Split stay or not??

[hanksgirl]

My family is considering a spilt stay between Art of Animation and Animal kingdom lodge. Is that a good idea for a first time visit?? Is it an easy thing to do?? Shall I book with a travel agent?? We originally were going to stay at port orleans but now we aren't sure . Please give words of wisdom!!

 

[goofygirl1975]

I was considering this for my trip next year and my agent said that if we did our nights would start over for our tickets. The park tickets get cheaper the longer you stay.

 

[lovetoscrap]

Moving to the Resorts Board.

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No autocorrect- all misspellings are my own!

 

[blackmamba10000]

How many days are you going for? If you are going to have a nice chunk of time at each resort, then yes! Go for it! But, if it's a shorter stay, I'd pick only one. You can always choose a night to visit the other resort!

On my first trip to Disney, we only stayed 5 nights. And I was so overwhelmed (in a good way) with everything WL and Disney had to offer! I don't know how I could've handled a resort switch too! I would've overloaded!

 

[msd1776]

On my last trip we did a triple split stay: 2/4/4. Similar to what the other poster said, I would not split stay for shorter stays. 2 days was way too short, 4 days was okay but another day would have been better.

We moved our luggage ourselves because of the electronics and food we had so I can not speak to using bell services for moving your belongings between the resorts.

 

[Perditamarie]

Depends if you have a package (DDP particularly) or small children! Bell Services will move your luggage, so that part is easy. However, you probably wont have access to your luggage until 5pm-ish.

If you are on DDP, you need a ticket package at each resort, making the cost of tix more expensive. Also, you will need to take time to check in first thing if you need your dining credits on moving day. If you have AP or military tix, this won't be an issue, unless during free dining.

On moving day, you will be "homeless" until your room is ready, which could be late afternoon. Annoying if you need a nap/break.

If small children are in the mix, split stays are a PITA IMHO, as more gear, packing and logistical planning are required. The older the members of the party, the better. It is also a PITA if you like to settle down in your resort... you may never feel settled until you move, and by then your vacation is half over.

It is a fun way to stay at multiple resorts, especially if your vacation is longer.

Just depends on your vacationing style and expectations. Happy planning!

 

[Princess Disney Mom]

My family is considering a spilt stay between Art of Animation and Animal kingdom lodge. Is that a good idea for a first time visit?? Is it an easy thing to do?? Shall I book with a travel agent?? We originally were going to stay at port orleans but now we aren't sure . Please give words of wisdom!!

It's easy to do. It helps to have a vacation of 7 nights or more.

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[Princess Disney Mom]

I was considering this for my trip next year and my agent said that if we did our nights would start over for our tickets. The park tickets get cheaper the longer you stay.

This is not correct. You can buy a 10 day ticket your first day at first resort and change all you want and still use the same ticket. Now the dining plan would start a new package.

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[kappyfamily]

I was considering this for my trip next year and my agent said that if we did our nights would start over for our tickets. The park tickets get cheaper the longer you stay.

Sorry, you were mis informed by your agent. We split stay every time (and love it!) and never have to buy new tickets.

 

[kpm76]

We're big fans of split stays and we have young kids (6 and 2). BUT, we've been to WDW many, many times and we know the ins and outs. For your first trip, I would pick one resort. WDW is a wonderful place, but can be very overwhelming for a first timer. Some people find moving stressful, we never do, but again, we do it all the time.

Depending on the composition of your traveling party, I might suggest Wilderness Lodge. It's easy access to the Magic Kingdom. I love Animal Kingdom Lodge but it is remote and you have to rely on the bus for every park. WL has a similar theme but is much more convenient for MK.

Good luck and happy planning!!

 

[amym2]

For your first visit, I wouldn't suggest a split stay, unless you don't think you'll return. I'd stick with one resort (AoA or POR would be fine) but plan some time to visit other resorts. We love to check out resorts and plan where to stay in the future. This is easier with a car but possible without one. AKL is a beautiful resort to visit and have a meal (we love Boma). You can check out the grounds, but you cannot swim unless you stay there. We like to resort hop to the monorail resorts also.

 

[Fantaluminishes]

My family is considering a spilt stay between Art of Animation and Animal kingdom lodge. Is that a good idea for a first time visit?? Is it an easy thing to do?? Shall I book with a travel agent?? We originally were going to stay at port orleans but now we aren't sure . Please give words of wisdom!!

Port Orleans is a fine resort, with some great amenities. The boat to Downtown Disney is a very nice perk. They also have some great recreational options and Boatwright's Dining Hall is a wonderful restaurant for dinner. I'd do a split stay. In fact, I'm thinking about switching from POP to POR for the first 3 nights of my upcoming trip. That will put me at 3 resorts for a total of 11 nights.

 

[LynneIL]

We did a split stay this past April - 4 nights at Pop Century and 3 nights at AoA. I LOVED it.

We did not have the dining plan, so we bought our tickets with the Pop Century booking and then just did a room only for AoA.

The day of the move, we got up, packed up, and called bell services. We left the bags in the room and went to the parks. We went to our new resort around mid afternoon and checked with bell services for our luggage. There had been a mix up and it was still over at Pop Century. They ran over there to get it and took it right up to our room. Meanwhile we explored and had something to eat.

It was a lot of fun seeing two different resorts. I don’t know when we will be able to get back to WDW. The previous time was 15 years ago for our honeymoon. Our kids were 11,9, and 4. It was no big deal, but it helped that I had planned to spend the afternoon at the resort that day.