Online Check In and Room Requests

Now that I'm really thinking back, I'll bet it was 2010 the last time I went back down to the front desk to change a room assignment (our windows were looking out at a bunch of parked construction equipment), so I guess I am not surprised that the policy has been changed since then. Thanks for the heads up.
I agree. I needed to change studios twice in the mid- to later 2000's - once at OKW bevause the bed was too high, once at SSR because the room wasn't accessible - and don't recall there being a charge. At least I was never told of one.
 
If you make your requests by calling prior to 5 days out and do the online check-in, wouldn’t WDW have that room locked in their system so that if someone checking in at front desk wanted that room, they wouldn’t get it because the on-line check-in took precedence? I’m thinking online check-in might be the safer bet if this is true. Then like an earlier poster said, go to front desk if you don’t like room assigned to request a new one
 
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If you make your requests by calling prior to 5 days out and do the online check-in, wouldn’t WDW have that room locked in their system so that if someone checking in at front desk wanted that room, they wouldn’t get it because the on-line check-in took precedence?

No. Until you are physically in your room they can still give it to someone else. There have been many reports of guests getting their room ready text with a room number, then getting another text later with a different room number. It has happened to us. Received 1st text at our home airport with room number, received a 2nd upon getting off the plane with a different room number and a 3rd on the Magical Express with our final room number.

With Online Check In you aren't actually checking in. I have said ever since Online Check In came about that it should be called Online Preregistration as that is what you're actually doing.
 
No. Until you are physically in your room they can still give it to someone else. There have been many reports of guests getting their room ready text with a room number, then getting another text later with a different room number. It has happened to us. Received 1st text at our home airport with room number, received a 2nd upon getting off the plane with a different room number and a 3rd on the Magical Express with our final room number.

With Online Check In you aren't actually checking in. I have said ever since Online Check In came about that it should be called Online Preregistration as that is what you're actually doing.
Oh. I didn’t know they would change your room number. I guess your best bet then is to get to the resort as early in the day as possible.
 


Oh. I didn’t know they would change your room number. I guess your best bet then is to get to the resort as early in the day as possible.

Not necessarily. We have gotten some of our favorite rooms after they've changed our original room or checked in late at night. What one person may think is an awesome location others may dislike. Not everyone has the same tastes.
 
If you make your requests by calling prior to 5 days out and do the online check-in, wouldn’t WDW have that room locked in their system so that if someone checking in at front desk wanted that room, they wouldn’t get it because the on-line check-in took precedence? I’m thinking online check-in might be the safer bet if this is true. Then like an earlier poster said, go to front desk if you don’t like room assigned to request a new one

I think there's some misinformation out there about what actually happens during online check-in. You're not selecting or reserving a specific room, and WDW's system does not select a room for you at that point. If you check off some requests during the online check-in process, that information is added to your reservation record. The same thing happens if you call in or fax in a request - it's added to your reservation record.

Then, several days before your arrival date, the room assigners will begin selecting rooms for guests arriving on your date. They will look at the requests in each guest's reservation record and take those into account when choosing a room for that guest.
 
I've had an issue the past 3 times I have put requests in when calling. When I make the reservation I put our requests in at that time. When I call to make room only payments the CM does not see the requests noted so I make them again. When I get to the resort they don't have the requests noted. Some where along the line they have disappeared which is why I go to the desk even if I do online check in.
 


It is not unusual for DVC villas to be 100% booked (depending on resort & season.) Thus, being able to move if you don’t like your assigned villa may not be possible.
We too have had room numbers change - most recently 2 years ago at AKV I had 3 texts with 3 different villa numbers pop up when I landed at MCO. Not sure what triggered all of those changes, but the first two weren’t what we’d reserved - the first was a studio not the 1 br. we had booked, the second was at Kidani when we were booked for Jambo, the third was the correct 1 br. at Jambo which we ended up in.
 
After hearing everyone's input, I think I'm just going to stick with checking in at the desk in person. We arrive early and will probably be at Boardwalk Villas no later than 10:45am. If your room assignment isn't made any early by checking in online, there is no point in me doing it. I doubt the check in desk is going to be jammed at that time of day on a Wednesday.

Thanks for the thoughts everyone!
 
Could I get a final round of opinion on the matter?

I don't want to spend $45 on a room cleaning fee if I do online check in and then have to go down and request a room change, but lets face it... $45 at Disney is less than I will spend on a quick service lunch for our family of four.
It would be worth the risk to me if the general opinion is that checking in online ahead of time presents a better chance of me getting my room requests satisfied.

I'm not going to hold anyone accountable for their opinion, just wondering what the consensus is as far as best chance. Then after the fact I can come back here and let everyone know what happened.

Thanks again!

We were at SSR on points from 5/11-5/14. We DID complete online check-in, and DH had called MS to indicate our request- top floor, Springs area. Our room assignment came through and we were not on the top floor. I decided I could live with it for 3 days but curiosity got the better of me. So, since we were already in the lobby headed to Bell Services, I asked "we have not yet been to the room, is it possible to change to the top floor?" We were told that we could change rooms but there would be a housekeeping fee. So, as of at least 5/11 the information concerning a fee to change rooms once a room has been assigned via online check-in is correct and current.

Checking in online vs. faxing vs. calling has never produced different results for me- generally one request is met but not the other. Once, both were met when I asked for top floor, near elevator. We were indeed on the top floor, near an elevator- just not the main elevator I was hoping for. A request is really just a request and at the end of the day the biggest factor in which requests are met is what rooms are available for your stay.

