Is it worth it...possible split stay

[cmorris303]

We are heading back Aug 17-27. This is our big trip that we take every other August with a lot of other family members. Last time we stayed at BC and LOVED the location. This time we got a quote for Poly that was just a little more than BC so we booked Poly for the whole trip. For fun, I got a quote for Poly for one week Aug 17-24 and GF for the last three nights Aug 24-27 and it's only $51 more total to do that.

My parents are coming for the whole trip. I have a family member coming with her sister and two kids and staying at the Poly Aug 17-23. My brother and sister in law are also joining us and staying at the Poly Aug 19-23. It would just be my parents and us (DH, DD10, and DS8) that would switch to the GF for the last three night.

I've never done a split stay so I am looking for reasons that we should or shouldn't do this. I know that everyone's opinions and experiences are different, but I love to hear other's thoughts. Thanks for your help!!

 

[alliecat523]

If you're really wanting to stay at GF and being separated from your party isn't an issue then go for it.

Personally I like to unpack and stay put. I spend more time in the parks than the resort anyway so split stay don't make sense for my travel style.

 

[PrincessNelly]

We love split stays! On days when we change resorts, we typically give our luggage to bell services to transfer (last trip we took an uber & it worked fine too) then head to the park for the day. We then take transportation to the new resort & our room is often ready by that point. Its super easy and a great way to experience different resorts!

 

[alex9179]

Our first visit was a split stay and it was very easy. 2 nights at AOA and we dropped our luggage off at bell services before going to the park early in the morning. It was there for us when we checked into the Poly for the remainder of our vacation.

Our next will be split, as well, but we'll have our car. It's often recommended to switch resorts on a non-park day so that you don't have another schedule to deal with and the packing/transfer. Also, a carry-on type of bag is helpful if you want to take advantage of the pool area, prior to your room being ready, if you have to wait for bell services to transfer your luggage. They tell you to expect it after 3pm.

There are some details that affect the DDP, if you're using it. You must use all of the credits from your first stay if you'd like to start using any from the second reservation on transfer day.

 

[mi*vida*loca]

I would definitely go for it!!! I initially booked 10 nights at the Poly last trip and then switched to split 5 nights each at Poly and BC. Best decision ever!

 

[Babsy]

We love split stays. The move doesn't bother us at all - we pack up and unpack quickly. Moving itself is a non issue, we just grab an uber throw our bags aboard and leave them with Bell Services if the room isn't ready. Keep out our suits and go for a swim or head to the theme parks for a few hours. Around dinnertime we head back to our new room.

We do prefer to experience two different 'areas' when we move, though. So we would be inclined to do something like the Poly plus the BWI, for example. That way you experience the advantages of both the MK and Epcot area resorts.

However, if you want to do Poly and GF, I would totally go for it!

 

[cmorris303]

We love split stays. The move doesn't bother us at all - we pack up and unpack quickly. Moving itself is a non issue, we just grab an uber throw our bags aboard and leave them with Bell Services if the room isn't ready. Keep out our suits and go for a swim or head to the theme parks for a few hours. Around dinnertime we head back to our new room.

We do prefer to experience two different 'areas' when we move, though. So we would be inclined to do something like the Poly plus the BWI, for example. That way you experience the advantages of both the MK and Epcot area resorts.

However, if you want to do Poly and GF, I would totally go for it!

I think this is where my hesitancy comes in...they are both MK resorts. Our original plan was to split 5 and 5 with BWI and Poly, but the Poly price was so good we decided to take advantage. Then I noticed the GF price and of course wanted to take advantage of that also because these deals are only available in August so it's now or never. I have a small tendency to get carried away though, so I appreciate all the input!

 

[DisneyWishes14]

I, too, would only do the split if it were between two different areas like MK/EP or even MK/AK. But if your main goal is to simply experience GF, go for it! It's a gorgeous resort.

 

[cmorris303]

Thanks everyone for your input. I can only discuss these things with my husband for so long before he tunes he out...haha. I love hearing other people's thoughts.

 

[GreatLakes]

In your situation I would personally not do a split stay myself. I am pretty against split stays in general because I don't want to deal with the hassle of changing resorts once I'm there. That isn't to say I would never do it. I could see spending just the day of a RunDisney event at a Boardwalk area hotel or adding a day at a deluxe to the end of a value or offsite stay if it were a special occasion and we didn't want to pony up the cash to stay deluxe for the whole trip (which I really don't see the value in personally) but just to stay at another resort in the same category or area, no.

Something I almost always do and suggest to others is to build in a non-park day to visit other resorts. I explore and eat at other resorts on those days and it allows me to see them all without staying in them all.

 

[manicstreet]

We are doing a split stay for the first time this year. 2 new resorts. 4 nights at the beach club and 4 at the grand Floridian. My wife would prefer just to stay at the poly because it's familiar and the best! I think it will be fun to stay at the beach club to walk to Epcot and enjoy the boardwalk. As for the grand it's a bucket list resort. Need to check it off and then it's probably back to the poly. Frankly, I can't imagine a resort better than the poly so I hope I'm not disappointed August 2017.

