How long to get a feel for resort?

[4luv2cdisney]

DH and I are considering a trip with just the 2 of us. Basically, we have expiring points to blow and the kids likely won't be able to come along. Since having kids, we have NEVER taken a trip without them. We have each travelled separately with friends / family (I have travelled extensively with the kids) but this seems weird! lol

Anyway, DH likes (by the looks of it) RIV and the rest of us have zero interest, so I figured I'd suck it up and book 2 nights there. We are honestly only thinking about 4 nights total. So, I figure we'll book 2 nights somewhere else we haven't stayed.

I'm pretty sure 2 nights is enough, but then I thought, let's get crazy and book someplace new every night.

We don't really care how much park time we get. We figure we'd spend most of our time at each resort and head off to a park or DS at checkout and then try to be at our "new" resort for dinner every night. Is that crazy? Would it be enough time to really get a feel for each resort?

I think my biggest concern is checking all those beds for bedbugs every night.

 

[CastAStone]

Oh I think that will be plenty sufficient if you’re planning to mostly hang at the hotel. You might not find every nook and cranny but you should be able to figure out your initial impressions of what you like, what you don’t like, and have time to go see if the things you don’t like have workarounds or mitigation that makes it not so bad, or if those things are deal breakers.

 

[gisele2]

I do not know if doing one night at each resort is crazy or not, but going on vacation only with the love of your life is extraodinary, trust me. You will have a great time I am sure.

 

[bobbiwoz]

I wouldn’t want to wake up every morning knowing I had to change. Plus, I don’t think one night is enough to get a feel for what the resort is like. That’s us, we like two night minimum. Our June/July visit has a two night stay in a Riviera Tower studio. We gave a thought to only a one night stay there, in case it felt too claustrophobic, but in the end, we are keeping the two nights to give Riviera a chance.

 

[princesscinderella]

I think it’s better to have two nights in each place, otherwise you never get a full 24 hours in each room since you usually can’t check in until 4 and have to check out at 11. All the dvc properties are open for members to explore right now with the large rooms able to be toured too. All you have to do is go up to a guide at the resort kiosks. You can see it all without having to move so much.

 

[Donna M]

I don´t think one night is long enough either, two nights would be better, it gives you a whole day at the resort. Another thing to think about is that this is supposed to be a vacation. Being out of a room by 11:00 then not getting into the next one till after 4:00 can be a pain and not for any type of relaxing trip. At least with 2 nights, you get the full day to feel out the resort. Tour the other ones for a taste.

 

[BillPA]

Room ready 4, 5, 6 PM, check out 11 am. 1 night is a waste. I would not do less the 2 and would rather do 4 in one location than 2 nts in 2 locations.

 

[Shellyred8]

We actually don't like doing less than 3 nights in one place. We've done only two and then moved, and it was ok, but decided that 3 was our minimum going forward (if at all possible). I definitely wouldn't do less than two nights if you are really trying to get a feel for the resort.

Sounds like a great trip though!!! Have fun!!!

 

[laura-k]

I would defiantly have to agree with the pp 2 days minimum -
checking out at 11 and not getting in possibly until 4 or 5ish
not really relaxing for us !

 

[DisneyStarWisher]

I think you have to decide what your goal is. If your goal is to check out several resorts and spend your days at the parks, then one night at each resort will work. If it’s to have a relaxing vacation maybe skipping some park time, then two nights minimum at each place is the way to go.

 

[Micca]

Changing resorts on a daily basis isn't a vacation, it's a project. If you're looking at it strictly as a job to accomplish, more power to you.

 

[scbruno]

Yeah I agree we have done multiple split stays in the past and needed a few days to enjoy the resort. We even booked a studio one night in a resort to come in a day earlier and felt rushed since we got in the room at 5pm then had to pack up to be ready to go the the primary resort for the remainder of our stay

 

[PsycProfPlum]

I did only a single night once at OKW and while I managed to explore most of the things there, I did not really fell like I got a good sense of what it would be like to really be there for a week or so. So I would agree with the above that 1 night isn't really enough. 2 probably is plenty to know if you like the vibe. I had two nights at a property once that was plenty for me to rule it out for a future contract.

