onsite multiple resorts

[sherriepaul]

Question for everyone.
Last year my family stayed at POFQ and we loved it, but am looking for a resort to stay at next year that we can either get a room discount or free dining for. Dates haven't been set but thinking in late august.
I see the new AOA resort and the kids think it would be great, but then I see resorts like Wilderness lodge or Beach club and think I would like to stay there. Or do we do riverside near our POFQ? I know many people do split stays. What are the ins and outs of doing a split stay and how do you work this with your luggage and with a dining plan? Is it a hassle and does it take a lot of extra time?

Thanks in Advance!

[DisneyDINK]

I did a split stay a few years back. It worked out OK, but I decided not to do it again.

Pros: Yes, Disney will move your bags from resort to resort at no charge (but tips are appreciated). You get to experience two resorts. More nearby dining to explore.

Cons: pack and unpack twice, check-in twice, check-out twice.

For me, I would rather stay at one place. It takes too much time to change resorts and I would rather relax as much as possible. If you are using disney Transportation, going from resort to resort can take a long time. If you will rent a car, it would be easier.

[laprana]

We did a split stay for the first time this past May, with the first half of our trip at Kidani and the last half at the Poly. I wasn't sure if I would like a split stay or how big of a hassle it would be to move resorts, but I actually really liked it! For some reason, it made the trip seem longer to me, and I really loved staying at 2 of my favorite resorts in one trip and 2 different areas of WDW property. We had a rental car, which made it really easy because we could transfer our own luggage and drive ourselves to the Poly from Kidani. I don't think it would be as easy if you don't have a car. The DDP credits were no problem - we just had to remember to use them all up from the first half of our trip before they expired so we didn't lose any! We liked doing a split stay so much that we're doing it again in November - POR first and then SSR! Can't wait!!

[sherriepaul]

Thanks for the input. I was just starting to think maybe this would be fun for the kids to do as long as it wasn't too much of a hassle for the adults. We will have to look furthur into it, to see if this is something we want to do. Thanks!

I was really wondering about the dining plan, glad you were able to confirm what I thought. That the day you check out of the first hotel you have until the end of that day to use up any dining credits.

Thanks!

[Jen C.]

We are doing a split stay in two wks from now, with 3 nights at Contemporary Tower~Theme park view, and 4 nights at BC~deluxe room. We are staiyng club level at both, and really hope that the transfer will go off without a hitch, enabling us to enjoy our two favorite hotels!!
I will let you now when we return how the experience was, but we are really, really looking forward to it!!

[sherriepaul]

That would be great thanks JEN!

Have a fantastic time!

[mom2morgan]

There is a VERY important consideration with the dining plan! You can only book dining plan with a "package" - so it can not follow your resort switch. If you want the DDP at your second location, you would have to buy at least one (or it might be 2) days of park tickets. In most cases, that would eat up ANY money you might otherwise save. I'm switching resorts on my September trip - but I'm buying 10 day park passes (that CAN follow me from one resort to the other) and only having Dining plan on my first "half" - I'll be paying OOP a the second location.

[mydisneygirls]

If the free dining is being offered at the time you are going and if you haven't stayed at the WL, I'd would stay there the entire trip. It's our second favorite resort on the property. And although it is a deluxe resort, it is much more reasonable than the others. You will really enjoy it. That being said, we've never split our stay because we enjoy the resort we choose so much!!!!!