Split Stays at WDW - pros and cons?

[Ms. Shuttergirl]

I keep reading on the Dis about people doing split stays and I'm curious as to what you all think about this.

Have any Aussies done this?

What were your reasons?

Was it a bit of a hassle or smooth sailing?

Would you do it again?

Where did you stay?

 

[queenie82]

Old Key West - few nights either side
Animal Kingdom - 1 week
Bay Lake Tower - few nights
Board walk - few nights
Beach Club 1 night

pros - sampling lots of places - This was our first time onsite...and DVC guests....so we tried out lots of places.
- Finding out quickly what your favourites are - AND which ones you thought would be favourites but aren't.
- Finding out that the 'best' areas in OKW really are subjective. We got our request one time and didn't like it as much as the other location we got the other time.
- Splitting dining plans. You have to take a dining plan for length of stay. So when you are staying for 2 weeks it really can get a bit much.
We did some DDP to sample it and the rest as DP.

cons - lots of checking in and out. Obviously.
- smooth sailing - no. Many issues checking in and so on.
But I WOULD do it again. We now know so much more and how to deal with things. The main thing is that the right foot doesn't know what the left is doing and many of the check in staff really don't know what they are doing properly.
I doubt we would have so many issues next time. We really hit a lot of bad luck with having to work our way up the food chain to get a manager to sort things out properly. Once you get to a manager they really will listen and know how to do things.

As I say this was our FIRST time onsite and at DVC and we learnt SOOO much. - I thought I would want longer at BWV and was going to stay longer at BWV but instead we (thankfully) stayed less time there as I didn't like it much at all.
- I discovered despite people bagging the size of it, I LOVED BLT and thought it was a perfect layout and size.
- Also discovered that the cleaning staff don't use a service lift which makes it a nightmare getting up and down during peak check in time.
- Main Lesson
NEVER EVER GET YOUR TICKET TRANSFERRED FROM ROOM KEY TO ROOM KEY AS THEY STUFFED IT UP CAUSING NO END OF TROUBLE!!!
You can get your park ticket put on your room key and even AFTER you check out while the room key part no longer works, the ticket will remain valid. So just put it on the first place and keep it there.

I think hopping from Old Key West to Animal Kingdom Villas to Bay Lake Tower would be a perfect combination next time

 

[aussietravellers]

We are doing a split stay on our upcoming trip. 8 nights at AKL then 14 at BC. The reason we are doing it is we cannot make a reservation for longer than 14 nights so we may as well move . Also I really wanted to stay at BC this time and my DS really wanted AKL. He loved it so much last trip (well we all did) so I thought he can have a few nights at his dream resort and as my very favourite restaurants are at AKL (Mara, Jiko and Boma breakfast) and wanting to do the safari, that's why we decided on that.

On our last trip we stayed at AKL for 21 nights, so as you can not book more than 14 nights in one reservation we had to have two reservations. We still had to check out then check back in, but I mentinoned it when we checked in and also went down the night before to say that we were not moving rooms! So I left everybody in the room, we didn't pack up and I went down to check out then check in. Luckily they did let us keep the same room!

But for dining credits, having the two ressies was a bit of a pain, as they expired mid way through our stay, so we had lots of snack credits and a few CS credits left so had to race and buy heaps of CS snacks to store and use the credits as they expired at midnight when we checked out on our first reservation.

My mother came along on our last trip, but she was coming for the last 10 night, also staying at AKL. She ended up coming about a week early and had trouble getting accommodation when she turned up early, so the first night she stayed at AKL, then it was full, so she moved to Saratoga Springs for two nights, then she moved to Beach Club for a few nights before returning to AKL for her original 10 night reservation.

So she had to move from AKL to SSR to BC to AKL within 10 days and it was a total breeze. Bell services would come and take her bags the check out morning. She would go over to the new resort in the morning or afternoon and check in and then the bags were delivered to her room. Not once was there a problem.

For me the packing and unpacking is a pain. But I look at it as two different destinations But experiencing my mums transitions the three times in one trip and it was all very easy and uneventful so I am not worried about changing resorts at all.

