How early is the earliest you've been allowed to check in?

[Missy_May]

Our friends may be joining us for our October vacation and would be coming in on a red-eye flight. I know you can request early check-in, but how early is the earliest you've been allowed to check in?

 

[Mr Ferret 75]

I heard you can check in any time you want but you can never leave ...

 

[nickys]

You can check in from around 6am I think. That’s when the systems turn over to the next day. But if you turn up earlier you could still he k your bags with bell services and rest in a chair somewhere.

Whether your room would be ready then is another question. Unlikely, but possible I guess.

 

[dreamfinder]

Check In isn't the same as getting into your room. Early AM they should be able to check in, but odds of getting your room much earlier than 10 or 11 is pretty slim. Check In time is 3 (or 4 I can't recall) and they need to turn the room over from the previous guest. There is a chance that you would be assigned to a room that was empty the previous night, but WDW has pretty high occupancy levels so most rooms are occupied.

 

[Master Yoda]

Check In isn't the same as getting into your room. Early AM they should be able to check in, but odds of getting your room much earlier than 10 or 11 is pretty slim. Check In time is 3 (or 4 I can't recall) and they need to turn the room over from the previous guest. There is a chance that you would be assigned to a room that was empty the previous night, but WDW has pretty high occupancy levels so most rooms are occupied.

This^^^

You can check in and store your luggage quite early, but when you can get into the room is an absolute crap shoot.

If you will be getting it at something like 2 -3 AM and want access to your room as soon as you arrive, you will need to book an additional day and do a late check in.

 

[LeighM]

At online check in, I will put an early check in time where they ask for it. The earliest I've gotten to my room is 9am. That was when we were driving. I think the earliest we got a room assignment when flying was 1pm.

 

[Tony the Tigger]

We have had a couple of “room ready“ texts around 9 AM in the last year.

 

[ppet]

When driving down and arriving early, I have gotten my room as early as 7am once. Most of the time it's been early afternoon before my room was ready.

 

[Weather_Lady]

We always do online check-in ahead of time and designate when we expect to arrive. As far as room readiness:

When we've stayed in moderate resorts, we've arrived between 8am and 10am and had a room ready 50% of the time. (The other 50% of the time, it wasn't ready until mid-to-late afternoon, several hours after we got to the hotel.)

When we've rented DVC points and stayed in deluxes, our room was ready at the 4pm "check-in time" only once, and never earlier than that.

We've also found the "notification of room-readiness" system to be pretty spotty. Sometimes we get a "room ready" text by the allotted time, but about 50% of the time, we never get one, and have to inquire personally at the resort, only to find out that our room has been ready for hours... YMMV.

 

[Sirwalterraleigh]

The system rolls at around 2 in the morning...so anytime after that you can check in.

If the question is: when can I get my room?

Then obey these rules:
1. There is absolutely no way to guarantee that...anyone sharing stories to the contrary are merely anecdotal.
2. They won’t accomodate you no matter what the tale/case.

Everyone should know what the realities are and if you luck out - so be it.

 

[Kristopher Rannells]

We arrive early on most trips, usually checking in between 7-8 AM. Checked in at 6:30 once. We have only gotten our room 1 time out of at least 8 times when checking in before Noon at that was around 8:00. All the other times we leave our luggage with bell services and come back to the room around 5:00. We've also been very fortunate that our luggage has gotten to our room within 15-20 minutes every time. I'm not sure if it matters or not, but this has always been at 1 of the deluxe resorts.

 

[Minnie Mum]

I always understood that the roll over time for the new day was just before 6am. At any rate, we often check in between 7-7:30. A few times our rooms have been ready for us. The rest of the time we leave our bags with luggage services and head to a park. If you arrive in the wee hours of the morning, you would have needed a reservation for the previous night in order to get into your room.

 

[Rob562]

I always understood that the roll over time for the new day was just before 6am. At any rate, we often check in between 7-7:30. A few times our rooms have been ready for us. The rest of the time we leave our bags with luggage services and head to a park. If you arrive in the wee hours of the morning, you would have needed a reservation for the previous night in order to get into your room.

The earliest that Disney will guarantee their overnight processes are done and they can check you in is 7am. If the overnights are done before that then great. But don't base all your plans on it.

-Rob

 

[aw14]

I received a text back in 2015 that our room at the Poly was ready while we were still sitting at the airport in Philly at 6am.

However, never before nor after has anything been earlier than 1-2pm for us.

 

[Disneyfreak Jen]

I got a room once, maybe twice, at 9:15. I never depend on the room being ready, I always plan to drop my bags with the bellhops and start having a magical day! I fly, usually land about 8:20 am and take ME.

 

[JoMarch]

Years ago I was allowed into my room earlier - like 10am. Lately, over the last 3 or more, I just go into a park and wait for the "your room is ready" text.

 

[DisneyGigi]

We have checked in several times around 7:00 am arrival day. The latest our room was ready was noon. I always note that we get there early.

 

[CCSkipper]

I took a red eye on a last minute trip (booked on a Monday, arrived on a Thursday) to POR in mid July and my room was ready to go by 6 am! I was planning on leaving luggage with them and returning later in the day, but it was a magical surprise. I don't recall even mentioning that we were arriving early, but we lucked out. I'm know that's not the norm, but it can happen.

 

[crxbrett]

I always fly red-eyes now and usually arrive at my resort between 6 and 7am. The earliest I have ever had a room ready was 7:00am at the Poly one year. Last year my room was ready at 11:30am.

I never count on my room being ready when I arrive or even at Noon. I see it as being a nice little bonus if it does become available before 3pm, but I don't ever expect it.

 

[crxbrett]

We have checked in several times around 7:00 am arrival day. The latest our room was ready was noon. I always note that we get there early.

This has been my experience when checking in at 6am, too. The room is usually ready by noon at the latest. I think it also helps depending on the day of the week you check-in.