Split stay logistics...

Kim Gillihan

Kluvdisney
Joined
Feb 8, 2017
I tried to search this as I know I have read stories of people doing it and how easy it is.. they actually will move your stuff etc. I am just wanting the spcifics... may be entertaining a split stay this summer either from a value cash reservation to dvc or one dvc resort to anther still tbd.

Thanks in advance!!
 
Just treat it like 2 different stays, with the added benefit Disney will transfer your luggage for you, but you do have to ask i.e. don’t assume that they will collect it automatically.

On the day you check out, phone bell services and ask them to transfer your luggage. They will want to know how many items you have and inform you that you must be in the room when they collect it (for tipping no doubt ).

They will ask you where the luggage is going and inform you that when you check in to the new resort to phone bell services. Again you need to be in room for when they deliver. It doesn’t usually take long, 20 mins say.

One tip is to put any items needing refrigerated in a separate bag and they will chill it for you.
 
We do split stays all the time. It is an easy transfer and we like it so we get to stay in two different areas so we can walk to most of the parks. The drawback is the switch day and being without a room for 5 to 6 hours. What we usually do is make this our day to go to Disney Springs and have lunch. We sleep in late, check out at 11:00 and then head there for lunch and shopping. By the time we are done and back to the new resort, the room is usually ready.
 
You need to check out from the first resort before you can check into the second. I used to go early to check in while the girls were packing, doesn't work anymore.

:earsboy: Bill

 


Also, if you are on the Dining Plan you will need to use 2 separate Dining Plans for the 2 reservations. And in order for the 2nd Dining Plan to kick in, you have to use up all the Dining Credits and Snack Credits on the first Dining Plan.

We found this out the hard way and had to buy 20 bottles of water...........
 
I split stay all the time and love experiencing two resorts in a trip and coordinating MK or Epcot days when I'm staying nearby. My family are all light packers, so we actually just take our luggage down to bell services on our way to the park the morning we're switching resorts. In the evening when we get to the second resort, we swing by bell services on the way to our room to let them know to bring the luggage up. It's been pretty seamless when we do it.

The main downside is not having a room or access to your luggage for several hours in the middle of the day. Not a big deal if you were planning to be in the park all day, but difficult if you want a pool break or nap time.
 
This is a great thread. I'm always debating a split stay. I didn't know they will transfer your luggage, what a great benefit. Thanks for all the info.
 


My family did a 3-in-6-nights split stay earlier this year.

While we loved seeing so many different hotels, we wouldn’t do so many short stays again. We never really got to unpack and settle in, and the transfer days were tough on our toddler, since we often couldn’t get into the new room until the afternoon, and the luggage is never available until 2 or 3 PM anyway.

I would definitely consider a longer split stay, maybe a 4+4, but as convenient as luggage transfer is, it isn’t as convenient as staying in one place!
 
My family did a 3-in-6-nights split stay earlier this year.

While we loved seeing so many different hotels, we wouldn’t do so many short stays again. We never really got to unpack and settle in, and the transfer days were tough on our toddler, since we often couldn’t get into the new room until the afternoon, and the luggage is never available until 2 or 3 PM anyway.

I would definitely consider a longer split stay, maybe a 4+4, but as convenient as luggage transfer is, it isn’t as convenient as staying in one place!

This is what we found out as well, it's just easier to stay in one place, especially with young kids.
 
We are doing a spilt stay for our upcoming trip. Doing 15 nights total. Doing first 7 at BLT and last 8 at AKL. Just FYI, I have read that fastpass selection can work as if it was a continuous stay but that ADR's are more complicated and that the system will treat your stays as separate stays. I have read that if you call to make some reservations people have had luck booking ADR's in their second trip window at the start of their first window. We have never done a split stay before but we are really excited about trying a different resort. Hoping everything runs smoothly.
 
We did our first split stay last year. The transfer went smoothly except we made one big newbie mistake. We had all attached our credit cards to our magic bands at the first hotel and didn't realize we would have to do this again at the second hotel. We ended up at Blizzard Beach with no way to pay for our lunch. The supervisor was really nice and tried calling to fix this for us, but when this didn't work she let us go without paying. Major Pixie Dust!! :-) We won't make that mistake this year!
 
