Split stay- good idea or big hassle?

[triplefigs]

Thinking of doing a split stay between the WL and YC/BC (haven't decided which one yet). We would do 4 days at WL and hit MK/AK, then the last 3 at YC/BC and do MGM/Epcot.

Good idea or not? I thought it would be fun to see the different resorts (especially at Christmas), do the Boardwalk, SAB, etc.

Thank you!

 

[nwdisgal]

Well having recently come back from WDW, the one thing I regretted was not staying at an MK resort. I stayed at an Epcot one, love the Boardwalk area, but did not do a whole lot of MK, just because we weren't convenient to it. Even with Disney's wonderful transportation, there is time involved. So the closer you can be to MK, I say the better. Split stay for convenience - I say definately.

 

[Leota]

I love doing split stays - BUT - I never even considered one until my DS was older (12) & we had been several times.
I cannot imagine packing up & unpacking for 4 year old triplets.
I guess it's all in how comfortable you feel with the packing & unpacking & checking in & out process. It's not that hard, but it is a little time consuming. You would be giving up a few hours of Park time.

 

[newholidayx2]

This Aug DS13 & I are staying 6nights VWL, 2nights WL & 6nights BCV

DH told us that if he was coming that we would be staying put no matter what the cost (Im saving pts on that btwn wknd)

 

[cottontail]

Hi: We did it but with 4 adults. I don't think I would do it with triplets, (they are beautiful by the way).

Why don't you do all 7 days at one of the resorts, and save the next resort you are interested in for another trip.

I did not like being in limbo for a hotel room when you are doing the split. We did akl 4 days, loved it and then packed up and put luggage in car and headed over to ak park til noon when my daughter got sick, and then we headed over to polynesian one of our other fav resorts, and she just wanted a dark quiet room with air conditioning, but the room was not ready til 4 p.m. so she layed in the car in the parking lot of the poly in the heat all afternoon. I know someone getting sick is rare but it was not fun. I don't know what she would have done if we did not have our car.

I think you need to give yourself a break too with three little ones, it is alot of work for the mom planning the trip, packing for the trip, and unpacking.

Deb.

Deb.

 

[Goofy's Muse]

Well having recently come back from WDW, the one thing I regretted was not staying at an MK resort. I stayed at an Epcot one, love the Boardwalk area, but did not do a whole lot of MK, just because we weren't convenient to it. Even with Disney's wonderful transportation, there is time involved. So the closer you can be to MK, I say the better. Split stay for convenience - I say definately.

This is the way I feel about it. If you can manage the inconvenience of packing/repacking, I think the upside is the convenience of being near the different parks...

 

[leighe]

My sister and I spent 3 nights at the Dolphin and 3 nights at GF during our Christmas stay. It was convienent and hassle-free - but I'm not sure how much I liked it. I kind of like settling into my resort and feeling "at home" and I thought that was hard to do switching. I'm considering splitting between YC and Poly this summer because DH really loves Epcot and I love the MK area. I just can't make up my mind though.

 

[ChesireMeg]

Hello! We love splitting our stay--we've done it on almost every single trip we've taken to WDW. This way, we get to spend time at different resorts and enjoy all the things they have to offer. I think Disney does a pretty good job of making sure it's hassle-free. Just make sure that when your luggage is transferred from one resort to another, you tell bell services that your luggage is a "transfer" when you go to pick it up at your new resort. We did not know that and our luggage was not delivered until 11 P.M. one night. If you tell them it's a transfer, your luggage will be there ready and on time. Have a great time!!

 

[liznboys]

We did a split stay in Feb., 6 nights at POFQ then 6 at AKL. Although it wasn't a big deal and it was nice to stay at two different resorts in one trip, I don't foresee us doing it again. We think it is nicer to just settle in to one resort for the entire trip. Of course that was a 12 night trip, and it's unlikely we'd ever do one that long again. Our future trips will be for about a week (or less), and I definitely would not want to do a split stay for them, too short.

 

[missypie]

I'll tell you when we get back! We'll have 5 nights at the YC and 5 at the CR. I couldn't decide! I'm going to TRY to pack half the clothes in one suitcase and half in another to eliminate a bit of the packing and unpacking. I imagine that it will be somewhat of a hassle, but I'm looking forward to both resorts.

 

[Tinkerbells2000]

We did a split stay the last time we went. We stayed at both the Poly and contemporary. I had 4 little ones at the time,(Ages 1,3, 5, and 7) and it went fine. We just packed up, and Disney took care of the luggage transfer.

