Hi Chris! Welcome to planDisney. I'm happy to answer your question today!
I'm a very big fan of split stays. There are so many fabulous
Disney Resort Collection Hotels and I want to experience them all! I will often book two different resorts when I'm staying at the
Walt Disney World Resort and I usually choose them strategically. For example, if I'm going to
Magic Kingdom Park for a few days, I will choose a resort on the
Walt Disney World Monorail line like
Disney's Contemporary Resort,
Disney's Grand Floridian Resort & Spa, or
Disney's Polynesian Village Resort. Then, I'll move to a resort on
Disney's BoardWalk when I'm going to be visiting
EPCOT and
Disney's Hollywood Studios. Sometimes I'll go really crazy and then tack on a
Disney's Animal Kingdom Lodge reservation at the end to immerse myself in the whole animal experience while visiting
Disney's Animal Kingdom Theme Park.
One of the reasons I love split stays so much is that Disney makes it really easy to transfer between their resorts. On the morning you check out of one hotel, you simply bring your luggage to
Bell Services, tell them where you'll be checking in next, and they will transfer the luggage to that hotel. Then, when ready, you can pick up your luggage at
that hotel's Bell Services desk later on in the day! Please note that they will not be able to transfer perishable items from resort to resort.
The night before a transfer day, I start to pack up my belongings. I always make sure that I don't pack away anything I will need for the next day with the rest of my luggage. Instead, I take any necessities and put them in my park bag,
especially any medications that I'll need readily available. The rest of my luggage goes to Bell Services and I head off to the parks! It really is very simple and convenient.
My husband, however, would agree that it's simple and convenient, but he just doesn't like the idea of having to pack multiple times. He's of the mindset that once you check in to your resort while on vacation, you stay put. So just keep in mind that if you like the idea of only packing and unpacking once, split stays aren't for you. For us, we tend to rotate when we do a split stay and when we just stay put! But no matter what, you'll never get bored at a Disney Resorts Collection Hotel. There's always so much to do and see!
Chris, no matter what you decide, I hope you have a wonderful visit to the resort.
Please feel free to reach out again if you have any other questions. We're always happy to help!
Every adventure requires a first step,
Matt