Check in time at Saratoga Springs what a wasted day!!

[offtheice]

This is why I book early morning flights to go down . I get there around 9, ck in and only one time was my room not ready .. We just went to Epcot and just walked around in the cities , called around 2 and the room was ready ..

 

[jakenjess]

We've always had good luck checking in early on a Sunday too. In October, however, we're getting in on a Sunday, and our flight is due in at 10:48 A.M. I'm hoping everything is on time and goes smoothly and we can get to OKW by noon. I'm expecting it to be busy and that our room won't be ready, so I've got the backup plan in place and ready to go.

 

[VLee]

May 23, (Wednesday), we checked before 2pm and had to wait until 5 pm for a room at Boardwalk. We visited the shops and community hall and I had packed swimsuits in carry on, so the kids swam.

My concern is for SUNDAY, December 30 when we return to the Wilderness Lodge. I probably won't arrive until 2 pm and have a Candlelight Processional package at 5:30 in Epcot. Given the busy time of year, I am not counting on getting into the room, so will check my carryon if I need the time to catch the bus to Epcot.
My daughter is checking out from Pop earlier that day to join me and really needs a place for the kids to rest several hours before we head out at night. They plan to sleep as late as they can at Pop to keep the kids rested up (Magic Kingdom is open until 3 am that day).
Anyone know where the kids can rest (or even take a nap) at Epcot --because I doubt if they get to check in either.

 

[offtheice]

I guess you have to expect this though in the summer months. Sun is a very busy ck in day all over disney properties.. Start of a new vaca week .. Its like you dont do mk on mon because that the first day of the week when people who come in on suns , hit ..

 

[Val]

We had no problem checking in at SSR on Sunday, June 10th. We checked in at 9 am, and the room was ready. We didn't get Congress Park or the Springs, like we had requested, but got the Paddock. Were told that even if we waited, CP or springs wouldn't be available, so we took the Paddock, and in retrospect, loved it!

Had big problems with check in on Sunday, 6/17 at BWV. Checked in at 10 am (of course, not expecting a room). Room wasn't ready until after 6 pm, which flies in the face of room ready.....and then we got the "underwear view" as our preferred view- balcony and doors opened into a full view of neighbors, who were walking around in their undies! Also, lots of broken furniture, it was filthy and the carpeting was soaking wet. Given that it was almost 7 we did request a room change and got it- first floor by quiet pool and community hall. This turned out to be a surprisingly good location, although it too was worn and had multiple maintenance issues. Had repeated problems at BWVs (repeated dining plan screw ups, double charging of credit cards, keys not working 4 times).....We are 10 year owners, it has always been our favorite resort, but we are not sure we will be back there for a long, long time.

I do think anything more than 1 hour after 4 is out of line. I understand the need for 4pm check in, but they should stick pretty close to that, except in rare emergencies. Unfortunately, given all the cutbacks, I think that management is relying on the "or later" clause more and more.

 

[Fitswimmer]

We don't have a problem with the check in policy at all. I usually take the early flight out of Newark, take ME to SSR and arrive between 11-12. I pack whatever I need for a day at the parks in my backpack for the plane-everything else goes with ME to the resort. When I check in, they give me a location choice. (I've only asked for general area, not specific rooms) My parents live in The Villages, which is about an hour away, so we meet at the resort and they leave their bags at the desk. Usually, we spend the afternoon at a park, have a nice dinner somewhere and by the time we head back to SSR the rooms are ready and the bags are waiting. We never consider that first day wasted, as long as the room is ready by 7 or so, we're fine.

I think sometimes there is a sense that because we have spent so much on our DVC memberships that we are entitled to something above and beyond what is in the written guidelines and policies. DVC cannot make an exception for everyone claiming special needs-because so many people have special needs. My Dad has Parkinson's-does that entitle us to treatement over and above what other guests receive? We don't believe so-if his needs are such that the ordinary policy is not effective for us, then we will make changes in our vacationing style around it-not expect DVC to change for us.

