Split-stay with multiple resorts - looking for feedback

[zanzibar138]

Hi all, I've read various threads going through the pros and cons of split-stays, and I think for our circumstances it makes sense. We're staying 14 nights and, since this is very likely a once in a lifetime (or close to it) trip, I'd love to experience multiple resorts. We can also offset the higher cost of a deluxe for a few nights with the lower cost of a value for a few nights. Being a WDW and DVC rental newbie, just hoping to get a sense check on our plans before I book anything non-refundable! For anyone who has seen my previous threads/responses on accommodation, our plans have changed significantly as we had originally been planning to get married at WDW (also involving travel with a large group) but will now be getting married locally and doing the trip to WDW as part of our honeymoon.

I had been prioritising somewhere with a nice more relaxed feel as I would have been planning a fair bit of downtime in the lead up to and around the wedding, but I'm now prioritising convenience. Buses are really a pet hate of mine, and it's really not about how long it takes - it's more scarring from bad experiences on the school bus combined with a bit of claustrophobia and car sickness. I will suck it up when I have to, but I'd really prefer somewhere with ANY other transport options to one or more parks. My partner has also become more open to the idea of DVC rental, and we do have slightly more flexibility on our budget for the trip now that there's no wedding, so definitely looking at including a few nights at a deluxe.

I was originally thinking a few nights in the MK area and a few nights in the EPCOT area, followed by a few nights at AKL, but that is proving to be way too expensive! As a compromise, I'm very seriously considering the following itinerary (all standard rooms):

• 4 nights at Pop, with transport to EPCOT/DHS via Skyliner and lower cost to offset.
• 7 nights at BLT - I don't even have words for how amazing it would be to be able to WALK to MK, and still have monorail/boat access to other resorts and EPCOT.
• 3 nights at one of the cheaper DVC resorts or a moderate. I'd consider any of the DS area resorts, AKL, WL or CBR. The plan is to have a more relaxed couple of days to finish the trip, so I'd take nice relaxed surroundings over convenience to the parks.

We could stay the full 14 nights at POR or SSR for $400-$650 less (total), but I think I'd rather pay the extra to have the time at BLT, even if it means a few nights at Pop.

It has been strongly reiterated to me that we will 'lose a day' every time we change resorts. I'm not sure that's really an issue for us as long as Disney can still do a luggage transfer for us, as we'd probably just be going to a park first thing in the morning and rocking up at the next resort later that evening. We don't have kids who may need a break in the middle of the day - we'll be happy to just plough through on those days, and find a show or a bar if we need a break. For 2 days out of 13, I'm sure we can manage. Has anyone else experienced issues with this?

 

[tinabina919]

We’ve done split stays many times and I really like it. You really only have a chance of not having a room for a few hours but there’s plenty of other places to go if you need somewhere to rest.

I think your pop/BLT plan sounds great.

Have you checked out Swan/Dolphin for the end of the trip? They are walking distance to Epcot and the pricing can be about the same as a moderate.

 

[jcolvin5]

First, congrats on your wedding!! I hope it is as magical as you dream it to be!

We did a split stay last month, 3 resorts/12 nights. Disney made this a very simple process. They take your stuff and it arrives at your next resort later on that evening. That included groceries, although be mindful that there are some restrictions with "non-perishables". I will warn you that we had one bag that did not make it with the rest of our bags on our first transfer. Just happened to be our carry on that had my ipad in it. We were transferring from AKL-K to the CC cabins. I was able to track it and let them know it was in the lobby of Shades of Green. I assume it would have eventually made its way back to us, but it was worrisome for a few hours.

I should mention that we are not a rope drop to park close family. My girls get up when they are ready to wake up (8-9ish). That gives my wife and I time to get our runs in/shower, have our coffee and get after the day. If you are trying to get the most out of each day, I think transferring will only take a little extra time. You shouldn't lose the day.

