What I have learned...

[LeeLee'sMom]

It's less about how much you pack and more about how you pack tbh. I love split stays and I'm a chronic overpacker who refuses to live out of suitcases on vacation. The trick is being organized, for me that means color coordinated packing cubes. I "unpack" by popping the cubes for resort #1 in the drawers and I put my dirty clothes in the laundry bag as I go. Even with all the stuff I bring it never takes me longer than 5 minutes to get my stuff together for moving day, and the majority of that time is spent on toiletries and charging cords. Anything longer than a weekend trip I do a split.

Exactly what we do with split stays, we are packed and ready to go to next resort within 20 mins

 

[dizneyfan]

I have a PhD in Disney. I wish there was a way for me to monetize on it.
I mean split stays on Disney property. We stayed at Royal Pacific after Disney and let me tell you; that was a much easier. The higher category hotels at UO are totally worth it.

Yes, the UO hotels are amazing and truly worth every penny. We love HRH!

 

[PetePanMan]

We have done many split stays. Normally we try to stay near MK plus either BW/BC (proximity to Epcot/HS) or Saratoga (for proximity to DS). It has worked well when going to parks / DS is the priority. Now, parks are a lower priority and we are finding the move more of a pain, particularly as we have had some later checks -ins.

 

[Genie+]

The 2 biggest things I’ve learned about WDW planning:

• We’re always motivated with thoughts of how ‘Next trip will be even better!’
• Trips go through stages over the years

Right now we’re at the stage where next trip we plan to sleep in and stay late (4 out of 6 nights will be parks to around midnight). Before that was a bunch of trips going through the phase of rope drops and afternoon breaks. Before that was as much park time as humanly possible lol. Really all aspects slowly evolve and change. I don’t think we’ll ever permanently settle into one blueprint.

Thoughts on split stays and Poly for us-

split stays are best with a minimum 3 or 4 nights each resort. We don’t prefer them but can be worth the disruption.

Poly rack rates $700-900/nt are not a good bang for the buck; I’d rather spend those extra hundreds/day elsewhere. But I love Poly using DVC! At $300-400/nt worth the elevated experience. The rooms are really cool, resort vibe awesome, transportation variety is great, pool, food options, proximity to pop in GF and Contemporary, extended evening hours, etc.

 

[jimim]

Satu'li Canteen is considered one of the best QS places plus it's not too bad on the wallet either.

I actually haven't gotten their cheeseburger pods but my husband did, he liked them. For me I like to get the sliced beef bowl I forget what sauce I get but it's sooo good.

We like the bowls too. I agree deff best qs in the parks. We usually eat there once a trip when in ak. I mentioned about the bowls. Those pods aren’t too bad either.

 

[grapefruitjellybean]

Yes, the UO hotels are amazing and truly worth every penny. We love HRH!

It’s crazy how the UO

We like the bowls too. I agree deff best qs in the parks. We usually eat there once a trip when in ak. I mentioned about the bowls. Those pods aren’t too bad either.

We like the bowls too. I agree deff best qs in the parks. We usually eat there once a trip when in ak. I mentioned about the bowls. Those pods aren’t too bad either.

The bowls at Docking Bay 7 are delicious too.

 

[grapefruitjellybean]

The 2 biggest things I’ve learned about WDW planning:

• We’re always motivated with thoughts of how ‘Next trip will be even better!’
• Trips go through stages over the years

Right now we’re at the stage where next trip we plan to sleep in and stay late (4 out of 6 nights will be parks to around midnight). Before that was a bunch of trips going through the phase of rope drops and afternoon breaks. Before that was as much park time as humanly possible lol. Really all aspects slowly evolve and change. I don’t think we’ll ever permanently settle into one blueprint.

Thoughts on split stays and Poly for us-

split stays are best with a minimum 3 or 4 nights each resort. We don’t prefer them but can be worth the disruption.

Poly rack rates $700-900/nt are not a good bang for the buck; I’d rather spend those extra hundreds/day elsewhere. But I love Poly using DVC! At $300-400/nt worth the elevated experience. The rooms are really cool, resort vibe awesome, transportation variety is great, pool, food options, proximity to pop in GF and Contemporary, extended evening hours, etc.

