Extra Magic Hours Question

[Dcanoli]

Okay, I may get flamed for this one, but I just have to ask.

We are a Disney family, and I'm close to being a Disney "know-it-all!"

Here's my story and how my wheels are spinning....(I came on here to get some other EXPERTS' opinions! You guys have always been the best on these boards, and each time we've gone to The World, I've lived on these boards before we went.)

We want to go to Disney at the end of the Free Dining Plan offer. However, we want to take "Grandmom" along with us. If we do that, it would mean upgrading to a Moderate Resort versus a Value Resort! UGH! That would push our trip from $1300 to $2100! My wheels are spinning with a plan, but I need some opinions from you guys!

Here's what I'm thinking....what if we STAYED at the Value Resort, but didn't register Grandmom? She lives in Florida and she could buy a FL Resident Seasonal Pass for the same price as we would be paying for our 5-day MYW Base Tickets.

I know this would mean she wouldn't be on the Dining Plan, but our youngest child NEVER eats anything, and he could eat off everyone else's plates. Okay, I can hear you all saying, "You can't do that at the shows and buffets."

HOWEVER, I could fandangle the show (if we choose to do one) and maybe even the buffet. (The last time we did BOMA, they never even looked at our table.) BUT...here's my dilemma....what about the Extra Magic Hours?

The late nights don't concern me because we'd already be in the park, and they don't kick out the non-resort guests (that would be turning away $$ you know). I know Grandmom wouldn't be able to ride anything, but I'm thinking she'll be pooped by that time anyway. My concern is for any MORNING Extra Magic Hours we may do.

Could she get in with us? I read one post that said they only need one resort ID for the whole party, but I'd hate to get there and then, they don't let her in.

What is your opinions guys? I know you'll let me have them! Thanks, in advance! Debbie

 

[Luv4Disney]

I don't know. Whenever we've gone in for EMH's, we've had to show both our resort ID's. I don't know if anyone had a different experience. However, regarding the room, there should not be anymore than 4 people in a value resort room unless it's 4 adults and a crib(a child under 3). The whole reason for that is due to fire codes and restrictions.

I know it seems like a big jump in price, but think of the money you're saving by having the free dining plan.

For me personally, it seems kind of shady. But that's just my opinion.

 

[Dcanoli]

You're right; it is shady....but it seems like the only thing that will keep the price down.

Our youngest is still little, so size and space-wise, it's okay--it's just those "pesky" fire codes!

The Moderate Resorts double in price--from $79 to $140. Paying $800 more....I don't know if the food would have cost that much....It may have come close, but I can't imagine spending $800 on food while at Disney.

We've NEVER spent anywhere near that much on food while there. Seems like such a HUGE jump.

I'm one of Disney's biggest fans, so I hate even thinking about this option....but my wheels are spinning on how to get Grandma down there and at a decent price!

Thanks!

 

[dixiedizfan]

Each of the four of us, including our kids, had to show our own resort ID when entering MK, Epcot and MGM for EMH. We could tell Disney is very diligent about enforcing this.

 

[Dcanoli]

See, that's what I remember too...on the MORNING EMH, but I know from EMH in the past, that they don't check anyone in the evening.

They let everyone stay in the park, but you do need the wristband to ride anything.

 

[babar41]

Got your flame suit ready? I'll try not to have the flame thrower up too high.

I'm sorry, but you did ask for opinions. What you are planning (and wanting others to help you plan) is wrong. You are trying to do a nice thing for your Grandmother by taking her to Disney, but you don't want it to cost you anything. You want to sneak her into your room, have her eat from the children's menu (your child's free dinning is off of the children's menu), have your child eat off your plate, have her stay at the parks in the evenings for EMH but not be able to ride anything... Ever wonder how she would feel if she was "caught"?

You have a child, what lesson are you teaching him/her? It's OK to cheat the system as long as you don't get caught?

1. The number of people limit in a room is for safety. The reason hotels want to know the names of everyone in the room is in case of an emergency.

2. Your free dinning is given to the PAYING members of your party. Not others you sneak in.

3. EMH is for PAYING guest of WDW. Not others you sneak in.

If you want to do something nice for your Grandmother then you need to be willing to pay for it. If you aren't willing to pay for it, then really what you want is for WDW to do something nice for your Grandmother and give you the credit.

