Onsite/Offsite split stay

[minerva78]

I was planning to stay at the Drury Plaza at Disney Springs this July for 8 nights with my husband and two girls, who are 14 and 15. But due to some of the on-site perks I started considering a split stay. I have an opportunity to rent some DVC points for a standard studio at AKV for 4 nights, then 4 nights at a 2 room suite at Drury for 4 nights, but I'm hesitant to book this for some reason. When I take into account the savings of parking fees during the on-site stay and the food cost savings during the Drury stay, it's only going to cost a couple more hundred dollars to stay 4 nights onsite. Worth it for the chance to get a lightning lane pass for ROTR and extra evening hours at Epcot and MK, in my opinion.

What makes me hesitant is if it's worth the hassle. We stayed at Bonnet Creek last Disney trip and it was nice to just unpack once. I like feeling like I can just settle in for my entire vacation after driving 9 hours to Orlando. I also plan to rent a portable scooter offsite and I'm not quite if I'll have the room to transport it and our luggage in our smaller SUV when we'd have to move from onsite to the Drury. But I'm pretty sure we could manage packing everything in for a short drive from the parks to the hotel. Even though both my girls really want to stay at the Drury because of the bigger room and the included food they would be ok with staying in a studio because they like the looks of AKV. Husband feels the same, he's okay with staying at Drury and using early hours to ride ROTR standby. So none of them are any help, lol.

For those who have done split stays, do you like feeling like you have two small vacations, or is it more of a hassle to unpack and pack twice? Are there other reasons you like or dislike split stays?

 

[JollyHoliday052]

We did a split say, Universal (on site), then Disney off site very close to Animal Kingdom ending the vacation with a Disney onsite hotel. I didn't mind the split stay, however, we drove to FL and had our car. I didn't think it was a hassle. I tried not to go to the parks on "moving" days, however, we did go to EPCOT on our moving day from Universal. That's only because I knew that my room would not be ready before 4pm. We stayed for a total of 12 days between all 3 hotels.

I don't think that the packing and unpacking is a hassle, however, I don't think I would want to miss any park time traveling between the 2 hotels.

I will also add that we did the split stay before the changes to Genie+ and my tickets had Genie+ included before they stopped adding Genie+ to theme park tickets. I only had to get up early to make Genie+ reservations, not to purchase Genie+. We did go during the slowest time of the year. I was able to do the parks, including Rise of the Resistance without purchasing ILL.

Have a great vacation!

 

[bmxbatgirl]

I was planning to stay at the Drury Plaza at Disney Springs this July for 8 nights with my husband and two girls, who are 14 and 15. But due to some of the on-site perks I started considering a split stay. I have an opportunity to rent some DVC points for a standard studio at AKV for 4 nights, then 4 nights at a 2 room suite at Drury for 4 nights, but I'm hesitant to book this for some reason. When I take into account the savings of parking fees during the on-site stay and the food cost savings during the Drury stay, it's only going to cost a couple more hundred dollars to stay 4 nights onsite. Worth it for the chance to get a lightning lane pass for ROTR and extra evening hours at Epcot and MK, in my opinion.

What makes me hesitant is if it's worth the hassle. We stayed at Bonnet Creek last Disney trip and it was nice to just unpack once. I like feeling like I can just settle in for my entire vacation after driving 9 hours to Orlando. I also plan to rent a portable scooter offsite and I'm not quite if I'll have the room to transport it and our luggage in our smaller SUV when we'd have to move from onsite to the Drury. But I'm pretty sure we could manage packing everything in for a short drive from the parks to the hotel. Even though both my girls really want to stay at the Drury because of the bigger room and the included food they would be ok with staying in a studio because they like the looks of AKV. Husband feels the same, he's okay with staying at Drury and using early hours to ride ROTR standby. So none of them are any help, lol.

For those who have done split stays, do you like feeling like you have two small vacations, or is it more of a hassle to unpack and pack twice? Are there other reasons you like or dislike split stays?

