Help! We have APs. How does booking a room reservation package work with guests who don't have APs?

[bethannie203]

My hubby and I have APs. We are planning a trip with my hubby’s parents who do not have APs. At the very least, we want to link our reservations so we can make FP+ reservations for all of us, but ideally, we would love to just have one reservation # for the whole group to make it easier. Plus, we may be interested in sharing a suite, which complicates things.

So a couple of questions:

#1 – Since hubby and I have APs, we only need a room-only reservation at a WDW resort. His parents will need park tickets as well as a room. So, for this reason, does it mean we will HAVE to book 2 separate Disney packages, and then link them together for FP+ reservations?

#2 – We are considering sharing a suite room at one of the Disney Springs area hotels to save a little $$ so we don’t each have to book a room. So the question still remains: if we were to only book one suite to share, would Disney allow this on the same reservation number? (Since they need park tickets on their package, but we do not?) Or if not, is it possible to have 2 reservation #s staying in the same WDW room?

#3 – Could the hubby and I book either a suite to share or 2 hotel rooms as room-only at a WDW resort in our name, then buy his parents’ park tickets from a 3rd party vendor, and link them to our reservation # , and all get the benefits of staying on-site (most importantly for us - FP+ at 60 days out?)

We love our APs but this is all new to us, and Disney package/ticket rules seem a little complicated sometimes! Any advice is appreciated!

 

[Wood Nymph]

Yes, you can book two rooms under one reservation number. We did it last June. We had two rooms with the AP discount but under one reservation number. DH and I stayed in one room and our son and two grandsons stayed in the other. The rooms were connecting and everyone's MB worked to open either resort room door. DH and I have AP's so we didn't need tickets. But our son and grandson needed to buy tickets. You can do this by either buying the tickets directly from Disney or you can buy them from an authorized ticket seller. We used Underground Tourist and saved 5% on them. You will have to pay for the tickets in full at time of purchase, since you can't make this a package reservation. It is easy to link the tickets to the reservation and you will be able to make fps at 60 days.

You have to call Disney reservations to book a multiple room reservation. You can't do it on line. It worked great and we will do it this way from now on.

 

[simplymama]

You can book two rooms under one AP. I did this recently, but you will be asked the names (ages if child or state they are over 18) of everybody staying in the room when you make the reservation. Since there are more than two adults they will not usually guarantee connecting rooms, but you can request them. You could book a suite, but those are more pricey in comparison to two rooms.

Yes, everybody on the reservation can book fast passes once you have tickets for each person. You can buy tickets direct from the Disney website or you can buy from a discounted place like Undercover tourist and then link them to the reservation through the My Disney Experience link on the website or through the Disney App. If you buy through Undercover tourist and have the tickets mailed to you (instead of e-tickets), they are refundable minus a restocking fee which is kind of a nice perk if anything goes wrong and you can't go on the trip.

 

[DisneyWishes14]

My hubby and I have APs. We are planning a trip with my hubby’s parents who do not have APs. At the very least, we want to link our reservations so we can make FP+ reservations for all of us, but ideally, we would love to just have one reservation # for the whole group to make it easier. Plus, we may be interested in sharing a suite, which complicates things.

So a couple of questions:

#1 – Since hubby and I have APs, we only need a room-only reservation at a WDW resort. His parents will need park tickets as well as a room. So, for this reason, does it mean we will HAVE to book 2 separate Disney packages, and then link them together for FP+ reservations?

#2 – We are considering sharing a suite room at one of the Disney Springs area hotels to save a little $$ so we don’t each have to book a room. So the question still remains: if we were to only book one suite to share, would Disney allow this on the same reservation number? (Since they need park tickets on their package, but we do not?) Or if not, is it possible to have 2 reservation #s staying in the same WDW room?

#3 – Could the hubby and I book either a suite to share or 2 hotel rooms as room-only at a WDW resort in our name, then buy his parents’ park tickets from a 3rd party vendor, and link them to our reservation # , and all get the benefits of staying on-site (most importantly for us - FP+ at 60 days out?)

We love our APs but this is all new to us, and Disney package/ticket rules seem a little complicated sometimes! Any advice is appreciated!

#1 - It really doesn't matter if you have one reservation number or two reservation numbers. Once you reserve the rooms, you simply link the numbers to your My Disney Experience account, make sure the reservations have the correct names and are linked to profiles in your account and, as long as every one has valid ticket media linked in MDE, you can make FP+ for everyone. If you use your AP to get room discounts on both rooms, as PP's have said, simply purchase separate tickets for your DH's parents. If you book two rooms, but do not use an AP discount on your DH parents' room, you can make that room into a package with room and tickets.

#2 - If you are interested in booking a suite for all of you at a Disney Springs hotel, simply book a room-only and then purchase your DH parents' tickets separately. Once you link the hotel confirmation and your DH parents' tickets to your MDE account, you can make FP+ at 60 days.

#3 - Yes, you can book a suite, villa or 2 hotel rooms and then buy tickets from Disney or a third-party for your parents. If you book two rooms, you will need to put one of your DH parent's as the lead guest in their room.

So, in essence:

If you book some type of suite for all of you to stay in, book room-only, list all guests on the reservation, then purchase tickets separately for your parents.

If you need 2 rooms, you can either 1) look for AP discounts, book both rooms as room-only under the discount and purchase tickets separately - you and your DH would be listed on one room, your DH parents would be listed on the other. If there is no AP discount for the rooms, simply book room-only for yourself and book a room-ticket package for your DH parents (again, listing you and DH on one room and the parents on another).