June 2018 9-Night Split Stay Questions - Poly/AK/BC or YC

[Aravan24]

Good morning.

I'm currently in the process of planning out a June 2018 DW vacation for my family of 5 (myself and my wife..our two sons (18/9) and the elder son's girlfriend.) The current plan is to split the stay up as follows as it will give us a hotel stay near each of the theme parks and we can primarily focus our attention on those parks during each stay...as well as the waterparks:

June 14-17 - Polynesian Standard Room
June 17-20 - AK 1 BR Villa
June 20-23 - BC/YC Standard Room

Obviously this will become easier next week assuming the 2018 rates get released on their normal schedule but I did have a few questions that I was hoping someone could shed some light on.

• How early should I book our room reservations? Current plan is to book as soon as they are available and then if summer discounts come out or there is a passholder discount that is enough to justify upgrading a ticket to an AP then I'll do that.

• I've read that at the Poly, the Deluxe Studio is actually larger than the Standard Room and can be cheaper, especially if you buy DVC points. If anyone that's stayed there has any input on that including which room is preferrable that would be helpful.

• Best strategies for getting the best deal on rooms/tickets? In the research I've done thus far the packages come out around the same amount as buying the room and tickets separately. I'm leaning towards buying them separately so that we can potentially get an AP for both room and dining discounts as it'll save us quite a bit just in dining alone. Additionally, it would give the option to buy discounted tickets from one of the authorized resellers and price bridge them to a 9 or 10 day PH+ ticket.

All options are one the table at this point. The primary reason I'm leaning away from the DVC point option right now is to allow for more flexibility to reach to any summer specials they run. That said, my main concern is that the Poly especially seems to book up fast and I'm not even sure if they end up with rooms that are obtainable with any summer/AP discounts.

Thanks in advance.

 

[ParrotBill]

My answers and advice:
* No reason not to book early. You can always change bookings later, availability allowing
* Can't answer on Poly Studio
* You are going about it the right way... calculate out the costs of the options because the results are different depending on time of year, promotion, and how your family spends money. One person's dining package is a deal, while the same package costs more for the family that does not eat that way.

You are right about DVC points - restricts your options - and once booked gets very hard to change.

I will say this about your plans... while changing rooms once on a longer stay can be fun for a change of venue, changing twice seems a hassle to me. You lose a bunch of hours packing, storing luggage, unpacking, loss of access to a room for the day. Is the time spend moving really offset by being close to the the park? Maybe it is for you and that's okay. Just thought I would throw it out there.

 

[DisneyWishes14]

I agree with PP on the split. I've done many and I wouldn't suggest moving 3 times in 9 nights. It's a lot of packing and unpacking and you won't have a lot of time to actually enjoy the resorts. Personally, I would drop AKL. Split Poly and BC or YC and simply uber to AK.

I personally would pick a Poly standard over the studio so you get two real beds and a day bed that is far more comfortable than the studio pull-down.

If you aren't interested in the dining plan, there is no reason to book a room/ticket package IMHO. I would book room-only as soon as possible, keep your eye out for discounts and buy tickets from a discounter.

 

[DisneyMaleficent50]

2 thought
1. That is a lot of moving and hoping rooms are available when you need them. My luck on move day oarks would be really hot and crowded or rainy and new room wouldn't be ready till 4pm....
2. Downgrading from a 1 bedroom back to a studio is really hard....

 

[Hopefully]

I totally agree with @DisneyWishes14 I would definitely not do a 3 night split on a 9 night stay. Way too much packing/unpacking/moving and "homeless" time. I too would just Uber to AKL.
I am assuming you really meant that you would rent points for a DVC stay - not "buy DVC", right? Buying into DVC requires a many thousand dollar investment in money and a many year commitment in time.
Renting points is a contractual commitment between you and the owner/broker. It is usually not changeable or cancelable. You will not get a refund if your plans change. You need to be certain of your dates and travel plans when you make that commitment. Although it was very expensive, our first 3 DVC stays before buying, were booked through Disney directly. I just was not comfortable with the inability to change plans made 11 months in advance.
Good Luck