Should I split stay?

[Ambehnke]

We are just finalizing our plans for our trip in three weeks and I booked a hotel near our airport for the night before our 5:50 am flight. I figure we'll have to leave the hotel around 4:00 ish so that we can get our infant boarding pass, go through security and plan to board a Southwest flight 30 min early. Now I'm thinking with 2 toddlers getting up at 4 am might not be such a good idea, and maybe flying out the latest flight the night before (arriving at 1 am) and sleeping in the next day may be better. The flights are also $30/person cheaper than what we originally booked so that would make up in the extra cost of a Disney room vs the airport room I had already booked. I was all for this idea until I looked up rooms and POR where we are staying is booked for our arrival night. How big of a pain would it be to switch resorts after the one night? Switching rooms would've been fine but switching resorts sounds like it might be too much. We were planning to get to DHS the next day around noon and leave our bags with bell services if our room wasn't ready anyway, if that is a factor. And we do have 2:20 ADRs for our original planned arrival day.

 

[LisaCM614]

We are just finalizing our plans for our trip in three weeks and I booked a hotel near our airport for the night before our 5:50 am flight. I figure we'll have to leave the hotel around 4:00 ish so that we can get our infant boarding pass, go through security and plan to board a Southwest flight 30 min early. Now I'm thinking with 2 toddlers getting up at 4 am might not be such a good idea, and maybe flying out the latest flight the night before (arriving at 1 am) and sleeping in the next day may be better. The flights are also $30/person cheaper than what we originally booked so that would make up in the extra cost of a Disney room vs the airport room I had already booked. I was all for this idea until I looked up rooms and POR where we are staying is booked for our arrival night. How big of a pain would it be to switch resorts after the one night? Switching rooms would've been fine but switching resorts sounds like it might be too much. We were planning to get to DHS the next day around noon and leave our bags with bell services if our room wasn't ready anyway, if that is a factor. And we do have 2:20 ADRs for our original planned arrival day.

You will arrive at 1AM, have to pick up your luggage, take ME to your resort - get there around 2AM. Check in, settle the kids down and try to get them to sleep again to get up the next morning and take a cab to your next resort to check in. Bell services would transfer your luggage. And then you'd get to DHS maybe around noon? I'm exhausted thinking of that. But I'm thinking of my kiddos when they were toddlers. I don't think I'd be able to get them to go to sleep once we got to the hotel! Getting up early and napping on the plane would work better for my family.
It isn't the switching of resorts that is the hard thing for me - it is the family and lack of sleep that would worry me. My kids need their sleep even now and that is the thing that worries me about your new plan. But only you know your family - maybe your kids are power sleepers and can sleep just fine on a plane and will go right to sleep in a hotel.
For that reason I'd stick with your original plan

 

[Ambehnke]

You will arrive at 1AM, have to pick up your luggage, take ME to your resort - get there around 2AM. Check in, settle the kids down and try to get them to sleep again to get up the next morning and take a cab to your next resort to check in. Bell services would transfer your luggage. And then you'd get to DHS maybe around noon? I'm exhausted thinking of that. But I'm thinking of my kiddos when they were toddlers. I don't think I'd be able to get them to go to sleep once we got to the hotel! Getting up early and napping on the plane would work better for my family.
It isn't the switching of resorts that is the hard thing for me - it is the family and lack of sleep that would worry me. My kids need their sleep even now and that is the thing that worries me about your new plan. But only you know your family - maybe your kids are power sleepers and can sleep just fine on a plane and will go right to sleep in a hotel.
For that reason I'd stick with your original plan

Generally my kids are better at staying up late than waking up early and they don't like to nap unless they are in a car (not sure if plane would work). Either way it is probably going to be a pain but I may just stick with my original plan for the sake of not having to book another room at another resort.

 

[loves to dive]

I do split stays all the time and often do a one night stay on arrival day just because I stay at a deluxe most of the time and don't want to pay that price for a short day. You arrive at your value resort, you can just tell them to hold your luggage and transfer it the next day, don't even lug it to your room. Take a small bag for the next days stuff, get up put the previous days clothes in the bag and call Bell services to transfer with other luggage. Go ahead to HS when you want to to, you don't have to check into POR before you go to the park. It is wise to stop by the front desk and check out just in case. If you do on line check in, you will get a text when your room is ready, either head on back to the room when you get the text or finish enjoying your day at HS then head back. No taxis, no hassles with moving your luggage.

