online check in...yes or no

agorna

Well-Known Member
Hey guys.. my october disneymoon is fast approaching and my online check in will be available in seven days... now im really torn about this... i've been going to disney for years now and i have never used online check-in and never really ran into any long lines or problems when i arrive at my resort..

this year my soon to be DH and i are staying at POFQ and checking in on October 12... we are really looking forward to this trip and I guess we are anxious to do online check in because it will make it seem like more progress towards the trip... which im all for... but im also anxious about it... we have reserved a king bed room and Disney has made note that we are celebrating our honeymoon/my fiances first time to the world.... disney has always made my "celebrations" special by either doing something for us at check in or decorating the room a little... If we do online check in.. do we risk not getting those lil extras? I also wanted my key to the world card (if they havent completely changed over to the band by then) to say my new married name on it so we can put it in a scrapbook later... im also worried i wont be able to change my name on my key card if we do online check in.. (our vacation package is currently reserved in my current last name and my name will not be legally changed by the time we get to disney as we are checking in the day after the wedding)


sorry if im rambling or if any of this doesnt make sense! i'd appreciate any feedback...
 

tare

Well-Known Member
It ended up being a nightmare for us a few years ago. Haven't tried it since. But I think I may give it a go on the next trip. Most people seem to have good luck with it.
 
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93boomer

Premium Member
We have been doing online check-in since it came out. We have not had a single problem with it and actually did bypass some long lines every time. Good luck!! You are there two days before we get there!!
 
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LuvtheGoof

DVC Guru
Premium Member
We have used it every time we go (usually 2 or 3 times a year) without incident, but we are in group 3 - the pros. Our only issue with on-line check-in are the people ahead of us that do it, and then have 50 questions and requests for the CM. Whaaaa??? ONLY do the on-line check-in if you don't have a bunch of long questions about everything under the sun, and you are just there to pick up your packet. Now, if you made room requests, and they were completely ignored, then by all means, ask about it, but please don't start asking about park tickets, and restaurants, etc. in the on-line check-in line. /rant over!
 
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disneygirl76

Carey Poppins - Nanny and Disney Enthusiest
Hey guys.. my october disneymoon is fast approaching and my online check in will be available in seven days... now im really torn about this... i've been going to disney for years now and i have never used online check-in and never really ran into any long lines or problems when i arrive at my resort..

this year my soon to be DH and i are staying at POFQ and checking in on October 12... we are really looking forward to this trip and I guess we are anxious to do online check in because it will make it seem like more progress towards the trip... which im all for... but im also anxious about it... we have reserved a king bed room and Disney has made note that we are celebrating our honeymoon/my fiances first time to the world.... disney has always made my "celebrations" special by either doing something for us at check in or decorating the room a little... If we do online check in.. do we risk not getting those lil extras? I also wanted my key to the world card (if they havent completely changed over to the band by then) to say my new married name on it so we can put it in a scrapbook later... im also worried i wont be able to change my name on my key card if we do online check in.. (our vacation package is currently reserved in my current last name and my name will not be legally changed by the time we get to disney as we are checking in the day after the wedding)


sorry if im rambling or if any of this doesnt make sense! i'd appreciate any feedback...

I felt the same way - I wanted someone to talk to. I wanted to double check all info. So when it came to our September trip last year, I didn't know if I should do the online check in. I was happy I did it. They had all our info ready and when I needed to confirm some things, and change things that I needed to. I would do online check in again. But I understand wanting the more personal attention at the check in process. I still feel you get that with the online check in.
 
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SMS55

Well-Known Member
We always use it and only once did they forgot the fridge when you had to request one. Regarding your requests, call ahead and make sure they are on the reservation. Sometimes making them online doesn't always pan out so well, but don't worry about online reservations. If you are going to have questions then go through the regular line.
 
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Bob

Bo0bi3$
Premium Member
Used it twice and it was (mostly) without issue. Last trip our CC did not link to our reservation when I did the online check-in. Aside from that, it's been great. I plan on doing it again with our upcoming trip.
 
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PolynesianPrincess

Well-Known Member
We've done it twice and both times our rooms were ready within an hour of us arriving (both times we arrived before 11am) Not sure if adding the time to the online check-in form of an early arrival time helped us get the early rooms or not.
 
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Master Yoda

Pro Star Wars geek.
Premium Member
We've done it twice and both times our rooms were ready within an hour of us arriving (both times we arrived before 11am) Not sure if adding the time to the online check-in form of an early arrival time helped us get the early rooms or not.
From my understanding it does. Another factor is your room requests. We rarely request anything and the number of times our room was ready upon arrival has gone up dramatically since online check in went gold.
 
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PolynesianPrincess

Well-Known Member
From my understanding it does. Another factor is your room requests. We rarely request anything and the number of times our room was ready upon arrival has gone up dramatically since online check in went gold.

Actually, I stand corrected we've used it 3 times. Once at WL we didn't have any requests and the room was ready right away. The other two times was at All Star Sports and once we requested Touchdown section, ground floor and the room was ready right away. The second time we requested Touchdown, ground floor, connecting with my aunts room and both rooms were ready within an hour of us checking in. So it seems like it does help! We used it for our check in at the Poly next month requesting ground floor, Tuvalu so we'll see if the room is ready then!
 
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JiminyandTink

Well-Known Member
I'm wondering how online check-in will affect those selected for myMagic testing (...still hoping I'll be selected!)

OP: I say go with the regular check-in due to the whole name-change request (other wise your cards will already be printed with the online check-in).
 
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Occasional Guest

Well-Known Member
We have used it and it worked well. I read somewhere that in addition to the online request, it's a good idea to fax your request to the attention of the front desk manager within a week of check in. I found the number online and faxed our request 2 days ahead of time. Not sure if it did anything but it made me feel more pro-active and the request was honored.
 
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Master Yoda

Pro Star Wars geek.
Premium Member
We have used it and it worked well. I read somewhere that in addition to the online request, it's a good idea to fax your request to the attention of the front desk manager within a week of check in. I found the number online and faxed our request 2 days ahead of time. Not sure if it did anything but it made me feel more pro-active and the request was honored.
The resorts no longer accept faxed requests. It might get looked at, but it will more than likely end up in the circular file. The best way to put a request on your reservation is still through the reservation center. Online requests are still evolving. If you see your request available when doing online check in, by all means select it, but start with having it on the reservation first.
 
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