 

[Amunet]

I am in the camp of not favoring split stays. I have done them twice and I just do not enjoy packing up my belongings and hauling things over to another resort.
For a trip with family, for me, it would be annoying because I could use the time to enjoy the parks/dining (with family) or in General family time instead of switching resorts.

That said, if you have the opportunity to come to Disney often and with a small group (occupying just one room) then resort hopping is nice to experience other resorts. However, I would go to the 'new' resort first and then you can decide to switch your reservations to stay (if you enjoy it that much), to switch to familiar resort early (if horrible stay) or ride out your original reservations. Otherwise, if staying at a familiar resort first, you may be tempted to just stay!

 

[Pluto80]

We do split stays all the time and love doing them, although we were there for 5 weeks in the summer, so I think not doing a split stay would have driven us absolutely insane.

 

[cmorris303]

We are doing a split stay for the first time this year. 2 new resorts. 4 nights at the beach club and 4 at the grand Floridian. My wife would prefer just to stay at the poly because it's familiar and the best! I think it will be fun to stay at the beach club to walk to Epcot and enjoy the boardwalk. As for the grand it's a bucket list resort. Need to check it off and then it's probably back to the poly. Frankly, I can't imagine a resort better than the poly so I hope I'm not disappointed August 2017.

We stayed at the BC August 2015 and loved being able to walk to Epcot and the Boardwalk. That was our favorite part of staying there. I hope you enjoy it, too!

As for the Grand being a bucket list resort, that's how I feel. We started out staying in Values just happy to be on property. Thanks to the deal available in August and the fact that we don't want the dining plan, deluxes have become an option, but Grand Floridian for the whole trip is still a bit too much. We usually take a quick trip during the year, but we're barely in the room so we don't stay deluxe then. This is most likely the cheapest GF will ever be so that's why I'm considering it. That and I'm thinking it would be nice to spend the last few days there with my immediate family and my parents after the rest of our family leaves. A nice way to unwind and relax.

 

[Shellyb84]

I say go for it. I wouldn't want to do a split stay every trip, but in this case it would be a great way to stay at your bucket list resort. We stayed at the GF over Labor Day weekend, because we got an amazing magical deal and it was a wonderful resort and I'm hoping to get to go back one day!

We are doing a split next year, 3 nights at CS and then 8 at BC. I wanted to do the 3 nights at CS to add on a couple nights but still be within our budget. With price increases it's costing the same amount for that as we paid for 11 nights at BC this past summer...

 

[Shellyred8]

We love split stays! It is only DH and me, so packing up isn't as big of an issue. But we love being able to explore different resorts. I would say go for it! The resorts might be in the same area, but the look and feel is sooooo different between the two, you will feel like you are in a different world.

As others have mentioned, it's quite easy to do the split stay. Just pack up your bags in the morning and drop them off with bell services and ask them to transfer them to your next resort. Then off to play!! At the end of the day, just head to your new resort and your bags will be there waiting for you.

Have a great time!!

 

[GoGoBeans]

We are doing a Poly / Beach Club split stay next summer. We were all set to go back to the Poly. Love the fireworks from the beach, view from the pool and view chilling in the lounge. Perfectly relaxing and feels like I've escaped the world.

Then I realized Food & Wine will be going on while we're there and I love the convenience of being able to pop into Epcot, so a split stay it is.

I really find split stays easy. We did a Disney / Universal split one year and that wasn't bad. Disney to Disney has got to be easier than that especially since bell services will move your bags and you can spend the day at a park or pool.

If GF is your bucket list, do it!

 

[IrishNYC]

Thanks everyone for your input. I can only discuss these things with my husband for so long before he tunes he out...haha. I love hearing other people's thoughts.

Haha! Yeah, that's my husband, too.

If you're really wanting to stay at GF, go for it.

We're doing a split stay for our next trip mostly to save DDP money. We're arriving late on a Tuesday night and staying just that night at All Star Sports. In the morning we'll check out, leave our bags with Bell Services, at Sports, go to a park where we'll leave our valuables and carry on stuff in a locker, and then take a bus back to CBR in the afternoon and check in for five nights. It will cost us almost half the price for the one night, and we won't be paying for the DDP for that one day, nor would we need those credits based on our plans.

 

[maryj11]

We are doing a split stay for the first time this year. 2 new resorts. 4 nights at the beach club and 4 at the grand Floridian. My wife would prefer just to stay at the poly because it's familiar and the best! I think it will be fun to stay at the beach club to walk to Epcot and enjoy the boardwalk. As for the grand it's a bucket list resort. Need to check it off and then it's probably back to the poly. Frankly, I can't imagine a resort better than the poly so I hope I'm not disappointed August 2017.

We stayed at BC this past August. You will love being able to walk to Epcot. It is a very short walk. Make reservations for Beaches & Cream, we really liked it. We have also stayed at the GF and the Poly. I absolutely love the GF it is my very favorite. The Poly was always my favorite now the Poly is my second favorite because the GF stole my heart. I don't think you will be disappointed with doing your split stay.