16 Night Quadruple Split - am I nuts??

[Wild4Walt]

I'll start out by saying I am not one to do split stays. I feel it chews up too much of my fun time trying to get myself and my things from one resort to another. BUT you do have 16 nights. So I'd say without too much hassle ( and you may want a break ) you could do 2 for sure. Maybe 3 but do you really want to repack and move every 4 days to do the 4 different hotels.

My recommendation would be - Animal Kingdom Lodge ( 3 nights - it's only close to 1 park ), then Beach or Yacht Club for the rest. It's centrally located near everything and. If you really felt strongly about staying near MK, then I would add Poly. WL lodge is nice but staying at Poly you have access to GF, CR and Poly.

For the amount of time you are there, it will be easier to find time to resort hop. We're planning a 14 night and doing 1 resort and then visiting other resorts during some of our down days to eat and shop.

 

[Forevermarypoppins]

"Once in a Lifetime"...………………………… we'll see about that!
I've done split stays a few times. But for a first timer I honestly believe you re wasting TOO MUCH opportunity to really enjoy any of the resorts by doing 4 resorts.
Definitively choose AKL ( my personal FAV) and one other. My opinion only!~

 

[heidijanesmith]

Bath and Body Works? BW is Boardwalk

I love it, Bath and Body Works!!

I did mean Boardwalk Villas, thank you

 

[andie-j]

I pray that most of you saw that in addition to being a WDW first-timer, I am also a newbie here on the boards. For some reason, I was getting email notifications for some responses but not all, which is why I haven’t been back. OMG...I am so overjoyed at all of the wonderful feedback! I absolutely love reading about everyone’s experiences and preferences. It gives me so much to think about! Please don’t think I was ignoring you - I just didn’t know I had replies to my post.

A couple of things I wanted to provide for context...

1) In addition to being our first WDW trip, this trip will also be very special in that my step-daughter and I will be honoring her dad as it will have been 5 years since he passed away and he had always wanted to take us to WDW. Needless to say, I’m going BIG. Club level stays all the way (hoping to still get 90-day paid FP), 3 days worth of private VIP tours, After Hours and Early AM hard ticket events, and much more. I am a project manager type for my day job so I truly LOVE planning! I already have 25 versions of a Master WDW Planning Excel Workbook listing everything from restaurant preferences, rides, transport options, etc. The goal is to maximize our park time by using a combo of FP, VIP tours, extra events, and extra magic hours. That way we can ensure we get the most out of our resort experience as well. I have scheduled lots of downtime and also am reviewing every detail of the plan with my SD so she can know what we are signing up for!

2) After reading everyone’s input about the 4-stay idea and discussing it with my SD, we agree that 4 resorts is 1 too many. We are now leaning towards 3 different stays, one of them being at HRH/Universal.

3) I’ve also ruled out WL as SD admitted she thought they would be bored there. In her words, “You know I’m not very outdoorsy...” So I guess there goes that one...

4) So here’s where we are leaning...I’ve scaled back to 15 days so that I could stay within my ballpark budget:

2 Nights Hard Rock Hotel (at beginning of trip)
4-5 Nights Animal Kingdom Lodge
8-9 Nights Polynesian

I’m still struggling with not having at least part of our stay at one of the EP resorts, but SD said her stronger desire was to do Universal. But I’m wondering - would anyone do Yacht or Beach Club instead of Polynesian??

 

[andie-j]

16 nights is plenty of time to do some split stays, but i think 4 of them is probably one to many. Id suggest doing 3 resorts, maybe 5 days, 5 days and 6 days. I'd also suggest booking them in in order from least excited to most excited. So if you're most excited for AKL, then stay there last..this way you're never dissapointed when transferring to the next resort.

Id also suggest doing one resort that is near each park. So do AKL cause that is right next to AK. Do one of the 3 (poly/contemporary/wilderness lodge) because they are all right near MK. and then do Yacht Club because that is right near Epcot and HS.

