If you want to splurge at a Deluxe Resort for a couple nights or want to experience other Disney World Resorts, booking a split stay is a great way visit multiple properties during one vacation.
In this guide, I’ll show you how you can book a Split Stay at Disney World as well as provide some insights and tips to make your trip stress-free and magical.
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What is a Split Stay at Disney World?
A Split Stay means that you are staying at more than one Disney World hotel during your vacation.
Essentially, you are splitting your time between two (or more) Disney resorts.
With a Split Stay between two Disney resorts, the Bell Services will move your luggage to the other hotel free of charge.
Technically, you can do a Split Stay at any resort (including off-property hotels) but if you want your luggage to be moved for you, it will need to be two Disney hotels.
Why you may want to book a split stay?
A Split Stay may be perfect for you if:
- you want to stay at more than one Disney World hotel
- you want to take advantage of Extended Evening Hours
- you want to stay at a cheaper spot for a few nights and then live it up for the other
- the hotel you like is sold out during a portion of your trip
- you want to save money but still want to experience a hotel that’s a category higher
The beauty of a Split Stay is that you don’t have to give anyone your reasoning.
How do you book a split stay at Disney World?
No matter what, in order to book a split stay, you will need to make separate hotel reservations.
There currently isn’t a way for you to connect two reservations together and mark them as a Split Stay, at this time.
One thing to note is how you purchase your tickets.
You’ll want to purchase your tickets for the total duration of your trip.
It’s technically cheaper to buy a 7 or 10 day ticket, than it is to buy two shorter tickets.
For example, if you’re doing a Split Stay for 6 nights splits between Pop Century and the Contemporary Resort, and you want to book a vacation package through Disney that includes park tickets, be sure to set the number of days for your tickets to be the total amount of days you want to visit the parks when booking the first hotel. Then for the second hotel, just book a room-only package.
If you don’t plan on purchasing a vacation package and prefer to book the rooms and tickets separately, make sure that you link all of your tickets and room reservations to your My Disney Experience.
How to transfer your luggage during a Split Stay
The best part of doing a Split Stay between two Disney World hotels is that the bell service will transfer your luggage to the next hotel for you, free of charge.
Here’s how you start the process:
- Gather up all of your suitcases and bags
- Either bring down your bags to Bell Services to drop them off or call them from your room phone and have someone pickup your bags
- Make sure to tell the Bell Services that you are doing a split stay and they will ask what hotel your bags are going to
- They’ll give you a ticket for your bags that you will present to the Bell Services at the next resort
- Don’t forget to tip 🙂
- At this point, you can either go about your day by visiting the parks or Disney Springs, or you can make your way to the next resort via rideshare, your own vehicle, or Disney transportation
- When you get to the next resort, you can present the ticket to the Bell Services, and they will bring your bags to your room, if your room is ready
It’s a very simple process that doesn’t involve you bringing your bags yourself to the next resort.
Just note that if you are having Disney transfer your luggage for you, they may not make it to the next hotel until the evening.
But of course, if you prefer to bring your bags yourself to the next resort, there’s nothing stopping you from doing so.
Split Stay Tips
Here are some of my favorite Split Stay tips and tricks to make the most of your vacation:
1. Start with the cheaper hotel first
From personal experience, it’s always best to start with the worse (or cheaper) of the hotels first then ending your trip at the better one.
2. Plan your stays around Extended Evening Hours
Extended Evening Hours gives you late night access to the parks available exclusive to guests staying at Deluxe Resorts (as well as the Swan, Dolphin, and Shades of Green).
If your Split Stay involves a Deluxe Resort (or one of the other hotels mentioned), be sure to plan your stay and park days around the specific park that has Extended Evening.
3. Don’t let a Split Stay discourage you if it’s due to sold out hotels
Although it might suck that you can’t stay at a certain Disney hotel for the whole duration of your trip, it’s better to at least get to experience it for a couple days.
And if your previous or next hotel is a Disney one, they make the whole transition process so seamless.
4. If you want to relax for a couple days, make sure the second hotel has better amenities like the pool
If plan on knocking out the parks for 4 days and then relaxing for 2, I recommend that you choose the “relaxation” to be one that has the better pool, amenities, or room.
5. Plan your eating around the hotels you’re staying at
If a certain restaurant is on your list, I recommend that you book a dining reservation for that restaurant based which hotel you’re staying at during your split stay.
For example, if you’re doing a Split Stay between the Grand Floridian and Coronado Springs and you wanted to eat at Steakhouse 71 for brunch, make sure to book a dining reservation during your stay at Grand Floridian because it’s a lot closer than Coronado Springs.
This is critical is maximizing your time during your vacation is very important to you.
Final Thoughts
A Split Stay at Disney World is a great way to experience multiple Disney World resorts on the same trip.
Whether if it’s to explore new hotels without breaking the bank or to make up for the fact that your favorite hotel is sold out for a portion of your trip, Disney’s Bell Services makes the entire transition process seamless and stress-free, leaving you to focus on the thing that matters most – making magical memories.
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