When to check in? Why check in early?

mistyinca

Mouseketeer
Joined
Dec 5, 2014
my 3/10 reservation has a check in link. Is there any reason to check in now? Can someone explain when I should do this and why if early?

Thanks!
 
Using the check in link you will be able to avoid going to the check in desk upon arrival. You will get a text message when your room is ready with the room number.
 
We have always done online check in. We often arrive into Orlando around 1030 am and have never once waited for our room to be ready. We are also simply handed our documents and don't even have to provide a credit card. I believe early check in will help them prepare for your arrival.
 
I wonder about this too. They seem to encourage people to check in weeks before the date of their trip. With my room only reservation, I can cancel up to 6 days before the trip without penalty. If I do on-line check in before that, am I forfeiting the right to cancel? Not to be suspicious, but what does Disney have to gain by me checking in weeks in advance?
 


I have done online checkin since it’s previous incarnations as long as we’ve been visiting Wdw. I see no reason not to do it.

Using the check in link you will be able to avoid going to the check in desk upon arrival. You will get a text message when your room is ready with the room number.

Replace “will” with “might be”. I’ve never gotten a room ready text based on online checking. I’ve onkt actually gotten one, and it was after I had stopped in at the front desk.


But the time I haven’t done online checkin, I got the worst room, and we didn’t realize it in time to switch that night.
 
Disney offers online/advance check-in to, in theory, speed up the check-in process and limit long front desk lines.

Many major hotel brands offer some type of online check in or straight to the room option these days. I assume “staffing efficiency” is probably a motivator somewhere in the equation as well.

As @bumbershoot notes, while many people will get the room-ready text/e-mail, some won’t. International travelers won’t. Some U.S. guests won’t, for unknown reasons. Personally, I’m roughly 75/25 in terms of getting the text vs not.

As to someone’s question above, doing online check-in does NOT impact the cancellation policy associated with your specific type of booking.

I do online check-in, I see no downside to it at all. But I also don’t see it as an absolutely critical feature. If I forgot to do it, I wouldn’t be stressing.

One thing I like to remind folks, just because you do online check-in, you can STILL stop at the front desk if so inclined. They aren’t mutually exclusive. I still stop (usually) because I like to get a map, get any paperwork, chit-chat with the CM, etc. Doing online check-in will make your time at the front desk quicker.

ETA: I usually have room requests. I call the main reservation line in advance and have them noted on my reservation (rooms are assigned 3-5ish days out, so needs to be done ahead of that time). I do NOT use the room request options on online check-in unless the options can match my original request EXACTLY. More often than not, I just leave that part of online check-in blank.
 
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As to someone’s comment above, doing online check-in does NOT impact the cancellation policy associated with your specific type of booking.

Thanks for answering my question. Just to clarify , I didn't make a comment...I asked a question about if early online check-in effects my rights to cancel.
 
I wonder about this too. They seem to encourage people to check in weeks before the date of their trip. With my room only reservation, I can cancel up to 6 days before the trip without penalty. If I do on-line check in before that, am I forfeiting the right to cancel? Not to be suspicious, but what does Disney have to gain by me checking in weeks in advance?
No, check-in does not effect your right to cancel in any way. I have checked in, and later canceled a room-only ressie with no penalty and no hassle.

WDW encourages people to check in online to reduce lines and therefore staffing requirements at their resort lobbies. A bonus for guests is that you can put in a location preference for your resort room during online check-in.
 
Let's say I do online check-in, but we have an early flight and arrive at the hotel at 10am, prior to check-in. Technically, we'll still have to go to the front desk to see if they'll hold our luggage, correct?

Also, if we do online check-in, and we are assigned a room and or building that we are not happy with, is there any chance to have it changed? I'm just thinking that if you go to the front desk and they say you are in room ____, and you are not thrilled with it, you can ask them if there is any other availability, correct? Is that possible with online check-in?
 
Thanks for answering my question. Just to clarify , I didn't make a comment...I asked a question about if early online check-in effects my rights to cancel.

