Hi Kevin,
Welcome to the Disney Parks Moms Panel! I am always delighted to greet a fellow North Carolinian! My husband and I honeymooned at Disney's Port Orleans Resort - French Quarter so it has fun memories for us.
For a more detailed explanation of check-in times, please see this
Frequently Asked Question answer. We always do
online check-in before we arrive and then get a text message when our room is ready. On most occasions, our room has been ready by 1:30 p.m. But, we always have specific room requests, so we are willing to wait if it means we can get our requests honored. You may be able to check-in even earlier if you are willing to accept the first available room!
As an alternative, you can leave your bags at the Bell Services desk and then head to the parks. Given the time of your visit, I would agree that you need to head to Disney's Hollywood Studios early so that you can experience
Toy Story Land. Remember to make your Fast Pass+ selections as well. We like to start our selections at 9:00 a.m. and then have them completed by noon so that we can book an additional Fast Pass+ to use after lunch. Then we go back to the resort hotel and rest or enjoy the pool before dinner.
Kevin, be sure that you have downloaded the
My Disney Experience Mobile App and have reviewed the
Resort Transportation options before arrival!
Magic, memories and Minnie Mouse hugs,
Donyell