Can you ever get room before 4:00?

[goodeats]

Coming from the West Coast I'd prefer to take the red eye flight that gets me in at 6:00am or so. But this really is only feasible if I can get my room by 2:00. Once I was able to get my room at arrival and another time I got the room by lunch time - both at Wilderness Lodge. This will be my first time renting points and we're staying at a studio at AKL Kidani. It will be mid-week in early November.

Is there any chance of early check-in? If chances are slim I will probably go for an early morning flight that gets in at 4:00pm.

 

[Brett Wyman]

Yes but you throw all chance of room selection out of the window. We got a BWV 1-bedroom at 1:30pm last month but we forfeited our room selection at we were at the VERY end of the hall.

Don't expect it to happen automatically in MDE because you set your check-in time for 2pm. Go to the front desk and tell them you're willing to take first available.

 

[JETSDAD]

Coming from the West Coast I'd prefer to take the red eye flight that gets me in at 6:00am or so. But this really is only feasible if I can get my room by 2:00. Once I was able to get my room at arrival and another time I got the room by lunch time - both at Wilderness Lodge. This will be my first time renting points and we're staying at a studio at AKL Kidani. It will be mid-week in early November.

Is there any chance of early check-in? If chances are slim I will probably go for an early morning flight that gets in at 4:00pm.

You just never know. We've gotten rooms in the morning and we've also waited until after 4:00 for our room to be ready.

 

[automaticsoap]

I tend to take an early flight and arrive in Orlando around 8-9am. I've always been able to get my room before 4pm, but I make sure to tell the front desk that I'll take the first available room. This probably really depends on your room category and how many units there are. In October, I checked into a savannah studio at Kidani, and the cast member asked me if I would be waiting around the lodge for my room or if I'd be going to the parks. Since I was going to wait around the lodge, I think they gave me one of the rooms that were cleaned earlier.

 

[goodeats]

Good food for thought! I def don't want to be on the far end of the North hall. I have some time to think about this.

 

[Sandisw]

I have never stayed at AKV, but I have had luck in getting rooms early, like 2 or 3.

Last July, I got a room ready text around 8:30 am for my one night SSR studio before I even left my house!

But, in October, at BWV, we got to resort at 10 am, told them we wanted first available, and never got a text, Arrived back at the resort at 4:15 and they said it still wasn’t ready...turns out, they forgot to list it as done,

If getting in early is crucial, I would t chance it, especially if you do hope to get a particular area,

 

[bookwormde]

It is hit and miss but more likely during slower times. If you are going Jersy week then less chance. I have gotten in by 8am a coule of times but also well after 4 also

 

[jerseyduke]

Its possible, but I would go to the front desk.

Realize that DVC is designed to operate at a basically constant 95%+ occupancy rate, which is usually a lot higher than cash rooms, so it does make early check in harder

 

[cedricandsophie]

I have gotten rooms as early as 10 am. And as late as 5. We usually arrive around 10 am. Take ME to hotel. Drop off bags and head to DS for lunch. Then come back to resort for the pool. But we don’t go to parks very much. I prefer to get to Florida early.

 

[KyleAfterAWhile]

Our room is almost always ready when we show up. I usually get a text while on the ME bus and we take the first flight in.

 

[loves to dive]

As others have said, it's hit or miss, but your chances are better if you go to the front desk and let them know you are there. I've rented points and stayed at DVC resorts just going through WDW and I've found it's not any different than staying at any other room at WDW. We always get there around 2 and even if we do on line check in go to the front desk. If we are doing a split stay, we go to resort #2 early in the morning and store our luggage and let them know we are there. It's about half and half as to getting a room before the "official" check in time. We just go on to a park and not worry about it.

 

[sethschroeder]

staying at a studio at AKL Kidani

With so many rooms at this resort it likely is easier. Our only stay there we had to move rooms. Our arrival day I got a room text at 9am and then on the day we switched I went to the desk at 10:45am and they assigned me a room on the spot.

I have read AKV is typically pretty good but I only have the two experiences both on the same trip.

 

[drusba]

It is hit or miss. I have tended to hit somewhat more than miss over the years, but getting 2 p.m. or before, rather than around 3, has been significantly rarer for us. As noted above, you may be able to get a room earlier, if you otherwise cannot, by giving up any room requests. A particular issue you may have is that you will be showing up "mid-week in early November," one of the highest check-in times of the year (the beginning of the Wine & Dine race period)

 

[Deb & Bill]

We were very lucky this week when we arrived on Tuesday around noon. At first the room wasn't ready, but within a few minutes of leaving the Hospitality House, our villa was ready. And they said they were booked up.

 

[The Jackal]

We just went and we were staying at OKW and room was ready at 11:00 AM. This was our earliest, it is usually around 4:00 PM or later.

 

[clm10308]

We have gotten early check in many times, but on the trips where we really need the early check in, we do not have any other room request. We ask for the first available. We often sacrifice location for the early check in.

 

[dvc_john]

Hit or miss for me also. But yesterday I checked in to BWV 1-br, and room was available at 11am.

Edit: Moved to OKW yesterday, and room was ready at 12:30 pm.

 

[NephieRN]

We resort hopped this past weekend and our room was ready at 1130 on Thursday at copper creek studio, 1215 on Friday at Jambo house club level studio, and at 1105 on Saturday at beach club studio.

 

[nkosiek]

I think you have to go in with the hope you'll get it early, but knowing that may not happen. We had a horrible trip this past week with both little kids getting sick, including my 2 year old the night before checkout (she threw up 8 times between 12 and 3:30am). We requested an extra hour and it was granted. We didn't actually use it, she felt good enough to get us out of the room by 10:45. As we checked out, a woman in the lobby (BLT) was incredulous that their room wasn't ready and they would have to find something else to do until it was. I couldn't help but chuckle at her, because we were not the only people checking out at that moment. We have often been lucky to get a room before 4, but only once have we gotten a room before 2. We typically don't mind some park time and calling it an early night with our kiddos that first day.

 

[emchen]

I tend to take an early flight and arrive in Orlando around 8-9am. I've always been able to get my room before 4pm, but I make sure to tell the front desk that I'll take the first available room. This probably really depends on your room category and how many units there are. In October, I checked into a savannah studio at Kidani, and the cast member asked me if I would be waiting around the lodge for my room or if I'd be going to the parks. Since I was going to wait around the lodge, I think they gave me one of the rooms that were cleaned earlier.

I’ve read that there isn’t a Front Desk at Riviera. If true, I think it will make service discussed here much sketchy-er if not extinct.