You’ve spent months planning your Disney World vacation. You’ve chosen perfect-for-you dates, selected your dream hotel, and decided which theme park you’re going to visit first. What if I told you there’s a way you can streamline your arrival and jump right into the magic?
Disney offers all resort guests a service called Direct-to-Room. If you use this option, you can skip the obligatory front desk visit most hotels require at check-in. Let’s take a closer look at how it works, the advantages of using it, and some of the situations in which you may still want/need to stop by the front desk after all.
How To Use Disney’s Direct-to-Room Service
Once you’ve made your resort reservation, link your reservation to your My Disney Experience account. You will see your trip details in the My Disney Experience app after the reservation has been successfully linked. Under the section detailing your resort and dates of stay, you will see an option to use the Online Check-In service. If you want to use the Direct-to-Room feature, you’ll need to complete this Online Check-In prior to your arrival day.
Online Check-In allows you to input your credit card information for incidentals, confirm your contact information, set an approximate arrival time, and select room preference options based on the room category you have booked. Room preferences include things like “higher floor”, “ground floor”, “near elevator”, etc. These options appear in a drop-down list format with selections that vary by hotel. You can select up to two preferences from the list. Cast Members will accommodate these requests as much as possible, but please remember requests are not guaranteed. That’s all you need to do! Now just sit back, relax, and start planning other details of your trip like dining reservations, any special event tickets, and Enchanting Extras you may want to reserve when booking opens.
On your day of arrival, you’ll receive real-time updates about the status of your room. These updates may include push alerts, text messages, emails, and of course, the information right in the My Disney Experience app. The best part is, with this service, you’ll be directly notified when your room is ready! Once you’ve been notified of your room number, you can head straight to the room… no front desk visit required. You can use your MagicBand, Disney MagicMobile Pass, or the My Disney Experience app “Unlock Door” option to unlock the room door. Super easy!
Advantages of Using Direct-to-Room
Convenience
Obviously, the biggest advantage of using this service is that you can skip the front desk appearance. This can save you time and energy on arrival day, allowing you to immediately head to other activities (like the theme parks). If needed, you can safely store your luggage with Bell Services when you arrive. They can hold your bags until your room is ready. Upon request, they’ll even deliver your items to your room once it’s available. If you use this service, please remember to tip!
Even if you arrive before your room is ready, you can still take advantage of certain resort amenities, including the pools. Just use the “Unlock Door” feature in your app or your MagicBand for access to the area. Guests who have purchased the Disney Dining Plan can also begin using their entitlements prior to the room being ready. Grab your refillable mug and visit any of the participating locations at your resort (or any Disney Resort) to start enjoying snacks and meals at any point during check-in day.
Transferring from Other Resorts or Hotels
The real-time updates are helpful if you’re transferring from another resort or hotel, too. I’ll give you an example from my personal experience. Several years ago, I was staying at a Disney Springs area “Good Neighbor Hotel” for my first night in Orlando. The plan was to transfer over to Disney’s Polynesian Village Resort the next day.
Normally, check-in for Disney Resorts is not until 3:00pm. Therefore, I expected that I wouldn’t be able to access my Disney Resort room until much later in the day. However, because I had completed the Online Check-In process ahead of time, I received a push notification prior to 8:00am on my check-in day. This notification informed me that my room was already ready! Obviously, this is not saying that rooms will always be available first thing in the morning. However, it’s beneficial to have real-time information. You may be pleasantly surprised at how early you can access your room.
If you are enjoying these tips about Disney’s Direct-to-Room service and would like someone who can provide you with expertise just like this, you’re in luck! Marcus from MouseHouseNews.net is an expert who just so happens to also be a Travel Advisor with Purely Luxe Vacations. He will be happy to provide you with a free quote on your next Disney vacation and, when you book with him, you get his expertise at no additional cost! If you are interested in a quote, drop him a line!
When You Still Need To Stop By The Front Desk
There are several situations in which you may still want or need to stop by the front desk, even if you complete Online Check-In ahead of time. Let’s briefly go over a few of the most common reasons.
You Have Very Specific Room Requests
If you have room requests that were not covered by Online Check-In room preferences, or you need specific accommodations, it’s best to stop by the front desk for assistance. Any requests are subject to availability, and cannot be guaranteed. However, Cast Members will do their very best to help you out. If you have already received notification that a room has been assigned, visit the front desk before visiting the assigned room if at all possible.
Difficulty Unlocking Your Room
For trouble unlocking your room, you will need to stop by the front desk. Cast Members can help troubleshoot any issues. This includes making sure your MagicBand or MagicMobile is properly linked. They can also give you a physical key card if necessary.
Split Stays
I highly recommend visiting the front desk if you are doing a split-stay and have come from another Disney Resort. Cast Members will be able to double-check that your MagicBand is linked to unlock your room at the new resort. The MouseHouseNews.net team has been in a couple of situations where MagicBands didn’t immediately open the door at the second hotel during a split-stay. We’ve learned a quick visit to the front desk can still save time and headaches on those rare occasions where glitches happen.
No matter what time of day you arrive, odds are you will be ready to drop off your belongings and immediately start your vacation. There are many factors to consider when planning a Disney World vacation, and anything you can do to simplify the process will improve your overall experience. For more tips on how to make the most of your magical vacation, stay tuned to MouseHouseNews.net. We’ll see you real soon!
