Qualifying for FD with drop-in kids?

[musicmom3]

I hope somebody can help me with my planning for our September trip. Two of our children (ages 19 and 23 ) are planning to fly in for a portion of our stay. If there is free dining in September, would my DH and I qualify for it being that DH and I will be there for 5 nights and the kids will be sharing our room for 3 nights? Right now we are booked at CR with a 15% AAA discount. Thank you for any help!

 

[PrincessTiffany]

I hope somebody can help me with my planning for our September trip. Two of our children (ages 19 and 23 ) are planning to fly in for a portion of our stay. If there is free dining in September, would my DH and I qualify for it being that DH and I will be there for 5 nights and the kids will be sharing our room for 3 nights? Right now we are booked at CR with a 15% AAA discount. Thank you for any help!

I'm not sure what you mean by qualify, but to get the Free Dining offer, everybody in the room, on the reservation, must have the same package (ie same number of nights in the room, same park passes, same dining credits). You would need to make the reservation for all four of you. The only extra money you are going to be out is the $20.00 hotel charge for each of your kids and the two extra days of admission they would have on their park passes. The dining is free so the cost would not factor in.

Also, you can not combing a AAA discount with Free Dining. It's one or the other, never both.

 

[musicmom3]

I am sorry to be a dolt about this, but do you mean that to get free dining I would have to add both kids to the reservation for all 5 nights even though they will only be with us for three of those nights? Then I would be paying $20 per night for the room for each child x 5 nights ($200)? Plus 5 days' worth of park passess? Yikes! Things were so much simpler when they were little and there wasn't all this math! I am so confused.....

 

[PrincessTiffany]

I am sorry to be a dolt about this, but do you mean that to get free dining I would have to add both kids to the reservation for all 5 nights even though they will only be with us for three of those nights? Then I would be paying $20 per night for the room for each child x 5 nights ($200)? Plus 5 days' worth of park passess? Yikes! Things were so much simpler when they were little and there wasn't all this math! I am so confused.....

Not $20 per night, $20 charge per adult ($40 total) for your stay. And yes, if they are on your reservation and you and your husband have 5 days passes then everybody on the reservation would need 5 day passes. You could always not put them on the reservation and just let them stay for a couple of days, but they would not get the Free Dining and you would have to pay out-of-pocket for their park passes and meals.

So you need to see which is the better savings - Free Food for three days for your two adult children plus the $40 hotel charge plus 5 days passes for them (very minimal amount between 3 day and 5 day passes) or not putting them on the reservation and paying out-of-pocket for park passes and meals.

In my opinion, you should come out way cheaper adding them on to the reservation.

 

[PrincessTiffany]

Not $20 per night, $20 charge per adult ($40 total) for your stay. And yes, if they are on your reservation and you and your husband have 5 days passes then everybody on the reservation would need 5 day passes. You could always not put them on the reservation and just let them stay for a couple of days, but they would not get the Free Dining and you would have to pay out-of-pocket for their park passes and meals.

So you need to see which is the better savings - Free Food for three days for your two adult children plus the $40 hotel charge plus 5 days passes for them (very minimal amount between 3 day and 5 day passes) or not putting them on the reservation and paying out-of-pocket for park passes and meals.

In my opinion, you should come out way cheaper adding them on to the reservation.

Also, you and your husband could use their left over dining credits for breakfasts or signature dining.

 

[HappyCamperToo]

Also, you and your husband could use their left over dining credits for breakfasts or signature dining.

Sorry to hijack, but... If they use DME to get back to the airport, would disney then know they're gone and take back their remaining days worth of credits?

 

[PrincessTiffany]

Sorry to hijack, but... If they use DME to get back to the airport, would disney then know they're gone and take back their remaining days worth of credits?

No, I don't think so. When we were there for Free Dining last year my mother-in-law was supposed to travel with us but my husband's sister became very ill and my MIL could not fly down with us. When we arrived we told the CM at Pop the situation. We told them she may or maynot be able to join us for the trip. Well, it turned out my SIL has cancer and my MIL was not ever able to join us for the trip or the flight home, which we used ME for. Her dining credits were active and available the whole time we were there. The last few days, after she told us she would not be joining us for the trip, we did us some of the credits, but not all of them.

