Online Check-In, Yes or No?

[gogo]

Hi All,

In all of our visits to Disney, I have never done on-line check in. This option will be available to me in 2 days. Other than not having to go to the front desk to check in, are there really any advantages of doing this? Thanks

 

[Mome Rath]

I've done online ever since it has been offered. I do find it speeds things up (sometimes considerably), but you can still go to the desk if you just want to. I like it so I can request a few things easily in one place (building, floor, etc...).

 

[HyruleHero]

I have not noticed a big difference in time by doing online check in vs. desk check in. Contrary to what people think, you still have to go to the front desk to get your MB coded (even though Disney advertises "skip the front desk" on their website). I have done both online and front desk check-in this year and I still end up giving them some of my personal info like my phone number even though I did online check in. However, I personally recommend online check in because your credit card is (usually) always on file and I like not having to pull out my credit card for incidentals.

 

[Mome Rath]

You may or may not have to go to the front desk to get your MB coded. I usually do get to skip the front desk entirely meaning I literally step off Magic Express and go straight to my room.

 

[ChristineOH]

I don't see a reason not to do online check in, but we have still had to go to the front desk despite having done online check in. I've never received the "Your room is ready" text with my room number. In fact, on our recent trip, I got an email around 3:00 saying my room was NOT ready.

I will continue to do online check in for future trips-- I do think it speeds up the process. But it doesn't guarantee that you can skip a desk check in.

 

[wilkeliza]

I will always do online check in now. We usually do it but last time chose not to since we would have to stop by the desk anyways. Well instead of just giving our room number and tapping our band they took 30 minutes to retype in all our information, cc, pin, IDs. It was like we had never been a Disney guest before. My fiance even said isn't this all in there and the front desk person said she had to do it all over again to verify the information since we didn't do online check in.

With online check in we have mixed. Sometimes our room is ready and we don't have to do a thing (got the email while still at my desk in NYC the last time) and sometimes we have to stop to show our IDs for discount rooms. It really just depends on the time on if you get your room assignment or not. The app even will put your room number up even if you don't get the text if it is ready.

 

[HyruleHero]

I don't see a reason not to do online check in, but we have still had to go to the front desk despite having done online check in. I've never received the "Your room is ready" text with my room number. In fact, on our recent trip, I got an email around 3:00 saying my room was NOT ready.

I will continue to do online check in for future trips-- I do think it speeds up the process. But it doesn't guarantee that you can skip a desk check in.

I have never received the confirmation either Christine! I think that the room ready texts need to be updated or removed because they never work for us. Still, I agree that if you have time to do online check in do it because it doesn't take anything away.

 

[mouserrificmom]

We have done it and had terrific experiences with it, we've usually been able to go right to the room. Most of the time I receive a "room ready" shortly after landing or while on the Magical Express. If you are familiar with the resort you are going to it is really a nice feature, but if you would need directions as to how to find your room and so forth you may as well go to the desk.....I have noticed that the "check in lines" at the resorts have dropped significantly in recent years as people become more familiar with MDE and how to use it. Remember that the regular check in time is usually 3:00 pm. so if you are arriving much earlier than that and have not indicated it on your check in that your room may not be ready until then......we have had good luck on early arrivals, but I think for the "straight to room" option to work best you should plan on a mid afternoon arrival.

 

[noblemaidenfair]

We always do online check in and have never had an issue. Our MB's work, our luggage shows up, everything has been fine. I don't think I went to the GF front desk at all during my last trip. Of course, now that I've said this my whole reservation will be lost this time...

 

[Wood Nymph]

Hi All,

In all of our visits to Disney, I have never done on-line check in. This option will be available to me in 2 days. Other than not having to go to the front desk to check in, are there really any advantages of doing this? Thanks

We always do online check in. I love getting the room ready text. There have only been a couple times when the MB wouldn't unlock the resort room, but that was a few years ago.

 

[TillyDe]

I did the online check in in May. It did not work for us. Long story short, they overbooked and did not have a preferred room at POR for us. Stood my ground and did get the room I had paid for. We did get a text 4 hours after we were in the room.

