fitting 5 people in regular room

[Legendteri]

I wouldn't chance it. I imagine the workers are pretty astute to this and keep and eye out for it from everything from using EMH, using credits at the restaurants to the CMs at the hotel keeping an eye out for red flags.

Don't gamble with your families vacation and find an alternative.

 

[AntFarm]

Welcome to the reality of traveling as a family of five (or larger) Honestly, have you ever been in a value resort room? The size of those rooms is barely comfortable for four people let alone trying to sneak in a fifth person with an air mattress, even if it's just a "preschooler". I wouldn't risk it to save a few bucks. Get a room for five at POR, a family suite, cabin, rent DVC points, or just get two rooms. If that is all out of your budget then stay offsite which really wouldn't be a big deal since you already plan to drive down and will have your own car.
The only way you could get away with this is if your "preschooler" is two years old when you check in and turns three on another day during your trip, then you would technically still be "legal" in a room for four people. But honestly, the value resort rooms are small, what you are trying to do is not worth being uncomfortable and the embarrassment of getting kicked out.

 

[StitchesGr8Fan]

If you get kicked out, you also lose any remaining days on your park ticket and any dining credits.

 

[tinkerpea]

We have stayed at AOA and POP a few times and at one point have had 5 sleep in the room and its way too small!
We have actually always booked 2 rooms as there is normally 6 of us " we take my mum" but we have twins and a older boy and 1 night last trip the twins was really poorly and my older son who normally stays in my mums room wanted to stay in the room with us to so we ended up with the twin 7yr olds plus the 9yr old and dh and myself!
We did this as we had no choice and wasn't doing it to break rules as my mums room was 2 doors down ( not adjoining on this trip) but I would never do this as a choice it's just not practical.
Also I ordered more towels while my mum and all the kids Was in our room and when house keeping came they seen us all lying on the beds and my mum sitting reading on the chair,
They didn't ask us about why there was so many in the room??

I would stay at POR if your trying to budget, it's really not that much more considering your getting the full ddp!

 

[Granny square]

If you get kicked out, you also lose any remaining days on your park ticket and any dining credits.

Is that actually a fact?

I was talking with a friend in mid management down there and his take on all of this is much different. Their property, their rules but they are financially based and unless damage is being done they don't much care.

 

[DonaldnDaisy5]

I don't know. I'm pretty nosey and just watched the fit a woman threw because they fit in the room last year. They were in a royal room over at POR so I imagine it was pretty pricey at full price for the vacation! She was talking to a very unsympathetic manager when I got there.

I had gotten the feeling that all staff kind of watches for families that don't seem to 'fit' and then lets someone know so they can look into it. Like a lifeguard notices a family of 5, tells someone, and then someone higher up sees the only have 4 on the reservation or something.... I'm sure Im getting way more Criminal Minds with this than they are lol. I mean, they're starting to monitor beverages. Why not monitor families a little harder I guess lol.

My husband finally forced me to leave the spectacle she was making :-/

My husband would have made me leave too! They just don't appreciate the nosey factor!

This makes me wonder...we are a family of five and are staying at CBR but our youngest is on our in-laws reservation because we are traveling with them and sil/bil. We requested adjoining rooms and figure the kids will take turns in grandma and papa's room....wonder if we'll get flagged for questions? ???

 

[Momoftwins+1]

Not worth it. There are too many clues when one child doesn't have a KKTW card.

"This makes me wonder...we are a family of five and are staying at CBR but our youngest is on our in-laws reservation because we are traveling with them and sil/bil. We requested adjoining rooms and figure the kids will take turns in grandma and papa's room....wonder if we'll get flagged for questions? ??? "

This is what we are doing at CSR next year, one child will be staying with gma and gpa...however if people want to accuse me because they see me with 3 kiddos, they can go right ahead....I paid for both rooms so they can stick it ~ Business class rooms no less.

 

[NotUrsula]

I won't advocate over-stuffing a hotel room (because of KTTW issues for things like EMH, and because it IS a fire hazard), but y'all are being WAY too paranoid about being watched by resort staff; most of them have more important things to do with their working hours.

The only resort staff that is tasked with watching for over-capacity rooms are the housekeepers. They are supposed to report it if they see unauthorized beds in the room, or if the linen use is very excessive for the registered number of guests. I'm pretty sure that, in practice, if you keep the place tidy enough that you are not making extra work for them, and if you pick that mattress up and put it in closet before leaving for the day; they won't bother.

I know this because we DO often bring an extra bed, but not for an extra guest, and we have never once been questioned about it, perhaps because we keep a tidy room and recycle our bath linens. We have two opposite-gender children who don't do well sharing a bed, so the younger one gets a cot in rooms that only have two double beds. Not in a value, though; those are too small to do that without tripping over it. (FWIW, our preferred resort is S/D; they offer high-quality rollaway beds and enough room to comfortably accommodate them. S/D does not participate in the DP, but that's not an issue for us.)

