Extra Adult Room Charge

[famsen]

Is there any way to get around paying the extra adult room charge?
Our DD who has gone on every WDW trip with us just turned 18. I found that the extra adult room charge is $10 per night for A value resort, $15 per nnight at a moderate and up to $25 per night at a deluxe. Since we are staying at CSR that's an extra charge of $75 for us! It's not like she is some stranger we are taking with, she is our daughter and I just feel like she is going to be using just as much of the room and ameneties as an 18 year old as she last year as a 17 year old. It just seems like alot of money to me which could be better spent during our stay.

Does CRO ever make exceptions when it's an adult "child" staying with you?

 

[BroadwayGirl]

Disney prices are based on double occupany - this is actually a fairly standard practice in the industry. Like most resorts, they make an EXCEPTION for more than 2 people by NOT charging IF the additional guests are children under the age of 18. Unless you are dishonest when booking your reservation or book a room category that doesn't have the extra adult fee then the fee will apply. Have you considered a Family Suite at ASMu? Depending on the season, the price will end up being similar to what you would be paying at CSR with the additional adult fee but you'll be getting more space, more privacy and another bathroom.

 

[antmaril]

Our son is 20 and when I made our reservation at the Boardwalk Inn for January, I told them I needed a room with two queens because my son might come with us.

He did come and I just told them when we were checking in that he was with us. They did not charge us the extra $25 per day to have him in the room. Now, they could have charged us, but didn't. I got lucky!

On the other hand, if I had told them definitively that he was coming, we would have been charged for sure. I did that in 2006 and we paid for the extra adult in the room.

It is an industry standard - not just Disney.

 

[hansel1]

This is kinda like the children under 3 for free deal. Does a child under 3 use the same amenities and feautures as a child that just turned 3? Probably, but they have to make the cutoff somewhere.

 

[famsen]

I had no intention of being "dishonest" about my daughter's age. In fact, since she has been with us on every trip to WDW for the last 10 years, our whole family's ages are already in CRO's system and are updated each year. They knew she had turned 18 when I called.

I asked only because I was wondering if anyone had ever heard of exceptions on the extra adult charge as a courtesy for longtime customers. Apparently not.

 

[hansel1]

I had no intention of being "dishonest" about my daughter's age. In fact, since she has been with us on every trip to WDW for the last 10 years, our whole family's ages are already in CRO's system and are updated each year. They knew she had turned 18 when I called.

I asked only because I was wondering if anyone had ever heard of exceptions on the extra adult charge as a courtesy for longtime customers. Apparently not.

I don't think the other poster meant that YOU were or would be dishonest. They were just explaining that "you" (anyone in general) could be dishonest and try to get around the age thing.

I have not heard anyone mention that disney gives long time visitors any different treatment from a first timer. That being said, I think it just depends on the CM you get on the phone.

 

[antmaril]

Do what I suggested in the above post. Make the reservation and ask for a room with two beds. Your daughter might come with you.

Then, when you check in tell them she's with you. At this point, they may not charge you. This is your only hope to get around it.

This works, of course, on a room-only reservation. If you are booking a package deal, they would HAVE to know in advance.

 

[BroadwayGirl]

I had no intention of being "dishonest" about my daughter's age. In fact, since she has been with us on every trip to WDW for the last 10 years, our whole family's ages are already in CRO's system and are updated each year. They knew she had turned 18 when I called.

I asked only because I was wondering if anyone had ever heard of exceptions on the extra adult charge as a courtesy for longtime customers. Apparently not.

I was not suggesting you would be dishonest regarding your daughter's age. I'm so sorry if I gave that impression.

Unfortunately, there are people here who would suggest "just don't tell them she is coming and if you add her at check in they might not charge you" or something similar, knowing FULL WELL that their adult child will indeed be traveling. It is this sort of behavior that I was referring to when I mentioned being dishonest when booking. And before someone brings it up, I totally understand that when some people originally book their reservations they might not be sure if their adult kids are joining them; however, unless they live about a mile from Disney, it is pretty impossible to NOT know if an adult child is joining the trip at least a day before check in. After all, don't they have to pack, get time off from work/school, purchase plane tickets, make plans for someone to feed the dog, etc? So in 99.9% of these situations, there is plenty of time to call Disney and add the adult child to the reservation before leaving home - not doing so suggests to me that a person is trying to avoid paying the extra adult fee.

