Split stay, is it worth the hassle?

[Tooliebell]

I am thinking about splitting our 5 or 6 night stay into two resorts. I want to stay at the WL, just because it has always been my dream resort. And even though I could swing hte whole stay, I just don't want to pay that much. Plus we are driving in and I would rather be more toward the expressways so we can leave at night to eat if we want.

So I was thinking 2 nights when we first get there, which is our anniversary night, at WL. Then the rest of the stay at PORS. The one thing I am nervous about is staying at a deluxe right away then a moderate and feeling like we are missing something. Seems smarter to go from PORS to WL, but the end of our stay is on the weekend which makes the WL rate just too much in my mind. The one pro is that most likely we will do MK first and WL would be nice to be so close to MK right away.

We have a 7 yo, 5yo, and a 8month old, so I wonder if it would even be worth the hassle of moving everyone after just two nights. Will Disney transport our bags for us? Guess that is not really an issue as we will have our own vehicle.

What are your thoughts??

 

[Hugpug]

It really is not that much of a hassle but personally I don't like wasting time with 2 check-ins. Like you I did it because of money. Started in regular season and then went to value season. With Disney policy of being billed same rate at time of check in for each resis. As long as you don't mine the check-in issue you will love WL it is my favorite. The kids will like it also.

 

[Kim1964]

We have done split stays twice, with a 3rd planned for this summer. Since you will have a car it's pretty easy (we always have a car, too). The first time we split was POR/YC, then Pop/YC, and this year will be POFQ/WL. We always do the less expensive category first.....I think it would feel like a let down to do it the other way around. So, my advice would be that if you are going to do it, do it our way.

 

[redc]

We're doing 4 nights WL then 3 nights CSR in Aug...can't wait!!!!

 

[Amy&Dan]

We do split stays a lot. Often to save points on DVC reservations and other times to experience more resorts. This next split will be so we can try out the Poly and then head over to OKW. At almost $400 a night (where is my code???) I can't justify anymore than two nights there.

Anyway, it can be hassle but if you have a car that makes it easier. I never mind it when I do a split stay but then when I don't it is sort of nice to unpack and check in/out once.

I think your scenario is perfect. Two nights at your dream resort and then onto the rest of your vacation.

I also don't think going from WL to the POR is that big of a deal. POR is lovely, the rooms are not that much bigger at WL and I think you will be excited to head over to POR and just be happy to still have some vacation days left. In order to experience your anniversary at WL, I think your order of events is just right. Enjoy your stays!

 

[shoes99]

We do splits stays often when the price is right. In Dec we stayed 2 nights at Sports and 3 nights at the AKL. We had a rental car, so moving was easy. Next trip is Memorial Day weekend and there are no AP codes so we will stay at Movies the entire trip.

 

[Tink888]

I have never done a split stay - personally once I get somewhere and unpack everything, I like to stay put until it's time to go home.

I do think having your own vehicle will make moving much, much easier and having stayed at both WL and POR before, I don't think you will be disappointed going from WL to POR. They are both beautiful resorts.

Happy Anniversary and I hope you and your family have a wonderful trip!

 

[edit1]

I prefer not to split a stay, but have in the past when it saved a lot of $. I was able to store my stuff at the second hotel in the morning before check-in, and check in later after spending the day at the parks, to make the most of our time.

 

[mmmears]

We do split stays because I cant choose just one resort to stay at. Honestly, with a car, it's really not too bad. I haven't tried having them move our bags for us (which I hear they are willing to do). If you take your stuff with you, you never lose access to it during the day. We really like it since it's like 2 vacations in one. We always do try to move "up" in the world, though, since I'm worried we might be disappointed the other way around.

 

[BeamsofLight]

The one thing I am nervous about is staying at a deluxe right away then a moderate and feeling like we are missing something. Seems smarter to go from PORS to WL, but the end of our stay is on the weekend which makes the WL rate just too much in my mind. The one pro is that most likely we will do MK first and WL would be nice to be so close to MK right away.

PORS is still a very nice resort and as others have said the rooms at PORS and WL aren't -all- that different, size-wise, so it's not like you'd feel as though you were going from a palace to a hovel, definitely. To be perfectly honest with you, though, I have felt like I'm 'missing something' when I've stayed at moderates after deluxes. It might be entirely psychological, though.

Having your own vehicle makes a big, big difference in my mind as to whether or not it's worth the hassle. If you had to rely on cabs or Disney transport, I'd say it might not be worth it for two nights, but with your own car changing resorts is relatively painless. That said, I don't travel with children and I suspect you'd have a lot more to move between rooms than I ever do.

Hope you have a great trip, whatever you choose.

 

[alldiz]

I like split stays....but I don't really unpack

For me it does cost more though...I take a cab....and then another round of tips at checkout/checkin....
But feeling like I have 2 vacations makes up for it.
Kerri

 

[JohnNYC]

Hi - first post, but have been reading this informative board for two years!

I actually think NOT using your car to switch resorts is easier - no need to move bags!

