Adding 2 adults to reservation and taking first timers

[Novamum]

Hello! I am new to this board, and I hope this question has not been asked a million times. I consider myself a Disney intermediate( I have been 5 times ). So my family ( My DH, myself, DD 5y/o, and DS 1y/o). We are going to WDW for My DS first birthday in April, and when I told my parents they want to come down for a couple of days to help celebrate. So my question is can we add my parents to our reservation just room only for 4 days? We have a package that includes dinning for 7 days and 6 nights.They are flying down with us and I want them to be able to use magical express both ways. We are staying at Port Orleans riverside. So if I am right all of us should be able to stay in an alligator bayou room(a little tight but we can fit). I just wanted to check so I have a good idea before I try call to add them. Also does anyone have have some advice on taking first timers? My parents are in great health and very active but are not into the conventional "amusement park" atmosphere. They finally broke down and decided to come with us after years of asking. I want to make a good impression without overwhelming them. Thank you ahead of time for your answers!

 

[Rob562]

You will not be able to fit that many people in a single room at POR. (I just plugged the party size into the WDW website booking engine to make sure, and the only options given were either suites or villas or a cabin at FW. All other resorts it specifically says "party size exceeds max room occupancy")

But let's say that you were booked into a suite and you just want to add them for a couple days. You *would* be able to add them as official occupants to the room and they'd get room keys, but this could *not* be done in advance. Until the moment you check in, the package reservation (which includes the dining plan, as you mentioned) must include the same options for every guest on the reservation, including tickets and dining plan.

But, they *can* be added as extra adults *after* you've checked into the resort because at that point the reservation has been "exploded" (to use the Disney CM term) and most items on the reservations can be worked with on their own. Your parents would get room keys for the dates they'd be there, and you'd just pay the extra per-night fees for the extra adults.
They would *not* be able to take Magical Express from the airport, as they wouldn't be official registered Guests when they arrived at MCO. They *might* be able to take it for the return to the airport, but I've never gotten a definite answer on that. (Their return trip to the airport would have to be done at the Lobby Concierge desk after they arrived) If they wanted an economical option from the airport, they could pay for Mears.

They would also *not* be able to get the Dining Plan at all. That's something that has to be on the reservation at the start, and it can't be purchased for adults that are added onto the room afterward. They would have to pay for their own meals.

The only way to get all of you into a single room, and get your parents Magical Express *and* the Dining Plan would be to move your reservation to a suite at AoA, Music or Coronado or a cabin at Fort Wilderness, add them onto the whole reservation, pay for them to be on the Dining Plan for your entire trip and then figure out how to use those extra credits up. (Perhaps everyone goes to a Signature meal one night with double credits)

Alternately, you'll have to make a separate reservation for your parents in their own room under whatever tickets and Dining Plan they want/need.

-Rob

 

[BigRedDad]

^^^ Exactly as above. The best option for you is to have them get their own reservation, link the two, and see if there is a chance they can get your rooms close. Otherwise, adding them to your reservation will get expensive because of having to change to a suite. In most cases, suites are more expensive than 2 rooms.

 

[Figgy1]

Welcome and good luck with your trip but the above are right you will not fit in i room. Hope you are able to move things around! Just take it easy and don't put them on RnR! Lots of shows and classic rides might be more to their liking!

 

[Poofiesdream]

I would get them their own room and ask for connecting rooms. That many people in one room can be strained. Also have them link your reservations. That way you are only paying for the days they are there, not the whole time.

 

[Novamum]

I first want to thank all of you for your answers!...I think a separate room would most likely be the best choice. It will give them some privacy and I won't have to worry about magic express and they can customize there vacation as they like. Oh, and I talked to a cast member via the chat on the WDW website and she said that babies ages 2 and under are considered infants and do not count toward the max guests in a room Thanks again!

 

[Mot]

We added a single adult in an additional room in Dec. and had no issues booking through our reservation. It was booked under that person's name and was treated as a totally seperate reservation.