Split Stay Strategy Help Needed

[NYCgrrl]

We will be a party of 5: 2 adults, a 17, 12, and 9 y/o.

In the best of all worlds I'd stay in one hotel and call it quits but my pocketbook is asking me "Can't you do better?".
Our vac time frame is to arrive July 4th and depart July 10th giving us 5 full park days.

I'm trying to split our stay between a 2 day stay @ a monorail hotel for easy access to MK and a 3 day stay @ an Epcot hotel for visits to HS, DS, and of course EP. My thinking for the minute is it's relatively simple to get to AK from a monorail hotel. We normally stay at Poly and for a variety of reasons it's my first choice on the monorail but I'm good for having my eyes opened on that level.

I'd like to switch to an Epcot area hotel for the remainder of our trip to lower costs and intra-park travel time plus explore a new hotel experience. I keep focusing on the BC/YC complex but still haven't made up my mind so help there would be useful and it doesn't have to be either of those hotels or even a Disney World hotel w/i the full system thus Swan/Dolphin hotel experiences welcomed.

TIA!

 

[AllieBoo]

We did a split stay last June between the Contemporary and BC. We stayed the first 3 nights at Contemporary and the next 4 at BC. This strategy worked well for us! We scheduled our MK days for the first part of the trip (except for the last day - I have to end my trips at MK), so we could easily walk back and forth. I highly recommend the Contemporary - such an easy walk to MK and you have your own bag check stop along the way, which cuts down on waiting at the gate.
The last part, we stayed at BC and focused on Epcot and DHS. The pool at YC/BC is awesome! You also can't beat the short walk to Epcot, and you can take a boat over to DHS. We enjoyed walking around the Boardwalk area at night and watching the performers too. There are quite a few dining options around the Boardwalk and Beaches and Cream at BC is great.

 

[NYCgrrl]

We did a split stay last June between the Contemporary and BC. We stayed the first 3 nights at Contemporary and the next 4 at BC. This strategy worked well for us! We scheduled our MK days for the first part of the trip (except for the last day - I have to end my trips at MK), so we could easily walk back and forth. I highly recommend the Contemporary - such an easy walk to MK and you have your own bag check stop along the way, which cuts down on waiting at the gate.
The last part, we stayed at BC and focused on Epcot and DHS. The pool at YC/BC is awesome! You also can't beat the short walk to Epcot, and you can take a boat over to DHS. We enjoyed walking around the Boardwalk area at night and watching the performers too. There are quite a few dining options around the Boardwalk and Beaches and Cream at BC is great.

The pool piqued my interest as well and I know the kids would enjoy it. While @ WDW in December we went to YC/BC to see the holiday decor and walked around the pool area w/ a guest. DGD was in raptures. Didn't get to see a room since we met up in the lobby but saw a few on youtube and they look nice. The idea of walking to and from Epcot is a real plus and along with the offerings on the Boardwalk we'd be able to eat at Epcot too.

I still haven't looked seriously at the Contemporary but have noted it's closeness to MK and on a short trip that would certainly be a plus. Think it's time to do a YouTube visit of that hotel.

 

[DisneyWishes14]

We will be a party of 5: 2 adults, a 17, 12, and 9 y/o.

In the best of all worlds I'd stay in one hotel and call it quits but my pocketbook is asking me "Can't you do better?".
Our vac time frame is to arrive July 4th and depart July 10th giving us 5 full park days.

I'm trying to split our stay between a 2 day stay @ a monorail hotel for easy access to MK and a 3 day stay @ an Epcot hotel for visits to HS, DS, and of course EP. My thinking for the minute is it's relatively simple to get to AK from a monorail hotel. We normally stay at Poly and for a variety of reasons it's my first choice on the monorail but I'm good for having my eyes opened on that level.

I'd like to switch to an Epcot area hotel for the remainder of our trip to lower costs and intra-park travel time plus explore a new hotel experience. I keep focusing on the BC/YC complex but still haven't made up my mind so help there would be useful and it doesn't have to be either of those hotels or even a Disney World hotel w/i the full system thus Swan/Dolphin hotel experiences welcomed.

TIA!

If you are looking to give your wallet a break and you want to do a MK/EP split, I would price out all monorail options (CR, GF and Poly and include CR garden wing) and all EP resort options (including Swan/Dolphin) and see which is cheapest. IMHO, you can't go wrong with any of those resorts. When pricing out Swan/Dolphin, make sure to factor in what it would cost to get back to MCO (if you are flying) as DME would not be included with a Swan/Dolphin stay.

Getting to AK from a monorail resort is simple, just know the EP resorts are closer to AK if that makes any difference to you.