 

[musicmom3]

All of a sudden this has become crystal clear to me! Thanks for the useful info! I can't believe I thought the surcharge for extra "adults" was per day! Whew! Yes, I think it would come off much better with registering my kids from the beginning if free dining is offered this September. The point about using their leftover credits for signature dining (or room service) is a great one, too. Thanks again!

 

[canwegosoon]

Also you can get 1 day park passes(or 3) and then upgrade yours for the extra 2 days(before they expire). But I also remember something about everyone must be present at checkin(because people were adding people to their reservations to have extra credits). Otherwise if they are flying in a few days later you will need to do a split stay.

 

[musicmom3]

Do you happen to know how one does a split stay in the same resort? Is it simply a matter of changing the reservation so that you have two back to back? I could see the logic behind this...the first rez having 2 people, and the second rez having 4 people. Is there a danger of losing the room or having to change rooms when you do a split stay in the same resort? Thanks for any insight!

 

[canwegosoon]

Do you happen to know how one does a split stay in the same resort? Is it simply a matter of changing the reservation so that you have two back to back? I could see the logic behind this...the first rez having 2 people, and the second rez having 4 people. Is there a danger of losing the room or having to change rooms when you do a split stay in the same resort? Thanks for any insight!

Yes, you do run the risk of having to move. To me that is not an issue(but I do know some people hate it). I have heard that sometimes you can have it noted on your reservation that you are staying on-but I do not know for sure(and that is your worst case scenerio-to check out and get a fresh room). I would call Disney travel CRO...and ask what to do in your case. That's how I found out about the 1 day passes last year (and I am holding them to upgrade to new AP's this year). You might ask it you have them on for 3 day passes can you upgrade to 5(and when do you have to do that by day 1 or day 2). A pp poster mentioned that their mother was on their ressie...but never came. So you never know what will really be allowed until you ask a few times.

 

[musicmom3]

Kids!
Thanks for all the info!

 

[GoodFairies]

All of a sudden this has become crystal clear to me! Thanks for the useful info! I can't believe I thought the surcharge for extra "adults" was per day! Whew! Yes, I think it would come off much better with registering my kids from the beginning if free dining is offered this September. The point about using their leftover credits for signature dining (or room service) is a great one, too. Thanks again!

The surcharge for extra adults IS per day. In previous years sometimes Disney has given people problems about having more people on the reservation than are actually present during free dining check-in.

 

[LSchrow]

The surcharge for extra adults IS per day..

that has been our experience also.
btw, if you do a split stay during FD, remember the same ticket rules apply for each ressie (i.e., you will need to purchase tix for both stays).

 

[PrincessTiffany]

The surcharge for extra adults IS per day. In previous years sometimes Disney has given people problems about having more people on the reservation than are actually present during free dining check-in.

When I added my MIL on to our reservation last August for our September Free Dining trip we did not have to pay the extra adult per charge per day. In fact to add her to our reservation (we already had two rooms because of the number of children we have) was only $300.00. That was for 8 nights in our room, 8 day hoppers and her dining plan. You can't beat that with a stick!!! lol

 

[Tink415]

When I added my MIL on to our reservation last August for our September Free Dining trip we did not have to pay the extra adult per charge per day. In fact to add her to our reservation (we already had two rooms because of the number of children we have) was only $300.00. That was for 8 nights in our room, 8 day hoppers and her dining plan. You can't beat that with a stick!!! lol

There's only an extra charge per adult per day if you have more than 2 adults (18 and over) per room Can't wait till my kids invite me on a trip like that

 

[PrincessTiffany]

When I added my MIL on to our reservation last August for our September Free Dining trip we did not have to pay the extra adult per charge per day. In fact to add her to our reservation (we already had two rooms because of the number of children we have) was only $300.00. That was for 8 nights in our room, 8 day hoppers and her dining plan. You can't beat that with a stick!!! lol

There's only an extra charge per adult per day if you have more than 2 adults (18 and over) per room Can't wait till my kids invite me on a trip like that

My Mom wanted to know how my mother-in-law got in on that deal and she didn't!?! lol

 

[kaytieeldr]

Okay, in order for your kids to use Magical Express, they HAVE to be on your reservation. Period.

So, consolidating the suggestions made here:
- Add them to your reservation.
- Make Magical Express reservations for them.
- Subtract the two five-day park passes from your reservation.
- Add four one-day base passes.
- When you check in, change/upgrade your passes to the original five days, and upgrade your kids' passes to three days each.
- Use their 'leftover' dining credits for a couple of signature meals.