Resort arrival time when checking in online - what time do you put?

[japanese maple]

We won't be arriving until 5:30 at the earliest. So I just selected 5:30pm.

Are there any downsides? I figure would give more time to try and get our specified room request.
I mean all rooms should be ready by 3, so saying 5:30 won't matter since technically we are already checked in?

thoughts?

(i know requests aren't guaranteed)

 

[tetera]

Every time we have known we were arriving later we have put the later time on our online checkin, and every later arrival time we have gotten our room request.

 

[japanese maple]

Every time we have known we were arriving later we have put the later time on our online checkin, and every later arrival time we have gotten our room request.

I'm gonna live off this until we arrive!

 

[kylenne]

I usually pick the earliest one, “before whatever” option because I’m always coming in on the first flight of the day from my home airport and given the relatively short flight I’m on property by noon. I haven’t seen it make any sort of difference in when the room is ready. At BWI in May it was like 4pm before we got one. Usually it’s way earlier.

 

[Dave006]

Are there any downsides? I figure would give more time to try and get our specified room request.
I mean all rooms should be ready by 3, so saying 5:30 won't matter since technically we are already checked in?

It really does not matter. Your room is assigned well before you arrive at the resort. Think 5-7 days in advance, and not day of based on the room turnover schedule for that day.

If you arrive before your room is ready, you have the option of choosing a room available at that time or waiting for you assigned room to be ready.

Dave

 

[tetera]

It really does not matter. Your room is assigned well before you arrive at the resort. Think 5-7 days in advance, and not day of based on the room turnover schedule for that day.

If you arrive before your room is ready, you have the option of choosing a room available at that time or waiting for you assigned room to be ready.

Dave

I will add that we usually do our online check-in multiple weeks, if not months, in advance!

So not sure if it does make a difference or if we have just been lucky, but every single time we have said we were arriving late (more than a dozen times over the past 5-6 years) we have gotten our room request.

Nearly every time we said we were arriving early, we did not. (Even the one time where we said we would rather have the requested room later than the room that was ready earlier.)

 

[kylenne]

I will add that we usually do our online check-in multiple weeks, if not months, in advance!

So not sure if it does make a difference or if we have just been lucky, but every single time we have said we were arriving late (more than a dozen times over the past 5-6 years) we have gotten our room request.

Nearly every time we said we were arriving early, we did not. (Even the one time where we said we would rather have the requested room later than the room that was ready earlier.)

It really truly does not make a difference. Like @Dave006 said your room is assigned a few days before you physically check in. The biggest thing that really matters with room requests IME is limiting the specificity of the request. You are much more likely to get what you asked for if you only ask for one thing (and if using Touring Plans, briefly explain why). I have never not gotten what I asked for at least in part since I started doing that. “3rd floor Rarotonga for a balcony, but strongest preference is for Rarotonga” got us 2nd floor Rarotonga back in May at the Poly.

Occupancy is the other most important factor. The busier the resort, the more people are making requests that have to be juggled by the room assigners. I got the exact room I asked for on Touring Plans at the Contemporary the other week, but it was very slow that week. From my experience room assigners really do try to meet guest requests when they can, and it’s a lot easier when they know why you want something and there’s less people vying for it.