Early Check In... Will I get a cabin early?

[butterflymouse]

I’m checking in on January 22, which is a Monday. How likely will it be for me to get a cabin if I check in around 12 or 1 pm? Will I be lucky since it’s a slower time or is it really rare for a cabin to be ready before the 3pm check in time?

 

[loves to dive]

I've not stayed in the cabins but have stayed in just about all the resorts at WDW, I always request early check in as we arrive between 1 and 3 and tend to do split stays so check into resort two around 7:30 am. I've had my room ready around 1:30 once and had a room ready at BWV at 7:30 once. Other than that my rooms have been ready between 3:30 and 5:30.

 

[CrankyDad]

Nobody can really tell you that. You can’t get a room/cabin if they are full and then you have to wait till they are cleaned.

Always assume 3pm or later. You can store your items, and hit the parks!

 

[bama_ed]

On a Monday afternoon in late January it's probable you can get a cabin early. As long as it's not a holiday weekend like the MLK the week before your date. As long as you're not picky as to location, there should be one out of the many at the Fort that is ready for you.

But you can use the early check-in link on the MDE site which comes available 60 days before check-in and specify an arrival time. If you left a CC for the room/cabin balance (or if it's already paid in full) then you will get a text when your cabin is available hopefully around that time or sooner.

You never know for sure but I'd say your odds are better than 50-50.

Bama Ed

 

[Cotillard]

I'm arriving on a Monday also (Jan. 8), and hope to pull in around 1pm. I've done on-line check-in and put 1:00pm as my arrival time and,
under "Room Location Requests" I selected "Near Transportation" but also checked the box by "Arriving early? Check here if having your room ready for early arrival is a higher priority than any of the requests you have selected.", which I think negates the location request... I will let you know how it goes for me.

With online check-in I have had very good luck getting a room "early" at some of the other resorts in recent visits

 

[bhartman]

We’re arriving on Jan 22nd also! Our flight lands at 8:15am. Our plan is to head to Fort Wilderness and ask them to hold our bags for us and then go to Epcot for a few hours (11:30 to 5:00). Then we can come back and get settled in.

 

[butterflymouse]

Seems like the odds could be slightly in my favor, but I’ll prepare to have to wait till 3. We have our dog, so we can’t just leave our car and luggage at the fort and go to the parks because we can’t leave her behind until we can settle her into the cabin. I guess we’ll play it by ear. Some of us might go to Epcot while some hang out at the Fort if need be.

 

[Cotillard]

Seems like the odds could be slightly in my favor, but I’ll prepare to have to wait till 3. We have our dog, so we can’t just leave our car and luggage at the fort and go to the parks because we can’t leave her behind until we can settle her into the cabin. I guess we’ll play it by ear. Some of us might go to Epcot while some hang out at the Fort if need be.

We will have our two dogs as well. If our cabin isn't ready, we will just take a nice long walk. Which reminds me - I need to remember to take ponchos or raincoats!

 

[butterflymouse]

We will have our two dogs as well. If our cabin isn't ready, we will just take a nice long walk. Which reminds me - I need to remember to take ponchos or raincoats!

That sounds like a good plan. We’ll have to look at a map of dog approved areas to see where we can hang out a bit.