Do you rent to points or are you a member? $300-$400 a night is pretty good for that resort. I was looking at DVC and it’s no where near what I want to spend.
It will be interesting to see how things will evolve for vacations in the future. My kids will probably hate us and won’t want to do family trips hah.

 

[grapefruitjellybean]

Something else I learned… I’m not going to spend my time doing things at Disney that I can do at home. We have an incredible zoo here and we’re members so the Safari in AK is a one and done for me. Same with World Show case. I have travelled to 8/11 countries so the pavilions at not as interesting anymore. I appreciate the beauty of them and I love learning about different cultures… I just feel like my time can be spent doing something else. I’m also sober and the food is just ok. That sounds super snotty and elitist, I admit to that. The kids just wanted to go on rides and they got bored quickly. Hopefully when they are older they will appreciate the cool Stave church and zen gardens, and the architecture of Morocco.

 

[RoseGold]

Where is this food hype? I thought everyone agreed the food wasn't that great.

 

[Bama Mom]

I love Disney but my husband doesn't. He only goes to appease me. I tell him all the time he can stay home and I'll do a solo trip, but he always goes along (minus the girls trip in 2021 with my sisters, daughter, and a couple of my nieces). So while we hit the parks hard at rope drop we slow down after the first couple of hours so he is happy as well. It is his vacation too after all. I think on our next trip (February 2024) we will do mid day breaks for him. While he rests I can explore the resort or find somewhere outside and read.

We are some that don't mind the buses. Well, unless it takes extra long at the end of the night. But we are just glad we don't have to drive. Even in the past when we drove to Disney. Now that it's just hubby and me we fly. We do love a good road trip but the older we get the drive home after a Disney vacation is exhausting (especially since I do the majority of the driving because I generally get car sick when hubby drives).

I'm not a foodie, but hubby loves a sit down meal once a day so we do plan one of those a day. I do like a good breakfast so we don one of those and the rest are places hubby picks. It gets him in on the planning and because I'll find something to eat most places even if it's just a salad so this way he gets to choose his big meal each day. I am hoping to get a Woody's Roundup ressie in February so that would be one of the meals.

We've never done a split stay. I might would someday if my resort of choice was only available for some of my dates or if I need to add day(s) to an existing reservation. I also might would if it was a solo trip and I wanted to try more than one resort if I happened to get a great deal on them.

 

[bbak30]

So funny how everyone is so different!

1. I will 100% always spend the money to stay Deluxe. We LOVE The Polynesian. The resort itself, the food options, the transportation options, the size of the resort. We stayed at POP our very first trip in 2010 and didn't go back for 4 years because we were so miserable. We tried Port Orleans, both resorts, and loved them. Then we dove into the Deluxe world and started with Saratoga Springs a couple of times and had a very enjoyable stay. And then I rented DVC points for the first time to stay at The Polynesian and we haven't looked back since. Can't even entertain the idea of a value and the bus transportation!
2. We LOVE park hoppers--big fans of hopping!! We get the most out of our time by hopping in the evening. I can totally understand why this may not work with smaller children though.
3. I agree about the character meals--especially now that my girls are older. Such a waste of time for us. They don't care much about characters anymore and we aren't fans of buffet of family style meals. We much prefer ordering off of a menu. Our last family trip we did Topolino's, which was very enjoyable but we will probably steer clear from them from now on.
4. Disney food has declined, greatly. We used to eat every single meal on property. Not any longer, especially if we drive (it's only 10.5 hours for us). We do enjoy Via Napoli, 50s Prime Time and The Boathouse. So we will do a few sit down meals, but mostly quick service and we also venture off site for longer trips. We stayed 8 days last May and went to Chuy's twice, Ford Garage and a few other places I don't even remember. We had some really good meals offsite. Cheaper and better quality! We do enjoy some of the quick service options and a lot of the snacks!!!

 

[grapefruitjellybean]

Where is this food hype? I thought everyone agreed the food wasn't that great.

Blogs, IG, TikTok, YouTube channels, this place?

 

[Newbie500]

So funny how everyone is so different!

