How many split stays are too many?

[kylenne]

these are the two questions that matter.

if you can pack light and are willing to wash clothes, you'll have much less to collect on move day. and you can move food as long as you don't have a fridge full of perishables.

i love splitting but you have to approach it like a backpacker, lol.

Bolded is not true at all. I check bags for free with my credit cards so I pack 2 outfits per day on a typical summer trip because I shower and change after midday breaks, and lightning will strike me down from the hand of Zeus himself before I ever willingly do laundry on vacation. Even with all the stuff I bring it still takes a grand total of 5 minutes for me to get my stuff together on moving day (I know, because last trip I actually timed it for giggles). I have it down to a science. I kinda have to being neurospicy traveling with another neurospicy person.

It’s not how much you bring that really matters, it’s how organized you are about packing and unpacking. I use packing cubes color coded to each resort and pouches galore (nothing ever goes loose in my suitcases). I only unpack the specific cubes for a particular resort stay, and I put dirty clothes in my laundry bag as I go. As cubes empty they are tossed back in the suitcase. So on moving day, all I need to pack up are toiletries, charging cables and the bric a brac that tends to collect on surfaces in the room (popcorn bucket, mugs, magic bands, etc). That last category gets put into a tote or reusable bag specifically set aside for it. Then we just ring bell services to come get it. This system works very well for us, maybe it won’t for others, but my point is that having some kind of system makes it a lot easier.

 

[starry_solo]

I've done 3 in a 14 night stay.

 

[DVCjj]

I've done 3 in a 14 night stay.

We found this was perfect. (once did 5 splits! in 14 days and DH asked not to do again. Ha) Best way (though our points are limited) is 3 in 14 with the middle split being a one bedroom. Ahhhhh....plus so convenient to wash clothes mid stay.
We never ever cook in any Disney room but do get pickups (or microwaving leftovers if possible to get) and enjoy 'eating' in the room watching TV.

 

[beccasmom]

We have done a number of split stays over the years, although not as often in the past few years. Generally we do it to check out a new (usually DVC) resort. Our longest trip has been 12 days, but we only stayed at two resorts.

I think it is a bit tougher with kids, (although adults have tantrums too!) but certainly doable. And it’s nice to have a car, although on-site resorts do transfer the luggage (but it can take a while sometimes). And unless you’re really fortunate, you’ll have to wait for your room. So I would have a plan to keep busy - we generally would hang at the pool, which many kids love - head to DS or a theme park or maybe just explore the new resort. Packing cubes can help a lot with organization.

 

[kylenne]

*weather is a factor. If it’s during Stupid Hot season you may not want to have to spend 2 afternoons in the parks instead of at a hotel pool or napping in the room

This is going to be an excellent use case for the free water park on check in day perk coming in 2025. Probably the best one, if I'm real. Neither water park is a full day experience imo and it would be a fantastic, low stress alternative to a park for passing the time on moving day before room #2 is ready. We would definitely be doing it on next year's trip if we weren't skipping the split stay in favor of spending all 10 days at Poly; we have a first timer friend joining us so want to keep things simple for her. (We still plan to take advantage of it though, since we always get in on very early flights and hit a park anyway).

 

[Pluto777]

Why is it you want to move? Is it to enjoy the amenities of the resort? Do you spend much time in the parks?

If you’re going for the resort amenities and not the parks, you will have more time available for packing and unpacking.

I don’t like to move as for us the resort is a place to lay our heads. We get settled, unpacked and hit the parks. We like the ease of everything being in the same place in the room and the comfort that comes with that. We also like knowing we have our space to relax. Each time you leave has potential to have hours without a home base. That takes away from the relaxation of a vacation for us so we choose to move as little as possible and just visit other resorts for short visits, not move. Other than use of pools I’m not aware of much you cannot enjoy at a different resort so we choose to visit, not move.

It’s totally personal but if we really wanted a split vacation I think once would be lots for us.

I am using my DVC vacation contract and trying to save points, but the more I think about it, the more of a headache it seems.. As you said, packing and unpacking, waiting on check in/check out lines and most of all being without a 'home base' for hours each time. It may be too much.

