Split stay or not to split stay?

[Alexsandra]

Hi everyone, I am traveling Feb 29th to March 9th 2016 with my husband and two boys (5 and 9 y.o.)
At first our plan was to visit WDW and Universal Studios but with the Canadian dollar being so low and the exchange rate being so bad we decided to forgo Universal and the extra expenses that entailed. We want to stay on Disney property as we like having no car to rent.

Our favourite moderate resort is POFQ because we love its small size and the boat to DTD. My husband and I stayed at the Poly 2 year ago in September without the kids and loved it. We loved eating at Kona Cafe each morning and going back to the pool in the afternoon. We also loved the fireworks on the beach and the water parade each night.

We are debating splitting our stay between POFQ and the Polynesian or just staying the whole time at POFQ.

Right now Disney still has not released any discounts for the month of March 2016. If I base myself on non discounted rates, staying 9 nights at POFQ will cost me the same as splitting my vacation between POFQ (5 nights) and POLY (4 nights) if I rent points for a DVC at the POLY.

In the past two years Disney has offered a discount for my travel dates: PLAY, STAY, AND DINE DISCOUNT.
If I am able to get that discount then staying at POFQ the whole time will come out cheeper.

My debate is this: is it worth even going through the hassle of splitting my stay. Is the Poly really worth it with kids who will not tell the difference between the two resorts. When we went to the POLY alone we did have park hoppers and we did take advantage of resort pool and facilities and used the monorail to eat at the various restaurants at Grand Floridian and the Contemporary. We did a lot of adult-friendly things. This time we are not purchasing park hoppers and we will most probably not eat at such fancy restaurants. I am sure we will swim in the pools but I don't know how much we will take advantage of them since beginning of March can still be a little chilly.

Any suggestions and advise?

 

[disny_luvr]

We just did a split stay last month and we loved it! Honestly, leading up to the split stay I kept thinking I'd hate it but that wasn't the case at all. We split our time between BC/Poly. When we were at the BC we spent our time at DHS and Epcot. When we were at Poly we mostly visited MK and AK. I was worried that moving resorts would be a hassle but that certainly wasn't the case. We took a cab from one resort to the other and brought our bags with us. When we checked into the Poly our room wasn't ready so we just swam until it was. One of our suitcases had all of our clothing in it for the second part of our split stay and we didn't open it until we checked into the Poly. It really was seamless and great! It felt like two vacations in one! I'd definitely do a split stay again.

 

[ErinsMommy]

if Poly wasn't still in refurb mode, we would've done a split between BC and Poly - do the split and enjoy =)

 

[Sarah22]

Quick split stay question for those who have done it. We are doing room only at poly for 2 days then 8 day MYW package at Grand Floridian. We received our yellow tags but did not receive and of our vouchers, coupons, or Mickey luggage tags. Will they come separate bc of the split stay?

 

[thisismyusername]

Quick split stay question for those who have done it. We are doing room only at poly for 2 days then 8 day MYW package at Grand Floridian. We received our yellow tags but did not receive and of our vouchers, coupons, or Mickey luggage tags. Will they come separate bc of the split stay?

Likely, your Grand Floridian stay is RO, which isn't a package. Only package reservations receive the vouchers, coupons and tags.

 

[Sarah22]

Likely, your Grand Floridian stay is RO, which isn't a package. Only package reservations receive the vouchers, coupons and tags.

Our GF is the package for 8 days. But added on a 2 day room only poly before our package starts.

 

[ArwenMarie]

For a trip that long, I think a split stay is perfect. Change of scenery, get to explore a new resort. I find they make the vacation feel like two vacations in one.

 

[thisismyusername]

Our GF is the package for 8 days. But added on a 2 day room only poly before our package starts.

Sorry I misread, but, you will not receive the tags/vouchers for the Poly stay. Only the GF stay.

 

[wdwrich]

OP - Another vote for the split stay. Our kids at that age definitely noticed the difference between the Poly and other resorts, so I'm sure yours will too. As a start, the rooms at the Poly are much larger than those at any of the moderates. The fact that the Poly is on the monorail will be a big deal too. Have fun!

 

[Alexsandra]

Ok, so split stay is the winner! Thanks everyone.

 

[Mama Lo]

Another vote for the split stay.

