Claiming Fewer Guests During Hotel Registration

[Crazymikelee]

Hello,

This is the first time I am going to travel with my entire family. We are 8 people 7 adults and 1 child. I notice that when I search for a room for 2 adults the price is lower than if I search for 4 adults.

My question is what are the penalties or drawbacks of claiming 2 guests and then showing up with 4? Why do they charge more money for more guests in the same room?

-Michael

 

[Autumnslight]

Hello,

This is the first time I am going to travel with my entire family. We are 8 people 7 adults and 1 child. I notice that when I search for a room for 2 adults the price is lower than if I search for 4 adults.

My question is what are the penalties or drawbacks of claiming 2 guests and then showing up with 4? Why do they charge more money for more guests in the same room?

-Michael

Disney charges an additional fee for each adult (18 or older) in the room after the first two. The charge is $10 per additional adult per night at a value resort, either $15 or $20 at a moderate, and $25 at a deluxe resort. There is no additional fee in family suites or at DVC villas properties for additional adults.

If you claim two adults and show up with four, Disney will just charge you the extra fee when you check in.

 

[uccats97]

Most properties, and all Disney resorts, charge at least $10/adult/night for more than 2 adults (18 and older) in a room. That's just the way it goes. Usually when more than 2 adults are staying in the same room the cost is being divided amongst everyone anyway.
I wouldn't recommend fudging your numbers. I don't know what the penalty is but it probably isn't worth the hassle if you were to get caught. You can't fudge the numbers with Disney if you are buying a Magic Your Way Package. Everyone in your room has to use the same entities; type of park ticket, number of park days, dining plan, etc. If you don't add everyone in your travel party to the rooms, they will be excluded from package and unable to add the dining plan on the side. Good luck!

 

[Marionnette]

Hello,

This is the first time I am going to travel with my entire family. We are 8 people 7 adults and 1 child. I notice that when I search for a room for 2 adults the price is lower than if I search for 4 adults.

My question is what are the penalties or drawbacks of claiming 2 guests and then showing up with 4? Why do they charge more money for more guests in the same room?

-Michael

It's pretty much a standard across the hotel industry to impose an added charge for more than 2 adults in a room. Additional people consume additional resources - they use more water, take up more space on the buses, and use more of the recreational facilities at the resort.

If you were to bring additional people with you without registering them ahead of time with Disney, they will not have Magic Bands until they are registered, they will not be able to use DME if they are not registered prior to arrival and you will be assessed the additional fees when you register them for the nights that they will be with you.

If you never register them, they will not be able to use EMH, won't have a key for the room and will never have Magic Bands for the purpose of booking FP+ in advance of their arrival in the parks.

 

[Autumnslight]

If you tried to leave anyone off of the room reservation entirely, they also wouldn't have a Magic Band, and would have no way to get into the room. Plus, even if they had a separate park ticket, they wouldn't be able to make Fast Pass+ selections in advance.

 

[gilesmt]

They charge like many hotels a $15 surcharge for the third and fourth adult, so four adults would be $30 more per room. Three adults would be $15 more per room. Just like when you see kids stay free, some times it says to age 14 sometimes it says to age 17. I don't know why but this has been around for a long time.

I personally would not claim to adults and show up with four, I guess maybe if your adults just turned 18 and 19, but if they are in there 40's Disney is going to know.

I guess you have to play it like they play with the under 3 and some kids are 4 and getting in for free because the parents lie. Or the 10 and up on tickets and again people lie about the age.

My DgD is 8 she will be nine in June, next month when we go we listed her as 10 and paid the more for her dining and tickets, because she will be happier, she would hate us if she can not eat real food at sit down meals, is he and on hates nuggets, hamburgers, she wants fish and steak and such. She also would kill us if at lunch we all got a cupcake for dessert and she got a cookie from a package or grapes or applesauce. Sure she eats all that but not as dessert especially on vacation. It is worth the $15 or $20 a day more to let her have what she wants, and she still has the option to eat from kids meals if she wants.

 

[DisneyMomma81]

Use more resources?! My 13 year old is taller than me, weighs more than me, showers more often.
When he was 9 we made him 10 through Disney - so he could order from the adult menus, free dining! It was maybe $25 more *for the adult ticket.

 

[Lewisc]

Use more resources?! My 13 year old is taller than me, weighs more than me, showers more often.
When he was 9 we made him 10 through Disney - so he could order from the adult menus, free dining! It was maybe $25 more *for the adult ticket.

Which is why some resorts charge extra when the 3rd person in the room is a teenager. Some hotels in Vegas charge when the 3rd person in the room is an infant.

Your point suggests Disney is being overly generous. Maybe Disney should have a uniform age for tickets, child meals and extra person charge in the hotels. Be careful what you wish for.

 

[maxiesmom]

Why do they charge more for more adults in the same room? Simple answer is because they can. I have also heard that it is because they are making up some of the lost revenue from those adults not renting their own room.

As other posters have pointed out there are also drawbacks from not listing everyone on the room to being with. You can't do any type of package. You wont be able to get FP+ times for those people. They won't be able to use Magical Express.

