Resort Switching

[Lizzards]

Hello! I am looking for information on how to switch resorts. Is it a big hassle or a seamless process......We are staying club level at the Beach club for two nights. However when I went to buy flights it was much cheaper to fly in the day before. Now our flight doesn’t land until 11:30pm. I don’t really want to add a club level night when literally all we will be doing is sleeping. I was thinking of staying at a value resort for that first late night and then moving over to Beach Club in the am before we go to the park. How does this work?

Thanks for your help! I only have a few trips to the World under my belt.

 

[DaisyDuck001]

Pretty easy. If using Disney's Magical Express then attach your arrival to the first resort and your departure to the last resort. Bell services can transfer your luggage for you between any two Disney World resorts. They don't charge for the transfer, although you could tip them. If you will have a rental car, you won't even have the above issues to deal with.

As far as moving in the morning -- it's unlikely that your new room will be ready that early, and if you don't have a car, then your luggage won't arrive until late afternoon. You can however check in at the second hotel, but your room probably won't be available until late afternoon, either.

 

[bryanb]

I've done this a few times, and it was quick and painless. On the morning of checkout from the first resort, we dropped off our bags at the bell services desk, told them the name of our next hotel, and headed off to the park. We used online check-in for the second hotel, so we just showed up when the room was ready that afternoon, and the luggage had already been delivered.

The new resort offered to have the bags sent to the room, but we wanted them right away, so we collected them up front.

Apparently a lot of people do this, because they had several carts of luggage that had arrived from other resorts.

 

[dansdad]

Hello! I am looking for information on how to switch resorts. Is it a big hassle or a seamless process......We are staying club level at the Beach club for two nights. However when I went to buy flights it was much cheaper to fly in the day before. Now our flight doesn’t land until 11:30pm. I don’t really want to add a club level night when literally all we will be doing is sleeping. I was thinking of staying at a value resort for that first late night and then moving over to Beach Club in the am before we go to the park. How does this work?

Thanks for your help! I only have a few trips to the World under my belt.

This is how we do it. Call Luggage Assistance (Values = Luggage Assistance, Moderates and Deluxes = Bell Services) from your room at Resort #1 and ask them to come pick up our luggage, or drop luggage off ourselves, and also ask them to deliver to resort #2. Have breakfast, hop on the bus and go to the parks for the day. Late afternoon, head to resort #2. Once in our room at resort #2 call Bell Services and ask them to bring us our luggage.

Another option is to grab a taxi at resort #1 with our luggage and head to resort #2. Check in, room most likely not ready, give our luggage to Bell Services then head to the parks for the day.

We prefer the 1st option as it gives us more time in the parks. However, with option 1 don't expect your luggage to be available at resort #2 until late afternoon. We're in the parks all day so it's no big deal.

 

[fab1976]

This is how we do it. Call Luggage Assistance (Values = Luggage Assistance, Moderates and Deluxes = Bell Services) from your room at Resort #1 and ask them to come pick up our luggage, or drop luggage off ourselves, and also ask them to deliver to resort #2. Have breakfast, hop on the bus and go to the parks for the day. Late afternoon, head to resort #2. Once in our room at resort #2 call Bell Services and ask them to bring us our luggage.

Another option is to grab a taxi at resort #1 with our luggage and head to resort #2. Check in, room most likely not ready, give our luggage to Bell Services then head to the parks for the day.

We prefer the 1st option as it gives us more time in the parks. However, with option 1 don't expect your luggage to be available at resort #2 until late afternoon. We're in the parks all day so it's no big deal.

Just to speak to the bolded part, we did a split stay this past trip with AKL as the first, CSR as the second. When we arrived at CSR we asked bell services about our luggage and they said it should already be in our room. Low and behold it was! Super convenient.

 

[dansdad]

Just to speak to the bolded part, we did a split stay this past trip with AKL as the first, CSR as the second. When we arrived at CSR we asked bell services about our luggage and they said it should already be in our room. Low and behold it was! Super convenient.

Nice! That's great pixie dust. I have seen a couple people mention that over the last year or so. But that is not the norm so I didn't mention it.

 

[gharter]

while we try not to switch resorts, we have done it several times and it is really easy. when you check out of resort 1, call Bell Services, they will get your luggage including food items, tag it and take it to your next resort. When you check in at resort 2, we stopped at Bell Services and told them we had luggage, etc here. They followed us up to our room with all of our stuff. It was really easy. Much easier than I expected.

 

[Lizzards]

THANK YOU! Great info and advice! Looks like switching will not be a big deal.

 

[Sue M]

We’ve done exactly that when we decide to arrive a day early. We book arrival night at Pop. Get up early the next morning and taxi to new resort, do early check in, sometimes room is ready but if it isn’t we just leave luggage at Bell Service and head to a park. I prefer to transfer my own luggage so I know it’s at my resort when I want it.

 

[mi*vida*loca]

Just be mindful that you probably won't have your bags until 4 pm or so. If you want them earlier than that I would recommend Uber to your new resort and dropping your bags with bell services there.

I didn't really think about this last trip. We dropped our bags with bell services at Poly, went to DHS and then to Epcot. We started getting a bit cranky around 1-2 pm and headed to check into BC. We wanted to do some pool time but our bags weren't there yet. We napped instead so it wasn't a huge deal but this is something I'm thinking about for our next split stay. In November we are checking out of POFQ and going to DHS with lunch at Epcot and then checking into BWV. Since villas aren't usually ready until 4 pm I'm planning on staying at Epcot until that time but if we get tired or want to hit the pool I want my bags already available at BWV. I know some people recommend just carrying your swim gear with you to the parks or renting a locker in the parks for your swim gear bag but that's not something I want to do. So I'm 99% sure we will Uber to BWV, do early check in and then head to DHS.

 

[rg35]

I would just book a room at the airport hotel and go to WDW the following morning.

 

[Shellyb84]

We've done this several times. We get up early and go to the second resort, check in and leave our bags with bell services (we drive so we just transfer our own luggage). Then we'll either spend the day at the pool or go to a park until our room is ready.