Do you book split stays

[DVC Mike]

Do you book split stays?

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When I first joined DVC, I booked a lot of split stays. A split stay is any stay that involves checking out of your room and checking back into a different room during your trip – whether that room is at a different resort or not. A split stay may involve moving resorts, changing room sizes or just changing the view.

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There are a ton of reasons to book a split stay. You may do it to spend part of your vacation near the Magic Kingdom and part near Epcot. Maybe you are forced into a split stay if you’re booking a trip on short notice. Spending part of your vacation at one DVC resort and then switching to another allows you to experience the fun in a new way partway through your vacation. Perhaps you’ve always wanted to book a Bungalow at the Polynesian Villas but don’t want to blow so many points – so maybe you just book one night. Split stays also make it possible to splurge a little. Maybe you want to sprawl out in a one-bedroom unit, but you can’t afford to do so for the whole time you’ll be there – so you book a split stay (Studio then 1-BR).

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The nice part is you won’t have to worry about moving your luggage. Just call Bell Services from your room when you are packed and ready to leave, and they will handle the transfer for you. They will tag your bags for the next resort and arrange for them to be delivered there. However, you may not see them again until late in the afternoon or early evening, as it will take a few hours for your bags to arrive at the second resort.

The bad part is you have to pack up, move and be homeless for part of the day – until you get your new room sometime after checking in at the resort you are moving to. Packing up, giving your luggage to bell services, and checking back in all takes time. The time “wasted” to do all that does cut into your vacation time. If you have small children who need midday naps and won’t sleep in a stroller, this might be inconvenient.

Although there will not be direct transportation for you between resorts, you can give your luggage to Bell Services at your first resort in the morning, and then head out to a theme park. When you are done enjoying your fun out and about for the day, simply catch Disney transportation to your second resort.

When you arrive at your second resort, stop at Bell Services to claim your luggage, or you can simply call them again from your new room and they will bring everything up.

If you have to pack and move and be homeless for a day, why on earth would anyone choose a split stay? My wife would say it’s crazy (well, I certainly drove her crazy in the early days moving around), and we don’t do it anymore.

Be aware that split stays are treated as separate reservations – not as one continuous reservation. Keep that in mind as it relates to the Disney Dining Plan. That may be advantageous if you want the Disney Dining Plan only for a portion of your trip (just be aware that the dining credits expire on the night you check out). When it comes to booking advance dining reservations, the online ADR system will not recognize the second stay when you reach the 180 mark for the first stay, only allowing you to book ADRs for the length of the first stay.

You can use Disney's Magical Express to arrive at the airport and be dropped off at your first resort, while getting picked up at your second resort for the trip back to the airport when you head back home. Just make two on-way DME reservations.

In the same way, you can have your Owner's Locker dropped off at your first resort, but picked up at your second.

As I’ve said, we don’t book split stays anymore, as we don’t like to have to re-pack, be homeless, and then unpack in the middle of a trip.

What about you? What has your experience booking split stays? Would you do it again?


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• Guide to point transfers between members
• How difficult is it to book a reservation?
• Why are you not able to book with points when there is availability to book with cash?
• Wait Listing a Resort
• How to make a room request
• Split Stays
• Exchanging your DVC for another timeshare via RCI
• Dining discounts and plans for DVC Members
• Buying groceries to your room
• Walking a reservation
• Do DVC Members deserve better perks?
• Point Chart Inflation
• Summary information for all resorts

http://i235.************************************************************* DVC Mike - *******.com

 

[bwvBound]

I think the poll also needs, "No but I'm thinking about doing so in the future, just haven't found the right opportunity yet." (Reword to fit your liking.)