The problem occurs with tickets also. As if you want to do a package with dining on both ressies you have to buy tickets on both ressies (unless you are an annual pass holder, then you can do room only with dining). Tickets for the first two to three days are the most expensive, so if you have to do that twice it can get expensive. So it's best to do a package with dining on the first ressie but then room only on the second. Problem with that is if you want the dining plan.

For our trip we have package on the first AKL ressie with tickets (no dining plan, we are doing TIW), we are upgrading the tickets and our Disneyland AP's to the Premier Pass, then the second ressie at BC is a room only ressie (no dining plan).

I personally love the idea of a split stay if you are there for long enough. I wouldn't do it I don't think for under a 14 day stay, so I could do 7 at one resort and 7 at another. But that is just my personal preference because I really hate packing I'm happy unpacking, its the packing I don't like. You get to experience a couple of different resorts, you can safe a bit by maybe trying a Mod then a Deluxe. Disney really does seem to make it quite easy to move resorts. Its just organising it and working out what works for your family best in terms of Dining plan, tickets etc with your split stay.

 

[Ms. Shuttergirl]

We would be staying for approx. 11 days so I guess a split stay would be doable. I'm DEFINITELY staying at WL, no matter what because I think at Christmas time it would be beautiful and to be honest would be perfectly happy staying there the whole time.

It was only once I got to reading more that I thought it would be fun to maybe stay there for 6-7 days and try another resort of 3-4 days. As you said, it would feel a little like two separate getaways LOL.

I don't have another place in mind, but if money came into it I quite like the look of POFQ, it looks sweet.

This may be one to discuss with the DH, god forbid .

Thanks for the heads up about keeping the tickets on the first reservation, good to know. And I also like the idea of maybe trying a dining plan for one of the bookings but not the other, lots to think about.

 

[aussietravellers]

We would be staying for approx. 11 days so I guess a split stay would be doable. I'm DEFINITELY staying at WL, no matter what because I think at Christmas time it would be beautiful and to be honest would be perfectly happy staying there the whole time.

It was only once I got to reading more that I thought it would be fun to maybe stay there for 6-7 days and try another resort of 3-4 days. As you said, it would feel a little like two separate getaways LOL.

I don't have another place in mind, but if money came into it I quite like the look of POFQ, it looks sweet.

This may be one to discuss with the DH, god forbid .

Thanks for the heads up about keeping the tickets on the first reservation, good to know. And I also like the idea of maybe trying a dining plan for one of the bookings but not the other, lots to think about.

This planning is so much fun isn't it

I think 6-7 at one and 3 to 4 at another is very doable You will get to experience different restaurants, different surroundings, it would be fantastic. If you don't mind the packing and unpacking then the rest of it will be so much fun and a great experience. I think it's different for those who go to WDW a lot, they can try other resorts more regularly but for many of we Aussies who don't get to travel there very often, for many it's a one off experience too, then it's just a fantastic to try a couple of different resorts in one trip.

To be honest I almost did a three resort split stay this upcoming trip. I was going to do a week at AKL, a week at BC and then a week at maybe Poly. But I kept picturing myself packing suitcases, with all of our shopping and decided against it

 

[Ms. Shuttergirl]

Hahahaha, about ALL of the shopping. I would definitely want the bulk amount of time at WL, I'm really looking forward to that place. I might let DH have a look at the choices and see if there was somewhere he'd like to try. It couldn't hurt to include him in some of the decisions right

 

[queenie82]

One thing that helps us is that we don't 'unpack.' Having done so many driving holidays with one or 2 nights here and there and everywhere I'm so used to living out a suitcase I can't get used to 'unpacking'.

One advantage of moving is you have to 'tidy up' and sort through all the goodies you keep collecting and then just putting aside to think about later because you just want to crash.

We shifted our luggage all ourselves with the car. To tip bell services enough to ensure your luggage gets there in one piece pays for a whole TS meal.

