Is splitting up resort stays a pain or a delight?

[sleepingbean]

We are staying for 6 nights. I am so torn between CSR and Wilderness Lodge, that I am tempted to do 3 nights at each. Is that a huge pain to do? Will it cause complications with our tickets/dining plan, with our luggage transportation? With just actual moving of everything mid trip?

Just curious what others have found...good or bad experience?

 

[MermaidsMom]

The simple answer it BOTH. It's a pain and delight. Save the resort you think you will like best for the 2nd one and realize that you will spend alot of the moving day doing moving stuff only. I don't do it anymore unless I have at least 10 nights, but if you go there a few times a year then you probably won't care.

 

[Cass]

Whatever you do, keep WL to the last. If you go there first you won't want to leave for CSR.

 

[Tara8595]

Really, a lot just depends on how together the CMs are at each resort. We did a move once between POR and AKL and since we had a car, we moved our own luggage. But my mom did a move between Pop and Yacht Club and used the luggage service and they sent their luggage to the Beach Club, and weren't able to figure out what happened until my Mom made the suggestion for them to call and check over there, and that's where it was, but by then it was pretty late in the day of their switch and made for quite a hassle.

Other times though, she's used the service with no issues whatsoever. I think mixups are more of an exception than the rule.

We moved once just from one room to another at Pop and they lost my niece's plush Mickey and Tigger. Just make sure that everything is tagged with a name and attached or put into a bag of some sort, leave nothing 'loose' because it can get lost easily.

 

[sleepingbean]

Oh, I don't think I'd like to spend a good chunk of a day moving stuff! That would be a bummer.

I first thought we would just love CSR because of their pool and dig site, but the more I am planning, the more I think we'd love WL for their restaurants and easy and fun transportation to everywhere else (the boats and such).

I am almost ready to make the switch!

 

[karibritt01]

I haven't ever changed resorts... I like to get settled, and not have to worry about it. I know some who like to change resorts, and have only heard a few horror stories about lost luggage, so I think it goes smoothly most of the time. Do you spend enough time in the resort to be worth trying both? Will it take too much of your time to pack and unpack everything twice in 6 days?

CSR is a beautiful resort! I think you will like it!

 

[ChesireMeg]

We love splitting our resort stays! After awhile we sometimes get tired of the hotel--it's fun to move around! I agree with the post above--I wouldn't do it unless you're there for 8-10 days. Good choice of the resorts!

 

[mom2rb]

I have never had a problem changing resorts. But I agree with the others, I wouldn't do it on a six night trip.

 

[Tigger1]

We are spitting our stay. 3 nights SSR, 3 at Vero, then back to Orlando.
It really depends on who you are traveling with, how much you pack, whether you are driving, to determine if it is a hassle, We stayed one day at SSR then to OKW last year. I was planning on checking into OKW while everyone packed thier stuff in the morning. I figured the room would not be ready but I could get the room keys and find out which room later in the day. We were going to have bell hops move the luggage and put in our rooms. It turned out that they would not take it to your room unless you were there. We planned on being in the parks until late to do the late night in the park. Checking into OKW took longer than I thought. The kids were waiting outside SSR. BTW, we decided to take our own stuff to OKW because we would want it asap when we got there.

This time we are packing lighter. When we leave each hotel we will have a 2-hour drive to the next resort. I did not want to do the DDP the entire trip, this way it is split up.

As far as your tickets, buy the ticket for entire trip at first hotel, If doing the DDP decide if you want it the entire trip. Will you be in the hotel very much or in the parks? If going to the parks most of the time I would stay in one hotel. I would also check on prices both ways.

 

[SnackyStacky]

First I'll give you my $.02 and then I'm going to bump this over to the resorts forum.