We've done several -- but they aren't generally our preference. Like your bottom line, we dislike re-pack/move/be homeless/unpack, etc. In recent years, I've been enjoying juicing as a lifestyle choice -- which means stocking the refrigerator with fresh, organic vegetables. It isn't fun moving the refrigerated contents for a silly room-change whim. However, that said, here are a few examples of our using split stays:

• Full week at BWV for a work conference (no park passes) ... then two nights at AKV Concierge before heading home. The two nights gave us opportunity to book the Wanyama Safari, which was a thrill.
• Two nights alone (just the two of us) on the Dining Plan at AKV Kidani before moving to AKV Jambo (w/out dining plan) with lots of family and multiple units for a RunDisney event. It was first and only time on the Dining Plan and a fun "experiment." Loved having the refillable mugs for coffee in the lobby!
• Full week at Vero followed by two nights at BWV for a Fanniversary! Event (2012). The Fanniversary! event was a bust ... but we enjoyed the sheer decadence of experiencing both Vero and WDW in the same vacation.
• Full week at BWV for a work conference (no park passes) ... then two nights at OKW before driving down to Miami to catch a ship.
• Two nights at Wilderness Lodge (just to say we'd been!) before moving to BWV for our work conference. This was our least favorite split stay. We basically sat on the BWV patio in rocking chairs the entire afternoon waiting for room ready. Our room ready was late (>5p) and our work conference social events had started at 3p ... so we alternated attending the social vs staying with our luggage (mostly expensive computer and presentation gear). Not a smooth transition -- and the one that MOST impacts my opinion on split stays.

 

[nolanboys]

We still do as long as our stay is 8 days or longer. The resorts are almost as big of a draw for us as the parks. My boys love splitting up the trip as it adds to the excitement. Understand the pain of having to repack, but as we pack much less because we do laundry, it is not a big issue. The days we switch resorts, I throw swimsuits in a bag. We give our bags to bell services in the morning, I pack a bag with our swimsuits, we go to a park as we normally would, and then head to the new resort around lunch and swim until our room is ready. We've done this on four occasions and have been fortunate that it has worked out well. I know that this wouldn't work for many, but as a family with four boys, we do better when we are busy and moving. DH and I will probably change our tune and settle into more relaxing trips when it is just the two of us

 

[magicaldisney]

I don't know exactly how to answer the survey. Yes, we have done many split stays, but it isn't negative experiences that keep us from doing it anymore. We just prefer to unpack once and stay put.

 

[DenLo]

Split stays make a vacation more interesting because by transferring to a second resort it is almost like going on another vacation. However, since our points are limited that means each segment is restricted to the number of days for that reservation. For DH and myself, the longer we stay at resort the more it feels like home and the more relaxing the vacation. But with split stays it is harder to get that feeling. And I really do not want to come home feeling like I need a vacation because of my vacation. So at this stage we might add a day or two before a longer DVC stay. Also we have the tendency to have more split stays when vacationing with family. When we invite family to join us, that reservation uses more points than when we are on our own and we are forced to do a split stay even if means changing from one villa type to another. If we have to move rooms, we might as well move resorts.

 

[hakepb]

I have done several split stays...but they were all out of necessity (lack of points and/or availability) not design.

In an ideal world, I would never split-stay. We keep trying different resorts, so each year's vacation has a different theme (so we never have that, "let's mix up this year's vacation so it feels different")

 

[Sparrow624]

We did one out of necessity. We would do it again, but not with the kids. It was rough on them. Too much interruption of their usual schedule.

That being said, my wife and I would definitely do it again, but only if it were 3 and 3 or 4 and 4. Probably half BWV and half VGF.

 

[com_op_2000]

Several split stays, mostly based on what we want to do that particular stay.

 

[DougEMG]

We've done split stays in the past and have really liked doing it. It makes it seems like we are on multiple vacations. I also like being able to have something booked on the monorail and then something booked at an Epcot resort. Our next trip is a split stay at POLY and BWV. For April 2016 I've got BWV booked already and once the 7 month window opens I'll try and book something on the monorail.

 

[Chirple]

It's not our preference for a week-long trip, but our next one is 13 days. Our first night is a cash reservation at YC, then we are moving to BCV for 6 nights, and our final leg is at BLT for 6 nights. This will probably feel like two separate vacations.

I couldn't make a choice from the 3 options in the poll.

 

[apple9117]

we're doing our first split stays in our upcoming trips this year. hopefully all goes well. really appreciate this thread for the tips

 

[SarahInMN]

We just prefer to unpack once and stay put.

