This is our first time renting DVC points. Bc we booked ‘late’ we had to do a triple split stay - Riv for 2 night, BLT for 3, and ply for 2. I was apprehensive when we made the reservation but I was really excited about the places we will be. With that said I am reading trip reports that are terrifying me. One in particular sounded horrific. I am starting to think this was a terrible idea. And we spending so much to do this trip with our family of five. Crap! Now what? I have no options for rescheduling the dvc right?!? Am I panicking over nothing or it this going to be a total flop?
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I have only ever done split stays! I love them. Smart packing is the key.
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Wow! What a great trip you have planned! Almost every trip I go on is a split trip. It will be important for you to think about what you want to do on moving day. Will you go to EP on your day you are moving from RV to BLT and then take the monorail to BLT? Will you have a pool afternoon on your move to Poly?
Yes, smart packing is a key. Also, how will you get your luggage to the 2nd and 3rd resort? If you are sending it through bell services, keep a few backpacks with everything you will need if you want to go to the pool or change for dinner (rent a locker at a park if you need to).
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What ages are in your party?
I did a quadruple split stay with four kids under 9. You’ll be fine. Yes, there are disruptive aspects of a split stay. But it can also be a lot of fun! Think of it as a research trip to decide which resort is your favorite.
This. Just have your luggage ready in the morning, store it with bell services (they will transfer it to your new resort for you) and then call for it whenever you are in your next room (even if that’s not until evening). They will even store refrigerated / frozen items for you.
By the way, you will LOVE Riviera, BLT, and Poly. Such great resorts, each with their own personality!
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You are going to be fine. You are staying out some fabulous resorts. We have done multiple split stays over the years and I’ve never had issues. It actually makes it kind of nice to plan your park days based on the resort you’re staying at.
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Split stays can be fab. Pack light and smart. I once tried 3 resorts in 4 nights for fun.
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I did it with 4 kids under 9 too!
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Deep breath. This is totally manageable.
We did a split stay on our last trip to Disney. And a recent NV/UT/AZ trip had 5 different hotels over 7 nights. Family of 5.
Just have a game plan and allow packing time. With 5 of us in a hotel room, we don’t really have space to spread our stuff out too much, so it doesn’t take long. As long as everything ends up in a bag, it will get to the next hotel.
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was that my trip?
Keep in mind, I got stuck for days and had to find extra available rooms.
All in all, my original split stay (CR/BLT/BC) was great. I am not an “unpacker” though. I keep everything in packing cubes and have all my clothes for the most part planned and organized for the week.
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Also, we usually plan relaxing mornings the day of checkout/move, then uber to the next resort and store our luggage with Bell services. Its a little more costly than having Disney transfer it for you but I like knowing where my stuff is at all times.
I love split stays! My last few trips have been 4 splits and it’s great to check out all the hotels and make plans for next time. Also a great way to splurge on a couple nights somewhere you can’t afford for longer trips.
As others said smart packing is key. Definitely have bell services move your luggage for you and plan to be without your bags until after 4pm just in case your room isn’t ready. Fwiw I always put 8am as my checkin time while using online checkin and during my splits stays my rooms have always been ready quite early in the day.
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I did a split stay pre pandemic where we were at UOR for a few days and then switched to WDW. There was my party and an elderly friend in his own room whom we had to coordinate with. We do not pack lightly and had 3 kids with us. Moving went ok, but if I had it to do over again I would have made zero reservations for that night. This was with FPP and I had 3 FPP at MK and also 2 dinners (splitting our party up over 2 restaurants) preplanned. We did all that but it was exhausting. In retrospect some fun time to tour our new resort at WDW, pool time maybe, dinner at the resort and then whatever else we felt like doing would have been the fun and relaxing evening we all needed.
We have a split stay planned for August. Hard Rock at UOR, then AKL and finally BC. Three or four nights at each. We’ve done a two hotel split before between UOR and WDW. Packing cubes are a lifesaver. We also had a laundry bag we could just throw in one of the suitcases for the transfer.
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As everyone else has said, split stays can be great! We were forced to do one the first time, and since then we’ve always done it by choice. It’s like 2 (or 3) different vacations in one! Next trip BC/GF.
Do give some thought to your changeover days, and what you plan to do. I blundered one year and switched us to Poly the night we were planning to go to MNSSHP. It was the only time ever our room wasn’t ready anywhere near on time, so we overextended ourselves during the day. The little one was done before the party even started.
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We have a split stay booked in May Poly/Boardwalk. I’m so excited to be able to check out 2 resorts in one trip. I bet your trip will be great, those are all beautiful resorts with their own unique perks.
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We have our first split stay coming up in May, do you use packing cubes? or do you have any suggestions to stay organized? I’m trying to figure out how to keep things as orderly as possible when we switch resorts.
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Do you have a brand of packing cubes you’d recommend over others?
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I just came across this post from December about packing cubes and I thought I’d share: Packing tips? Compression cubes?
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no, i just bought generic ones on amazon
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I really love those Alameda compression cubes that I bought. I got 2 of the 3 piece sets and they easily fit in my carryon suitcase.
Eta: I used 1 small for 2 swimsuits and a cover up, 1 small for pj’s and other sleep essentials, the other 2 small were for undergarments and socks, then 1 large for bottoms and dresses and the other large for tops.
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