Sorry, but it is wrong.

 

[Hannathy]

How many nights are you staying that it adds 800 just for the room ?

I don't know that is a lot of lying to live with for a week,room,food, emh if you get away with it. I wouldn't want that stressful of a week always wondering when they were going to catch me. I don't understand how you think you will get around the buffets- The hostess notes on your slip how many there are I believe or at least the server does, or is granma going to hide in the bathroom and you bring her food. And if you play by the rules your kids are supposed to order from the kids menu so 3 adults will be sharing 2 meals at every meal? Or will Gr.Ma share a childs meal with your child? If Granma was only coming for 1 night I might understand trying to do it but all week?

 

[Canadisney]

hmmmmm are you sure your figure of $800 is right? You said you have a 5 day ticket so I would assume that your staying 5 nights right? If your paying park tickets for her it would cost about $199(base tickets). that means you would have $600 left and there is only a differnce of 60 dollars per night between a value and moderate.

HOWEVER, I could fandangle the show (if we choose to do one) and maybe even the buffet. (The last time we did BOMA, they never even looked at our table.)

What do you mean here? I don't understand. Do you actually mean stealing food? Fudging the number of people that are there?

What your asking us is not just one dishonest thing that you are doing, but a whole list of stuff.

Everyone in your party has to show their resort id.

 

[Deb & Bill]

I don't know the last time you went to EMH, but they scan everyone's room ID to get the wrist band. Everyone has to show the room ID to get into the park for EMH in the morning. They will turn you away without it.

What you are thinking about doing is very wrong. Unless one of your kids is under the age of three when you arrive at the park, you cannot have five in the Value resort.

Suck it up, pay the price or leave Grandma at home.

For a "Disney Know-it-all", you should know a lot better.

 

[2nd childhood]

We are a family of 5 and we always run into this problem when on vacation. We always have to get a suite because most rooms only accommodate 4.

We are staying at POR with a trundle bed. Yes it is more money, but at least we’ll have a clear conscience. I really wouldn’t want to be looking over my shoulder for the "Disney Rule Enforcement Squad". It’s vacation you really want to leave all your worries behind, not create new ones during your trip.

Maybe you can think of a few easier ways to stretch your budget that would allow you to get a room at POR. We got ours for around $152 (tax and everything) per night. Besides that will give you more pooled credits and open up more choices of places to eat.

 

[traviesojmt]

Got your flame suit ready? I'll try not to have the flame thrower up too high.

I'm sorry, but you did ask for opinions. What you are planning (and wanting others to help you plan) is wrong. You are trying to do a nice thing for your Grandmother by taking her to Disney, but you don't want it to cost you anything. You want to sneak her into your room, have her eat from the children's menu (your child's free dinning is off of the children's menu), have your child eat off your plate, have her stay at the parks in the evenings for EMH but not be able to ride anything... Ever wonder how she would feel if she was "caught"?

You have a child, what lesson are you teaching him/her? It's OK to cheat the system as long as you don't get caught?

1. The number of people limit in a room is for safety. The reason hotels want to know the names of everyone in the room is in case of an emergency.

2. Your free dinning is given to the PAYING members of your party. Not others you sneak in.

3. EMH is for PAYING guest of WDW. Not others you sneak in.

If you want to do something nice for your Grandmother then you need to be willing to pay for it. If you aren't willing to pay for it, then really what you want is for WDW to do something nice for your Grandmother and give you the credit.

Sorry, but it is wrong.

I have to completely agree with this post. What you are proposing is completely dishonest. If you can't afford to take Grandma with you, then don't. There is no shame in letting her know that you can't handle the extra cost. I sometimes disagree with other posters, but I usually can understand their point of view. I am completely at a loss with this one. I must tell you that I thought it was a joke. I can't even imagine the lying, cheating and stealing that would have to happen to pull this off. I am unable to comprehend how you could have fun on your trip this way. I would be looking over my shoulder thinking that Disney security was coming to get me. I hope you seriously do not consider this.

 

[Dcanoli]

Thanks guys! As a Disney fan, I knew the flames would be coming, and I appreciate it.