Might I suggest BLT for a completely different experience. You are right at the Magic Kingdom and the pool is just lovely. [Great slide ]
Beach Club is nice enough but there are no good Counter Service meals in the area which makes it a major let down. 1 night was more than enough
Again it would be a completely different feel and experience to WL though. If the kids love hotel pools you may struggle to get them out although I found stormalong bay WAYYYY overrated.

 

[Ms. Shuttergirl]

One thing that helps us is that we don't 'unpack.' Having done so many driving holidays with one or 2 nights here and there and everywhere I'm so used to living out a suitcase I can't get used to 'unpacking'.

One advantage of moving is you have to 'tidy up' and sort through all the goodies you keep collecting and then just putting aside to think about later because you just want to crash.

We shifted our luggage all ourselves with the car. To tip bell services enough to ensure your luggage gets there in one piece pays for a whole TS meal.

Might I suggest BLT for a completely different experience. You are right at the Magic Kingdom and the pool is just lovely. [Great slide ]
Beach Club is nice enough but there are no good Counter Service meals in the area which makes it a major let down. 1 night was more than enough
Again it would be a completely different feel and experience to WL though. If the kids love hotel pools you may struggle to get them out although I found stormalong bay WAYYYY overrated.

Since we would be going in December, do you think the pool thing will be as important? I was thinking that if we get to go back after this trip, we would probably go Sept/oct from then on and would definitely choose resorts for pools and outdoors stuff. I think WL will be great because it will be cooler and the indoors is all warm and cosy. This is why I was thinking a smaller resort like POFQ would be nice as it would be easy to get around.

You may be right though, maybe we need to investigate all of the other resorts more thoroughly before making a decision.

Also, I don't completely unpack either. After the last trip, we were on the move every 3 days so I got used to only taking out what I had to.

 

[aussietravellers]

Since we would be going in December, do you think the pool thing will be as important? I was thinking that if we get to go back after this trip, we would probably go Sept/oct from then on and would definitely choose resorts for pools and outdoors stuff. I think WL will be great because it will be cooler and the indoors is all warm and cosy. This is why I was thinking a smaller resort like POFQ would be nice as it would be easy to get around.

You may be right though, maybe we need to investigate all of the other resorts more thoroughly before making a decision.

Also, I don't completely unpack either. After the last trip, we were on the move every 3 days so I got used to only taking out what I had to.

I think that a resort like WL or AKL would be absolutely divine in Winter with the Christmas decorations and feeling cosy with fires etc. The Grand Californial at Disneyland this Dec was just gorgeous with the dark wood and the fires, WL and AKL would have that sort of feel I would imagine (having only been in warmer weather). POFQ would also be lovely in the winter and has a great food court. My friend raves and raves about the Beingets and has said that in Sept that we have to go over there and try them with them.

If it were me, I would not be so concerned about the pool in winter, but that is just me. I'm not a fan of swimming in the winter, getting out of a warm pool into the cool but your kids may love it We thought it was freezing at GCH this Dec and there were people swimming in the pool , we thought they were crazy but I suppose they may have been coming from freezing temperatures to 14 degrees and found that warm but the pool was heated but still too chilly for us to take a dip .

SAB at YC&BC is an amazing pool, whilst it wasn't the best thing since sliced bread for me, my son thought it was absolutely fantastic. My son spent hours in the whirly pool, loved the sand, loved the slide at SAB. We loved having beaches and cream there to get a milkshake to drink around the pool. Yes the BC doesn't have many CS in the hotel but they do have one out by the pool, but after Mara it was a big disappointment. It does have the market place which does have some food, BC&YC also are very close to Epcot so its very walkable to head into the WS and all of their CS meals, so maybe that's why there isn't a great CS at the hotels.

There are pros and cons for every resort and what suits one family may not suit another and different times of the year. If you have your heart set on WL, I think you should stick with that, then have a look at where ever else looks it would appeal to you. I know friends of mine stayed at POFQ for 21 nights and they absolutely loved it, it's a very popular resort Good thing is you have plenty of time to decide and look at December photos in the resorts photo board, that will give you an idea too on the look and feel in December.