My bad - you’re right, I should have said “question.” Skimming too quickly. :-)
 
Let's say I do online check-in, but we have an early flight and arrive at the hotel at 10am, prior to check-in. Technically, we'll still have to go to the front desk to see if they'll hold our luggage, correct?

Actually you'll go to Bell Services.

Also, if we do online check-in, and we are assigned a room and or building that we are not happy with, is there any chance to have it changed?

Yup.

I'm just thinking that if you go to the front desk and they say you are in room ____, and you are not thrilled with it, you can ask them if there is any other availability, correct? Is that possible with online check-in?

Yup.
 
Let's say I do online check-in, but we have an early flight and arrive at the hotel at 10am, prior to check-in. Technically, we'll still have to go to the front desk to see if they'll hold our luggage, correct?

Also, if we do online check-in, and we are assigned a room and or building that we are not happy with, is there any chance to have it changed? I'm just thinking that if you go to the front desk and they say you are in room ____, and you are not thrilled with it, you can ask them if there is any other availability, correct? Is that possible with online check-in?

The “front desk” doesn’t help with luggage, that would be Bell Services at the Deluxe and Mods and whatever they call it at the Values (can’t remember off the top of my head). They are the folks out front when you pull up.

And yes, they’ll hold your luggage until your room is ready.

As to asking for a different room, yes, you certainly can. Disney resorts run at such high occupancy that sometimes/oftentimes they may not be able to accommodate you, but it’s worth asking.
 
Let's say I do online check-in, but we have an early flight and arrive at the hotel at 10am, prior to check-in. Technically, we'll still have to go to the front desk to see if they'll hold our luggage, correct?

Also, if we do online check-in, and we are assigned a room and or building that we are not happy with, is there any chance to have it changed? I'm just thinking that if you go to the front desk and they say you are in room ____, and you are not thrilled with it, you can ask them if there is any other availability, correct? Is that possible with online check-in?
1. WDW resorts will hold your luggage when you check-in before your room is ready. If you arrive early, yes, you'll need to go to the lobby to check in and store your bags.

2. Yes, you can request a room change. I routinely use online check-in to request a room location, then before going to our assigned room, I check its location using Touring Plans (if I received a text of our room number before we arrive) or on the paper map handed out at the front desk (if I have to check in at the lobby). If the room isn't in a desired location, I politely ask if they can change it. If there is availability, they will change it. There is more availability the earlier you check in, fyi.

One tip about using the online system's location preferences: I tend to select just one preference (the one I care about most), rather than two, to increase the chance that I'll actually get that preference.
 
ETA: I usually have room requests. I call the main reservation line in advance and have them noted on my reservation (rooms are assigned 3-5ish days out, so needs to be done ahead of that time). I do NOT use the room request options on online check-in unless the options can match my original request EXACTLY. More often than not, I just leave that part of online check-in blank.
One important item to note, they will assign your room 3-5 days in advance no matter if you do online check in or if you don't.

There is no reason whatsoever to NOT do online check in. It can only benefit you, it can not hurt you. If you are arriving early it may even afford you a room ready when you arrive, vs. after 3:00. But you will have to enter at least 1 room preference in order to inform them you want the room ready early
 
One important item to note, they will assign your room 3-5 days in advance no matter if you do online check in or if you don't.

There is no reason whatsoever to NOT do online check in. It can only benefit you, it can not hurt you. If you are arriving early it may even afford you a room ready when you arrive, vs. after 3:00. But you will have to enter at least 1 room preference in order to inform them you want the room ready early

So, if you have called in with your preferences and, say, your #1 preference isn't even listed on the online check-in form, should you then check any of the preferences that appear on the form, even if they're your #2 or #3 choice?

I've never done online check-in, because although I realize that one's requests are just requests, DH and I use the room a lot and there are certain things we like. Usually the resort is able to accommodate us, but also usually, when we check in at the front desk, the room they've assigned to us isn't really what we wanted or sometimes is the exact opposite of what we'd like. The front desk is almost always able give us another room instead.

But if we did online check-in, then we wouldn't even know what the room was like until we got there and saw it. At least at the front desk, we can see the room location and ask if it meets our criteria. Yeah, I know, I'm picky, but if I can have my requests met, I'd like them to be!