The only reason I wouldn't do a universal studios hotel is because I think its best to split the universal studios days up. If you stay at the hotel, you'd have to go to the universal studios parks consecutive days.

Thanks! I hadn’t even thought about doing Universal days while staying at WDW. When I did initial price analysis, it looked like the park ticket discounts were too good to pass up to not stay on UOR property. But I am going to look again and re-think because if I can fit UOR days into our schedule while staying at WDW, that would give us what we really wanted which was a stay at each of the 3 WDW areas

 

[bumbershoot]

I have done more resorts and moving in less time, and I regret nothing.

I would put universal at the end and stay onsite there. The parks are much more relaxed, especially onsite. And staying deluxe there gives you the unlimited express pass. Which is absolutely worlds beyond FP+.

My only concern about that much switching is that 4 shorter stays may actually make your trip feel shorter because it would be kind of broken up.

My experience has been the opposite. Each time you change places you refresh the vacation. Get another little dose of “ooh this is exciting.”

And if you plan it right there’s no true feeling of hotel-less. You either go to the parks like normal but head to the next hotel at the end of your day (either having Bell
move the bags or packing up the car’s trunk with bags) OR take the day as a swim day where you can use both pools.

I’ve also ruled out WL as SD admitted she thought they would be bored there. In her words, “You know I’m not very outdoorsy...” So I guess there goes that one...

WL isn’t particularly outdoorsy apart from
The pool (of course) and the path to the boats.

When I did initial price analysis, it looked like the park ticket discounts were too good to pass up to not stay on UOR property.

There are no ticket discounts from staying onsite at universal.

You do, however, get unlimited express pass (good from checkin as early as 6am until the parks close the day you check out) included with your deluxe resort stay, allowing you to get plain base or “park to park” tickets without adding EP to them, if that was your plan.

I will do a Disney visit while staying at universal, but I will not willingly do anuniversal visit while staying at Disney. The perks at Uni while staying onsite there are so much better than the Disney perks for staying onsite at Disney.

 

[andie-j]

I have done more resorts and moving in less time, and I regret nothing.

I would put universal at the end and stay onsite there. The parks are much more relaxed, especially onsite. And staying deluxe there gives you the unlimited express pass. Which is absolutely worlds beyond FP+.



My experience has been the opposite. Each time you change places you refresh the vacation. Get another little dose of “ooh this is exciting.”

And if you plan it right there’s no true feeling of hotel-less. You either go to the parks like normal but head to the next hotel at the end of your day (either having Bell
move the bags or packing up the car’s trunk with bags) OR take the day as a swim day where you can use both pools.



WL isn’t particularly outdoorsy apart from
The pool (of course) and the path to the boats.




There are no ticket discounts from staying onsite at universal.

You do, however, get unlimited express pass (good from checkin as early as 6am until the parks close the day you check out) included with your deluxe resort stay, allowing you to get plain base or “park to park” tickets without adding EP to them, if that was your plan.

I will do a Disney visit while staying at universal, but I will not willingly do anuniversal visit while staying at Disney. The perks at Uni while staying onsite there are so much better than the Disney perks for staying onsite at Disney.

Thanks for the info...definitely good to know about Universal. I think that’s what I meant about the price discounts - with UEX being included- because I wouldn’t consider going without it, so I included that in the non-resort price comparison. =)

I totally agree with you about each resort change being like a new trip/experience. That’s exactly how we think too. The bad thing is that there are just so many options. I just discovered the Hotel Room Views both here and on Touringplans.com and now I’m spinning with ideas. Now after looking at the different views and room pics, I’m completely re-thinking our MK resort choice. I’m just glad I have roughly 8-9 months to decide before we have to book! I wonder what version my spreadsheets will be up to by then?!? =)

 

[PollyannaMom]

I’m still struggling with not having at least part of our stay at one of the EP resorts, but SD said her stronger desire was to do Universal. But I’m wondering - would anyone do Yacht or Beach Club instead of Polynesian??

