switching hotels during your stay

[AutumnKlassic]

This is my first post so please bare with me. In October of 2007 my fiancee and I are going to go to Disney World for 14 days. He wants to stay at one of the Deluxe resorts (Mostly the Wilderness Lodge) for the entire trip but that would kill our bank balance, so I thought of staying at a value for a few nights then switching to a moderate and finishing our stay with a few nights at a Deluxe. Has anyone else done this? Is it easy to do? I have already called Disney and they said it would be no problem, but I really wanted other takes on this.
Thanks

OH and "HAVE A MAGICAL DAY"
that just thrilled me when they said it over the phone:king:

 

[wdwmagic]

Welcome to WDWMAGIC!

This is a very common thing to do, and a great way to see more resorts! Disney will transfer your bags for you, so all you need to do is get to the new resort on the Disney transporation from any of the parks.

One thing to note though, is that it does take up some of your time packing, handing over the bags to bell services, and getting yourself to the new resort, and then unpacking again etc.

Have a great trip!

 

[BRER STITCH]

As Steve mentioned, I think it's become pretty common to do this.

I have done it numerous times when I was down there for work related stuff and then stayed longer to have fun!

The best thing to do on the day of your switch is to call the Bell Man to come and get your bags and tell Him which resort your bags are going to. After that, go have fun in one of the parks for a day.

Around 3 o'clock, head over to your new resort to check in. If your room is ready, you can head over to it and call Bell Services to bring your bags. They have always been to the new resort by then for me, but I think they will tell you that they are supposed to be there by at least 4:00.

It's a great way to experience 2 different resorts and save a little money as a bonus!

HAVE FUN!

:wave:

 

[wannabeBelle]

As others have said, this is certainly do-able but I wouldnt want to move three times in one trip. Twice I think would be OK though. Definitely as you have planned, move up into the higher levels of resort later in the vacation. Belle

 

[Master Yoda]

Like wannabebelle said start out at the value and work your way up. Disney will take care of all the luggage transfers for you just plan to be without your stuff for about 8 hours max.

 

[campdisney]

We've hotel hopped every single trip. Just like another poster said, I would recommend only two hops though. We did three one year and it did feel like a hassel by the third pack up & transfer -- not because of Disney, but because I was sick of packing & unpacking all the stuff the kids had accumulated. Transfering just once and getting to see two great hotels in one trip works perfectly for us. We plan to do it again on our next trip.

Definitely start with the lowest category hotel and transfer "up" to the higher category hotels. All the Disney hotels will be fun and exciting -- but once you've experienced the amenities of a deluxe, going to value straight afterwards might seem a bit like sloppy seconds.

Have a great trip!

 

[WDWRLD]

Transfering to another hotel is no problem but it does seem to "waste a day". We did it a few summers ago going from POR to the Poly for the 4th of July weekend. First of all the day you checkout that morning you have to pack so you cant get a early start to the parks. We loaded our bags in the truck and drove over to the Poly around 11am. We droped out bags off with bell services and checked in. Our room was not ready so we had already planned on going to the pool and had a beach bag with a few things and wore our bathing suits over from POR. We had a great time at the pool untill about 2 pm when we had the afternoon storm. They ran everyone out of the pool so I checked and the room was still not ready. Now we were wet with no dry cloths and no room or luggage to change into. The rain was brief so we stayed at the beach and still had fun. We even rented a boat for a while. I also started checking back at 3 and still no room. Finally at 4:30 we got out room. We went there and no luggage. Called bell services and they said it was on a cart to be delivered. Great so I thought. Finally 45 min later we got our bags. By the time we got our bags, got showers and ate it was late. We still had not unpacked. So out of the whole day we only got a few hours in the park. We did the hotel swap thing once and wont do it again. It might not be so bad if you travel really light and dont mind living out of your suitcase all week. Plus you will most likely will not be able to use the ship your packages to your room because you will be moving so much.

 

[Epcot82Guy]

Question I had. Can you wait until you are back from the parks to check in at Resort 2? We are switching, and I had planned to drop the bags off at Pop, go to the parks all day, and then check in at POR. Would it be better to take the bags over myself and check in early before hitting the parks, just to make sure?

 

[BRER STITCH]

Question I had. Can you wait until you are back from the parks to check in at Resort 2? We are switching, and I had planned to drop the bags off at Pop, go to the parks all day, and then check in at POR. Would it be better to take the bags over myself and check in early before hitting the parks, just to make sure?

Kinda like what I said earlier up there ^ ^ ^ ...

The best thing to do on the day of your switch is to call the Bell Man to come and get your bags and tell Him which resort your bags are going to. After that, go have fun in one of the parks for a day.

