It is always exciting when you first arrive at your Disney World Resort for the first time. It is the beginning of your vacation and you are finally at Disney World. You might be travelling by car or flying into Orlando, so what happens when Arriving at Disney World Before Check in Time? Let’s take a look at what you can do.
What is the Disney Resort Check in Time?
The check-in time for all Disney Resort hotels is 3:00 PM, apart from Disney Deluxe Villa Resorts, which have a check-in time of 4:00 PM.
Don’t worry if you arrive early there are lots of things you can still do to start off your vacation and start enjoying yourself.
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15 Things to Do When Arriving at Your Disney World Resort Before Check in
Below you will find 15 things you can do that we think are good ideas for families and groups of all sizes.
1. You Can Check in Even If You Arrive Early at Disney World
So, after a long journey you have finally arrived at Disney World, but you are early. That is absolutely fine you can still check in at reception or online. Your room might not be ready, but you can still check in.
It is worth noting that when you book your vacation that you highlight your estimated arrival time either through your travel agent or during online check in. This gives Disney the opportunity to try their best to have your room ready for you when you do arrive,
Also do remember that if you are using MagicBands and you may need to collect them from reception on check in.
You can find out about getting to Disney World from Orlando MCO airport here.
2. Check Your Luggage in at Bell Services
First things first – Luggage. You can check your luggage in at bell services at your resort until your room is ready. You can either collect your luggage when your room is ready or arrange for them to bring your luggage to your room. If you are staying at one of the larger resorts like Caribbean Beach Resort letting bell services take care of this is so much easier than doing it yourself. Remember to tip when your luggage is delivered.
3. Explore Your Disney Resort
With your luggage taken care of you can now take a look around your resort. It is always good to get to know your resort by having a little explore. You can find out where all the facilities are such as the pools, restaurants and play areas for example. It is also good to find out where the bus tops are before you plan to hit the parks when using Disney World Transportation.
4. Get Something to Eat
This is usually one of the first things we do when we arrive at our Disney World Resort. We fly into Orlando and it is a long flight and food is much needed. You can try your resorts quick service or table service restaurant offerings. You can also just grab a quick snack or even go and get something to eat from a little further afield if you choose.
If you are using the Disney Dining Plan on your vacation (when it is available), you can use it straight away once you arrive. You room does not have to be ready to start using the Dining Plan so you can use those credits straight away.
You can also get your refillable mugs.
5. Hit the Disney Resort Pools
Our kids always love the resort pools so hitting the pool straight away can be a fun way to wait for you room to be ready. You can change in the restrooms, but some resorts do have changing rooms. Possibly just let the kids take a dip whilst you watch from the comfort of a sun lounger. The resort pools always have plenty of towels available to use, so that is a few less items you will need from your luggage.
Do be aware though that to access some pools you will need your MagicBands or Pass/MagicMobile.
6. Play Some Arcade Games
Most if not all of the Disney World resorts have their own arcades. You can purchase a card with credits on and enjoy some arcade games. Most Disney resort arcade will have a mixture of new and old arcade games. You will even find some really old school retro arcade classics such as Galaga and Space Invaders. There are also usually pinball tables and even massage chairs.
7. Go to the Disney Parks
If you really want to you can go and hit the parks. If your tickets are activated, then why not go and enjoy some real Disney World Magic for a few hours. Do be aware though that currently Disney World is operating A Park Reservation System which makes hitting the parks straight away a little trickier than it used to be.
8. Visit Disney Springs
Disney Springs can be a great place to visit as you can catch a bus from your resort very easily. There are plenty of shops to enjoy as well as wide variety of places to eat and drink. There is even a Cinema and a bowling alley too inside the Splitsville restaurant. If you do not want to visit the parks but are looking for something to do away from your resort Disney Springs is a good choice,
9. Shop for Supplies for Your Room
You can always head to a nearby Walmart or Target to stock up on some supplies for your room when it is ready. It is always good to grab some snacks and drinks to have for your room. This is useful for early morning starts at Disney World and for when you get back to your room late too. Shopping at a store offsite will also be cheaper than buying items from the store at your resort.
If you are visiting Disney World Without a Car find out below how we did it.
Disney World Without a Car is Absolutely Fine
10. Resort Hop
We always enjoy exploring the resorts at Disney World. The Magic Kingdom monorail resort loop is always a good one to try as you can explore the Polynesian, The Grand Floridian, and the Contemporary Resort – all of which are wonderful resorts to visit. Again, like Disney Springs you can shop and dine at the resorts too. Take a bus to the park nearest the resort you want to visit and then either catch another bus or you might be able to take a boat, monorail or even the Skyliner to your destination of choice. A great way to see Disney World without hitting the parks.
Discover the Disney World Monorail Resorts
11. Visit the Premium Outlets
You could also visit the Premium Outlets. We would suggest going to the Vineland Premium Outlets as they are located close to Disney Springs. This can be a good opportunity to hit the Disney Character Warehouse and grab some Disney Merch Bargains for gifts or even to use during your vacation. You can save some money too. There are some great stores to visit at the Outlets such as the Levi Store, the Nike Store and Michael Kors. You can find out more about the Vineland Premium Outlets here.