We are still pretty new to the resorts, so I especially loved getting to spend time in each of them. That was a highlight for me I think. That plus i enjoy switching things up in the planning with each resort being a different mode of transportation. It was easy to call bell services and have them come and take our stuff and we leave for the parks. I did feel like we ever "lost a day" because of the transfers. Get into our room and have them drop everything off and head to dinner. I had planned our dinners to be in the specific resort of each transfer day just so it would be more convenient for luggage pickup.

I think the most inconvenient part for us was living out of a suitcase for the first two stays. I didn't mind it, but my wife hated it. I didn't realize how much she would hate it, but I was given strict instructions "no more split stays". We have since decided we can split the trip into 2 resorts (6/6) for each trip. Compromise I'd say that and the packing/repacking of luggage and groceries is the most inconvenient part.

Best of luck!

 

[gottalovepluto]

The split part is easy enough if you just spend the afternoon in a park.

Don’t get hung up on this bus thing. The buses are nothing like school buses fwiw. If you really don’t want to bus you can rideshare to all the parks except MK where you can Minnie Van (approx $40/trip). The nicest trip I’ve done is GDT paired with rideshares and Minnie Vans. The rooms are the nicest on property and the rideshare/Minnie Van combo feels like door to door service. Some nice bars and food options for adults as well. You can save some dough and not stay in the tower but you’ll have a bit more walking.

A week at BLT is way too much if you are actually concerned with bus crowding and motion sickness and opposed to rideshares. Any other park you visit from there will require bussing or a crammed monorail. As a fellow motion sickness sufferer that dang monorail to EP can definitely get me and they pack you in like a sardine.

If you have to buy something non refundable don’t do it until you know what insurance you’re buying. Life happens. We have seen people who think it doesn’t, they book non refundable rates and then come back all upset they can’t get a refund when X, Y or Z happens. Be smart! Get good travel insurance.

Two weeks is a lot. I would consider a couple nights at Universal in there especially with Epic opening.

 

[Disneylover99]

Your itinerary looks good.
But you mentioned claustrophobia. Are you going to be okay taking the Skyliner?

 

[NotTheBatesMotel]

We actually prefer Pop over Contemporary (I know it’s not the same hotel as BLT but pretty close) but we’re probably in the minority. The walk really wasn’t as close as we pictured especially at the end of a long park day.

I think that’s a doable plan for a 14 night stay. I have a kid and still find split stays completely doable. It’s not the actual transfer that’s the pain, it’s the packing/unpacking part. If you situate your luggage accordingly you should be fine!

 

[nursejackie]

I would not class moving day as 'losing a day'. Yes it's a pain to pack/unpack I admit, but we ring concierge to take our luggage (and any chilled food) early in the morning, head straight out to a theme park then go to new resort around 3-4pm to check in, and concierge will bring your luggage and any chilled items to your room. The time we are homeless is spent in the parks.

We love split stays as you get to experience more than one resort, and if 14 nights deluxe is out of your price range, at least you get some deluxe nights this way. We used to go for 17-18 nights, but now only go for 13-14 nights. Next year's trip is 8 nights POR, 5 nights Poly

We stayed at BLT once, you are right about walking to MK, it was so quick and easy. It used to be that BLT guests can use BLT and Contemporary pools, but Contemporary guests could not use BLT. Another bonus if it's still valid information.

 

[kylenne]

Going to preach the gospel of packing cubes for split stays. Absolutely no reason to live out of suitcases on a split stay, just packing your stuff in cubes according to where you're staying at does wonders to make moving day a breeze. I landed on a really good system where I color code my cubes by resort. Last year when we did a YC/Poly split, everything that I planned to wear/use for the YC portion of the trip went into the maroon colored cubes I have and were packed in my carry on. The Poly stuff went into my bright pink cubes that were in my larger, checked bag. All I had to do was pop the YC cubes into the drawers. The only thing that came out of my checked bag while we were at YC was my large hangable toiletry bag that had my non-TSA compliant liquids/creams. That way when it came time to switch to Poly, all I had to do as far as repacking was just put my empty cubes and filled up laundry bag away and pack the toiletries back up. Took all of like 10 minutes, if that. It took longer for Bell Services to tag all the crap we had lol. (There were only 2 of us but we both had light sabers and droids)

 

[80sTerraceCafeFan]

IMO a 14 night stay that isn't a split stay is the crazier option - such a great opportunity to experience multiple resorts. You will easily find things to do between 11 and 3 on transfer days.

