Flexible Check-in Times?

eiblehs

Expedition Everest Enthusiast
Joined
May 31, 2017
Hello! My summer vacation to WDW is just a couple months away. :tigger:

I will be arriving earlier than I had originally planned. Delta changed my flight itinerary, so I will be landing in Orlando at 11:30 a.m.

I will be taking a Magical Express bus to my resort, Pop Century. I know from previous experience that it takes roughly an hour to get to the hotel after landing. So we should get to Pop around 12:30 p.m. My check-in time isn't until 3 p.m., but has anyone had experience with early check-in? I selected "early check-in" as a priority for my room requests on the Disney website just in case.

I have a park day planned for our arrival day, so it's nice getting to Disney two hours earlier than anticipated. I know I can leave my bags at the hotel if the room is not ready, so there is always that option.

I'm just wondering if anyone has had any luck getting to check-in early at their Disney resort!
 
When I went I was at Pop at around 1pm. I did online check in the day before but went to the front desk because I didn't have a room ready text. The the girl at the fd informed me that my room wasn't ready yet but that my requests had been granted. I dropped off our luggage at luggage assistance and literally five minutes later got my room ready text.

At CSR we arrived at around 11:30am. I didn't do online check in because I had booked through Expedia so I was worried I'd get charged again if I added my cc info. Our room was ready.
 
It has been hit and miss for us. The majority of the time the room was ready though. We always take the earliest flight, so are always hours before official checkin time.
 
I'm just wondering if anyone has had any luck getting to check-in early at their Disney resort!
Hit or miss for me too. When we have a specific request we have not gotten early check- in. Twice with no request we have gotten a room as early as 8AM
 


Your room might not be ready, but you can absolutely “check-in” anytime after about 6am. Drop your bags with Bell Services and head to the parks. You’ll get a text when your room is ready, or stop by the front desk when you return.

Enjoy your vacation!
 
You can check in anytime after I believe 6am but when your room is actually ready will vary. I've had trips we have checked in at 9 am and the room was ready while other times we've checked in at 2:00 and the room wasn't ready until after 3.
 
We drive down and always arrive between 1 and 2. We take at least two trips a year and since on line checkin room ready texts have started I've had my room ready before we got there twice. Both times were at value resorts. Other times, even though I've done on line check in (and I always put early check in as my only request) we go to the front desk when we arrive. I do it to let them know I'm physically there and since we aren't picky about view or where our room is located, if they can find an available room, we will take it. Oddly enough, the few times they have been able to find something, it's always been a better than standard view or location with no extra charge but I never ask for that. We just leave our bags in the car if we are at a value or moderate, they will always know what parking lot we are going to be in so we can drive and park the car there. If we are staying in a deluxe we go ahead and store our bags at the resort and head out to a park.
 


The last 3 times I have received a noon-12:30 room ready text. Last year it came right at 3:00pm.

I will be curious since I put in a 9:30 a.m. request in the WL Villas if I will get it. No big deal though since we are staying 1 night at AOA and will head to the parks.
 
We have had luck with getting our room early multiple times. May not always be right when we’ve asked in the morning but once we requested at the desk, no more than one to two hours. Just enough time to have a meal and a leisurely walk around the resort. But we’ve typically visited late January and isn’t as busy as other times of the year.
 
In the many time we’ve arrived at Pop before actual check in time our room has always been ready. I considerr that quite lucky as I have never chosen Early Check In as a request.

I think perhaps your one hour arrival window after landing is very generous. It usually takes us longer than one hour to deplane, walk to ME, get in line, get on assigned bus and actually leave the airport. But that could very well just be our experiences with ME.
 
I think perhaps your one hour arrival window after landing is very generous. It usually takes us longer than one hour to deplane, walk to ME, get in line, get on assigned bus and actually leave the airport. But that could very well just be our experiences with ME.

Oh, I’m sure it depends on many factors! I used ME for the first time last summer and stayed at Pop. It seemed like a fast process, but I could be misremembering how long it actually took just from being excited. Lol!
 
Hello! My summer vacation to WDW is just a couple months away. :tigger:

I will be arriving earlier than I had originally planned. Delta changed my flight itinerary, so I will be landing in Orlando at 11:30 a.m.

I will be taking a Magical Express bus to my resort, Pop Century. I know from previous experience that it takes roughly an hour to get to the hotel after landing. So we should get to Pop around 12:30 p.m. My check-in time isn't until 3 p.m., but has anyone had experience with early check-in? I selected "early check-in" as a priority for my room requests on the Disney website just in case.

I have a park day planned for our arrival day, so it's nice getting to Disney two hours earlier than anticipated. I know I can leave my bags at the hotel if the room is not ready, so there is always that option.

I'm just wondering if anyone has had any luck getting to check-in early at their Disney resort!
Forgive me if you know this already but
You can check into hotel as early as you want... can u say 9 am. Your room won’t be ready but you check ur luggage and now u are in the system to get ur room. Recently I have seen long lines at check in 4 pm at hotels (Foxwoods)after I checked in 5 hours earlier. I have never been to a hotel where u cannot checkin early in the morning. You won’t get a room immediately but I guarantee I will be in my room before the people showing up for the “4pm checkin”
Kerri
 
You are mixing up two different terms at Disney
At Disney you have checked in and you have room ready. They are technically two different steps
At Disney you can check in and become an official guest at the resort and gain all the benefits as a resort guest as of 6:00 am on your arrival day. This has nothing to do with having a room ready
You may or may not have a room ready as early as 6:00 am. Never know. We arrived on Saturday and got a notice that our room was ready at 8:00 am, before our flight even took off. Other trips I've not gotten a room till after 3:00.
But no matter what, in all cases I was checked in at 6:00 am
Hope that helps
 
You are mixing up two different terms at Disney
At Disney you have checked in and you have room ready. They are technically two different steps
At Disney you can check in and become an official guest at the resort and gain all the benefits as a resort guest as of 6:00 am on your arrival day. This has nothing to do with having a room ready
You may or may not have a room ready as early as 6:00 am. Never know. We arrived on Saturday and got a notice that our room was ready at 8:00 am, before our flight even took off. Other trips I've not gotten a room till after 3:00.
But no matter what, in all cases I was checked in at 6:00 am
Hope that helps

I realized after the first few replies that I did mix-up the wording. Thanks for your help!
 
Oh, I’m sure it depends on many factors! I used ME for the first time last summer and stayed at Pop. It seemed like a fast process, but I could be misremembering how long it actually took just from being excited. Lol!

A lot depends on when the bus is ready to leave. I've taken DME where I got on the bus just before it was leaving and I've been on the bus when they just started loading and we sat for 15-20 minutes. Also what stop you are in terms of being dropped off. The time I got on as they were getting ready to leave AND was the first stop, it was right around an hour. The time I got on as they started boarding and sat for 15-20 minutes AND was the last stop, it was more in the 90 minute range.
 

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