Split stay - How long at each resort

[Letterhead]

Next year we're headed to WDW for our first ever on-site stay (Honeymoon).

With the offers currently on the UK site we are able to do 3 weeks in a deluxe and thought we would do a split stay. The reasoning being that we like to eat, but never really took advantage of the dining in Disney because we were always off-site.

We thought we would do a split-stay because it wouldn't seem right not staying near the Magic Kingdom on our first stay, but the Epcot resorts look so handy for the great dining options in DHS and Epcot (plus the many options at their resorts also).

We will have a car on the visit, but would like to try not using where possible, as it is exhausting trying to drive after a long day at the parks followed by a big feed.

So our current draft plan is to stay at the BWI (we like it's theme over BC/YC) for one week and then 2 weeks at a MK area resort (not CR as we would prefer to have a better themed resort) so our last night can be spent at wishes. We have ruled out AKL completely because of location and while we love the look of WL, we will probably take one of Poly or GF due to the monorail.

The week at BWI would allow us to have a few driving-free nights at DHS, Jellyrolls and the Atlantic Dance Hall. We also could walk into Epcot (our favourite).

Moving to MK area, we are still able to get to Epcot with the monorail but can then have a few late nights at MK and the many restaurants at the resorts. As many of these are signature we thought we would do two weeks at the MK area to get more Dining credits (DDP will be free).

So my question is basically for anyone that has done a similar split stay, does this sound like the best plan, or would we be better served with 2 weeks at BWI? Also, can offer a reason to stay at AKL or WL as the prices for those two look much better, but as it's a Honeymoon, price alone currently won't sway us.

 

[mickeynut1]

I think an Epcot/MK split is a great choice . We've never stayed at BWI, but that is one that's on our list to try. We love the MK area and I, too, would want to end my trip there. Since you're going for 3 weeks, I was going to suggest doing a week at BWI, a week at the Poly, and then a week at the GF. But then after reading you're doing the DDP for 2 weeks, it would be best to stick with just 1 MK resort since it would require another ticket purchase to do the DDP at both.

Between the Poly and GF, we have stayed at both and they are both awesome resorts . The Poly has a beautiful tropical atmosphere and it's romantic walking around at night under the lit tiki torches....and you can't beat having the beach for relaxing in a hammock watching the fireworks . But with that said, the GF is also great. The victorian atmosphere is very nice and it's relaxing walking the grounds with all of the great views.

We've stayed at AKL and while it's a beautiful resort and we visit there every trip to eat at Boma, I prefer the Poly or GF. AKL is great and we had an awesome stay, but the MK area is our favorite and if given the choice, I would go for a MK area resort over AKL .

Good luck deciding and happy planning .

 

[Letterhead]

I think an Epcot/MK split is a great choice . We've never stayed at BWI, but that is one that's on our list to try. We love the MK area and I, too, would want to end my trip there. Since you're going for 3 weeks, I was going to suggest doing a week at BWI, a week at the Poly, and then a week at the GF. But then after reading you're doing the DDP for 2 weeks, it would be best to stick with just 1 MK resort since it would require another ticket purchase to do the DDP at both.

Between the Poly and GF, we have stayed at both and they are both awesome resorts . The Poly has a beautiful tropical atmosphere and it's romantic walking around at night under the lit tiki torches....and you can't beat having the beach for relaxing in a hammock watching the fireworks . But with that said, the GF is also great. The victorian atmosphere is very nice and it's relaxing walking the grounds with all of the great views.

We've stayed at AKL and while it's a beautiful resort and we visit there every trip to eat at Boma, I prefer the Poly or GF. AKL is great and we had an awesome stay, but the MK area is our favorite and if given the choice, I would go for a MK area resort over AKL .

Good luck deciding and happy planning .

Thanks for the response. I'm glad you agree with our plan, as after posting yesterday I thought that if we got a lot of alternate responses it might actually make our decision harder!

 

[bcrook]

This is a tough call. I really like the boardwalk area. You have access to all the Epcot food and drinks, and then you have the Swan and Dolphin restaurants and bars (bluezoo!) along with the other boardwalk venues. If you do have to drive anywhere, it is easy in and out from the Boardwalk.

Of course the Polynesian and Grand Floridian have their own merits. I think I would split this up half and half so I wouldn't second guess myself.

but no matter what you choose it will be awesome!