I like staying in one place. We just did a split stay and although we had fun, it was a pain packing up and moving our stuff. I honestly don’t care if I stay offsite either. I feel like Disney hotels are overpriced anyway but if you want to visit them to eat at, bar hop for entertainment or just sightsee, that’s all I need!!

 

[Princess Disney Mom]

We do split stays all the time. Keep in mind there is time lost packing and unpacking. I think each option for you would be a good one. However, some questions to ask. If your family really likes the free breakfast will they be bummed not having it anymore? Is the whole family onboard to pack their stuff and unpack? If not, do not change resorts. If you pack light and everyone is willing to pack their suitcases it should be fine. There will be a lot of activities at the Disney resort for your girls. I think they will love it.

 

[Miffy]

I've done split stays in the past but have no plans to ever do one again. For me, the negatives outweigh the positives. I don't like having to unpack, repack, unpack, pack again and I don't like living out of a suitcase. Moving resorts is time-consuming--time I'd rather spend in the parks.

And, for me, one of the worst parts is that on moving day, it's possible to be without a hotel room during the day. I like having a place to go back to if I need/want to.

So I vote no (do I get a vote? ). Not worth it. Stay in one place, unpack, relax, and use your park time wisely. There are strategies for getting on all the ILLs rides without having an ILL and without having to wait in a 5-hour-long line.

I love AKL/AKV and always stay on-site, yet I think your original, non-split-stay plan is the best. Also, remember, if you rent DVC points and end up having to cancel, you will probably still have to pay for that reservation. To me, that's a huge negative.

I don't know what your budget is, but have you priced out other on-site options?

 

[minerva78]

We do split stays all the time. Keep in mind there is time lost packing and unpacking. I think each option for you would be a good one. However, some questions to ask. If your family really likes the free breakfast will they be bummed not having it anymore? Is the whole family onboard to pack their stuff and unpack? If not, do not change resorts. If you pack light and everyone is willing to pack their suitcases it should be fine. There will be a lot of activities at the Disney resort for your girls. I think they will love it.

That's the funny part, I was going to do the Drury Plaza Hotel second, not first, because I believed my family would think the free food and two room suite would be a step up from the Disney resort! I know most Disney diehards would do it the other way around, but I know my family, lol.

I just moved forward with the AKV reservation and it got confirmed, so it looks like we're doing the split stay. I really wanted a chance to experience a Disney resort at least once with our girls and this was too good of a price to pass up, so I'm really happy about it! My 15 year old LOVES animals and thought it would be so cool to see them at the resort.

Good point about the packing, especially packing light. My girls do their own packing and unpacking, I usually just remind them to check for each one of their electronics. I am excited about both hotels, especially the Drury because if we like it I know we will be back. The Disney resort is more of a one time thing.

 

[minerva78]

I've done split stays in the past but have no plans to ever do one again. For me, the negatives outweigh the positives. I don't like having to unpack, repack, unpack, pack again and I don't like living out of a suitcase. Moving resorts is time-consuming--time I'd rather spend in the parks.

And, for me, one of the worst parts is that on moving day, it's possible to be without a hotel room during the day. I like having a place to go back to if I need/want to.

So I vote no (do I get a vote? ). Not worth it. Stay in one place, unpack, relax, and use your park time wisely. There are strategies for getting on all the ILLs rides without having an ILL and without having to wait in a 5-hour-long line.

I love AKL/AKV and always stay on-site, yet I think your original, non-split-stay plan is the best. Also, remember, if you rent DVC points and end up having to cancel, you will probably still have to pay for that reservation. To me, that's a huge negative.

I don't know what your budget is, but have you priced out other on-site options?

You absolutely get a vote! Just can't promise I'll be able to take it into account.

But seriously, I get what you are saying. I did price out some other on-site options, and the DVC rental was going to cost about the same as a moderate resort with the summer discount. This is a really good deal. Honestly, I would prefer to stay in one location the whole time. But we have never stayed onsite and I thought this could be the one time we could experience it. So I went ahead and booked the split stay. Although I am definitely nervous about not being able to cancel! My husband thinks this is best, because now we HAVE to go, and I won't be constantly changing hotel reservations. I do that a lot, lol.