 

[Ms. Shuttergirl]

You are so lucky to have stayed at GCH, I think that would be wonderful. If we ever go back to DL we will definitely be going there this time. Loved DLH, don't get me wrong, but GCH just looks a million times better to me. And I like that you could jump off GRR and be dripping wet and pop right in to get changed . Small things excite me LOL.

Thanks for the opinions on the BC, the pool area does sound great and I definitely think somewhere like that would be a good option for us when we go in warmer weather.

 

[queenie82]

I think that a resort like WL or AKL would be absolutely divine in Winter with the Christmas decorations and feeling cosy with fires etc. The Grand Californial at Disneyland this Dec was just gorgeous with the dark wood and the fires, WL and AKL would have that sort of feel I would imagine (having only been in warmer weather).

Grand Cal for me takes the cake over WL but I have something of an obsession with Arts and Crafts Architecture
They are very similar though. So if you had a look at Grand Cal while at Disneyland expect the similar type of experience....although a bit more...wildernessy
EDIT - I just noticed you did see it

You are so lucky to have stayed at GCH, I think that would be wonderful. If we ever go back to DL we will definitely be going there this time. Loved DLH, don't get me wrong, but GCH just looks a million times better to me. And I like that you could jump off GRR and be dripping wet and pop right in to get changed . Small things excite me LOL.

Thanks for the opinions on the BC, the pool area does sound great and I definitely think somewhere like that would be a good option for us when we go in warmer weather.

Yes....getting off GRR and getting changed is AWESOME!!!!! We stayed at GCH for 4 or 5 glorious nights (mind blank) and it really is amazing.

If it were me, I would not be so concerned about the pool in winter, but that is just me. I'm not a fan of swimming in the winter, getting out of a warm pool into the cool but your kids may love it We thought it was freezing at GCH this Dec and there were people swimming in the pool , we thought they were crazy but I suppose they may have been coming from freezing temperatures to 14 degrees and found that warm but the pool was heated but still too chilly for us to take a dip .

I think it is worth considering a pool because they are an attraction in themselves. But the weather is VERY unpredictable. We had VERY warm days in t shirts and linen pants or shorts. Then really cool days.
It could be too cool to you or not. All the water is quite heated and at Animal Kingdom you can dive straight inside to Mara from the pool as well as into the building so there isn't a long hike which is nice. AKL pool was nice enough too and is pretty big. It had bigger spas too.

SAB at YC&BC is an amazing pool, whilst it wasn't the best thing since sliced bread for me, my son thought it was absolutely fantastic. My son spent hours in the whirly pool, loved the sand, loved the slide at SAB. We loved having beaches and cream there to get a milkshake to drink around the pool. Yes the BC doesn't have many CS in the hotel but they do have one out by the pool, but after Mara it was a big disappointment. It does have the market place which does have some food, BC&YC also are very close to Epcot so its very walkable to head into the WS and all of their CS meals, so maybe that's why there isn't a great CS at the hotels.

This is pretty much how I felt. We had just spent a week at AK before moving to BLT, BWV then BC.
Mara REALLY spoils you. There are SOOO many choices in the drinks (for the resort mug) including hot chocolate then suddenly there is NOTHING
The poolside CS at BC is pretty pathetic. We drove down (or to be more accurate we sent 2 to drive down ) to get food at Caribbean beach and then bring it back to eat by the BC pool.
As for the pool itself we did spend a few hours there (it was a relax day) an it IS fun. The sandy bottom is a little creepy at first. Especially landing on it from the slide but it is VERY nice. And yes the whirl pool is nice
I just found it didn't make up for the lacking in food choices. Especially given that it was winter so while I did enjoy the pool then it wasn't like summer where you are SOOO hot all you want to do is sit in the pool.
The other thing is that the spas at BC are pretty small.

There are pros and cons for every resort and what suits one family may not suit another and different times of the year. If you have your heart set on WL, I think you should stick with that, then have a look at where ever else looks it would appeal to you. I know friends of mine stayed at POFQ for 21 nights and they absolutely loved it, it's a very popular resort Good thing is you have plenty of time to decide and look at December photos in the resorts photo board, that will give you an idea too on the look and feel in December.

