What do you do if your friends stop by?

[dayvewc]

I'm headed down in 58 days. (YAY me!!)

I have a couple of friends that are interested in going with and/or meeting me for a day or two while I'm there. Due to schedules and other commitments, there would never be more than 3 people in the room on any given night, but if everyone that has mentioned coming by does, there would be a total of about 8 different people in the room over the 4 nights.

How do I (or do I even) try to modify my reservations to reflect the changing guests in the room?

Thanks, cause I'm stumped.

Currently, I am the only one listed on the reservation, as when I initially booked it everyone I had asked was unavailable to go. But as life goes on, plans change, and now some of them are coming back with the "I really want to visit, but I can't stay the whole time. Is it ok if I stop by on XXXXXday night?"

Of course, the funny part for me is that everyone I initially asked that turned down the trip has now asked to come by for at least 1 night. lol. And it's even funnier that none of them overlap long enough to put the room over capacity. I don't think I could have planned it better if I tried, though it's still 58 days away, things may change again.

 

[jekjones1558]

As long as you are not on a dining plan, I would add as many names to the reservation as occupancy rules allow. I would keep the keys from the guests as they leave and give them to the next visitors. If all visitors want to do fast passes as resort guests then you have a wrinkle that will be a challenge...

 

[disneynutz]

So they turned you down and now they decided to use you at their convenience, nice "friends". Are they sleeping on dirty sheets or are you expected to get them fresh linens?

Bill

 

[dayvewc]

As long as you are not on a dining plan, I would add as many names to the reservation as occupancy rules allow. I would keep the keys from the guests as they leave and give them to the next visitors. If all visitors want to do fast passes as resort guests then you have a wrinkle that will be a challenge...

Not on a dining plan, I just couldn't see it being cost effective for this trip due to arrival and departure times.

Putting as many as possible on the reservation is the best idea I've heard. I had been trying to figure out how to add and remove guests as they arrived and left, but telling "Joe" that he was "Jane" for the next 28 hours does have a certain amusing aspect. :wink:

Haven't really asked about the FP+, and since I'm in the booking window and no one has said anything I'm not worried about it. I think they all have AP, so they can book at 30 days anyway, and have visited enough that none of them really have the "must ride this during the trip or die" syndrome.

So they turned you down and now they decided to use you at their convenience, nice "friends". Are they sleeping on dirty sheets or are you expected to get them fresh linens?

Bill

Ehh, all but 1 of them initially told me that they weren't sure if they would be able to get time off from work, and the 1 was supposed to go to a wedding. I don't know what happened with the wedding, but since he was asking about Wed night I'm thinking he might have decided to just ask off work a day or so early. It is entirely possible that they are "friends", but I've worked for places that you couldn't request off more than 4 months in advance, and there would be no guarantee until about 4 weeks before. The manager always tried to accommodate, and the earlier the request was made the more likely to get the time off, but not always.

As for linens, if everyone actually commits to showing up, I'll recommend that at least some bring sleeping bags. Or if they choose to re-use sheets they can. I just get the bed. That's my privilege.

 

[KAT4DISNEY]

So they turned you down and now they decided to use you at their convenience, nice "friends". Are they sleeping on dirty sheets or are you expected to get them fresh linens?

Bill

Just because people think differently about planning or whether they just have different schedules to abide by hardly means they are not friends. With question marks of coming would also be question marks of the availability still remaining so a risk that comes with waiting but I hardly think it's worth driving a wedge between people's friendship over when they determine they can join or not. I think it's quite nice that these friends are taking the time to come for a night or two!

As was mentioned OP I'd do the suggested of adding as many as you can and then just having people leave the bands for the next group.

 

[Deb & Bill]

Are your friends expecting clean bath towels? Unless you have a one bedroom where you can wash them in your villa, they won't be clean before each of your friends.

 

[Sandisw]

Are your friends expecting clean bath towels? Unless you have a one bedroom where you can wash them in your villa, they won't be clean before each of your friends.

Maybe the OP can order the extra set of towels for $6 and let the people know that is what it will cost...

 

[dayvewc]

Are your friends expecting clean bath towels? Unless you have a one bedroom where you can wash them in your villa, they won't be clean before each of your friends.

Maybe the OP can order the extra set of towels for $6 and let the people know that is what it will cost...

We've all read "The Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy". Everyone travels with their own towel. You can't trust people who don't know where their towel is, after all.

 

[dayvewc]

I am beginning to suspect, based on some of the responses, that I did not phrase my question well. Let me try again:

As long as I don't have more people in the room than the accommodations are for, is there anything I need to do in regards to alerting the front desk if I have people dropping by during my stay? Not worried about linens, towels, shampoo, extra soap, eating utensils, or any of that, I just am wondering what, if anything, I need to do to ensure that my friends will be able to enter the resort area, park without having their car towed, and can receive directions to my room in case they get lost. I would also like to know that I'm not at risk of being asked to leave due to the changing numbers of guests in my room over my stay. I can always dis-invite a few if that is a serious issue, but I would like to see everyone if possible.

More clearer?

 

[CMNJ]

I would think your biggest problem would be friends getting into the resort and parking their car without being on the hotel reservation if staying at a near park resort. Those resorts tend to be much more restrictive about parking if not staying there or having an ADR (out of necessity). I'm not sure if "visiting a guest staying there" will gain them access to the resort especially if it is a busy time (ie Epcot resorts during food and wine). I can't see getting kicked out if you aren't over the occupancy limit.