I do think the packing and unpacking will be a pain, but I'll figure out a way to manage it. We are going to do AKV first, then Drury, because I think my girls will really enjoy staying in a bigger space. The resort will be an amazing experience, but they'll get tired of the room after 4 days, that will probably be about our limit. Then we'll move to the Drury. I have no idea how this will work, but I'm willing to try, because I don't plan to stay onsite ever again. If we like the Drury, we definitely plan to go back!

 

[Magical2017]

I like staying in one place if I am traveling somewhere for just a week or less.

 

[miked1978]

we are doing a split stay for the first time and just decided our moving day will be our "resort" day where we check in and enjoy the pool for the day and any other things we want to do. Just use it as a take it easy kinda day and relax.

 

[kathy884]

I did a split stay once. DH had a conference at the Contemporary but didn't sign up in time to get a room there and we were at Port Orleans Riverside for the four nights of the convention. Then we moved to an offsite condo with other family members for a week. Since other family members were already staying offsite and we had a car, it was a pretty easy move. Even though Port Orleans Riverside was a perfectly cute resort, it was so nice for me to move off Disney property and get into the condo. Please note that much of that was being close to my extended family to visit and have the kids play. Another part of that was my bean counter personality and the feeling I had of being trapped inside of the Disney bubble. Please let me out lol. Even though DH's food, etc. was all covered while onsite mine wasn't and gosh Disney sure charges a lot for everything. I didn't like my limited food options at Port Orleans (food court) and not having a kitchen. The one table service restaurant at my resort was totally booked. The boat to Disney Springs was a bust as all restaurants there had three hour waits for dinner. My bad not realizing that except for lunch when everyone is in the parks you are out of luck if you don't have a reservation for getting into any table service restaurant. Offsite you can cook or go all kinds of places. After I had tried these other things, I just didn't have the energy to drive my car offsite for food and ended up doing more meals than I wanted in the food court I didn't care for and thought was overpriced for subpar food.

I will say that I love the AKL theming (probably my favorite theming of all the Disney resorts). I have never stayed there, but on three different trips we did a dining reservation at BOMO (the buffet they have there -- kind of pricey but we really enjoyed it) and then stayed for a couple of hours after exploring the resorts, listening to the story tellers, watching the animals, and when it was dark used night goggles to watch the animals. My parents who have been to South Africa say that the AKL resort is super authentic. It's probably one of the few resorts where because it's so cool that maybe a split stay would be worth it.

 

[Miffy]

OP, enjoy Kidani! You will love it there.

 

[kathy884]

Something else your daughters might really enjoy with on onsite stay that I enjoyed when I was there age is having a little independence and going around WDW on their own with the great transportation. Those deluxe perks with the extra magic time for deluxe, early entry, earlier opportunities for Genie + have a lot of appeal too. And I like it that you are thinking four nights each place, so you have time to settle in at each.

 

[minerva78]

Oh well. I had a really bad experience with DVC Rental store and ended up not moving forward with my AKV reservation. Honestly, they soured me off completely on renting points. I would still like to try on-site at some point in the future, but I will just save up the money and book through Disney. Trying to save money by renting points was not worth the lack of trust I felt with their company.

Now we are doing one long stay at the Drury! And I'm honestly relieved. My biggest decision at the moment is whether to go with the 2 room 2 queen suite or the 2 queen 1 room with a sofa, terrace, and fireworks view. I know my girls would like the 2 room suite, but I kinda like the idea of a balcony with fireworks view. They loved watching fireworks from WBC last time, but I know they loved having their own space too. So we'll see, LOL.

 

[missingdisneymore]

Oh well. I had a really bad experience with DVC Rental store and ended up not moving forward with my AKV reservation. Honestly, they soured me off completely on renting points. I would still like to try on-site at some point in the future, but I will just save up the money and book through Disney. Trying to save money by renting points was not worth the lack of trust I felt with their company.

