Be careful with split stays

[TheNit]

We are currently on the last day of our first vacation as DVC members. The vacation has been great other than what I describe so this isn't complaining, more of a warning to others considering a split stay.

We wanted to check out multiple resorts that aren't our home resort. AKL and BLT were available so we stayed four nights at AKL and then three nights at BLT. Both resorts have been fantastic and I would recommend both. We knew we'd have to repack and have our bags shipped to the other resort (which wasn't a problem) but:

1. Disney is unable to combine the separate 4 and 3 day stays into one continuous 7 day stay for the dining plan. Our dining schedule frontloaded the table service meals so I was forced to check into BLT early in the morning to begin the final 3 days so we could eat our table service meal in Hollywood Studios that afternoon. I had originally planned to just check in after we finished our day in the parks. Also, we had to make sure that we used all of our snacks and counter service meals from our first stay before midnight of the day we checked in for our second stay (since the first stay's dining plan ran out).

2. I bought a shirt at an Epcot gift shop on the 2nd day of our trip (charging it to my room). I decided I didn't like it and went to return it today and the gift shop, after 15 minutes, could not figure out how to handle it since my card/room account had been closed out the prior day. They said to take it to the front desk of our current resort and they could return it. I did and after about 20 minutes dealing with the front desk and a manager conversation, they were able to credit the money to my current room account. Both the gift shop and the front desk manager didn't know how to deal with it as they never had that happen before.

As I said before, I'm not complaining, just know that there can be more to a splitstay than repacking.

 

[vicki_c]

To Disney, there is no such thing as a split stay (DVC or resorts). They don't look at it that way; it is all separate reservations. Split stay is just terminology used here and other Disney fan sites - no such thing actually exists.

What you experienced is nothing new or out of the ordinary.

 

[Nikisha421]

yeah splits stays and the details can be a lil tricky....the first issue I knew about...so you ahave to plan your adrs carefully and make sure you use the room key cards to make sure you are finishing the meals left on the first card. however, the second issue I never really thought about....so the tips you give IMHO won't be seen as complaining but just advising....

 

[Pakey]

We love our split stays. Since we aren't fans of the dining plans and don't charge or put park tickets on room keys, it's always been easy for us.

 

[Kymm1111]

We have had one major split stay, half at vwl and half at blt. No problems there. They would have transferred our luggage but we wanted to get to the parks so we drove it over and were in a room and then in the park in less than an hour. (including stroll @ grounds)
Normally our split stays are because we don't want to go home and I call ms abd ask if there is any avalibility for an extra night. we have always had to transfer but are so excited to stay one more day that we don't care. It is always my dh begging to stay too.
I liked splitting the meal plan because it allowed me to play around a bit with signature dining. we always run out of credits on table service and I like to pay cash for cheaper table service.
You will get the hang of it if you continue split stays!

 

[tlynk]

We are doing a split stay at the BWV's. The first few nights in a 1 bedroom and the last couple of nights in a studio. That was the only way we could use up all our points. I really want to do the dining plan. It sounds like it might get tricky??

 

[Vickis3js]

UGHHH thats so not what I wanted to hear. We decided to add a night onto our trip way after we made the original ressie and we knew we would never get a another night AKL CL, where we are booked, so we decided to try WL for one night. DH and I want to add teh DxDDP for that one night. Sounds like its not going to work the way we had planned. I have no problem using everything by midnight on check out day but do you have to use it by the time you check out?

 

[3Minnies1Mickey]

I have no problem using everything by midnight on check out day but do you have to use it by the time you check out?

No just by midnight.

 

[AlwaysDreamofDisney]

I've never done a split stay. BUT we have used the DDP plan for meals, snacks etc. after check out. Hope this helps.

On our last trip we "spent" all of our snack for items in the sweet shop on Main Street before leaving on the ME to the airport. The CMs were very helpful an showed us what items we could use them for. This way we brought home a little magical items to add to lunch boxes as a special surprise.

Also, there is a smoothie place in MK over by the Stitch attraction exit. This was a refreshing pick me up during the summer months!

 

[DebbieB]

We are doing a split stay at the BWV's. The first few nights in a 1 bedroom and the last couple of nights in a studio. That was the only way we could use up all our points. I really want to do the dining plan. It sounds like it might get tricky??

You will have to do a check-out and check back in on the day you switch. On that day, you can use the remaining credits from your first room and also start using the credits from your second room (if you buy the dining plan for both parts). Any credits left from the first room will expire at midnight of the switch day, you cannot carry them over to the second part of your stay.

