How much of a pain are split stays?

[maxbuffmelvin]

I don't do split stays because I hate packing and unpacking, especially since I always have groceries. If you can, stay the whole time at WL. Otherwise, stick with the Swan.

I stayed at AKL once, plus I own DVC there. AKL is a beautiful resort, but I will only stay there if I cannot get a reservation at an MK resort. You can always visit AKL if you have a dining reservation or take the bus from one of the parks.

 

[notatallmagic]

Agree with so many posters - a huge part of split stay acceptance is packing style. We often pack for a 3 day (or even 4 in the summer) in a backpack/person. So there's hardly any packing/unpacking. In that case, a split stay, even with one or two nights/resort is no big deal. We do always pack a plastic "dirty clothes" bag/person, and dirty clothes go in the bottom of the backpack.

 

[boredghost]

I’ll report back on this- we’re doing CBR 3nights, GSC 2nights, CR 4 nights.

We anticipate this schedule:
-fly in just in time for check-in at CBR
-Checkout CBR ~11:30 ish, taxi to GSC (they bring your luggage to your room)
-Checkout GSC ~10ish, taxi to CR drop bags at bell service l, stroll around MK till 2ish, sign up for TS at the Poly, get blotto, go back to check in at CR.

We’re good packers so even with costumes we’ll be in backpacks- with day bags for essentials.

Fall of ‘21 we did a whirlwind 1 night Pop Century, 1 night universal resort to hit both park’s Halloween parties and it was a lot, but if you’re trip is that short changing hotels isn’t too bad, your lugging a lot less gear.

 

[robinb]

I have done a 3 resort split stay, but I didn't like it. I found it to be an incredible waste of time. And I'm a frequent guest who doesn't need to be in the parks the whole time.

I would personally split your time between the Swan and WL and visit AKL another time (and I *love* AKV-Jambo).

 

[DianaMB333]

I love the split stays, it is easier to plan park days (and nights!) around them, and also kind of having two or three different vacation trips in one as some resorts are truly unique (ie. AKL)...

BUT.. as many have said it depends mostly on packing style. I prefer to go with carry on only and keep all in there.... when travelling with extended family I have to consider those that prefer to empty the luggage and use every single drawer, closet, cabinet etc... also those who prefer to cook and therefore have some groceries available.... while Disney takes care of transferring the luggage, and it is reliable transfer.. I don't really mind; but for some packing/unpacking is a burden that doesn't bring joy to the trip...

 

[loves to dive]

More tips for split stays. Hanging toiletry bags. You never have to unpack them, just hang them up in the bathroom, use things out of them and put them back after you have used them so they are always packed. I do this even on non-split stays because I don't like the counter tops in the bathrooms full of things and I don't like mousekeeping touching things like my toothbrush.

Dirty clothes bags. I usually use the dry cleaning bag that is in the room if there is one, if not, I'll use a shopping bag if I've bought something, push comes to shove I just put them back in the bottom of my suitcase since I usually unpack, especially at the last resort. When I take my dirty clothes off if I'm not going to wear them again (yes, if I haven't spilled something on them, I rewear shorts/skorts/pants) I just go ahead and put them wherever I've designated for dirty clothes. If that's in a bag, it's easy enough on move day to put that bag in the bottom of the suitcase if you have unpacked or even on top if you haven't.

Packing cubes. I don't normally use them but if I'm doing a split stay I will. Then I just take out the cube for that leg of the trip and unpack it. Bonus, it doubles as a dirty clothes bag.

 

[thackett72]

Will be doing this for the first time in September. BLT from 9/2-9/4, checking out and into BWV on 9/4-9/7. any tips? I like the idea of having the bell desk move the bags while we're at the park.

 

[Astylla]

I do split stays ALL THE TIME for WDW. Because I come from the west coast and try to fit in a few small trips a year around my days off while renting DVC points or discounted confirmed reservation stays, the price I pay is moving around a bit.

I am 99% usually solo , no kids and pack light to the point a locker at the parks can fit what I need while "homeless".
Most times my rooms have been ready well before 4pm, lucky I know!
I also do online check in and check the box to have my room ready early.