Now we are doing one long stay at the Drury! And I'm honestly relieved. My biggest decision at the moment is whether to go with the 2 room 2 queen suite or the 2 queen 1 room with a sofa, terrace, and fireworks view. I know my girls would like the 2 room suite, but I kinda like the idea of a balcony with fireworks view. They loved watching fireworks from WBC last time, but I know they loved having their own space too. So we'll see, LOL.

If you don't mind sharing, what soured you on DVC Rental Store? I've used them prior but it was some time ago and was considering them for our next stay. If service has declined, I'll look elsewhere.

 

[minerva78]

If you don't mind sharing, what soured you on DVC Rental Store? I've used them prior but it was some time ago and was considering them for our next stay. If service has declined, I'll look elsewhere.

Long story: After we submitted our initial fee to move forward with the reservation, they sent and I signed the rental agreement. When I went back and looked again at the rental agreement, I realized the numbers didn't add up. Our schedule of payment was based on a cost of $21 per point while the total rental amount was based on $19 per point. They had a $19 per point special on at the time so I assumed the payment schedule was wrong and asked them to let me know the updated payment schedule. They instead send me another rental agreement to sign with the total amount changed to $21 per point. I told them that was not what I asked for. They said the amount I signed in my agreement was not correct because they apparently received my initial email the morning after their sale ended and the total amount I signed was apparently an error. Okay...but that was YOUR error and my agreement was signed for the lower amount. I was honestly a bit taken aback that they would not honor the lower amount in my signed contract, I think it was about $114 difference, then made me feel like somehow I was at fault for this!

They kept pushing me to sign the new agreement ASAP, with the higher total amount. When I had a question about the new agreement, they tell me that I must sign the new agreement immediately because they voided out the first agreement I had already signed! Um, no one informed me of that. So does my confirmation information change now that my initial agreement has been voided? Oh no, it's all fine they tell me. I guess I just felt like rather than owning up to their mistake, they were trying to quickly shove this under the rug and move forward as fast as possible before I could question anything.

Many probably think I am overreacting, but this whole situation made me feel a bit uneasy about being able to trust them, and I didn't want to give more nonrefundable money to a company I felt like I couldn't trust. It just felt like bad customer service. So I'm out a little (fortunately very little) money but I will be saving a lot more money with the Drury only stay, which we scaled down to 7 days. The deluxe perks are nice, but I think it wasn't ultimately worth the uncertainty I felt with renting points.

I'd just rather work directly with Disney in the future. I was on the phone over 30 minutes while Disney kept moving me up the chain to someone who could help me downgrade a set of tickets I bought 4 years ago, even though it was costing them money to give a credit on the tickets! That was good customer service. The other situation, eh, not so much. I won't personally do business with DVC Rental Store in the future, but that's only because of my experience. I'm sure plenty of people have been and will continue to be happy with them. I just realized renting DVC points is not for me, lol. So I have no desire to rent from anyone in the future, not just them.

 

[missingdisneymore]

I don't think you're over reacting at all and they lost a customer over $100 which they could have easily absorbed especially when it was their fault but it's bigger than that. They lost a customer because of bad service. Hearing this....yeah, I'll pass on them as well. We rent points whether we stay at a Disney property or any other timeshare community. We've done it A LOT and to be honest, every time I enter into a new contract with an agency or person, I scour that thing like crazy because of scams and hidden fees that are so prevalent these days. Good for you for checking the math!

 

[georgina]

Oh well. I had a really bad experience with DVC Rental store and ended up not moving forward with my AKV reservation. Honestly, they soured me off completely on renting points. I would still like to try on-site at some point in the future, but I will just save up the money and book through Disney. Trying to save money by renting points was not worth the lack of trust I felt with their company.

Now we are doing one long stay at the Drury! And I'm honestly relieved. My biggest decision at the moment is whether to go with the 2 room 2 queen suite or the 2 queen 1 room with a sofa, terrace, and fireworks view. I know my girls would like the 2 room suite, but I kinda like the idea of a balcony with fireworks view. They loved watching fireworks from WBC last time, but I know they loved having their own space too. So we'll see, LOL.

Sorry about your renting issues but I wanted to say you may be able to get an ILL for ROTR when HS opens. It doesn't go as fast as the most popular rides at the other parks.