Hi there Kathy!
Welcome to planDisney, and thank you for your question. How lovely that you serve as foster parents... and may I just send a heartfelt thank you for that, too. Let's talk about the best strategy to plan that magical 2026 Disney World trip!
There are so many benefits of staying at a
Disney Resort hotel! Yes, I think doing as you describe is the best course of action. My advice is to select a room type that will have the correct capacity for what you may need (for example, some sleep 5) and reserve that initially for the guests you know will attend.
I love booking a Disney World vacation package, which is a Disney Resort room plus theme park tickets, for the
$200 refundable deposit (prices subject to change). This is such a flexible option to have! You get to lock in your preferred dates and resort, and then it's easy to make any changes or modifications needed as your vacation dates get closer. Also, if a
Special Offer is featured later on which works for your plans, you can even switch your reservation to utilize that deal.
As for whether adding another person affects the discounts you had already secured, it should not mean you "lose" the deal. For instance, if you reserved a room discount deal... adding a child under the age of 18 to your reservation will not affect that price. If you have a free dining deal, you will be able to add a child and they too will get free dining! You will need to add a theme park ticket for the child, which will affect your overall price. But again, it shouldn't disqualify you from any special offer you have secured.
One last tip on how to make these changes, if you need to add a child to your reservation as your magical trip draws closer! You can do so yourself by logging in to
My Disney Experience - My Plans, looking for your resort details, then clicking "Change Reservation". If you need any assistance in doing so, just call the
Disney Resort Reservation number and a friendly Cast Member will be happy to help.
Sending lots of pixie dust for your wonderful Disney World trip, Kathy! Please
send me a message at planDisney if I can offer any additional answers or just recommendations on resorts, dining, or more,
Magical memories await!
Tami