Explain Split Stays to me please

[Jacks2583]

We are going to WDW in September to celebrate DD's first birthday. We decided to stay at POP not only because it fits our budget much better, but because it is very child-oriented, which would be great for DD.

However, I made the mistake of taking DH to AKL for his first trip to WDW. NOTHING compares to AKL for him and he desperately wants to stay there. I have been thinking about maybe surprising him and doing a split stay, but I don't really understand how the split stay thing works.

We have free dining and 8 day park passes (7 night stay). Can I do a split stay for any number of nights and keep everything else the same?

TIA

 

[ElizabethG]

We are going to WDW in September to celebrate DD's first birthday. We decided to stay at POP not only because it fits our budget much better, but because it is very child-oriented, which would be great for DD.

However, I made the mistake of taking DH to AKL for his first trip to WDW. NOTHING compares to AKL for him and he desperately wants to stay there. I have been thinking about maybe surprising him and doing a split stay, but I don't really understand how the split stay thing works.

We have free dining and 8 day park passes (7 night stay). Can I do a split stay for any number of nights and keep everything else the same?

TIA

It is complicated with free dining. You can have a couple of days at AKL without free dining at the end of your trip and use the same park passes. Maybe keep your eye out for a resort only discount (which can save more than free dining) and pay OOP for meals. If you want free dining, it has to be available at AKL and you would have to purchase the required tickets. You don't have to use the tickets. They can be saved for a future trip.

 

[vicki_c]

Elizabeth's info is right and that approach is really the most economical one -buy the full length of tickets you need with stay #1 and get free dining, and do a room only for stay #2.

A good way to look at it is that to Disney - there is no such thing as a "split stay". That's kind of a made-up thing come up with on the DIS and other fan sites. To Disney - reservations at 2 different resorts, or with 2 different packages, etc. - are 2 different reservations even if they coincide with one another.

So any minimum requirements for packages (nights of stay, number of tickets) apply to each part of your stay.

 

[Jacks2583]

Can you get park passes for more days than you are staying at one resort?
So could I get 8 day park passes at POP for a 6 night stay and do room only for AKL for one night?

 

[vicki_c]

Can you get park passes for more days than you are staying at one resort?
So could I get 8 day park passes at POP for a 6 night stay and do room only for AKL for one night?

Yes, they're not really connected - as long as you buy the minimum for free dining, you can buy up to the 10 day max ticket.

 

[slindzy]

Here is what we did:
We have 6 nights at CSR w/FD and our park tickets. I wanted to suprise my family so I rented points from a DVC member and will have another ressie at AKV (Jambo) for the last few nights of our vacay.

I will keep my room cards for the CSR and not check out as those cards will still have our tix and meals attached. It was much cheaper for me to do it this way than any other.

Giving up our FD was just not an option.

This way we get the best of both worlds.

 

[vicki_c]

Here is what we did:
We have 6 nights at CSR w/FD and our park tickets. I wanted to suprise my family so I rented points from a DVC member and will have another ressie at AKV (Jambo) for the last few nights of our vacay.

I will keep my room cards for the CSR and not check out as those cards will still have our tix and meals attached. It was much cheaper for me to do it this way than any other.

Giving up our FD was just not an option.

This way we get the best of both worlds.

Just to confirm that I understood that - you mean your trip is 6 nights total, of which 6 you have booked at CSR and 2 (or whatever) you also have booked at AKV with points - meaning those last 2 nights you actually have 2 rooms reserved? And that was still cheaper than any other option?

I just wanted to make sure your plan would actually work relative to your dining credits not expiring.

 

[Jacks2583]

Just to confirm that I understood that - you mean your trip is 6 nights total, of which 6 you have booked at CSR and 2 (or whatever) you also have booked at AKV with points - meaning those last 2 nights you actually have 2 rooms reserved? And that was still cheaper than any other option?

I just wanted to make sure your plan would actually work relative to your dining credits not expiring.

yes, please clarify!
How much did the points cost per night stay? I don't know anything about renting DVC points

 

[bumbershoot]

Just to confirm that I understood that - you mean your trip is 6 nights total, of which 6 you have booked at CSR and 2 (or whatever) you also have booked at AKV with points - meaning those last 2 nights you actually have 2 rooms reserved? And that was still cheaper than any other option?

I just wanted to make sure your plan would actually work relative to your dining credits not expiring.

Since they said they wouldn't check out of CSR, I figure their stay is 6 nights total, and they'll have two rooms booked at the same time.



OP, if you drop days from your free dining plan, you'll be dropping days of dining. And who knows if you would be able to actually change it, depending on if the promo you booked under is still active?

If there's any chance of making your vacation longer, I'd do the POP stuff, then after all of that is done I'd move over to AKL for a night or two. Just add one or two days to your tickets and deal with not having a dining plan (surely you'll be stuffed to the gills by then, LOL), and enjoy the hotel-only stay.

 

[ElizabethG]

Here is what we did:
We have 6 nights at CSR w/FD and our park tickets. I wanted to suprise my family so I rented points from a DVC member and will have another ressie at AKV (Jambo) for the last few nights of our vacay.

I will keep my room cards for the CSR and not check out as those cards will still have our tix and meals attached. It was much cheaper for me to do it this way than any other.

Giving up our FD was just not an option.

This way we get the best of both worlds.

I don't see how that saves any money. The room rate with FD is not discounted, so in summer it is close to $200/night. The adult dining plan is just over $50/night. Even with 4 Disney adults, it is about even. Why not just pay for it during the villa stay? Seems like less hassle.

