Split Stay (kinda) Question and Advice

[GoBonnies-SBU]

Hi all. We are staying at AKL from Aug 1-7. As we are looking for flights, we have found it is significantly cheaper to fly home on Aug 8 instead of Aug 7. Flight savings would be $800 total for our group. To add one additional night at AKL, it would be $650. However, 2 rooms at All Stars for one night would be $300. There are 4 adults in the group. In addition we have the dining plan, so extending the AKL would actually be more because it would add an extra night on the DP which we likely would not need. My thought is that on Friday the 7th we check out of AKL and then, as I understand it, we can have Disney transport our bags to All Stars, hit the parks and return and check in to All Stars that night and then have a leisurely pool day on the 8th (we will not leave for MCO until about 5pm. I would book the All Stars as a separate reservation. I also think that we would have flexibility with our 6 days of tickets to skip one park day during our AKL stay and use that day for a Sat. visit to a park. I want advice as to whether that would work (our extra park day would still be valid even if not during our package stay) and if there is anything else I should be thinking about and considering.

 

[WinterSolider]

Shift it the other direction. Move AKL to August 2 to 8, and stay at All Star on August 1. That moves the annoying part of checking in, unpacking, repacking, and checking out to the front of your trip rather than the back of it.

Take advantage of the "Free Water Park on Check-In" perk that they're offering this summer.

 

[thanxfornoticin]

Either scenario would be workable, of course. But to save $800, you might end up spending more (although it will be at WDW!)!! Seems really inconvenient to move just for the one night (you'll be without a room that last day from 11-4, approximately). I like the idea recommended above (if you can do it) of doing the 1-night AS stay the first night and then extending AKL. That could work better. You just have to decide if it's worth a lot of inconvenience to save that few hundred $s on the room and DDP.

 

[IndyToThere]

You might consider booking an off-site hotel for that last night to save on money. You leave your bags with bell services at AKL and pick them up after returning from the parks on the 7th. Then take a short taxi/rideshare ride to your hotel.

Last trip we took, we flew in a day early and just needed a cheap hotel for the night. There are lots of offsite hotels around the Disney property. We stayed at the Grand Lake resort off of Bronson Memorial, which is really close to AKL (about 2miles away) for around $150/night - made for an affordable way to add a night just for sleeping. What was nice about that place is the rooms are suites, so you have a kitchen and living room / sleeper couch to go along with the bedroom.

 

[elvispursley]

I'm of the opposite option. Do as you have planned and instead of going to the park on your AS check-in day, I'd hit the water park, then have a nice dinner somewhere after you check in, head to DS for some last minute shopping, and then have the pool-day as you mention on check-out. Of course, if you can shift the AKL dates over and put AS at the beginning, you'd have a better pool-day on check-out and you wouldn't be as inconvenienced but sometimes it's hard to find availability when shifting. The other thing you could see about doing is just adding a room-only at AKL and then having having it noted as a concurrent stay so you can stay in your same room even though you technically "check-out/check-in" to that same room under the room-on reservation.

 

[PollyannaMom]

I also think that we would have flexibility with our 6 days of tickets to skip one park day during our AKL stay and use that day for a Sat. visit to a park...

Yes, I think the tickets are usable for a certain number of days after you use the first one, regardless of where you're staying. (But things change so often I would probably call someone at Disney to confirm.)

PS - Love your user name!