BLT/Contemporary is a polarizing resort. I could easily do 7 days b/c I love The Contemporary - but make sure the classic old school disney, mid century modern is your aesthetic (although BLT has a little less of this). On the upside, the main CR pool is really an escape from the disney hustle and bustle, set on bay lake - so you can relax there even more than popular pools like beach club, poly, boardwalk, etc. Renting boats on Bay Lake, taking the boat shuttle to Geyser Point later in the day for a drink or outdoor bite to eat are also great options.

For your last couple of relaxing days, Saratoga and OKW are also options with easy access to Disney Springs if you are all parked out. I like the ambiance of OKW better but I prefer the studio rooms a SS to OKW. One beds are good at both.

If renting all these points, I would get travel insurance before going.....sounds like an amazing 2 weeks!

 

[Miffy]

OP, please take note of the other posters who are urging you to get travel insurance if you're renting points. Because point-rental reservations are almost always nonrefundable and, btw, I implore you to double- and triple-check whatever insurance you'd get to make absolutely 100% certain that you would get your money back if you had to cancel for any reason, since renting a DVC resort room isn't like a regular hotel rental--you're renting points.

The reason I'm making a big deal out of this is that during covid, when WDW was shut down, there were a couple of massive threads here on the DIS where both renters and owners talked about their difficulties during this time, and many people who did have travel insurance were pretty unhappy when the insurance didn't cover their DVC rental. And also I've had a couple of WDW trips I had to cut short and had I rented points, there would have been no recourse. As it was, I reserved my rooms through WDW and didn't have to pay for the nights I wasn't there.

As a friend of mine always says, "Cheap is expensive," meaning that doing things on the cheap--or buying something cheap--often leads to bigger expenses down the line.

As for your hatred of buses, just know that other than buses, there's no other WDW transportation to Animal Kingdom, so you might want to consider taking a rideshare there.

I'm not sure when you're going, but make sure to check out room discount rates. And if you intend to go to the parks every day, look into purchasing Annual Passes. For a 14-day stay, it pays for itself, and there are almost always AP room discounts as well as other AP discounts.

As for the mods, I'm a fan of POFQ, which I much prefer to POR, but that's just a personal thing. Also, I don't like changing resorts since I like unpacking and being somewhere, not moving around. But I understand why you want to do a split stay. You'll be on your honeymoon and at WDW--you'll have a great time no matter what!

 

[gottalovepluto]

...we ring concierge to take our luggage (and any chilled food) early in the morning, head straight out to a theme park then go to new resort around 3-4pm to check in, and concierge will bring your luggage and any chilled items to your room...

Bell Services doesn't transfer chilled items anymore

 

[nursejackie]

Bell Services doesn't transfer chilled items anymore

Noooooooo, bummer!

 

[gottalovepluto]

Noooooooo, bummer!

Yeah, it pretty much happened overnight in July '21, with no warning they just hard stopped on transporting perishables.

 

[theMoreDisneytheBetter]

After many visits to WDW I have come to love the convenience of split stays. Disney makes it really easy to transfer everything, and I love having easy access to 3 parks (we usually do a split stay between an Epcot resort and a MK resort). A bit of repacking is well worth it for me.