 

[ElizabethG]

yes, please clarify!
How much did the points cost per night stay? I don't know anything about renting DVC points

Each night requires a different amount of points depending on the season, room size, and view. When you know how many points you need, the cost to rent is $10-$15 per point.

Example point chart for AKV:
http://www.wdwinfo.com/disney-vacation-club/AK-Points.htm

Check out the rent/trade board on the Dis.

 

[smidgy]

Here is what we did:
We have 6 nights at CSR w/FD and our park tickets. I wanted to suprise my family so I rented points from a DVC member and will have another ressie at AKV (Jambo) for the last few nights of our vacay.

I will keep my room cards for the CSR and not check out as those cards will still have our tix and meals attached. It was much cheaper for me to do it this way than any other.

Giving up our FD was just not an option.

This way we get the best of both worlds.

the way I understood it is they have 6 mights at CSR.. then.. they have a couple nights at a DVC, on rented points, after that.

I guess by saying "not checking out" she just meant she never "officailly" checked out ( I never do) so the park tickets are still on the SCR key.

we do the same often... we put the dining on the front end of the trip (esp. if we are paying for it, cause we don't want it for the whole trip)

so ist leg of trip , one resort, say POFQ, with dining plan.. 2nd leg, another resort, with a room only reservation (hopefully with a room only code!)

your dining credits are good until midnight the day of check out. so we often have a nice sit down dinner at the new resort the first night. "transfer" day is a nor park day.. we get over to the new resort, lie by the pool till our room is ready. "settle in", have cocktail hour, then a nice dinner, at say May Grill if the 2nd resort is CSR.
we also use up any snack credits for chips, etc. that first day at 2nd resort, to keep in the room.

sometimes we use a CS credit for a sandwish to go, or once we bought anice meal at POR food court, ordered it "to go", and put it in the fridge. ate at boatwrights tha tnight.. next night we brought the CS meals from our fridge down to the food court microwave. our way of stretching the dining plan, since, to us, it is a lot to eat.

 

[kaligal]

Split stays sound fine at home, but they are much more difficult when you're on vacation than they sound like at home.

My advice is to pick a hotel and stick with it. Given the choice of Pop v AKL, I'd choose AKL any day of the week and twice on Sunday.

 

[smidgy]

Split stays sound fine at home, but they are much more difficult when you're on vacation than they sound like at home.

My advice is to pick a hotel and stick with it. Given the choice of Pop v AKL, I'd choose AKL any day of the week and twice on Sunday.

well, to us, they sound fine on vacation, too. we have done it numerous times.

I will say, though, that we tend to alternate. one trip, we do a split stay.. the next, we are kinda wanting to "settle in and nest" somewhere.

ou last trip was a 3 way split. 3 nights at CBR, no parks, just enjoyed the resort and DTD. then BLT, then AKL.

this next trip? 10 nights at CSR, no split stay.

 

[vicki_c]

the way I understood it is they have 6 mights at CSR.. then.. they have a couple nights at a DVC, on rented points, after that.

I guess by saying "not checking out" she just meant she never "officailly" checked out ( I never do) so the park tickets are still on the SCR key.

.

If that's the correct interpretation, I just wanted to make it clear (whether to that poster or just others) that the dining credits wouldn't continue to be valid for the 2nd part of the stay, once midnight of the #1 part check-out arrived.

You don't have to officially "check-out" anyway, IME, and the park tickets would still be good on the card whether they checked out at the desk or not, up until 14 days or when they are all used up.

 

[rlthomas7]

We are doing something similar in September. We booked five nights at CSR with free dining and four park passes. And then we booked one night at Art of Animation at the end. We figured we'd have to pay out of pocket for a few meals, but there also isn't as much pressure to use them all that way. We'll head to AoA early on Friday morning and we don't leave until late in the afternoon on Saturday, so we'll have plenty of time to relax and enjoy the resort.

 

[Roborn]

We enjoy the split stays. There are 3 in our family so we usually stay 2 nights at a DVC studio then move on to a one bedroom at another resort. That gives us a little more room to stretch out. We usually put DDP on first stay so that we can also use the credits on our check out day of leg 1. Too much food for us to not spread out. Also don't forget that bell services will move your bags for you from resort to resort. Enjoy!

 

[smidgy]

If that's the correct interpretation, I just wanted to make it clear (whether to that poster or just others) that the dining credits wouldn't continue to be valid for the 2nd part of the stay, once midnight of the #1 part check-out arrived.

You don't have to officially "check-out" anyway, IME, and the park tickets would still be good on the card whether they checked out at the desk or not, up until 14 days or when they are all used up.

right, which is why I wrote:

your dining credits are good until midnight the day of check out. so we often have a nice sit down dinner at the new resort the first night. "transfer" day is a nor park day.. we get over to the new resort, lie by the pool till our room is ready. "settle in", have cocktail hour, then a nice dinner, at say May Grill if the 2nd resort is CSR.
we also use up any snack credits for chips, etc. that first day at 2nd resort, to keep in the room.

sometimes we use a CS credit for a sandwish to go, or once we bought anice meal at POR food court, ordered it "to go", and put it in the fridge. ate at boatwrights tha tnight.. next night we brought the CS meals from our fridge down to the food court microwave. our way of stretching the dining plan, since, to us, it is a lot to eat.

but maybe I didn't make clear that we use the snack and CS credits we saved on the first day onlyof the 2nd resort. (which is why we kept them in the fridge, to nucke the next day.

we look on it as kinda 2 vacations in one.

try to put the resort you are most looking forward to at the end. try not to have the 2nd part be too short, or you will kinda feel like you're just "waiting to go home".
A(although this can be difficult if the "better" resort is also more expensive) decisions, decisions! (but FUN decisions!)