 

[MichelleB]

We had this happen at BCV last year. We were checking in and had driven all day long to get there. We did arrive early and had 7:00 dinner reservations and wanted to get cleaned up first (DH and uncle were adament that they felt grungy and just wanted a shower). We were told that we could get our room at 4:00. At 4:00, we were told 4:30. At 4:30, we were told 5:00. This went on until we were finally able to get in at 6:45. We would have been inclined to go on our way had they not told us we'd be in within 1/2 hour each time. Optimistic me kept saying they would be correct this time. There were 8 of us (4 young kids) hanging around the lobby waiting and boy were we ticked. All we wanted to do was to get showers and be on our way. We couldn't have made our reservations and after MUCH complaining, the manager told us to order room service on them. We weren't going to take it but she also offered park tickets if we wanted to go ahead into the parks so we wouldn't "waste" a day of our tickets (we did not take her up on the tickets but did on dinner). We just truly wanted someone to know what an inconvenience they'd been to our plans. Housekeeping needs to be beefed up if they can't keep up with the room turnover rate. Just my opinion, so please don't flame me for it.

 

[rapisano]

[ DVC cannot make an exception for everyone "claiming special needs"because so many people have special needs. My Dad has Parkinson's-does that entitle us to treatement over and above what other guests receive? We don't believe so-if his needs are such that the ordinary policy is not effective for us, then we will make changes in our vacationing style around it-not expect DVC to change for us.[/QUOTE]

Well I also have a family member that had parkinsons as well so thats great that you dont deem that as getting special treatment over others. However we are not talking about a adult we are referring to a child. I know we all spend lots of money on our membership as well as any guest that spends a ton at WDW. Its not to much to ask to makes those who have special needs more comfortable asap. As far as changeing vacationing style thats up to the individual and the family to make that choice. Lets remember we are taking about a childs dream is WDW. I cant imagine deniying a child a dream vacation because others think that we chould change our "vacationing style"
That is just so sad you feel that way.

 

[rapisano]

OK please dont take this to heart but for all of you that feel you see no need for assistance for children with special needs your are all not very compassionate at all!!
I cant believe that guests dont give a care about others that need the help and that shouldnt be taken asap to get the guests in there rooms.. Please please dont speak about a topic or a situation that you have no idea about
If you dont have a autistic child and there is a huge spectrum of severity in each person and you dont even know anything about this then dont offer your calous opinion.. I know for the folks that have special needs children are the most patient and tolerant people I have ever meet and it is a challenge constantly. So think before you criticize others... Be giving and patient life will bring you much more happiness than being selfish

 

[Charleneluvsdisney]

I checked in on Sunday the 24th at 11:30. The line was long, (wrapped into the hallway) but went very fast - I was really surprised that it did go that fast. I really thought we were going to be there for a long time, but it took no longer than 15 minutes. They had many cast members checking people in, so I definitely didn't see a shortage of help, and they also had a person directing people to open check-in stations. We also had our choice of locations at this time and chose the Grandstand area. So, I guess it really is hit or miss if the rooms are ready or not.

 

[eliza61]

We were told that on that day there were three or four villas where the guest who was supposed to check out by 11, failed to do so and the manager was trying to get all these guests out of the rooms. They told me that they did charge these guests an extra night stay on cash.
(but it does have a hole in it so you can use it as a luggage tag later on).

This is very common. I worked my way through college as a maid in a large 4 star hotel in Pittsburgh. People rarely checked out at the 11:00 am time especially on a Sunday when they would lounge around for hours. Couple that with a guest who trashed that room and what should only take a housekeeper 45 minutes is now up to 2 hours late. Sorry the op had such a problem checking in but you'd be surprise how often it occurs.

 

[disneygal55]

We stayed at SSR last week. We got to the lobby around 11 AM and had requested Congress Park (Downtown Disney) view...had also put in the request when booking 11 months prior. Well the cast member at the desk stated that she had our room (with Congress Park...DDD view) but that the room wasn't ready and we would have to call towards 4PM. So we went to MGM and returned around 5:30 PM. We got our room assignment and went to check it out...a full view of the parking lot and BUS STOP! Went back and the manager explained that the cast member was new and that she made a mistake about the layout of the resort...but sorry no DDD views left.
Now if she had told us that there weren't any rooms with that view we would have accepted it but.... So he gave us another room in Grandstand and assured us that tomorrow we could have the DDD view for the rest of the week. So we moved our luggage back to the car in the AM and hit Animal Kingdom. We returned around 3PM...no room. We kept checking...central reservations told us that we weren't even registered at SSR. We went back to the front desk and after some further checking they found our reservation. We checked and waited, checked and waited, checked and waited for our new room to be cleaned. Around 6PM they told us that the room was ready. We went to check it out...you guessed it not a DDD view but a big pine tree view in the middle of our slider. And to make it worse the bathroom floor had about a hundred curly black hairs against the wall near the tub!

