Adding someone now for Christmas

[D L and K's Mom]

We are a party of 7 on the dining plan. We will be in WDW from Dec 22-Jan2. I have all the dining ressies all set. We are ready to go....oh wait. SIL just asked her friend to drive down to meet us for 4 days. Ok now we have to add her to the room (that should be Ok) what can we do about her for dining? Can we add the dining plan on for her? Then what I have to call WDW today to see if I can add her to our ressies. I have a feeling it i sgoing to mess up all our planning. I am not happy as DH and I are the ones doing the planning for the trip. If we cannot get all our ressies I am going to drop SIL from them and she can figure out what she is going to do for food with her friend. I have explained that you have to make reservations. I have explained that the parks will be at maximum attendance due to the fact it is Christmas. I have explained that we have our ressies in place and we were very lucky to get the times we got etc..............

 

[Quinn222]

Seven to eight shouldn't be too bad. You'll need a two tables for four anyway. Dining plan you all have to be on the same plan though. If she's not there for the same number of days that you are then she can't be on your reservation and your dining plan. Everyone on the reservation has to have the same plan.

 

[CarolMN]

How much time do you think SIL & friend plan to spend with you? I'd wonder if she plans to go off with friend for at least some of the time. Although you said room is no problem, you do remember that if friend is added to existing reservation, friend (or someone, LOL) will have to pay for DP for the entire time, not just the days friend will be there, right?

Assuming SIL invited friend without checking with you first, my advice is to ask her what their plans are for the 4 days and what she is expecting you to do for them. Proceed from there, but don't offer to do anything that you can't comfortably commit to do. Hope you are expected to pay, LOL.

Best wishes -

 

[D L and K's Mom]

WHAT!!! If my SIL friend comes and stays with SIL she will have to pay for dining for the whole trip. We are ataying 7 days. She will be there for 3-4 and just wanted to pay for her own food.
We are paying for a room for my family 5 of us and our dining. SIL is paying for her room and her dining. MIL is paying for her room and her dining......they both wanted their own rooms. Let me get this straight. If SIL friend comes she can't stay with SIL in her room unless she pays for food for the whole trip??? Even if she buys a ticket for her length of stay and then buys the dining plan for HER length of stay??? WHAT?!?!? Ok now this is getting crazy I thought it would be a pain to change the dining ressies and now I hear this!!! YIKES.
Ok so how bad is it to think maybe we should just let her stay and not tell anyone....I know let me have it....I know that is terrible but the room is a room for 5 and there is only 1 person in it and she will buy a park ticket and dining plan or just pay for her meals.....there must be a moral way to do this without paying for lots of stuff she will not be using!! YIKKKKKEEEESSSS!!!!

 

[CarolMN]

Yep! Dining Plan is an add on to a package - everyone on the reservation must purchase it for every night of the stay. Even if a person isn't staying the whole time, they have to pay for the DP for the whole reservation. Of course, your SIL could decide not to do the DP and then she and her friend could do whatever they want regarding meals.

FWIW, if the friend isn't on the reservation, friend doesn't get room key. No room key means no EMH and no ME. If the pools are busy and they are checking resort IDs, the friend maybe doesn't swim, either.

My advice is to tell SIL the facts and let her decide what to do - maybe she will uninvite friend or chose to drop the DP (If she does, friend only has to get ticket for number of days needed instead of what SIL chose to get).

Good news here is that SIL isn't staying in your room or your MIL's room. So she can decide what to do without impacting you too much. Make sure she decides before there is any penalty for cancelling/changing a package reservation.

Good luck!

 

[D L and K's Mom]

Ok I called and here is what they said. Don't add her. They told me to make sure we were in the hotel when she came and then add her to the ressie then. She will not have to be on the dining plan. She can eat with us and pay for her dinner. She will have to buy her tickets to the park etc but she will not have to e on our dining plan. SIL will not have to pay for her as the room is based on double occupancy. Whew.....all I will have to do is add her to the advanced seating for the dinners she will be eating with us. Whewwww...........Thank goodness.