Whole stay at VWL or split with AK?

[DisEye]

I booked last week to spend 6 nights in a 2 bedroom at VWL in January. I had thought that I wanted to stay at AK but it wasn't available for the whole trip. Now I am wondering if I should try to split the stay and spend 3 nights at each resort. I'm torn because it's nice to be able to spread out and not worry about moving, but then we don't usually book very early so I don't know when we'll get another chance to stay at either. When I booked, AKV had a 2 BR savannah view available for the last part of the trip.

I have 2 daughters, age 13 and 10. We've never stayed at either resort so both would be a new experience. I'm planning for a (somewhat) relaxing trip, not visiting the parks every day, but spending some time at the resort too. Is there enough at VWL to keep us entertained for 6 days?

Any thoughts would be appreciated!

 

[disneynutz]

For a 6 day trip I would stay at VWL and not move. Moving can take up a whole day and there is plenty to do at VWL. MK is only a short boat ride away as is the Contemporary with access to the Monorail, the Monorail Resorts, and Epcot.

We move for a 10 day or longer stay. Our current vacation, (at SSR now), we will set a record with a 4 resort stay including Vero.

Bill

 

[mousefan1972]

I agree. For a 6 night trip, I would stay put. VWL is a beautiful resort in a great location and has plenty to keep you occupied. Packing/moving/unpacking after only 3 nights would be more trouble than it's worth, IMO.

 

[jimmytammy]

Stay put. Moving can kill a day, plus you may wait for your room after the move. VWL has lots to offer, plus close proximity to MK. We have exp. a move from an OKW studio to an OKW 1 bed and thats bad enough. The relaxing shall go on if you stay in one place. AKL will probably be available again since its larger. VWL is the smallest of all DVC resorts and can be tough to get outside of 11 mos.

 

[Big Kid]

I concur with the posters above. We've done a couple of split stays and in hindsight wished that we had stayed in one place. We're not super organized on vacation and have a 4-year-old "helping" to pack so we end up spending most of the day moving.

If you will be using the Dining Plan, be aware that your points from the first stay expire at midnight on the day you check out, and your points from the second stay will not be available until you check in to the second resort. No problem if you use your exact meal allotment every day, but it can cause problems if you're eating two QS one day and two TS the next, or forgoing a TS one day in order to try a Signature restaurant the next.

You'll definitely want to try AKL on a future trip--it's our home resort and we absolutely love it--but VWL looks like a lot of fun, too, especially if you'll spend a lot of time in the MK.

Have a great trip!

 

[Simba's Mom]

Although I'm normally a big fan of split stays, you really need 8 nites or more to appreciate it. For only 6 days, I'd stay in one place.

 

[DisEye]

Thank you everyone for your replies. Now I feel much better about staying at VWL for the whole time. I must admit, I'm excited to be staying there. I was surprised to be able to book there only 6 weeks out. I know we're going to have a great time!

Thanks again!!

 

[Disney Princess]

I'm happy you are excited about staying - it'll save so much time for a shorter stay. The good news is that your stay is at the smaller of the two resorts. If you want to try AKV in the future, it will certainly be much easier to get in there because there are more units. Enjoy the VWL - we especially think they are great in the cooler weather months.

 

[JJSWDW]

Another vote for not moving. It's too disruptive for a short trip.

 

[tiggerguy2000]

VWL is our favorite resort and only 6 nights stay in one place.I would ask for a even number room which faces the lake/pool/main resort.The odd number rooms will give you the bus stop view or service entrance.

 

[McCrae]

Moving is easy, bell services do most of the work and I don't understand why it would take anyone a long time to do this providing you are sensible....

You don't need to unpack all your bags at once....any bags you don't use can be stored with Bell services.

Bell services will take your bags to the next resort for you.

It's pretty simple thing to do. Check out in the morning, go to the parks for the day...go to your new resort, checkin and pick up your bags.

No hassle easy to do and has no major impact on the time you spend doing other things.

I would split your stay... Whilst VWL is popular with a lot of people, it's not to everyone's taste. It's an older resort and for me could do with being upgraded. Rooms are a bit dull.

AK has been finished to a higher standard and will give you easier access to the Epcot area parks.

 

[JJSWDW]

Yes, bell services makes the moving of the luggage itself easy but we like to unpack and make the place home rather than live out of a suitcase. So we would still have to pack and get the kids' stuff together. Then unpack and set up again at the other resort. Even though I know it's generally not an issue I do stress about leaving electronics and cameras with bell services, so we'd have to carry them around. I realize if we had a car with a trunk we could probably lock them up but we usually don't have one. I had an incident once where I checked a video camera for the day and it wound up getting loaded with someone else's luggage on their bus. We did eventually get it back but it made me a lot more cautious.

I would agree that without kids I'd consider moving on a short trip but would rather kick back and relax at the same resort in most cases. Just my opinion.

 

[bobbiwoz]

I just came back from a 7 night stay at VWL. Usually I change resorts for one reason or another. It was heavenly not to move!