Last year we did BC split with Poly - the morning of the move, we called bell services who quickly came and picked up our bags. That night, after spending the day at MK, we checked into the Poly, called their bell services and they brought our bags right up. It was simple and effortless.

This year we are also doing a split (6 nights at BC and 5 at GF) - it's great, like having two seperate vacations!

John

 

[720L]

We do split stays using Disney transportation and it's easy. They move the bags for you while you go to a park and enjoy your day. Checking in again isn't that big of a hassle.

 

[pepe of ohio]

We're not into doing these, have done on due to Poly not having all the nights we requires and took 3 nights at AKL before moving. Scenario, first time to AKL, Savannah view, did not care for resort or location and didn't feel Disney like until our move to Poly. We let bell services do the move and left early in the am to get to our favorite resort and area. Checked out and bussed to Poly thinking transition would be fast and smooth. Not. Checked into Poly, room not available yet, no idea when just to keep calling desk from any phone. Luggage stays in limbo, no access, no room. We kept this move day a non park day, we'd do the pool, again not luggage, no suits, call again for room, 1pm, not available yet. Just about a whole wasted day doing this, finally rooms available at 2pm, we check in and go to room and then are told that luggage transfer aren't delivered until 3 pm, we wait and luggage arrives at 4 pm. So much for split stays but it was our first experience doing so and we got the "stay at the AKL" out of our systems along with doing splits.

We like checking in, stashing and unloading our stuff and groceries and never worrying about them until check out day. We got our room set up how we want for the length of our stay and moving half way into a vacation and doing it all again is a waste to us. If we're interested in another resort, we'll do it on another vacation stay.

 

[MickeyNicki]

If we stay 6 nights or longer (which we try to do twice a year) we love to do a split stay...for 2 reasons. One is to change up the atmosphere and location and two is it feels like two vacations in one. It is easy for us because we bring our own car.

 

[calypso*a*go-go]

I'd say a split stay would be fine as long as you use your own car to transport the luggage. We moved from POFQ to OKW and watched our luggage sit on the rack @ OKW unattended for over two hours...we finally just walked over and started pushing the rack towards the room ourselves. Not one person said a word or asked us if it was our luggage. That's probably not typical... but it was enough for us to think twice about split stays.

 

[Brizite76]

We are doing our first split stay on our next trip (8 May, yippie!) between POP and Grand Floridian. I love POP, it will be our first time at the GF.
We will have a car, so I am not worried about a luggage transfer.
Whatever you decide, I hope you have a great time!

 

[Shelly F - Ohio]

With a split stay you have the benefit of purchasing the DDP for one half of your trip. Of course you can buy the DDP for the whole trip.
We are doing a split stay in Sept. With the first half of our trip we have the DDP. By doing this it gives us 5 DDP days and we opted to use the two table service credits to attend the Spirit of Aloha show. By doing this we saved $48 just to dine at this event.
Then the second half of our trip we will have a rental car and we have the option then to eat off property and save even more money.
We will get a car the night before we move to the new resort. There is a National rental counter at the Dolphin hotel.
We split stay to save points and have the option to only purchase the DDP for half of our trip.

 

[yecats]

As others have stated it is easy to change resorts as Disney will forward your luggage to your next resort on their property. However, as your the one who will be repacking for the move your question needs to be do I feel like doing this in the middle of my trip. I don't have kids so it is never a problem for me to simply throw my things together and get my but on the move. Last year my grandparents decided to take the trip to visit WDW after 20 years, so needless to say things had changed drastically. I wanted them to see at least 2 different resort areas just for the vast experiences you can have on Disney property (I have done this many times in the past with no problem as I go solo or with another adult). On the day of the move and while we were in Epcot my grandfather began to get sick so we found ourselves at guest services trying to see if our new room was ready which it wasn't. We bought him some over the counter medicine to help his stomach but it didn't help but I did have a prescrip. med in my bag that would've helped but that was in transit also. Needless to say the day dragged out as my grandfather didn't want us to miss lunch ressie and other things planned but we had to bring him to the new resort early as he continued getting worse. Once we arrived they immediately found us a room and it took nearly an hour to get our luggage (this was 3 hours after my grandfather began feeling sick). Needless to say this was something I never experienced prior and really didn't consider I would have a problem like that to begin with. You may want to consider this as you have young children but I certainly hope that you don't have that type of problem while your there.

Last thought for you, have you considered renting DVC points from an owner at WLv? You may find that renting a studio room would save on the room cost and you may be able to stay at WLvillas for your entire length of stay. Just something to consider.

 

[TJA]

Are you going during peak season? It seems like WL rates are only higher on weekends during peak season, but I'm not sure. We just returned from a split stay, started at POR and then to WL. This was our first split stay and it went very smoothly. As posted above, you leave your luggage at the 1st resort with instructions to transfer it to your next resort. Then go to a park for the day and simply return to your new resort. They will deliver your luggage to your new room. It was easy. I did miss the "settled" feeling of unpacking for the trip, though, but it was still an exciting change of pace. As far as the resorts, I would personally rather start out at the moderate and then move to the deluxe, but that is just my own personal preference.