Split stays: Annoying or Awesome?

[I loveStitchnippyjon]

We're doing a split stay for the first time in early June. DSis gave us her extra DVC points, so we are at AKV for 5 nights, then CS for three. I'd rather do it the other way around, but the AKV stay is in a lower season, so fewer points. Since we will have groceries to transfer, I think we'll take the luggage in a cab.

 

[sab53085]

We just decided on doing a split stay this upcoming May trip. We are staying 8 nights in YC (first time in Deluxe!) but we wanted to add a few more days on (to leave time for Universal) so we're tacking on 3 nights in POR (love the Royal Room!).

 

[333disneymom]

For our 9 day trip in Sept 2013, we are planning our 1st split stay: AKV Studio Standard for 4 nights, and then live it up at BCV 1 BR for 5 nights. We are both excited about getting to experience 2 new DVC resorts and have an enjoyable relaxing end stay. We'll have our own car, so packing up and changing resorts won't be a problem at all. Now the wait for the 7 month window.

We are doing the same split in August.

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[333disneymom]

We have done split stays the last 4 out of 5 stays. We really like them and try to base our daily plans close to our resort. That way, in the evening, when everyone is tired, we are closer to "home." It's a great way to try different resorts too. We have two little ones and it's not been a hassle at all. We plan to be at the closest park to our new resort the day of the move. We work from only one suitcase the first stay and pack the night before the move. In the morning, we call bell services and head out to our chosen park. We eat lunch at that park and then head over to the resort to check in after lunch.

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[left210]

We did a split stay during SWW. First we stayed at HRH and went to Universal then moved to AKL then moved to BC. We planned what we did based on where our room was so when we were at BC we did all of our HS and Epcot parks because we could walk. Also, make sure you pack your stuff separately if you are driving. We packed for each stay and only got those bags out at each stay. We packed all of our toiletries in a separate bag and took it to each location. We drove so this was nice not to pull everything out each time. We loved it because we got to experience several different places.

 

[AshleeH]

Annoying for us, but we had some unforeseen issues (tickets not working, etc.) that caused us to lose about half a day in the parks. Never again.

We technically did a split stay last year (Pop on arrival night, BLT for the rest of the week) but the day we arrived wasn't a package/ticket day, so it was strictly a place to sleep and didn't cause any snafus when we started our actual vacation the following day.

 

[disneymagicgirl]

I think split stays are fun, but I'd never do it again with kids. I'm probably not as organized as everyone else, but moving day for us was a nightmare. It felt as if I lost a day of vacation.

That is what I'm stressing about. I can't get BC our whole stay, so I have 3 nights YC GV then 5 nights BC GV. Considering changing to Arrival evening room only YC then 7 nights BC water view b/c that's all that is available at BC....will cost me extra $600 for a view I don't care about though. May be worth it to check in to our package stay on our first park day early. Or maybe better to keep the money and leave it how it is since we are split btwn resorts that are so close to each other.

 

[kungaloosh22]

We almost always do split stays. I get annoyed sometimes with the packing, but if you pack smart that minimizes the hassle and in any case, it's still worth it to me to enjoy more than one resort. Resorts are a big part of my vacation experience, and I think it's great fun to stay at more than one.

 

[mmmears]

While we love split stays, I have to say that it's much, much easier if neither part is a "package." It can still work (did it once when they had the 7 for 4 deal), but it works much better if you make room-only reservations -- then it doesn't mess with your park tickets.

 

[roydavid7771]

We've done them in the past, once out of necessity, the other simply because we were arriving late and wanted a fresh start in the morning so we couldn't justify spending 350 dollars on a room we would only be sleeping in for a night. The necessary split stay happened because we could not get a whole week at the resort we chose. In either event, we did not encounter any problems. The only advice I would give would be that you spend enough time down there so you can really enjoy both resorts, otherwise you'll feel like you're always rushing around living out of your suitcases without really relaxing and enjoying all your resort has to offer. Enjoy!

 

[fd1972uk]

We're doing a split stay, staying at CBR and then onto AOA.

We've tied our move day in with a lazy day anyway, I pick up teh hire car that day too. Mind you if moving between Disney resorts, they do shuttle your cases.

Yeah, it might be a bit of a pain, especially if you maybe had a big family, but we're a party of 3 and we're going to try and pack our cases, with 1 case for CBR and the other for AOA.

At one point we were going to add a day or two at AKL, but decided against it, hence our Pirates & Mermaids Trip!


FD

 

[bakie21]

We are trying split stay this year 2nt POR/gv, 8nt AKL/sv. Love POR but wanted to try something new. Hoping for YC again in 2014( not in budget this year)

 

[disnut1149]

Hi
We did a split stay before and we're doing one in August. We just throw our stuff in a suitcase and take a taxi with our luggage over to the new resort. We do this on our day off from the parks. So we take a bag with our bathing suits and check in our luggage. Then go swimming and enjoy the new resort. Very easy, but there is only 3 of us, so not a big deal.

 

[pixarmom]

We LOVE split stays, but we usually do them with APs and room only reservations, so it's really easy. We have three boys and we pack very light. We have so little stuff, and I keep things put away and tidy during our stay, so it usually takes about 15 minutes to pack up.

It's definitely a net convenience because we usually split between an Epcot area resort and an MK area resort. So we get all the advantages of proximity to MK during our MK resort stay, and all the advantages of proximity to DHS and Epcot during our Epcot area stay. We just stayed eight nights and only took a bus once - to/from AK. Otherwise, it was all boat, walk or monorail.