Having said that, while walking to MK is amazing, 7 days in that area is a LONG TIME because it is kind of a pain to get anywhere else (I’m not a fan of the monorail, and the buses take a long time). If I really wanted to stay near MK for that long, I might pick CCV just because it is so peaceful, and I wouldn’t feel the need to rush into MK if I was planning on going into the park multiple times that week.

I would think a lot about how much time you want to spend at each park and what else you might want to do before picking where to stay. It may not be worth paying the MK premium, for example, if you are going to be going off property or to Disney Springs a lot of those days.

 

[zanzibar138]

Thank you all for your valuable insight!

For those encouraging us to consider travel insurance, we've already got it This is an absolute necessity for us coming from Australia to cover any healthcare costs we might need while we're over there, but is also handy for covering other things too. In Australia, we're also very used to dealing with non-refundable hotels, so that isn't a huge issue for me.

The unpacking/packing thing also isn't a big deal for me. I don't think I have EVER unpacked when I'm travelling, not even when I stayed in an entire house in Tasmania for 3 weeks lol! I do like the suggestion of using packing cubes though.

As for buses, when I say 'claustrophobia', my concern is more specifically being in a small enclosed space that's also crowded and has limited access to exits. It's heightened on buses due to associations from being badly bullied on the school bus. Not so bad on trains (and monorail I expect) as I don't have that bad association and the exits are also more accessible. I LOVE cable cars (although I am assuming they don't pack those like sardines...). I understand that there will be times when buses are our only option and will be ok with that when I need to be.

Contemporary (and therefore BLT) was never really on my radar as honestly I much prefer the aesthetic of pretty much any other deluxe or moderate resort. However, we are not planning to spend much time at the resort, so the appeal is in the location and the price we can get it for compared to other resorts on the monorail or in the EPCOT area. Pools are not a consideration for us, especially over winter!

I'm lucky being from outside of the US that I can get the international 14-day pass for WDW. We do intend to also visit Kennedy Space Center, will really try to make time to see manatees and would also love to get to a basketball game. I can quite easily fill a week at DLR and several days at HKDL, so I have real concerns that 14 days is not going be enough! Sadly I'm not sure if we'll have time for Universal. Epic Universe won't be open yet for our trip, but if we can squeeze it in I would like to get to IoA.

We'll definitely consider OKW and SSR for our last few nights too, but my partner really has his heart set on AKL so we'll see if we can make that happen for him!

 

[theMoreDisneytheBetter]

If your partner has his heart set on AKL that’s actually the PERFECT location from which to visit Sea World, Kennedy Space Center, maybe basketball, Universal (if you can fit it in), etc.

Assuming that you want to do a mixture of parks, honeymoon relaxation, and some outside activities I might structure your trip like so:

2 days each at MK, Epcot, and HS
1 day at AK
1 day at Sea World if you either really like coasters or really want to see the animals
1 day at Universal (both parks)
1 day at Kennedy Space Center (though of everything on your list this is what I’d drop personally)

I’d do 4 nights at a MK resort (personally I’d do CCV for relaxation and to save some money but BLT is fine) - gets you into the Disney mindset but visit Epcot from somewhere more convenient

POP or other for 6 nights - Epcot and HS for sure

4 nights at AKL - AK and some of your off-property activities here

The other thing I’d recommend is to build in some downtime, especially after a big day like Universal. Nothing ruins Disney faster than being exhausted.

 

[drgras68]

I may not have read all the posts thoroughly so forgive me if I post duplicate advice.

It is true that Disney does not transport the perishables any more but it doesn’t mean you can’t make your split stay work. We transport our own perishables, either by ubering, or using Disney transportation if it’s workable. Disney resorts will gladly store your refrigerator items for you, they just won’t transport them. I pack them separately and hand deliver them myself at sometime during the day when it fits my schedule, having Disney store them in cold storage at either, or both ends, of the transfer.

