We are booked for POR for 5 nites starting 5/13. I considered changing to YC - it is our favorite and also most of our meals seem to be at Epcot or Epcot resorts. It was going to be almost $1200 more for the five nites, so I hung up. Called back later to see if we could just do the last two nites at YC figuring that would be $400-$500 which I could do. They explained the whole split stay problem with the package and then a room only ressie for YC at the end and how our dining plan wouldn't carry over, and I get it-- but I know people must get moved sometimes- what if we really hate staying in a moderate once we are there- will they really not let us upgrade to a deluxe and just pay the difference if there is availability??
do split stays alot - but never when on the dinning plan. that say don't really like the new ddp - so make sure you know what you are buying before you buy it. there is another alternative but problem is not what you need - can you get an annual pass (then use it again next year) - there plans do not include your tickets (which is your problem) - problem is don't think that will really help you.
Not between Disney and Disney but I go from Disney to Universal. However, from what I've read, it is pretty painless from a logistics point of view. Your things can be moved while you are doing whatever. Only you can decide whether the expense is worth it. I stayed at BC last time because of proximity to Epcot and it was SOOOOO .... convenient! How much is that worth to you? Only you can decide.
When we went in October, we went for 14 nights and Stayed in Kadani Village at AKL. However when we booked, there were only 13 of those nights available - the unavailable night being our 8th. So we booked that one night at Jambo House. Our Dining Plan was never affected, we used it seamlessly throughout. (Maybe this was because we were still in AKL as a whole though? And it might be different if switching to a totally different resort? I really don't know! ) I do know though that if you do decide to switch, Disney will transfer all your luggage to your new hotel for free. Also YC is beautiful and you will have the added bonus of Stormalong Bay - yay!
For 5 day stay, IMO it's not worth doing a split stay, especially if you are wanting the DDP for your entire stay. I would do your research, and pick one. Allears.net has loads of resort pics of Por. We happen to love it, and when we stay moderate that's our first choice. We love the mansion section.
We've done split stays twice, and while I know a lot of people do it and are fans, we ultimately decided it's not worth the time out of your vacation that it takes to pull it off. Sure, Disney will transfer the luggage for you. BUT -- you get to your first hotel, you settle in a little, and then you have to pack everything up. You have to plan that you may be without a room for a period of time on your transfer day -- you check out of your first hotel in the am and don't know when your next room will be ready. Then you do the whole thing over again (settle in, then have to pack up to leave, and figure out how to manage time on the last day between check out and whenever you need to get to the airport, etc.). It *might* be more worthwhile on a longer trip because you have more time to spare, but I think you'll find it will waste too much precious time for you. I agree with the idea of finding a place you like and that suits your budget, and sticking with it.
If you have a pkg, you will find it hard to move. That pkg is good at the resort you are at, originally. Now, you could always delete days from one pkg and make a new pkg reservation at the other resort, but the time frame for booking may have already passed. And most pkg's have you staying for a set number of days..so if you are going for just a total of 5 days, you probably wouldn't meet the pkg requirements if you split the resorts up. And that's why I don't book pkg's anymore. I want to do what I want to do, when I want to do it. I have yet to find a pkg, at least in recent memory, that saves me money.
Last year we were staying at beach club without the dining plan and Buy day three I was so dissapointed with the dining plan, I asked to upgrade to club level and they were full during our stay, so they asked if I would like to switch resorts, and we switched to poly. So yes if you are unhappy you can switch.
Once you get there, they will let you upgrade to a deluxe if there is availability; you will have to pay rack rate for the room, since it is basically a new reservation. If you are talking about split stays, people do it all the time; a few days in a value or moderate and a few days in a deluxe, so they can afford to do a deluxe. It is two separate reservations. You cannot do the dining plan without paying for at least another two day ticket, but you can get tickets at your first resort to cover your entire stay.