 

[mickeynut1]

Thanks for the response. I'm glad you agree with our plan, as after posting yesterday I thought that if we got a lot of alternate responses it might actually make our decision harder!

You're welcome....and I hope you're having fun planning as I would love to plan and take a 3 week trip to Disney . It's nice that Disney has alot of options to fit every taste, budget, ect, but it also makes it hard to choose as there are TOO MANY great choices . But I think you picked some great resorts and I'm sure you'll have an awesome honeymoon .

 

[d1gitman]

with 3 weeks, i would try at least 3 different resorts. when do split stays, we are content with 3n each resort

 

[Letterhead]

with 3 weeks, i would try at least 3 different resorts. when do split stays, we are content with 3n each resort

We were originally planning that, but with the amount of shopping we do, I could not bear all the packing!

Plus it means we will have a two week stay with a large amount of dining credits where we can easily fit in our off-site meals and spend the credits on Signature meals.

 

[shellybaxter]

I think your plan sounds perfect. I like at least a full week at each resort

 

[Disney Doll]

Split stay BWI & Poly.

Actually, if I were doing it I'd do BWI and Wilderness Lodge but you said you wanted monorial so my choice would be Poly.

I have always found the GF to be stuffy...very pretty and upscale and all, but stuffy.

 

[Sue M]

I think a week at an Epcot resort & 2 weeks at an MK resort sounds great. We loved Poly, the rooms are large, if you're requesting a Garden View room Tokelau is a great location, and all the rooms have balconies in that longhouse.
As mentioned, the landscapping is beautiful, and has a great beach- great view of Wishes and MK.
Transportation options are good too- with boat or Monorail to and from MK, and a walking path to TTC for direct Epcot monorail. We only used busses for DHS & AKL, & DTD.

I never rent a car for WDW, I prefer to save the $ for suvies or meals, and not have the hassle of driving, parking, etc. WDW also has free airport service.

I know you said you are wanting BWI- but have you looked at the pool complex at BC/YC? We loved it.

Be sure you have noted on your res. that it's a honeymoon, you may get some extra

We love WL too. It's a great resort, with boat service to MK, and also has a resort boat that goes to CR- where you can get the monorail for ADRs at other MK resorts. It's a great option but of course transportation is best at the monorail resorts.

 

[gabzee]

I think this sounds like a great idea! If I were you I would pick the Poly for your MK resort. The beach is nice to watch Wishes from and the theme is great! Enjoy!

 

[PrincessShell]

Firstly, Congratulations Honeymooners!!
I can give you some awesome first-hand advice because my DisHubby and I did a split stay for our Honeymoon - we stayed in an Epcot Resort (Yacht Club) and a Magic Kingdom resort (Grand Floridian). We also stayed in a total of 3 resorts during that stay which included an off grounds resort (Marriott World Center Resort) so that we could relax into the honeymoon and visit Sea World and Universal at the beginning of the trip.
(1) I would recommend not using a car at all if you are staying on grounds the whole time. You can use Disney transportation to get pretty much everywhere in the Kingdom so a car is not necessary and it takes you out of the fantasy of it all a little bit. Use Magical Express to get from the airport to your resort and back - if you are staying at Disney resorts the whole time you can use this great service!
(2) I would recommend staying in no more than 2 resorts during your 3 week honeymoon if your goal is to relax. On the other hand, if your goal is to really sample the resorts, be prepared to take time with the transferring. Transferring resorts is easy but it also takes time (so you should plan that transfer day between resorts to be fairly flexible). Also, doing 2 resorts ensures that you can really explore each resort in depth and just use those as your home base. I think 2 resorts gives you the best of both worlds - feels like a longer trip because you are getting enough time at each resort and a split stay feels like 2 trips in 1 because you have two completely different experiences.
(3) I would recommend either Poly or GF for your Magic Kingdom resort - they both fit the romantic criteria for a Honeymoon.
(4) You can eat at MK restaurants while staying at an Epcot resort and vice versa - keep in mind, you can park hop so meal planning doesn't have to be only Epcot restaurants while at BWI or only MK restaurants while at your MK resort.
(5) I loved how we stayed at GF at the end of our honeymoon because it built up the anticipation for me - I would recommend staying in the most anticipated resort last so you can be excited about it the whole trip.
(6) I would also definitely stay at the 2nd resort for the longest amount of time (i.e. 2 weeks like you have planned). I think perception-wise, the first resorts of the trip go by slower because you feel like you have so much ahead and I noticed the last resort goes by faster. Plus, when you check-in to a resort, it kind of is a "checkpoint" and breaks the trip up a bit, so staying at the second resort the longest leg of the trip with the checkpoint earlier in the trip rather than later, I think it could help you so that it doesn't go by as quickly. Sorry, I'm so analytical about all this, my DisHubby and I love to reminisce about our trip on a regular basis including most of the details such as noted above
Have an awesome Honeymoon and take tons of pictures to capture all of your unforgettable memories!!

