UPDATED w/ NEW DILEMMA!!Checking Out & Checking In...Please help me with my surprise!

[BeccaGrace]

We are doing a surprise split stay--4 nights at the WL and 2 nights at the Poly. I am trying to work on the logistics of the surprise--it's me, my dh, our two kids and my mom. Ideally I would like to get to the Poly (we have 7:50 breakfast ADRs) without them knowing we are staying there but I need to figure out a few things first...

1) Can I check out at the WL while they are still up in the room and then go back upstairs to get them, send them down ahead of me to make sure the bags are ready and then leave the room for the last time or do we have to be out of the room for good before we check out?

2) Do we leave the bags in the room for them to pick up or do I have to bring them downstairs or be in the room when they come to get them?

3) Are we allowed to check out that early in the morning--I am guessing it will be around 6:45.

4) Should I get us a cab to the Poly or will we have enough time to take the boat to the CR and the monorail to the Poly (it will be around 7:00 at that point and our ADR is 7:50)?

5) Should I try to check in before breakfast or will I be rushing things too much?

6) Do they give leis out to everyone at check in (we are not staying in concierge--it was booked)? If so, I would tell them then so they can get leis (the girls will probably be in their Lilo costumes--the leis would look SO cute!)

7) When I check in can I ask at the front desk about ordering the chocolate covered strawberries for the room that night or do I have to do that through someone else?

8) Our park tickets will still be on our WL key cards...can we keep using them or do we have to transfer them to our Poly cards?
I think that is it for right now I am SO excited but nervous about pulling this off. My biggest nightmare is that we get to the Poly for breakfast and dh turns to me and says, "I'm glad we ended up deciding not to stay here!"

Oh--my other dilemma is the fact that our bags are going to be packed and that might raise suspicion. Should I tell them that the front desk has to switch our rooms for some reason? Any other ideas?

Thanks for any help you can offer--I appreciate it!

 

[anewvance]

Do you think you will have all of this done by 11am? If you do then why don't you leave your hotel as usual that morning, go to Poly for breakfast and check in while you are there. Then later you can go back for your stuff? Just make sure you are "kinda" packed up so it's easy to get it out.

I know if you are using bell services for in room pick up, you have to be in the room when they pick the stuff up...

 

[BeccaGrace]

Do you think you will have all of this done by 11am? If you do then why don't you leave your hotel as usual that morning, go to Poly for breakfast and check in while you are there. Then later you can go back for your stuff? Just make sure you are "kinda" packed up so it's easy to get it out.

I know if you are using bell services for in room pick up, you have to be in the room when they pick the stuff up...

You mean I could check into the Poly before I was even done checking out of the WL?!?! That would be GREAT!!!! After breakfast I could get the kids over to MK with dh & my mom and once they were settled and knew what they were doing I could head back to the WL to check out! Wow--that would be perfect. Thank you

 

[safetymom]

If you use express check out at the first resort you don't need to revisit the front desk to check out. The bill would be on your door, or if you don't want to tip them off visit the front desk the night before and look over the bill. Tell them not to put the bill on the door on day of check out.

Then tell your family that they have to switch rooms for some reason and that is why their bags need to be packed.

 

[Sammie]

The strawberries have to be ordered from In Room Dining and they need 24 hours advance notice. You could call the Polynesian in room dining the day before you are going to check in there.

I am sure surprises work for most everyone, I will say that they have backfired on us before.

Just as you said about the comment your husband might make, that happened to the BIL. He pulled a surprise move and my Sister loved where they were staying so much she was angry he had checked them out and moved them without asking her.

 

[anewvance]

Oh yea, express checkout would be even better... just as long as you have your stuff out by 11am the room is yours! We've had express checkout every time but went to Magic Kingdom for early open or whatnot at 8am and made it back to get our stuff by 11am. That at least takes care of your stuff while you activate your surprise.

 

[SB in KY]

I would catch the boat from the WL to the CR or the MK (whichever showed up first) and ride the monorail to the Poly for breakfast....while they are finishing up breakfast you could excuse yourself and slip downstairs to check in. They will give you your new room keys...if per chance the room is ready that early (probably not) you could tell them you wanted to show them something on the way out and walk to the bldg and open the room door.
If the room was not ready, but you can keep the secret no longer you could take the leis back to them at the table and tell them they were checking into the Poly!!


Alternately you could keep your little secret and go with them to the MK, get them started, then head back to the WL, pack up and have bell services transfer the bags for you. Then you could meet them back in the MK and when you leave the park, tell them you have a suprise and hop the monorail to the Poly instead of the boat to the WL.

 

[diswedwish]

Express check-out's already been mentioned, but as far as the luggage goes...

As long as you've arranged a pick-up with bell services the night before (stop by, or call, and give them a time you'd like your bags to be picked up), just leave your packed bags in your room and later that day they'll arrive at the Poly. You'll need to call bell services at the Poly to have them brought to your room, but it's all very easy. We did not need to be in the room at POR when they picked our bags up, but maybe the policy is different at different resorts?