Some of you have asked and so I guess this is what I was thinking--7 nights at a Value Resort would be $79/night or $620. Seven nights at a moderate would be $1084--a difference of $464. Plus add on an additional $212 for a 5-day base MYW ticket, and the grand total comes to $676. So, it wasn't $800, but close enough.

The time we went to Disney, we went with another family of four. They weren't staying as many nights, so they had less TS meals than us, and we did a show (HDDR). They "fandangled" their TS credits--which means they actually used two of their TS credits for the show and then bought their dinners and/or shared dinners on the other nights to allow them to see HDDR. A quick search on these boards will easily show you that A LOT of people share meals on the dining plan. The only places you are NOT allowed to share meals are at the buffets (i.e., Boma) and the shows (i.e., O'Hana and HDDR). The meal plans DOES not differentiate between adult and childrens meals. All TS, CS, and snacks are put into one "pot," if you will. Then, you give your server one card when it is time to "pay," and they deduct the number of meals served.

A quick reivew of these boards will also show you that a lot of times, the receipts come back wrong and you must check your receipt each time to make sure it is right. A lot of people "TREAT" Grandma and Grandpa to TS meals a night or two. That is a very common occurrence, and some people (on these boards) have actually called Disney to directly ask them. They have been told that it is permissable to both share meals with children and use/spend your credits as you wish.

There is so much food on the dining plan and a lot of the servings are huge. I don't need to tell you all that. I know that on our trip last year, both of kids ended up throwing away their CS meals more than once.

So, all that said (whew!)--I not "cheating" Disney out of any food. I am paying for four dining plan meals, and that's what I'm using four dining plan meals. My youngest little boy rarely eats, so we would order his meal and it would be consumed by the rest of us (which happens all the time at Disney with us anyway).

I mean, c'mon...how many of you have kids that don't finish their meals and then Dad cleans everyone's plates (i.e., "Are you gonna eat that? Pass it over here."). That's what I'm doing.

Now, as far as the EMH...they do not kick non-resort people out of the parks once they are in there. If Epcot is having a late night, they will not kick the paying public out at closing time. You just cannot get a wristband, which allows you to ride the rides, without a KTTW. How many of you have been to the late-night EMH? Non-resort people are EVERYWHERE. They just aren't on the rides.

Disney will not kick people out because those people will still buy souveniors and food items if they are in the park.

My mother is in the very early stages of Parkinsons and has never been on a vacation in her life. This is a one-time chance to take her along before the disease progresses plus a wonderful chance for her to see her grandsons experience Disney.

Personally, I don't really even care about the EMH. We may not even use them.

The only part that concerns me, like the rest of you, is the resort. I hate sneaking in one more person, but if you have ever stayed at the value resorts, you will see all sorts of people, and I guess I mean that in the "nicest" way possible.

Last time we were there, we stayed at ASSports, and there were some unruly types there...I can't even begin to tell you how many were in each room. Now, does that make it right? No way. It doesn't.

But, my youngest is still little, and he sleeps in between my husband and I a lot of nights anyway. So, I just thought that for one trip, it would be fine to do before the children grow.

I did ask for opinions, and I appreciate every one. We all love Disney, and we don't want to ruin it for anyone else. That's why I am struggling with the resort decision. If I truly didn't care, I wouldn't have asked for everyone's opinions.

That is why I love these boards. They are awesome. They have the best people with the best Disney knowledge, and they best information around!

Thanks everyone for your input!

 

[Hannathy]

Actually I'm coming up with less than $500 for room and food for a whole week-she was going to get a ticket anyway you do it correct?

You are counting on using all your kids credits as adult credits another Shady angle people are using and one I hope Disney closes soon and some CM'S may not look the other way for.

 

[Deb & Bill]

Why did you even bother posting this??? You are going to do what you plan to do. Why do you think you are exempt from the Disney requirements? Why is your family special?

So, all that said (whew!)--I not "cheating" Disney out of any food.

No, you are cheating Disney out of food. You aren't getting an adult dining plan. You are getting a child's dining plan and using it for an adult.

I mean, c'mon...how many of you have kids that don't finish their meals and then Dad cleans everyone's plates (i.e., "Are you gonna eat that? Pass it over here."). That's what I'm doing.

Nah, what you are doing is cheating Disney.

