Hi Nichole,
Welcome to the Disney Parks Moms Panel! I know you all must be super excited for your upcoming trip!
First, make sure you have completed
online check-in. When I do online check-in, I always include my cell phone number so that I can receive text message alerts when our room is ready. On most of our visits, our room has been ready before the official check-in time. On a few occasions, it was not ready until check-in time.
I suggest that you follow one of two plans. Assume that your room is ready by the time you arrive. If you are so fortunate, then you could just drop your bags in the room and head to the park. If your room is not ready by the time you arrive, you could leave your bags at the bell services desk and then head to the park. There is a third possibility. If our room is not ready when we arrive, we typically will hang out at the resort and grab lunch. Usually it is ready by the time we finish lunch. Then, we put our bags in the room and head to the park!
Nichole, I do hope you have
dining reservations and
Fast Pass+ selections. Since we typically fly and I anticipate flight delays, I make our first dining reservation or Fast Pass+ for hours after our arrival time. If, for example, we are scheduled to arrive at 9:00 a.m., I will make our first Fast Pass+ and dining reservations no earlier than 3:00 p.m. If you are driving, you have more control over your arrival time.
Enjoy the spirit of the season - the parks and resorts are simply gorgeous!
Magic, memories and Minnie Mouse hugs,
Donyell