Room Availability for Late Check In??

[DDuck66]

We are going to WDW for my DW's Birthday next week. We plan on driving over on Wed night after she gets off work (7 PM). That will put us in around 8:30 PM. Everytime we have had a late check in, we have not gotten any of our special requests. I can go over around 3:00PM and check in and then go back and pick her up after I have gotten our room. I CANNOT stand having the double beds...I really need the queen. We have Preferred Rooms Reserved and they are already completely paid for. Should I go early??

[Strmchsr]

Why not stay off site the first night and arrive extra early on the morning of your first day? However, they do room assignments 2-3 days before you arrive so timing won't matter as to where you're assigned. The only thing arriving early does is allow you to request a change to a different room if you don't like you're assignment, but I've been hearing that they are more and more reluctant to change assignments.

[DDuck66]

Why not stay off site the first night and arrive extra early on the morning of your first day? However, they do room assignments 2-3 days before you arrive so timing won't matter as to where you're assigned. The only thing arriving early does is allow you to request a change to a different room if you don't like you're assignment, but I've been hearing that they are more and more reluctant to change assignments.

We only live about an hour and a half away, so we could just check in on Thursday morning. Originally the DW was supposed to get off early that day, but now she can not and we have already paid for the room. I guess I will just check in about 8PM and hope for the best.

[TheRustyScupper]

1) Values and Mods have 2-double beds or a King.
2) Deluxes have 2-queens or a king.
3) Unfortuately, the later you arrive ths greater chance others have your preferences.
4) When you check-in, you can change rooms.
5) Many people do this.
6) If your requests are too many or too specific, you get ripped.

[mouseketeer mom]

We checked into the CR late over a year ago. It was about 8:30 when we checked in. My room requests were not met, and they couldn't change us that night. They advised the later you check in, the less availability if you want a switch. We ended up loving our room anyway, and didn't switch out the next day.

[MNNHFLTX]

I agree that your room options may be more limited the later you check in, due to CM's shuffling around assignments earlier in the day. As the previous poster said, if you don't like the room you get Wednesday night, you can always switch to a different room Thursday morning.

[lockedoutlogic]

I agree that your room options may be more limited the later you check in, due to CM's shuffling around assignments earlier in the day. As the previous poster said, if you don't like the room you get Wednesday night, you can always switch to a different room Thursday morning.

It goes deeper than this.....

by 8 o'clock at night.....under most normal circumstances.....all the WDW resorts will be down to somewhere in the 10-35 reservations left to check in range.....sometimes much lower.....

you're talking about resorts that vary in size from about 800 rooms to 3200....

with those small numbers of rooms left to check in....out of such a large pool (assuming close to capacity....as most WDW resorts run year round).... there is not alot of selection left....

It is also possible that you may have had your requested rooms a day or two before check in....or even earlier in the day......but one of two headache scenarios for the RAs happened:

1. Somebody complained....or more likely 20 people complained....and the rooms were shuffled and the blocks were blown 50 times
2. Frontline CMs....particularly the morning ones.....just swapped the rooms because they've been doing it for 20 years and like to give out the "good" rooms so they can feel like heros.....


long story short (too late)....there is no substitute for early checkins.....it still gives you a much better chance of getting options and choices

[mrmcgiv]

That is all good to know. I bet that was our porblem on our 2 trips. We checked in at about 3 - 4:00pm and each time we got a bad room selection - nothing like we had requested.

[EeyoresBestFriend]

This does not bode well for us as we have to check in around midnight!
I guess we'll have to take our chances and still remember ~ we are in WDW.
Has anyone every had hassle when asking to change rooms the next day?

[Magic Smiles]

Our last two checkins were around noon. Neither time did we get any of our requests fulfilled, nor would they change the room assignment.

[MNNHFLTX]

Our last two checkins were around noon. Neither time did we get any of our requests fulfilled, nor would they change the room assignment.

Sorry to hear about that. CM's have always been amenable to showing us what rooms are still available at check in and moving us, if need be. Maybe the front desk personnel just didn't feel like doin the extra legwork when you were checking in on those particular dates.

[sndral]

Or maybe there's been a change in policy about reassigning rooms for early check ins and leaving left overs for late arrivals. Wonder if any cm's could enlighten us.