Check in online or at the resort?

Sparkle81

Sparkle81

Well-Known Member
Original Poster
Thank you everyone for all of your great information and feedback. Always know I can get awesome advice from you guys :D

I think I'll stick with checking in at the resort this time, and maybe look at checking in online when we go back next year.
Thanks again for all of your advice :)
 
LucyK

LucyK

Well-Known Member
My biggest problem right now is that you NEED to make OC to personalize your magic bands and make FP selections. It kinda of sucks because I'd rather wait and do the check in at the resort but I refuse to have a plain gray band so OC it is.
 
disneygirl1

disneygirl1

Well-Known Member
I personally prefer the online check in. Last few times I checking in online and arrived at AKL they greeted me with an ipad in hand, told me to have a seat grabbed my welcome packet and I was on my way in minutes.
 
allidog1

allidog1

Active Member
LucyK said:
My biggest problem right now is that you NEED to make OC to personalize your magic bands and make FP selections. It kinda of sucks because I'd rather wait and do the check in at the resort but I refuse to have a plain gray band so OC it is.
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You don't have to do online check in to get personalized magic bands you just have to have your reservation linked to your online account.
 
LucyK

LucyK

Well-Known Member
allidog1 said:
You don't have to do online check in to get personalized magic bands you just have to have your reservation linked to your online account.
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That's not what was being reported on other threads though. I've read reports of personalization and even FP+ options being available just after OC was completed. I hope your experience is the norm and not the exception.

Either way I still have over 300 days to have a final answer so I'm good!
 
allidog1

allidog1

Active Member
LucyK said:
That's not what was being reported on other threads though. I've read reports of personalization and even FP+ options being available just after OC was completed. I hope your experience is the norm and not the exception.

Either way I still have over 300 days to have a final answer so I'm good!
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I personally was able to personalize the magic bands without have to do online check in but was not able to do FP+
 
BuddyThomas

BuddyThomas

Well-Known Member
LucyK said:
That's not what was being reported on other threads though. I've read reports of personalization and even FP+ options being available just after OC was completed. I hope your experience is the norm and not the exception.

Either way I still have over 300 days to have a final answer so I'm good!
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For us, they sent me an email saying that I had been chosen for the Magic Bands trial in September, and we got to personalize them online in advance of arrival. And we did not do online check in. The personalization is no big whoop. All you get to pick is the color, and your name is on the underside of it.

BUT----- they send them to you in a really cool gift box prior to your trip. At least they did with me. I couldn't believe Disney would spend that kind of money, but they did . I bet they will back away from this in the future but anyway, it's a very cool package while it lasts.

And we were able to check in at the regular counter with little wait and they activated our bands immediately.

I will close by saying that Disney Magic Bands were in trial when we went and they did a terrible glitch with me and charged me twice each time I used the band, and when I checked out, heading to Universal, I had $9.74 in my bank account. My friend had to pay for the rest of the trip until Disney corrected their mistake and I was literally broke for almost the entire end of my Orlando trip.

So, just be careful and monitor your band activity daily.
 
agorna

agorna

Well-Known Member
jkl2000 said:
Online check in doesn't have anything to do with getting customized MB or FP+ reservations. I have both and haven't done online checking.
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likewise..just got back from wdw.. didn't do online check in and was still allowed to customize my bands and pick my fastpasses
 
Weather_Lady

Weather_Lady

Well-Known Member
Sometimes it's a timesaver and sometimes it's not. We've typically found that our check-in procedure at the resort goes faster with online checkin. However, there's only one line at the checkin area for online folks and several for "traditional" onsite checkin guests, so if the person ahead of you in the online checkin line runs into problems, you may be waiting longer. Last time we checked in at PORS, there were 50 people in the regular line and 1 person in the online checkin line. We thought we'd hit the jackpot. However, the guest in front of us was needy, clueless and demanding, and kept asking the CM question after question and having her change things around. We waited 10 minutes until she finally decided that she'd had enough attention to make her happy. It was still a shorter wait than if we'd had to use the regular line, but just barely! :)

EDITED TO ADD: Most users of online check-in, however, tend to be more sophisticated or experienced WDW guests, who won't have a lot of questions when checking in. I think the lady ahead of us was an aberration.
 
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aladdin2007

aladdin2007

Well-Known Member
When you use online checkin, does it show your room requests you made on the phone and or are you able to add them in again if it does not to make sure? I would like to try online checkin but would hate to get in the middle of it and then be stuck in the process if there is not an area to make sure about room requests. Thanks!
 
stevehousse

stevehousse

Well-Known Member
They give u options for room requests when u do online check in. I find their option do somewhat match what u want, but I wish there was a spot to "write" in requests as well instead of just clicking water view, or ground floor, etc. the system will let u choose 2 requests.
 
aladdin2007

aladdin2007

Well-Known Member
stevehousse said:
They give u options for room requests when u do online check in. I find their option do somewhat match what u want, but I wish there was a spot to "write" in requests as well instead of just clicking water view, or ground floor, etc. the system will let u choose 2 requests.
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Thanks! Yeah I would like to write in an area as well, since we chose the bayou's section at POR. So hmm will have to think on this lol.
 
stevehousse

stevehousse

Well-Known Member
There should be a bayou section to click. Teu usually will have te different areas of te resort u prefer to be in along with ground floor, near elevator, etc.
 
totaldisneygirl

totaldisneygirl

Active Member
I'm having a similar issue with this too as I am hoping to be upgraded to an MK view in the Contemporary Tower but do not know if I should do Online Check-In and then call in other requests or if I should just wait and check in at the desk.
 
peterpanic74

peterpanic74

Well-Known Member
additional question: I completed the online checkin process on the MDE website, but never received a confirmation email, and the "Check In Online" link is still active when I got to My Reservations. Did my check in not go through, or is this the normal proceedure? I would've thought that the status of my reservation would change to "Checked In" after doing so, but this is my first time using the Online method.
 
cw1982

cw1982

Well-Known Member
peterpanic74 said:
additional question: I completed the online checkin process on the MDE website, but never received a confirmation email, and the "Check In Online" link is still active when I got to My Reservations. Did my check in not go through, or is this the normal proceedure? I would've thought that the status of my reservation would change to "Checked In" after doing so, but this is my first time using the Online method.
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Mine looked like that when I did my online check in for our stay at the Pop a few weeks ago. I never did get a confirmation email or anything, and like you said, the MDE website still said "online check in is available." I think they do that to allow you to edit the details for your check in if you need to change the information. If you go back in, it should all be saved.
 

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