This is pretty much how I felt. We thought we wanted something but what we thought we would want and what we wouldn't were different in reality.
WL is VERY VERY popular at Christmas so if you want it get it EARLY!
It is a very magical Christmas place. Like AKL. I would prefer AKL but as I say WL of all the resorts is the most popular 'cozy Christmas' resort. So I reckon it is right up your alley.
It will be easier to change to other places if you change your mind later on.


Look all the resorts are really very nice. I just think that walking to Epcot while nice...isn't enough to make me stay at BC or BW for more than a couple nights. So perhaps that would be good for your 3 nights? It certainly is a COMPLETELY different atmosphere.
The convenience of Mara at AKL you really do appreciate. And with BLT you get the Contemporary just across the way.
And as for foodcourts....Caribbean HANDS DOWN has the BEST range of them all. But it won't give you your Christmas magic.

 

[Ms. Shuttergirl]

I'm actually excited about this split stay idea now. Not sure whether hubby will agree, he likes to settle in and get used to a place. I'm sure I could convince him with the right resort though .

With the WL, how far in advance should I book it do you think?

 

[queenie82]

I'm actually excited about this split stay idea now. Not sure whether hubby will agree, he likes to settle in and get used to a place. I'm sure I could convince him with the right resort though .

With the WL, how far in advance should I book it do you think?

I honestly don't know. From a DVC perspective I just know those nights between 22nd Dec-NYE usually go early. So you need the 11month window to get first dibs.
Hopefully someone else might know?

I have uploaded my photos from our visit to Wilderness Lodge Dec 09 up to flickr
The interior is quite dark so it is hard to photograph (and the tree is HUGE) so it doesn't do it justice...but it is beautiful
See them here

 

[aussietravellers]

I'm actually excited about this split stay idea now. Not sure whether hubby will agree, he likes to settle in and get used to a place. I'm sure I could convince him with the right resort though .

With the WL, how far in advance should I book it do you think?

I would book as soon as you know your dates and can book. On a package you only have to put down a $200 deposit and can cancel up to 45 days before and get the deposit back. With room only you can cancel up to 5 days out and need to put down one nights accommodation as a deposit. If you book a package and want to change to room only (or vice versa) then the ressie has to be cancelled and a new one made. But if you make a package ressie (tickets, dining etc) then you can chop and change that package up to 45 days out, like add dining, remove dining, get 10 day tickets or change to 5 day tickets etc.

Also if you book early and specials come out (like free dining or % off), then you can call and have that applied to your booking without a problem . That is where a Disney specialist TA in the USA comes in, they will be on the phone as soon as the offer is released to apply it to your ressie and you don't have to spend money on the phone call

I have uploaded my photos from our visit to Wilderness Lodge Dec 09 up to flickr
The interior is quite dark so it is hard to photograph (and the tree is HUGE) so it doesn't do it justice...but it is beautiful
See them here

Great photos! It is such a great resort!

 

[Ms. Shuttergirl]

Love the photos Queenie. As you know, I am a Christmas nut and so am completely in love with the unique Christmas style of WL. Those teepee tree ornaments are to die for. I'm also quite in love with the Teepee lightshades, they are sensational. It's def. got to be WL for me for the majority of the stay, gorgeous.

 

[Ms. Shuttergirl]

I would book as soon as you know your dates and can book. On a package you only have to put down a $200 deposit and can cancel up to 45 days before and get the deposit back. With room only you can cancel up to 5 days out and need to put down one nights accommodation as a deposit. If you book a package and want to change to room only (or vice versa) then the ressie has to be cancelled and a new one made. But if you make a package ressie (tickets, dining etc) then you can chop and change that package up to 45 days out, like add dining, remove dining, get 10 day tickets or change to 5 day tickets etc.

Also if you book early and specials come out (like free dining or % off), then you can call and have that applied to your booking without a problem . That is where a Disney specialist TA in the USA comes in, they will be on the phone as soon as the offer is released to apply it to your ressie and you don't have to spend money on the phone call



Great photos! It is such a great resort!

