Choosing the right hotel for an upcoming Disney World vacation can be a time-consuming task. Orlando is the theme park capital of the world and there are thousands of family-friendly hotels and resorts in the area.
My family prefers to stay at a Disney World resort hotel if we’re visiting Disney theme parks and budget, amenities and location are usually the deciding factors of where we end up staying. We’ve done a lot of single resort stays (one hotel for the entire vacation) and a handful of split stays (two hotels for the duration of the vacation).
We enjoy both types of vacations and would highly recommend a split stay if you are planning to be in the Walt Disney World area for a week or more.
If you’re unsure whether a split stay will work for your upcoming WDW vacation, Carrie from A Princess and Her Pirates is sharing advice on when to consider one and her top tips on how to plan one.
There are so many Walt Disney World Resorts to choose from, each unique and magical in their own special way! It can be SO hard to narrow down your choice, and then once you decide, you may come across another one and make a switch.
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But have you ever thought of doing a split stay at Walt Disney World? I have personally experienced this option, and it was fantastic! Today, I am going to share with you some tips for your next split stay at Walt Disney World!
Reasons to Consider a Split Stay
First, there are a couple scenarios when a split stay is advantageous. One of these is if you are arriving late at night, and just need a room before your package begins for the rest of your stay.
This is where it is handy to pay a lower nightly rate at a Value or Moderate Disney resort, and then move to your resort that you booked for the remainder of your stay with your Magic Your Way Package.
A second scenario, my personal favorite, and that is splitting your stay evenly, or almost evenly, amongst two resorts. I feel as if this works best when you are staying 5 nights or longer, so you really get the enjoyment out of each resort.
How to Choose Disney Resorts for a Split Stay
When you are deciding on your split stay, keep in mind that you want to move up in resort categories, or at least make a lateral move. For the beginning of your stay, you want to stay at a Value resort or a Moderate. And then, move to a Moderate or Deluxe for the remainder of your stay.
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Why? Because the amenities differ so vastly amongst the resorts, that you want to upgrade your stay for the latter part.
For example, I think you will be disappointed if you started at Disney’s Polynesian Village for 2 nights and then moved to All Star Sports for the remaining 3 of a 5-night stay. Both great resorts, but yet both very different!
If you choose to make a lateral move across resort categories, my suggestion is to consider changing room categories.
An example of this may be a Standard View room at Coronado Springs and then moving to a Royal Guest Room at Port Orleans Riverside. Another example might be a Pool View at Pop Century and then to a family suite at Art of Animation.
More Helpful Hints for Planning a Split Stay
Splitting your time between Walt Disney World Resorts can be cost effective as well. Yet, it still gives you the option to experience two resorts and lots of Disney magic!
If 6 nights at Disney’s Polynesian Village is not in your budget, price a stay with 2 or 3 nights at a Value resort like Art of Animation and the remaining 3 or 4 nights at the Polynesian.
Walt Disney World will move your items from one resort to another. In the morning, you simply take your items to the Bell Services desk at your first resort, and tell them you need them moved to your second resort.
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They will tag them, and move them over for you! Keep in mind, luggage transfers typically occur later in the afternoon. So keep any necessary items with you in case you can’t access your luggage when your room is ready at your second resort.
One lesson learned, somewhat the hard way, was to NOT make the day I changed resorts a day that I am either not visiting a park, or am planning a pool break.
When we moved from Caribbean Beach to the Grand Floridian, I did so on a day when we were doing Magic Kingdom and then going to do the pool for the remainder of the day.
I wasn’t able to access my luggage with our swimsuits until much later than I had planned, so it threw off my plans a bit. It was not the end of the world, but had I planned a little differently, it would have been easier.
Enjoying two Walt Disney World Resorts during your trip is easy! And, can give you some magical ways to enjoy more than one resort! I have split time between Disney’s Caribbean Beach and Disney’s Grand Floridian Resort.
On my upcoming stay, I am sharing my time between Art of Animation and Disney’s Beach Club Resort. If you’re considering a split stay, which two resorts would you choose for your family?
