Why do a split stay?

[DisneyMommyMichelle]

We do it because my husband and I have very different ideas about which resorts we love! LOL! We also do it to work it into our travel plans. When we are doing only theme parks and going from morning until night we do a moderate and then for the second half of our trip (we usually do 10 day water parks and more ticket with the hopper) we move to a deluxe and just veg at the resort and hit up waterparks for half days as well as Downtown Disney. That's usually the unwinding part of our vacation and the very last night we end up at MK for Wishes

 

[dandi1]

We did a split stay last year and doing it again this year. We had a bounceback and then decided to stay longer so we rented points. This year, we got free dining and then again, wanted to stay longer so we rented points again. (I am seeing a trend...I just need to stay longer!)
I had groceries and 3 kids and a husband to repack, but it wasn't bad. Bell Services came to our room, picked it up, we went to the park and then just took the bus to our new resort.
We stayed at moderate and then a standard villa. We used the second half of the trip to relax more and use the resort more. 2 vacations in 1 for us.

 

[Masonmj84]

We do it because we believe it actually provides net convenience:

1. As no one disney resort is close to all of the parks, by splitting your stay, you can plan a vacation where your resort is always close to at least one park and, by planning your park days accordingly, you can minimize your reliance on busses (especially nice for getting back to your resort for afternoon rest/naps and after evening entertainment, such as fireworks).

2. We like to do a lot of table service dining and are of the opinion that most of the best WDW restaurants are in the deluxe resorts, so splitting our stays and planning our ADRs accordingly allows us to experience many dining options wihile minimizing our reliance on busses.

The time we save from the above two points is significant (probably amounts to a couple of hours per day) and results in the vacation being significantly more relaxing despite having to change resorts. In addition, experiencing at least two resorts in the same vacation is really fun.

 

[bsb]

We are splitting our time so we can be close to the park we are going to on those days. Our first half of our trip is going to MK so we will be staying at the CR and the second half we will focus on Epcot and HS so we will be staying at the Boardwalk. I have done many split stays and I never regret it. Yes, packing can be slightly annoying but I think the pros of being able to experience different resorts is worth it 100%! I really don't even think it's that bad, we never really unpack anyways.

 

[CynBeth]

We go approximately every few years and the last few trips have done a split stay of 2 resorts because this way we get to experience more resorts on our bucket list in a shorter amount of time. We rent a car so it is easy to move. We put the stuff we plan to wear the second half of the trip on the bottom of the suitcase and put the clothes and other things we will need for the first half on top and once we reach the first resort we put some stuff in drawers so we aren't unpacking very much but is easy to access. Once we get to the second resort we unpack everything and put it all in drawers grouped a certain way so when we pack the suitcases to go home we separate dirty clothes from clean clothes and put gifts in a certain way especially if breakable. The one bad thing about a split stay is that it is 2 separate reservations so you can't make ADRs for the entire trip you do it for the days of the first resort plus moving day and then have to wait until 180 days of the second resort to make them for the rest of the trip.

 

[IrishNYC]

We're splitting our next stay 1 night ASSports, and 5 at CBR. We will likely arrive around 10pm our first night, so there's no point paying CBR price, and it decreases our DDP by one day, so it ends up saving us about $250. We will be in the parks for 4 full days, and one party night, so 6 DDP days was too many.

 

[mickeyfino]

We do split stays for a different experience. We usually stay at a value (easier on the wallet) and a moderate (better pools), with the moderate at the tail-end of the trip.

 

[DaisyDuck001]

Mainly because the theming of each resort is a completely different adventure, just as people visit each of the four theme parks to enjoy different themes.

Secondarily, to get to spend some time at a resort that may not be affordable for the whole stay, but that may be doable for a shorter time.

Thirdly, to be nearer to the parks and restaurants I'll be visiting during each part of the trip.

 

[Mazz519]

Don't like doing split stays did one aa few weeks ago... if your on the dining plan you have to use all your dining credits before you check into the other hotel.... I complained and believe it or not they told me that their computers are not set up to rollover the credits...annoyed me very much

 

[Marionnette]

I have a split stay coming up next week...one night at BLT followed by *free* dining at CSR. Why?

• Because there wasn't a *free* dining package available for our arrival night.
• Because there wasn't a Business Class room-only available at CSR for our arrival night.
• Because BLT was available thru DVC and I had points available to spend.
• Because BLT is convenient to the MK, which fits our plans for the morning after arrival.

Last year, I stayed at 3 different resorts in 8 nights because that was the only way that I could cobble together a DVC stay for my trip. Sometimes, I'll stay at a Value Resort or at an airport hotel on my arrival day/night in order to save DVC points. TBH, I'm not in love with having to pack up and move each time. I would much rather arrive, unpack and stay put until we leave. It just doesn't work out that way the majority of the time.

 

[shalom]

It just seems that it would be a hassle moving to a different room halfway through you stay.

We travel enough I've got packing down to a science, and packing up for a hotel room is nothing compared to what we haul to a condo! I do try to schedule the switch early enough I'm not likely to be tired; by the end of the first week of a 2 week Disney trip, switching would seem a hassle. Do it the first few days, though, assuming there's a good contrast between places, and it just adds to the fun!

One reason I have considered a split stay at Disney is if I got the Dining Plan, I would not want it the entire time (we tend to stay 11 days in Orlando), so I'd get some time with the DDP, then switch somewhere else without it.

