Split Stay tips?

[Tia Jones]

Considering doing a split stay, starting out at Pop or Art of Animation for a couple of nights then headed over to Poly for 4 nights. For those that have done a split stay, do you typically go to a park on the day you switch over, or do a resort day?

 

[JFDIS]

We always do a park on moving day. I feel like if I don’t all I can think about is when my room is going to be ready. We pack up early on moving day and drive out stuff over to the next hotel and leave it with bell services. We will typically go to the park closest to our hotel, winch would be MK in your case. I always set aside a pool bag so it’s easy to get for bell services if we want an afternoon pool break.

 

[Schneewittchen37]

Whenever I've done a split stay, we've made it a park day.

The first time we did Pop to Wilderness Lodge. We went to Animal Kingdom that day. I feel like the bus wait was annoying as heck that day. So if I did it again, I think boat to Magic Kingdom would have been better.

The next time was Coronado to Contemporary. We went to Epcot that day. We did the monorail to Epcot, that worked out really well.

 

[Schneewittchen37]

I can add some thoughts about moving bags.

When we got a Lyft early in the morning to move our own bags, that was great. And magically, our room was actually ready when we arrived at the hotel super early in the morning.

When we used Bell Services to transfer the bags it wasn't so great. In the afternoon, I think our room wasn't ready at check-in time. And then Bell Services couldn't find a clue or our bags. So we spent a lot of time in the lobby when we really wanted to be at the pool.

Next time, I'm moving my own bags.

 

[gottalovepluto]

For switch day I sleep in, drop bags at bell services and plan on doing a park I can just enjoy hanging out at through the afternoon. That way if the room ready text doesn’t hit until 4pm-5pm I don’t really care. And I don’t plan on doing the pool or anything fancy for dinner in case my bags are delayed. I hate transporting luggage so the only reason I split stay is because Disney will do that for me.

The parks I like for long afternoon hangs are AK or EP. I can see shows at AK, watch animals, it’s just a beautiful park to chill at. EP there is always something I can explore or I can sit and people watch and enjoy the atmosphere of WS with a plastic flute of bubbly. At MK or DHS I drive myself too hard to do rides so I’m tired and grouchy like a 4yo by 2pm and just want to go back to my hotel- not good for resort transfer day. I guess in a way I kinda merge a resort day and a park day into “relax at a park day”

 

[SLThomas318]

We enjoy using the changeover day as our lazy day. We sleep-in, take our time packing up and then check-out at 11. I'll usually plan something for lunch at Disney Springs or a resort character meal. We take our time eating/shopping and then head to the new resort when we get the text that our room is ready. We've been lucky and always been assigned something by 3pm. I do have a pool bag packed so that if we get tired of shopping around and our room isn't ready we could head to the pool. We like to do 6 night trips with a 3/3 split so when it comes time to change rooms we are ready for a slow day. We have done the park as well, but it felt a bit more chaotic with getting everything packed up and out the door in time for park opening (we like to rope drop).

 

[Raemama]

We're planning our first real split stay for our fall 2022 vacation. We've previously done a lead in night at a value resort when arriving very late at night and then moved to a moderate or deluxe resort for the full remainder of our trip, but I don't really consider that a true split stay where you split more in the middle of a trip.

For this next adventure and true split stay, we're planning to hang out leisurely at our first resort on checkout day till checkout time and then we're playing golf for the afternoon, which at Disney, is a five hour commitment. That way hopefully our room will be ready with no wait around time for it. We're driving so won't need bell services help, but we have used bell services before and have had great success with transferring our bags.

 

[Tia Jones]

I can add some thoughts about moving bags.

When we got a Lyft early in the morning to move our own bags, that was great. And magically, our room was actually ready when we arrived at the hotel super early in the morning.

When we used Bell Services to transfer the bags it wasn't so great. In the afternoon, I think our room wasn't ready at check-in time. And then Bell Services couldn't find a clue or our bags. So we spent a lot of time in the lobby when we really wanted to be at the pool.

