What are the chances for early check in?

[DJP1201]

We're staying at AKL in December. Taking a red eye and arriving in Orlando at 6:15 am. I'm thinking that we'll get to AKL around 8:15-8:30. My plan was to drop off luggage, eat breakfast at Boma(already have an ADR), then head to Animal Kingdom for a few hours. I'd like to come back to the room and take a nap, eat dinner and go back to AK to see what it's like at night. I think check in is at 3:00pm. What are the chances we may be able to get in an hour or so earlier?

 

[spiceycat]

an hour or so - maybe - but early check required the other party to check out early - so never count on it. you can rest in the lobby - lots of folk do this. It is a beautiful lobby.

 

[spiceycat]

try to check in before you even eat breakfast - that puts you on the list.

 

[WishICouldSpeakWhale]

Don't make room requests. Make early arrival your only priority. That way you are not waiting all day for a particular room view/location/floor.

 

[Aurora0427]

We're staying at AKL in December. Taking a red eye and arriving in Orlando at 6:15 am. I'm thinking that we'll get to AKL around 8:15-8:30. My plan was to drop off luggage, eat breakfast at Boma(already have an ADR), then head to Animal Kingdom for a few hours. I'd like to come back to the room and take a nap, eat dinner and go back to AK to see what it's like at night. I think check in is at 3:00pm. What are the chances we may be able to get in an hour or so earlier?

Out of 11 trips, we've only had one where we didn't have a room ready when we arrived. Once we arrived at the GF at 9am, and our room was ready. But last trip we didn't have a room until 5. I actually started crying because I was 7.5 months pregnant with my second daughter, and we were EXHAUSTED. They found the crazy, hormonal, crying pregnant lady a room pretty quick.

 

[Mpls Mom of 4]

We have never gotten to check in early, but then again we've never gotten to the hotel as early as you. I agree with the PP and check in right away, and hopefully you can get in early.

 

[GADisneyDad14]

We're staying at AKL in December. Taking a red eye and arriving in Orlando at 6:15 am. I'm thinking that we'll get to AKL around 8:15-8:30. My plan was to drop off luggage, eat breakfast at Boma(already have an ADR), then head to Animal Kingdom for a few hours. I'd like to come back to the room and take a nap, eat dinner and go back to AK to see what it's like at night. I think check in is at 3:00pm. What are the chances we may be able to get in an hour or so earlier?

You never really know, you can certainly get lucky and get a room early, but best to plan on 3ish - anything earlier will be a bonus!

If you are not married to any room requests, there is an option during online check-in that says "check here if having your room ready early is a higher priority than getting your requests" - this can increase your chances.

I've had rooms as early as 11ish and as late as 4, and everything in between.

Have fun!

 

[mickeynut1]

We're staying at AKL in December. Taking a red eye and arriving in Orlando at 6:15 am. I'm thinking that we'll get to AKL around 8:15-8:30. My plan was to drop off luggage, eat breakfast at Boma(already have an ADR), then head to Animal Kingdom for a few hours. I'd like to come back to the room and take a nap, eat dinner and go back to AK to see what it's like at night. I think check in is at 3:00pm. What are the chances we may be able to get in an hour or so earlier?

You can check in as early as 6 am, which is when the computers roll over for the day. Your room probably won't be ready that early, but you never know. If it were me, I'd check in as soon as you get there, drop your luggage with bell services and then head to breakfast. Not making any room requests might be helpful in getting a room earlier. There's no guarantee of an early room if you have no requests, but it gives a little more leeway as far as room assignments, IMO. Have a great trip .

 

[WishICouldSpeakWhale]

Don't make room requests. Make early arrival your only priority. That way you are not waiting all day for a particular room view/location/floor.

Re-read your post and realized you only want to get in an hour or so early. In that case, I do think you could make a request if there is something you want. We've never had trouble getting into our room around 2pm. We received our room ready text at 10:20am last July (might have been even earlier than that - that's when we landed and I turned my phone on). I did not make any requests for that stay, I was prepared to take whatever location/floor we were given.

