What’s the best way to try to get into room early?

[LMHB]

I do know that we are not guaranteed to check in until afternoon... but I’m going to try to increase our chances of checking in early since our plane lands at 7:00am. We are not terribly picky about room location, and it’s a standard room. Would I have a better chance checking in online or at the desk? Thanks in advance!

 

[Shanti]

I do know that we are not guaranteed to check in until afternoon... but I’m going to try to increase our chances of checking in early since our plane lands at 7:00am. We are not terribly picky about room location, and it’s a standard room. Would I have a better chance checking in online or at the desk? Thanks in advance!

Check in online & click the option that causes an early check-in to override all other considerations. When you arrive, go to the front desk & ask if any rooms are available.

 

[bcarey2k]

Yup ... that ....

I’d plan on simply checking your bags with the concierge. But I have arrived around 9 am (never 7) and been assigned a room.

Good luck

 

[gharter]

We usually arrive about 1. We do online checkin, and almost always get a text at the airport or on the way to WDW that our room is ready.
As early as you are arriving, I would suspect that the room won't be ready yet. I'd plan to check the bags, but definitely check with the front desk to see if anything is available.

 

[Micca]

Would you consider wearing a housekeeping uniform???

 

[ncc1701]

Do the Online checkin & make no other request. We arrive usually between 10:30 & 12:00 , half the time our room has been ready, the other it was anywhere from an hour after arriving to after 3:00. We do the Online but always stop by the desk if we hadn't gotten a text.

 

[georgina]

You never know. My plane landed at 7:30 in August and my room at Pop was ready. I checked in online, didn't get a text, but checked at the desk when I arrived. If no one was occupying your room the night before, it will probably be ready.

 

[AngiTN]

There's no best way. There's only one way, ask. As long as you tell them you want your room ready early over anything else, that's all you can do.
We get it about 40% of the time. Not half but often. Ready early is ALWAYS our first choice. We never care where.
We've gotten rooms at 8:30 many times too, either on arrival day or resort change day (we do a lot of split stays). Never earlier than that, looking back at my room ready texts but about then probably half of the times our room is ready early.

Check in online & click the option that causes an early check-in to override all other considerations. When you arrive, go to the front desk & ask if any rooms are available.

You can't. That is no longer available as an option now that room locations are gone.

 

[Lynne M]

It's really just a matter of luck. It will depend on how early the person who occupied the room you're assigned to is checking out, and whether housekeeping got to it early or not. I don't think whether or not you do online check-in has any bearing on it.

It can help if you don't have any requests, so you're not waiting for a particular room that meets your needs. If, when you arrive, your room isn't ready, go to the desk and let them know that you'd be willing to take the first available room.

 

[AngiTN]

It's really just a matter of luck. It will depend on how early the person who occupied the room you're assigned to is checking out, and whether housekeeping got to it early or not. I don't think whether or not you do online check-in has any bearing on it.

It can help if you don't have any requests, so you're not waiting for a particular room that meets your needs. If, when you arrive, your room isn't ready, go to the desk and let them know that you'd be willing to take the first available room.

The only time online check-in can work for your advantage is they also know your arrival time, or it's recorded via the ME reservation. So you can't check the box for a room ready early above all else they can see your arrival time.
The room assigners can theoretically put you in a room that is vacant the night before if there is one and they know you'd like to get in a room early.
I'm not sure if they will do that if you just call, add the request and then do not complete online check-in. I guess it all depends on how the arrival time is recorded. I know it's done with online check-in
I know the CM at BWI CL told me she uses the list of those who completed online check in to direct her housekeepers the order to clean. She specifically told me that she'll look over the arrivals, see who's completed check-in, what time their arrival is (by what they put in or what ME provides) and send the housekeepers to clean as those rooms get open. We aren't 100% there but we do have a high result of room ready early for our stays there.