Split Stays

[hannahsmom7]

I'm just beginning the very long process of planning our next WDW vacation. I'm thinking probably fall of NEXT year. It's killing me to wait, but I have a just turned 1yr old and would rather wait until he's a year older (for the benefit of my 5yr old) and will take that time to save more money and stay for longer! I'm hoping for like 10 days!

Anyway, I'm wondering how split stays work. We'll either stay at CBR (my fave) or one of the values to save money for the bulk of the time, but my husband really wants to stay at the WL. I was thinking if we could end our stay with two nights there it would make him very happy, yet save us the money of not having to stay there the whole time (and again, we could stay longer ).

Can that not be booked online? I was trying to figure it out w/out doing to separate ressies and couldn't. We'd also want the DDP. What do I need to know about the actual booking the split stay? And we'll most likely do ME instead of renting a car, so how do we go about getting our stuff changed over to the new room?

I'd love to hear what others thought of their experiences in doing split stays. Was it a royal pain or okay? How did the transfer of stuff go? I'm thinking if it's just two nights or so that I can put just the stuff we'd need those last days in one bag, so we're not opening and getting into 4 suitcases again. I guess if we do stay over a week it will be a nice change anyway, esp if we stay in a value. I could stay at CBR forever, lol!

 

[MickeyNicki]

We did our first split stay Oct 07 and it was amazing....it was like 2 vacations in one. Very easy as we had our own car, asked for a late check out at the YC before going to the Poly.

From now on, whenever we do a week, we are going to do a split stay. Going back March 28th for a week, 4 nights at OKW and 3 nights at YC.

 

[DisneyWorldOct08]

Split stays are a fun way to check out multiple resorts.

Disney will transfer all your luggage and it's just such an easy process. And yes, it can be booked online. It will have to be two seperate reservations.

 

[hannahsmom7]

Disney will transfer all your luggage and it's just such an easy process. And yes, it can be booked online. It will have to be two seperate reservations.

Do you just tell your first resort at checkin that you will be transferring?

Also, when you say two separate reservations, how do tickets and the DDP work? Say we stay 7 nights and 2 nights, we'd want a 9 day park pass and nine days on the DDP.

 

[n2mm]

The downside is if you do 2 separate resort packages, you have to buy 2 tickets. You could buy your bigger ticket for your first resort, then save your 1 day ticket from your second resort. This is expensive to do. However, if you choose to do a package for resort #1 and buy your tickets, then do a room only for resort number 2 w/no ddp, that would be easier and cheaper. You could buy your resort #1 tickets for longer than your stay to cover resort #2. Hope that makes sense. As for me, we absolutely hate changing resorts as we feel we lose a whole day the day we check out, check in. We don't like being without a place to store our valuable on checkout/in day and since you have to be out by 11:00AM and may not have your new room until 4:00PM, it can be a pain, especially if you have little ones that need a nap. JMHO. (There are lots of folks who like to do this, but not us. We like to unpack and kick off our shoes and not pack again until the trip is over.)

 

[magicaldisney]

Love split days, especially since you're staying long enough.

When you check out of the first resort let them know you are going to resort #2. Set up with them to have bell services come and get your luggage from your room to be tranferred to the new resort. Leave resort #1 and go off to the parks and check into resort #2 later OR go to resort #2 and check in right away (this is what we do). Bell services will bring your luggage to the new resort around 3:00. Return to the new resort later in the day and call down to bell services to have them bring your luggage to your room.

Don't forget the tipping!!

If you have a car, you will do all the tranferring of luggage yourself and there is no need to let the first resort know you are moving to a second resort.

When you get to the second resort, have them put any remaining park admission days onto your new room keys.

I don't know about dining, since we have never used that.

 

[marivaid]

We've done split stays whenever we went to WDW. They're not that much trouble, although the DDP does complicate things somewhat.

I would book the package with tickets & DDP for the Value, then make a separate room-only reservation for the 2 nights at WL.
Because your DDP credits don't expire until midnight on the day you check out, if you plan well you'll only have one day without credits. Book cheap meals for that day.

Disney will transfer your luggage for you. When you're ready to check out of the Value, call Luggage Services. They will tag and take your luggage, then transfer it later in the day (usually between 1 and 3pm). When you check in to your new room at WL, call Bell Services and ask them to bring your luggage up as soon as it arrives.

Although I love split stays I'm not sure I'd do one with a 2 year old. Will he need to nap ? You will be without a room from 11am to 3pm, possibly a little later.

 

[hannahsmom7]

Thanks everyone. Sounds like a pain just for the booking aspect. The transfer and being w/out a room wouldn't bother me, but going w/out the dining plan for the last days would be a bummer.