We do split stays for a different experience. We usually stay at a value (easier on the wallet) and a moderate (better pools), with the moderate at the tail-end of the trip.

We always go from small to large on split stays, and do our heaviest touring while in the smaller unit. We haven't stayed onsite at Disney yet, but if we did, it'd be Disney first, then an off site condo second, because even Disney's DVC units seem small to us (not counting the Grand Villas, of course). We're fine in a smaller unit for a couple of days, but after that we're a lot happier if we can spread out a bit.

 

[Day-Day]

Our visits to the same park are scattered throughout our trip so splitting a stay to be able to concentrate on specific parks does not help us much.

We have split because it allowed us to experience different resorts and maybe help us decide where to stay on our next visit.

(We also split between WDW and Unviversal if visiting both but that's probably not what this thread is about.)

 

[Paula Sedley-Burke]

We did it one time because our DVC resort was not available and since then we are hooked! We like trying the different DVC resorts. I love 'shopping' at the 7 month window now to see what other resorts I can snag. We call it our vacation within our vacation. Like others have said they all offer different things. Different parks, Disney springs , Broadwalk , themes even sometimes a stay at Vero Beach!

 

[smiths02]

We have done one split stay.
Our kids really liked AoA family suites, and we really enjoyed the space they provide.
As a family, we also like the luxury and convenience of Deluxe resorts. However 9 nights with 5 people in a standard deluxe room is a tight squeeze and expensive.

So our last trip we did 6 nights AoA and 3 nights BC. We chose BC because we had several things we wanted to do in the area---fishing excursion into Epcot, early princess breakfast at Epcot, dinner at Yachtsman, breakfast at Cape May, Illuminations, Fantasmic at DHS.

There was some hassle on moving day. We drove to WDW, so we transferred luggage ourselves. We did unpack somewhat in the AoA room. We also drove to the parks a lot when we were at AoA. Once we got to BC, we parked the car and had no need for it. The time we saved just walking downstairs to Cape May for breakfast or walking to the dock for an early morning fishing excursion was worth the moving hassle. That being said, we did devote about 1/3-1/2 a day with switching, but we are a family with 3 kids (two of them are preschoolers).

 

[loves to dive]

The first one I did was because I thought it was silly to pay for a deluxe for my first night when I would be arriving around 3 and knew I was going directly to a park. That one I booked 2 nights at Poly and 4 at YC. The second night I booked because I figured no matter where I stayed I'd have to take a bus to AK so I'd just go to AK that second day. It was my first time staying in a value resort and I swore it would be my last. After that I decided I wanted to stay in every resort on property. So after that, it was a moderate for the first 2 days then move to the deluxe. I did stay at ASSp after the horrible Pop stay, thinking maybe it was bad luck at Pop so I'd give another value a try. It was only $70/night with my AP discount so I thought why not and booked one night. That did it, no more value for me. I've almost hit my goal, I've stayed at GF, Poly (3 times) CR, BWV (3 times) BC/YC can't count the number of times, Swan, AKV, OKW, POR, CBR, Pop, ASsp. I have an upcoming trip in Sept. for 2 nights CSR, 4 nights YC. All that is left is WL, SSR and POFQ, ain't doing the other All Stars or AoA, can't make me.

 

[Shellyred8]

Another consideration is that you can do the DDP for one of your reservations and not the other, if you don't want to do the DDP for your entire stay.

If you don't mind the packing and unpacking part of the move, it really is an easy process. Drop your bags off with Bell Services and go off and enjoy your day. When you are done for the day, go to your new resort and pick up your bags with Bell Services (or have them deliver them to your room). Easy peasy.

We do split stays to be closer to the parks we will be playing in instead of having to rely on bus transportation so much.

 

[OurLaughingPlace]

We are on a triple split stay right now.
Contemporary - 4 nights - lots of MK time (walk / monorail)
Beach Club- 4 nights - DHS and walking into Epcot world showcase every single night! Also, SAB pool time - awesome!
Riverside - 7 nights (Just checked in here today) - boat to Disney Springs. We will visit each park while we are here. Chose this resort for a week of free dining.
Our transition to each resort has been exceptionally smooth. Our room has never been ready, but we just have our swim suits with us and get some pool time in while waiting for room. However, we have teens. I would not try to do a triple stay if I had toddlers with me.

 

[Hi Pluto]

We did a split stay because we wanted to try POR but weren't ready to commit the whole 6 nights to it. So 4 nights BC, then 2 POR. Glad we did it that way, but probably will just stick to one resort from now on.

~Cari~

 

[KapBoy77]

Could anyone tell me how long roughly it takes for the luggage to get to the other resort when using Bell Services?

 

[busymommy2pink]

I can see the appeal. We are doing our first one this coming may. Mainly because we were given two free nights at any deluxe as compensation for previous issues, so we choose to try gf without having to pay for it. Our girls have been set on returning to beach club, as have i, so that's where the majority will be. 9 nights then two nights at gf. If we like it we will be doing it again. It's a great way to have a couple of nights at the resorts we can't afford for a whole trip. Next time we would love a couple of nights at contemp to do Halloween party and then move to another. Contemp doesn't appeal to us for a whole trip, but the convince of walking is enough to keep us for a few nights.