When is it best to check in for getting room requests?

[Straulin]

We are flying in to Orlando for the first time, we have always driven before. We made a room request on this trip (via an 3rd party planning assistance website) and have never done that before (@Wilderness lodge facing the pool.).

Does online check in weeks before your arrival help in any way or is in person better for getting a room request?

Arrival day, we will be heading to the resort to drop off our bags either way. Then we hit MK that afternoon with a Whispering Canyon dining reservation for that evening at 7:30 p.m. We wouldn’t be concerned about getting into our room before 6:00 p.m. at the earliest but would like to have it by the time we finish dinner.

 

[_auroraborealis_]

Your unit will be assigned 3-5 days out. You are generally better checking in online because it makes them less likely to give your room away, should you be assigned your request.

 

[CarolynFH]

It doesn’t matter whether you do online checkin or not. If you do, leave the request section blank because anything you enter there will overwrite and negate the request you already submitted.

Whether you do online checkin or not, you can stop at the front desk when you drop off your luggage and politely ask whether your request was granted or not, and if not, you can ask if there’s a possibility to be moved to a room that does meet your request.

 

[artesian]

It doesn’t matter whether you do online checkin or not. If you do, leave the request section blank because anything you enter there will overwrite and negate the request you already submitted.

Whether you do online checkin or not, you can stop at the front desk when you drop off your luggage and politely ask whether your request was granted or not, and if not, you can ask if there’s a possibility to be moved to a room that does meet your request.

Last 3 trips was the case for us. Zero of the requests we made went through. We stopped by the front desk and ask where our room would be assigned which weirdly was Grandstand each time. Asked if possible to be put at or near X building in same category and was granted each time.

 

[DebbieB]

Earlier gives you a better chance for a change if you don’t like hat they assigned. For example, at BLT I had requested a lake view room on the north side which will give you a partial MK view. Unfortunately, they assigned me a second floor room with barely a lake view and too low for MK view. So I went to the front desk when I got there around 2:30 and they gave me a 9th floor room with a straight on lake view.

 

[Straulin]

I went ahead and did online check in without putting anything into the request box per folks advice. I’ll hit up the front desk when we get there to try to increase the odds. Thanks all!

 

[karrit2000]

I don’t do online check-in at all. First time I did many years ago they totally messed up my account, booked the room under my friends name who I had added on to the reservation and put a bunch of my points in holding. Caused no end of trouble when I tried to check-in onsite after never receiving the room number because they couldn't find the reservation under my name because someone changed the lead name when I added my friends to the reservation. No special requests were made on that reservation. Tried it again last year and my one simple request to be given a room on an upper floor @ BWV was totally ignored when they assigned me a room on the 1st floor. Since the hotel has 5 floors anything on 3rd, 4th or 5th would have been acceptable. Fortunately the front desk was able to change it when I arrived the next day after my flight was canceled. Don’t know if that was because I both called and emailed them about the issue after I got my flight rebooked for the next day. Of course I had to eat the loss of a day worth of points also due to the flight delay.

 

[keishashadow]

I gave up making advance requests thru MS years ago. Have been using touring plans for years to fax a request both DVC & rooms booked CRO. better luck on non-DVC, yet at least 70% have been honored in the general building/upper floor, sometimes the exact room I select on TP. Others state they haven’t had any luck thru TP

one thing I have wondered about when stopping at the desk to inquire about other rooms’ availability (when not thrilled with my assignment) is whether it then knocks off somebody else’s pre-arrival request.

 

[Sandisw]

I gave up making advance requests thru MS years ago. Have been using touring plans for years to fax a request both DVC & rooms booked CRO. better luck on non-DVC, yet at least 70% have been honored in the general building/upper floor, sometimes the exact room I select on TP. Others state they haven’t had any luck thru TP

one thing I have wondered about when stopping at the desk to inquire about other rooms’ availability (when not thrilled with my assignment) is whether it then knocks off somebody else’s pre-arrival request.

Yes, when they switch rooms at the front desk it is very possible that you just got a room that met someone else’s request.

Because requests are not guaranteed, we have been given a room ready that had been assigned to someone else.

Now, they didn’t say whether there had been a request by that guest..they can’t..but I do know they switched us and told us that if they can give someone a room sooner they will, even if it had been assigned already.

 

[KAT4DISNEY]

Put the request in anytime but when you do the online check in doesn't matter at all. An early resort arrival gives the possibility of asking for a change but that's about the best you can do. I've put in a request a day before and been granted it and I've done a request months in advance shortly after reserving and both gotten and not gotten. I really have no idea how much effort Disney puts into granting requests but that's where it all actually lies with - the CM's assigning the rooms.