Additional charge for guests

[Syndrome]

It is no different whether it is a daughter or a niece or your next door neighbor. Room prices are based on double occupancy all over the country. Anyone 18 and over is an adult and should pay the fee.

I also take offense to your comment about friends scrimping on a room, implying we are cheap. Hey, I invited two friends to go a few years ago, and we were going to bring an air mattress and rotate beds. We thought what a wonderful idea. We have only seen each other at work every day for 20 years and would love to have a big slumber party at 50, because we are like, well quite frankly.....family.

One of our dear friends at work wanted to join us, but her father had just passed away and she had to carry a great deal of expenses on her own. We decided to buck it up and double up. We were able to pay her entire way, including spending money.

So that is how we roll.

LOl, sorry never meant to offend . Sorry.

Could I say that at least "some" adult age friends who are staying together are doing it to save money ? . I would certainly do it if I could save some money and I was close enough with my friends that it wouldnt be a problem. Although I wouldnt sleep on a air mattress. Again thats just me.

I feel for your friend whos father past away and still wanted to go to disney with your group. BUT they way she did it was to share the room and "save some money". That was my point ...........it was a money saving option. Never meant to imply that anyone doing this was "cheap".

Again, sorry you took offence to my comment, it wasnt meant like that. I suppose I could have said "money saving" vs. scrimping ???

Syndrome

 

[Syndrome]

@Syndrome sorry but you are incorrect. Nearly all hotels charge extra for more than two guests over the age of 18 family or not.

LOL, I wasnt saying that only Disney charges for extra adults. Every hotel does, I realize that.
It was just my oppinion that Disney could set its own standard, and possibly up the "adult" age for family offspring that is staying with their own family to ............ maybe 25 to encourage the return of the adult age "kid" and their own family to return sooner than later.

Yea, I guess it has to be a hard line in the sand. Its 18 and I am o.k. with that. Just stating my oppinion.

Syndrome

 

[kaytieeldr]

I am not debating the extra adult charge, nor am I refusing to pay it, I just wish WDW would recognise that if your very young adult "kid" who is really too young to stay on their own and needs to stay in the "family" room ........ there shouldn't be an extra charge for it.

But your 'very young adult kid' absolutely could be out on her/his own. At 18, they couldrent an apartment, or buy a car or a house; they could get married without parental permission (varies by state).

Again respectfully, expecting any business to treat families different from non-related parties just isn't reasonable.

 

[Syndrome]

But your 'very young adult kid' absolutely could be out on her/his own. At 18, they couldrent an apartment, or buy a car or a house; they could get married without parental permission (varies by state).

Again respectfully, expecting any business to treat families different from non-related parties just isn't reasonable.

Actually, my "very young adult kid" is out on her own, lol. But I dont expect her to get her own room on our family trip to WDW, nor could she afford it.
I have NO problem paying the extra $25, per night to be able to spend a few more precious years with all of my kids together on a family vacation. I know it wont be too much longer.
I guess its just the first time we are having to deal with this .........

Syndrome

 

[Missytara]

LOl, sorry never meant to offend . Sorry.

Could I say that at least "some" adult age friends who are staying together are doing it to save money ? . I would certainly do it if I could save some money and I was close enough with my friends that it wouldnt be a problem. Although I wouldnt sleep on a air mattress. Again thats just me.

I feel for your friend whos father past away and still wanted to go to disney with your group. BUT they way she did it was to share the room and "save some money". That was my point ...........it was a money saving option. Never meant to imply that anyone doing this was "cheap".

Again, sorry you took offence to my comment, it wasnt meant like that. I suppose I could have said "money saving" vs. scrimping ???

Syndrome

Really?????

Again, you have completely misinterpreted our experience. We did not do it to save money, we did it to share an experience with our friend.

Rather than being selfish and telling her that she needed to come up with the money, because we were going to require a second room for 4 people,because it was not feasible,, we POOLED our money and paid for her to go because she needed it. We have worked together for 20 years and felt if anyone deserved a break, at the time, she did.

And if that is not FAMILY, then I don't know what is. You do not have to be blood relatives to be family.

And I am done here.

 

[kaytieeldr]

It was just my oppinion that Disney could set its own standard, and possibly up the "adult" age for family offspring that is staying with their own family to ............ maybe 25 to encourage the return of the adult age "kid" and their own family to return sooner than later.

WDW hotels division did have its own standard that differed from most of the rest of the hotel/resort industry: they charged the same rate seven night's a week.

They moved away from that and more in line with the rest of the hospitality industry in very recent years, by charging higher rates on weekends. Truly, there's no reason for Disney to exempt 'young adults' staying in the room with their parents from being charged the extra guest supplement.

Encourage them to come back sooner with their own young families? By 25, many of those 'young' adults are visiting Walt Disney World with their own young families.