 

[nursejackie]

I have done split stays many times, but only once with 3 resorts. I didn't want to but couldn't get our two first choice resorts for the right dates so I had 3 nights in Swan (out of 18 night stay). I wouldn't do 3 again, but will be doing two next August. I love them

 

[Miffy]

I am using my DVC vacation contract and trying to save points, but the more I think about it, the more of a headache it seems.. As you said, packing and unpacking, waiting on check in/check out lines and most of all being without a 'home base' for hours each time. It may be too much.

It's the not-having-a-home-base part that I like least about split stays. I'm also not a fan of packing, unpacking, packing, etc. I like to settle in and feel like I sort of live there.

 

[rwdavis2]

IMHO, 1.

 

[_19disnA]

^^ Yup, feel the same way. Vacation to me starts when we unpack once we arrive. Then the vacation is ending on the last day when we re-pack to depart for the airport. Clearly a matter of personal preference, but packing/unpacking multiple times and keeping the dirty clothes separate along with not having a 'home' part of those days isn't our idea of how to vacation.

 

[Robber Baron]

If we were making a one and only trip maybe I'd like a split stay, but, otherwise my personal preference is to check into one resort and stay there for my vacation.

We've stayed at many resorts and if there's ever another I want to stay at, we'll just stay there next trip.

Because of availability there has been a couple times we've had to switch resorts and for some reason it just made my vacation feel shorter. For the first half I'm always thinking about the deadline where we have to move, and after we move I'm thinking we only have xxx days left.

 

[Mazz519]

3 is a good number…last year we did a last minute trip 5 nights and took whatever was available wound up doing 3 different resorts…we never unpacked !!!…lol but we didn’t care !!

 

[CynBeth]

We are adults with no kids and our trips are usually 9 or 10 days every few years. We have done a split stay with 2 resorts once and prefer just staying at 1 an entire trip.

 

[Disneytrippin']

I am doing 4 resort stays in a 10 night stay and I am not liking it. Reasons are that my boyfriend decided la st month that he wanted to go back to Disney. So, I set out to find a resort stay. I had a decent set up with 2 night at GF 7 nights at Baylake studio and 1 night at Copper Creek. Well, then his brother called and wanted to come along with his wife which is just fine with me. Only problem is I refuse to stay in a Baylake Studio with 4 adults. So, now that there is basically zero availability we are now staying in 4 resorts all of which we love. Just how bad is this going to be? Has anyone else had this happen to them and how was it?

 

[Pluto777]

I am doing 4 resort stays in a 10 night stay and I am not liking it. Reasons are that my boyfriend decided la st month that he wanted to go back to Disney. So, I set out to find a resort stay. I had a decent set up with 2 night at GF 7 nights at Baylake studio and 1 night at Copper Creek. Well, then his brother called and wanted to come along with his wife which is just fine with me. Only problem is I refuse to stay in a Baylake Studio with 4 adults. So, now that there is basically zero availability we are now staying in 4 resorts all of which we love. Just how bad is this going to be? Has anyone else had this happen to them and how was it?

4 room/resort changes in 10 nights?

That means 4 days of having no 'base' 6-7 hours a day when changing, waiting at front desks, moving luggage every 2-3 days.. Personally I would pass on that, not the way I would prefer to vacation.

 

[msmayor]

I am doing 4 resort stays in a 10 night stay and I am not liking it. Reasons are that my boyfriend decided la st month that he wanted to go back to Disney. So, I set out to find a resort stay. I had a decent set up with 2 night at GF 7 nights at Baylake studio and 1 night at Copper Creek. Well, then his brother called and wanted to come along with his wife which is just fine with me. Only problem is I refuse to stay in a Baylake Studio with 4 adults. So, now that there is basically zero availability we are now staying in 4 resorts all of which we love. Just how bad is this going to be? Has anyone else had this happen to them and how was it?

I would be telling the brother and wife "That's great that you can come...you should call as soon as possible to find a place to stay. Unfortunately, there isn't enough room where we've already booked."

Last-minute add-ons shouldn't expect you to change all the plans you've already made.

 

[babydoll65]

I'm doing three resorts over 10 days this November and don't find it a problem at all. I'm doing the Dolphin on my arrival for only one night because I had a gc from hotels. Com and we decided to arrive a day earlier. After that we're doing three nights at Old Key West and five nights at Boulder Ridge renting dvc points.