Split Stays and Checking In

[ttaylorcan]

A couple of questions on split stays:

1. Does checking in to a second resort check you out of the first one?

Our last visit to WDW was April 2014, magic bands were fairly new and we did a split stay between GFV and BWV. I went over to BWV while everyone was sleeping (switch days are our sleep in days) and checked in which automatically checked us out of GFV. The maids were in our GFV room within minutes, even with the "do not disturb" sign on the door and when I returned to the room I couldn't get in with my magic band so someone had to get up again.

Is there any way around this? Last time I was listed as the primary on both reservations and am this time as well.

2. Is there still a benefit of checking in early? We do this so that they know we are waiting for a room and quite frankly, so that someone doesn't bump us out of our assigned room when they decide they don't like the one they have been assigned. With online check in, does it matter?

3. Any reason to not do online check in?

 

[erionm]

Nothing has changed.

 

[ttaylorcan]

Nothing has changed.

Thank you, at least I know what my options are.

 

[disneynutz]

I don't think that you can check in at the new resort until you check out of the old, and the old resort closes your folio and removes your room access.

Bill

 

[Paula Sedley-Burke]

We always check out of resort 1 early and check in to resort 2 to get on the list. We send our bags over and pack a few items for the day. We have our APs on our MBs and then just wait for the text but mostly we are in the park anyway.

I am never sure if you do physically plan on checking in what advantage checking in online does apart from adding requests maybe?

 

[Shellyred8]

A couple of questions on split stays:

1. Does checking in to a second resort check you out of the first one?

Our last visit to WDW was April 2014, magic bands were fairly new and we did a split stay between GFV and BWV. I went over to BWV while everyone was sleeping (switch days are our sleep in days) and checked in which automatically checked us out of GFV. The maids were in our GFV room within minutes, even with the "do not disturb" sign on the door and when I returned to the room I couldn't get in with my magic band so someone had to get up again.

Is there any way around this? Last time I was listed as the primary on both reservations and am this time as well.

2. Is there still a benefit of checking in early? We do this so that they know we are waiting for a room and quite frankly, so that someone doesn't bump us out of our assigned room when they decide they don't like the one they have been assigned. With online check in, does it matter?

3. Any reason to not do online check in?

When we do split stays, we check out of the first room when we are heading out for the morning and drop our bags with Bell Services and have them transfer them to the next resort in our stay. At the end of our day in the park, or just later that afternoon, we go check in at the new resort. We have never requested an "assigned room", so I can't speak to that. But we have always gotten the room category we requested/paid for when we do this.

If you do want a specific room, it would probably be worth while to check into the next resort as soon as you are checked out of the first resort. But don't check out until you are ready to leave the first resort. They de-activate you magic bands from your room, so you won't be able to get in once you are all out.

Online check-in: We did on-line check-in for the first time with our stay earlier this year. It worked great for us. The only thing is that you will probably want to stop by the front desk and get a "check-in" packet (the packet with the activities brochure and things like that). I'm not sure if that is supposed to be in your room, but it wasn't in ours. There were some old brochures in our room, kind of looked like they were just left there from previous guests.

 

[bumbershoot]

1. Does checking in to a second resort check you out of the first one?

Sort of. It messes up the ability to get into your old room with the MB, that's for sure.

The housekeeping shouldn't have been alerted THAT fast, though. That's odd and I would have brought i up with that resort's Housekeeping manager.

I also wonder if it took a bit of time at the second resort? We left one resort and went to the other, and it was before official checkout time AND we hadn't done the checkout process at the first resort. They would have needed to do a bit of extra work to check us out of the first, and ultimately we were fine not doing the whole process at that time, so we just let time do its work (after checkout time there are no issues checking in).

Is there still a benefit of checking in early? We do this so that they know we are waiting for a room and quite frankly, so that someone doesn't bump us out of our assigned room when they decide they don't like the one they have been assigned. With online check in, does it matter?

Doing online checkin you tell them when you expect to be there. So you have your requests and the time you'll be there, and that should keep you set.

 

[ttaylorcan]

Thank you everyone for all the replies, I'm overwhelmed with your input and kindness.

So it sounds like I have to wait until everyone is ready to check out and then go check in. I guess I was hoping that if I put the first reservation in my daughter's name and the second in mine (we are both members), that I could save us some time and check-in while everyone is sleeping.

I'm still not clear, to get your room number, do you have to show up at the resort or is it "magically" texted to you, if you did online check-in? We have only received room assignment texts after physically showing up and checking into a resort.

 

[ttaylorcan]

Sort of. It messes up the ability to get into your old room with the MB, that's for sure.

The housekeeping shouldn't have been alerted THAT fast, though. That's odd and I would have brought i up with that resort's Housekeeping manager.

I also wonder if it took a bit of time at the second resort? We left one resort and went to the other, and it was before official checkout time AND we hadn't done the checkout process at the first resort. They would have needed to do a bit of extra work to check us out of the first, and ultimately we were fine not doing the whole process at that time, so we just let time do its work (after checkout time there are no issues checking in).



Doing online checkin you tell them when you expect to be there. So you have your requests and the time you'll be there, and that should keep you set.

I can't say for sure about housekeeping as it was two years ago. BWV told me to mention to GFV front desk that we were checked out from checking into BWV and request that housekeeping be told that we are still in the room. If I recall I was back in the room around 9:30am, my daughter had to let me in and said that housekeeping had been there twice already, I believe the first time they knocked, the second time they came in. The "do not disturb" tag was still on the door. They came back again just after 10:30am, just before we were leaving, I think that is normal though.

Hadn't considered there might be a time lag between checkout/checkin. We are checking out of GFV and into BLT so we would be there in a few minutes. Thank you for mentioning it.

 

[KAT4DISNEY]

Thank you everyone for all the replies, I'm overwhelmed with your input and kindness.

So it sounds like I have to wait until everyone is ready to check out and then go check in. I guess I was hoping that if I put the first reservation in my daughter's name and the second in mine (we are both members), that I could save us some time and check-in while everyone is sleeping.

I'm still not clear, to get your room number, do you have to show up at the resort or is it "magically" texted to you, if you did online check-in? We have only received room assignment texts after physically showing up and checking into a resort.

The split stay is when I am most likely to do online check-in.

You input your expected arrival. And yes, the room number is texted to you although we have also received texts that we need to check with the front desk for our number. And there's nothing to prevent you from going to the front desk when you get to the second resort even though you've done online. With online check-in and direct to room I think much of the perceived benefit of arriving early is gone.

 

[ttaylorcan]

The split stay is when I am most likely to do online check-in.

You input your expected arrival. And yes, the room number is texted to you although we have also received texts that we need to check with the front desk for our number. And there's nothing to prevent you from going to the front desk when you get to the second resort even though you've done online. With online check-in and direct to room I think much of the perceived benefit of arriving early is gone.

Thank you, I'll do online check-in for both resorts. I'm not sure I'm comfortable with not arriving at the second resort early, but I'll see how the day goes.

 

[KAT4DISNEY]

Thank you, I'll do online check-in for both resorts. I'm not sure I'm comfortable with not arriving at the second resort early, but I'll see how the day goes.

Check out is by 11am so you know you'll get there at least by noon. I've always seen the front desks busiest checking in people later than that so relative to others arriving I still think you'll be "early". JMO of course.