 

[nkereina]

PPs are correct. In the hotel industry (not just Disney!), not only do they look at adults over the age of 18 as able-bodied people capable of booking their own rooms, but they also look at it as two extra adults in one room therefore creating more wear and tear on the room. When based on double occupancy and you throw two more adults into the mix, that's extra usage on room electricity, water, laundry, etc. Sounds insignificant but in an 800+ room hotel/resort, it adds up.

The fact that your daughter is your daughter doesn't take away from the fact that she is still going to shower, use the toilet, use extra towels, etc. in your room (adding to the total number of people at the resort) - all of which must be recouped by the hotel. Hotels are for-profit businesses, so they must remain profitable so it wouldn't make sense for them to eat these costs.

 

[disnut8]

Answer : No Just Disney. Families are their bread and butter, and they should want to encourage the continued family bonding experience ........ especially when the "kids" are over 17. Keep the "adult" kids coming with their families and they will more than likely keep coming with their own families when they have kids........which should be very soon given the "adult" kids age.
Few other hotels in the world are as much of a destination as they are at WDW. They can and do set there own standards.
In a perfect world for families staying at WDW, they can up the adult age to a more common age that "adult" kids may have moved out of the house. 18 y/o is rare for kids to move out these days. How about making the adult extra charge 25 y/o. Just a thought.

Also as much as age on a picture ID is non-debatable............ well so is the persons name .
Believe me ........... Disney knows that our 19 y/o daughter is our daughter. They know everything about us for the past 20 years !

I am not debating the extra adult charge, nor am I refusing to pay it, I just wish WDW would recognise that if your very young adult "kid" who is really too young to stay on their own and needs to stay in the "family" room ........ there shouldn't be an extra charge for it.

Oh well.........nothing any of us can do about it !

We are going to WDW in a month and WILL be paying the extra "adult" $25. fee for out Disney born and raised daughter.

Maybe Disney wants us to charge our daughter the extra $25. per night to recoup our money .

Syndrome

There are a LOT of family destinations. Where do you draw the line for those? So if you go to Ocean City, Maryland with your now 18 year old, do you expect them to change the industry standard there? That's where my husband's family vacations every year. And every year, they have to pay for each additional adult in the two rooms they get. And EVERYONE is an adult. But it's a family vacation. Same thing in Gatlinburg. We're all adults so each additional one is charged. And that's a family vacation.

What if I took my grown son to Las Vegas for a weekend with my husband and me? He's 31 years old, married with two kids, but, well, he's my son so he shouldn't have to pay more for an extra adult charge.

 

[snykymom]

Never mind "family oriented" - I had to pay the extra charge for my D when we were dropping her off at college! If you don't think she was still on our dime then . . .

And a lot of hotels and resorts charge for children at 11 or 12 as "extra occupants" even though they couldn't rent their own room. (If you don't think that's true, why is there so much advertising for certain hotels that "kids stay free"? If they always stayed free, it wouldn't be a big deal.)

 

[StitchesGr8Fan]

People want Disney to follow industry standards when it is beneficial for them, and set their own standards when it is beneficial for them.

 

[nkereina]

And a lot of hotels and resorts charge for children at 11 or 12 as "extra occupants" even though they couldn't rent their own room. (If you don't think that's true, why is there so much advertising for certain hotels that "kids stay free"? If they always stayed free, it wouldn't be a big deal.)

This would be more in line with the reasoning I posted above. While some hotels do it with 18+ because they could rent their own room, others do it because of the additional wear and tear extra people in one room bring.

 

[McKelly]

I'm just glad Disney doesn't start charging the extra person fee until a person actually reaches 18 years of age. Last year we had to pay the extra person fee for my then 13-year old when we stayed in Yellowstone. That seemed a little silly, but I've seen other hotels do the same. Be glad Disney's policy is 18!

I didn't realize this. A couple years ago I was looking up prices for Yellowstone lodging and just started doing it again and was a little shocked how much the accomodations have gone up in just a couple years. Well, because of your post, I just figured out it's because both my kids are 12 and over now, so not only did the price go up because of yearly increases, but two "extra person charges" were added in there!

Not too many hotels charge for under 18, I wouldn't have thought the national parks would....

 

[Syndrome]

Yes, there has to be a clear cut line........... over 18 and automatically you are an adult, so you must pay extra per night. Got it, no debate. A very easy and non-debatable way for any hotel to be able to increase revenues. Just check an ID.

I will add though there are Disney properties that do not charge for extra adults. Possibily it has more to do with square footage, than actual persons in the room as Disney see's it. .

Syndrome

 

[vettegirl]

Disneyland hotel in Anaheim doesn't charge extra

 

[KrazeeK120]

LOL, I wasnt saying that only Disney charges for extra adults. Every hotel does, I realize that.
It was just my oppinion that Disney could set its own standard, and possibly up the "adult" age for family offspring that is staying with their own family to ............ maybe 25 to encourage the return of the adult age "kid" and their own family to return sooner than later.

