Split stays...

[BigBadDisneyDad]

Anyone have experience with staying at more than 1 resort on the same trip? Was it worth the hassle of unpacking/packing? What did you like? What did you dislike?

 

[eric1985]

They will move your baggage free of charge but if you're on the dining plan you can run into a snag if you try to use it before you've checked into your next room. It's a neat way to check out different resorts though.

 

[ErinsMommy]

We've done a split stay in November 2018 and doing it again in November 2019 but we pretty much leave all our belongings in each of our zippered suitcases and open them to get out a change of clothes so there's no packing/unpacking other than the minor bathroom toiletries. Depends on where your "splitting", but we do an Epcot and MK split so we get the convenience of getting to/from 3 out of 4 parks and the surrounding restaurants and we love it. (And we're also on the dining plan and didn't have a problem there either, just watch your points.)

 

[epcotobsessed]

We always do a split stay. We don't find it to be a hassle at all and we really love experiencing two hotels. If all of your hotels are Disney hotels, they will transport your bags for you (we sometimes do this, sometimes do a split stay with Disney/non-Disney, in which case we take an Uber with our bags, no big deal).

 

[buckeyeguy1]

We do split stays a lot. Good way to see other resorts, but also do them to reduce costs or to afford the upgraded resort stays. I would suggest if you are doing two different resort categories, to go with the higher category last. We bounce between Value/Deluxe and Moderate/Deluxe and the occasional Value/Moderate and Deluxe/Deluxe. I don't recall us ever doing a Moderate/Moderate split stay.

One nice thing we like about split stays is that it keeps us from getting too settled in and makes it easier to pack up the night before we depart back home.

We don't see it as a hassle or anything, but I'm not sure that we would do more than 2 different resorts in a week.

 

[RangerPooh]

We often do split stays. The amount of hassle depends on a few factors. If you completely unpack your bags and need to repack. Or how long it takes for the bags to reach the next hotel.

We often drive so transporting bags is not an issue, but the times that we've had the bags transferred it has taken several hours for the transfer to occur. Like past check in. So we learned to take what we need with us for the day. Swim stuff or when the kids were little extra clothes.

Typically split stays are hassle free. It's an opportunity to try out multiple resorts.

 

[skippytx]

The only split stay we ever did was 2 nights at Beach Club before moving to Bay Lake. It wasn't too big of a hassle, but we just didn't unpack. Generally we like to fully unpack and put everything away when we stay, but for 2 nights we just lived out of the suitcases. Bell services can transfer the luggage no problem while you're out at the parks.

Looking at a split stay in Feb 2020, want to spend a couple nights at Riviera before moving to BLT.

 

[memakwed]

We like to try new resorts but we only go on arrival day then the next day go to our resort for the trip. I’ve only had a problem when one resort didn’t check me out properly ( even though I checked out at the desk)so I couldn’t check into the new resort. The cm was nice and corrected the situation at the new resort but it took some time. Other than that everything has always been a breeze going from one to the next. I pack two separate bags one for the first resort then for the other. This means less digging around to find what I want. The pro is trying something new. The con is the time it takes for check in which you need to do earlier if you’re using the dining plan for that day

 

[reluctantredhead]

We tried a split stay for the first time last Christmas, and now we are HOOKED! We've been back and done another split stay in Feb/March of this year, and what works for us is to plan our schedule and hotel around the parks we want to visit those days. So for us that has meant planning MK & AK days (we take a Minnie van to AK) for nights we're staying at a MK hotel, then about midway through the trip we'll switch to an EP hotel and visit EP and HS those days. We really like being able to walk/boat/monorail to the hotels rather than rely on buses, so this has worked well for us.

The other thing that helps make the packing/unpacking issue less of a hassle is to use packing cubes. We pack one or two cubes for each hotel, then we write the hotel name on the front of an index card, and on the back we list every item packed in that cube, and then place the index card just under the meshy area of the packing cube so we can still read it. That way, we only have to take out that one (or two) cube(s) at each hotel, and the other stays put away in the suitcase -- plus you have an inventory in case something goes missing (happens at least once a trip for us lol). Dirty clothes are placed in a trash bag we bring from home until it's time to pack up, and then we just put them back in their designated cube. Everyone in my family has toiletry bags (I have several for all my gear, lol), so they're easy to keep everything organized and either just put in the bathroom vanity or throw in our suitcase/carry on. I learned the packing cube tip from someone here on this Disboards -- apologies that I don't remember who it was, because it was a game changer for us.