Around 3 o'clock, head over to your new resort to check in. If your room is ready, you can head over to it and call Bell Services to bring your bags. They have always been to the new resort by then for me, but I think they will tell you that they are supposed to be there by at least 4:00.

:wave:

 

[soin2disney]

Hi...

We have always switched hotels, we love it!!! It is like 2 vacations, plus if you really can't afford the Deluxe resorts, like us, if you only stay there for a few days, it is easier to afford. We usually go to a value at the beginning, then to a deluxe for the end of our stay. I don't think I would switch 3 times though. That would be, to me, a little too much changing! Good luck with your decision....Have fun. :wave:

 

[Epcot82Guy]

Kinda like what I said earlier up there ^ ^ ^ ...

The best thing to do on the day of your switch is to call the Bell Man to come and get your bags and tell Him which resort your bags are going to. After that, go have fun in one of the parks for a day.

Around 3 o'clock, head over to your new resort to check in. If your room is ready, you can head over to it and call Bell Services to bring your bags. They have always been to the new resort by then for me, but I think they will tell you that they are supposed to be there by at least 4:00.

:wave:

Should have clarified. Do you have to leave the parks at 3:00 or 4:00? It would be a lot more convenient to just come at the end of the day or beginning of the day. Is that possible?

 

[Teenchy]

From experience be sure to check the closets and not leave anything behind. We hopped once and I left 2 brand new shirts ($60+each) hanging in the closet at OKW and when I called the next day from POFQ they said housekeeping had not found anything!:brick:

But that guy picking up trash at OKW the next day looked pretty spiffy in his new shirt.:lol: Just kidding...its was my stupid fault.

As other have said hopping is a great way to get a feel for other resorts and to find your favorites for the future. I also suggest not hopping more than twice.

 

[BRER STITCH]

Should have clarified. Do you have to leave the parks at 3:00 or 4:00? It would be a lot more convenient to just come at the end of the day or beginning of the day. Is that possible?

HAHA! :lol:

That's different!

Actually, you can go back to your new resort any time, but if you wait til late at night, there could be a long line and you'll be stuck waiting in it. Then, you might have to wait longer for your luggage becasue its crowded. Your family might not be too happy if those pajamas don't show up at the room til 2AM! :lol:

To be safe, one of you can run over to the new resort and check in first thing in the morning, and then meet the rest of the family over at whichever park they are headed to. If your room is not ready first thing in the morning, you can call back from the park to get your room number around 3PM and at least know you got a room to go back to that night without waiting in line to check in. When you get back to the resort that night, just grab your bags from the Bell Desk and take them with you to your room to prevent any waiting for those, if they haven't already been delivered to your room.

Hope that helps!

 

[AutumnKlassic]

We thought with 14 days and only the two of us that three hotels wouldn't be that hard. I planned to pack light but in all of the guide books I have read so far I haven't found anything about laundry matts or a laundry service. If I have to pack enough close to last the whole two weeks then I don't think we will switch at all and just stay at a Moderate Resort the whole time.Does anyone know if there is available laundry service?

 

[campdisney]

Every WDW hotel has a coin operated laudramat available for guests to use. (You can also have the hotel do your laundry for you but it is very expensive.)

I would definitely not pack new outfits for 14 days. Pack light and plan to utilize the on-site machines. Just ask when you check in and the CM will point it out to you on the hotel map.

 

[WDWRLD]

Just plan on twice as long for the coin machines to dry your cloths. It seems that they take two cycles to get stuff dry, or at least that is how it was at POR the first few years it was open.

 

[sandman50]

I think since you're staying for 14 days switching a couple times won't be bad at all.Kinda get 3 vacations in one that way.
If you were just staying a week or less maybe moving twice would be a bit much.

rich

 

[Epcot82Guy]

HAHA! :lol:

That's different!

Actually, you can go back to your new resort any time, but if you wait til late at night, there could be a long line and you'll be stuck waiting in it. Then, you might have to wait longer for your luggage becasue its crowded. Your family might not be too happy if those pajamas don't show up at the room til 2AM! :lol:

To be safe, one of you can run over to the new resort and check in first thing in the morning, and then meet the rest of the family over at whichever park they are headed to. If your room is not ready first thing in the morning, you can call back from the park to get your room number around 3PM and at least know you got a room to go back to that night without waiting in line to check in. When you get back to the resort that night, just grab your bags from the Bell Desk and take them with you to your room to prevent any waiting for those, if they haven't already been delivered to your room.

Hope that helps!

Great. Thanks! That was my exact plan. Make it a VERY early morning, but that's what Coke is for, right!