Can someone help me with split stays.

[lillykat]

Can someone explain how a split stay works for say a total of 10 days, 5 days at each place? If I add the dining plan for the whole trip (so 2 reservations) I take it I would have to buy tickets twice - so the tickets would be more expensive? Or if I buy 10 days on the 1st reservation then no tickets on the second I take it I can't buy the dining plan for the second reservation right?

 

[CleveRocks]

Can someone explain how a split stay works for say a total of 10 days, 5 days at each place? If I add the dining plan for the whole trip (so 2 reservations) I take it I would have to buy tickets twice - so the tickets would be more expensive? Or if I buy 10 days on the 1st reservation then no tickets on the second I take it I can't buy the dining plan for the second reservation right?

Correct.

The way you can make it a little more workable would be to buy a 9-day ticket for the first reservation and then a 1-day ticket for the second reservation. Your tickets from the first reservation don't expire just because you checked out of the first resort .... tickets are good for 14 days from the date of first use.

Two 5-day base tickets would cost $456 ($228 each).
A 9-day ticket + a 1-day ticket would cost a total of $319 ($240 + $79).

As you know, you can't have the Disney Dining Plan without booking a package, and a package, by definition, includes at least a minimum ticket purchase of a 1-day base ticket.

If you are interested in park hopping, buy the park hopper for the first, longer ticket but DO NOT pay for the park hopper option ($52 per ticket) for the 1-day ticket ... surely during the second half of your trip there will be one day when you WON'T hop, and that would be the day during which you should use that 1-day non-hopper ticket.

 

[Goofy4]

You would likely come out ahead by not getting the package for your second stay. Just extend the tickets as mentioned and pocket the savings for use on food.

 

[Sue M]

We did a split last Aug, 4 days at POR, 5 at WL. We did a room only at POR, and DDP for WL.

 

[Corwin12]

I just returned from a 14 day trip. We stayed 5 nights at CSR and 9 nights at POFQ. This is how I did it:
I bought a ten day park hopper with the CSR reservation, with the dining plan. I then bought a 1 day base ticket with the POFQ reservation, with the dining plan.
When we cheked into POFQ, the cast member transferred our remaining park days onto our POFQ keys. Any dining credits from CS were left on that card to use up before midnight.
Our one day tickets were put on a separate card and I did not use them ... I stashed them away to upgrade for our next trip. I look at it as saving for my next trip. As long as they are not used, they do not expire and can be upgraded in the future.
A day off from the parks is great. Use the time to sleep a little later, enjoy the parks, visit Dowtown Disney during the day .... it is all good.

 

[danceintherain]

The only way you're allowed to add the Dining Plan without adding tickets is by having an Annual Pass.
If you're considering a second trip within the year, then this may be a good option.

You could either book with an Annual Passholder discount for both parts of the trip, which means you would buy your tickets separate from the package. Or you could just do it for the second half of the trip. you only need one adult Annual Pass to qualify for annual passholder discounts and packages.
Again... this only really makes sense if anybody in the group is planning on another trip within the year. Otherwise you may not save that much money.

 

[smidgy]

we do split stays often. we do it so we can, not only experience 2 dif. resorts, but so we can but the dining plan for just a portion of the trip.
we buy the package for the first resort, with the tickets and the dining plan. then buy a room only ressie for the second resort.

now, if you transfer anything to the 2nd room key, be sure to keep the old ones, just in case. we, however, just keep everything on the 1st key, and use the 2nd key for just that... a key (and charging priviledges)

we s t r e t c h out the dining plan this way. we save a table service meal to use when we check into the 2nd resort (example: once our 2nd resort was wilderness lodge, and we ate at Whispering Canyon nthat night) because you have until midnight that night. once port orleans french quarter was the 2nd resort. we took the boat to downtown disney that night for dinner. we also saved a counter service credit each. bought GREAT CS meal at their wonderful food court (jambalaya for hubby, I think, and I had the pot roast. got it "to go". put it in the mini fridge.
the next day, brought it back to the food court and used the microwave!!!also used a couple snack credits for chips, etc. for later in the trip. (do NOT try to save the beignets!!! did not work well at all!)
but if you want the DDp for the whole trip, you will have to buy one days tickets on the 2nd package. just buy one only. use the first package for the rest of the tikcets as they're cheaper the more days you buy.
you know what? it's not as confusing as it sounds. have fun!!

 

[tzolkin]

You may also want to see what deals are available for your trip dates.

We did a split stay this past May. We did a package of 7 nights at Pop Century with the Buy4Get3 and 10 day PH tickets. For the second part of our stay we booked a room-only reservation for CSR for 4 nights with a spring discount for $101/night (continued using the tickets from the first stay).


If you do decide to do two packages with dining, your cheapest option is to get 1 day tickets with the second reservation and keep them for a future trip.