Room check in

[Hoopfamily]

Went on my MDE today to start my pre arrival room checkin for June. It’s asks for room requests. The only section they offered was Grandstand. What’s up with that?

 

[wdwcindy]

In my experience, online check in always has limited choices. There are many posts here referencing using chat/phone/email to make requests to be attached to your reservation. If you do this, do not select requests within online check in. I am using this method for May trip.

 

[Haley R]

We always use the chat feature on the app instead of filling it in on the online check in

 

[cwadejr]

In my experience, online check in always has limited choices. There are many posts here referencing using chat/phone/email to make requests to be attached to your reservation. If you do this, do not select requests within online check in. I am using this method for May trip.

Is there a timeframe of how early or late we can put in room requests outside of doing it in the app? Heard from elsewhere about not being able to call in with requests till within 4 days of check-in. Is this true?

 

[CarolynFH]

Is there a timeframe of how early or late we can put in room requests outside of doing it in the app? Heard from elsewhere about not being able to call in with requests till within 4 days of check-in. Is this true?

Room assignments are made at least 5 days before checkin, maybe more. So the sooner you submit your requests, the better. You can do it as soon as you make your resort reservations.

 

[MMSM]

I think people who show up later in the daycare at a disadvantage. I had one night at Boardwalk, a DVC standard studio. We arrived at 1130am. I had done online check in and told them we would be there in morning. At 1100, we got text saying room not ready. (Kind of expected that). I had put in requests using touring plans but told them when I got there I would take first avail. She said ok but nothing avail. We walked around and ate lunch and I wanted to try one more time before changing into our suits in a bathroom. At 1230, our room was ready. The next day we were at resorts and were moving to Poly. We have a car so luggage was with us. I put in that we would arrive around 3. I had Chosen Tokelau in requests and put touring plans request in. I did not want Pago Pago like before. Got a text at 330 saying room not ready. At 350 a text saying I was in Pago Pago. I went to desk and said I would wait, and I did not Pago again parking lot View. She moved me to Moorea with standard view still but said that there was not one room in Tokelau that was free. She went and spoke with person and came back w same news. On Friday, we move to SSR and I have requested paddock and did touring plans. I am fearful if I don’t go early, I will get stuck with carousel. I have never been before but just want to be near pool. Does getting there early give you an advantage?

 

[Anthony1971]

There is really no way of getting exactly what you want unless it is a bookable cat.. Timing or??? especially with DVC. If a DVC resort is not at capacity someone is losing points. With that the front desk may be able to move you if another room is ready and a text has not been sent out for people who have the same days booked as you, but in most cases this will not happen. You can request a room change and they will see if they can in the time you are there but you will likely pay a room cleaning fee for DVC. I will reverse things as well. lets say a guest is staying at the resort and the room has an issue you have the only room in that cat. with a text that has not gone out and they give that person the last room. Guess who would be getting a room upgrade? We personally have had some great rooms and a few not so great rooms but mostly somewhere in the middle where it was somewhat in the area of what we requested but we mostly request general like higher floor or garden view and sometimes an area. Only request the what is most important if you say X Area High floor near lobby you are likely only getting one met and you may really hate another part like a parking lot view on the first floor right next to the lobby....

 

[FSU Girl]

Make the request through the chat feature instead of calling, much quicker.

Does anyone know, when doing online check in if I don’t select any options for requests will that be ok with not overriding my requests I did through the chat?

 

[MMSM]

I am here now. Touring plans requests did not work for BWV, Poly, or SSR. I’m sitting in my car waiting for room at SSR. Pool had to be cleared due to lightening in area. Front desk no clue when a room ready (I’m in a 1 bedroom). I had to beg for someone to call housekeeping.

 

[CarolynFH]

Make the request through the chat feature instead of calling, much quicker.

Does anyone know, when doing online check in if I don’t select any options for requests will that be ok with not overriding my requests I did through the chat?

Correct, if you submit requests through any other channel, leave the online checkin request section blank (unless the online checkin request is EXACTLY the same as otherwise submitted).