 

[Ambehnke]

I do split stays all the time and often do a one night stay on arrival day just because I stay at a deluxe most of the time and don't want to pay that price for a short day. You arrive at your value resort, you can just tell them to hold your luggage and transfer it the next day, don't even lug it to your room. Take a small bag for the next days stuff, get up put the previous days clothes in the bag and call Bell services to transfer with other luggage. Go ahead to HS when you want to to, you don't have to check into POR before you go to the park. It is wise to stop by the front desk and check out just in case. If you do on line check in, you will get a text when your room is ready, either head on back to the room when you get the text or finish enjoying your day at HS then head back. No taxis, no hassles with moving your luggage.

What about the carry on bags that we bring to get ready the next morning? Can I drop them at Bell services to be transferred to my room too? Don't feel like lugging to the park.

 

[Babsy]

Generally my kids are better at staying up late than waking up early and they don't like to nap unless they are in a car (not sure if plane would work). Either way it is probably going to be a pain but I may just stick with my original plan for the sake of not having to book another room at another resort.

My kids were like yours and worked better with a late night than an early morning. I have done it both ways over the years. Yes, it is a pain in the bum either way. However, if you kids do better with a late night, I would change it. Moving the next morning isn't a big deal. I often choose to do this when arriving late in order to save $$$ by staying in a value for just that night. You can move as 'loves to dive' suggested OR you can grab your bags and a cab and move in the am and go about your day from POR. Either way, it isn't much trouble, IMO.

Good luck deciding!

 

[holbie18]

If it were me I would switch to the late flight and then make a reservation at the Orlando airport hotel. One of you can take the kids immediately to the room and the other can wait for luggage. Then in the morning take ME to your original hotel.

My kids would not go back to sleep if we took an early flight. If we took a late flight though there is a chance that they would sleep on the plane.

 

[Sue M]

I don't know about your kids, but for myself, I'd be exhausted. If your flight doesn't land until 1:00am, you may not arrive at wdw until 2:30 am, depending on how long it takes for luggage and for DME. then check in, get to your room, get everyone ready for bed. May not get to bed until 3:30 or 4am. I'd be so over tired I prob couldn't get to sleep. Then you have to be up, washed and ready to check out of your room by 11:00. And off to a park, with maybe 5 hrs of sleep if your lucky.
My first day would be a wash out. I'd stick to orig plan, but that's me.

 

[DisneyWishes14]

I second holbie18's recommendation. I would take the late flight the day before and book a room at the Orlando Airport Hyatt. It is IN the airport and is very nice. When you get off the plane, one of you could retrieve the luggage while the other checks in to the hotel. Go to your room and go to sleep. You will cut out about an hour of travel time to a WDW resort at 1 am and also do away with the hassle of switching resorts and transferring luggage the next day. At the Hyatt, you can sleep in, and go down to Magical Express at your leisure. You can then go directly to your original WDW resort, check in and be on your way to the parks, ADR's etc.

I have done late night flights to WDW and they typically drop off at even MORE resorts late at night because so few people are arriving. With a 1 am flight arrival, you may be looking at a 2:30 am arrival at your WDW resort and then transferring the next morning?! ugh. Much easier to stay in the airport and deal with transfers after you've slept.

 

[BOST99]

Have you tried looking through Orbitz or another travel site for that night? Maybe they will have availability at POR or next door at POFQ?

I'd do the night before too bc my dd would be more likely too sleep on the plane at night then in the AM and probably crash as soon as we got to the parks.

 

[Ambehnke]

I checked orbitz and travelocity no POR availability either. We are going to check out the Airport Hyatt and see if that is the route we want to go. The flight prices went back up for the weekend so waiting a few days to see if they go back down to decide if that's what we want to do.

 

[Ambehnke]

We decided to fly in Friday night and stay at the Hyatt that night. Now my question is... Do I have to contact Disney and let them know my plans to fly in the night before and stay and then get on Magical Express earlier than our original DME time? Or can we just go there and get on when we need to?

 

[dansdad]

We decided to fly in Friday night and stay at the Hyatt that night. Now my question is... Do I have to contact Disney and let them know my plans to fly in the night before and stay and then get on Magical Express earlier than our original DME time? Or can we just go there and get on when we need to?

You can just show up at the DME area, no need to call ahead of time. Now if you were changing the date you were going to need DME, then I would call. But just getting on it earlier in the day is no problem.