Calling ahead

[sbkline]

Check in time is officially 3 PM, but I have seen several people say that you can probably get your room early if you arrive early. However, I must be one of the unlucky few, because when we went in April to POR, we got there around 10:30 or so and the room wasn't ready. I called back a few times and was told each time that it still wasn't ready. Then, around 3, I called and it was. So I don't know if it was just a fluke, or if I was dealing with sticklers who believed in enforcing the 3 PM thing or what.

But the tentative itenerary I'm looking at for next year (yes, it's 10 months out, so it could change alot by then) involves getting in around 10 or 10:30, going straight to the room and then me heading off to the water park while my wife crashes. She doesn't do water and would love an afternoon just to lounge at the hotel. But this plan will only work if my room is ready that early. It won't work if they lalligag around until 3 like they did this time.

So my question is, have any of you ever called from the road and told them you will be there in a few hours and to please have the room ready? Is that too tacky or gauche? I thought what I might do is call that morning after we check out of our motel and hit the road for the final few hours, and tell them my ETA and request my room to be ready ASAP. Just wondered if that was considered acceptable or not? :shrug:

 

[PigletIsMyCat]

You can attempt it, but more than likely they will not be able to guarantee the room will be ready. Check in time for all resorts if after 3pm. You can check in early, stow your bags, and hit the parks, but your room does not have to be available until 3pm. They are not lalligagging around, sitting on an empty, cleaned room and not letting you enter it. Housekeeping has a high number of rooms to clean on a daily basis, and only one shift in which to complete most of those rooms. Disney does no more than guarantee a room available at the resort's check in time; they won't guarantee king size, location, or adjoining rooms, so I can't see them guaranteeing a room ready for early check in.

 

[Master Yoda]

Calling ahead will do little to nothing to get you into your room early. From what I was told the biggest factor in rooms being ready early is the resorts occupancy the night before. If occupancy was near 100% the night before, which is not that uncommon, you will be lucky to get a room before 3:00 PM. Since 2000 we have done close to 45 trips that involved a resort stay, we always check in early (typically around 7:00 AM), and I can count the number of times that the room was ready before 3:00 PM on one hand. You might be lucky and get a room but I would in no way have your plans hinge on it. Have a backup plan if you can not get into your room early.

 

[Nansafan]

3:00 PM is pretty common check-in time around the country, i.e., Chicago, Las Vegas, California, Wisconsin, Florida. If the room is available, you get lucky especially if you are willing to take anything. For example, my husband and I and 2 other couples were going to Vegas for 3 nights. My sister and her husband were on a different flight then the rest of us. We arrived first, checked in first (by only an hour 11:00 AM) and had to wait for our room to be available after 3:00 PM. My sister and her husband arrived at 12:00 and got a room immediately. He told them at check-in that he would take any room, any floor that was ready now. If you tell them that at check-in you may not get what you reserved (Garden View instead of MK view) but you might get a room.

 

[sbkline]

Since 2000 we have done close to 45 trips that involved a resort stay, we always check in early (typically around 7:00 AM), and I can count the number of times that the room was ready before 3:00 PM on one hand. You might be lucky and get a room but I would in no way have your plans hinge on it. Have a backup plan if you can not get into your room early.

I'm glad I asked then. From discussions I've seen on these boards over the past several months, I was under the impression that having your room ready early was the norm and it was only every now and then that it takes all the way until 3 PM.

I guess I'd better not plan my waterpark day around getting into our room at 11 AM.

 

[Eyekimore]

Hey, consider yourself lucky to get in at 3:00pm- the DVC members have to wait until 4:00pm. :hammer:

 

[sbkline]

Hey, consider yourself lucky to get in at 3:00pm- the DVC members have to wait until 4:00pm. :hammer:

Ya, I know, there's nothing wrong with 3 PM check in time. And if that's the official check in time, then I'm not being cheated by not getting in until the scheduled time. It's just that I've seen so many people here say that the majority of the time your room is actually ready almost immediately, so I was planning my itnerary based on that. It's kind of dissapointing to hear that it may not work the way I was thinking.

But on the other hand, as pathetic and geeky as I am to do such planning 10 months in advance, I guess this is the benefit to doing so....you have 10 months to get all your information together and put together a good plan rather than wait and find these things out at the last minute when it may be too late to do anything about it.

 

[Eyekimore]

Your original plan could still work........

Check in and leave your luggage with Bell services. Your wife can pack a small bag with books, towel, etc. She could find a spot by the pool in the sun/shade and lounge/read/snooze her day while you go to the water park. There are changing areas and bathrooms by the small pools at POR. She could comfortably spend the day at the hotel and when the room is ready- she can just call and get the room number.

She could even do a resort hopping day where she visits other hotels. My hubby and I sometomes do the monorail loop for fun. We head to MK- hop on the monorail and travel from hotel to hotel. We bring a book and our refillable mugs - walk all the stores, sit by the pool, sit in their comfy lobby, take the boat back to the MK and then bus back to our resort. It's a relaxing day!