Our last split between Poly and BWI was the easiest - we let Bell Services transfer luggage and went about our day. We rolled our suitcases to Bell Services around 8:30am, hopped on the monorail to MK. After our MK morning, we took the monorail to Epcot for a lunch ADR. Walked to BWI and checked in around 3pm. Our luggage was already there and our room was ready within a few minutes. So we took a 10-minute break in the club lounge with drinks and snacks, and then headed to our room.

In the past, we've taken a cab from Resort #1 to Resort #2 in the early morning before rope drop, based on park plans for the day and usually when it's a shorter stay. I definitely prefer allowing Bell Services to transfer the luggage, and we started with reasonable expectations for our luggage arrival time. We didn't expect our luggage until later that night and brought along anything we needed in our park bags. (But were fortunate that luggage was already there when we arrived, but we didn't start the day expecting it.)

 

[starousse]

Me personally would never do a split stay. Once I get unpacked and settled, I don't wanna pack up the entire room and all my dirty clothes and check into another hotel. Certainly not a relaxing way to spend the week.

 

[goofy4tink]

Resurrecting an older thread to see what people think about doing something like stay at a value or mod for like seven nights, and a deluxe for two. Using the last part to relax, swim, and enjoy a fancier place that we couldn't afford for the whole trip.

I love split stays. But, I don't get pkg deals. I seldom use the dining plan and I usually have an AP in hand.
I had one trip that lasted two weeks....with multiple resorts....
1 night at AKL-Jambo
4 nights at BWV
2 nights at Kidani
5 nights at Pop (got free dining!!!)
2 nights at BWV
It was a great trip, but I did have to stop and think about which bus I was getting on at the end of the day!!!
I don't lose much park time either. I hand off my bags first thing in the morning, then head off to a park until lunchtime. Go to the 'new' resort, get checked in. Sometimes the room is ready, sometimes not. I head to a park for the rest of the day. You don't get your bags until late in the day, which is a pain. If that is going to bother you, just take a cab to the 'new' resort first thing in the morning, get checked in. If the room isn't ready, leave the bags with Bell Services. That way you can get settled in as soon as the room is ready.

Nowadays, I usually make one switch per trip if the trip is longer than 5 nights. I like to start with a 'lesser' resort and then move to a 'better' resort. In May, we start at All Star Music for 4 nights, then move to AoA-LM for 2 nights. In Sept? 4 nights at Vero Beach, then move to BWV.

I would imagine that moving with a family is more time consuming than doing it solo. But, if you keep stuff packed that isn't going to be used until the next resort stay, it will work out better. Pack everything the night before, just before bed. Pack those toiletries up, except for the ones you need in the morning. Leave out the next day's clothes. THen, once everyone is up and ready? Toss the pj's and the toiletries in the bag, and let Bell Services take them. Or, hold onto them and take them with you if you have a car or use a cab.

I figure that I'm going to be in a park anyway...so I'm not losing any park time by switching hotels midstream.

 

[sweetcreams]

Our split stays have worked out just fine. We usually only do 2 nights at a Disney resort, then switch to Shades of Green, or vice versa, so I don't unpack the clothes for the 2 night stay.

 

[mickeyluv'r]

I agree a key aspect to making it owrk is packing the right way. It is particualrly easy if the spit is only for one night, at the front or back end.

There is no reason part of the stay can't be a package- you just have to know how it works. Your best bet with split stays is either -a.) to do a one night room only stay, where you don't go to apark until you check into your second resort.
or-
b.) have the package be the first part of your vacation, with the second half being room only.

As CL has been included in this discussion, CL works best with a room only stay- or perhaps I should say the reverse- DDP pairs best with our non CL stays.

Do not try to get 'package' tickets until you check into your oom. supposedly it can be done, but any time I try to do something out of the ordinary, that's when we run into time consuming problems.

the other thign to know about split stays is that it generally works best if you havea car, or get a taxi, or have a simple means of getting to the second resort. Transferring between BC/YC/BWK Swan/dolphin would be easy enough.

 

[abinormal]

It definitely sounds like an option. We would drive down so that takes care of the vehicle. I think I could pack appropriately. I only intend to do a package deal if they will be offering free dining when we go, and then only if it works out cheaper.

Lots of variables, clearly.

 

[cmh314]

We are trying a split stay for the first time in April. 4 nights POFQ followed by 4 nights BCV. I'm planning to pack separate bags for each part of the trip to minimize the packing/unpacking. The first few days we'll take busses to AK and MK. On our transfer day, we'll check out of POFQ and have bell services transfer our luggage, then we'll take the bus to HS (bringing any essentials, possibly bathing suits, with us). The plan is to spend the day there and walk over to the BCV in the early evening, check in, have the bags sent to the room and explore the resort. Our next few days we'll walk to Epcot and hang out at the pool. If all goes according to plan, I'm hoping the process will be relatively simple.

My one question is regarding our tickets. We have not yet purchased them yet (our reservations are room only). I was thinking of getting the tickets from Undercover Tourist (or checking into whether I can get discounted tickets through AAA). My understanding from these boards is that I can have the UT or AAA tickets added to my KTTW card at POFQ when we check in. Can we then have the remaining days transfered to our new KTTW card at BCV, so we don't have double the cards to keep track of. Can anyone tell me if we are likely to have any ticket problems in these circumstances. Are we better off getting them directly through Disney? Any impact of the split on tickets is appreciated.