1. I will 100% always spend the money to stay Deluxe. We LOVE The Polynesian. The resort itself, the food options, the transportation options, the size of the resort. We stayed at POP our very first trip in 2010 and didn't go back for 4 years because we were so miserable. We tried Port Orleans, both resorts, and loved them. Then we dove into the Deluxe world and started with Saratoga Springs a couple of times and had a very enjoyable stay. And then I rented DVC points for the first time to stay at The Polynesian and we haven't looked back since. Can't even entertain the idea of a value and the bus transportation!
2. We LOVE park hoppers--big fans of hopping!! We get the most out of our time by hopping in the evening. I can totally understand why this may not work with smaller children though.
3. I agree about the character meals--especially now that my girls are older. Such a waste of time for us. They don't care much about characters anymore and we aren't fans of buffet of family style meals. We much prefer ordering off of a menu. Our last family trip we did Topolino's, which was very enjoyable but we will probably steer clear from them from now on.
4. Disney food has declined, greatly. We used to eat every single meal on property. Not any longer, especially if we drive (it's only 10.5 hours for us). We do enjoy Via Napoli, 50s Prime Time and The Boathouse. So we will do a few sit down meals, but mostly quick service and we also venture off site for longer trips. We stayed 8 days last May and went to Chuy's twice, Ford Garage and a few other places I don't even remember. We had some really good meals offsite. Cheaper and better quality! We do enjoy some of the quick service options and a lot of the snacks!!!

 

[Ryansdad0727]

There are two completely different ways to do Disney. 1. Without a vehicle. 2. With a vehicle.

We will split stay almost every trip no matter what. With a car we will stay off property at Wyndham/Worldmark resort and drive to AK & HS. So much easier to drive/Uber to the parks than to wait on the bus. When we move on property it is usually BLT/Poly/GF for easy access to MK and EPCOT via TTC. Nothing is worse than getting caught in the closing time rush to get to the MK parking lot. We usually stay 7-10 days and drive 18 hrs from Texas.

We usually only fly during spring break or a long weekend. With a shorter trip we will stay at BWV, BCV for EPCOT and HS. Then move to Poly, BLT for Magic Kingdom. Pretty much anything to keep from having to take a bus.

We have also flown into Tampa to save on airfare which then allows up to rent a car for the week.

 

[Newbie500]

No split stays unless same room not available for entire trip.
Parks every day because that's why we're at Disney.
Go to parks in the morning, take a PM break, return to close the park.
Always park hoppers for flexibility.
Always Genie Plus.
Only one ADR per day.
No dining plan, no memory maker.
Always do Sci-Fi because I love those movies!

 

[jimim]

It’s crazy how the UO


The bowls at Docking Bay 7 are delicious too.

we didn't like anything we ate there in November. we went for lunch. 4 of us. no one liked their lunch. maybe we hit a bad day.

 

[grapefruitjellybean]

we didn't like anything we ate there in November. we went for lunch. 4 of us. no one liked their lunch. maybe we hit a bad day.

I liked it because it wasn’t the standard Mac and cheese; hot dog, or pizza.

 

[TikiRob]

We have done split stays on last minute trips and have appreciated the chance to experience more resorts, but I do like a long stay at a favorite spot.

On the balcony of a deluxe villa is my favorite way to start my day. I also like large lobbies with shops, restaurants, and places to sit and relax.

I think there is great dining at Disney, but there are many places I avoid and character dining unfortunately often falls into that category due to price and quality.

I’m not going to argue with slowing down. That is what appreciate more each time we visit. To that end, I like being on a Disney bus! …well, if I have a seat

 

[hsmamato2]

Blogs, IG, Tick-tock, YouTube channels, this place?

Yes....I do believe there is a huge contingent of social media 'influencers' out there who make a good living hyping Disney food and snacks..... IMHO most things I've gotten suckered into trying (from those videos) are usually ok, but nothing too exciting. Better than average theme park food, but nothing to get excited over.

 

[AnnaKristoff2013]

5. Don't drive at all if I don't have to.

Hard disagree. We used to just use disney transportation until we discovered how much nicer it is to have a rental car because disney transportation is awful. With the exception of magic kingdom, it is much nicer to drive to the other parks then take a bus/monorail/etc.