 

[NYCgrrl]

If you are looking to give your wallet a break and you want to do a MK/EP split, I would price out all monorail options (CR, GF and Poly and include CR garden wing) and all EP resort options (including Swan/Dolphin) and see which is cheapest. IMHO, you can't go wrong with any of those resorts. When pricing out Swan/Dolphin, make sure to factor in what it would cost to get back to MCO (if you are flying) as DME would not be included with a Swan/Dolphin stay.

Getting to AK from a monorail resort is simple, just know the EP resorts are closer to AK if that makes any difference to you.

I know we want to visit Pandora in particular so how do you get from the Epcot area to AK? Another bus or a boat and bus?
We missed the DME once and I'd prefer not paying for the taxi ride again although a one time shot at the start and finish of the trip is not a make or break moment if the Swan/Dolphin room rate is enough of a deal. Do Swan/Dolphin have a food plan comparable to Disney?

 

[loves to dive]

I've done split stays for the last 4 or 5 years (I go at least twice a year). The end of my stay is always at an Epcot resort. Lately I've been doing a 2 night split at a moderate then moving over to Epcot resort for the last part of the trip. We no longer stay at the MK resorts just because we don't spend a whole lot of time at MK so I can save money by staying at a moderate, doing MK on arrival day/night (we drive down and get there around 2) then AK the next day since you have to take a bus to AK no matter where you stay. Then we do Epcot, HS and maybe MK if we feel like we haven't finished it from there. Lately, those Epcot stays have been at Swan/Dolphin. I was hesitant to stay there at first, my favorite resort on property is YC and I just felt it would be to corporate feeling. It's not, it's not in your face Disney either but the rooms tend to be a tad bigger, there are great food options, the pool is great. I have a trip with my adult son coming up in May that will be two nights at ASSp then moving to Dolphin for 3 nights. I'm not a fan of the value resorts but I will stay there arrival night because we really aren't in the room that first day there except to sleep. If we do AK the second day, again we aren't going to be hanging out at the resort that much, we have park hoppers/APs and even if we aren't at AK all day, we might take the rest of the day at MK or hop over to Epcot for a meal. After that, we do spend a lot of time at the resort, hot tubs and pool bars were invented for us.

 

[Amanda999]

Just note that sometimes Disney won't sell you a resort room for a short stay. (Although sometimes you can find it at orbitz etc. - i.e., even if Disney's own site says no rooms) For example, if you search for a 3 night stay 7/4-7/7 at YC, it will show no availability except for suites, e.g. But for 7 nights all of a sudden standard view rooms are available. So something to keep in mind. Hopefully won't come up for you.

 

[reking96]

Have you considered a family suite at the Values? Just a thought. Or a DVC Villa?

 

[NYCgrrl]

Have you considered a family suite at the Values? Just a thought. Or a DVC Villa?

I'll be honest..haven't considered any of the Value resorts because well uhm-I'm raising a monster grandchild. Her father has already noted that his childhood differed from his daughter's and went so far as to ask if I liked her better than him. After a bit of time explaining now and then I finally just told him I did like her better at which point he recalled that I was good at sarcasm; so glad he remembered who I am.

In deference to the fact that this trip celebrates my niece's high school graduation (a something that was nevah celebrated by her ascendants..we care/d about college) I'm trying to stick with Deluxe accommodations. Maybe it'll inspire her to continue her education.

I'm having a hard time figuring out the DVC system which is truly sad and testament to the reality that I'm getting/am old.

 

[karen4546]

I'll be honest..haven't considered any of the Value resorts because well uhm-I'm raising a monster grandchild. Her father has already noted that his childhood differed from his daughter's and went so far as to ask if I liked her better than him. After a bit of time explaining now and then I finally just told him I did like her better at which point he recalled that I was good at sarcasm; so glad he remembered who I am.

In deference to the fact that this trip celebrates my niece's high school graduation (a something that was nevah celebrated by her ascendants..we care/d about college) I'm trying to stick with Deluxe accommodations. Maybe it'll inspire her to continue her education.

I'm having a hard time figuring out the DVC system which is truly sad and testament to the reality that I'm getting/am old.

You should really check into renting a DVC villa through a broker. You could get a 1br or 2br and for a lot less than Disney prices. The broker I use has an online chat and they are happy for you to call them. They do ask for a small deposit to check for your reservation request but if you don't get what you want you get the deposit back. The whole process really is easy. You can buy your tickets through Disney or through Undercover Tourist and link them to your MyDisney account and you can even add the dining plan. The 1-2 bedrooms have kitchens so you can cook (I don't cook on vacation. )

Happy Planning !