Will we be able to check in before official check-in?

[kaabost]

We will be arriving at the All Stars Sports resort around noon (after driving all night) on Jan 2. This will be approx. 4 hours before their official check in time. We are definitely going to be tired and ready for a nap when we get there. Are we going to be "stranded"? I suppose that we can snooze by the pool if it is not freezing cold outside although I am REALLY hoping that we can get a room immediately after check in. Any experience with this?

 

[froglady]

It depends. If your room is ready, yes. If it isn't, no. Sometimes I've been able to get into a room early, other times I've had to wait until well after "official" check-in time. It depends upon how busy the resort is.

 

[disney queen]

you will be able to check-in. but as mentioned you may or may not be able to get into your room. good luck!

 

[Lori-n-NY]

Heres my most recent experience with this same issue.

On 10/23 Thursday I checked in at 12:15 pm and room I requested was not ready...I stored the luggage and off to the parks I went. Luggage was in room when I returned later.

On 10/30 Thursday I (we) checked in at 10:15 am (two rooms this time )and our rooms were ready and we were allowed to use them.
Now some of you are wondering why I had to check in twice well from 10/26-10/30 I was on a cruise with a total of 8 family members
So my hotel stay was split 10/23-10/26, cruise 10/26-10/30, hotel again 10/30-11/2.

So it really does depend on what room the room assigner put you in. If it was empty the night before then your good to go but if someone was just checking out that AM they will not let you have it. You can relax by the pool or sit in the food court for a while to. There is a TV in the seating area.

I hope you have good luck with your room.
Lori

 

[kaabost]

So I wonder if the earlier in the am you get there, the better your change of getting a room. It would make sense that most people check out in the morning---those rooms get cleaned early in the morning----and then the early check-ins get those ready rooms. It almost seems as though there might be a time of "highest probability" to get a room if you check in between 9:30 and 11:00 or something.

 

[jlima]

If you get an early check in, you are getting either a room that was vacant the night before, or a room that was vacated and cleaned earlier in the day.

Jan 2 is a Friday. My guess is there would be a lot of departures of people who were there for New Years Eve, and a lot of arrivals for the weekend. Some housekeepers clean up to 18 rooms a day. If on a hypothetical busy day, if only 3 of those are stayovers, then even people checking in later in the day have to wait until the rooms turn over.

I would call & ask if they are sold out the night of Jan 1, and if they are, then I wouldn't count on an early check in. I don't want to be a wet blanket, but this is a reality in the hospitality industry, no matter what city.

I work at a hotel and I see these situations every day. It's enough to make me pay for an additional night when my family travels, to insure we have a place to go when we arrive somewhere at 7:15 am - twice at the Dolphin, and once in Chicago (Chicago Hilton). You make the reservation to arrive the day before you get there, and ask them to check you in and run the room vacant so it's available for you when you arrive. It's a pain to pay for the extra night but you don't have to beg for an early checkin.

 

[KathyFP]

We have gotten their early on all of our trips and check in has not been a problem. Most recently at CSR, the room they were going to assign us was not ready, so they assigned us to a different room (still in 9B).

 

[DebbieB]

If your assigned room is not ready, ask if they have any that are ready. If you are willing to forgo your requests or don't have any requests, you have a good chance. If non-smoking is important to you, be sure to ask if the room is non-smoking. 3 friends & I arrived at CSR once at 8:30am and they had 2 connecting rooms available. Great! Got to the room, they were smoking! We decided to keep them since they were ready and we were anxious to get to the parks, we requested an air machine, but the smell never went totally away.

 

[Simba's Mom]

I checked in on January 2 once, but it was at POR, around noon. Room was ready then. Actually, every time I've been, I've been able to check in early except at OKW and AKL, earliest I've tried was noon, at POR, FW Cabins, POFQ (once there we were offered a room or to wait for the one previously offered us-we chose to take what was available and decided later that we were much happier there than we would have been in the room we would have gotten if we'd waited!)