I think whether or not a split stay will work is entirely personal. Aside from the logistical problems, I don't like the fact that it seems to make the vacation seem "shorter". We did a split stay for our honeymoon. We did 10 nights - and instead of the nice LOOOOOOOOOONG vacation I was going for, it felt like two consecutive short vacations. Not only that, but you're bound to compare your two resorts, and one of them will fall short. Heaven help you if it's the second one, because you may just spend the rest of the your stay thinking "Man, I wish we had just stayed where we were!". That's how I felt.

My wife? TOTALLY opposite. She LOVED it. She rather liked having a bit of a change, and didn't mind dealing with the hassles of picking up and moving. She liked that even though they were shorter, it felt like 2 vacations. So I really don't think anybody but you can decide whether or not it's a pain or a pleasure until you try it out for yourself.

Those logistical problems I was talking about:

• If you're on a package that includes dining? Forget it. You would have to spend a lot of extra money on admission. Even on a 1 day base ticket, at $70 a pop, for a family of 4 that's an extra $280 to split a stay. You could divvy up the days and do (2) 3 day tickets per person, but there again you're going to be spending WAY more on the tickets than you'd need to. If you're just doing a plan old room and tickets package - no big deal. You book the package with the full number of days of ticketing on your first resort, and then a room only reservation for your second resort.
• Packing up and moving rooms. THis is the obvious one.
• Being "homeless" for a period of time. When we switched, we were out of the Beach CLub by 11, but our room at the Polynesian wasn't ready until after 3 ish. That's 4 hours with no place to go lie down. And 11-3??? That's our mid-day break time when we nap!!!

 

[shellybaxter]

We love spliting our stays between two resorts. We've never had trouble with luggage moving (although I know some have) and we've never felt like we were spending "a good chunk of a day" doing the move. All that being said, I would not switch resorts on a six day trip. We stay for a minimum of 10 days and won't stay in any one resort less than 3 nights (we prefer a four night minimum).

If you do decide to switch remember to plan for the move as you go. Repack dirty clothing each night, only unpack what you need for the first hotel, possibly even using two different suitcases (one for CSR and one for WL). Call the front desk the night before the move and ask for luggage transfer the next morning. Pack up as much as you can the night before. Get up a half hour early and finish up the packing. Send your bags on their way to the WL and hit the parks. Stay in the parks until at least 2:30. Arrive at the WL no earlier than 3:00. Expect delays in getting your room in case something goes wrong. Plan to have dinner at WL in case you are still waiting around for your room.

We always have "room only" reservations but it is my understanding that "yes, switching resorts does screw up your dining and tickets". You have to have a new reservation with new tickets and new dining when you change resorts.

 

[shezfrombermuda]

I have switched resorts during a 12 night stay and I don't think I will ever switch resorts again. First of all, I admit that I had too much stuff so it took a long time to pack. Unpacking and getting settled again takes time that you could be doing something fun. Our luggage was also lost which caused a delay. As someone previously said, if you have a room only reservation you might be easier and you might not have a problem. We had a package booked and it somehow messed up our tickets and our charging privileges so we ended up at the concierge desk a few times trying to get this sorted out and also ended up at the parks twice with "invalid" tickets. We had to spend time in line at guest services twice. I was also in line for food at the AK and when I got to the register I was told I couldn't charge it to my room. This happened in another store as well. Back to the concierge! Perhaps this isn't a typical experience but I don't think I will take the chance again.

 

[marivaid]

We did a split stay last time and we did have issues with our luggage, we didn't get it until the next morning. So this time we'll do the moving ourselves, when we come back from our morning park we'll take a cab to our new hotel. If the room's ready, great, if not we'll go to the pool or DTD for a couple hours.

Other than the luggage issue it was a breeze.

 

[canron]

its a pain in the butt..you donnt get settled you know you have to move in a few days so its hard to relax know your on the mave in so many days..