 

[ChristineOH]

I have never received the confirmation either Christine! I think that the room ready texts need to be updated or removed because they never work for us. Still, I agree that if you have time to do online check in do it because it doesn't take anything away.

Glad I'm not the only one! It would be so nice to be able to go straight to the room.

It was weird this time-- got an email saying the room wasn't ready, but not a text.

However we did get a text saying our room was ready TWO MINUTES after we dropped our carry on bags with bell services so we could go the parks. We hadn't even left the lobby yet. Figures.

 

[adisneyaunt]

I did the online check in in May. It did not work for us. Long story short, they overbooked and did not have a preferred room at POR for us. Stood my ground and did get the room I had paid for. We did get a text 4 hours after we were in the room.

Ugh! I would do the Same as you. We won't even stay there without Preferred!

 

[mi*vida*loca]

I do online check in but have never received a room ready text.

 

[MrsDuck]

We've always done online. We have our Magic Bands and just go directly to the room when we get the text. SO much easier!

 

[gillep]

I have not noticed a big difference in time by doing online check in vs. desk check in. Contrary to what people think, you still have to go to the front desk to get your MB coded (even though Disney advertises "skip the front desk" on their website). I have done both online and front desk check-in this year and I still end up giving them some of my personal info like my phone number even though I did online check in. However, I personally recommend online check in because your credit card is (usually) always on file and I like not having to pull out my credit card for incidentals.

This is not true for everyone, and seems to be less and less of a problem as time goes on. Out of my many (2-4 trips per year since MB were rolled out) stays only twice have I had to go to the front desk for MB issues. The first time was back when MBs first came out, and quite frankly that whole trip was a mess, the second time was a year or so ago, and was just for the second part of a split stay, and those are always a little precarious.

I love online check in, we fly from the west coast and usually land well before noon. We go directly to the parks when we arrive, and then back to the room later in the afternoon after we get our text.

 

[gogo]

Thanks everyone for the replies. It sounds that the majority uses online check in. So, that is what I will do. Actually, I will be able to do it twice as I'm staying at POR on arrival day then moving to the YC the next day. I like the idea of making specific requests even if they are not guaranteed. How fun if I get a text that my room is ready early. I arrive at MCO around 10:30 a.m. If not, I'll just hang out at the pool or DS. Thanks again.

 

[bumbershoot]

I have done online checkin in every incarnation since our first trip to WDW. Even when all it was was "something to do". And I, too, have never gotten the room ready text based on it. At Princess this year I got the text, but only after we went to the front desk (overnight flight, met my cousin, took the bus in, dropped bags, checked at the desk, and on our way to the run expo we got the room text).

Contrary to what people think, you still have to go to the front desk to get your MB coded (even though Disney advertises "skip the front desk" on their website).

That is by NO means universal, and I think it's actually very rare now. I have not had to have a MB "coded" in ages, and definitely not in a few years. I think we only did it once, actually, at one resort. Given that we generally stay at 2 or more resorts per trip, that's saying something. Also I have something like 15 MBs active on my account.

I will continue to do online check in for future trips-- I do think it speeds up the process. But it doesn't guarantee that you can skip a desk check in.

Yep. Same.

I did the online check in in May. It did not work for us.

What part of your experience do you feel means online checkin didn't "work"? Running out of rooms can happen, and no matter how you checked in it could still happen. By standing your ground you pushed the problem onto the next person, who may or may not have done online checkin.

It was weird this time-- got an email saying the room wasn't ready, but not a text.

Did you have both email AND text checked? I used to do that but I think it was messing things up.

 

[DisneyMandC]

Question on the online check-in: it will not supersede any of the room requests I made when making my reservation, correct? I'm staying at POP and booked a king sized bed preferred room. On online check-in, I requested close to transportation and the 70s building. That won't take me out of a king-sized room, right?

 

[wilkeliza]

Question on the online check-in: it will not supersede any of the room requests I made when making my reservation, correct? I'm staying at POP and booked a king sized bed preferred room. On online check-in, I requested close to transportation and the 70s building. That won't take me out of a king-sized room, right?

If you booked a king-size preferred room as a bookable category (i.e. that is what your confirmation says) then your requests will not kick you out. So if there are no king preferred rooms in the 70s building or close to transportation king and preferred will trump request.