AngtiTN, are you saying that the room that online check-in would assign you is the exact same room that not doing it would produce? Now I'm really confused about what to do! AngiTN, you know everything! Please help!
 
So, if you have called in with your preferences and, say, your #1 preference isn't even listed on the online check-in form, should you then check any of the preferences that appear on the form, even if they're your #2 or #3 choice?

If you've called and added requests to your reservation then skip the room request section of Online Check In.

I've never done online check-in, because although I realize that one's requests are just requests, DH and I use the room a lot and there are certain things we like. Usually the resort is able to accommodate us, but also usually, when we check in at the front desk, the room they've assigned to us isn't really what we wanted or sometimes is the exact opposite of what we'd like. The front desk is almost always able give us another room instead.


This does not change or have any affect if you've done Online Check In or not .

But if we did online check-in, then we wouldn't even know what the room was like until we got there and saw it. At least at the front desk, we can see the room location and ask if it meets our criteria. Yeah, I know, I'm picky, but if I can have my requests met, I'd like them to be!

You definitely won't know what room you have until you get thete if you don't do Online Check In. If you do Online Check In haveca chanceof finding out your room number before you arrive.

AngiTN, are you saying that the room that online check-in would assign you is the exact same room that not doing it would produce? Now I'm really confused about what to do! AngiTN, you know everything! Please help!

Rooms are assigned by the room assignors the same way whether you do Online Check In or not .
 
You definitely won't know what room you have until you get thete if you don't do Online Check In. If you do Online Check In haveca chanceof finding out your room number before you arrive.
In that case, I actually see no advantage for me to do online check-in since merely knowing the room number is of no help to me at all, particularly if I end up wanting to ask for a different room. Not doing the online check-in would seem to save me a step, since if I got the room #, went to the room, and decided I'd rather see if I could get a different room, then I'd have to go back to the front desk.

Or have I missed a point entirely here? I mean, if I didn't care where the room was, what the view was, etc., etc., then, okay, online check-in seems fine. I'd perhaps get the room # even before I arrived and I could go directly to the room. But on the off chance that the room would not be my first, or even fifteenth, choice, I think I'll stick with the front desk. At least there I can see where the assigned room will be, ask if I'd like a change, and find out if they can do anything. Maybe they can't, but at least I didn't go to the room first and then have to go back to the front desk.

I might have a different view on this if I were booked in a Value resort, where the lines at the front desk can be pretty long.
 
In that case, I actually see no advantage for me to do online check-in since merely knowing the room number is of no help to me at all, particularly if I end up wanting to ask for a different room. Not doing the online check-in would seem to save me a step, since if I got the room #, went to the room, and decided I'd rather see if I could get a different room, then I'd have to go back to the front desk.

Or have I missed a point entirely here? I mean, if I didn't care where the room was, what the view was, etc., etc., then, okay, online check-in seems fine. I'd perhaps get the room # even before I arrived and I could go directly to the room. But on the off chance that the room would not be my first, or even fifteenth, choice, I think I'll stick with the front desk. At least there I can see where the assigned room will be, ask if I'd like a change, and find out if they can do anything. Maybe they can't, but at least I didn't go to the room first and then have to go back to the front desk.

I might have a different view on this if I were booked in a Value resort, where the lines at the front desk can be pretty long.

If you get you room number before you arrive at the resort, you can check out the location on the link to the map that accompanies the text and decide if it will work.

If you don't do Online Check In, you stop at the Front Desk, get you room number, check out the location on the map and decide if it will work for you.

I don't see any difference.

I'm not trying to talk you into doing Online Check In, just want to make sure you understand how it works.
 
If you get you room number before you arrive at the resort, you can check out the location on the link to the map that accompanies the text and decide if it will work.

If you don't do Online Check In, you stop at the Front Desk, get you room number, check out the location on the map and decide if it will work for you.

I don't see any difference.

I'm not trying to talk you into doing Online Check In, just want to make sure you understand how it works.

Hey, dansdad,

I didn't realize that they sent a link to a map along with the text of your room #. That's extremely helpful info. I still am not sure what I'll do this time, but that will factor into my decision.
 

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