Picking a resort/splitting a stay

[Helaine]

My hubby and I are planning a trip in Dec 2018. We r gonna be celebrating my birthday and checking out holiday decorations and festivities. We were think AKL for 7 days but we r worried we would feel isolated at the resort. Then we thought Contemporary for 7 days but not sure we will miss the theme of AKL. So we have thought about splitting the stay btwn the two. How easy is splitting a stay? I'm worried his is more trouble than it's worth.
Our goal is relaxation/spa like stuff, exploring the resorts and of course visiting the parks (mainly MK and Epcot with half days at AK and Hollywood studios). What are some pros and cons of each resort? Are there other hotel recommendations? Any advice/recommendations would be helpful.

 

[kreckl]

They are both great resorts and a split stay could give you the best of both. We do splits almost every trip as we like to enjoy the resorts when we travel, and choose our park/resort days so they coincide. We also like to pack for 2 stays, so one suitcase has the first resort and the other has the 2nd, so all we really pack up are toiletries and shoes, etc. Bell services will transfer your luggage, so call them and head out for the day- but know that it will take hours to transfer, so if you prefer- grab a taxi and head over to the 2nd resort with your bags.
We love both of the resorts you've chosen. AKL is amazing- we prefer Jambo house for the food options and beautiful lobby. The CR has tons of food options also and of course is right on the monorail and near the MK.
I would suggest looking at the park info when you can and deciding which parks which days, so you can then pick your hotel. You'll want to be at the CR for MK days and local dining, etc.
AKL is relaxing in general- and we love the removed from the parks feeling- and the GF has a spa so you can hop on the monorail from the CR and be there in minutes.
Jealous!

 

[Shanti]

My hubby and I are planning a trip in Dec 2018. We r gonna be celebrating my birthday and checking out holiday decorations and festivities. We were think AKL for 7 days but we r worried we would feel isolated at the resort. Then we thought Contemporary for 7 days but not sure we will miss the theme of AKL. So we have thought about splitting the stay btwn the two. How easy is splitting a stay? I'm worried his is more trouble than it's worth.
Our goal is relaxation/spa like stuff, exploring the resorts and of course visiting the parks (mainly MK and Epcot with half days at AK and Hollywood studios). What are some pros and cons of each resort? Are there other hotel recommendations? Any advice/recommendations would be helpful.

If you want a relaxing, resort-style atmosphere, AKL is the way to go. No need to feel isolated there. It's a short bus, taxi or car ride away from everything else at WDW. We had efficient bus service when we stayed over Easter weekend this year.

AKL is beautiful, peaceful and unique. It's the ideal place to stay in busy December, as it will provide a refuge from the frenetic crowds, which the Contemporary won't.

CR is very nice, but it's better for an active parks-focused trip than for a relax-at-the-resort trip. If your goal is to relax, don't split your stay. Just pick one resort and make it your home away from home.

 

[cruisin5]

A split stay is the best of all worlds to me. Packing up and moving is a small price to pay for a 10 minute walk/ride back to your room. Consider the Contemporary for 4 nights - have tea at the GF, go to MK and Epcot. Switch to AKL for a day at AK and some R and R.

 

[Haley R]

We did our first split stay this year and loved it! It was fun to compare the two resorts. We stayed at POR first for 4 nights and moved to AKL for 3 nights.

To be completely honest, we enjoyed POR more than AKL and I bet we are in the minority for this. DH and I are both walkers and we really enjoy the spread out atmosphere compared to the one large building. We were able to use the jogging trail along the river and take the boat to Disney Springs. We also liked that POR has small pools that were less crowded because we weren't interested in using the main pool. The restaurants at AKL were a little out of our price range (we still tried them, just won't go back) and the food court didn't change options often. I'm sure most food courts are like this, though.