Where there's a will- there's a way- especially at WDW!

 

[tampabrad]

I am not sure if they still do this, but when I worked at CRS we would ask when you planned on arriving. That time would go into the system and the resort would TRY to have the room ready. Of course with no guarentee. It doesn't hurt to let them know ahead of time (when you book, not when you are on the road.)

Disney and other hotels are there to make your stay as comfortable as possible, but situations such as a full resort may prohibit you getting into your resort earlier than the posted check in time.

 

[Champion]

So my question is, have any of you ever called from the road and told them you will be there in a few hours and to please have the room ready? Is that too tacky or gauche? I thought what I might do is call that morning after we check out of our motel and hit the road for the final few hours, and tell them my ETA and request my room to be ready ASAP. Just wondered if that was considered acceptable or not? :shrug:

I'm reasonably sure you physically have to be there for them to process your check in.

 

[nckid110]

Isn't this where Disney's Magic Express comes into play? Because their supposed to put your bags in the room for you so shouldn't they still do that even if its before check in?

 

[shoppingnut]

Isn't this where Disney's Magic Express comes into play? Because their supposed to put your bags in the room for you so shouldn't they still do that even if its before check in?

IF the room is available, if not the bags are held until the room is ready.

 

[shoppingnut]

I see that you are going/went in April and that is a very busy time since it's Spring Break/Easter, so most likely they have had and will have 100% occupancy the night before.

I've gone many times and most of the time my room is ready, but it depends on the time of year.

 

[jjgoo]

I agree with Eyekimore. Since you will be driving you will have all your bags and belongings with you already. As long as your wife doesn't mind hanging out at the pool you both can use the hotel bathrooms to freshen up and change and then go on to whatever you want to do.

Even if your wife wanted to take a nap she could likely rest near one of the quiet pools without much of a problem.

I got in at 8am one time. Checked in and checked my bags with the bell service and went off to the parks. When I got to my room later that afternoon there was my bag waiting for me. They really do try to make it easy for you to go do what you like if your room is not ready.

Keep your plans, just change your plan of action.

 

[littlered]

last year we arrived at POR at noon and they had a room ready for us, however it was in the back of the resort. We like to be close to the main building so we requested another room location, which they gladly gave us. but, we did have to wait until after three to get our room number to be able to enter the room.
Good luck!

 

[svickersart]

I've arrived early twice, once at Pop and the other at Allstar Sports, before noon and both times been able to get our room. I also do Disneyland much more often and its always hit and miss with any hotel/motel if you can get in early. One thing you can do is add a night to your stay, itll cost you another night but since your paying for it the room should be avalible when you arrive at any time. You mentioned calling when you left your motel in the morning, didnt say where you were starting from though, you could always skip the motel the night before and drive longer and arrive earlier. If you pay for that extra night at Disney instead of somewhere else and arrive in the middle of the night you can sleep a few hours and head to the water park while your wife relax's at the resort. Often when I go to Disneyland (I'm 400 plus miles away) I sleep in the afternoon before I leave, I leave Sacramento around 10:30 at night, miss LA traffic early in the morning and arrive well before the parks open. I had a place that always let me in my room ealy so I would nap for an hour and freshen up then hit the parks all day. Last trip when I arrived they told me they were booked and I couldnt get into my room until after 3:00. (they had changed hands and brands since my last stay) I had stayed there enough times to know they were not full, to many empty spaces in the parking lot for booked solid.
Steve

 

[raven]

We got in our room in May at 10:30AM with no problem. The CM at the desk called to see if it was ready and it was. Maybe you were there during a busy week.

 

[big stitch]

the past four times we have stayed at akl and we haven't been able to check in until 3pm. this year we are staying at poly and we will be getting there around 7am but i don't see us checking in until 3pm.

 

[sbkline]

You mentioned calling when you left your motel in the morning, didnt say where you were starting from though, you could always skip the motel the night before and drive longer and arrive earlier. If you pay for that extra night at Disney instead of somewhere else and arrive in the middle of the night you can sleep a few hours and head to the water park while your wife relax's at the resort.

We live in Mattoon, IL and for this trip, we left Mattoon around 6:30 AM Central Time and we stopped at a motel just over the FL state line around 10:30 PM Eastern Time. I'm assumming we would be on roughly the same timetable next time around. We got up that morning and drove another 4 hours or so, so I just don't see us holding out another 4 hours the night before after driving such a distance already. LOL

However, like I said, it's 10 months out and the plan can change alot in that amount of time. Heck it seems like it's changing every day already. Right now, I'm considering ditching the Disney theme parks altogether except for one day, and using the other days to do Sea World, Bush Gardens and both Universal parks. If we did that, we would have plenty of time that week for the water park without worrying about doing it on check in day.