Online check in - negatives?

[magicaldisney]

With all of our trips we have never done online check in ( I don't really know why, we just haven't). Can anyone tell me if there are any negatives to doing this? Are there only positives?

 

[disneynutz]

IMO it doesn't make much of a difference one way or the other. We have checked in each way several times, and sometimes we get our requests and sometimes we have to wait to check in, we always seem to not have our room ready.

Online check in was designed to reduce the check in delays at the convention and value resorts where the lines can be 30 people long.

Bill

 

[drusba]

From our experience there does not really appear to be much difference in checking in on-line or doing it at resort. The advantages of on-line check-in seem to be only two and sometimes don't actually work: (a) it means your packet of materials with any room keys will be ready when you arrive and there is usually but not always a quicker line for getting it; (b) it means your estimated arrival time will be given to the hotel so the greeter at the front door will have you on the list when you arrive. I have found that checking in on-line does not mean any increase in chances of getting room early. Also, it does not increase your chances of getting your room requests.

Just note that if you do check-in on-line, you should not use the room location requests function that will come up as that is designed for cash paying guests and any DVC room requests should be made through MS.

 

[rseeb]

We always use the online checkin and i can say I have never arrived at the resort and our room was not ready. However, now that i made that statement I am sure it will not be ready next time

 

[disneynutz]

We always use the online checkin and i can say I have never arrived at the resort and our room was not ready. However, now that i made that statement I am sure it will not be ready next time

Time of year, resort, room type, and time of check in tends to play a major part on if your room is ready.

Bill

 

[drusba]

We always use the online checkin and i can say I have never arrived at the resort and our room was not ready. However, now that i made that statement I am sure it will not be ready next time

Now I live in envy. Our track record is more like 50%.

 

[Simba's Mom]

I've done it several times lately and it's made zero difference. At Kidani, I asked the CM if I had to stand in the same line for check-in if I did on line check in and she said yes. At BCV, even though I'd set up PINS, they couldn't find them supposedly, so they assigned PINS and the whole check in process took just as long as if I hadn't done on line check in. It's been no advantage here.

 

[KandiB47]

We always use the online checkin and i can say I have never arrived at the resort and our room was not ready. However, now that i made that statement I am sure it will not be ready next time

Now I live in envy. Our track record is more like 50%.

I usually do online check-in. I would say I'm at about a 20% rate for the room being ready when we get there. We usually check-in around 12 pm to 2 pm so that might make a difference

 

[ppjluvsdvc]

I think in the past it hasn't always made a difference. I thought now though that in order to customize magic bands and FP+ ahead of time you had to do On Line check in as that is what triggers it. If I'm wrong let me know.

 

[magicaldisney]

I think in the past it hasn't always made a difference. I thought now though that in order to customize magic bands and FP+ ahead of time you had to do On Line check in as that is what triggers it. If I'm wrong let me know.

I did my MBs and FP+ weeks ago. My online check in showed up yesterday, so I don't think the two go hand in hand.

However, I don't need to do online check in to make them work, do I? I hope someone knows that answer.

 

[js]

I haven't done online check in and sometimes we wait for our room, sometimes not.
The BEST "non-wait" ever was this past August 25 when we arrived at BLT about 10:00 am. We walked into BLT to check in and our room was READY!
I have a trip planned for September 20 next year and I do not plan on checking in online.

 

[com_op_2000]

In both pre-online check-in days and current use or non-use of online check-in our room ready rate for usually arrival time of @08:30 is about 3 out of 5.

 

[Simba's Mom]

I think in the past it hasn't always made a difference. I thought now though that in order to customize magic bands and FP+ ahead of time you had to do On Line check in as that is what triggers it. If I'm wrong let me know.

That's what I thought last month when I first did on line check in-that I had to. However, it doesn't seem to be.

 

[disneymagic316]

I think in the past it hasn't always made a difference. I thought now though that in order to customize magic bands and FP+ ahead of time you had to do On Line check in as that is what triggers it. If I'm wrong let me know.

Just finishing up a split stay- one with online check-in and one without.

We did not do online check-in for OKW. I also did not order the Magic Bands ahead of time for any part of our split stay.They were waiting for us at the front desk. We had a generic gray color which wasn't bad. We were able to customize them at the front desk.Check-in put our credit cards on them and Concierge put our AP's on them. We got them when we checked in at the front desk. The Magic Bands can be activated at the concierge at the front desk, guest services at the parks or when you first use them to enter your room. We ddi not do any fast pass on them.
Our room was not ready until 3:30.

We did online check-in for SSR. Our room was not ready until 3:30. Same process for the Magic Bands- we did not customize them ahead of time. Everything was done at the front desk.

To me online check-in does not make any difference.

 

[magicaldisney]

Thanks for all of your responses. I seems to not matter one way or the other. I have always liked talking to the CM when checking in so if I would prefer a different room or area of a resort they can see if there is anything else available. I'm not sure if they are so willing to move me to a different room/area if I've already checked in ahead of time.

 

[DenLo]

Do you need to online checkin for FP+?

 

[magicaldisney]

Do you need to online checkin for FP+?

No, I didn't need to. We will be arriving November 22 and I did my magic bands and fp+ many weeks ago. It was offered before online check in was even available. However, I have read that some people with December visits needed to do online check in before they could do their fastpasses. I would guess that is a glitch because it isn't happening for everyone visiting in December.

 

[Meetmeinmontauk]

We have done online check in on both of our past trips & our room was ready each time.

We checked in around noon on our first trip & around 10:00 am on our last trip.