Resort Hopping w/a Toddler?

[pfsrw]

Has anyone ever done "resort hopping" with a toddler-in-tow?

My family and I are taking our first DVC trip this December to SSR. I'm debating whether or not we should stay at 2 resorts over the course of our 9-night/10-day trip...

My dilemma is that my son is a toddler (will be almost-3 at the time of our trip), and the thought of packing up all his stuff TWO times gives me a bit of a headache!

If any of you have done this, are you glad you did? How long did you stay at each resort? Any helpful hints or tips?!?!

(The goal of this vacation is to have FUN with Mickey--of course!--but also to RELAX and enjoy our time together as a family. I'd love to experience BCV or BWV in addition to SSR on this trip, but can't decide if it's better to stay put in one place, and feel more relaxed for the length of the trip....)

Thanks much for your thoughts!!!

 

[Bexx]

I haven't actually done it yet, but here's what I plan to do next January. We will be travelling with two small DDs aged 4 years and 15 months. I originally thought we would just stay in one place for the full twelve nights, but I really wanted to stay at both my home resorts. So we are staying at BCV for the first three nights, and will try not to fully unpack during that time! Then we will move over to OKW where we will settle in properly for the main part of our stay.

I may be completely mad doing this - but if it works this time, I know it will work anytime!!

 

[Lexxiefern]

I've done it with my toddler 3 times. I don't really unpack (I live out of my suitcase mostly) so that isn't really a big deal to me.

The bigger issue is not having the room for the day. My DD still naps, so it takes a little more planning on switch days. We usually take our time in the morning and check out around 10am. Then we go have a sit down breakfast. Then we go to a park and hope that DD is okay without a nap until our room is ready.

We are also doing it on our next 2 trips

 

[crazywig]

we'll be doing this in june with ds (2yrs). we'll be at the poly for a few days, then bwv.

i pack really light (especially for him) so we'll live out of our cases while at the poly. we plan to check out, go to mk ee, then head over to bwv later. ds will nap in the afternoon in his stroller.

i see this as being pretty easy for us this year, much better than when we last took him at 9 months.

good luck!

 

[Terry S]

My kids are 6 and 8 now, but we have done it in the past and did not like it. WDW does make it as easy as possible as far as transfering the luggage goes. But, I like to un-pack everything, clothes, tolietries, and food so it feels like home. Packing all that stuff back up and then un-packing it again was a real pain. And then as others have mentioned, you are kind of in limbo for most of the day. Yes, you can just pack it up in the AM, go to a park and then later in the day, go to your new resort and unpack, but what if you get the park and someone isn't feeling well or you just want to go back and swim?

The only way I would do it now is if it was 1 or 2 nights at the beginning of a trip and I didn't un-pack everything those first nights.

 

[jaysue]

The bigger issue is not having the room for the day

Bang on Lexxiefern, we have resort hopped with DS#1 (4.5 yrs old) and DS#2 (infant) and it has worked out well

We pack light (use the washer/dryer a fair amount) and basically stay in the room in the a.m. to let DS#2 have a nap while one of us takes DS#1 to a park or the pool

We check out at 11am and then either go to another park or activity then go to the next resort in the early afternoon and gamble that we will have a room ready for DS#2 2nd nap of the day

We are hopping 4 times over 10 nights coming up (tried waitlist for BCV for 3 of our nights but to no avail so have to stay at BWV in between)

thanks
jaysue

 

[disynut]

We've done this with our little guy a few times. At 15 mos, 30 mos, and again at 3 1/2. We'll be doing it again this May, but not if our waitlist comes through! Before we've done it because we like to try out different resorts. My favorite time was when ds was 30 mos. We arrived on a Friday and stayed two nights at AKL. Then we switched to BCV for 5 nights, then ended at the Poly because we wanted to be close to MK for the MNSSHP. I actually packed a small bag for us for the first two nights, and then had a larger suitcase for the BCV stay, used the washer/dryer while in BCV and repacked the smaller suitcase for our Poly stay. We've had the napping situation too, but we just kind of go with the flow and figure we're on vacation and try to get him to nap in the stroller, but don't stress out if he doesn't and let him nap as soon as we get in the room.

Good luck!

 

[twinmomplus2new]

We resort hop each and every trip. We have been doing it since my twins were a year old. I like Jaysue use my switch day as a down day. I always and only Switch to AKL from DVC. I by the time I reach AKL am there to enjoy the atmosphere of AKL itself. So I am in no rush to get anywhere.