Regarding the packing cubes… they are a game changer! Packing cubes fit neatly into the drawers allowing you to unpack easily in about 5 minutes. Honestly it takes longer deciding who gets which drawers than it does to unpack. And, as the previous poster stated, it makes moving a breeze. Also, and I can’t stress this enough, you do not have to pack like your boarding a plane. Disney does not charge to move your stuff. It’s the same price whether you have 2 neatly packed suitcases or 10 sloppily packed bags, boxes, etc. We always travel with a couple extra tote bags that can be used for pool bags and overflow packing.

These days, it’s rare that we don’t do a split stay. We particularly enjoy walking in and out of the parks! The walking path between the Grand Floridian and MK is a huge upgrade in my opinion. I love the monorail but hate waiting in line to board when the crowds are heavy. I have stayed at all 3 MK resorts and the walk is reasonable from all. (Although the path between Poly and Grand is currently closed due to the new tower being constructed at Poly.) Staying in the Boardwalk/ Skyliner resorts area can’t be beat for the easy access to both Epcot and the Studios. If you decide to do a couple of days at AKL, DO book a Savannah room. There’s nothing like walking out on your balcony with your morning coffee and seeing giraffes right below.

Congrats on your pending nuptials!! Enjoy your 2 weeks in the magic!

 

[rlk]

Yeah, it pretty much happened overnight in July '21, with no warning they just hard stopped on transporting perishables.

We were there on a split stay when they made this change. I Ubered to our next resort with our perishables.

 

[Miffy]

Thank you all for your valuable insight!

For those encouraging us to consider travel insurance, we've already got it This is an absolute necessity for us coming from Australia to cover any healthcare costs we might need while we're over there, but is also handy for covering other things too. In Australia, we're also very used to dealing with non-refundable hotels, so that isn't a huge issue for me.

The unpacking/packing thing also isn't a big deal for me. I don't think I have EVER unpacked when I'm travelling, not even when I stayed in an entire house in Tasmania for 3 weeks lol! I do like the suggestion of using packing cubes though.

As for buses, when I say 'claustrophobia', my concern is more specifically being in a small enclosed space that's also crowded and has limited access to exits. It's heightened on buses due to associations from being badly bullied on the school bus. Not so bad on trains (and monorail I expect) as I don't have that bad association and the exits are also more accessible. I LOVE cable cars (although I am assuming they don't pack those like sardines...). I understand that there will be times when buses are our only option and will be ok with that when I need to be.

Contemporary (and therefore BLT) was never really on my radar as honestly I much prefer the aesthetic of pretty much any other deluxe or moderate resort. However, we are not planning to spend much time at the resort, so the appeal is in the location and the price we can get it for compared to other resorts on the monorail or in the EPCOT area. Pools are not a consideration for us, especially over winter!

I'm lucky being from outside of the US that I can get the international 14-day pass for WDW. We do intend to also visit Kennedy Space Center, will really try to make time to see manatees and would also love to get to a basketball game. I can quite easily fill a week at DLR and several days at HKDL, so I have real concerns that 14 days is not going be enough! Sadly I'm not sure if we'll have time for Universal. Epic Universe won't be open yet for our trip, but if we can squeeze it in I would like to get to IoA.

We'll definitely consider OKW and SSR for our last few nights too, but my partner really has his heart set on AKL so we'll see if we can make that happen for him!

You are super prepared for this trip! I think anything you decide will be excellent. And I hope you get AKL, which is my favorite resort.

Also, yes, 14 days almost isn't enough, but it's good anyway.

 

[pmcalabrese]

I have done split stays and love it. One thing i haven't seen mentioned or might have missed it, is the Dining Plan. Every Split stay is a new Dining plan. If you don't want to do all 14 nights. Say you were staying 3 and 4 day split, You could opt in for the Dining plan for the 4 day and not the 3 day and vice versa. It allows you to try the dining plan and not break the bank and also go out on your own. Disney moves your luggage and you can check in after 4. They are correct about Travel Insurance. If you rent and cut short your stay, you are not getting your money back.