Why check-in as early as possible?

[wishicouldgomoreofte]

I read on these boards where poeple go down the night before and stay at Pop or somewhere for cash, so they can check into DVC early. Why?
Are you more likely to get the view or room you want with the earliest check-in? Since check-in is not really until 4P, and another DVCer may not have even left yet, much less be cleaned and ready, I don't get it.
Please educate me.

 

[Sandisw]

We get down to Disney at night because the direct flight is a night flight. We check in early so that we can get our KTTW cards that have the DDP/QSDP on them.

Sometimes, rooms will be ready early (we have gotten in as early as 8:00 am!), but others feel that if they check in early, they will have a better chance to get their room request.

Even if the room is not ready, you can leave your things with bell services, go to the park, and the resort will text you when the room is ready.

Last summer, we did a split stay and were in our rooms at BWV @ 12:00 pm, VWL @ 1:00 pm, and BLT @ 8:00 pm.

 

[DebbieB]

Even if the room is not vacated and cleaned, it can still be assigned to you. They will not tell you the room # until it's ready, they will send you a text with the room #.

 

[skylynx]

Optimism.

We got into a Treehouse before noon, and have also gotten into other rooms even earlier if it's during a slower time midweek when the room was not used the night before. If not, we've at least done the stand-on-the-line thing BEFORE we're sweaty and exhausted from a day being park warriors.

 

[wishicouldgomoreofte]

Yes, we have done that, received the text with the room number. Thank you for your replies. But I still wonder if you can get a better room is you check in early. Last year when we checked into BCV, I had called and asked the room assigner for 4th or 5th floor. They made a note on the reservation. I did online check-in, but called the several times with that request. We got there before 11AM, and our packet was ready-----with a first floor assignment. The CM who did it admitted she never even pushed F8 or whatever to see there was a request.
So that didn't work out too well.
I am wondering about going down the night before and stay at Pop like I have read others do , to check-in at 8AM. Many people must find it a successful experience, as it sure seems like alot do it.
I don't mind waiting to get in, you have that at the resorts as well as DVC. Just don't know if it is worth it to try.

 

[wyodan]

We are the same way. A flight for us is all day and usually arrives late in the evening. So we stay at the HI Express just north of the airport, then travel tot he world the next AM bright and early! Get our cards and head to the parks!

 

[AirGoofy]

When we have checked in early, we have had great rooms. The one time we checked in later in the afternoon, we got a bad room, but we also made a late DVC booking so it may have been due to that. When I say bad, it was not the building location we requested.

 

[simba20]

We usually arrived around 11:30-noon.

Each time we have had a room available when we arrive.

On our trip last April, we were spoiled by having a room overlooking the Grandstand pool at SSR. I would leave the curtains partially open to get a view of the lights and all. Got some great shots at sunrise. Then when we went in July, we arrived at 11:30 and a room was ready for us in the Paddock. I exaplined how I was spoiled before (to which I had never asked for the particular room, just to be placed int he Grandstand area) and asked if we could be moved to the Grandstand. The CM told us, we'd have to wait for a room to become available, so we toiled around DTD for two hours and had lunch. We walked back to SSR and found we had a room ready for us, in Grandstand, in the building the faces the Grandstand pool, however my view was of he carraige house. Still was very happy with what we got.

All in all I ask for sections and leave it at that. Reminds me, we have another SSR stay for President's weekend. In June we will be taking our true vacation and will be doing a split stay at BCV and AKV (savannah view)...really don't have to worry about requests for those.

 

[wildernessDad]

Personally, I think room requests are honored on a first come - first served basis. If you check in early, you are more likely to get your room request than if you check in later.

For the two December vacations prior to my most recent December vacation, I checked in early and got the type of room I wanted. This year, we arrived later and while the good news was that the room was ready, it was anti my room request, that is, completely opposite to my room request, and there wasn't anything else available.

 

[wishicouldgomoreofte]

Thanks wildernessDad, that seems to be the sentiment of alot of people on the Disboards.
Any DVC room assigners or front desk CMs out there to confirm or correct us? Please let us know how room assignments are made, and if arriving early really is a determining factor.