If we could make it from POR to Poly before 7:30 with Disney transportation, I don't think you'll have a problem from WL

We were bumped up to concierge and not given leis at check-in. I asked - much to the embarrassment of DH! and we were given 2

We ordered the chocolate-covered strawberries at around 8am for 9pm the same evening. You will have to go through in-room dining, but you may be able to get them the same day.

As far as your DH possibly commenting that he's glad you didn't stay there, I bet he'll change his tune once you're there For our wedding trip, we stayed at POR, but were originally planning on WL. The wedding night we had dinner at Artist Point, and DH commented that he couldn't imagine staying somewhere other than POR. Well, last trip we stayed at the Polynesian and he loved it, and our next trip we'd like to try the WL (after a few nights at POR of course)... lol

If it were me, I'd tell everyone that we'd been upgraded (in WL) for the last 2 nights - that gives you a reason to have everything packed and ready to go. That way you could even go over to bell services with them present (as long as they couldn't hear you) and it won't look suspicious. At breakfast (either when you're waiting or during), excuse yourself to "go to the bathroom" and see if you can check-in. Even if your room isn't ready yet, if you explain what you're up to, I bet the CM could give you a blank key or a map or newsletter of the Poly or something to show your family when you return. Or just keep it a secret until later in the day when your room is ready. I wouldn't be able to keep a secret that long, so I'd probably spill the beans once I returned "from the bathroom"

Also, if it's really important to have the strawberries the first night, I'd try to arrange that through in-room dining before you even left home if possible. That way you won't have to worry about anyone overhearing you or taking time out of your trip to arrange that part.

Hope this helps and best wishes with your surprise!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

[BeccaGrace]

New Dilemma!!!!

We were just able to get into CRT breakfast at 8:10 (!!!!!!) but that throws off my whole check-out/check-in plan. I'm thinking I am going to have to tell them we are switching rooms in the WL to get them packed the night before, do the express check out, have the bags ready in the room...go to CRT...after breakfast tell them I forgot to do something at the resort (left something in a bag that I need that day?) and send them off into the MK. Then I will go over to the Poly and check in and come back. I could wait until we are done in the MK (getting kicked out because of MVMCP around 6) but then I run the risk of not getting any of our room requests because of a late check in...so I'd like to have it all over with beforehand. Does that sound like a reasonable plan? Does anyone have any more helpful suggestions--I hope so since they helped so much before!!!

 

[Lord Fantasius]

Are you trying to surprise everyone, or just the kids and your mom? As a husband, I don't think it would be that enjoyable to be changed from the WL to the Poly unless he's never stayed at the Poly with the monorail. Packing up is just too stressful for me (and having someone else pack and move for me is even more stressful, unless it's my wife).

If it's for the kids, and they don't know how long the vacation is going to last, I would tell them initially they are going for 4 days and surprise them with an add-on stay.

So, my suggestion is to let your husband in on it and then ask your mom to have fun with the kids after CRT for a few hours while the two of you move everybody over to the Poly; then you can just tell the kids, "why don't we take the monorail to our resort today?"

Just a thought, but don't stress your husband out unless the surprise is specifically for him...though I really like the chocolate-covered strawberries idea! Now that would be a big surprise for me!!

-R

 

[jjohnson]

Your going to have to go back to WL. You have to be in the room at the Deluxe resorts when Bell Services picks up your luggage. What are you doing the night before? It would be nice to have dinner at the Polynesian & you could tell them over dinner that they will be checking in the next day.

 

[BeccaGrace]

Are you trying to surprise everyone, or just the kids and your mom?

The surprise is for dh & my mom...the kids would be happy in a box My mom has never stayed onsite and dh has never been to WDW except to visit his cousin for 1/2 a day when she worked in the college program 12 years ago.

I think the monorail will be great for everyone and dh initially liked the Poly until he saw the price

And he does stress easily, which was why I was hoping to do everything myself in a non-obvious, low maintenance sort of way so he never had a clue until it was all done. If there is anyone I could let in on the surprise it would be my mom

 

[BeccaGrace]

Your going to have to go back to WL. You have to be in the room at the Deluxe resorts when Bell Services picks up your luggage. What are you doing the night before? It would be nice to have dinner at the Polynesian & you could tell them over dinner that they will be checking in the next day.

Nope, can't get there the night before Worse case scenario I'll tell them the night before but I'd prefer not to because I don't want to stress out my easily stressed dh...would like to just hop on the monorail when we leave the MK, head into the Poly and lead them right to their room

How early can Bell Services pick up the luggage? I could get them out of the room before we have to leave for the MK but it will be around 7:00 AM--is that too early?

 

[jjohnson]

When we switched from Polynesian to BC, I called Bell services around 7:20 & they came within 10 minutes. I don't know if they have a "start time" you could call WL directly & ask. Their phone number will be on the back of your confirmation.