Next time, I'm moving my own bags.

Good to know, thank you!

 

[Nabas]

Considering doing a split stay, starting out at Pop or Art of Animation for a couple of nights then headed over to Poly for 4 nights. For those that have done a split stay, do you typically go to a park on the day you switch over, or do a resort day?

We've done many split stays.

No set pattern. Sometimes we pack up and head straight to the parks. Other times, we pack up and then hang at the pool at the first resort before heading to the second resort. And other times still, we check out close to 11 AM, head to the other hotel, and spend the day at the pool at the second hotel until our room is ready.

We have annual passes, so going to the parks yet again is not normally at the top of our list of things to do. But we also are strongly influenced by the weather. If it's hot, then it's almost certainly a pool during the day. If it's not and something special like Holiday decorations are going on, then it's off to a theme park.

We even use transfer days to explore offsite.

IMO, if you don't get to WDW too often, then use a transfer day to head to the parks.

 

[Sabine W.]

Thanks for starting this thread. We are doing our first split stay this March, and I have been all over the place trying to plan it

 

[crzy4dsny]

Be prepared to possibly not have your luggage until 5:00-6:00 if you use bell services to move your luggage to your next resort. If you want to have it with you as soon as your new room is ready I would suggest bringing it there with you in an Uber.

 

[Jfsag123]

We do split stays every trip. Our upcoming trip will be the third time in a row that we've done a triple split stay. We've never had an issue with our luggage showing up late, but maybe we're just lucky. We've never tried to get it before like 3:00 or 4:00 in the afternoon, though. We did have one instance when our luggage was delivered, but our refrigerated food items weren't (back when they still moved that stuff for folks). They tracked our stuff down and found it had never left the previous resort and got it to us within an hour of us asking about it. They also offered us a gift card to eat in a Disney restaurant for dinner that night, but we stuck with having our leftover Via Napoli once we got our food. We typically sleep in a bit on resort change days and will either go to a park or Disney springs until we get the room ready text. We pack with the split in mind (packing cubes are your friend!). Sometimes we take our luggage to bell services, but often we just call and ask them to pick it up directly from the room (we tip well for this, of course). If you do it this way, though, don't wait to call until right before you're planning to leave. Give them plenty of time to be able to get to you before you need to be out of the room.

 

[kylenne]

Last year I did a split between GF and YC and it was pretty flawless. On moving day I had bell services come up to get my stuff and I rope dropped AK. I got my room ready text at Nomad Lounge about 1pm and when I headed to YC around 4 my stuff was already waiting for me there.

We will have another “split” this year only it will be within the same resort, we have tacked a couple nights of club level at the end of our Sept. Poly stay. We plan to just drop our stuff at bell services and have a lazy resort day since we’ll have access to the lounge.

One tip I can’t stress enough to make things easier when you move is to be organized with your packing. I’m a big proponent of cubes because they make packing and unpacking really easy. My carryon had the cubes for my GF stay and my checked bag had my YC cubes. While at GF I only unpacked that carryon, which consisted of just popping my cubes into the drawer. I put my dirty clothes away as I went (have fancy Away luggage with built in laundry bags but even a regular separate laundry bag will do). So when it was time to move literally all I needed to pack were empty cubes, shoes, and my toiletries/makeup. Took less than 10 minutes.

 

[KNovacovschi]

Thank you for starting this thread. I’m doing my first split stay in December, 1 night at Poly then 1 night at BLT and then 5 nights at OKW, all DVC. I want to do a resort day on the Sunday, Poly to BLT day, but I keep seeing in different places to do a park day that day. Poly is my bucket list resort so I want to get everything I can out of it but I’m just not sure the best way to do it.

 

[PollyannaMom]

Thank you for starting this thread. I’m doing my first split stay in December, 1 night at Poly then 1 night at BLT and then 5 nights at OKW, all DVC. I want to do a resort day on the Sunday, Poly to BLT day, but I keep seeing in different places to do a park day that day. Poly is my bucket list resort so I want to get everything I can out of it but I’m just not sure the best way to do it.

