DVC Split Stays
One of the strengths of being a Disney Vacation Club member is having so many great resorts to choose from. Each of them has unique characteristics that are appealing to guests. Many DVC members enjoy splitting their vacation into multiple locations. Frankly, the idea of packing up and moving around the resort to resort may not be appealing to everyone. This blog discusses some of the reasons you may want to consider a split stay on your next DVC vacation.
What Is A Split Stay?
A split stay merely divides a vacation between one accommodation and another. Typically, members think that a divided stay is moving from resort to resort. However, I've also done them moving from a different room type at the same resort, and there are even split stays involving non-DVC resorts.
Split stays may be cumbersome for some who don't like the inconvenience of having to pack up their clothes and groceries and move to a different resort. This is most likely the biggest drawback of split stays for most members. Others love the adventure of staying at more than one DVC Villa
Booking A Split Stay
Booking a multiple-resort reservation is accessible in the DVC system. Just book two different reservations on the website on consecutive days. At eleven months, you won't be able to book a split stay unless you own points at both home resorts. Suppose you plan to book one at seven months when the other resort becomes available to you. In that case, you can set up your eleven-month reservation to make it easier to modify your resort.
For example, you are planning a split stay for a week vacation. You plan to stay at your home resort Bay Lake Tower to enjoy the convenience of being close to the Magic Kingdom for the first four days and then move to Boardwalk to be close to Epcot for the last three days. Since you can only book your home resort at the eleven-month window, then go ahead and book your vacation for seven days at Bay Lake Tower but create two different reservations, one for four days and one for three days. When the seven-month window opens, you can book Boardwalk, then simply modify the three-day reservation, and you are all set. If you have a whole week's vacation booked on the same reservation, you will need member services to help you. Member Services are available starting at 8 am eastern time. However, online changes can begin at 7 am, one hour earlier. During peak times, that extra hour can be crucial to getting the reservation you want at the seven-month window.
Moving Day
On the day you move, Disney makes it very convenient for you. Bell services will come to your room to get your luggage or you can bring your belongings to them. Bell services will take care of moving your belongings to your new location, and you won't see your luggage until you check-in at your new reservation/location. From there, the move is seamless for you. Bell Services will not transfer any groceries but will hold them for you if you want to do this yourself.
Check-out time for your resort will still be the same as you were checking out on your last date, 11 am. Check-in time at your new resort will be later in the day, usually 4 pm. During these few hours, you won't have access to a room. This can be hard for parents with small children who need naps or easy access to food.
When you get to your new room, simply call Bell Services or come by their post in the hotel lobby, and they have your belonging sent to your room, or you can pick them up yourself.
Why Do A Split Stay?
One of the real advantages of DVC resorts is that there are so many good options. You get to visit more resorts. Perhaps you have your favorite villa; however, you can't see what other resort offers if you are only staying at that one location. Some DVC members never stay at their home resort. I've heard several say we own at this resort, but we never stay there.
Stay closer to a particular theme park. DVC members can make their vacation a split stay and be closer to the theme park they visit on these days. In our split stay example earlier, the member booked a reservation for four days at Bay Lake Tower and three days at Boardwalk. Perhaps there was a strategic reason for the transfer. The primary focus for the first days of the vacation was the Magic Kingdom, and a stay at Bay Lake was very convenient. The last three days at Boardwalk put the guest right in the middle of easy access to the Food and Wine Festival at Epcot. In this case, the split stay accommodated the proximity to the park for the guest.
It makes it feel like a second vacation. The DVC resorts have unique theming and amenities that a split stay will allow you to enjoy. Many guests do resort-only stays, at least for part of their visit, to enjoy being at a different location. Maybe you want to enjoy the savannas at Animal Kingdom Lodge, the spa at Saratoga Springs, or the elegance of the Grand Floridian. A split stay can comfortably accommodate you.
Easier to find availability. For some nights, when the seven-month window opens up, there may not be a reservation that you want available. In these cases, you may have to do a split stay to get at least part of your vacation at the location you wanted.
Points
For some, you want to stay at a specific accommodation but don't have enough vacation points to stay the entire time. For these vacations, a split stay will allow you to experience the resort or accommodation you want for at least part of the visit. Our family of eleven wanted to stay in a Grand Villa, but we moved to three Studios on our vacation's last day. We saved points for my split stay in the same resort but different accommodation. On that day, a savanna view Grand Villa at Animal Kingdom Lodge is 107 points, but three Studios are 16 points each or 48 total points, allowing me to accommodate our large party, but the move saved me 59 points.
Why Not To Do A Split Stay?
Probably the biggest hassle is preparing for moving day. Guests must pack up and unpack their belongings and food on that day. Some guests take this in stride, and the love of multiple resorts will outweigh the moving day inconveniences. Others consider the thought of having to repack and unload more than once on vacation not worth it. Disney Bell Services makes the transfer easy, but getting ready for it may the move may not be for everyone.
Please note that you won't have a room for a few hours. This was mentioned earlier and may be a game-changer for some, especially those with small children who require a quiet place to take naps in the afternoon. I have found a quiet location at some resorts that may fit small children to take an afternoon nap. On the days that you move, the check-out time is 11 am, and the check-in time to your new resort is 4 pm. Contact the front desk, and they may be can suggest a location.
Doing A Split Stay DVC Resort And A Cash Hotel
Your split stay may not only be between two DVC resorts but also may include a cash hotel. This is very popular for guests with late check-ins or early check-outs who don't want to use their DVC points. For example, if you aren't arriving at Walt Disney World until 9 pm, you may want to stay at a value or moderate hotel for that night and transfer to the DVC resort the next day. This saves you points, and because you haven't unpacked yet, the hassle of moving day is minimized.
Dining Plan/Dining Reservations
For members who want to purchase a dining plan (assuming this will come back after Covid restrictions), the split stay brings some complexities that need to be managed. The dining plan is tied to your reservation, and purchases must be for every day of your reservation. If you have two reservations, guests will have to make two purchases to get the dining plan for the entire stay. The dining plan runs from the day of check-in until midnight of the day you check-out. All food and snack credits not used by midnight of check-out day expire and are lost. Credits will not carry over to the new plan.
To illustrate, let's continue with the week reservation with a split stay example of Bay Lake Tower for the first four nights and Boardwalk for the last three nights. Let's assume the reservation runs from Saturday to Saturday. Guest will check in to Bay Lake Tower on Saturday, check-out Wednesday morning, and then check in to Boardwalk Wednesday afternoon. A week-long dining plan will require a separate purchase for each reservation. The first one will be from Saturday until midnight on Wednesday. All food and snack credits associated with this plan must be used by Wednesday night.
For some, this limitation may be an advantage. The member could decide they only needed the dining plan for part of the week, not the entire week. In this case, as long as the split stay was in line with the dining plan days, then the member could only have the dining plan for the first or second reservation.
Making dining reservations at the 60-day mark is also impacted by split stays. The entire week can be reserved without a split stay when the reservation's first day is 60 days away. The reservations are treated separately with a split stay, so the time each booking opens up will be different.