 

[tzolkin]

This makes me wonder...we are a family of five and are staying at CBR but our youngest is on our in-laws reservation because we are traveling with them and sil/bil. We requested adjoining rooms and figure the kids will take turns in grandma and papa's room....wonder if we'll get flagged for questions? ???

We did the same a few years ago at CBR- older DD was on my parents reservation to stay within the occupancy limits.

Last trip my family of 5 was booked in AB at POR and we booked a Royal Room (max 4) for my MIL for two nights in the middle of the trip (she lives in FL and just came for the weekend). The kids stayed with her those two nights but we didn't do any parks those days so all 7 of us were in and out of her room all weekend. We passed by and greeted housekeepers and other staff numerous times with no issues

That said I wouldn't risk trying to sneak over the occupancy limits. Likely you won't get caught but it would be a huge pain and worry every time you wanted to use EMH or eat at a TS restaurant with the dining plan

It does stink that the expense of having one extra kid is so high and your options are more limited, but honestly that's just the way it is everywhere for a family of 5

 

[aaarcher86]

I won't advocate over-stuffing a hotel room (because of KTTW issues for things like EMH, and because it IS a fire hazard), but y'all are being WAY too paranoid about being watched by resort staff; most of them have more important things to do with their working hours.

The only resort staff that is tasked with watching for over-capacity rooms are the housekeepers. They are supposed to report it if they see unauthorized beds in the room, or if the linen use is very excessive for the registered number of guests. I'm pretty sure that, in practice, if you keep the place tidy enough that you are not making extra work for them, and if you pick that mattress up and put it in closet before leaving for the day; they won't bother.

I know this because we DO often bring an extra bed, but not for an extra guest, and we have never once been questioned about it, perhaps because we keep a tidy room and recycle our bath linens. We have two opposite-gender children who don't do well sharing a bed, so the younger one gets a cot in rooms that only have two double beds. Not in a value, though; those are too small to do that without tripping over it. (FWIW, our preferred resort is S/D; they offer high-quality rollaway beds and enough room to comfortably accommodate them. S/D does not participate in the DP, but that's not an issue for us.)

Eh, I imagine the people that DO get caught and kicked out probably thought the same thing.

I'm not paranoid about it personally, but that's because I don't try to push the limits. If I did I know I WOULD be paranoid the whole time though.

I don't think anyone is on the hunt to sniff out overly occupied rooms or anything, but obviously they have a way of finding out, a method in place, and they have caught people and had them leave.... that's enough for me to not try it!

We go to morning EMH all the time. I could easily see trying to get in, but only 4 people are listed on the KTTW. 'Oh, but she's staying with us too she's just got her own tickets.' And the supervisor that gets called over because of the dilemma just calls the resort to verify. Then lo and behold... no 5th child on the res! The paranoia of it all would just be too much. I don't for a second think that only the housekeepers are the ones looking out for it since lots of people bring in extra bedding. Something like this would just as easily trigger a capacity check.

It's just like anything at WDW. People park at CR and head to the parks after breakfast without getting caught all the time even though there is a policy of a 3 hour window. But, people DO get towed... and I imagine the people that get towed (or kicked out for over filling the room) really don't care at that point who and how many have gotten away with it.

 

[NotUrsula]

Eh, I imagine the people that DO get caught and kicked out probably thought the same thing.

I'm not paranoid about it personally, but that's because I don't try to push the limits. If I did I know I WOULD be paranoid the whole time though.

I don't think anyone is on the hunt to sniff out overly occupied rooms or anything, but obviously they have a way of finding out, a method in place, and they have caught people and had them leave.... that's enough for me to not try it!

It's just like anything at WDW. People park at CR and head to the parks after breakfast without getting caught all the time even though there is a policy of a 3 hour window. But, people DO get towed... and I imagine the people that get towed (or kicked out for over filling the room) really don't care at that point who and how many have gotten away with it.

As I said, I'm not advocating exceeding stated occupancy limits. What I'm saying is that hotel staff have important duties to attend to. While there are staff members whose job includes the duty to watch for probably occupancy violations, there is no clandestine web of spies. Personally, I'd be incensed if I thought that lifeguards were being told to look for too-large family groups -- I want them to be watching swimmers in the water, not towel counts.

As I said, there are legitimate reasons why someone would want to have another separate bed, and to use one without exceeding legitimate occupancy limits. The bed police are not going to come down on you just because there is an air-mattress in a room; several factors will be taken into account before a family is accused of exceeding occupancy, and security will become involved if that decision is made.

When it comes to Disney properties, my observation is that most people who try to exceed occupancy seem to get caught because they attempt to get on-site perks for their extra people when those people do not have a KTTW. They out themselves. I've overheard it time and again at the resort desk or a park's guest services desk when they complain about not being able to use a perk that it turns out they don't have a right to use. The KTTW system is fairly foolproof, and unless the room-stuffer never uses the DDP or EMH, never has a package delivered, etc., it will trip them up every time.

 

[aaarcher86]

As I said, I'm not advocating exceeding stated occupancy limits. What I'm saying is that hotel staff have important duties to attend to. While there are staff members whose job includes the duty to watch for probably occupancy violations, there is no clandestine web of spies. Personally, I'd be incensed if I thought that lifeguards were being told to look for too-large family groups -- I want them to be watching swimmers in the water, not towel counts.

