Late Hotel Arrivals- does it effect your room?

[MissErikaRae]

I'm just wondering if people have had experiences of arriving to your hotel later in the day and having that effect on your room. I read in another thread that if you arrive later in the day the "preferred" rooms get taken by those guest. When I say preferred, I don't mean rooms labeled as preferred but just room locations that people prefer (near an elevator, high floor, etc).

Thank you all in advance for your wisdom

 

[lovelygirl1975]

Well, we have arrived at 8 a.m. and as late as 4 p.m. and we have gotten our request each time. So I guess it just depends on whats available at the hotel for the time you are going to be there. We have been pretty lucky.

 

[dansdad]

Rooms are assigned 2-3 prior to your arrival so when you actually get there doesn't matter.

 

[addiln]

The rooms are assigned a couple days in advance so the time you arrive will not effect that. Also with the online check in and skipping the front desk now once they are assigned they are pretty much set. If someone complains about the room they have they will try to accommodate if possible. When you request a room near the elevator or high floor it is just a request and no guarantee.

 

[HM2012Butler]

Rooms are assigned 2-3 prior to your arrival so when you actually get there doesn't matter.

This is correct. However, by getting there earlier (if your room is ready) you have the opportunity to check your room for any issues and be moved if need be. If a resort is at capacity and you check in later in the day, there may not be as much flexibility. But like I said, Dansdad is correct. Rooms are assigned ahead of time.

 

[Disneylover99]

Rooms are assigned 2-3 prior to your arrival so when you actually get there doesn't matter.

If you get there earlier, you have a better chance of changing rooms if you're not happy with your room assignment. If you get there later, there's a chance that someone could have bumped you out of your assigned room.

I think arrival time does matter.

 

[MissErikaRae]

If you get there earlier, you have a better chance of changing rooms if you're not happy with your room assignment. If you get there later, there's a chance that someone could have bumped you out of your assigned room.

I think arrival time does matter.

You've brought up my exact concern. I'm well aware rooms are assigned in advance but if people switch rooms your "assigned" room can be pulled for someone else. So I would think arriving later would matter.

Our flight lands at 5pm so by the time we get down to the resort it'll be later in the evening.

 

[maxiesmom]

I have found arrival time does matter. Twice I was bumped from my preferred room to a standard room location. And when I have flown in late at night my rooms have ended up farther out in whatever resort I was staying at.

 

[Disneylover99]

You've brought up my exact concern. I'm well aware rooms are assigned in advance but if people switch rooms your "assigned" room can be pulled for someone else. So I would think arriving later would matter.

Our flight lands at 5pm so by the time we get down to the resort it'll be later in the evening.

If we're staying at a resort for two weeks, room assignment is really important to me. The good news is you can try to switch to another room location the next day. It's a PITA, because you need to be out of your room by 11am and you may not get your 2nd room till late afternoon, but it's possible. For short trips, I try to just go with the flow and accept my room assignment.

 

[OnceUponATime15]

We've experienced both no problem and an unhappy surprise when checking in late.

We had one stay at the YC where we arrived at 1:50am for a 5 night stay. The CM at check took forever at the computer & with our magic bands. We finally got on our way & headed to our room, it was about as far from the lobby as you could get without being considered a Beach Club guest... lol. Our MBs would not open the door, hike back to the desk where a different CM says it's probably still linked to your other room. I explain that we have just arrived at WDW and there has been no other room yet this trip. He looks confused for a split second and I ask if we had been assigned a different room which somehow had been changed. I then ask if there is anything closer to the lobby. The answer, nothing available due to the Villans Weekend happening at HS and the Resort is fully booked. There had been another room attached to our file. This was born out by our checkout statement, it showed room 3177 for our arrival night and room 4236 for the other 4 nights.

Our MBs kept reverting back to the original room daily the entire stay and we spent a good chunk of time at the desk getting them reset, they'd work for everything but our room door.

And to add insult to injury - I went to the desk with my statement on our last day & asked where 3177 is located - 3rd floor over the back entrance with a full view of the lagoon and SAB. A far cry from our standard roof top view in 4236. We had been upgraded & lost it! We didn't realize it until that last day.

(it did work out for future trips - I've requested to be close to the lobby & added "near room 3177 if possible" and gotten my request!)

 

[mickeynut1]

I'm just wondering if people have had experiences of arriving to your hotel later in the day and having that effect on your room. I read in another thread that if you arrive later in the day the "preferred" rooms get taken by those guest. When I say preferred, I don't mean rooms labeled as preferred but just room locations that people prefer (near an elevator, high floor, etc).