Okay well this is good to know. My dates are a problem for me because they unfortunately will depend whether DH's father is still "with us" or not. If "fingers crossed" he is still here, we would need to fly out around 28th or 29th December 2011, straight to Orlando. If his father has passed, we will go more like 9,10 or 11 December.

The other variable would be, if FIL is still here it would just be our family of 4 going. If he is not, we are hoping to invite MIL to come along so would need a room that sleeps 5 so that would change the type of room we would need to book.

Maybe I should make two bookings, for the two different options and could then cancel the one I didn't need? Is that possible or not?

So since we are planning for Dec 2011, do I need to wait until Dec this year to book?

I was planning to use www.mousetales.com to book the accom and tickets as I know these people are feel sure they will do a wonderful job for me.

I think I would book WL for the whole stay and then that would give me time to think about whether I would want to do a split stay and could investigate that later.

What do you think about the above?

 

[aussietravellers]

Okay well this is good to know. My dates are a problem for me because they unfortunately will depend whether DH's father is still "with us" or not. If "fingers crossed" he is still here, we would need to fly out around 28th or 29th December 2011, straight to Orlando. If his father has passed, we will go more like 9,10 or 11 December.

The other variable would be, if FIL is still here it would just be our family of 4 going. If he is not, we are hoping to invite MIL to come along so would need a room that sleeps 5 so that would change the type of room we would need to book.

Maybe I should make two bookings, for the two different options and could then cancel the one I didn't need? Is that possible or not?

When I started reading your post I was thinking, I would make two bookings for both trip dates (great minds think alike ) If you booked for the four of you, then it is easy to add an extra person to the reservation, it will increase the price for tickets (and dining plan if you decided to do it) or you could book for 5 of you, so you have a 5 person room booked and then if your MIL doesn't end up coming then you just adjust your reservation to four people (removing her ticket and DDP)

So since we are planning for Dec 2011, do I need to wait until Dec this year to book?

I am not sure when the dates for next year open up. You could touch base with your TA in the next few months and let them know that as soon as the dates open up to let you know so you can book, that's what I'd do. So you still have a few months to think about it if you want to book a split stay or not. If bookings don't open up until late this year and the TA has a good idea on when the Dec dates usually open up then you can use that time, then let the TA know just before the dates are due what your plans are and they can book for you as soon as that window opens.

I was planning to use www.mousetales.com to book the accom and tickets as I know these people are feel sure they will do a wonderful job for me.

I think I would book WL for the whole stay and then that would give me time to think about whether I would want to do a split stay and could investigate that later.

Good idea, although if bookings don't open until December this year then you still have 6 months to decide and you may have decided for sure by then and can book the split stay or just WL. If 5 of you are going it may be better to stay at a Deluxe as the rooms are a little larger than the Mods so the whole stay at WL may work out better.

What do you think about the above?

Anyway you are lucky you have so much time to organise it. Sorry about your FIL, its lovely of you to think of your MIL too if your FIL is no longer with you

 

[queenie82]

I believe room only is 430days in advance for room only bookings. (Don't ask me where I think I read this...I have random bits of information floating around in my head)
You can then add packages as you go.

You can then change up until the final payment which I think is that 45 days???

But a good TA would have the information.

Oh...and with room types look at the villas.
I don't know the WL situation but there are 1 bedroom villas in Animal Kingdom Lodge that have a sleeper chair as well. So have bedding for 5. The Disney sleeper chairs are very good quality.
When you book as a DVC points booking you can have 5 in a room (even if there is only bedding is only for 4 as you can have a air bed). I believe a cash booking you can only have 4 if it only has bedding for 4.

 

[Ms. Shuttergirl]

Thanks Aussietravellers and Queenie. You have both been a wealth of info. I think I will contact the TA in the next few weeks to give them a heads up I'd like to book for then and to contact me as soon as the dates are released.

 

[styla786]

In my opinion, it’s worth it. You get free transportation to all the parks; credit card when you stay at Disney hotels, so you don’t have to carry cash; when you buy stuff in parks you can have stuff sent back to your hotel’s gift shop; you can get into park that opens early on that particular day; stay late at park that is open late on that particular day. There are tons of perks when you are a Disney guest.