I would keep Poly if the decision is emotional - if you've always dreamed of staying at an "original" resort, or part of your vision is taking the monorail to MK in the morning and watching the fireworks from the beach at night.

If neither of those things appeal to you, the Epcot resorts are more practical because they're close to two parks. (I haven't puled that budget trigger yet, though, so I can't speak from experience about Yacht vs. Beach.)

 

[Disneylover99]

I’m still struggling with not having at least part of our stay at one of the EP resorts, but SD said her stronger desire was to do Universal. But I’m wondering - would anyone do Yacht or Beach Club instead of Polynesian??

Lots of people would. You’ll probably get split opinions about which is better.

I love Epcot and the ability to walk from your resort for a bite to eat anytime during the day is amazing. But I actually prefer to stay at the Poly.

 

[sunsetbeachgal]

If your SD really wants Universal, then you definitely need to stay on site there and I would do three nights, this way you have plenty of time to enjoy both parks. I would not go back and forth to Universal from Disney! We stayed at Royal Pacific, Hard Rock is great too. You can walk or take a fun relaxing boat ride back and forth to the parks, and it’s a wonderful experience with loads of dining options at the City Walk.

 

[andie-j]

If your SD really wants Universal, then you definitely need to stay on site there and I would do three nights, this way you have plenty of time to enjoy both parks. I would not go back and forth to Universal from Disney! We stayed at Royal Pacific, Hard Rock is great too. You can walk or take a fun relaxing boat ride back and forth to the parks, and it’s a wonderful experience with loads of dining options at the City Walk.

Yeah, after reading other advice, I’m now looking at Royal Pacific because I like the idea of ending our trip with a relaxed vibe and I’m liking the idea of 3 nights there. SD and I did Disneyland/Universal Hollywood earlier this year and we put Universal right in the middle of Disney - we definitely learned that was a no-no for us. She kept comparing her fave Universal rides to Disney and seemed disappointed that we hadn’t spent more time at Universal. So if we put Universal at the end, it’s a whole new mini-vacation. I also think staying at RP might fulfill our Poly fix which would mean we could do GF for our MK portion which has always been MY dream. Like everyone says, we can always visit the WDW resorts we don’t stay at. =)

 

[sunsetbeachgal]

You took the words out of my mouth! RP has a Poly type vibe and really is a beautiful resort with gorgeous grounds. Plus the walk back and forth to the parks from RP is short and very lovely with trees, vegetation, etc. or of course the boat. I love both universal and Disney but Universal has a much more relaxed less hectic feel and love their express pass!! Our granddaughter loved having what felt like two separate vacations, and of course the Harry Potter attractions. Make sure you ride the Hogwarts Express train in both directions, what an incredibly themed ride!

 

[s.r.disney nut]

We did 5 resorts in just under one month recently. 4 nights at AKL club level, 3 nights at the tower at CSR club level, 5 nights at CCV, 12 nights at SSR, and 4 nights at BBV. It wasn't bad mostly because the last 3 were 1 or 2 bedroom units with washers/dryers! I could be off with the night totals, but I'm close!

 

[TeacupsForever]

It sounds like you're narrowing down your options, which is great! Just wanted to throw in a reminder that you can always visit any resorts you *really* wanted to stay at but didn't get to. It's easy to ride the monorail loop for some downtime on an MK day and check out Contemporary, Poly, and GF. You can walk to Yacht/Beach Club/Boardwalk area from Epcot for some downtime there. It's a fun way to explore the hotels without the hassle of moving.

Also gonna throw out that you should look at the AKL thread to find the best rooms to request for a good savannah view. I stayed there in 2017 with my husband, but the savannah room they placed us in was right on the end of the hotel. We had a better view of the fence and CMs going in and out to care for the animals than anything else. After the first night my husband went to the front desk and got us switched to a better view, but it would be better to start with a great room in case nothing else is available.

