very early check-in at OKW

[amee]

We are going on a "surprise" and very short trip to OKW at the end of August.....turns out we had "miles" for four and i was actually able to book flights! WE had purchased AP's for our trip in October(not really planning a return, but because we were there 10 days) and then, by some fluke it turned out we had POINTS! Anyway, DH and i are really excited to be going and to be surprising our great kids!

Our flight in is a red-eye.........we arrive from Seattle at 6:30 am....so by the time we get to OKW is will be 8:30-ish....has anyone ever been able to check-in and actually get a room that early? Normally, we would just check bags and be on our way, but i think after an overnight flight, we might all relish a shower, etc.............any thoughts?

thanks!

Amee

 

[spiceycat]

yes - some times - really more times I got a room then - than didn't.....

I am planning on check in tommorrow at 7:00am - so I will tell more when I return....

 

[beccasmom]

We have checked in at 9:00 am and our room (a Grand Villa at OKW) was ready. The studio we had booked for other family members was not. So, yes, it is possible to get into your room early. I would not count on it....we certainly did not....but it was a very pleasant surprise.

 

[DebbieB]

Someone posted an experience last week where her daughter arrived at OKW around 8:30am, waited all day and did not get a room until 4:00pm. Alot depends on how crowded the resort was the night before. If it was sold out, there's little chance of getting in at 8:30am, housekeeping just starts around that time. Someone mentioned that the Hyatt at the Orlando airport rents day rooms, you may want to check into that.

 

[geffric]

We have checked in at 7 am and had a room ready. It depends on if the room was vacant the night before.

 

[castleri]

Was able to check in for OKW GV at 8am December 28th last year - it was empty for the 27th I guess. Also checked in for OKW studio April 13th about 9 am and had a choice of several locations. Am now hoping for the same thing September 26 for a 2 BR at OKW. Good luck!

 

[AZKathy]

We have been able to early check in at 7 am once and 9 am once. It was nice to get our luggage in and settle in early! We are hoping to do the same thing when we get into our GV from our studio night this Thanksgiving!

Have a great trip!

 

[Pa@okw95]

Probably not at that hour, if you were earlier you might get a room that was not used the day before, if you were to check in later you could get a room that was made ready that day, bad hour 8:30

 

[JoEllen]

Good Luck! We tried that Alaska Non-Stop flight last month and had no luck checking in early. It was a long day since we didn't sleep much on the plane.

I wish Alaska would add another flight to this route!

 

[Dean]

I've been told the cut off for early check in is 6 am, don't know how true that is. If a room is not available, they will give you a card to call and check to see when it is available. They will not tell you the room until it is ready and this does not guarantee getting your requests.

 

[jxgriffi]

Another idea is to give the desk a call when you land at MCO. That way, you'll be prepared if they aren't ready and find an alternative to catch a nap somewhere without rushing out there to find out there isn't one ready.

 

[FOTM_Ring_Bearer]

We checked in at 8am on the 4th of July. I had a 2 bedroom and a studio booked. We were able to get into the studio right away (hadn't been used the night before), but we didn't get into the 2 bedroom until almost 5pm.

 

[amee]

Thanks for all of your great suggestions! My favorite thing about these boards is the access to the combine knowledge/experience of so many!

JoEllen in Federal Way...how great to know there are other DVCr's down the street....most of our freinds think we are nuts! We are up by Northgate Mall..........How did you manage after that overnight flight? Do you have kids?

 

[slimplaw]

If you are unable to get into a room early, you can take a shower. The restrooms near the main pool have shower stalls available. You could get a towel from the pool and freshen up there.

 

[Zimbubba]

OKW has had some serious check in problems lately. We were unable to get checked in at the regular time on the last trip. It is the only beef we have about DVC. We are members of Hilton Honors and Marriott Silver Rewards and are treated much better by those hotels than we were by DVC at our last check in. I would rather pay more dues to have more staff preparing rooms that have to excessively wait past check in time.

 

[Dean]

Originally posted by Zimbubba
OKW has had some serious check in problems lately. We were unable to get checked in at the regular time on the last trip. It is the only beef we have about DVC. We are members of Hilton Honors and Marriott Silver Rewards and are treated much better by those hotels than we were by DVC at our last check in. I would rather pay more dues to have more staff preparing rooms that have to excessively wait past check in time.

What time did you end up checking in?

 

[amee]

I appreciate all of the thoughts and replies.............id do have one other question......generally i know that busier and slower times for DW/DVC, but am unfamiliar with this time of year. Is the first week in Sept normally a busier or slower time?

thanks again,

 

[HappyDVCer]

My Dd drove 20 hours with friends and arrived at OKW at 8:30 am. They did not get their room until a little after 4 pm. They were exhausted. My suggestion would be to book a room for the night before you arrive. If we would have done that the room should have been sitting there waiting to check into right away. I think you would need to tell MS that you would be arriving in the early am. Goog luck with your trip.

 

[Dean]

Originally posted by amee
I appreciate all of the thoughts and replies.............id do have one other question......generally i know that busier and slower times for DW/DVC, but am unfamiliar with this time of year. Is the first week in Sept normally a busier or slower time?

thanks again,

The holiday weekend is busier but otherwise Sept and Jan are the slowest months.

 

[Zimbubba]

"What time did you end up checking in?"

It was just after 5:30. Our 2BR was the last on the rotation in the area we were placed in. It seemed very curious to us that we did the check in process before noon and it took them that long to prepare the rooms.