 

[newyorkmike]

I have an upcoming stay President's day weekend where the first two nights are booked on our points and the last night is booked on my parent's points. All three nights are in a 1BR at SSR. The reservations are linked and we have the quick service dining plan for all three nights. If Disney treats these as two separate dining plans, one for two nights and the other for one night, does this mean when we "check" in for the third night that we get a second set of refill mugs?

 

[bumbershoot]

If Disney treats these as two separate dining plans, one for two nights and the other for one night, does this mean when we "check" in for the third night that we get a second set of refill mugs?

Yep!

 

[TheNit]

It should have crossed my mind when I booked the meal plan that they couldn't combine it into 7 nights - I had to pay for the 4 and 3 nights separately. I just figured that they would be able to combine the 2 reservations somehow. Unfortunately, they couldn't.

Managing a split stay on the dining plan can be done, it just gets a little tricky because you have to make sure you use up all your meals/snacks twice instead of once. And if you front-end load like we did, you may have to check in before you hit the park.

The shirt return was strange to me. I'd think that they should easily be able to charge it back to your credit card even after you close your account. Both the gift shop and the front desk were clueless as to how they could do it. Basically I was told by the front desk that two of their computer systems weren't able to work together.

Like I said, not complaining, just advising.

 

[bumbershoot]

It's good info, that's for sure! Something important to be aware of before going. You're doing a good service.



I found room charges to be a bit odd anyway. I was behind a lady at AKL who had purchases from days before that hadn't yet hit her room charge. She was checking out, and had purchases showing up on the room from just the night before, but not from days before. Can you imagine if she had needed a refund? Yikes!

 

[Hibernians]

Glad to hear your first DVC vacation is a good one

These are all good points you have raised; just goes to show how much you need to plan and prepare for so many aspects of a Disney vacation.

We are currently on the last day of our first vacation as DVC members. The vacation has been great other than what I describe so this isn't complaining, more of a warning to others considering a split stay.

 

[disneygrandma]

I'm confused about the "front load" part, and having to check in before going to the park. (on the 2nd part of your stay) ??

This thread just re-enforces my belief that room keys should be used only as that........for the room. We don't put a credit card on them for charging, so we don't have to worry about any mixups. We don't put our park tickets on them. Yes the DDP, if we purchase it, is on the room key. We have done several split stays with the DDP and used the 1st key during the day of checkout, and after checking in to our new resort. We just saved our DDP on the new key to start the next day. We've usually moved the luggage ourselves, but have also had Disney transfer them and just went straight to the park before checking in at the new resort.

Sorry you had so many problems with it all. However, I'm sure you've learned from this experience and know what you will change on your next trip.

 

[TheNit]

One other thing I didn't mention. If you use Magical Express on a split stay, you have to call in to make the reservation. You can't do it online because it doesn't recognize your split stay as two separate stays. I tried and a few days later it emailed me back saying that there was an error. We worked through it but be careful there too.

Front-loading our table service meals: we used 2 on our first full day, one on our second and third and planned to use one for lunch on the 4th day. So in order to get that meal, I had to check into the 2nd resort before we went to the park to get the meal plan to have enough ts meals to use.

 

[papamouse1]

OP... thanks for the heads up on these situations. We have done multiple split stays, and honestly we LOVE them. But we luckily didn't run into the situations you mentioned because we usually only do DDP on one ressie and OOP the other. That way we don't feel overwhelmed by all the food you get. I never kneww about the room charge, but after thinking about it, we always just use our Disney Visa to charge and not the room key, so that's why we haven't run into that situation.

Once again, thanks for sharing your experience... I hope this one event doesn't sour you on split stays, they actually can be alot of fun.

 

[bumbershoot]

One other thing I didn't mention. If you use Magical Express on a split stay, you have to call in to make the reservation. You can't do it online because it doesn't recognize your split stay as two separate stays. I tried and a few days later it emailed me back saying that there was an error. We worked through it but be careful there too.

Ooh, is this because it's just the one reservation number now?

We had an extremely split stay from 11/30-12/17 (Carib Beach, then 2 bedroom at OKW, then 1 bedroom, then we left for Universal, and came back for Jambo), and I was able to call to arrange the first ME (called the normal number since it was not DVC), and then I used the AKV reservation number to make the ME arrangements back to the airport. But that's when it was all different numbers, and I think that they went to just one number now?

 

[tlynk]

You will have to do a check-out and check back in on the day you switch. On that day, you can use the remaining credits from your first room and also start using the credits from your second room (if you buy the dining plan for both parts). Any credits left from the first room will expire at midnight of the switch day, you cannot carry them over to the second part of your stay.

Thank you DebbieB! It sounds like the dining plan will still be manageable for us and it is always worth it since we are foodies!