Any thoughts or advice on a holiday split stay?

[PlutoFan76]

I'm at the early stages of planning a trip for my daughter and I for mid-December 2019. She will be 23 at the time of the trip. Over the years we have stayed everywhere from Poly Club level to All-Star Movies (except moderate, somehow we've never stayed at a moderate.). The last 3 trips were all at value resorts. For this trip, I want the relaxing resort vibe and the peace I only get when taking the boats to get to places. We are big World Showcase fans and a bit Star Wars crazy, so I'm thinking Yacht Club for convenience. However, my daughter has always wanted to stay at WL during the holidays. This leaves me deciding between location, ambiance, or a split stay. Typically we make a general plan, get FPs, and a few specific meal reservations, but then rearrange everything when we are there based on our mood and energy levels. I really can't guarantee that we would necessarily be at MK when staying at WL or Epcot when staying at YC. Any thoughts, suggestions, or experiences to help be decide how to book this trip?

 

[disneygolfer1985]

We are DVC owners at both GF and BW, so when we do a split stay based on points needed we will focus on MK when we are at the GF and then focus on Epcot and DHS when at BW. It could also depend on when you go in December too. In the past we would stay at GF first then switch over to BW when staying over thanksgiving. I will attest that the WL is gorgeous over the holidays.

 

[DisneyWishes14]

You don't say how long your trip will be, but, if you don't care if you switch up your park/dining plans during your stay and it's only 2 adults, yes, I would consider the split. We stayed at WL last December and it was absolutely gorgeous. We had a lot of fun just hanging out at the resort and relaxing. The boat to MK, CR and Ft. W was very convenient and we explored Ft. W while we were there (great Christmas decorations). My favorite place in all of WDW is World Showcase, so splitting it with YC would be awesome, IMHO. The newly refurbished YC rooms are beautiful and it definitely gives your the relaxing resort vibe. Yup, I would totally split WL and YC.

 

[Babsy]

You don't say how long your trip will be, but, if you don't care if you switch up your park/dining plans during your stay and it's only 2 adults, yes, I would consider the split. We stayed at WL last December and it was absolutely gorgeous. We had a lot of fun just hanging out at the resort and relaxing. The boat to MK, CR and Ft. W was very convenient and we explored Ft. W while we were there (great Christmas decorations). My favorite place in all of WDW is World Showcase, so splitting it with YC would be awesome, IMHO. The newly refurbished YC rooms are beautiful and it definitely gives your the relaxing resort vibe. Yup, I would totally split WL and YC.

Agree with everything here!

If you are staying longer than 5 nights, I would definitely do a split stay! For 5 days or less, I would do WL at Christmastime. It is really beautiful and, if your daughter has always wanted to stay there at Christmas, then I would definitely make that dream come true.

Enjoy your trip!!

 

[Wood Nymph]

We love both the Wilderness Lodge and the Beach Club/Yacht Club. We've stayed at the WL in December and the decorations were gorgeous. The downside to all that beauty was that the lobby was always very busy with visitors. The boat to MK is great. But as far as plenty of things to do at Christmas, Epcot has much more to do and see than MK does. The Magic Kingdom is only open at night a few nights a week because of the Christmas parties, which leaves resort guests looking for something else to do those nights they can't go to MK. That is why we prefer to stay at an Epcot resort during the Christmas season. The World Showcase has plenty of activities and Hollywood Studio is just a boat ride away, or a 20 minute walk from the Yacht Club.

We always visit the Wilderness Lodge when we are staying at another resort because we enjoy it so much. Geyser Point is a great place to hang out and just being in the lobby is nice. And then we always visit the YC/BC when we are staying at another resort. We just exit through the International Gateway and have dinner at one of the restaurants in the resort area. That way we can enjoy both of our favorite resorts.

 

[monica9]

Definitely wilderness lodge and then do an Epcot resort preferably beach club. Enjoy!

 

[bumbershoot]

I would stay at WL. I like split stays, but I don’t do them with the level of planning you’re thinking of.

 

[Lesley Wake]

I’m about to leave on a 10-night split stay: 2 nights AKL, 4 nights Boardwalk, 4 nights WL (using rented DVC points). The original plan was to truly plan the park days based on where I’m staying and for the most part I have stuck to that. But sometimes in the planning it has been frustrating because I would want to swap out things but didn’t want to waste my close locations. I have figured out the best ways and have tried to reduce reliance on the bus system as much as possible.

 

[Nancyg56]

I am not a fan of Split Stay for shorter trips, so if you are not there longet than 5 nights, I would make a choice and stick with it.

Yacht Club lobby wil have traffic during the Holiday, but I do not find it a hectic as the BC lobby. That one is BUSY! WL lobby gets a lot of traffic too, so your choices will not transport you away from the Holiday crowds, IMO. The quietest and most relaxing stay we ever enjoyed during the Holidays was at POFQ, and while you do not have that one in your roster, I would consider it if you want boats, quiet, and a central location. This resort offered a lovely respite from teh overstimulation the parks and DS brought to a trip, welcoming us "home" with soft jazzy holiday music playing softly in all of the common areas. DEcorations are appropriate for the location, and the water taxi was a nice way to get to DS.

So enough of my POFQ push. Of your choices, I would look at WL because it is your DD request. It is a holiday wonderland, and you get the boat to MK. There is no ideal location for any trip unless you are spending the entire time in one park, so we always choose the location that offers the best answer to budget and atmosphere. WL lobby is cozy, even with the guests who pile in to enjoy the decorations. YC/BC is not. Both are fairly relaxed in atmosphere, but are not in any way, shape or form "cozy."
BC has constant traffic in and out, and has a cluster of guests around the carousel. There are a few nooks to settle in to but it is very open IMO.

YC is busy, but less so than BC, and is a bit more reserved. Once you exit the lobby it is a faster entrance into the resort rooms, to me.