This is my itinerary for next week :
Overnight flight from LAX 1/27 @ 1050pm to MCO 4:50am

1/28 - GFV Theme park resort studio - $600
1/29 - SSR Deluxe studio std view $200
1/30 AKL 1 bedroom Kidano std view ( laundry day, LOL) $264
1/31 Riviera Deluxe studio std view $281

Disney price if booked direct : $2942
Total rental DVC price : $1345

Fly MCO - LAX Feb 1st.
My biggest splurge was the GFV resort studio because its been a bucket list resort for me since I was a teenager, lol. Arrival day so plan to enjoy the resort and monorail bar crawl that day

 

[Mle8308]

I do split stays ALL THE TIME for WDW. Because I come from the west coast and try to fit in a few small trips a year around my days off while renting DVC points or discounted confirmed reservation stays, the price I pay is moving around a bit.

I am 99% usually solo , no kids and pack light to the point a locker at the parks can fit what I need while "homeless".
Most times my rooms have been ready well before 4pm, lucky I know!
I also do online check in and check the box to have my room ready early.

This is my itinerary for next week :
Overnight flight from LAX 1/27 @ 1050pm to MCO 4:50am

1/28 - GFV Theme park resort studio - $600
1/29 - SSR Deluxe studio std view $200
1/30 AKL 1 bedroom Kidano std view ( laundry day, LOL) $264
1/31 Riviera Deluxe studio std view $281

Disney price if booked direct : $2942
Total rental DVC price : $1345

Fly MCO - LAX Feb 1st.
My biggest splurge was the GFV resort studio because its been a bucket list resort for me since I was a teenager, lol. Arrival day so plan to enjoy the resort and monorail bar crawl that day

Wow! Definitely not for me. I can see staying at the GF since it's been a dream, but other than that, I would book a moderate or value and stay there for the duration if trying to save money. Too much time where you potentially won't have a room, at least for me. I am not a fan of split stays. I hope you get your rooms early and enjoy your vacation!

 

[BostonEd]

Some more thoughts/questions I don't think anyone else has touched on.

I like both WL and AKL so you can't really go wrong with either. I am confused about your thought that you need to take the boat from WL on July 4? Why? I mean, it's a nice way to go, but I don't see it giving any sort of advantage.

As someone else mentioned, getting a savanna view is not a requirement for your life. But, going back and forth from AKL is not as bad as people make it out to be, so if you'd like that, go for it.

I'm not a huge fan of splitting stays, due to all the packing and repacking, but for your length of trip, I suppose one switch would be tolerable. Not two, though. I think I would need at least 17 days to switch more than once.

 

[Robber Baron]

I'm not a big split stay fan.

We go at least once a year, so, if I really want to stay somewhere, I eventually will. And at this point I've almost stayed everywhere I WANT to stay.

I like to unpack once and be done with it.

I don't want to be homeless for any amount of time.

I get a little antsy about room locations, I really don't want to go thru that 2 or 3 times.

Different strokes

 

[Mallinn]

I used to do split stays all the time before having kids. We just did a split stay with two toddlers and it was such a hassle. Plus we were without a room for their nap time. Will probably hold off on split stays for a few years.

 

[5kidsmommy]

I'm not a fan of split stays. I do not like packing up and unpacking. We are big fans of midday naps or just going back to the resort midday, so I just won't do them. I suppose it could work if you didn't go to the park until after check-in time or planned a pool day but still you'll have to pack up and move your luggage.

 

[Goofy4]

It has worked for us twice now, but it does take some planning to fit it in without disrupting your trip. On some trips it would no doubt be "disruptive".

I appreciate having memories of two resorts, but it's been the DVC weekend upcharge that has pushed us that direction. Otherwise, I think we would stick with one resort.

 

[starry_solo]

Every trip we've been to, we've done split stays. But two trips we stayed 14 nights (3 DVC resorts), and the other trips, we stayed 7 nights (1 DVC resort, 1 deluxe resort b/c DVC was already booked by the time we decided to go, lol). All trips have had a minimum of 3 nights at one location. We plan park reservations depending on the day we are moving resorts.

 

[Disneyhanna]

I don't really unpack so I love split stays! It's nice to switch up dining options and parks you are closest to. I plan my park reservations around it. Baggage transfer is seamless and very fast, under two hours on my last few splits with the Dolphin. It also lets me get crafty with costs since I like to stay the weekend at the cheaper resort and the weekdays at the more expensive resort (at the second half of the trip).

