Two Weeks in 2014: Not Allowed A Split Stay!!!!

[Royal Consort]

I think they could do a split stay though if they don't do the free dining for both of them. The FD offer requires theme park tickets for each stay, just like the US offers. If they get the 14 day theme park tickets with their first stay on FD, they could just do a separate room only stay(with room only discount) for the remaining days at another resort. If they do this, they might just want to plan their more expensive meals during their FD stay.

Yep that's absolutely the case.

I think the idea of a split stay with a deluxe/mod might be a really good idea and therefore pay OOP for some cheap TS restaurants. I shall have to investigate this further!

 

[Shaden]

I actually think it may be too late to change at this point, I didn't thinkthe free dining promotion was still running... if its not you may not be able to change resorts at this point ....

 

[Royal Consort]

I actually think it may be too late to change at this point, I didn't thinkthe free dining promotion was still running... if its not you may not be able to change resorts at this point ....

The promotion is still running - you may be thinking of free dining for 2013 which ended a while ago but free dining for 2014 is still available

 

[roberthodgson]

since you are staying at a Disney Resort you get free parking at the hotel and at any of the parks, we tried the bus for one day and have driven to and from the parks ever since. car rentals are inexpensive and give you a ton of freedom

when it rains the lines for the bus's are huge and what should only take 15 minutes takes way longer with all the stops the bus makes on the way to your resort or park

the only time we would ever decide to use the disney transportation system is if we stayed at a resort on the monorail line but even then you cant beat having a car at your disposal for park hopping or heading off property to Olive Garden or Golden Corral

 

[nkereina]

If you can't do a split stay, I would choose BC, YC, or Boardwalk for two weeks if you can afford it. Their locations is what makes it to me - walking/boating distance to Epcot and DHS. If you'll have park hoppers, you also have the option to cut through Epcot to utilize the monorail up to TTC for easy access to MK and the monorail resorts. If you won't have park hoppers, you can just walk or boat to DHS to pick up another resort's bus to go there for other ADR options. Plus, its fun to kill some evenings on the Boardwalk. BC/YC pool is also great.

If you find a way to make a split stay work, I think a split between an Epcot area resort hotel and AKL would be two great options.

 

[Sue M]

We stayed 12 nights at AKL last Aug, didn't get old. We planned our dining according to which park we planned to be at that evening.

Both GF or Poly would be great, as they are on monorail. And with Poly you can walk to TTC for Epcot monorail. But Poly is going to start construction of a DVC building. Check out Poly thread for specifics and Tikiman web site.

I like split stays, but I also like staying put too. In a couple of weeks we'll be in wdw, 1 night Pop, 2 nights GF, and 12 nights YC. We aren't using the DDP.

 

[kmb584]

For me, I'd have no trouble spending 2 weeks at the AKL. I think it's a beautiful resort and am a huge animal lover so overall I enjoy the atmosphere. Traveling to the parks takes a bit longer than when staying at any other resort, but we're talking minutes, not hours. An extra 5 minutes on the bus is no big deal to me.

Research all of the resorts and decide on which is the best fit for you. Two weeks at AKL may or may not be worth it, but only you can make the final decision.

 

[Disneyhenry]

I have stayed at AKL and really like it, but I was in a villa. I found sitting on the balcony, looking at the animals very relaxing. If I were to spend 2 weeks at one resort, I'd be ok with AKL, the whole resort just has an relaxing effect

 

[cheshireqt]

Two weeks at AKL would not be too long, if you had a car to get around. It is a fun and lovely resort, but the bus system is going to really get old fast. Some things to think about:
Do you want to return to your resort and enjoy it during the day?
With 14 days at your disposal, losing time waiting for the bus, plus commute time, may not be as upsetting for you?
Do you plan to take part in the resort activities? Are you already excited about what AKL has to offer?

If relying completely on the transportation system, then I personally would change resort to an EPCOT resort (BeachClub would be my choice, sorry but the clown slide at BWI is way too scary for me, esp. when lit up at night ). So many more dining and transportation options. Plus, if you don't get to the beach very often, the sand bottom pool would be really fun and novel.