 

[KAT4DISNEY]

It looks like your at AKL? It should be no problem. Anyone is allowed to visit the resorts - they will just need to show an ID and can state they are visiting you. As was mentioned some of the resorts close to the parks can restrict parking because of people trying to park there to not pay for parking at the theme parks but AKL should be no problem. You should be able to get a couple of parking passes when you check in and just switch them around as your guests switch. As long as you are not over the limit on any single night it is no problem for the guests. Prior to MDE it used to be easier to add and remove names but these days that could just cause a big mess. Otherwise you could get complicated and have MS split your reservation apart and get the names of each on for the correct nights but that could potentially mean you'd end up having to switch rooms. I'd just skip that.

 

[dayvewc]

I would think your biggest problem would be friends getting into the resort and parking their car without being on the hotel reservation if staying at a near park resort. Those resorts tend to be much more restrictive about parking if not staying there or having an ADR (out of necessity). I'm not sure if "visiting a guest staying there" will gain them access to the resort especially if it is a busy time (ie Epcot resorts during food and wine). I can't see getting kicked out if you aren't over the occupancy limit.

This. With all the changes of people coming and going, do I need to redo the reservation a night at a time to put all the correct people on it? Or is there a way to just alert the front desk that I'm expecting people and they will be allowed in.

It looks like your at AKL? It should be no problem. Anyone is allowed to visit the resorts - they will just need to show an ID and can state they are visiting you. As was mentioned some of the resorts close to the parks can restrict parking because of people trying to park there to not pay for parking at the theme parks but AKL should be no problem. You should be able to get a couple of parking passes when you check in and just switch them around as your guests switch. As long as you are not over the limit on any single night it is no problem for the guests. Prior to MDE it used to be easier to add and remove names but these days that could just cause a big mess. Otherwise you could get complicated and have MS split your reservation apart and get the names of each on for the correct nights but that could potentially mean you'd end up having to switch rooms. I'd just skip that.

Yep, I'm at AKL this trip. And yeah, I'm doing my best to be able to stay in a single room the whole trip. That's another different story.

PS I love the .gif of the corgi butt. I have cardigans, and they are my babies.

 

[CMNJ]

We had family that lives in Orlando visit us in May at SSR and park there for a couple hours while they visited our villa and we went to eat with them at Downtown Disney-they had no problem getting in to visit us. As mentioned AKL is also not a resort that has issues with people trying to bypass theme park parking lots so I wouldn't think they would have any problems getting into the resort. I would definitely get parking passes for them them from the front desk once there if they will be staying for a day or more.
We had added them to our BLT reservation (since we knew if might be an issue there) to ensure they would not be denied entry and have to pay for parking at MK (AND take the monorail simply to visit us).

 

[KAT4DISNEY]

This. With all the changes of people coming and going, do I need to redo the reservation a night at a time to put all the correct people on it? Or is there a way to just alert the front desk that I'm expecting people and they will be allowed in.



Yep, I'm at AKL this trip. And yeah, I'm doing my best to be able to stay in a single room the whole trip. That's another different story.

PS I love the .gif of the corgi butt. I have cardigans, and they are my babies.

Thanks! We have two Cardigans - the blue merle in my avatar is one. Just haven't seen a Cardi .gif with quite the same wiggle.

As I mentioned though - your friends will not have an issue being allowed in to the resort. They will likely be asked to show an id but that is all.

 

[jekjones1558]

Ask for an extra parking pass when you check in. Give it to guests when they arrive and take it for the next guests when the first ones leave. If it gets lost just ask the front desk for a new one. More than once we have had our parking pass blow out the window and we had no problem getting another parking pass.

 

[disneynutz]

Are the still issuing parking passes, I thought that MB's were taking there place.

To the OP, anytime you do something different from the norm, you run a greater risk of something going wrong. Putting 4 people on your room reservation, you might have MB issues, parking issues, changing names during your stay increases the chance that something will go wrong just like moving from one resort to another increases your chances of issues.

Bill

 

[dayvewc]

Are the still issuing parking passes, I thought that MB's were taking there place.

To the OP, anytime you do something different from the norm, you run a greater risk of something going wrong. Putting 4 people on your room reservation, you might have MB issues, parking issues, changing names during your stay increases the chance that something will go wrong just like moving from one resort to another increases your chances of issues.

Bill

That was why I came here to ask if anyone had an idea of the best way to get it all done. Best, in my opinion, being the option that minimizes the chance of things going wrong.

 

[Pirate Granny]

I have been told that the front desk will no longer "add" people once you've arrived and checked in. I would make sure you have the two extra MB of the first two people you put on the reservation, that were ADDED before you arrive, so the rest of your gang will have keys to get into your room.

 

[dayvewc]

I have been told that the front desk will no longer "add" people once you've arrived and checked in. I would make sure you have the two extra MB of the first two people you put on the reservation, that were ADDED before you arrive, so the rest of your gang will have keys to get into your room.

They wouldn't work for FP+, but between my AP last year, my SSR stay 2 years ago, and having to make 3 non-linkable reservations to get the stay I wanted this time, I have 5 MB all assigned to me. lol. That's enough so everyone could be "me" and I'd still have a couple left over each day.

If push came to shove.

 

[Pirate Granny]

The MB is assigned to you....there will be only one set of FP+ available, not 3 sets for each band, they are tied to tickets, so whereas the MB will open the door (don't expe all to work cause they won't), if the have AP like you said, they can get their own Fp+

We are lucky if the MB that we received for the current trip opens the doors...we have had multiple problems. If only one person on the resort reservation they aren't going to activate five MBs