I was so tired I almost said forget about it and thought about cleaning the floor and living with the pine tree but we called again. In a few minutes a very nice gentleman came over and helped us to move into the FOURTH room! This room had the view that we had initially requested.

Now, I understand that views are not guaranteed but SSR made this process nearly unbearable with the numerous errors We wasted many hours of our valuable time.

 

[eliza61]

OK please dont take this to heart but for all of you that feel you see no need for assistance for children with special needs your are all not very compassionate at all!!
I cant believe that guests dont give a care about others that need the help and that shouldnt be taken asap to get the guests in there rooms.. Please please dont speak about a topic or a situation that you have no idea about
If you dont have a autistic child and there is a huge spectrum of severity in each person and you dont even know anything about this then dont offer your calous opinion.. I know for the folks that have special needs children are the most patient and tolerant people I have ever meet and it is a challenge constantly. So think before you criticize others... Be giving and patient life will bring you much more happiness than being selfish

I think the folks here are really helpful and compassionate. I don't think we/they meant to give the impression that we are not sympathetic to special needs individuals. I just feel that all folks, even those traveling with disabilities must realize that break downs happen, even at Disney and because she is travelling with an Autistic child is not going to make her exempt. I'm sure adjustments have to be made when traveling with an autistic child but it goes both ways.

 

[Snookies]

We stayed at SSR last week. We got to the lobby around 11 AM and had requested Congress Park (Downtown Disney) view...had also put in the request when booking 11 months prior. Well the cast member at the desk stated that she had our room (with Congress Park...DDD view) but that the room wasn't ready and we would have to call towards 4PM. So we went to MGM and returned around 5:30 PM. We got our room assignment and went to check it out...a full view of the parking lot and BUS STOP! Went back and the manager explained that the cast member was new and that she made a mistake about the layout of the resort...but sorry no DDD views left.
Now if she had told us that there weren't any rooms with that view we would have accepted it but.... So he gave us another room in Grandstand and assured us that tomorrow we could have the DDD view for the rest of the week. So we moved our luggage back to the car in the AM and hit Animal Kingdom. We returned around 3PM...no room. We kept checking...central reservations told us that we weren't even registered at SSR. We went back to the front desk and after some further checking they found our reservation. We checked and waited, checked and waited, checked and waited for our new room to be cleaned. Around 6PM they told us that the room was ready. We went to check it out...you guessed it not a DDD view but a big pine tree view in the middle of our slider. And to make it worse the bathroom floor had about a hundred curly black hairs against the wall near the tub!

I was so tired I almost said forget about it and thought about cleaning the floor and living with the pine tree but we called again. In a few minutes a very nice gentleman came over and helped us to move into the FOURTH room! This room had the view that we had initially requested.

Now, I understand that views are not guaranteed but SSR made this process nearly unbearable with the numerous errors We wasted many hours of our valuable time.

I believe this type of error is common. My first check-in experience at SSR could be summarized by your first paragraph, i.e., at check-in we hear the "Congratulations, you've received a Congress Park Downtown Disney View" spiel. After calling to get the room assignment at 4 and a long-day at Epcot, we returned at 10pm to our fabulous Congress Park bus stop view. I think this happens at SSR because some of the units occupy the corners of the building and the angles are such that what looks like a Downtown Disney view on a map will actually be a "resort view." Since it had been a long-day and we don't generally care about such things (not to mention the pounding migraine I already had), we didn't request a change. It was a nice bus stop view.

 

[castleri]

I think the folks here are really helpful and compassionate. I don't think we/they meant to give the impression that we are not sympathetic to special needs individuals. I just feel that all folks, even those traveling with disabilities must realize that break downs happen, even at Disney and because she is travelling with an Autistic child is not going to make her exempt. I'm sure adjustments have to be made when traveling with an autistic child but it goes both ways.

Well said - for example an adjustment to when a person travels could put them at the resort at a time when it is most likely a room would be ready rather than hours before the official check in time if it is important to be in the room immediately. This may require adding a day so you get there in the evening and then start the real vacation in the morning when everyone is rested and refreshed. This is not being harsh just realistic. It seems that if you are traveling with any person with special needs you need to plan ahead for all possibilities; one of which might be not getting into the room when you think you will if you know you will be arriving well before the official check in time. .
I sincerely hope that the rest of the trip for this family went well and that they can look at getting into the room late as only a small thing in an otherwise great trip.

