Changing Rooms during stay

[ericm078]

My contract is finally loaded, and points are in. I called to make a ressie today, and as i figured not much was available for the middle/end of Oct which is fine. I booked a studio at SSR for 7 nights, but then was thinking maybe I should book 3 nights in a studio, and 4 nights in a 1BR. I would like to experience a 1BR with a full kitchen. The # of pts I have will not allow for a full week of a 1BR at SSR but a split stay so to say. Any advice or recommendations on this?

 

[tripletsmama]

We do a lot of split stays and find them easy. Bell services will put all your luggage in storage when you check out and then bring it to your new room when it's available. You will just need to go to the front desk at some point that day and check into the 1 bedroom and get new keys. Since check out is at 11 and check in isn't until 4, there is a gap of time when you need to plan to not have a room. If you're in the parks or relaxing at the pool it really shouldn't be an issue though. I think I would definitely book the 1 bedroom at the end of the stay. I don't like taking loads and loads of dirty laundry home and like to get most of it done the night before we check out. Plus, after a few nights in a studio you'll be ready to spread out a bit. I would say go for it.

 

[dbs1228]

Caution!!!! Once you experience a 1 bedroom you may not want to go back!! Enjoy your stay.

 

[Deb & Bill]

We don't like split stays. We like to unpack and settle in for the entire trip.

But if you can do a one bedroom for part of the trip, it might be worth it.

 

[disneynutz]

We don't like split stays. We like to unpack and settle in for the entire trip.

But if you can do a one bedroom for part of the trip, it might be worth it.

So Deb is a nester.

Bill

 

[kristenrice]

I love splitting our stays between studios and 1BR's. It is a great way to stretch our points. As a PP mentioned, you should plan the 1BR at the end of the stay so that you have the washer and dryer for your accumulated laundry.

Another advantage to splitting your stay between 2 room sizes (either at the same or different resorts) is that you can add a dining plan to only one of the segments. Here's how it worked for DSiL and I for our F&W stay last October...

2 nights (Th-Fr) in a LV studio at BLT with the DxDDP...
...dinner on arrival night at Kona Cafe (we split a meal so we only used 1 credit)
...breakfast on Friday at Chef Mickey's...dinner at Boma...
...breakfast on Saturday at The Wave...dinner at SoA luau...
...we used our extra meal credit for a flatbread meal at the Contempo Cafe.
(The cost for the 2 of us was about $340. As you can see, we got our money's worth)

Saturday was our Epcot day so we checked out of BLT and dropped off our luggage at Bell Services. In the afternoon, we walked from Epcot over to the BWV and checked in to the standard 1BR that we had for the next three nights. We were not on a dining plan for Saturday-Monday nights, but we had until midnight Saturday to use up our credits from our BLT stay. It was the first time I had done a split-stay between 2 resorts and it was so easy. I am already planning our next split-stay...it is so hard to narrow it down to just 2 resorts.

 

[ericm078]

I am thinking the same thing. I booked SSR studio for the first 3 nights, and was thinking about adding the dining plan to that to get all of the kids charters meals out of the way and enjoy some nice food. Then I came upon a 1BR at VWL this morning, and booked it for the last 4 nights of the trip with no dining plan, and hopfully utilize the kitchen there a little bit.

 

[Caren90]

I am thinking the same thing. I booked SSR studio for the first 3 nights, and was thinking about adding the dining plan to that to get all of the kids charters meals out of the way and enjoy some nice food. Then I came upon a 1BR at VWL this morning, and booked it for the last 4 nights of the trip with no dining plan, and hopfully utilize the kitchen there a little bit.

This sounds like an interesting idea to me. Use the dining plan when you don't have the kitchen and eat in more frequently when you do have it.

Please heed the warning above, once you get a taste of the 1 bedroom it is hard to go back. We stayed in a studio our first DVC trip (Just the two of us) but we have been in 1 bedrooms and up for subsequent trips.

Stephen

 

[ericm078]

well if it comes down to it and we fall in love with the one bedrooms, guess next year i will be looking for an add on so we can get 1BRs for our whole weeks in the future...

 

[disneynutz]

well if it comes down to it and we fall in love with the one bedrooms, guess next year i will be looking for an add on so we can get 1BRs for our whole weeks in the future...

You might as well start looking for a contract now before the prices go up.

Bill

 

[Sandisw]

We love split stays and do them each summer. Its funny though--we did the studio to a 1 bedroom move a few summers ago and I came home and added on points so I could do the 1 bedroom all the time.

Of course, I have since added on even more points.

I just came back from a studio stay and have to say, with just me and DD, it worked out okay, and I think if you do that first, it will be a much easier transition.

And, as you mention, it would allow for using the dining plan for part of the stay and not the rest.

 

[luckyman_apd]

We have only experience 2 bedrooms so far. We rented last year a 2br at BLT, and we were invited by friends to stay in a 2 br at SSR last year as well. We bought in in January and are staying in a 2 BR at BLT in Nov. We are taking 2013 off, but will go in 2014 again and we are going to split a studio for 2-3 nights and then move to a 1br to stretch the points. This will give us up to 10 days (depending on resort) instead of 6-7.

I would caution you to definitely start in a studio, and then switch to a 1 br, but never the other way around Going from big to small would be terrible.

You might get spoiled. We started looking at a smaller contract planning on staying in studio's on our trips, but we ended up buying bigger so we could get 1 br. In the future when the kids are grown, I envision my wife and I traveling more often just the two of us, and staying in studios.