 

[barbaraann]

Originally it was going to be an 8 night stay, all at POR. I promised my grandson a return trip to POR, so he could swim and fish there again. Last year he did the fishing part, but not the swimming part, because his arm was in a cast. I then decided to do a split stay 4 days moderate and 3 days deluxe, dropping the additional day to save money.

Now when planning my itinerary, it seems like two vacations. We will not be rushing around too much on this trip. Only one early morning at MK. Most mornings will be water activities for my grandson. We plan on a few late nights. One at MK, the other at Epcot, which probably will not be too late.

Our deluxe hotel is the Beach Club. The day we switch hotels my grandson will get to cane pole fish - one last time. He will also be able to swim. We will not rush over to the Beach Club villa, since their check in time in 4 p.m. I am planning on a taxi for transportation, between resorts, when my grandson is finally ready to depart POR. He doesn't know he has Stormalong Bay to look forward to or Beaches and Cream, so it should be a delightful surprise. A side trip to Fantasia Mini Golf, and a meal at Beaches and Cream and our room should be ready. That evening will be spent at Epcot. which I understand we can walk to.

I am actually looking forward to the split. I sure hope it goes smoothly, because if it does, I am going to do it again.

 

[3lilprincesses]

we did a split stay with 3 little ones, and it wasn't a hassle at all. the night before i layed out our clothes for the next day and threw everything else in our bags. we woke up, had breakfast, called the front desk to get our bags, and went to the park for the day. later on we just took a bus to our new resort and checked in. it was very quick, and we never had a feeling of being in limbo. it was a great way to see 2 resort, and stay in 2 different areas.

 

[Sunkissed]

Just out of curiosity: We will be doing a split stay btwn. CBR and AKL in early Dec. '06. Is it advantageous to check-in to AKL before heading to the parks? (That's our AK day anyway) Or are we safe waiting until we return from the park at around 5pm? Thanks for the help!

 

[Deborah_Mary]

Sounds like you have an excellent plan! Dh & I always thought that a split stay would be a hassle... but we are doing our first split stay in May and are very excited about it. We have 2 girls (6 years and will-be 16 months at the time of our trip) so we were hesitant as you are/were. We decided we might as well give it a shot. From what we've read on these boards, switching resorts seem pretty easy.

We are doing 4 nights at AKL where we plan on focusing on AK & MGM and then we're doing 4 nights at POLY where we plan to go to MK & Epcot. I think we'll eventually do BC (e.g. for SAB) in a few years once our little one can enjoy it a bit more.

Good luck!

Deb*

 

[triplefigs]

they are beautiful by the way

Thank you for your sweet comment! I think we've decided to forgoe it this time. Maybe next time we'll just book the BC (especially cause the kids will be older and swim more)

 

[triplefigs]

Well, we are still undecided, but now leaning towards not doing it. Our agent at DU advised against it too. Will put it on hold for a few days and mull it over. Thanks for all the replies!

 

[Princess Glenda]

I say go for it. It is really nice to stay close to a MK resort for some days and an Epcot/MGM one for others. We are going in May and are actually switching to 3 resorts during our stay. We will be at the Boardwalk for 5 nights, All Star Movies for 2 and WL for 5 more nights. We have planned our days around where we will be staying. We did this last year and it worked great. We have two children and at the time they were 8 and 3. My sister was traveling with us and she had a 4 yr. old and a 2 yr. old. It didn't bother either of us to switch during the middle of our stay.

 

[triplefigs]

When you switched, what time did you check out/check in? Any tips? Did you feel "lost" not having a resort for those few hours? I'm envisioning checking out of WL around 10am, sending the bags to the YC/BC, and then heading to MGM Studios. Walk back to the resort or take the boat. I think it would be great to be so close to the Boardwalk. I know my kids would love that atmosphere. I'm just a little nervous hearing of some problems people have had with split stays.


Thanks!

 

[Disney5Mom]

We did split stays with groups of adults our last 2 trips and have decided to just stick to one resort per trip.This year we got a late check out from All Stars Music (1)but our rooms at Coronado were not ready until after 3. So we were rushing to all get ready for an early PS. The year before we switched for our last 2 nights from POR to the Dolphin.Although our adult children enjoyed seeing 2 resorts,this was the one day we all wished we could just stay around the resort pool and take it easy. Florida weather can be unpredictable so no more split stays for us.