Adding a 5th person halfway through trip

[Jo-Anne]

We have booked an 8 night stay at POR at end of August with the free dining plan. We now have a friend who may be joining us later in the trip. How would this work - I don't want to have to change rooms as POR can fit 5 in the AB section. Do we have to cancel our current reservation and book 2 - one for first 3 nights and one for second 5 nights? Can we still do the free dining if we have to split the reservation?

 

[k&a&c'smom]

Normally, I would suggest adding the 5th person at check in, generally much easier to add them on site as they don't have to be on your pkg. or room only reservation. But with a possibility of a 4-person room, I'm not sure. Maybe talk with the check in CM and let them know you are going to have a 5th person, so they can give you an AB room at that time?

Good luck! I hope others have better insight.

 

[Missytara]

We have booked an 8 night stay at POR at end of August with the free dining plan. We now have a friend who may be joining us later in the trip. How would this work - I don't want to have to change rooms as POR can fit 5 in the AB section. Do we have to cancel our current reservation and book 2 - one for first 3 nights and one for second 5 nights? Can we still do the free dining if we have to split the reservation?

If you split the ressie, you do run the risk of losing it at least on half of it.

The only guarantee that you would not have to move to a preferred room, that is only located in AB, and if they are not available on the promo, you lose dining all together.

Here is some friendly advice. Call CRO and see what your options are. Since your trip is next month, you will have few options. You will have to decide if it is worth it to you to change your entire ressie to accommodate your friend, or politely tell them that it is too late to modify your ressie.

Good luck.

 

[mickeynut1]

I was going to suggest the same thing as k&a&c'smom, but with having a 4 person max. room, I don't know how they would add her to that room upon her arrival. We've never stayed at POR, but can an AB section room be booked from the beginning or would you only get that option if there were 5 people on the reservation to begin with?

As far as doing a split stay with free dining, it can be done, however, it is more expensive since you would have to buy park tickets for each reservation. You could get enough park tickets for the whole trip on the first reservation, but you would then have to purchase a minimum 2 day base for everyone on the second. Those 2 day tickets can be saved for a future trip, but it would add quite a bit of cost to the trip now, with possibly negating some of the free dining savings. Also, keep in mind that if the date you do the split isn't included in the promo dates, you wouldn't be able to get free dining for that part of your stay. Good luck.

 

[TXGRMAMA]

Don't try to change your reservation now. It would just cause more trouble than it would be worth. You could lose your FD or end up paying more. Just go ahead and check into your current reservation at the Front Desk. Tell them that you really, really want AB. As many rooms as there are at POR, you should not have any problems getting AB. You might be in a far out building, but you should be able to get it.

Then when your friend of going to arrive later in the week, go by the front desk. Tell them that friend has decided to join you. They can add the name to the reservation at that time and give you a key for her. At that point, you will start paying the extra adult charge. (If you try to do this the day of check in, you would be paying the extra adult charge from that day on.) When you add your friend during the week, the FD is going to remind you that she does not have the dining plan and cannot be added. Just tell them that you are aware of that.

I hope that there are some children in your party mix. Even AB rooms would be very crowded with five adults.

 

[*Fantasia*]

I would pay for the preferred room to guarantee you the AB section. I'm just afraid that even if you request for AB section, that you might get the Mansion which only sleeps up to 4. I would hate for you to get there and your friend arrive, and there is no AB section available.

 

[Missytara]

I would pay for the preferred room to guarantee you the AB section. I'm just afraid that even if you request for AB section, that you might get the Mansion which only sleeps up to 4. I would hate for you to get there and your friend arrive, and there is no AB section available.

Go back and read her post again. She is booked for free dining and they are going next month.

While in any other circumstance that would be the stock answer, her question is much more complicated. I doubt a preferred room is available in August under the FD promo.

Read my post; she has a couple of hard choices to make; split the ressie, lose part of her FD and have to purchase additional tickets as a PP stated to use on a further trip. The last option is to be honest with the friend that their arrival would compromise their trip or the friend could get their own room and bring another friend.