Tell me about split stays...

[KAPTink]

Inconvenient? Stressful? No big deal? Can this work with DDP?
Considering a split stay in July. Staying at POR first then end of stay at YC or BC just for relaxing. Will start trip with DDP...anyway to link Dessie between resorts to have tix and DDP throughout stay? Or must I check out and start over with new tix, etc on RFID at 2nd resort? Confused about this.

 

[Mr. Pig]

Currently Disney treats these as seperate packages. So that means two down payments and if you want DDP on both you have to purchase at least one day (two days if free dining) park tickets on each ressie.

We do split stays all the time. We like staying at two resorts. If we do DDP we usually only do it for the first half of the stay. We do the second stay as room only. We will get park tickets on the first stay for as many days we will need for the whole trip. Park tickets will still be good for the second part of the stay. Tickets could always be transferred from one KTTW card to the next but we usually just kept our old ones. I don't if the new RFID bands will change this or not.

We don't find it a particular hassle to change resorts. The biggest work is packing everything up. We let Disney transfer the luggage. It is out of our hands for half a day but we just head to the new resort, check in, go to a park and by the time we get back our room is ready and we call to have the luggage brought up.

I think Disney operates the resorts as individual entities so linking them would be difficult although it would be nice if something better could be done in the future.

 

[POOHsie]

I have been doing split stays lately and it's no big deal to me. In fact, I like to try more than one resort because we stay 10-12 days in WDW. Disney considers each reservation as a separate one, so there's no carrying over a Dining Plan. If you are purchasing DDP, you are required to purchase at least a one-day base ticket for each person on a reservation. With a split stay with DDP at each resort, you will have to purchase the one-day tickets for the second resort as well. On the day you check out of POR and check-in to BC/YC you can use your first resort's dining credits (if any are left) as well as start to use your second resort's dining credits. However, you can't combine them, for example use 1 credit from each resort to pay for a 2-credit TS meal.

For tickets, we upgrade the first resort's one-day tickets to the number of days we need for the whole trip. Max on a ticket is 10 days. At the second resort we have their one-day tickets put on separate media that we take home with us. They don't expire until used, and they're legally transferrable if unused, so we put them away for a future trip or for someone who wants to buy them. As you continue your trip from the second resort, there should be no problem for their concierge desk to transfer your tickets to your second resort's KTTW card. I can't offer any info about the new RFID cards or the magic bands.

 

[sndral]

I did my split stay this Dec. w/ an AP - so I didn't have to buy 1 day tickets w/ either package to add dinning. One advantage for me was that on the first resort package I just did the regular dinning plan and on the second resort package I did the deluxe dinning plan, best of both worlds IMO.
The move itself was super simple, gave my bags to bell services at the GF, hopped the monorail to MK, spent some time there, then went over to Epcot, strolled through there, walked out to YC, checked in and then called down to bell services for my bags from my new room. Added benefit, the TV in my YC room was glitchy and the bell services guy fixed the connection for me

 

[bookgirl]

No big deal.

I've done it the last two trips (last trip had three resorts).

I plan the move on a day when I'm either doing a half day at a park, or I have off site plans. Actually I should say I plan a half park or offsite day on the days I know I"m moving.


If I have to make an airport run, I'm going shopping, or I'm just hitting up a park for a few rides its so easy to make a quick swing by the new resort, checkin and then go about my business even if the room isn't ready then I can leave the bags at bell check or if it's cool enough I leave them in the car. (I rent a car, so I've never done this using Disney to transfer my bags). I also like planning a ADR breakfast on moving days as it gets me up and around and out the door quickly. I'm not the type to normally interupt a perfectly good park morning to go eat breakfast at a different resort than where I'm staying so planning to go eat then check in at the new place then go do a planned activity makes moving day logical in my brain.

HOWEVER I am a room only tourist. I don't think I would bother with split stay on dining plan unless I planned to use it ONLY on the first stay. I don't want to bother with the buy at least one day on each reservation.

I don't know that I'll be doing another split in the future (I kinda know what I like now so no need to try a few days at different places to try them out), but if I needed to spend a night or two at another resort I'd do it without even thinking.

 

[nugov2]

Never did it in Disney, but my dh and I did it when we went to Kauai for 2 weeks. I really liked experiencing 2 different places. Not sure I would have if it was for a week or less though...too much packing and unpacking for me, but again it is a personal preference type thing.

 

[Mike&AllisMom]

We have done it and will probably do it again. My best advice is that if you are staying in a value or moderate and a deluxe, do the value or moderate first so you aren't disappointed when you move. We stayed at CSR for one night & then moved to GF on our last trip. We LOVED CSR but when we moved to GF it was just amazing. I think it would have been a let down if we had stayed at GF first & then moved to CSR.