 

[NoTime42]

We actually don't like doing less than 3 nights in one place. We've done only two and then moved, and it was ok, but decided that 3 was our minimum going forward (if at all possible). I definitely wouldn't do less than two nights if you are really trying to get a feel for the resort.

Sounds like a great trip though!!! Have fun!!!

That’s what we realized. Night one is kinda unpacking and the night before moving is packing up, so 3 nights is our minimum if we wanted a normal, relaxing night.

 

[bakerworld]

Our first trip without the kids was over Super Bowl weekend '06. We splurged for the Beach Club, flew in Friday night. After checking in and taking our luggage to the room we had 20 minutes before 9p so we walked over to Epcot to enter for the first time thru the IG entrance. We had Saturday and Sunday to do the parks - amazing how much faster it is without kids. We flew out Monday, home by 2p. We had so much fun we couldn't wait to do it again so for the first time ever we booked a second trip to WDW in the same year for the F&W. After that we'd take a kid on their own but we didn't do another family trip until 2013. We just kept going over weekends - saved on vacation time and made managing the kids easier.

 

[Cabius]

I've done 3 resorts in 6 nights before. I wouldn't do less than that.

If you want to spend another day at a different resort -- sleep at the GF, but spend the afternoon relaxing at the Poly, etc. -- then that's a lot of fun. But it's not worth it to move from place to place that much imo.

 

[Simba's Mom]

DH and I are considering a trip with just the 2 of us. Basically, we have expiring points to blow and the kids likely won't be able to come along. Since having kids, we have NEVER taken a trip without them. We have each travelled separately with friends / family (I have travelled extensively with the kids) but this seems weird! lol

Anyway, DH likes (by the looks of it) RIV and the rest of us have zero interest, so I figured I'd suck it up and book 2 nights there. We are honestly only thinking about 4 nights total. So, I figure we'll book 2 nights somewhere else we haven't stayed.

I'm pretty sure 2 nights is enough, but then I thought, let's get crazy and book someplace new every night.

We don't really care how much park time we get. We figure we'd spend most of our time at each resort and head off to a park or DS at checkout and then try to be at our "new" resort for dinner every night. Is that crazy? Would it be enough time to really get a feel for each resort?

I think my biggest concern is checking all those beds for bedbugs every night.

Another option is stay at the same resort but to ask for a completely view, floor, and/or whatever I agree that 2 nights is probably the minimum to get the "feel" of a resort, but there's nothing to say you can't change rooms and spend one night in each location within the resort That is, like's been said, if you don't mind moving I did that once at AKL, spent the first night at the very end of one savannah on the fifth floor, then asked and got a move to the second floor near the lobby for another night I was solo, it it made for a fun trip, 2 nights there and three at All Star Movies (at least I had the sense to do the cheap resort first)

 

[4luv2cdisney]

Thanks for all the input!! I've got 2 nights at Riv and 2 @ BLT right now.

We are not unpackers. We live out of our bags and typically only each have a carry-on even for a week long stay. We usually put our dirty laundry in a trash bag in the closet until the end of the trip and then just shove it in our bag when we leave. So, keeping dirty and clean laundry in our bags (but separated) and not leaving out our toothbrush and toothpaste is about all that would be really different. Obviously, we wouldn't bother with a case of water and in-room snacks either way (for 2 nights or 1 night).

But I do realize we'd have to bring our bags down every morning and then hope they get in our next room in a timely fashion. That's honestly my bigger concern. And being in 1 resort for 2 days gives more flexibility on how we spend our time. So, while I think we'd really be ok moving every day, I'm keeping it as is for now. We can always see about changing the plan as it gets closer if room availability stays so open as it has been.

Now lets hope we can get vaccinated and actually take this trip!

 

[Firepath]

You have to consider where you(and all your stuff) will be each day between check out (11am) and checkin (maybe 4pm). That's a long time to just hang out, waiting until your room is ready.

 

[Kae]

We hung at the Rivera waiting for our room at Pop to be ready and loved it. I so want to stay there