Planning a split stay recommendations.

[WDWFan2018]

This will be our first time staying at a Disney resort and I'm looking for some feedback with regards to split stays. Is this something you would recommend? There will be 2 adults and 2 kids (6 and 4). I'm just wondering if switching hotels, getting the meal plan, booking reservations and FPs; does it all become a PITA if you're doing a split stay? I just thought it would be a good way to see a couple of different resorts but wonder if it's more trouble than it's worth.
Thanks for any advice you could provide.

 

[nickys]

I’ve done two split stays; once on a three day trip. I find that the meal plan takes a bit of extra planning since you basically have one meal plan for the first resort and a second one for the other. There is a little overlap since the first plan ends at midnight on the day you move and the second begins earlier that day. So you just don’t want to leave anything in the table (no pun intended). I think if you ask they’ll move items left over on the first meal plan to the second. I’m pretty sure they did that for me last time.
You also get two sets of bracelets. At least the first set should work for the entire trip, if not both sets (you can ask), but I usually switch over just to be sure I don’t get to the park and find I’m wearing a bracelet that isn’t working. But I’ve been assured each time that wouldn’t happen.

Just to confirm. ANY magic band showing as active in MDE will work for any trip.

The dining plan is a bit tricky. You can't use the second set of credits until the first set are used up.

What you can do is pay OOP for a meal, then use up your credits and ask the 2nd resort to refund the money and deduct the credits. It's convoluted but possible. Easier to just use up the snack credits first.

 

[gmk3855]

That had nothing to do with a split stay though. That's just the way the offers work.

You have to start your trip within the dates of the offer. Simple as that. Unlucky but they offer these things for one reason - to encourage people to book at times when there would otherwise be a downturn in bookings.

I know it is not exactly the same, but it is still a split reservation / stay. It seems some people are lucky and everything goes great with their splits while other people have tons of problems. Just passing on info about how it may not go as planned.

 

[nickys]

I know it is not exactly the same, but it is still a split reservation / stay. It seems some people are lucky and everything goes great with their splits while other people have tons of problems. Just passing on info about how it may not go as planned.

From your post, the only "problem" I read was that they wouldn't give you the free dining on part one.

So the free dining didn't appear on your second stay, when you were eligible, is that it?

 

[gmk3855]

From your post, the only "problem" I read was that they wouldn't give you the free dining on part one.

So the free dining didn't appear on your second stay, when you were eligible, is that it?

It was paid dinning then switched over to the free dining. When the second reservation/ stay started, nothing was showing or added on the magic bands. I know of at least 3 other people that have done split stays, that when they got to the next resort nothing was in the loaded into system for the magic bands for the next half. We all lost a lot of time trying to get the people at the resorts to correct the problem.

 

[tanya venables]

This will be our first time staying at a Disney resort and I'm looking for some feedback with regards to split stays. Is this something you would recommend? There will be 2 adults and 2 kids (6 and 4). I'm just wondering if switching hotels, getting the meal plan, booking reservations and FPs; does it all become a PITA if you're doing a split stay? I just thought it would be a good way to see a couple of different resorts but wonder if it's more trouble than it's worth.
Thanks for any advice you could provide.

Hi, it can be a really great way to experience different resorts. I would however advise you to work out the costs based on the package you are booking. If you are booking in the UK and taking advantage of the 14 day tickets for the price of 7 with free dining, then you would lose your free dining if you switch resorts - which can be costly. The 14 day tickets transfer across both bookings.

 

[WDWFan2018]

Hi, it can be a really great way to experience different resorts. I would however advise you to work out the costs based on the package you are booking. If you are booking in the UK and taking advantage of the 14 day tickets for the price of 7 with free dining, then you would lose your free dining if you switch resorts - which can be costly. The 14 day tickets transfer across both bookings.

WHAAAAT? 14 days for the price of 7 with free dining?? Goodbye Canada, I'm moving to the UK!!

 

[nickys]

WHAAAAT? 14 days for the price of 7 with free dining?? Goodbye Canada, I'm moving to the UK!!

That's 14 day tickets for the price of 7. Not 14 days stay for the price of 7.

Just to clarify, still a great deal though. They have to encourage us to pay the ridiculous air fares somehow!

 

[spock8113]

We split once, wouldn't recommend it. Moving Day as a huge inconvenience.
And the meal plan..............we calculated and mathmetized plan and no plan, no real big savings.
Dessert, which you really can't eat anyway, is the big extra "byproduct" of the meal plan. Marie Osmond would be proud!
Just eat where and when you want.

 

[DarthVader]

We split once, wouldn't recommend it. Moving Day as a huge inconvenience.

It can work, but I agree, it adds a level of complexity and inconvenience.

And the meal plan..............we calculated and mathmetized plan and no plan, no real big savings.

My kids and myself absolutely love the meal plan, but yet no matter how much we ran the numbers, it just didn't work out for us. I'd not pass up a free meal plan as an option, but paying for it tends to be more expensive. I might have been able to make this work but when Dinsey forced me to buy an adult meal plan for my 10 year old kids, that's when its stopped being feasible.

 

[Seeshark]

Just to confirm. ANY magic band showing as active in MDE will work for any trip.

The dining plan is a bit tricky. You can't use the second set of credits until the first set are used up.

What you can do is pay OOP for a meal, then use up your credits and ask the 2nd resort to refund the money and deduct the credits. It's convoluted but possible. Easier to just use up the snack credits first.

I don't remember the meal plan split that way - not saying you're wrong on having to use up the first round of credits - but I just recall having a front desk person move the snacks remaining from my first meal plan over to my second plan. I had already exhausted my table and counter service credits, so perhaps makes a difference. In fact, I think we did Le Cellier on the night I switched over, using one credit from the first meal plan and one from the second. They had to do something extra that took a few extra minutes when I got the bill to make that work, but I really remember it going down that way. Though I don't remember what I had for lunch yesterday, so maybe I'm way off...

 

[nickys]

I don't remember the meal plan split that way - not saying you're wrong on having to use up the first round of credits - but I just recall having a front desk person move the snacks remaining from my first meal plan over to my second plan. I had already exhausted my table and counter service credits, so perhaps makes a difference. In fact, I think we did Le Cellier on the night I switched over, using one credit from the first meal plan and one from the second. They had to do something extra that took a few extra minutes when I got the bill to make that work, but I really remember it going down that way. Though I don't remember what I had for lunch yesterday, so maybe I'm way off...

I think the CMs at each resort can probably do it, if you ask and if you get lucky. And you're at the second resort before you want to use the second set of credits.

Recent reports I've seen suggest it's one of the biggest headaches. A lot of people use moving day as a park day, so aren't at the second resort to get this done ahead of time. Most say the restaurants couldn't do it for them and they had to pay OOP and get the resort CMs to sort it out afterwards.

 

[Seeshark]

I think the CMs at each resort can probably do it, if you ask and if you get lucky. And you're at the second resort before you want to use the second set of credits.

Recent reports I've seen suggest it's one of the biggest headaches. A lot of people use moving day as a park day, so aren't at the second resort to get this done ahead of time. Most say the restaurants couldn't do it for them and they had to pay OOP and get the resort CMs to sort it out afterwards.

That's good to know. Overall, I wouldn't characterize my experiences as inconvenient or a headache. Sure, I had some explaining to do at the restaurant and had to make an extra front desk stop or two to resolve some issues, move over snack credits or whatever, but I didn't find any of that to be over the top. What I found super convenient was to take the water taxi to MK from WL, and then a couple days later take the water taxi (or walk) into the back exit of Epcot and HS from the Boardwalk, several times a day. To each their own I suppose.