 

[LuluLovesDisney]

I am doing a split stay in August - 1 night at POFQ, 5 nights at the Swan and 4 nights at ASMu. I am doing this b/c the Swan discount isn't good the whole time of the vacation and rather than do 6, we did one night at POFQ to make us eligible for ME. That said there's 2 of us and no kids. If we had kids with us, I wouldn't be so quick to move around. I also would not do this if it was going to cost us more. I am saving quite a bit doing it this way. I rather like seeing different resorts and I like that a lot. I wouldn't advise splitting up stays if you do not go to WDW often either as it does cut into park time - but the resort desk will hold your luggage, so you can relax by the pool or even go to the park and just call to see when your room is ready. It's not that big of a headache (unless something goes wrong) but it isn't as relaxing as staying in one place, so I would tell you to just think about all the logistics, costs, check in times and the roster of traveling companions before you make a final decision. Good luck!

 

[BillyFeat]

I have two rules for split stays at Disney World. The first rule, as others have stated, is that you need 8-10 days minimal. Secondly, I do not like to split stays in the summer or busier times at Disney. The resorts are more crowded and the variables of hot weather and waiting hours for your room at the second resort can be prohibitive. You can not rely on Disney to transfer your luggage in a timely manner during busy periods. Cab transportation is a stress-free alternative for peak travel seasons.

 

[bigmoonmullen]

Hi:

We have done split stays in the past and really enjoy staying at two different resorts... it's like two mini-vacations packed into one.

I would stress switching as early as possible in the morning.
Check-out by 7:30AM

I AGREE with the previous poster... TAKE A CAB!!!!.... you have control over your luggae.

Check-in ASAP - hopefully before 8:00AM... more than likely your room will not be ready so just head off to the park of your choice for the day... When you get back your room should be ready and your luggage should be in your room also.

Have a Great Trip,

Mark

 

[tinkerbellmagic]

Personally, I do not like split stays and will do what ever it takes to avoid them. To me, it wastes a whole day of vacation, or at least half a day. Who needs that? We depend on WDW bus transportation and did have issues with our luggage taking over 8 hours to arrive from the first resort.

I would consider a split stay on a 10 day vacation and I would also consider staying 1 night at a value, then switching to the main resort if I arrive in Orlando at night. As you can see from the responses, some people like split stays.

1. Are there cabs hanging around the resorts or do you need to call one?
2. It has been our experience that you need to be inside your room in your second resort before they will deliver your luggage to your room.

tink

Hi:

I AGREE with the previous poster... TAKE A CAB!!!!.... you have control over your luggae.

When you get back your room should be ready and your luggage should be in your room also.

 

[TruBlu]

It would be very expensive to do with the dining plan. You can't do one plan for both stays. You can buy park tickets for both, but the dining plan would expire on the day you checked out of the first resort. To purchase it at the second resort you would need to buy a one day park ticket for each person. (I know because we are doing a split stay on the DDP this June. It was a pain to plan!!!)

 

[bigmoonmullen]

Personally, I do not like split stays and will do what ever it takes to avoid them. To me, it wastes a whole day of vacation, or at least half a day. Who needs that? We depend on WDW bus transportation and did have issues with our luggage taking over 8 hours to arrive from the first resort.

I would consider a split stay on a 10 day vacation and I would also consider staying 1 night at a value, then switching to the main resort if I arrive in Orlando at night. As you can see from the responses, some people like split stays.

1. Are there cabs hanging around the resorts or do you need to call one?
2. It has been our experience that you need to be inside your room in your second resort before they will deliver your luggage to your room.

tink

Hi:

The cabs have been always available when we needed them to switch resorts. When getting ready to check out either my wife or I will check bell boy/concierge desk to check their availability. They make the arrangements for us... It's been our experience, or luck, that they were always at the resort, so it took only a couple minutes.

When checking in we have been lucky and our room(s) has always been ready. I've also been told by a CM that if our room(s) were not available they would hold our luggage until the room was ready and deliver it to the room. Based on your statement I'm now not sure what their policy. Do you have to be there or not? Maybe others can share their experiences.

If you are doing this with the free dining plan it maybe too expensive... based on how you put your trip together. I also agree with the others who suggest doing this on a stay of longer than one week. Our trips typically run 8 to 9 nights.

Mark