Welcome back to the Disney Parks Moms Panel, Rebecca!
I totally know the need to freshen up after a long flight. I travel a lot for work and flights out of my town mean I have to use a layover to make it to Orlando. Sometimes I can spend a lot of time in airports and airplanes.
In my experience, if you use
Online Check-In ahead of time, you can let the resort know your early arrival time. When you get in, you can take the
Magical Express to your resort and check to see if your room is ready. (You might get a text message with a room number!) If not, you can use a resort bathroom to so some minor refreshing, change a shirt and head to the park. The resorts cannot guarantee early access to a room. Standard check-in times are: 1:00 PM for
The Campsites at Disney's Fort Wilderness Resort, 3:00 PM for other Disney Resort hotels, and 4:00 PM for Disney Deluxe Villas.
I have taken early flights into Orlando and arrived around 9:30 AM to discover my room was ready. There is not guarantee my kind of luck can happen for you.
In my opinion, I would bring an extra shirt and a toothbrush just in case a room isn't ready in time and head to the parks. I'm the kind of person who is fine if I'm not perfectly showered if I can have extra time to hop onto a rollercoaster and enjoy a Dole Whip.
I hope you take full advantage of your magical time in Walt Disney World! Let me know
if I can help answer any extra questions before your arrival.
-Jen