ETA: Checking in online has never resulted in me getting a room assignment early (YMMV- it does happen). When I have arrived earlier than indicated at online check-in, I have gone to the desk and asked if a room is available. Generally they have told me that a room is available but it does not meet one or both of my requests and they let me decide if I'd rather have the room ready now, or one of my requests met. DVC rooms are almost never available earlier than 4 PM.
 
Checking in online vs. faxing vs. calling has never produced different results for me

Thanks, I think that just reinforces my decision. ...And as others have said, DVC properties are so heavily booked now that getting your requests fulfilled is really just a crap shoot of who happens to be checking out the day you are checking in.
 
I agree. I needed to change studios twice in the mid- to later 2000's - once at OKW bevause the bed was too high, once at SSR because the room wasn't accessible - and don't recall there being a charge. At least I was never told of one.

The charge came about probably 8 -10 years ago. I am a person that can usually sweet talk my way out of about anything. (Have been pulled over many times with no ticket on my record yet.) But I sure couldn’t get out of paying that fee when we changed rooms a few years ago. From now on I check in at the desk, not online.
 
I agree. I needed to change studios twice in the mid- to later 2000's - once at OKW bevause the bed was too high, once at SSR because the room wasn't accessible - and don't recall there being a charge. At least I was never told of one.
The charge came about probably 8 -10 years ago. I am a person that can usually sweet talk my way out of about anything. (Have been pulled over many times with no ticket on my record yet.) But I sure couldn’t get out of paying that fee when we changed rooms a few years ago. From now on I check in at the desk, not online.
I'm not sure when the fee started either because the only time I've asked to switch when staying on points was a few weeks ago when I was told there would be a housekeeping fee (I didn't ask the amount, it was a 3 night stay and not a problem to be where we were). I'm mainly chiming in again to add that I would really, really hope in any case that if you need an accessible room they wouldn't charge you to be moved to one (but I know like many things Disney there is no guarantee).
 
I don't want to spend $45 on a room cleaning fee if I do online check in and then have to go down and request a room change, but lets face it... $45 at Disney is less than I will spend on a quick service lunch for our family of four.

It would be worth the risk to me if the general opinion is that checking in online ahead of time presents a better chance of me getting my room requests satisfied.
You will not have to spend the $45 as long as you don't "use" the room. Just do Online Check-in with no additional requests since your original requests are already documented, and also stop by the Front desk to see if the assigned room meets your group's requests. At the Front desk is where you want to try to make any changes before you actually go to the room and use it.

While your requests might be possible on your check in day, they may offer to move you to another room that would meet your requests. This is where you might be charged a $45 Cleaning fee.

It often comes down to what rooms are available on your Check in day regardless of what might have been assigned by the room assigner earlier.

Dave
 
You will not have to spend the $45 as long as you don't "use" the room. Just do Online Check-in with no additional requests since your original requests are already documented, and also stop by the Front desk to see if the assigned room meets your group's requests. At the Front desk is where you want to try to make any changes before you actually go to the room and use it.

While your requests might be possible on your check in day, they may offer to move you to another room that would meet your requests. This is where you might be charged a $45 Cleaning fee.

It often comes down to what rooms are available on your Check in day regardless of what might have been assigned by the room assigner earlier.

Dave
That was not the case they presented to us. We had not entered the room at all. We were told we would be charged anyhow because they have to send someone from housekeeping to check the room. Again, this was staying on points and having completed online check-in and being sent a room assignment via text/ MDE app.

Staying on cash, having completed online check-in and having received a room assignment via MDE app/ text and not having gone to the room yet (at Pop, a few weeks ago) we were moved at no charge. There's a difference between cash and DVC point stays.
 
That was not the case they presented to us. We had not entered the room at all. We were told we would be charged anyhow because they have to send someone from housekeeping to check the room. Again, this was staying on points and having completed online check-in and being sent a room assignment via text/ MDE app.
This appears to be a poorly trained Front Desk cast member. They can determine if you have entered the room without the need to send anyone to check the room. DVC, points or cash should work exactly as you indicated for you Pop stay.

Dave
 
You will not have to spend the $45 as long as you don't "use" the room. Just do Online Check-in with no additional requests since your original requests are already documented, and also stop by the Front desk to see if the assigned room meets your group's requests. At the Front desk is where you want to try to make any changes before you actually go to the room and use it.

While your requests might be possible on your check in day, they may offer to move you to another room that would meet your requests. This is where you might be charged a $45 Cleaning fee.

It often comes down to what rooms are available on your Check in day regardless of what might have been assigned by the room assigner earlier.

Dave

This is exactly what we did and we had to pay the fee. Are you talking about DVC rooms on points? That is what this discussion is about. Cash reservations are totally different. We booked a DVC room on points and did online check in. When they text the room was available and the room number we were actually just getting off Magical Express at OKW. We hadn’t been to the room at all. But since it was a first floor room, I immediately went to the desk because we had asked for top floor. When we talked to the CM we found out it was a HA room. We had stayed in one before and hated it. So I asked to be moved. They did move us. But no amount of sweet talk got us out of paying the housekeeping fee. It states on the DVC Member website that any change of rooms will incur this fee once check in has happened, even online check in.
 
This appears to be a poorly trained Front Desk cast member. They can determine if you have entered the room without the need to send anyone to check the room. DVC, points or cash should work exactly as you indicated for you Pop stay.

Dave
It's a DVC policy, on the contract. It has nothing to do with the CM.
 
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I have decided to stick to doing an in person check in tomorrow. I will let everyone know how it worked out.
 

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