arrived around 8pm to find they had bumped me from a preferred room location to a standard.

That doesn't mean it was given to someone else. It may have equally had a maintenance issue.

 

[Where'sPiglet?]

As I said, you can always request a change the following day. That doesn’t mean they will 100% be able to move you, but odds are good. Availability in your room category matters. A willingness to pay the difference and upgrade to a different room category or downgrade if you’re really desperate helps as well.

One time, I arrived pretty late to All Star Music. I had booked a preferred room because of Music's long layout. I was bumped before I arrived to a standard room near the back. There were no rooms left in the preferred area. They did refund me the difference of course, but I was not particularly pleased.

It was Pop Warner and the last season of the Osborne Lights at the Studios, so moving elsewhere was not an option - there was no availability. Fortunately, I was only there for one night before moving to Coronado since I had flown in the day before my friends and gotten a single night at ASM. I generally don't mind the All Stars, but I will never again stay there during Pop Warner if I can help it.

 

[maxiesmom]

That doesn't mean it was given to someone else. It may have equally had a maintenance issue.

The CM at check in told me someone else had the room.

 

[VAfamily1998]

I've arrived late at night (around 9 pm) and received a PERFECT room that was in line with my requests.

I've also arrived early in the morning (around 10 am) and received an awful room that was exactly the opposite of my request. When that happened, I went to the front desk and asked if they had a different room I could switch to, and they were able to do. But I wonder if I received the terrible/not in line with my request room and arrived late at night, if they would have been able to switch me as easily....

 

[bumbershoot]

I can’t recall what time I landed, but it was at least afternoon r high in February for it to be dark. I was on the bus for an hour an 45 minutes. Most of it was moving, so I don’t know exactly what took so long. (I timed it on my running watch and just looked it up)


One time we arrived in the early evening and were in a hurry to get to dinner, and got a lousy lousy room for our needs.

One time we got to the resort at 2am and had a perfect room.

First one, I hadn’t done online checkin for. The online checkin in 2010 wasn’t the same as it is now, but it existed. And for the other 3 parts of that trip (CBR for a night, OKW 2 bedroom, OKW studio) we had terrific rooms. Alas, AKL Jambo was a dud.

That was the last time I didn’t do online checkin.

 

[nkereina]

Just thinking out loud, but I wonder if you list your true arrival time (i.e. 8pm for example), if that then runs the risk of you potentially being bumped from your originally assigned room? In other words, if they expect you are arriving around 8pm, chances are they will send your room ready text around the 3pm check-in time, or later. Until then, that room is fair game to be moved if another guest needs it for whatever reason. I used to work in a non-Disney hotel, and PP is correct that they will move room assignments around from guests who have not arrived yet, but with Disney texting your room number, it just adds a different element where they no longer have that flexibility once your room number is sent to you.

 

[maxiesmom]

Just thinking out loud, but I wonder if you list your true arrival time (i.e. 8pm for example), if that then runs the risk of you potentially being bumped from your originally assigned room? In other words, if they expect you are arriving around 8pm, chances are they will send your room ready text around the 3pm check-in time, or later. Until then, that room is fair game to be moved if another guest needs it for whatever reason. I used to work in a non-Disney hotel, and PP is correct that they will move room assignments around from guests who have not arrived yet, but with Disney texting your room number, it just adds a different element where they no longer have that flexibility once your room number is sent to you.

I have been told I had room number X and ended up with room Y instead. This was before they texted you a room number. I was on a trip with my nephew, and his room was ready, and I was told at check in that my room wasn't ready, but it was the connecting room. It wasn't. I think something was going on with that room though, as they had their dnd tag out for days on end.

 

[AngiTN]

I have been told I had room number X and ended up with room Y instead. This was before they texted you a room number. I was on a trip with my nephew, and his room was ready, and I was told at check in that my room wasn't ready, but it was the connecting room. It wasn't. I think something was going on with that room though, as they had their dnd tag out for days on end.

This is why they were, (and still are not) ever supposed to give out room numbers until they were cleaned and cleared to check in. The cm screwed up