Kids not registered at WL - any probs?

iVillage Member
Registered: 03-27-2003
Kids not registered at WL - any probs?
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Sat, 01-06-2007 - 12:53pm

Hi!

I'm new here and have a question. I'm taking my family on their first trip to Disney World and I feel like I don't know what I'm doing!

I booked a room at the Wilderness Lodge through a travel site. They gave us a standard room and put only my husband and I on the reservation, leaving out our children ages 9, 7, and 5 because they said kids under 18 don't need to be registered.

Since only the two of us are registered, I assume that the kids won't be getting room keys, which I heard you need if you use the extended hours or Magic Express. We probably won't use extended hours because our kids are just not hardy enough, and we are renting a car so we don't need the Magic Express.

My question is - what else do you need the room key for (other than getting into your room!)? Is it needed to use the shuttle buses, monorails, and water taxis to the parks? I know as guests of the hotel we should be able to use these transports for free but do we need to show something before climbing aboard? By the way, we didn't buy a package - only the hotel. I will be purchasing our park tickets separately from another site.

Thanks so much!
Nancy

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iVillage Member
Registered: 05-22-2001
Thu, 01-11-2007 - 7:49pm

Hi, Nancy. Glad to hear back from you. I was just there 4 months ago and I "think" that the only time

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Avatar for cl_ktbugsmom
iVillage Member
Registered: 03-26-2003
Thu, 01-11-2007 - 9:12pm

Please come back and let us know how it goes. We're all seriously just concerned. As Disney nuts we hate to hear about any potential problems and I can garuntee you that more than a few of us have had this on our mind for a while!


While I don't think that the person would have lied to you, one thing you'll hear often when planning Disney trips is that if you're not sure about something a cast member said - call back and talk to another one! Disney is such a large corporation that employes tens of thousands of people that the right hand doesn't always know what the left hand is doing, and several of the call centers are located in foriegn countries. So while I do hope that some pixie dust is sprinkled on your trip and you don't encounter any problems, I am also glad that you are 'in the know' on how strict Disney is on room occupancy and will choose a more knowledgable agent or go it alone for your next fabulous trip to Disney.


Avatar for beckymk
iVillage Member
Registered: 03-23-1998
Fri, 01-12-2007 - 8:38am

Nancy,


I haven't seen this brought up but the one problem you may not have thought of is, sleeping space.


Unlike a lot of hotels, Disney doesn't have "roll-aways", so you are either going to need to bring an air mattress or sleeping bag or something for the 3rd child to sleep on.

Becky - Mom to Carolyn (17), Aaron (15), Kyle (11) & Luke (8)
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iVillage Member
Registered: 03-27-2003
Fri, 01-12-2007 - 10:31am

Hi All,

Thanks again for all of your feedback and also for your concern.

Melissa thanks for answering my question about what the room key is for. We are also renting a car so weren't going to use the express service anyway. And we did purchase our park tickets from another place.

About how the kids will sleep - our kids, aged 9, 7, and 5, are very petite for their ages. My oldest has a queen bed in her room, since we it as a guest room, and often has one or both sisters sleep over. My youngest will be 5 next week, and she is 30 pounds and is outweighed by most of the 1 year olds at her daycare. She still sleeps in a toddler bed and often sleeps with me and my husband in our queen bed. The room we got has two queen beds, so we will be fine as far as sleeping arrangements.

Don't get me wrong, ladies. I don't think at all that I am above the fire code rule. Its just at this point I feel a little stuck. Cancelling my reservations will cost me a bundle. My husband was planning to ask for an upgrade anyway and if they ask us to pay more because we have a 5th person then so be it.

According to the place I made the hotel reservations through, they say they book rooms at the Wilderness Lodge all the time and have never encountered any problems. I'm the type of person that needs certainty and I guess I'm not going to get it in this situation. I keep hearing mixed messages. I guess I'll have to live with it. My husband and I have already decided that next time, we'll plan way in advance so we can get the hotel we want by going through Disney Reservations itself. You know what they say - hindsight is 20/20.

At this point, I'm going to have to let the chips fall where they may and hope for a good time!

Thanks,
Nancy

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