It is really too bad about the split stay. That would have been amazing to stay at AKL for a week and a different resort the second week!
Maybe if you call and get a different person on the line? Sometimes one CM knows the ropes a bit better than another and can help you figure out the best option for you? Although 2 weeks of free dining is a really good deal, maybe there are other deals that can work better for you?

 

[Mynamewastaken]

If I could have stayed 2 weeks at BWI then I would have. I LOVED it there. So many things to do and see. My kids were in heaven.

 

[Royal Consort]

Two weeks at AKL would not be too long, if you had a car to get around. It is a fun and lovely resort, but the bus system is going to really get old fast. Some things to think about:
Do you want to return to your resort and enjoy it during the day?
With 14 days at your disposal, losing time waiting for the bus, plus commute time, may not be as upsetting for you?
Do you plan to take part in the resort activities? Are you already excited about what AKL has to offer?

If relying completely on the transportation system, then I personally would change resort to an EPCOT resort (BeachClub would be my choice, sorry but the clown slide at BWI is way too scary for me, esp. when lit up at night ). So many more dining and transportation options. Plus, if you don't get to the beach very often, the sand bottom pool would be really fun and novel.

It is really too bad about the split stay. That would have been amazing to stay at AKL for a week and a different resort the second week!
Maybe if you call and get a different person on the line? Sometimes one CM knows the ropes a bit better than another and can help you figure out the best option for you? Although 2 weeks of free dining is a really good deal, maybe there are other deals that can work better for you?

Thanks for the response.

The problem is it being a UK offer rather than a US one. In the UK you have a 14 day park hopper ticket which costs the same price as a 7 day park hopper. For me to do a split stay with free dining I'd need to buy two 7 day park hoppers (therefore doubling the price on my tickets that I wouldn't have to spend in the first place).

It also seems that the UK deals really lock you into one resort. I've played around with split stays and rates and a split stay will cost us MORE without the dining for the second reservation. Unfortunately the EPCOT resorts aren't available for my dates and with the Poly being under construction for DVC, options are becoming limited. Free dining is the only deal offered to the UK at the moment too so can't do a room discount - either this or paying rack rate without any free dining.

I think in terms of location, it's important to be a bit closer to all the action. Although we would love AKL we've spoken about it and think the ease of access is an important factor. As we are Australians coming from overseas we're less likely to rent a car (needing to get an international license now and not sure how I feel driving on the opposite side than I'm used to) and would prefer to take Disney transport.

This seems more complex than I initially intended!

 

[bethclayton]

i think in your situation my first choice would be poly due to the ease of transportation to both MK and epcot. but i can understand being worried about the construction. so is the GF still an option? i think two weeks there would be wonderful. it has great transportation and is a lovely resort. it is very relaxing and the resort itself has a lot to offer- water view, huge pool, lots of shopping, many dining options, a great lounge... just strolling around the main building never gets old. i don't think you'd be disappointed there.

i love akl and definitely will return there but i think two weeks with the transportation would start to bother me. when we stayed there, the villas were not built yet and transportation was better. we have visited after the villas were built and felt they added way too much travel time on the bus.

 

[jennylyn_b]

I have no problem staying at AKL for two weeks. The transportation has never been an issue. It's a great resort with wonderful food and pools. Bus service was prompt and efficient.
We loved sitting on our balcony watching the animals in the morning or evening.

 

[jennylyn_b]

I have no problem staying at AKL for two weeks. The transportation has never been an issue. It's a great resort with wonderful food and pools. Bus service was prompt and efficient.
We loved sitting on our balcony watching the animals in the morning or evening.

Sorry hit send too soon....

We never do split stays. We always go 11-15 nights per visit every six months. We check in and that's where we stay. Too much hassle to move to another resort and lose time checking in etc. for us.

 

[DJFan88]

I think in your case, I would do whatever I could, and go with the flow! It's dis and you'll have a great time!
Sounds like although everyone has given you great ideas, it really boils down to AK or WL for the whole time.
I think there are a lot of activities at AK too., but seems like WL could be more convenient. Decisions, decisions, but whatever you decide, relax and go with the flow!