Checking in at a Disney Hotel

[kf2003]

Hi! This is my first post in this forum, although I've been reading everyone else's posts for a few months and have gotten MANY, MANY useful tips for my upcoming trip! Thank you everyone!

My question is this- My DH and I booked the FTP at the Carribean Beach Resort for 9/14-9/21. We will be driving down and staying with relatives in Daytona on 9/12 and 9/13. I thought on 9/14, we'd get up early, and head over to Orlando, since it's only 1 1/2 hours away. Are we entitled to a full day at the park this day? I know we can not check-in until 3pm, but can we pre-register, or something, so that day is not wasted, or are we not allowed to go to the parks until after 3?

I'm sorry if this question has been posed already in the forum, or seems really simple... I haven't been to WDW in almost 10 years, and was with a High School trip then, so have never been as an adult, and just want to know the rules.

Thank you very much.

 

[Ijones88]

:wave: You can go to the hotel early and check-in and they will hold all your luggage for you till your room is ready. Sometimes your room will be ready early. We've gotten into our rooms sometimes at 11am!!! We're annual passholders so we dont buy the packages just rooms only so I dont know if you can go to the parks early, but I would imagine if you check in early that day your tickets would be given to you at that time and you can head to the parks and come back in the afternoon to get into your room, take a dip in the pools and then head back to the parks!!! Hope this helps!!

 

[Yellow Shoes]

You're gonna like this answer!

Your Ultimate Park Hoppers are good from midnight of check-in day to midnight of check-out day.

Official check in time of the hotels, as you know, is 3 PM.

However, you can go to the hotel anytime on the 14th and get your park passes.

If there is an available room, you may be able to check in. If not, you can check in later in the day. You can leave your bags with bellservices, or you could just leave them in the car.

What I would do: Plan on getting to Orlando about an hour before the opening of the park you want to visit first. That willgive you plenty of time to get to the hotel and get your passes, and plenty of time to hit the parks. There might even be time for breakfast.

MK first thing in the morning is awesome!

 

[jordanyosh]

My family will be there at the same time. We are staying at the BWV. Hope you have a good time.

Everyone else already answered your question, so welcome to WDWMagic......:wave:

 

[DisneyPhD]

HI, I highly recomend checking in early. This way you get the best possible room. (the good rooms go 1st) Once when staying at BCV we had to change rooms during the trip (to a bigger room) I went down to the front desk a 7:30 am (hey I was up anyway) and our room was ready then. We always get there by 11:30 and only once in 8 trips was our room not ready then.


Have a great trip.

 

[wdwforus]

We stayed at the CB in April of 02. In my opinion I would get there more than an hour before the parks open. If you have never been to Disney before you are going to need time to get your berrings. I f you have been before than you wont need quite so much time but better safe than sorry. If you are at the gate of the MK when it first opens which should be 8:30-9( I cant remember whne it actually opens) you will be able to hit a couple of the big rides and then call th CB to see if your room is ready. Ours was ready at 11. Then you can go back, get into your room, have a nice lunch and check out the hotel, maybe even go for a swim. Then go back to a park and enjoy it till closing. I would stringly suggest to get as much for your money as possible. With only 7 possible days to see everything you might wish you had made more of your first day. Then later on if you have bad weather one day you could use that as a day to catch your breath and relax.

 

[kf2003]

:sohappy:

Thank you everyone for your suggestions! Based on all of your input, I think we will leave Daytona between 7-8 and get to disney between 8 and 9. My schedule says we were planning on doing Epcot that day, and it doesn't open until 9, so I we should be ok. (my husband thinks I am too organized, because I have a detailed calendar all marked out with what park to do what day, early magic hours, opinions on most crowds which day, our PS reservations, and park hours, etc. He's never been to Disney! Even though it's been a while for me, I know you need to have a game plan!)

So, thank you very much! Can't wait for my trip!

 

[Momx3]

You can never be too organized going to Disney. I bought a pack big enough to hold my Passporter because I did everything you mentioned and wrote it in there. My family is so happy I've taken charge of the trip planning. It's something I love to do. We arrive the day you leave. Have a great trip!