As I said, there are legitimate reasons why someone would want to have another separate bed, and to use one without exceeding legitimate occupancy limits. The bed police are not going to come down on you just because there is an air-mattress in a room; several factors will be taken into account before a family is accused of exceeding occupancy, and security will become involved if that decision is made.

When it comes to Disney properties, my observation is that most people who try to exceed occupancy seem to get caught because they attempt to get on-site perks for their extra people when those people do not have a KTTW. They out themselves. I've overheard it time and again at the resort desk or a park's guest services desk when they complain about not being able to use a perk that it turns out they don't have a right to use. The KTTW system is fairly foolproof, and unless the room-stuffer never uses the DDP or EMH, never has a package delivered, etc., it will trip them up every time.

I don't disagree with you Maybe you didn't see my post after the edit?

 

[belias21]

I was under the impression that five was OK in a standard room as long as the fifth person was under 3 years old. I have personally stayed at POP under this premise and was allowed to do so.

I have been trying to book a stay recently at AofA in a LM room and the site is telling me I exceed the occupancy. It is also saying that for POP now too. And yes, our youngest is still under 3. Did they change the rules or are they just forcing us to call for reservations now.

 

[angelmom27]

I was under the impression that five was OK in a standard room as long as the fifth person was under 3 years old. I have personally stayed at POP under this premise and was allowed to do so.

I have been trying to book a stay recently at AofA in a LM room and the site is telling me I exceed the occupancy. It is also saying that for POP now too. And yes, our youngest is still under 3. Did they change the rules or are they just forcing us to call for reservations now.

Forcing you to call now. I had the same issue too. Unfortunately for some reason the online sytem doesn't register it that way.

 

[pixiedustmomma]

I was under the impression that five was OK in a standard room as long as the fifth person was under 3 years old. I have personally stayed at POP under this premise and was allowed to do so.

I have been trying to book a stay recently at AofA in a LM room and the site is telling me I exceed the occupancy. It is also saying that for POP now too. And yes, our youngest is still under 3. Did they change the rules or are they just forcing us to call for reservations now.

I was online trying to book and it wouldn't let me. The chat finally popped up and I talked to the CM and they said for me to leave the child under three off the reservation in order to book online. I am not sure why they changed the online system.

Yes, you can still do it but need to leave them off the reservation for online booking or call to make your reservation.

 

[SqueekieKitty]

Let's assume this child is 2.5 (technically a "preschooler"), so the occupancy limits allow it. My family stayed a couple weeks in a room approximately the size of a Disney value room with 5 people - 2 adults, a 13 year old, a 12 year old, and a 2.5 year old. The youngest slept with Mom and Dad (which was a squeeze in a double, but we managed), and the teens got the other bed. It worked out just fine. We had no issues with personal space, but we do, thankfully, happen to like each other a lot. We plan to do a condo for our next big trip, but I'd have no problem squishing again to save a few bucks.

 

[Gracie09]

I was online trying to book and it wouldn't let me. The chat finally popped up and I talked to the CM and they said for me to leave the child under three off the reservation in order to book online. I am not sure why they changed the online system.

Yes, you can still do it but need to leave them off the reservation for online booking or call to make your reservation.

If you are using magic express make sure you call and add them so there is no issue with everyone getting on the bus

 

[snarlingcoyote]

If your child is under 3, he/she doesn't count for occupancy at any of the resorts.

Over 3 and you have the option of one of the resorts that has room for 5.

Your final option is to rent a 1 bedroom on DVC points. You'll have 2 rooms, a full kitchen, washer/dryer and lots of space, although depending upon the DVC, you may have to bring an air mattress. Note that if you go through Disney booking, you can't utilize this option unless the villa in question actually has sleeping for 5 - it can only be done through DVC booking. Go figure. For our money, as we don't have any little ones, though, we usually just book 2 studios for the same points as a 1 bedroom villa. The square footage is about the same, but the bathroom situation is better and there is less sharing of beds this way. (When there are teenagers involved, the option to send them to the second studio while the adults have pleasant conversation and/or SLEEP in the first studio is a big .)

 

[belias21]

Forcing you to call now. I had the same issue too. Unfortunately for some reason the online sytem doesn't register it that way.

I ended up booking through Dreams and they obviously had no issue with the child under 3. I was hoping they could score a discount but nothing for AofA rooms is being discounted. :-(

 

[mousehunter3]

We stayed at CBR with 5, but our little one was a baby then, so it was not against the rules. However, I would NOT do that again. It was so crowded for 5 people- even a baby! Especially since we had the pack n play in there for him to sleep in. I would not recommend it, even if it wasn't against the rules.

We're staying at the ASM resort this time in a family suite. It's a value resort and budget friendly, I think. I'd pay a heck of a lot of more to have more room than a standard room with 5 people.

Work with what you have... you will enjoy your vacation so much more anyway if you have nothing to hide.