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[Amirah95]

in the 2007 WDW Passporter can I find info about the resort room key and using it to buy items and to put your park tickets on and whatever else you can do with it? Help!

[Dave Marx]

I'm embarassed to admit that it's not there! We have extensive info about it in the Disney Cruise Line guidebook, but not the Walt Disney World book. How all of us could have missed this omission over all these years is remarkable.

We'll certainly right this omission in the next edition. Meantime, we're going to prepare an in-depth article about the topic for the web site, which we'll link-out here as soon as it's ready.

In brief answer to your question, the Key to the World card functions as your room key. A key will be issued for each registered guest in your room. Optionally, if you purchase park admission at your Disney resort, that admission can also be put on those room keys (one reason each person gets his/her own key). In that case, your key is also used to obtain FASTPASSes at the parks. If you purchase the Disney Dining Plan, the card is used to access your pool of dining credits ("charge" your meals). Finally, with your authorization, the card can also be used as a charge card throughout Walt Disney World. You'll need to put a credit card or cash deposit on the room charge account. You can enable/disable charging privileges on a person-by-person basis.

Nearly anything can be charged, at every theme park and at every Disney-owned resort hotel. Even snack carts now have charging capabilities. One of the few exceptions to this had been the Harmony Barber Shop on Magic Kingdom's Main St. However, they have said goodbye to their old-fashioned cash register and now accept room charges, too. At Downtown Disney, where there are a variety of non-Disney-owned businesses, the charging situation is variable - some non-Disney businesses accept the card, others don't. However, all the Disney-owned businesses there accept the card.

[Jennifer Marx]

Here is our Key to the World article. If anyone has more information to add to it, just let me know!

[Amirah95]

Thanks guys! [img]/ubb/images/graemlins/smile.gif[/img]

[revral]

Now could you provide a list of the businesses in DtD that are NOT owned by Disney?

[Dave Marx]

This is not an exhaustive list of Downtown Disney businesses not owned by Disney, and it may not be 100% accurate, but here goes:

Shops:
Virgin Megastore
LEGO Imagination Center
Arribas Brothers
Basin
Cirque Du Soleil Shop
House of Blues Company Store
Hoypoloi
Magic Masters
Magnetron Magnetz
Orlando Harley-Davidson
Planet Hollywood on Location
Rainforest Cafe Shop
Sosa Family Cigars
Starabilias
Sunglass Icon

Restaurants & Entertainment (note that some do participate in the room charge program, but they may require that you fill out a separate charge slip for the purpose):

Bongos Cuban Cafe
Cookes of Dublin
Fulton's Crab House
House of Blues
Planet Hollywood
Portobello Yacht Club
Raglan Road Irish Pub
Rainforest Cafe
Wolfgang Puck Cafe
Wetzel's Pretzels
Ghirardelli Soda Fountain
McDonald's (it's not clear whether McDonald's Corp. operates the restaurants at WDW, or whether Disney purchased a franchise, or there's some other business arrangement)
Earl of Sandwich
Wolfgang Puck Express
AMC Pleasure Island 24 Theaters
Cirque du Soleil (tickets can be purchased directly through Disney).