My Experience Doing a Split Stay at Walt Disney World Was a Breeze

Walt Disney World has over 25 on-site resort hotels which all have their own unique themes, perks, price ranges, and appeal based on what your family is looking for. Sometimes it can be hard picking where to stay especially if you want to experience as many different resorts as possible.

A split stay at Walt Disney World is a great way to experience more than one hotel at the resort and it is surprisingly easy to do so!

In fact, you should know this one trick that makes doing a split stay at Walt Disney World an absolute breeze and was a game changer during my experience doing a split stay.

Use Bell Services at Walt Disney World

Using bell services at Walt Disney World is the best way to handle a split stay at Walt Disney World. Bell Services is located near the lobby or front entrance of your Walt Disney World resort hotel. Bell services will transfer your luggage for you when you check out! Simply tell them what hotel you are hopping to and most of the time they will put your luggage inside your new hotel room. Make sure to tip when you drop off your luggage! And remember, you won't see your luggage until later in the day since most luggage transfer don't happen until late afternoon.

This was my experience the last time we used bell services to transfer our luggage at Walt Disney World. This was especially useful since we were at the parks the entire day and it was a huge relief to come straight to our room to find our luggage waiting.

And that's not all, bell services will also transfer your groceries for you! Just keep in mind that there's no guarantee any refrigerated items will be kept cold so you should only transfer your groceries that aren't perishable.

How Do You Book at Split Stay at Disney World?

It's quite easy to do a split stay at Walt Disney World. You will need to book two separate reservations to do this which means paying two different deposits. I would recommend booking a vacation package that includes one of your rooms and tickets with the second reservation including the separate room.

For the vacation package with your tickets, you will need to put $200 down. For the room only reservation, you will need to pay a deposit of one night with the rest due at check in. This is the best way to do it as you do not want to split your tickets up as each day to spend at Walt Disney World gets cheaper the longer your ticket type. You will still be able to use your tickets when you switch to your second hotel room.

The best way to approach this is to get help from a travel agent who can book these rooms and packages for you at no additional cost to you! They earn their money through the commission that Disney pays, not you. Our travel partner Get Away Today can give you a free quote and help you plan your split stay at Walt Disney World.

Doing A Split Stay to Afford Deluxe Hotels

Doing a split stay at Walt Disney World is a great way to experience a deluxe hotel without paying that higher price for a long stay. That's often the most common reason that folks do split stays at Walt Disney World! You can split your hotels up between two different price points like a moderate level resort and a deluxe level resort. Or you could really save and do most of your stay at one of the most affordable value hotels and then switch to a deluxe hotel to end your stay!

Regardless of what hotels you decide to split your stay between, I always recommend ending your stay at the fancier resort! It would be hard to leave a high end resort like the Grand Floridian Resort and Spa for a simpler resort like All Star Movies Resort.

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Are Split Stays Worth the Effort?

Since using bell services takes away the necessity of transferring luggage between hotels, I think a Disney World split stay is worth the effort.

The resorts at Walt Disney World are a big part of what makes Disney magical including that influence of the “Disney World bubble” that so many guests enjoy. Taking the time to explore the resorts is a must do on your trip and there's no better way to do that than staying at more than one resort during your trip.

The main consideration to keep in mind is the time it takes to repack your luggage before switching to another hotel! This is the biggest inconvenience to a Walt Disney World split stay.

Use Packing Cubes to Make Split Stays Easier

I am the master of the split stay as this is something I've done at many different locations, not just Walt Disney World! During one memorable Disneyland trip, I split my stay between three different hotels which certainly put my packing skills to the test.

My favorite way to handle a split stay at Walt Disney World is to use packing cubes. We use different packing cubes for hotel one and then a separate set for hotel two! I decide in advance what clothes we will wear during each part of the stay which helps keeps things divided up. My favorite packing cubes on Amazon feature compression zippers which lets me fit way more in my luggage. Since I'm a chronic over packer, this is a must for me.

Plan Split Stays to Use Best Disney Transportation

Another pro of doing a split stay is using it as a way to take advantage of the transportation options at Walt Disney World. Plan your park days according to nearby proximity and ease of transportation from your resort!

For example, if you are staying at Pop Century Resort (my favorite Disney World hotel!) use the Skyliner to easily visit Hollywood Studios and EPCOT on those days of your stay. If you plan on hopping to a deluxe resort like the Grand Floridian Resort & Spa, then plan your days at Magic Kingdom for those resort stays to use the monorail. This is another way to use the Disney Resort hotels as a method to see more of the resort, you can sample all the different transportation options!

Time a Deluxe Split Stay with Extended Evening Hours

One of the biggest perks of staying at deluxe Walt Disney World hotel is being able to enjoy Extended Evening Hours! Certain parks will stay open for two hours after park closing for these guests on select nights allowing you to experience high wait rides with no wait.

You will be eligible to enjoy Extended Evening Hours that take place anytime through your check in and check out date at a deluxe resort hotel.

If you want to experience more at Walt Disney World, a split stay is a great option for guests wanting to see more of the hotels and take advantage of deluxe level perks without paying deluxe prices for an entire trip!

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