 

[supersnoop]

My DgD is 8 she will be nine in June, next month when we go we listed her as 10 and paid the more for her dining and tickets, because she will be happier, she would hate us if she can not eat real food at sit down meals, is he and on hates nuggets, hamburgers, she wants fish and steak and such. She also would kill us if at lunch we all got a cupcake for dessert and she got a cookie from a package or grapes or applesauce. Sure she eats all that but not as dessert especially on vacation. It is worth the $15 or $20 a day more to let her have what she wants, and she still has the option to eat from kids meals if she wants.

That might make sense during free-dining, but the dining plan alone is $40/day extra, plus the adult ticket prices.

 

[gunner2010]

Hotel GM here.. For my hotel (and many others) our rates are for double occupancy.

That said, we are not going too nuts tracking down if you have 4 in the room. That is for sleeping.

For meals etc, you might have to give a room number and if you have 4 and paid for just the 2, we would charge you for the extra folks.

Have to understand that the cost is based on double occupancy and adding folks does mean it costs us more. Water, electric, guest supplies etc.

 

[DizMe]

This is interesting. I go to Disneyland in CA, and they don't charge extra for more than 2 adults. You are allowed 5 per room in the Disneyland Resort hotels and they don't care what the ages are--the cost is the same.

 

[supergoofy]

I don't get why they do it other than they can.

Like said the package is where it would get sticky.

 

[NYCDiane]

Not to mention, on the guest cards that the front desk keeps in a fireproof box, it lists all the guests (or at least the main guest and the number of additional guests under that reservation). If there is ever a fire or other emergency/catastrophe, the front desk staff have to take that box with them so that fire or police personnel can check those cards to ensure everyone is out of the hotel and safe --- and, if not, who is still in the building so they can search for them or their remains.

 

[Crazymikelee]

Hotel GM here.. For my hotel (and many others) our rates are for double occupancy.

That said, we are not going too nuts tracking down if you have 4 in the room. That is for sleeping.

For meals etc, you might have to give a room number and if you have 4 and paid for just the 2, we would charge you for the extra folks.

Have to understand that the cost is based on double occupancy and adding folks does mean it costs us more. Water, electric, guest supplies etc.

Thank you I didnt really think of it that way. I willdefinately suck it up and pay my fair share. Thank you everyone for the answers you provided.

 

[bumbershoot]

My DgD is 8 she will be nine in June, next month when we go we listed her as 10 and paid the more for her dining and tickets, because she will be happier, she would hate us if she can not eat real food at sit down meals, is he and on hates nuggets, hamburgers, she wants fish and steak and such. She also would kill us if at lunch we all got a cupcake for dessert and she got a cookie from a package or grapes or applesauce. Sure she eats all that but not as dessert especially on vacation. It is worth the $15 or $20 a day more to let her have what she wants, and she still has the option to eat from kids meals if she wants.

Be sure to make SURE the dining plan actually saves you money... I haven't yet made it work for us, and if I upgrade my son to a Disney adult it gets even worse. Just doesn't work for us!

(obviously if you're getting the free dining plan AND if getting a room-only reservation plus paying for food isn't lower than the free dining package, then it probably makes sense, but if you're paying for the dining plan...just be sure to be sure!)

 

[ruadisneyfan2]

Be sure to make SURE the dining plan actually saves you money... I haven't yet made it work for us, and if I upgrade my son to a Disney adult it gets even worse. Just doesn't work for us!

(obviously if you're getting the free dining plan AND if getting a room-only reservation plus paying for food isn't lower than the free dining package, then it probably makes sense, but if you're paying for the dining plan...just be sure to be sure!)

For us, the dining plan only seems to work out in our favor if we are doing at least a few character meals. Also, it would be good for people who would otherwise be buying dessert and snacks later. If you do mostly counter service, I don't think it's a great value.

 

[Lisa71]

We always do a few character meals so we save. We also do buffets so the kids can eat anything. I would look at the menus as many have more adult options even for the kids. There are places with nice kids meals that you described. We love not worrying about it and we use our snacks for all kinds of things. I would look at where you want to dine to see if it works. Our only sit downs not buffet will be Flying Fish, Kouzzina, and Hollywood Brown Derby..so the kids meals will be plenty. Also two are double credits which if we upgraded to adult would not work out money wise.

 

[kimsuenew]

Hello,

This is the first time I am going to travel with my entire family. We are 8 people 7 adults and 1 child. I notice that when I search for a room for 2 adults the price is lower than if I search for 4 adults.

My question is what are the penalties or drawbacks of claiming 2 guests and then showing up with 4? Why do they charge more money for more guests in the same room?

-Michael

Um, it is stealing. If you feel you have enough money for a vacation than you should be honest and pay for all aspects of the vacation.

 

[supergoofy]

Be sure to make SURE the dining plan actually saves you money... I haven't yet made it work for us, and if I upgrade my son to a Disney adult it gets even worse. Just doesn't work for us!

(obviously if you're getting the free dining plan AND if getting a room-only reservation plus paying for food isn't lower than the free dining package, then it probably makes sense, but if you're paying for the dining plan...just be sure to be sure!)

I would add to look at what you may eat and check if that is on the plan.

For us we plan on doing the waffles at Sleepy Hollow which is not on the plan. We also are going to snack around the World Showcase for one of our "meals" at Epcot and didn't want to be limited as to what we could pick to eat.

Add these to an open day where we don't know where we will be, a day offsite and twin 10 year olds we found the plan didn't work for us.

We figured OOP plus splitting meals was a better route. But it took a bit of work to figure it all out.