 

[PrincessShell]

I almost forgot, my last recommendation is, if you can swing it, stay in the deluxe resorts for your Honeymoon - everything about them is worth it! Disclaimer: All the Disney resorts (Value, Moderate, Deluxe) are all so well done that we love them all, especially compared to any other hospitality business out there. But for our honeymoon, in our experience, we have always been happy that we splurged. It was the best investment we ever made - no doubts 4 years later!!

 

[Letterhead]

Thanks for all the replies guys.

Be sure you have noted on your res. that it's a honeymoon, you may get some extra

If I'm booking online, how do I add that I'm going on Honeymoon, or do I have to book over the phone?

I almost forgot, my last recommendation is, if you can swing it, stay in the deluxe resorts for your Honeymoon - everything about them is worth it! Disclaimer: All the Disney resorts (Value, Moderate, Deluxe) are all so well done that we love them all, especially compared to any other hospitality business out there. But for our honeymoon, in our experience, we have always been happy that we splurged. It was the best investment we ever made - no doubts 4 years later!!

We are definitely going for a deluxe due to the combination of our wedding being cheaper than budgeted, and that free dining is on offer during the summer holidays, which we definitely were not expecting!

Also, we're taking a car because we will be at Universal and probably Sea World, and we also do a lot of shopping at the malls. So there's at least 7 occasions when we will be off-site, and there's a couple of times I'd prefer to drive in WDW (like when going to AK and the AKL).

 

[goodferry]

I think if you are doing a week at the Boardwalk Inn, I would do two weeks at the Polynesian. While we love the GF, there is construction still in progress there on the new DVC units and the feel of the resort is very similar to the BWI. The Polynesian feels like a South Seas resort, a totally different atmosphere!
I think I would be tempted to do three resorts over three weeks, but I see your point about packing and unpacking, it is a good bit of work. If I were to add a third resort I would chose AKL. You definitely don't feel like you are in Florida when you stay there, it's very romantic and relaxing and the buses are actually not too bad.

 

[Letterhead]

I think if you are doing a week at the Boardwalk Inn, I would do two weeks at the Polynesian. While we love the GF, there is construction still in progress there on the new DVC units and the feel of the resort is very similar to the BWI. The Polynesian feels like a South Seas resort, a totally different atmosphere!
I think I would be tempted to do three resorts over three weeks, but I see your point about packing and unpacking, it is a good bit of work. If I were to add a third resort I would chose AKL. You definitely don't feel like you are in Florida when you stay there, it's very romantic and relaxing and the buses are actually not too bad.

The similar theme was one of our worries, but then the argument for was when would we ever have another excuse to stay at the GF?

WDW has too much on offer it seems

 

[mmmears]

I think if you are doing a week at the Boardwalk Inn, I would do two weeks at the Polynesian. While we love the GF, there is construction still in progress there on the new DVC units and the feel of the resort is very similar to the BWI. The Polynesian feels like a South Seas resort, a totally different atmosphere!
I think I would be tempted to do three resorts over three weeks, but I see your point about packing and unpacking, it is a good bit of work. If I were to add a third resort I would chose AKL. You definitely don't feel like you are in Florida when you stay there, it's very romantic and relaxing and the buses are actually not too bad.

I agree with pretty much everything said here.

 

[TowMater92]

Just a FYI if you don't know since I haven't seen where anyone said it when you change resorts Disney will move all your luggage and food for you. They also have refrigerator/freezer for anything that needs to be kept cool or frozen. Just call the bell hop desk and tell them you are changing resorts and they will come pick everything up and even bring bags/boxes for your food.