 

[kristenrice]

We checked in at OKW at 10AM.

We had a HH 1BR booked with building requests of 12, 13 or 23(?). When we checked in, they said that we had an assigned room in building 12 that was not ready yet, OR we could take a room in building 22(?) that was also considered HH area, which was ready. Since we were headed to the parks anyways (only checked in to get our KTTW card/DDP), we opted to wait until the room in building 12 was ready. We went to our 11am ADR at Akershus and the room was ready afterwards.

I don't know how it would have played out if we had checked in later. Would they have kept us in building 12? They could have tried to give the next person the room in building 22 and then moved them to our room if they'd asked if anything else was available....we'll never know. I guess you probably keep more options open if you check in early. At least you can "claim" a room. If you check in late, you will only be able to "pick" from rooms that are both available and unclaimed. The number of "unclaimed" rooms will go down throughout the day as people check in.

I'm sure that there is a lot more to it than this, but this is the simple logic that I employ. We are arriving in Orlando the night before Easter. Our DVC stay starts on Easter so my dad and I will head over to AKV early Sunday morning to check in. We have a standard and a savanna view studio reserved at AKV-Jambo and we would like to be as close together as possible, preferably across the hall from each other. I think that we have the best chance of getting what we want, even if we have to wait all day to get in, if we check in as early as possible. We'll probably head over to check in and then go back and wake up the rest of the family!

 

[PatMcDuck]

I think it helps to check in early. I try to do so, and I stress the importance of my room requests (already on file) and our willingness to wait for a room that meets those requests. Last trip we checked in at BLT at 3 pm (we missed our flight down, so we were late ) They told me my Bay view room was odd number, 5th floor, and I asked nicely, "do you have another that meets my room requests?" (even number, upper floor). And they looked and said, oh yes, and gave me one on the 14th floor, even #. All I did was ask (we got lucky of course). We had to room switch on Jan 1, that time I went down at 7am. They said I had a (MK view) room in the 11th floor for us, not ready yet. I said ok, but do NOT give that room to another guest, lol. She said, ohno, this is now assigned to you. (umm, ok, but it was ok and we got that room).

At BCV, our home resort, I usually just say upper floor. The views there do not really matter to us.

 

[daisyduck123]

We always go down one night ahead of time so that we're there bright and early for check-in (resorts we've used for this one-night stay are AKV, CBR, & POP).

We do this so that we don't feel like we're "wasting" a Disney day by arriving at 4pm or so. This way, we're there early & can swim/hang by the resort all day until we actually do get into our room.

When we do this for our BCV stays, we always book an ADR at Cape May Buffet for breakfast that check-in morning. We check-in at the front desk & then head straight over to breakfast. After that, we hit SAB until our room is ready.

 

[headgorilla]

We usually arrive around 12noon and every year I hope that this will be my year that my request will be honored, but am always disappointed. We usually stay at BCV. This year we are staying at BLT and yes this year is no different. I still believe that this will be my year for granting my request. I am either hopelessly optimistic or a fool, but I have a good vibe. So I don't think that it has anything to do with time of check in

 

[RickinPA]

We have always checked in around 10 am and up until this past December, have always received the room we requested.

Long story short, I agree that the earlier you check in the more options you have.

I have read, on another board that palming a $20 tip to the cast member at check in can really improve your room selection.

I'm not saying I agree or disagree with this practice.

 

[CarolAnnC]

We have always checked in around 10 am and up until this past December, have always received the room we requested.

Long story short, I agree that the earlier you check in the more options you have.

I have read, on another board that palming a $20 tip to the cast member at check in can really improve your room selection.

I'm not saying I agree or disagree with this practice.

Interesting, we have done the $20 trick a couple of times when checking into hotels in Las Vegas, where it is widely accepted practice.

Disney employees, however, are not supposed to accept a "tip" unless the guest has insisted 3x over their objections. Not sure how that would work...hmm.