But aren't you going during the free dining period? You won't be paying anything for food anyway. But you will be paying rack rate for the room. And your estimates for the room are not rack rate.

I did ask for opinions, and I appreciate every one. We all love Disney, and we don't want to ruin it for anyone else. That's why I am struggling with the resort decision. If I truly didn't care, I wouldn't have asked for everyone's opinions.

No, you really didn't want to hear from the people who tell you to do the right thing.

I hate sneaking in one more person

So, don't do it. Get the moderate at POR and get the trundle bed.

 

[Dcanoli]

Yes, we would be buying my Mom her ticket. A five-day base MYW ticket comes up to $212.

I'm not sure if you added in the 11.5% tax Disney charges. The difference is about $680 for that fifth person.

I'm not too sure using the dining plan this way is shady. Like I posted above, you can call Disney, and they will tell you that all credits go in a pot and are pulled as used. It is completely legal and accepted by Disney for parents to share meals with their children and vice versa. They do not differentiate between adult and kids' meals.

Each person staying at a Disney resort is given the dining meal, if purchased, and you are therefore buying (in my case) 28 TS meals, 28 CS meals, and 28 snacks. They may be used in any manner. Disney does not care how you use them or what meals you "buy" with them.

The only times they restrict the use of the meals are for shows (such as HDDR and O'Hana) and for the buffets (such as the one at BOMA).

A quick search of this board will show that people bring in Grandma and Grandpa all the time to treat them to dinner with the meal plan.

If Disney allows it and it is approved, then why is it shady? There is a difference between Disney actually telling you it's okay to do something (such as sharing the meals) and Disney actually saying it's not okay to do something (such as adding a 5th person in a Value Resort room).

My list is not as long as some of you are making it out to be. We are PAYING for my Mother to get in the parks, Disney ALLOWS her to stay in the parks during the EMH (so that is not shady), and they allow her to eat meals I've actually paid for, so that is not shady either.

The only thing that is not acceptable here is my allowing her to sleep in one of our beds in the Value Resort.

 

[Luv4Disney]

However, not only is 5 people against fire codes and regulations, you're also not paying for the extra person to the room. Disney requires you to pay extra per night/per extra person.

How would that be right?

 

[Sherri]

I see what you are saying, but I interperted things differently. I thought if you bought the meal plan for 4 people who are on the reservation that those are the ONLY 4 people who are allowed to use it.
I didn't think you were allowed to share it with others. You can use the meal plan however you want as long as everyone is on the reservation. Also, I thought the kids only get kids portions and only get to order from the kids menu. Did this change?

 

[Deb & Bill]

You just don't get it, do you. You call it shady. Everyone else is calling it wrong.

Disney doesn't allow you to use children's dining credits for adults. It's a loophole that they haven't closed yet. Why would they charge different prices for children than adults if they didn't expect guests to use them accordingly. They expect guests to use the credits for the people they bought them for. As more people try to get around the dining plan requirements, the more Disney will tighten the screws on all guests, including the ones who are using the plan as it was designed.

EMH is advertised for resort guests only. They expect others not to be in the parks. Why else would they require guests to show their room ID to get in during morning EMH and to have their room ID scanned during evening EMH.

They expect guests to pay for the people who stay in the room.

WHAT DON'T YOU GET???? You are living in a dream world, honey. You want all the loopholes and none of the responsibilities.

 

[mikimaus6009]

Dcanoli-
I'd let this thread die. These people are more interested in their righteousness. Clearly, no one is planning on providing any useful information. Only judgments. Let's all just move on.

 

[Canadisney]

So why did you borther asking for, when everything your doing is right? You first started this thread by wondering about your concerns for extra magic hours and now you turn your thread around and say your concern is for sneakng an extra person in your room.

You say the differnce is $800 dollars when that isn't the case, since you will be buying the park tickects regardless , whether you decide to cheat the system or not. So why don't you take that $212 off you total and see what you get. Its really not that much more. Your mother has never been to Disney or a vacation, you want to make it special but you really don't cause you are not willining to pay the extra to make it special for her, you want her to sneak around Disney so you can save money. Where are you planning on her to sleep in that value room? Since that are only two beds with three adults and two childern?

What other information would she need? She has everything figured out.