I’m sure this has been asked/answered before, but a search didn’t turn up any threads that seemed right.
When doing a split stay, what are the ins and outs of having your luggage transferred?
For our trip in December, we’ll be staying in the Boardwalk Villas (DVC rental) for 7 nights, and then transfer to the Contemporary for a single night. We’ll have a car, so we can just load our luggage in our vehicle until it is time to check in…but I’m wondering if it would be less of a hassle to just have them transfer our luggage for us.
What are the positives/negatives to doing it this way versus transferring luggage ourselves?
I love split stays and do them almost any stay that is 4 or more nights.
If you have a car, move them yourself. In December you can put them in your trunk. If you are going to MK, drive to CR and drop them off.
If you are relying on Disney you should ALWAYS call from your room. This will “open a ticket” in the system and if anything goes wrong they can easily find your bags. Bell Services will come to your room and give you a claim ticket.
Some people will tell you to bring your bags down to bell services. Usually that is fine. If there is a problem, it can get complicated.
Your bags most likely will not get to the next resort until after 3:00.
Examples of lost bags both ways:
AKL to Poly- I brought the bags down to AKL bell services. Poly received their internal delivery. My bags were not there. There was no record of my bags. I had my claim tickets but since I dropped off the bags no one put them in the system. Three hours after I started asking (45 minutes before my CG ADR) a liner CM contacted AKL bell services, my bags were in the corner there.
AKL to WL (see a pattern?)- at WL called down to bell services, bags not there. Give us 10 minutes and we will call you back. They called back within minutes and told me my bags would be there within 30 minutes (AKL sent them to FW).
We do a lot of split stays and always have a car. Just transfer your stuff yourselves, no reason to take a chance that your luggage will be delayed or lost for the day.
Brian’s video also shows him picking up his bag. I stopped asking at bell services after BC refused to allow me to get the bags. They told me I had to call from the room. I would be interested in reports if that has worked at other resorts, specifically DVC or deluxe resorts.
My mom and I spent 1 night at Gran Destino before transferring to AKL this past September.
My mom went down by herself to retrieve the bags so bell services helped her bring them back, but had I been there we would have brought them back ourselves. Otherwise, we did exactly what Brian did.
Last May, we transferred from AKV to BRV to OKW, but we had a rental car and more bags (4 people this time) so we moved them ourselves. Our room wasn’t ready when we first arrived at BRV so we checked the luggage with bell services. However, when we were still in the lobby, the room became ready. I don’t remember if we had the option of moving them ourselves. My dad and I were the only ones present for the luggage move so used the assistance of bell services.
My mother called bell services first, but no one picked up. She then walked down. This was 9/1/2019 which was during the storm prep for Hurricane Dorian (also Sunday of Labor Day weekend). They were probably short staffed…employees needed to get their own homes ready for the storm.
I’ve had a couple different experiences with luggage transfer. 2018 we moved from ASMo to POR and I had to be in the room to have the luggage delivered. 2019 we transferred from AKL to AoA. I called from the room to ask for the bags to be delivered and was told I didn’t need to remain in the room to have the bags delivered. I don’t know if I could have called while at the pool to have them delivered.
I’m doing 5 resort hops in March so I’ll test it out and report back.
Which is what I expected but not at all what occurred in Dec 2019 at AoA. We were eating at Ale & Compass when our luggage was delivered to our room. I think this is very much a YMMV thing.
Hi - I just wanted to bump this thread to see if anyone has recent experiences to share. I feel like I’ve seen a ton of trip reports regarding split stays! We are splitting between Beach Club and Boulder Ridge in October. Is 3pm a reasonable expectation for when we should be able to access our luggage? The 3/4 timeframe I am ok with but if people are seeing after dinner time then I will use Lyft and move the bags ourselves. Thanks!
I’ve always understood they only start moving bags after check-out time, so around noon. The whole thing is coordinated WDW wide.
If you want your bags before 5pm I would move them yourself. We’ve had great moves and a couple where bags either went to the wrong resort (YC instead of BC) or were left at the first resort and never moved until they tracked them down after 10pm. But we’ve never got them before around 7pm.
I have always been told in “regular” times not to expect my bags before 3 (non DVC). I don’t think you should every expect them before official check in.
I believe @DumboRunner might have transferred her bags this week from BC to WL?
I too have had bags stay at the sending resort and sent to the wrong resort . Receipts (with the tracking info) is so important! I have also brought a small bag with me to the park, and rented a locker right away, to plan for my late luggage.