 

[Karebear]

I’m still struggling with not having at least part of our stay at one of the EP resorts, but SD said her stronger desire was to do Universal. But I’m wondering - would anyone do Yacht or Beach Club instead of Polynesian??

I would completely vote for Yacht or Beach over the Poly. My daughter is 14 and son is 15 and Yacht Club is their favorite resort. The Poly is near the MK and getting to MK and Epcot was great but the bus service to the other parks was not good when we were there. I also feel that the main pool is too small for the resort. The pool at the Yacht/Beach club is the biggest on property. My son could spend hours playing volleyball in the pool with the other kids while my daughter loves the lazy river. I like that you can walk or boat to 2 parks. There is a bus to MK and AK but because you are centrally located it is not a bad ride to either park. We have stayed there many times and love coming back each time. For someone your stepdaughters age, I highly recommend Yacht or Beach...probably Yacht because all of their rooms have a full balcony and only half of Beach club rooms do.

 

[Tink-osophy]

What a fantastic stepmom you are!

...we could do GF for our MK portion which has always been MY dream. Like everyone says, we can always visit the WDW resorts we don’t stay at. =)

...And you deserve your dream, too. So, I'd definitely include the GF.

Maybe, book two Disney resorts: your dream GF and your stepdaughter's dream resort (whichever that is), with Royal Pacific afterwards.

...And, like you said, you can visit the other resorts.

 

[ChimCher-ee]

I love split stays! I think your plans are completely do-able, especially if everyone is on board ahead of time.

Personally, I love staying at resorts that let me walk to the parks, and you've got a great mix for this. Enjoy the trip of a lifetime! (And I hope you can plan many, many more!)

 

[andie-j]

Thanks all for the replies. I’m still going back and forth - I honestly wonder how much I will do this before it is time to book?! I’ve thrown Loews Royal Pacific into the mix and we’re thinking of ending our trip with 3 nights there.

That gives us 12 nights at WDW. I’ve looked through the room pics, view pics, etc. I’ve built a weighted scoring criteria matrix. I’ve looked at restaurants, pools, proximity to the parks, etc. I am so clueless! I saw SD this afternoon and she said she’s willing to relent on her requirement to stay at AKL if we do a private safari tour, so that’s another consideration now. Knowing that we are open to split stays, prefer club level, I will have 2-15yo girls with me, we will be doing plenty of down/resort time, I have no prob taking Lyft/Minnie Vans everywhere, and we all enjoy nice restaurants, how would you all configure a 12 night stay? We are going in late May/early June (darn school schedule). Oh, and BWI is kind of an automatic “no” for us as we are terrified of that clown pool! Also, to give an idea of budget, I’ve run numbers at rack rates, and I’d like to stay in the ballpark of $15k for 12 nights. I will be getting at least 1 AP so I’m hopeful for more discounts as well!

 

[eMoneyBug]

Are you going to be renting DVC Points and working with a DVC Member to rent out either a Studio or 1 bedroom for the 3 of you? In terms of packing clothes, etc, it makes a difference. In a studio, the laundry room is shared, so you have to leave your room, but if you get a 1 bedroom, the washer/dryer is inside your room. We always pack only 3 to 4 days worth of clothes and wash wash wash. Something to consider. I've stayed at Animal Kingdom 1 bedroom with the Savanna view and it was a really nice experience. 2nd time we stayed there in a studio with no Savanna view and still enjoyed it as we went out to the patio area. Sounds like SD would love that experience. With so many nights, I vote keep it in. Poly has the Hawaii vibe and it's either Studio or the Bungalows (I believe) so it's a good experience being on the monorail system. Bay Lake is one of my favorite! By 2021, the Skyliner will be open, so might be pretty cool to stay at a Resort that uses that system.

 

[skittles67]

Oh, and BWI is kind of an automatic “no” for us as we are terrified of that clown pool!

Me too! But we like Boardwalk because of the proximity to Epcot. If I ever get a room with a view of that scary clown, I would march right back down and request a different room!