 

[FSU Girl]

Correct, if you submit requests through any other channel, leave the online checkin request section blank (unless the online checkin request is EXACTLY the same as otherwise submitted).

Ok thanks! Definitely wouldn’t be the same since those options are so limited. Putting the check in time won’t mess that up?

 

[CarolynFH]

Ok thanks! Definitely wouldn’t be the same since those options are so limited. Putting the check in time won’t mess that up?

No, that's a separate section, so putting check in time won't overwrite requests. Have fun!

 

[FSU Girl]

No, that's a separate section, so putting check in time won't overwrite requests. Have fun!

Thanks!

 

[DJFan88]

I’ve always had better luck dealing with Disney direct in adding my room requests to my reservation (I usually call or make it at time of booking) . Touring plans has never worked for me and I feel it is just too specific with room numbers is why, whereas I can be more general with Disney ( Ex: Aruba building, or Close to Pool)
If with TP they don’t have the exact of what I requested available, they don’t know what my real desires are

 

[Dis Dragon]

Does getting there early give you an advantage?

Yes it does, only in the way that other people that are changing their rooms will have already requested moves earlier. There's only a certain amount of rooms in preferred areas, like the Tokelau example. Once they're tied up you're stuck with what you get.

 

[Maggie The Cat]

How do you make a room request through chat? On the app? Chat has long wait times on app.

 

[Dug720]

There is really no way of getting exactly what you want unless it is a bookable cat.. Timing or??? especially with DVC. If a DVC resort is not at capacity someone is losing points. With that the front desk may be able to move you if another room is ready and a text has not been sent out for people who have the same days booked as you, but in most cases this will not happen. You can request a room change and they will see if they can in the time you are there but you will likely pay a room cleaning fee for DVC. I will reverse things as well. lets say a guest is staying at the resort and the room has an issue you have the only room in that cat. with a text that has not gone out and they give that person the last room. Guess who would be getting a room upgrade? We personally have had some great rooms and a few not so great rooms but mostly somewhere in the middle where it was somewhat in the area of what we requested but we mostly request general like higher floor or garden view and sometimes an area. Only request the what is most important if you say X Area High floor near lobby you are likely only getting one met and you may really hate another part like a parking lot view on the first floor right next to the lobby....

All of this.

I'm about 50/50 with touring plan requests, BUT I also realize that requests are only that. When I make my requests through TP, I leave the language in the pre-populated line as-is as that is in room-assigner speak, and then in the "more information" box I put more specific - but still generalized - requests - no more than 3. For example "First priority - Building X; Second priority - Top Floor; Third priority - Corner Room" so that way the assigner knows what the most important part of the request is.

That said, as I understood it, if you're doing DVC from rented points, the member has to put the request in - not through another method. And even then it is just a request.

 

[Have3Kids&aHusband]

I call the resort directly to make requests. We don't request a specific area, but we call to request a deep cleaning due to our daughter's food allergies and now that YC allows pets, we call to request a room that is not designated for pets due to our children's allergies to dogs. We know it's marked on our reservation because when we checked into one resort the cast member needed to ask another member about the "flag" on our reservation. It was for the deep cleaning.

 

[Dug720]

I call the resort directly to make requests. We don't request a specific area, but we call to request a deep cleaning due to our daughter's food allergies and now that YC allows pets, we call to request a room that is not designated for pets due to our children's allergies to dogs. We know it's marked on our reservation because when we checked into one resort the cast member needed to ask another member about the "flag" on our reservation. It was for the deep cleaning.

You probably know this, but just in case... Service animals - which are not considered pets - can be in ANY room in ANY hotel. So while requesting a room not in a pet area will greatly decrease the chance of an animal having been in there, it does not guarantee that an animal has never been in there.

 

[Riss]

I just recently used the chat feature on the Disney website to link two of my family's reservations together in hopes of being assigned rooms near each other. I found it to be quite easy and painless.