If it's your dream resort, don't be discouraged into doing a park that day! Just pack a backpack with essentials and enjoy your time there.

 

[snikki]

Take a Lyft/Uber with your luggage to your new resort and make it a park day. I don't like changing or using the showers in the pool area so a pool day is out for us. If you are a midday break kind of person make your request for the new resort "first available room" so you can have somewhere to relax midday.

I'm not the biggest fan of split stays since we like midday breaks and our room hasn't been ready before 3-4 pm and our luggage not arriving until 4-5 pm. In the August heat with two kids that was brutal. DD has asked not to do anymore split stays so next trip we have 9 days at CSR. If my DH and I go back for an adult only trip we would be open to a split stay.

 

[tiana1989]

I’m another vote for a relaxing resort day during the split! We’ve done it both ways, and that’s my strong preference. But I also think it depends a lot on what type of park days you have (open to close vs midday break). We’re rope drop to park close people, so adding the transfer stress just gets too chaotic and we need those rest days in between. We usually book an ADR at hotel 1 about an hour or so after checkout, so we’ll sleep in, maybe have something light for breakfast or grab some coffee, and take the rest of the morning packing and loading (we always drive, so we do our own transfer instead of relying on bell services). Then once we’re out of the room we soak up the ambiance of the hotel a little more, hang out in the lobby, head to the gift shop, etc. Most of the Disney resorts have such lovely grounds to wander around. We have our nice table service meal and then drive over to Hotel 2 to start checking out our new digs! I also usually select a morning time for check-in, noon at the latest, that way if there’s any delay our room is still ready by the time we head over after lunch. We’ve never not had our room, and that includes during the busy holiday season. The transfer is done by mid afternoon, and then we have the rest of the day for pool time and a nice meal at our new hotel or a trip to Disney Springs for the evening.

 

[kanerf]

I specifically bought a backpack cooler so that I can haul my cold things over to the next resort in the morning. They will still keep it cold there, they just won't transport it for you. I let Bell Services handle the rest of the stuff. It is usually at the new resort by the time I get back there after a day in the park and possibly dinner.

 

[rick1zoo2]

We have been doing split stays recently and have a few planned. We have found that 3 resorts in a week is a bit much, 2 works better, with 3 nights at each. We like to stay either near Epcot/HS or at Animal Kingdom Lodge for the first part, visiting AK, HS, Epcot. Then move to a MK area resort for the second part, visiting MK. On the transfer day we take luggage to bell services first thing in the morning, then go to a park for the day, and then on to the new resort.

The one time we used Uber was when we were notified our room was ready early in the morning, so we were able to get into the new room about 10am, plus as it was Caribbean Beach the Uber driver was able to get us very close to our room, better than having to walk all the way with luggage from the lobby bell services.

 

[Tia Jones]

Last year I did a split between GF and YC and it was pretty flawless. On moving day I had bell services come up to get my stuff and I rope dropped AK. I got my room ready text at Nomad Lounge about 1pm and when I headed to YC around 4 my stuff was already waiting for me there.

We will have another “split” this year only it will be within the same resort, we have tacked a couple nights of club level at the end of our Sept. Poly stay. We plan to just drop our stuff at bell services and have a lazy resort day since we’ll have access to the lounge.

One tip I can’t stress enough to make things easier when you move is to be organized with your packing. I’m a big proponent of cubes because they make packing and unpacking really easy. My carryon had the cubes for my GF stay and my checked bag had my YC cubes. While at GF I only unpacked that carryon, which consisted of just popping my cubes into the drawer. I put my dirty clothes away as I went (have fancy Away luggage with built in laundry bags but even a regular separate laundry bag will do). So when it was time to move literally all I needed to pack were empty cubes, shoes, and my toiletries/makeup. Took less than 10 minutes.

Where do you find the packing cubes? Amazon?