We also tend to pack very light for trips...I am 5'0" and H is 6'6" so it's incredibly difficult to find clothes that fit. One incident years ago of the airline losing our luggage taught me to never check bags, so we each only bring a 22" roller bag and a smaller tote style bag or backpack. Admittedly a split stay would be more difficult if you're not a light packer or have a young child with lots of gear to bring, but I think it's still possible as long as you're organized and have a plan.

As others have mentioned, we bring our bags out to bell services the morning we switch hotels and have them delivered for us. We typically plan for this to be an AK day, as we tend to plan long, all-day park days when we're there since transportation is the most time consuming from most hotels we typically stay at. We've always been lucky enough to have our bags waiting for us when we've gotten to our new hotel in the evening.

HTH!

 

[rangerxenos]

I'm considering it for my December trip if I can't find any discounts, as there is nothing else available for the beginning of my trip and it's gonna be pricey if I have to pay full price for AKL for 8 nights.

I've done two split stays, and I just think it's a PITA to switch half way through the trip.

 

[goofyintoronto]

With a split stay i use to get my luggage transferred through disney. One time it took forever so now i just take an uber to my 2nd resort. So much easier.

 

[Martini35]

We did a split stay and are doing one for our Aug trip. Like another poster mentioned, we use packing cubes to have outfits for certain days ready to go so unpacking and packing is not an issue.

 

[pixiedustedme]

Anyone have experience with staying at more than 1 resort on the same trip? Was it worth the hassle of unpacking/packing? What did you like? What did you dislike?

I've done a few split stays in the past, when we really wanted to sample the different resorts. It can be inconvenient to have to check out and in again in the midst of your trip, though. Disney does transfer the luggage for you, but you still have to deal with leaving the room by a certain time, packing and unpacking, settling the account, and checking in again... And of course you'll have to plan around the fact that you'll probably have no room access midday on your switch day.

So really, it depends on how much you want the split stay, whether or not it's worth it. Now that we've stayed at every resort we want to stay at, a split stay is no longer worth the disruption to our trip. It might be worth it to you, though.

 

[Elle :)]

I’m planning a split stay for May from BCV to OKW. I’ve wanted to stay at Beach Club forever but it’s so freaking expensive. Splitting the stay with a less expensive option makes it hurt a bit less. Besides, OKW is my husband’s favorite resort so this feels like the best way to try something new but still keep what we know we love (plus the bathtub at OKW is goals).

I’m definitely going to try out @reluctantredhead s packing cube idea (brilliant!).

 

[monarchsfan16]

I've done several split stays, to either try resorts I wasn't so sure about, or to better fit the budget. I don't really unpack on vacation, so I've found split stays to not be a hassle at all. Disney moves my stuff, I go to the parks, and during a late afternoon break, I check into the new resort and collect my luggage. Super easy.

 

[HolRae]

I enjoy split stays. I like to schedule my park days based on resort location. You don’t have a room for part of the switch day but you have access to the pools at both resorts and the lounge if staying club level.

 

[kaytieeldr]

With a split stay i use to get my luggage transferred through disney. One time it took forever

So you're still waiting?

 

[Simba's Mom]

When you have a split stay, do you receive and need two magic bands? If you receive two, can they be used at either resort?

 

[kaytieeldr]

When you have a split stay, do you receive and need two magic bands? If you receive two, can they be used at either resort?

Yes and yes - because you have two completely separate but consecutive reservations.

 

[monica9]

We always do a split stay but like a pp said, we normally do 1 night or maybe 2 nights before heading to our main resort for the week (always do the better of the two last). We pack in large Ziploc bags. I pack the outfit I want to wear on the last day on the bottom of the suitcase and the top is labeled day 1 and where we are going. We reuse the Ziploc bags every vacation so we aren't wasting too much plastic. It helps to just grab the bag for that day. I roll them in a way that I rarely have to iron. Any extras like light jackets or pants I don't put in a bag. They are just rolled on the bottom. Makes it so easy to pack and unpack between resorts.
I do have a question if someone can help. We normally dedicate the morning that we are switching resorts to just go to the parks later that day and do an early check in to the 2nd resort and unpack and get to the park in the afternoon.
This year we are staying 2 nights at AoA and then 7 nights at Poly. We are going to do Rope Drop at animal kingdom the morning of our transfer. We have reservations at 1900 park fare at GF at 5:20pm. What are the chances that if we have AoA transfer our luggage to Poly that it will be there around 4pm when we go back to check in before our dinner? What other way can we do it and still get to Animal Kingdom at rope drop?
thanks