Agree that if you have extra capacity on your room reservation, add them so they can park and join you at the pool. If you don't, they can still join you to dine if you have an ADR and they're listed as part of the dining reservation. If they're not on your room reservation, they won't be able to get in to park (except for the ADR) or get into the pool.
For the ADR, all they need is the restaurant name, time of ADR, and name of the primary guest on the ADR, to tell the guard at the gate if the guard asks (we find that often we can just say we have a reservation at X restaurant, they ask for photo ID, and that's it).
IME w/ parking it really depends on which resort you’re staying at - we’ve had extended family staying offsite drive over & park to visit us (including post Covid) at AKV Jambo w/ no issue - they just gave our villa no. & name to the guard. Likely because AKV has a big parking lot & there aren’t a lot of day park visitors trying to park there.
IF OP is buying DIRECT from Disney and this is their “WELCOME HOME” booking, they can get pixie dusted and their guide can help get them one of those unicorn rooms.
According to the ROFR thread OP is buying the Poly & w/ luck might close before the 7 month window opens for their Nov. visit & since the Poly has an abundance of studios perhaps they’ll be able to book one & enjoy their new home resort
. The downside of getting their home resort would be that parking at the Poly is limited.
Since there’s only one guard-gate entrance for both Kidani and Jambo, parking can be strict there even though AK is the only nearby park. On our way to Boma for late breakfast last month, the car at the gate had an extended conversation with the guard and eventually pulled into the U-turn and left, with the vehicle directly behind them following into the U-turn without pausing at the gate. We inferred that they had been turned away for lack of a reservation or other valid reason to access the AKL complex.
Yea, we stay at AKV often. For at least the last year, there's a sign at the guard shed that says only guests with room or dining reservations permitted. That doesn't mean that if someone comes and tells them they're meeting with "So and So, staying in villa 1234" (something the guard could verify, if important), and they're just there for dining or drinks, it might work. Probably depends on the guard. Many years ago, we stayed at non-AKV locations and would drive to AKV to shop at The Mara and see the animals, and it wasn't an issue to be let in. Those days seem gone.
I think we established that the OP is not buying direct. They appear to be waiting for approval. Then there is no welcome home trip. Though us older members never got their welcome home trips either. I bought 7 direct contracts in my lifetime.
Can you add the guests for only a portion of your stay? Like only for one night of a 4 night stay?
Not exactly. I've heard of people getting people added as day guests by the resort in a case like that.