Thank you all in advance for your wisdom

We have arrived at all times of the day from early morning to late at night (after midnight) and have always gotten great rooms (as well as any requests met).

 

[Disneylover99]

We've experienced both no problem and an unhappy surprise when checking in late.

We had one stay at the YC where we arrived at 1:50am for a 5 night stay. The CM at check took forever at the computer & with our magic bands. We finally got on our way & headed to our room, it was about as far from the lobby as you could get without being considered a Beach Club guest... lol. Our MBs would not open the door, hike back to the desk where a different CM says it's probably still linked to your other room. I explain that we have just arrived at WDW and there has been no other room yet this trip. He looks confused for a split second and I ask if we had been assigned a different room which somehow had been changed. I then ask if there is anything closer to the lobby. The answer, nothing available due to the Villans Weekend happening at HS and the Resort is fully booked. There had been another room attached to our file. This was born out by our checkout statement, it showed room 3177 for our arrival night and room 4236 for the other 4 nights.

Our MBs kept reverting back to the original room daily the entire stay and we spent a good chunk of time at the desk getting them reset, they'd work for everything but our room door.

And to add insult to injury - I went to the desk with my statement on our last day & asked where 3177 is located - 3rd floor over the back entrance with a full view of the lagoon and SAB. A far cry from our standard roof top view in 4236. We had been upgraded & lost it! We didn't realize it until that last day.

(it did work out for future trips - I've requested to be close to the lobby & added "near room 3177 if possible" and gotten my request!)

Ouch! That hurts. Knowing you originally had a great room assignment and lost it.

 

[OnceUponATime15]

Ouch! That hurts. Knowing you originally had a great room assignment and lost it.

It was prob a good thing I didn't know til checkout! lol.

 

[dansdad]

If you get there earlier, you have a better chance of changing rooms if you're not happy with your room assignment. If you get there later, there's a chance that someone could have bumped you out of your assigned room.

I think arrival time does matter.

The prevalence of that happening has greatly diminished with the advent of the Bypass The Front Desk. Once the Room Ready Text goes out, that room is not allowed to be reassigned to someone else. And to avoid missing the fact that a text has already gone out, they will now only give someone a different room if that room is unassigned for that day.

This is a change to how it used to be.

 

[Disneylover99]

The prevalence of that happening has greatly diminished with the advent of the Bypass The Front Desk. Once the Room Ready Text goes out, that room is not allowed to be reassigned to someone else. And to avoid missing the fact that a text has already gone out, they will now only give someone a different room if that room is unassigned for that day.

This is a change to how it used to be.

Yeah, but because I never receive the bypass text, and many others do, it's more important then ever for me to arrive early.

 

[dansdad]

Yeah, but because I never receive the bypass text, and many others do, it's more important then ever for me to arrive early.

Actually, it's not as important as it was in the past. Even if you don't receive the room ready text, with the new Bypass The Front Desk program in place they are only allowed to chose from unassigned rooms. Your room will not be assigned to someone else no matter what time you get there.

Okay, maybe in some extreme situation it's still possible to have your room assigned to someone else. But it is the absolute last resort, unlike in the past.

 

[AngiTN]

The prevalence of that happening has greatly diminished with the advent of the Bypass The Front Desk. Once the Room Ready Text goes out, that room is not allowed to be reassigned to someone else. And to avoid missing the fact that a text has already gone out, they will now only give someone a different room if that room is unassigned for that day.

This is a change to how it used to be.

And while I have no idea if it truly makes a different or not, I always put an earlier time on my arrival time, if we are arriving late. That way, they do send a room ready text before I arrive. So far, I've gotten my text prior to arrival each time. I know it's not a guarantee but I figure it can't hurt

 

[Disneylover99]

Actually, it's not as important as it was in the past. Even if you don't receive the room ready text, with the new Bypass The Front Desk program in place they are only allowed to chose from unassigned rooms. Your room will not be assigned to someone else no matter what time you get there.

Okay, maybe in some extreme situation it's still possible to have your room assigned to someone else. But it is the absolute last resort, unlike in the past.

This is great news! I had no idea. Is this just a benefit of completing online check in?

 

[dansdad]

This is great news! I had no idea. Is this just a benefit of completing online check in?

Sort of. But it's more a result from the start of the Bypass The Front Desk program.

 

[Disneylover99]

Sort of. But it's more a result from the start of the Bypass The Front Desk program.

But what about Canadians or other international visitors who cannot bypass the front desk. I know our rooms are still preassigned, but I would imagine it would be easy to switch us out since we'd never know.