 

[bluezy]

We always arrive by about 11:00 a.m. In our last 7 trips, there has only been 1 time that we couldn't go directly to our room at check in. That trip we couldn't get in until about 2:00. We had requested <and needed> connecting rooms on that visit. We could have gotten rooms when we checked in at 11:00ish if we didn't want connecting rooms. Last year when I had requested to be in a specific hallway of a specific building at AoA. We got a text at about 10:15 saying our room wasn't ready yet. We were running behind schedule that morning and didn't end up arriving at Disney until close to noon. We got the text that our room was ready as we pulled in the parking lot at AoA.

Personally, I think you have a good chance of getting in to your room before 3:00...especially if you don't make any other requests. When you do online check-in, list your arrival time as your actual arrival time -- not the time you want to get in your room.

 

[Shanti]

We're staying at AKL in December. Taking a red eye and arriving in Orlando at 6:15 am. I'm thinking that we'll get to AKL around 8:15-8:30. My plan was to drop off luggage, eat breakfast at Boma(already have an ADR), then head to Animal Kingdom for a few hours. I'd like to come back to the room and take a nap, eat dinner and go back to AK to see what it's like at night. I think check in is at 3:00pm. What are the chances we may be able to get in an hour or so earlier?

Check the option on the online check-in form that early check-in is more important to you than location. That might help.

We have been checked in early before. It's mostly luck of the draw, but the earlier you check in, the more opportunities you'll have to get an early room.

 

[Capang]

We typically have had great luck with early check ins. But it is just luck. As stated above, check in at he desk when you get there and don't make requests. By 3 you should be good.

 

[Mickey's Best Girl]

Check the option on the online check-in form that early check-in is more important to you than location. That might help.

We have been checked in early before. It's mostly luck of the draw, but the earlier you check in, the more opportunities you'll have to get an early room.

This^

Make early check in your ONLY request and your odds of getting a room before 3 will increase substantially.

 

[mickeymom22]

We have checked in super early three times and every time we have had a room ready. We have gotten to the resort at 7:00 am all three times. Twice we have checked into POR super early, and once at BC. All three times, we didn't make any kind of room request other than early check-in.

It seems the later we wait to check in the longer we have to wait for a room...

I hope you get a little pixie dust and there is a room ready for you!

 

[MaryLovesPoohBear]

We have always been very lucky and our room has always been ready when we pull in. We've never waited.

The one time we did a split stay, our second room was ready before we left our first room.

 

[lovin'fl]

DVC since 2006. One stay at POR prior to buying DVC. On average, two trips per year. Check in for DVC is 4pm. Early on we always got our room early...between 11 and 2pm. But last few years we wouldn't get room until 3:30-4:30. Last early room ready was Oct 2013 at BLT when we arrived at noon.

 

[DJP1201]

Thanks for all the feedback. Now I'm hopeful we can do it even earlier, but won't count on it. It would be a bonus for us to get a nap in.

 

[Imamom2]

Call your resort directly when your plane lands and let them know you have arrived. It worked twice for us. The first time we called at 10:00am, arrived at Boardwalk about 11:00 and dropped off bags on our way to Epcot. We received a text around 12:30 letting us know our room number. My daughter and her friend arrived at MCO at 10:00 and called Boardwalk -she received a text while on Magical Express.

 

[mickeynut1]

Call your resort directly when your plane lands and let them know you have arrived. It worked twice for us. The first time we called at 10:00am, arrived at Boardwalk about 11:00 and dropped off bags on our way to Epcot. We received a text around 12:30 letting us know our room number. My daughter and her friend arrived at MCO at 10:00 and called Boardwalk -she received a text while on Magical Express.

Just wanted to mention that when you call the number associated with a resort, you are not getting the resort itself. The CMs answer as if they are at that particular resort, but you are actually speaking to someone at a call center.

 

[Kingdome8]

Last trip in June we got the room ready text at 10 am. Of course it was a Monday and it was CBR