I totally disagree that your kids won't know the difference. They will love the amenities, the pool with splash area its different and being able to watch the fireworks from the beach is amazing.

Enjoy your trip!

 

[mickeyfanachey1999]

I guess I am lazy...I hate switching rooms in the middle of a vacation. I just like to get there and be there and not have to worry with moving our stuff etc. I think a lot of that has to do with my family packs as though they are moving in...not just visiting.

 

[wdwrich]

I guess I am lazy...I hate switching rooms in the middle of a vacation. I just like to get there and be there and not have to worry with moving our stuff etc. I think a lot of that has to do with my family packs as though they are moving in...not just visiting.

...And that's fine. We all have different takes on how to enjoy a vacation. DW and I like split stays because it's like getting two vacations in one, and we get to experience more of the resorts WDW has to offer. That being said, we wouldn't split for stays of less than 6 days total, or if we had small children along.

 

[mickeyfanachey1999]

...And that's fine. We all have different takes on how to enjoy a vacation. DW and I like split stays because it's like getting two vacations in one, and we get to experience more of the resorts WDW has to offer. That being said, we wouldn't split for stays of less than 6 days total, or if we had small children along.

I think you hit the nail on the head right there...kids being along. They don't want to pack up or wait while we drive to a different resort etc. Maybe if we get to go just the two of us one day we'll split em up. I think with just two of us I would like a BWV/AKLV split stay.

 

[GaSleepingBeautyFan]

I am not a fan of the split stay I discovered. I didn't like packing up and moving all my stuff and then having to unpack at the next resort knowing I was going to pack it all up one final time to go home.

I did my first split stay last Sept. 2014. But a split stay is about the only way I can afford to stay any part of my trip at a Deluxe resort so I'll probably do it again some day.

 

[KangaFan]

We did a split stay when our kids were 9 & 12 and we found the packing up a little bit of a hassle as well. We also didn't like not having a room between checkout & check-in on the switch day since we often leave the park around 1 and have a break until 5. We did 5 nights at POP and then 2 nights at AKL. Surprisingly, even though my daughter loved the animal programs at AKL, they missed everything else about POP--the larger arcade, the "better" (in their opinion) food court and the friends they'd made at the POP pool.

 

[FantasiaMagic]

You can't beat the POLY IMO, so I would go for the split!

 

[Alexsandra]

I guess I am lazy...I hate switching rooms in the middle of a vacation. I just like to get there and be there and not have to worry with moving our stuff etc. I think a lot of that has to do with my family packs as though they are moving in...not just visiting.

My husband is the same. If it were up to him he would not move from the first resort. He like getting there, unpacking and enjoying the rest of the vaca without hassle. He is only considering the split stay to make me happy.
I am traveling with two young kids. Now I am wondering what to do!?
But I do love the Poly!

 

[sazzifrazz]

Last week we booked our first split stay for January. It sounded like a great idea at the time. We love staying in the Epcot area (Boardwalk) but wanted to try a monorail resort (poly). Since booking it I have thought more about it and worry we made a mistake. We are doing 2 nights at BWV and 3 nights at Poly villas. We rented DVC points and cant change it now. I realize now that we can't book all of our ADR's at 180 from the first night..we have to book then on 2 separate days because it is considered 2 separate resi's. Packing up now seems like a hassle. I plan to call bell services and let them handle the luggage. we will leave BW and go straight to HS for the day and check into poly that evening. I hope we end up loving our decision.

 

[Alexsandra]

Last week we booked our first split stay for January. It sounded like a great idea at the time. We love staying in the Epcot area (Boardwalk) but wanted to try a monorail resort (poly). Since booking it I have thought more about it and worry we made a mistake. We are doing 2 nights at BWV and 3 nights at Poly villas. We rented DVC points and cant change it now. I realize now that we can't book all of our ADR's at 180 from the first night..we have to book then on 2 separate days because it is considered 2 separate resi's. Packing up now seems like a hassle. I plan to call bell services and let them handle the luggage. we will leave BW and go straight to HS for the day and check into poly that evening. I hope we end up loving our decision.

I understand your concern but don't worry, I am sure will have an amazing vacation. I absolutely love the Polynesian. It will be fun to be on the monorail so that you can explore that area too. Are you traveling with kids?