In any case, OP, I know it stinks for you that your baby is now an adult in Disney's eyes which means you'll be paying more for your reservation. But look at it this way...pretty soon your DD will be completely out on her own and won't be able/willing to vacation with mom and dad anymore. To me the $15/night is a small price to pay for priceless family moments because all too soon real life interferes and courses change and once that occurs you'd pay any price to get one more family vacation together.

 

[antmaril]

I was not suggesting you would be dishonest regarding your daughter's age. I'm so sorry if I gave that impression.

Unfortunately, there are people here who would suggest "just don't tell them she is coming and if you add her at check in they might not charge you" or something similar, knowing FULL WELL that their adult child will indeed be traveling. It is this sort of behavior that I was referring to when I mentioned being dishonest when booking. And before someone brings it up, I totally understand that when some people originally book their reservations they might not be sure if their adult kids are joining them; however, unless they live about a mile from Disney, it is pretty impossible to NOT know if an adult child is joining the trip at least a day before check in. After all, don't they have to pack, get time off from work/school, purchase plane tickets, make plans for someone to feed the dog, etc? So in 99.9% of these situations, there is plenty of time to call Disney and add the adult child to the reservation before leaving home - not doing so suggests to me that a person is trying to avoid paying the extra adult fee.

In any case, OP, I know it stinks for you that your baby is now an adult in Disney's eyes which means you'll be paying more for your reservation. But look at it this way...pretty soon your DD will be completely out on her own and won't be able/willing to vacation with mom and dad anymore. To me the $15/night is a small price to pay for priceless family moments because all too soon real life interferes and courses change and once that occurs you'd pay any price to get one more family vacation together.

I resent your implication. I told them when we checked in that our son was with us. I wasn't trying to get away with anything. At this point, it is up to the CM whether or not to charge me the extra $$$. I was willing and able to pay the $25 per day. They didn't charge us and that's it. I've dropped a boatload of money at WDW and I was completely honest when checking in. Our adult son is with us in this room. Charge me the $25 per day. They chose not to. Let's face it, these rooms are expensive and by adding the extra $25 per day for your own kid, it gets pricey. If they are going to throw me a bone, I'm going to take it. We need every break we can get.

Now, if get there and I don't tell them he's with us, that would not be right. I would never do that.

The end.

 

[BroadwayGirl]

I resent your implication. I told them when we checked in that our son was with us. I wasn't trying to get away with anything. At this point, it is up to the CM whether or not to charge me the extra $$$. I was willing and able to pay the $25 per day. They didn't charge us and that's it. I've dropped a boatload of money at WDW and I was completely honest when checking in. Our adult son is with us in this room. Charge me the $25 per day. They chose not to. Let's face it, these rooms are expensive and by adding the extra $25 per day for your own kid, it gets pricey. If they are going to throw me a bone, I'm going to take it. We need every break we can get.

Now, if get there and I don't tell them he's with us, that would not be right. I would never do that.

The end.

Actually, I was explaining my ORIGINAL response to the OP which was posted PRIOR to your first post and therefore in no way was a reference to you. Quite frankly, I didn't read your posts until after submitting my 2nd response to the OP and while you might feel my response addresses you personally, in reality this is a subject that comes up on these and other Disney related discussion boards from time to time with the same suggestions each time. In the OP's situation, since her DD is planned as a member of their traveling party it would be dishonest not to include her when booking the reservation. I was not implying that I thought the OP would try to be dishonest, just that the only way I could imagine avoiding the extra adult fee would be to not tell Disney that her daughter would be traveling. My understanding of the DISboard rules is that they do not encourage actions that bypass Disney's rules and policies so I didn't go into detail in my original response because I didn't feel it appropriate to provide information that another person might use to try to avoid the fee. Because the OP misunderstood my statement I clarified my thoughts in my 2nd response.

Further, my original response was referring to the booking process and I stand by my opinion that it is dishonest to not notify Disney about an additional adult in your room if you know they are traveling when you make the reservation. After all, everytime I've called to make a reservation or priced a reservation online I was asked to provide correct travel party information. If an additional adult decides to join the party after the original reservation has been booked, my opinion is that a call should be made to Disney to add that person to the existing reservation. If someone TRULY doesn't know that the additional adult is traveling until they arrive at the hotel then of course it is appropriate to notify the front desk at that time.