RCI trade for Boardwalk Villas

[gorebunch]

I have read a few other threads and wanted to get some information from some of you that have used your RCI weeks for trades.

I received a hold confirmation today for a one bedroom Boardwalk Villa. The problem I have is that our family consists of 2 adults and 3 kids over the age of 8. The occupancy shows only 4 people.

Question 1: How hard is it to "sneak" that extra person into the room?

Question 2: If I understand the My Disney Experience and Fastpass+ systems correctly, the extra person would be on their own account and I could not link them with the rest of the family. Is that correct?

Question 3: We have discussed buying a meal plan. If that is the case, I believe we could only get it for 4 of us and not the fifth person because they aren't technically showing in the room. Correct?

I have an ongoing search set up and have had several hits for the one bedroom but a two bedroom is the only one that has enough room so I am getting a little nervous.

Thoughts and advice are appreciated!

 

[dreamfinder]

The one bedroom technically only has space for 4 people. "Sneaking" in that 5th depends on a few things. If you are getting a car and driving yourself over, or have arranged for private transportation, then you can get all 5 people to the resort. But if you are planning on using DME, then it won't work as the 5th won't be added to the booking.
Having just an adult check in the party of 4 and then just walking the 5th in is potentially doable, but you have pointed out a few problems with this method. You can't do the dining plan for the 5th person. You can link their MDE account, but you won't be able to book their FP+ until 30 days out, while the other can be done at 60 days. This will mostly be a problem for things like 7DMT and A&E. In addition you technically may be over fire code, and Disney could potentially ask you to leave or buy an additional room if they figure it out. I can't say I've ever heard of people being caught for this, but the possibility remains.

 

[Rob562]

I would *highly* recommend against trying to exceed the maximum occupancy of a unit, for multiple reasons. First, it's against fire and safety codes. (That should be enough of a reason right there) Second, if you were to be found out, Disney would make you either pay for an additional room or kick you out. Third, since it's an RCI exchange, you risk repercussions through RCI for breaking the policies of the timeshare.

And all of those are on top of the inconveniences outlined by @dreamfinder

My suggestion is to release the hold and wait to see if you get a 2-bedroom. Out of curiosity, what dates are you looking to match? Well in the future? Is it for a range of dates? How long ago did you start the search?

You should make sure to include OKW and SSR in your acceptable matches. While you might get lucky with a match elsewhere, OKW and SSR are where the bulk of the RCI matches go through. (We're staying in a 2-bedroom at SSR at the end of October)
Also make sure you have enough Trading Power to get a 2-bedroom unit. Ours needed 40 TPU to snag, and that's the least a non-last-minute 2-bedroom has been going for lately.

-Rob

 

[dreamfinder]

Compounded on top of what @Rob562 said, the two times we traded in via RCI were at OKW and SSR. Occasionally I saw availability elsewhere, but those two had the most. Also, I tended to notice that rooms popped up at like 6 1/2 months out. Seemed like they gave DVC owners the first crack at a time slot, and then released some left overs to RCI.