Agreed - we don't mind split stays but prefer to be in one place and unpack the luggage/storage lockers/groceries once. That said, sometimes we start the trip on a cash ressie due to DVC availability or to conserve points. We usually move earlier in the trip than later. For our upcoming F&W trip, we booked 1 week at BCV, then decided to add on days but no bueno at 10 months at BCV, so we snagged 2 nights at BW Garden Cottages. And then this am added on 1 night at Dolphin - Thanks Delta Airlines for changing the redeye and getting us in 13 hours earlier (arrive 4pm on a Thursday instead of 5 am on Friday).

Staying at 3 hotels may be crazy for 1 trip but Swan/Dolphin were the only EPCOT area resorts with availability. We are not getting the groceries or lockers delivered to the Dolphin. We'll just deal with the luggage.

 

[wishicouldgomoreofte]

I enjoy split stays. Feels like a longer vacation. If I had many more points and unlimited flight funds, then I might have more frequent vacations, and stay put., 8 or more days in different resorts several times a year. But I will never have unlimited flight funds.

 

[southerngirl528]

For me and my brood, we prefer to check in and stay put, but then we are usually in a GV for a week and bring all SORTs of stuff! I have done a split stay with a few nights in a Savannah view GV, then moving over to OKW for the remainder, but for us it's a hassle.

 

[Cuddlemama]

We're fairly frequent split-stay visitors. Sometimes it's just switching rooms (usually from studio to 2bd when folks arrive to join us), but sometimes we bounce around resorts to check things out. Our November trip is 3 resorts. First night at Poly in a studio, then 2 nights at GF in a 1bdrm and then 11 at Kidani in a 2 bdrm. The Poly night was just on a whim...saw it available on booking day and decided we'd give it a try. The GF reservation lets us view the MVMCP fireworks easily without being in the park on those nights. And Kidani is our family favorite and the resort we most wanted to show our friends on this first joint vacation.
We don't mind packing up and moving. We take the Autotrain, so we have our own van. Things go in as easily as they came out, and we drive them to the new resort when we're ready to go. Stuff stays in the car if it's not perishable, and in the Bell Services fridge/freezer if necessary. Then we go about our day till we feel like checking out the new room.

 

[4Ds4Diz]

Hmmmm, these posts really make me think about my upcoming trip in June 2016. I have 8 nights booked at BLT and was going to do the split stay at BCV once the 7 month mark comes I would change reservation. We were going to start at BCV for 4 nights then do the switch as we love BLT and want to end the trip there.

We tend to pack light and will have our car so will that make it much easier to switch with regards to checking in to BLT? What do most of you do on your move day? I would consider MK that day, but we prefer RD and I would want to be there early. Then I think we could sleep in that day, go to breakfast and then check in BLT and spend the day at the pool or doing the boats on the lakes. What to do, what to do!!!

 

[jo-jo]

We almost always do split stays because we'd rather pack and unpack than deal with disney transportation. Most trips we stay at BLT for several days and then BCV for several days. The only time we use transportation is for AK.

In the spring, we are planning to stay at AKL for several days, so that trip we will use buses more.

 

[Sandisw]

We always do the split stay so we can spend time at resorts within walking distance to the parks. As mentioned above, the only one we cant walk to is AK and in that case, we take a taxi in the AM and the bus back. So we stay at BWV for the first part and then BLT or VGF for the 2nd...though this year we did VWL. I have to say that with the new direct to room policy, it was nice and easier than ever before because we didn't have to make a trek to the new resort to "check in" so we'd be notified of room ready. This time, we got a text around 11:30 am that the room was ready at the new resort. Knowing that allowed us to head there as soon as we were done with lunch!

 

[Sir William]

Only done one split stay and while the transfer went smoothly, I prefer to remain in one resort the entire time so I don't have to unpack or pack more than once, and I don't have to do a second check-in.

 

[Happy_Haunt999]

We did our first ever split stay last September and look forward to doing more in the future to see different DVC's. We split between SSR and AKV-Kidani on the last trip and loved it! It was so easy to have our luggage and groceries moved between the resorts. They took them at SSR on our way out in the morning and we headed off to the parks (We went to EPCOT during the day). Then we headed over to Kidani via bus that afternoon and checked in and everything was there waiting for us and bell services brought it up to our new room. Had we not been forced to do a split stay with AKV's on that trip I would have never fallen in love with Kidani. That is now my favorite resort ever!

To those who are questioning if they should do a split stay, my answer is an energetic YES! Try it at least once!