How long does it take for bell services to come get the bags from the time you call? Are you able to schedule a time if it takes awhile?

Also has anyone stayed at CBR recently? How easy is it to transfer from that resort to another?
 
We are doing our first split stay this year.

How does this work with MDE and Fast Pass selections?​
 
How long does it take for bell services to come get the bags from the time you call? Are you able to schedule a time if it takes awhile?

Also has anyone stayed at CBR recently? How easy is it to transfer from that resort to another?
I've done this many times and it's never been longer than 15-20 minutes. As Matty also said above, you can schedule it the night before for a more precise time. I prefer the more "see how the morning goes" approach.

Alternatively, if you're able to get everything in to just a few suit cases you can haul down to bell services yourself, you can drop them off any time without having to wait.
 
How does this work with MDE and Fast Pass selections?

It works great with Fast Pass. You get your 60 day plus length of ticket advantage. Not so much with ADR's though. You get your 180 plus length of the first reservation. You must then wait until 180 from the check-in of the second reservation to get any "180+" benefit.
 
We are doing our first split stay this year.

How does this work with MDE and Fast Pass selections?​
If you meant "DME" (Magical Express), you set it up for arrival-only service at your first resort and departure-only service at your second resort.

I like to split our stays because I hate packing up to leave. I know it sounds weird, but I find that when we have to move in the middle of the trip, we don't get so "settled in" and it's a lot easier to round up everything when it is time to go home. In 2016, we did a 5/2 split which was the reverse of what we normally do, but I really liked it. We spent 5 nights in a 1BR at BWV and then packed everything up and moved over to a 1BR at AKV for the last 2 nights. I was able to leave most of our stuff packed and only took out what we needed for two days. When it was time to pack up and go home, it was super easy.
 
We just returned from a split stay. I checked out of BLT and checked into BCV on Saturday. For some reason they can't explain, my charging privileges on my Magic band stopped working on Sunday. After a few tries the front desk at BCV was able to get it working again, but it took them following me to the Marketplace to see my MB charges get denied. It took some patience, but I could still use my card anyway.

We used a Minnie van to make the move. With 2 kids in car seats and all of our luggage it was tight fit. But, we made a smooth transition and just had Bell Services at BCV hold our luggage as we headed to Epcot until our room was ready (at 12:30pm!!). We had a great stay at BCV.
 
Like others have said, we treat it like 2 stays. We pick the 2 parks that are the most convenient for 1/2 the split, then 2 for the other. For example, we've done the AKL/BCV split several times. From AKL we do AK and MK, then from BCV, we do Epcot and DHS. On "switch-over" day, we usually go to the park of the new resort, then take the bus/boat back to our new resort and to our room.
 
they actually will move your stuff etc. I am just wanting the spcifics... may be entertaining a split stay this summer either from a value cash reservation to dvc or one dvc resort to anther still tbd.
It is super simple. Our last split was from CBR to SSR. We called the evening before to arrange bell services for luggage pick up for 7am. They were prompt, picked up all our luggage and we were on our way. We went to a park and then intended on going to SSR in the afternoon, but didn't end up arriving until after 9pm. Of course at that point our luggage was already there and in storage. Once at SSR they gathered our bags loaded them up on a gold cart and took us to our building. The change over day could be a relaxing day where you just check out later, 11am and then go to Disney springs or off to a park and then to your new resort in the later afternoon. I am not sure what the guaranteed time is that your luggage would be at the new resort, but i would imagine it should be around check in time (dependent upon what time you send off your bags).

i think the only time a split would be difficult would be if you had little kids that needed the room for an afternoon nap, even with that if they can nap in a stroller then it shouldn't be any inconvenience. The only main point to keep in mind is that you need to keep essentials with you.

Our upcoming trip we are going from Poly to AKV -- we have planned AK park so that we are close if we get the room ready text. So you can try to plan your park days so that you are somewhat close to your new resort, but it isn't essential.
 

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