Will Online Check In Impact (Pro/Con) Getting An Early Room Availability?

[TigerLaw]

We are going to be staying in a standard view room at Bay Lake next month. I am totally willing to trade the View we get for an earlier check-in time.

My question is this. I've never used online check in before and was wondering if this would help or hurt our chances to get into our room earlier than the normal 4 p.m. time?

thanks in advance for the help!

 

[erionm]

I've never used online check in before and was wondering if this would help or hurt our chances to get into our room earlier than the normal 4 p.m. time?

No impact whatsoever.

 

[CMNJ]

I always do online check in. My last time we stayed at BLT and the only option for room req was near elevator (we had a standard view studio booked). I’d suggest if you really want the room avail as early as possible swinging by the front desk and letting them know or make that request with DVC member services. That being said there aren’t a ton of standard view rooms so I wouldn’t expect to get in super early (probably between 1-4 is more common) unless the people checking out of your room happen to leave early. I know we generally hit the pool the last morning and don’t vacate our room until close to the 11 am checkout time.
We’ve stayed at BLT 4 times and our room was always ready in the afternoon (like 3ish) including our trip last week.
I’ve only ever had a villa ready 1st thing in the am when I stayed at SSR and once at Kidani (which clearly weren’t booked the night before because both rooms were avail at 8 am)

 

[msjprincess]

I'm not sure if it's a coincidence but my room has always been ready early when I do online check in. Even DVC reservations.

Then again even before online check in I always seemed to luck out and my room was ready when I arrived at the resort, well before check in time.


This past February I got the text that my Jambo House room was ready at 10am.
Last year BCV room was ready at 2pm, Polynesian room was ready at 12:30pm, BWV room was ready at 11am.

 

[_auroraborealis_]

Your odds on early availability of a BLT Standard are very low. Those rooms are basically occupied every night, so you will be getting a unit that has to be turned over.

And no, they won't upgrade you to get you in earlier. This is DVC.

 

[aoconnor]

Studios are generally done the earliest. Larger rooms take longer to clean.

 

[LRdismom]

I always use online check in and I've had my room ready in the morning quite a few times.

 

[Shelly F - Ohio]

No If you do online check in there is an option in the room selection area to click the box that says you want the first available room. We did this last weekend for a last minute trip and our room for our split stay was available by 11:00 a.m.

 

[Donna M]

As mentioned, request first available, don't put in any other requests.

 

[TigerLaw]

Just so I am clear that we are all on the same page, let me tell you what I have seen. When doing online check in I was given an option to make a room preference choice. when I clicked on that the only "option" available was "by the elevator." There was nothing mentioning first available at this point. Then, once I clicked I wanted the elevator option, I got a new Option that was the 1st available choice, which I took. I do not see any other way to say I just wanted the earliest room.

 

[Donna M]

Just so I am clear that we are all on the same page, let me tell you what I have seen. When doing online check in I was given an option to make a room preference choice. when I clicked on that the only "option" available was "by the elevator." There was nothing mentioning first available at this point. Then, once I clicked I wanted the elevator option, I got a new Option that was the 1st available choice, which I took. I do not see any other way to say I just wanted the earliest room.

Call Member Services and give them your preference or you can use the chat feature, I like that. You can still do online check-in, but don't add anything for room preference. If you do, then what you told MS will be changed.