Should I do online check in?

[dobball23]

I am sure this has been asked before, but should I do online check-in or wait to check in after I arrive at my resort? What are the advantages or disadvantages to each option?

 

[loves to dive]

Won't hurt anything to do it and if you have your cc on file, there is a chance you will get to bi-pass the front desk. I always do it but normally go to the front desk anyway just to reset my pin on my MB (I can't seem to remember it).

 

[rwdavis2]

There is no reason not to. You can still check in at the front desk if you like. But if they text you your room number before you get there though it's not necessary.

 

[shellyj]

I don't think there is a disadvantage. I think we've only gotten the promised room number text once, so we end up at the front desk anyway, but it's just to get the room number.

 

[Queen of the WDW Scene]

I see only pros to checking in online.
You have the opportunity to put in your expected arrival and departure times and you can select some room requests.
You also may be able to get a room ready text/email with your room number so that you can potentially arrive and walk directly to your room.
I would never wait to check in until I arrived.

 

[Amanda999]

Does anyone know if you do the room requests at online check in, then do the Touring Plans room request fax, does 1 cancel out the other? If so, which - is it the latest one you submit the one they consider?

 

[dansdad]

Does anyone know if you do the room requests at online check in, then do the Touring Plans room request fax, does 1 cancel out the other? If so, which - is it the latest one you submit the one they consider?

They don't cancel each other out unless they contradict each other. If I was going to fax or call in requests I would skip the room request section of Online Check In.

 

[danielocha30]

online!
the advantage is that you might get to bypass the front desk, is not guarantee but it is possible
Front desk check in? you might've to wait a few minutes and just to do exactly what you would online

 

[mickeyluv'r]

I am sure this has been asked before, but should I do online check-in or wait to check in after I arrive at my resort? What are the advantages or disadvantages to each option?

One part of online check-in is (or at least was) the requirement of putting a cc on file.

In short, WDW favors you putting a cc on file.

Long ago, WDW gave guests a paper copy of their bill before check out. Now they try to do it all electronically. They will automatically put all room charges through to your cc at the end of your trip, and only send an email. (like overnight before you check out) If you want to use a different payment method, you have to talk to them before then, or have the charges (maybe) reversed.

Much of the differences of not doing online check-in were in the past. In the past, it seemed to us, that we had better luck getting room requests if we check-in in person, but I don't think that's the case any more.

 

[mousefan73]

I prefer the human interaction and having someone greet me with a smile and wish me a magical day! Also if I dont like my room location I can ask there and then what else may be available. For me walking into hotel/resort lobby is like "now this is vacation"


But really we HAVE to as our magic bands are never sent as we are international.

 

[Leelo]

We did online check-in for the Poly but did not receive a text by the time we arrived and had to go to the check-in desk anyway. The line was short and the CM was really polite and helpful. She said we had already been assigned a room and we were happy to see that it was in the range we had requested through fax. I was worried online check-in would somehow alter the room range we had requested but we got exactly what we asked for and were very happy with the whole process. I also do not see a downside to doing it.

 

[loves to dive]

I prefer the human interaction and having someone greet me with a smile and wish me a magical day! Also if I dont like my room location I can ask there and then what else may be available. For me walking into hotel/resort lobby is like "now this is vacation"


But really we HAVE to as our magic bands are never sent as we are international.

You can still do this with on line check in, 9 out 10 times I still go to the front desk, especially on the second resort of a split stay.

 

[bumbershoot]

They don't cancel each other out unless they contradict each other. If I was going to fax or call in requests I would skip the room request section of Online Check In.

To me the issue is that the options aren't the same online, and we might not know their exact categories.

I would not fill that out, like you said, if I had called in a request.

I prefer the human interaction and having someone greet me with a smile and wish me a magical day! Also if I dont like my room location I can ask there and then what else may be available. For me walking into hotel/resort lobby is like "now this is vacation"

There's nothing you said that can't be done even if you did online checkin.

First, doing online checkin does NOT guarantee that you'll get a room text. I have never gotten one. And second, you can just go say hi, get maps, etc, and even get your room changed if needed.

 

[rosiebean]

I'll be at WDW in August, with a split stay...two nights at ASMo (got my MDE tags for luggage today!) and then six nights at GF. I checked in online for ASMo, but won't for GF. Simple reason...ASMo gave me more check in options than GF did.

I'm staying in a preferred room at ASMo, and my check in options gave me building choices, floor choices, and a 'closet to transportation' choice. I looked at checking in online at GF, and my choices were "lower floor, upper floor, toy story section." YES, "toy story section."

There are obviously some glitches being worked out on the WDW website...for example, if I try to choose two preferences in ASMo's online check in, when I look at what I saved, only one preference shows up (the second one, each time). Since I'm only at ASMo for two nights, I just decided the glitches weren't a big deal and picked one preference (close to transportation) as I really don't care which building we're in. But...when I'm at GF, I want to request a specific building, and so I'll be either calling or faxing my request in. Also, we're arriving at ASMo later in the afternoon, so I'd rather just get a text about the room number and head straight there...we're checking in 'early' at GF before heading to MK and storing bags with bell services, so it's not a big deal going to the desk to actually check in.

Though I am curious what I'd get at GF if I checked in online with "toy story" as my preference!

 

[ColoradoMom12]

Highly recommend online check-in! We do it almost every time. We've only chosen to forego it once, and that was when we wanted to inquire about staying in a certain location at Pop Century. I know we could have done online check-in and still gone to the desk to change our room if we weren't happy with it, but we decided since it was likely we were going to need to stop by the desk anyway, we should just skip online. Online is very convenient! We almost always get the text that our room is ready right about when we land at MCO. We've never not received the text, and in fact, the one time we chose not to do online check-in, we still somehow got the room is ready text with a room number (not even close to our desired location, so we ended up at the desk, just as we had planned). I would definitely recommend giving it a try.

As others have pointed out, if you're doing online check-in and doing a room request through Touring Plans, it would be a good idea to make these match or just skip the room request section that you'll see with online check-in. The online check-in room requests are pretty limited and sometimes a little bit wacky. We just did online check-in for BWI and saw Toy Story as an option!! Lol. Either choose your most important request (near the elevator, top floor, ground floor, etc) and specify further with Touring Plans ("room near the elevator, second floor preference") or just skip the online check-in room request.