12. Grab a Drink and Take a Break
You can of course just find somewhere to sit and grab a drink. This might be inside the resort’s food court, by the pool or even at a resort bar. If you know you haven’t got too long to wait, then this can be a good way to kill some time whilst enjoying some Disney World Drinks.
You can find our favorite Disney World Bars Here
13. Find the Best Wi Fi Spots for Getting a Rise of the Resistance Lightning Lane
Rise of the Resistance is the most in demand ride at Disney World (at the time of writing anyway). To ride it you can book a lightning lane using the My Disney Experience App. Lightning lanes go live first thing in the morning, so it is good to find a strong WiFi spot early on.
You can read our full guide on How to Ride Rise of the Resistance here.
14. Play Some Mini Golf
There are two Disney mini golf parks at Disney World; Fantasia Gardens and Mini Golf and Winter Summerland. Winter Summerland is located near Blizzard Beach and Fantasia Gardens and Mini Golf is located across from the Swan and Dolphin Resorts in the Epcot area of Disney World. If you enjoy a game of Mini Golf, then perhaps try some Disney Mini Golf whilst you wait for your room to become available.
15. You Get Lucky and Your Room is Ready When Arriving at Disney World Before Check in
Finally, you might get lucky, and your room is ready for you. It is possible for this to be happen and if it does you can get inside unpack and get ready to enjoy everything Disney World has to offer. If you arrive very early, it is likely that your room will not be ready, but you never know. You might get lucky.
5 Things Not to Do On Your Disney World Arrival Day
Here are my five arrival day don’ts. Things to consider not doing as soon as you arrive at Disney World however tempted and excited you might be.
1. Don’t Over Plan for Your Disney World Arrival Day
Try not to plan to do too much on your arrival day. You can’t guarantee what time you will finally arrive on Disney World Property especially if you are coming into Orlando by plane. On some occasions you can get out of MCO airport pretty quickly and on other occasions it might take a few hours minimum (especially if you are an international guest).
Sure, make some loose plans just try not to plan for too much as you might end up disappointed.
2. Head Straight to the Parks
Remember don’t head straight to the Disney World parks on your arrival as you will need to check in at your resort. You may have MagicBands to collect and activate or even just your park tickets. By checking in at your Disney World resort first you can make sure all your payment settings are set up if you are using a credit card linked to a MagicBand or the Disney MagicMobile service.
Also, I would say it is best to at least check in your luggage at bell services even if your room isn’t ready.
3. Book a Dining Reservation for Too Early in the Day
Don’t create unnecessary stress on your arrival day by making a dining reservation that you might struggle to get to if you get held up during your journey to Disney World. You may have to try to cancel and reschedule using the My Disney Experience App or even have to call the restaurant to try and move things around. Believe me you don’t need these problems to start your vacation.
4. Go to Bed Too Early
This is aimed at international guests and anyone travelling from different time zone that might cause jet lag. It can be very tempting believe me to go to bed reasonably early when you first arrive at your resort. This is especially the case if you have had a very long travel day.
The problem with going to bed early is that you will get up early and as my wife has learned in the past there isn’t a lot to do when you get up at 4.30am. Try to stay up until a reasonable time to go to bed based on the time in Orlando and it will give you a good start to adjusting quickly to the time zone over the first few days of your vacation.
5. Start Buying Loads of Disney World Merchandise
You have just arrived at you Disney World Resort and you find yourself in one of the resort gift s
What is the Disney Resort Check Out Time?
The checkout time for all Disney World resorts is 11:00 AM. This is the time you will need to leave your room by on the day of your departure.
My Disney World Arrival Day Experiences
I have a long flight to get to Disney World as well as having to adjust to a time difference of five hours. This means when I arrive in Orlando it is usually early evening, but it always feels a lot later shortly after arriving at my resort.
I never plan to do too much on my arrival day. I never have a dining reservation booked and always opt for a quick service meal with my family. Yes, we will explore our resort especially if we haven’t stayed there before. The most we might do is go and take a look around Disney Springs and usually head for bed around 9.30 to 10.00pm. I have found that the less you have planned to do the easier it is, and you can take your first few hours on Disney World property however you see fit.
It might seem strange because Disney World is all about the planning but for me arrival day is a lot easier when you don’t have specific plans. Loose plans are fine, but I would never consider anything more. We have made the mistakes of wanting to do more than is actually possible and putting that pressure on yourself when starting your vacation isn’t worth it. Don’t go to bed too early either because I have done that too only to wake up way too early the next day and you pay for it later on in the day.
Arriving at Disney World Before Check in Doesn’t Need to be Stressful
Arriving at Disney World can be stressful, especially if it is your first time but it does not need to be. There is plenty to see and do upon arriving at Disney World Before Check in Time. Hopefully, some of our suggestions above have given you some ideas for your Disney World Arrival Day.
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Thanks for stopping by.
Darren
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