 

[grapefruitjellybean]

I would avoid doing a split stay. I spent all morning packing, then I Ubered to the new resort and waited in the lobby for my room to be ready. I had a large bag of valuables that I didn’t want to hand over to bell services. Disney made the who process as smooth as possible but in the end I lost half a park day.

 

[Astylla]

Wow! Definitely not for me. I can see staying at the GF since it's been a dream, but other than that, I would book a moderate or value and stay there for the duration if trying to save money. Too much time where you potentially won't have a room, at least for me. I am not a fan of split stays. I hope you get your rooms early and enjoy your vacation!

It's not something I do when traveling with anyone else , as I don't have/never travel with anyone with kids which can be a huge factor along with the packing aspect. I use the luggage service since there's nothing I don't need before very late.

I started doing this because of renting last minute DVC reservations allowed me the flexibility to visit different resorts to find my favorite and it's an adventure for me ! I do rope drop , drop my bag off , take a backpack I can use a locker for when I am "homeless". I thought I was crazy my first time too but had so much fun and helped inspire others to try.
I never thought I'd be a split stay girl but I love the ability to enjoy multiple resorts in a trip.
Thank you I'm sure I will , Festival of the Arts is a must do for me and being west coast I do spend at least half the days at parks and love utilizing deluxe resorts after hours

 

[VicarJT]

We love split stays, and our trips are long enough that we usually do 3. This time, we’re doing the 1st night at GF because we’ve wanted to stay there for a long time, but 1 night is all we want to pay for! We have rented DVC for Riviera, then Copper Creek, and ending up at Bay Lake Tower. Obviously, this is a very indulgent trip! We do pack/unpack, but since it’s just the two of us, it’s not a big deal. And yes, the hanging toiletry bag is a lifesaver during that process. Enjoy your trip whatever you decide!

 

[mickeyluv'r]

We are going to be there 6/24-7/6 (the first and last days are travel).

I was thinking about staying at the Swan.

But we've heard that we should stay at AKL with a Savannah view at least once. So we thought about a split stay at AKL a couple nights.

But we will be there over July 4th so WL may be better because of the boat to MK? So what if we do:
Swan: 8 nights
AKL Savannah view: 2 nights
WL: 2 nights (including the night of July 4th)

ETA:
After reading all your responses I still can't decide! What if we do:
Swan: 6 nights
AKL Savannah: 3 nights
WL: 3 nights (including July 4th

This would make us "homeless" during the day potentially on Saturday 6/24 & Friday 6/30. Not ideal days to have no place to go nap...

My first thought is...that's a long visit!

I love WDW, but 7 nights is my happy maximum, esp at today's pricing. If I was even going to think about staying longer, I'd stay offsite for a portion and save some $$$. Seriously, if we visit WDW for 5 days, we usually now spend one night offsite.

Split stays are great, but it is all in how you pack and (don't) unpack. What we find easiest, is often to do one night in one place, then more time in a second place. for the sort stay, we don't unpack much more than our toothbrushes and essential toiletries.

We almost always have a car.

Not having a room in the middle of the day is not a big deal if you will be in a park. It does become an issue though if someone isn't feeling well, or is prone to feeling tired/needs a nap between 10am-4pm. In a pinch, you can usually relax in the shade, maybe by the pool. The lobby is also an option.

The other thing we find we need is an insulated cooler. Moving is much easier with your own car, because you can stow luggage and laundry in the trunk. BUT in summer it is hard to keep perishable food safely cold. It is easier if one of your stops has a real freezer. (full fridge) Sometimes we sue bell services, but sometimes you have to wait, so we don't bother.

We pack toiletries in zlip lock bags. There's the stuff we need every day, and the stuff we only sometimes need (over the counter meds). Ideally, some of it stays in the suitcase.

Everything has a place. put everything back in the same place. MAKE SURE to remember cords/cables. It might help to make the bright colors. Black cords are easy to forget. On days we are moving, when we unplug, we pack the cables. Right away! We also pack spare cables.

Wet bathing suits can also pose a small challenge. We sometimes dry them laid out in the car.

You might be able to request late check out, and they might give you an extra hour. You can also request early check in, though results vary.

The Swan has hang out spaces, like the courtyards. There is also indoor space near the quick serve. AKL lobby is also nice. All have pool-side lounges. WL lobby is also a nice place to hang out if you wish.

Offsite hotels also have a wide range of options.

If you think the 3-hotel split won't work, consider dropping to just 2 hotels.