AP's, Room Only Ressies plus maybe last minute extra guest--QUESTIONS-- HELP!

[beccaewert]

Ok,..... We've only had Magic Bands this past summer,...we are AP's and have made some ressies for Jan2nd-5th at CBR

We are a family of 4 DH, Me, DS 9 and DS 6.... SO, question.... We went ahead and booked a hotel at CBR for a family of 5.... we are in the middle of adopting a 13 yr girl,... We may have her by then or may not? So I'm trying to plan accordingly.... So I booked the room as a family of 5

How do I go about planning the rest? I don't want to buy her park tickets bc if I don't have her? But I can't book us all FP's and then she comes, then what? Change all of the FP's and then they will be the junk ones? How do I go about this?

Also I ordered our magic bands..... do they automatically transfer our AP's to the new magic bands? How does that work? Or do we use the old magic bands from the past summer trip?

Help me try to figure this out because my brain hurts....

 

[siskaren]

If you buy the tickets but the girl isn't with you by then, just save the tickets for a future trip.

Nothing is "on" a Magic Band - they're just links to the information on your MDE account. You can use your AP Magic Bands and the new ones interchangeably.

 

[beccaewert]

The problem is we have AP's..... so we wouldn't use the tickets..... it would be an unnecessary expense

Paying for an adoption,... all those extra $ are used lol

 

[nuzmom]

You AP bands and your new resort reservation bands will be "clones" of each other. If you have them all linked in MDX, then they will all function the same. Our family likes to have different colors, so we each just take our stash of bands and choose which one we want to wear each day. Again, they are clones of each other if you've linked them in mydisneyexperience.

If you haven't yet done so, book the FP+ for your current family of 4 asap. It's much easier to copy FP+ to 1 more person than to try to snag some for a party of 5.
When you know when she'll be joining your family, you can buy her ticket, link it in MDX, and book he FP+s. There's a way to "copy" one person's set to another (as long as there is availability). Or... my personal opinion, is that if it's really last minute, I'd stop in at Guest services with you adoption paperwork and see if they could help you out.
If you have any ADRs, make them for a party of 5.

Congratulations!!!

 

[beccaewert]

thank you..... so guest relations will usually accommodate our FP's with hers? ok thank you for that tidbit...

Is there any harm making ADR's for a party of 5 and then showing up as a party of 4? Will I be penalized?

 

[siskaren]

The problem is we have AP's..... so we wouldn't use the tickets..... it would be an unnecessary expense

Paying for an adoption,... all those extra $ are used lol

So this would be the only time you would take the 13 year old?

 

[nuzmom]

ADR's - party of 5 is harder to get than party of 4. But, if you make it for 5, but show up with 4, there is NO PENALTY - so no harm doing it that way. BUT... if you make it for 4 and show up with 5, they can/will turn one of you away.

I can't say guest relations will "usually" accommodate making FP+ for her that match yours, but I think they will do their best. If you have some paperwork to really show what your situation is, I think they may give her 3 "anytime" FP+s so she can join you guys. That's my 2 cents.

If you have enough notice - get her a ticket and make FP+ for her to match or overlap with yours, then you KNOW you're all set. BUT.. if you run into problems or out of time, I'd try guest services. Basically, some FP+s will be easier to add for her than others. Or... worse case - you or your husband can let her use you band to ride on the few that she won't have.

 

[nuzmom]

As far as the annual pass vs. ticket....
If you buy her a ticket and she is with you for this trip, you use her ticket to make FP+ and then use it to go through the entrance gate. Then go into guest services ANY TIME during the vacation (or that day) and ask them to "bridge" the ticket to an AP for her. They will then credit the gate price value to the cost of the AP. Or don't buy her an AP until it's time to renew yours - that's your choice.

If she's not with you for this trip, you would save the ticket and do the same "bridging" thing down the road. But, that does get tricky...
If your next trip is 7 days. You could book FP+s for the length of ticket you purchased for her for this trip, but you would have a "gap" of 3 days. You would want a AP or another ticket (a 4 day ticket and a 3 day ticket is much more than a 7 day ticket). I don't know if they will credit the price of the 4 day ticket towards and AP without being at WDW... ie - you would need to be SURE you can do it over the phone!!!