All star sports/free dining check in question

[Disney_pups2]

Hello,
Well, My son is finally getting his wish trip after 3 years of waiting!!! He is traveling with Sunshine for children with chronic health issues so they are paying for our flights for the whole time but are only putting us in the Economy Lodge Maingate for the first part of our trip then we are switching to All star Sports so we can be with my sister's family. We got in on the free dining but I have a few questions, forgive me as it has been a while since going to the BIG kingdom.

1. Can I request early check in seeing as we are a wish family and it would be easier to do in the morning for my son's needs? Do I call to arrange that? They already know that he has special needs and we have a handicap room set aside.
2. If we can't check into the hotel until 3, does that mean that our tickets and our fast passes and free dining won't work until 3?? (we do have our ticket from the agency to use that day so we can get in, but we were counting on the food for that day.)

I think I'll field answers from those and then go from there. Thank you all in advance
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One excited little wish kid!

[VWL Mom]

When you do online check-in it asks you when you will be arriving, you can let them know there or via phone that you are requesting early check-in. They do try their best to accommodate the request but because you will be waiting for a specific room it may or may not be possible since they may need for another party to vacate the room. No worries though, you can leave your bags with bell services and be off to the parks. When you do online check-in it gives you the choice of direct to room. By selecting that option you can go to the parks with your magic band (tickets and DDP will be up and running) and they will text you your room number when it is ready.

[Disney_pups2]

VWL Mom, Thank you very much for the info. You have alleviated much worry..lol. :-).

[BrerGnat]

Your dining credits will begin as soon as you physically check in.

[Disney_pups2]

So you have to physically check in for the dining Brer Gnat? That stinks. So I would have to request an early check in then?

[Disney_pups2]

I have been researching further and found the below quote on Disney food blog. Is this incorrect information then?

"Check-in time isn’t until 3:00 pm. Do I have to wait until then to use my Dining Plan credits?

No.

You room might not be ready until late afternoon, but you can register at your hotel as early in the morning as you like. (If you’re ambitious you could do this at 4:00 a.m.) When you register, you will be given your Key to the World Card encoded with your package components such as park tickets and Dining Plan credits. Go ahead and use those park admissions and Dining Plan credits whenever you wish."

[VWL Mom]

So you have to physically check in for the dining Brer Gnat? That stinks. So I would have to request an early check in then?

If you choose the bypass option during online check in you no longer have to physically check in. Meals, photos, and tickets associated with your magic band will be active. You need to have an MDE account and your package must be paid in full. You also need to provide a cc for incidentals.

This is fairly new, started testing last year and start rolling out by resort in January and went live for all resorts in March. We tried it in May and loved it, got our room number while getting off the plane and went right to the room when we arrived at the hotel.

Found this on the Mom's Panel

Q: With Direct to Room check in, are dining credits ready as well? DDs wanted AoA LM room and big pool so we opted to fly in a day early to stay for one night (room only). We have reservations for 1900 ParkFare but hoping now we won't have to go to POR first?

A:Isn't this new Direct-to-Room check in option WONDERFUL!? I am stoked about this advancement and can't wait to try it out for myself! It's perfect for someone in your situation so you can get the magic going bright and early without having to travel over to Port Orleans ahead of time!

Your Magic Bands will be set and ready to go at 12:01 AM on your check in day and your Dining Plan entitlements will be available at this time as well.

[magicofdisney]

This is fairly new, started testing last year and start rolling out by resort in January and went live for all resorts in March. We tried it in May and loved it, got our room number while getting off the plane and went right to the room when we arrived at the hotel.

This is fantastic! I'm so glad they've rolled this out resort-wide. I MIGHT miss physically checking in to the resort. There's a little nostalgia that goes along with that. Nevertheless, I personally will appreciate this most if we stay at CBR again.

[Cinderelley]

This is fantastic! I'm so glad they've rolled this out resort-wide. I MIGHT miss physically checking in to the resort. There's a little nostalgia that goes along with that. Nevertheless, I personally will appreciate this most if we stay at CBR again.

You can still go to the desk and get a packet. Upon my arrival in May, I went straight to my room. The number had already been texted to my phone when I got off of the plane. When I went down to eat dinner, I decided to go to the front desk to check on everything. Everything was in order, but they still gave me the check in packet.