This might be a dumb question...Try to check-in early or just head to the parks?

[hurleysweety]

Okay, so we're driving in on next Thursday (May 7th), and should arrive around noon. Our hotel, Anaheim Marriott Suites, has a check-in time of 3 PM.

Would it be in our interest to go check-in at the hotel first (after our 6 hour drive) or should we bypass that and go straight to the parks to deal with getting our APs, upgrading them and getting DH's fun pass for his birthday?

Any frequent traveler's know how strict hotels usually are on their published check-in time?

TIA!

 

[prettyprincessbelle]

You can call the hotel and ask if they'll let you check in before check in time. Since 12 isn't that much earlier than 3, they may let you. I guess it would just depend on if they have a clean room available.

We just head straight to the parks. We only have an hour and a half drive so we don't really need that time to rest in the hotel or freshen up. All our luggage is in the trunk, so that's no problem either..

 

[Monica D]

Having worked in the hotel industry, I can tell you that your room will most likely be ready before 3:00 pm, especially with it still being a non peak time (I think most spring breaks are over). What we do (if the room isn't ready) is check our bags in at the front desk, then go hang out by the pool. Sometimes we go to the park in the evening...just depends on what type of pass we get.

By the way, I apologize if this is totally incoherent. It's late and I need to go to bed!

 

[Kittyskyfish]

I've never known hotels to be strict on check-in times because the airline industry certainly doesn't get everyone to their destinations by mid-afternoon. We usually arrive at DL around 8:00 p.m. and never had a problem with the Fairfield or Candy Cane Inn. DH also travels bi-weekly to places all over the US and never had an issue with late arrival. But saying that, we always let the hotel know what time we'll arrive. Some hotels even ask for this information when the room is reserved.

Late check-in times are usually never a problem (save for losing a reservation), but occasionally early check-in delays can happen because rooms weren't ready. I've experienced this a few times. Check-in times are established to allow housekeeping time to get the rooms ready for the next wave of visitors. Usually the hotel is not sold out so empty, clean rooms tend to be available for early check-in. Checking in early can get dodgy if the hotel is sold out prior to your arrival, but even then some rooms have already been cleaned.

Best bet: call ahead and ask.

If you really want to check in early to ensure that you have a room that night but don't want to waste time lugging stuff, a good time saver is to check in just to get your keys, then keep everything loaded in your trunk and head straight to the park.

 

[hurleysweety]

Thanks everyone!

When I was younger my family traveled all over the western states (mostly for business). My dad had those special rewards points at like every major hotel chain but of course I didn't pay attention at the young age of 5, 9 or even 14! We always tried to check-in early and got to do it most of the time because we were such frequent travelers.

Also, just checked and saw that check-out time is 12 PM. Not sure that there will be enough times for maids to turn over enough rooms to deem us worth of receiving one of the first rooms available!

I think we'll just go to the parks and then return before dinner to check in - around 5 or 6. And then head back out for food somewhere. This seems like the best idea since DCA closes at 6 PM that day and DL at 8PM - so we won't feel like we're missing anything when we leave. Our luggage will be okay in the car, right? As long as their isn't any food in there.

 

[pixiewings71]

We usually just go to the parks and then hit the hotel later around check in time. But when we've checked in early we've usually been OK doing so. Have fun!!

 

[blackjackdelta]

I would call the place you are staying, ask about early check in, go to the place when you get there, if you can not check in have them hold your luggage. Leaving stuff visable in your car is asking for a broken window and pilfered stuff.
Up until this last year I traveled all over the world on business and only was allowed to check in early one time and that includes the DLR area. Much depends on how busy they are and how the staff their housekeeping.

Have a great time,

Jack

 

[WannaBeAPrincess]

Also, I know a lot of the hotels will allow you to stow your luggage with them in a locked room if you arrive early and your room is not yet ready. I know we always feel better about that option rather than keeping all our belongings in our car.

 

[avalon451]

Most of the hotels around DL are used to people checking in early. Even if your room is not ready, they will usually check you in and hold your luggage for you in a locked room, as PP said. That way your room is assigned and all.

The DLR hotels will let you check in at the crack of dawn! You can check in at 6 a.m., get your keycard which will let you in to Magic Morning if it's available that day, and go hit the parks. Some of them will tell you to call after a certain time to see if your room is ready; I have heard that sometimes they will even text you to let you know when your room is ready.

 

[Brady's Mom]

Check in early. It doesn't hurt anything - even if your room isn't ready, yet. We have done this numerous times when we travel and it is easy to do. One time we got our room at 11 am. It was really nice. We don't always get our room right away. But, it's worth it to us to take a few minutes to do it and then we don't have to worry about it later. It also helps us get any special requests we might have made.

 

[bumbershoot]

Our luggage will be okay in the car, right?

Well, it will be OK if there's no criminal element roaming around near your car that day.

Do you trust that there will be no criminals around?

We have left our stuff in our car twice. Once in my SIL's big, alarmed, Durango with tinted back windows, and I felt confident that you couldn't see in. The other time in the trunk of our boat, I mean Grand Marquis, when we drove down, and you couldn't tell there was luggage in there.

Both times we took a HUGE chance.

We don't do that anymore; realized the risk we were taking.


There's *getting your room* and there's *doing the paperwork* involved in checking in. I have never known a hotel to not let you do the "paperwork" at whatever time you want to do it. So I'd go, check in, put your luggage in their luggage room or with their bell services (whatever they call it), and then go to the parks, knowing that there's a responsible party holding your luggage.

It's better than having the little wonder-worry in the back of your head, that this might be the time some thief gets desperate enough to hope that someone's left their stuff in their car. That wonder-worry is why we don't do it anymore, not even at the Disney hotels.

 

[PinkBudgie]

We had to leave our luggage in the car at DLR once because we had to check out of our hotel that morning but still had a day at DLR. We left from there to my sister's about an hour away. It was all in the trunk so you couldn't see. We weren't thrilled about it, but didn't really have a choice.

I've had hotels go both ways. Sometimes they are ready early and I've had other times where the room was not ready for at least another 40 min or so. (They did give us free drinks from the bar while we waited). These were not at DLR area, just hotels in general.

We might be arriving a tad early too but will go to the hotel first and see what they can do.

 

[prettyprincessbelle]

We always leave our luggage in the car and park in the Mickey and Friends parking structure.. But we leave it in the trunk, never in the backseat or anything inside the cabin of the car.

 

[platypus67]

We have always arrived early on an international flight. (7am arrival, at the hotel by 9am at the latest.) Only once have we ever had to wait for a room, all the other times we have been given a room straight away. The time we did wait it was only for about an hour. They held our luggage for us and we went for breakfast. My guess is a room would most likely be available at noon, but I guess it all depends how many check outs they have that day.

 

[kc10family]

We always check in even if we do not get our key. We park our car and clean out the mess from the drive (kids always make a mess ), we use the public bathroom and then hit the park.
I guess I should say only twice we have had to wait for a room when arriving before 3.

 

[hurleysweety]

Yes, I believe you are right in correcting my idea to leave the luggage in the car. Its just the two of us for a few nights, so luggage would all be in the trunk and minimal - but I do see the risk. I think we'll try to check-in and hope for the best. If all else fails, what have we lost? A few more minutes in the park? Its okay, we'll have plenty of early visits to come and our arrival day/time at the park is much less important then stolen luggage. Not so much the loss of clothing or toiletries, , but the hassle. I can imagine that would put quite the damper on our vacation! I was also telling all of this to DH and his response was kinda like, "Well, duh" as if he had already planned on trying to check-in early anyway. So there you go, DH, the laid back non planner, has made a plan. What will we see next?