I wish I could say I pack light, I guess maybe I do. I bring one 26 inch pullman and one medium duffle for 4 people, 3 kids and I. My DD 17 brings one small duffle. I do not unpack anything. I wash every single night and put the stuff right back in the suitcase as soon as it is out of the dryer. All my toiletries and junk are in ziplocs, so I just take them off the bathroom/kitchen counter and throw them back in the duffle bag.

I would not do it any other way, and it has been very easy. When we were still in the napping stage, if they needed it, We would throw everybody in the car and go out to the main drag and grab some fast food, 2 minutes in the car with the AC and the little ones were out like a light. We have done this alot, It is a little unfair to ask the 2 older to sit quietly so the little ones can sleep a bit. So we would all go and get some lunch and it would not be an issue. Good luck, it is really very easy.

In August we go from the Diplomat, to Vero, to HRH I am anticipating no problems!( we will do this with 7 kids, 6,6,4,4,10,17,17, and 3 adults.0

 

[peterpa]

We went with twins that were 2 1/2 and a 4 year old. It was great! They were old enough to have a great time, but I wouldn't recommend moving resorts, just one less thing to worry about. And why waste your time packing again?

 

[mbhoxsie]

We have resort hopped a few times now... Usually its from BWV to VB...

Last year we hopped twice in one trip with two young children... DS (2 yrs) and DD (8 months)... We arrived in WDW, and spent one night at AKL... Then we hopped over to BWV for 7 days, and then moved again for 5 more days at VB...

Our biggest worry was some milk that we had saved for my DD that needed to remain frozen.. Both the AKL and BWV CM's did a great job in keeping it from thawing and the AKL staff even held it over night for us.

This year we are going to Fort Wildnerness for 5 nights, CBR for 2 nights, and then onto either VB or HHI for 5 more nights... My wife has always wanted to stay at CBR, so we are going to splurge and explore a bit on this trip....

Since this is your first trip to your home resort though, I'd recommend staying in one resort... Soak it up... You can always take day trips to BWV or BCV to explore and shop... The beauty of DVC is that you know there will always be another trip to see things you missed...

 

[goldilocks_63]

Call ahead the front desk of the resort you are switching to... and expain the little one's nap situation, and maybe they'll have a room early, that they could "hold" for a half hour while you switch.

They might do this, if it's not too busy of a season.

An idea, anyway.

What I used to do, was keep one pull bad with swimsuit, juice boxes, diapers, etc. and go hang out by the new pool at the second resort, and can call every half hour to see if room is ready.

Has worked well for me in the past, during Oct.

Otherwise, if you get desperate, there are sitting rooms, like at the BCV, where they could nap if you brought their baby blanket.

I think there are a lot of quiet places, if you only ask.

One of my escapes for DD when she was younger, was to let her sleep in her stroller in the nurses first aid section, which has A/C, in the MK.

And their are others....

Just ask around. A nap can be found almost anywhere

 

[Tigger&Belle]

We've done this a couple of times. Once my husband and I were at WDW with our 16mo son. My DH had a conference at the Contemporary so we were there for 2 nights. We'd always wanted to stay at the WL and went there for 2 nights after the CR. We then decided to fly down a day before the conference, but wanted to save $ so we stayed one night at Coronado Springs. That was a bit too much hopping!!! Two nights at a resort would be a minimum, IMHO. Since you would have 4-5 days at each resort I think that switching would be a great idea.

Another trip we were down there with all 4 of our kids. We stayed 2-3 nights at AKL, then a few nights at Hard Rock Hotel and Universal, and a few at the Swan. That wasn't too bad, especially since we had a car that trip and could put our bags in the car.

WDW makes it easy to switch hotels since they will move the bags for you. Packing up is still a pain, but worth it since you can try out more hotels.

T&B

 

[pfsrw]

This DIS Board rocks! All your comments were SO helpful....and I think I'm leaning towards doing the resort hopping between 2 places. I just have to convince DH that this is not as much trouble as it sounds. (I'll have to print off all your comments...)

At this point, I'll leave it up to the Disney gods, and try to get into either BCV or BWV for the first 3-4 nights, and if we're not meant to Hop on this trip, then no room will be available! At which point I'll still be very content at SSR for 9 nights, as you pointed out the advantages to, mbhoxsie:

"Since this is your first trip to your home resort though, I'd recommend staying in one resort... Soak it up... You can always take day trips to BWV or BCV to explore and shop... The beauty of DVC is that you know there will always be another trip to see things you missed... "

So I'll give it a shot, and will have a great time either way, it seems!

Good luck to y'all on your own DVC trips this year!
Sarah