Hi all,
My family of 6 and i are planning our 3rd trip to the world for October 2017. We will be renting dvc points and staying at the villas at animal kingdom. Last visit we stayed at the poly though and fell in love. I want to try animal kingdom but I can’t imagine not staying at the poly. So I’m considering a split stay. We would do ak for most of the trip, and the poly for a couple of nights. I’m looking for feedback on split stays. If you ve done it, what was your experience like? Pros/cons? Any info you could give me would be much appreciated 
I actually prefer splitting between an MK area resort and somewhere else if the trip is longer than a week. The MK area is just so remote from everything else. It’s pretty subjective, as far as how much of a hassle you think it is to get everyone all packed up mid-way through the trip and how much that bothers you but bell services makes it easier for sure… we just call them when we’re packed, tell them where it’s going, and then call them when we get the new room. You will have to purchase separate dining plans, if you decide on one, but that’s not really an issue.
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I almost always split my stays when I am staying more than 5 nights. My last stay I did an AKL/Poly split. It was not DVC but I got a great deal on the Poly but I could not stand the idea of not staying at AKL. I first tried a split because I was afraid to commit to a resort I was afraid I would not love! I use different suitcases for different resorts. I call down to bell services on the morning I am changing (AKL they will come to your room in less than 10 minutes) and then go to a park. At the Poly you call down to get your bags. I learned at AKL that when you call they log the call and your bags- if you bring the bags down to bell service the bags do not automatically get scanned into the system. Wait the 5-10 minutes!
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We’ve split stayed BWV/AoA and BLT/BCV. Next time we’re splitting BWV/BCV.
I’m going to echo both @Nikkipoooo & @PrincipalTinker on several things. It’s nice to have most of the trip at one location, and then 2-3 nights at the other. This upcoming trip I’m going to pack a smaller bag for a 2 night stay and the larger bag for the next 7 nights.
I like split stays because they almost seem like 2 vacations. Sort of extends the magic somehow.
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Thanks so much everyone! I’m convinced this is the right move for us! Not sure how I can pack separate bags for all 6 of us for 2 different stays, but I’ve got some time to think about that!
If you want to “pack separately” without packing in extra bags I’d suggest packing cubes. Pack what you need for one hotel in one (or some) for each person and then repeat for the second stay. Leave the cubes for the second hotel in the bags when you store them. Plus they make unpacking super easy:
Step 1: Remove packing cube from suitcase
Step 2: Place packing cube in drawer
Step 3: Unzip packing cube
Step 4: Enjoy vacation
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I hadn’t considered that. Great idea!
I also love packing cubes! I personally prefer to pack multiple people into each bag based on where we’re sleeping, so that way everything is easily packed and unpacked… i.e. you and spouse would share suitcase A (first resort), B (second resort), then the kids’ clothes go into bags C and D (for the first and second resort), and all of the shared toiletries/toys/etc and shoes go into one more. When staying in a villa I always pack considerably less, as well, and do a load of laundry every other night or so. When it’s just my niece and me in a 1 bedroom for a week we’ll only take 1 suitcase, a small carry on duffel (just in case our bag gets lost) and our backpacks for plane entertainment.