Yea, I guess it has to be a hard line in the sand. Its 18 and I am o.k. with that. Just stating my oppinion.

Syndrome

25? Really? When I was 25, no way would I have shared a room with my parents. At that age, I was sharing a room with my husband.

The fact of the matter is that at age 18, persons are legally recognized as adults in the United States. Disney is following what every other hotel chain does. Paying the $25 upcharge is still much, much less expensive than that person getting their own room.

 

[LSchrow]

LOL, I wasnt saying that only Disney charges for extra adults. Every hotel does, I realize that.
It was just my oppinion that Disney could set its own standard, and possibly up the "adult" age for family offspring that is staying with their own family to ............ maybe 25 to encourage the return of the adult age "kid" and their own family to return sooner than later.

Yea, I guess it has to be a hard line in the sand. Its 18 and I am o.k. with that. Just stating my oppinion.

Syndrome

despite this thread making it seem as if you are the only one who feels that way, there are actually many who agree with you (even i was reluctant to post). not only have similar opinions been posted over the years, i've personally had many discussions with people (at home, while working at the disney store, at WDW, as well as elsewhere) who feel that at the very least, there should be no additional charge for those living in the same household.

an additional adult charge may be industry standard, but many places also charge for children under 18yo - why is no one advocating that "industry standard"?
and i really doubt that an adult child traveling with their parents would cause more "wear and tear" on a room than a young child - we've seen lots of crayon and marker drawings on furniture and walls, fork gouges under tables, etc in WDW resorts: i doubt there are very many adult children who carry crayons and markers, or crawl under tables .

that's another reason why we love having DVC - we can stay on WDW property, and have as many "adults" in our villa (as occupancy permits) without incurring additional fees.
heck, DVC members can even buy discounted APs for "family members living in same household", no matter what their age - at least one division of Disney seems to understand that many families remain close enough to want to vacation together, even once their "children" turn 18.

 

[Syndrome]

despite this thread making it seem as if you are the only one who feels that way, there are actually many who agree with you (even i was reluctant to post). not only have similar opinions been posted over the years, i've personally had many discussions with people (at home, while working at the disney store, at WDW, as well as elsewhere) who feel that at the very least, there should be no additional charge for those living in the same household.

an additional adult charge may be industry standard, but many places also charge for children under 18yo - why is no one advocating that "industry standard"?
and i really doubt that an adult child traveling with their parents would cause more "wear and tear" on a room than a young child - we've seen lots of crayon and marker drawings on furniture and walls, fork gouges under tables, etc in WDW resorts: i doubt there are very many adult children who carry crayons and markers, or crawl under tables .

that's another reason why we love having DVC - we can stay on WDW property, and have as many "adults" in our villa (as occupancy permits) without incurring additional fees.
heck, DVC members can even buy discounted APs for "family members living in same household", no matter what their age - at least one division of Disney seems to understand that many families remain close enough to want to vacation together, even once their "children" turn 18.

Thanks for the back-up ,lol. . What happened to the OP anyway ? .
I was not debating any hotels revenue practices, and standards, just stating my opinion........which I am entitled to do. . Also never meant to offend anyone.
Just seems strange to me that even Disney does not have any "lines in the sand" , ie......rules, when it comes to some things. Some rooms at WDW have extra charges for adults 18 and older, while some WDW rooms (including DVC) do not. . Seems like it has more to do with square footage than anything else ???

Syndrome

 

[kaytieeldr]

despite this thread making it seem as if you are the only one who feels that way, there are actually many who agree with you (even i was reluctant to post). not only have similar opinions been posted over the years, i've personally had many discussions with people (at home, while working at the disney store, at WDW, as well as elsewhere) who feel that at the very least, there should be no additional charge for those living in the same household.

Two of my siblings and one of our parents lived together into their forties and seventies respectively. Why in the world should they have been exempt from any 3rd/4th adult surcharges when traveling together? Conversely, why would the rest of my siblings and I, and various partners/spouses, be penalized because we didn't live in that house?

 

[Missytara]

Thanks for the back-up ,lol. . What happened to the OP anyway ? .
I was not debating any hotels revenue practices, and standards, just stating my opinion........which I am entitled to do. . Also never meant to offend anyone.
Just seems strange to me that even Disney does not have any "lines in the sand" , ie......rules, when it comes to some things. Some rooms at WDW have extra charges for adults 18 and older, while some WDW rooms (including DVC) do not. . Seems like it has more to do with square footage than anything else ???

Syndrome

Think outside the box, DVC has nothing to do with square footage, it has to do with the way Disney makes money off those rooms.

Ultimately, Disney has to satisfy the shareholders.....

 

[ElizabethB]

What it has to do with is revenue. They make money off the extra fee for adults. With DVC, they've already made so many hundreds of millions of dollars from people paying in advance for 30 years of vacations that they can let the charge for additional adults go.

It's pretty obvious DVC is a real cash cow for Disney. It's the only thing they build anymore.

It's all about money. Always is.