 

[cymomtx]

I have two autistic children and travel to Cancun yearly to our timeshare. Some years we get there at 10am and some at 2pm, sometimes our unit is ready sometimes its not, we just get our swim suits out and head to the beach. When we arrived at SSR in 11/05 we had the same thing happen our unit was not ready, this after being on the road for 18 hours! So we just started exploring the resort and found swimsuits and entertained the kids until the unit was ready. There is no use getting upset and ruining the start to a magicall vacation. Having two autistic children we have learned that we have to roll with the punches and take life as it comes. It is not always perfect but we have to make the best of it.

 

[castleri]

May 23, (Wednesday), we checked before 2pm and had to wait until 5 pm for a room at Boardwalk. We visited the shops and community hall and I had packed swimsuits in carry on, so the kids swam.

My concern is for SUNDAY, December 30 when we return to the Wilderness Lodge. I probably won't arrive until 2 pm and have a Candlelight Processional package at 5:30 in Epcot. Given the busy time of year, I am not counting on getting into the room, so will check my carryon if I need the time to catch the bus to Epcot.
My daughter is checking out from Pop earlier that day to join me and really needs a place for the kids to rest several hours before we head out at night. They plan to sleep as late as they can at Pop to keep the kids rested up (Magic Kingdom is open until 3 am that day).
Anyone know where the kids can rest (or even take a nap) at Epcot --because I doubt if they get to check in either.

If your daughter's name is on the reservation why not have her check in early at WL. She could get there earlier than you and there might be a better chance that a room would be ready earlier. It would be worth a try. Then she might be able to find a quiet spot for the kids to rest if she can't get the room right away. I would think there may be some quiet areas around WL more so than at EPCOT.

 

[sassyat30]

I think the folks here are really helpful and compassionate. I don't think we/they meant to give the impression that we are not sympathetic to special needs individuals. I just feel that all folks, even those traveling with disabilities must realize that break downs happen, even at Disney and because she is travelling with an Autistic child is not going to make her exempt. I'm sure adjustments have to be made when traveling with an autistic child but it goes both ways.

I agree. It's her problem if she lets it ruin her vacation. Just b/c her son has special needs doesn't mean he should be treated any differently than any other guest.

And if she's worried about him being over-stimulated, Disney probably isn't the best choice of places to vacation.

 

[LaurenLC]

My sister is currently at SSR we both have the DVC there she checked in on Sunday and her room was not ready untill 6pm!!! Wow
Is this normal I was told that check inn was at 4pm?? That to me was a wasted day of her vacation and not to mention she has a special need child and that was also know when she checked in???

I was wondering how the rest of the trip was going? I would hope that your sister and family wouldn't let a late check out ruin the magic It's sad that when one thing goes wrong you have to remind people that they are lucky enough to be at Disney World.

 

[Starr W.]

OK please dont take this to heart but for all of you that feel you see no need for assistance for children with special needs your are all not very compassionate at all!!
I cant believe that guests dont give a care about others that need the help and that shouldnt be taken asap to get the guests in there rooms.. Please please dont speak about a topic or a situation that you have no idea about
If you dont have a autistic child and there is a huge spectrum of severity in each person and you dont even know anything about this then dont offer your calous opinion.. I know for the folks that have special needs children are the most patient and tolerant people I have ever meet and it is a challenge constantly. So think before you criticize others... Be giving and patient life will bring you much more happiness than being selfish

I will chime in again, because I'm a parent of a Asperger's Syndrome(in the Autism spectrum) so I do have experience with this. I think that what everyone is trying to tell you that checking into a DVC or any hotel during a busy period, you are not going to get your room before "official" check in time or possibly later. I have had it happen to me alot before kids and after kids. I waited forever at a 5star hotel over in St. Pete on Sat before Palm Sunday. So it can happen in the best places, not just the timeshare industry. I found with my Aspie, if he knows what the game plan is he's fine, but mine's 10 yrs old.

To be honest, one reason we didn't start going to WDW until now was I wasn't going to travel with my Aspie and a younger child who still took naps, when I know all the things that "can go wrong".