Staying at Multiple Resorts in Disney...on one trip. Welcome to a Split Stay!

One of my favorite things about planning a Disney trip is the challenge to stay within budget. So when we're looking for a deluxe vacation with a much smaller budget a split stay is the perfect solution. Basically, you're booking multiple different resorts to stay at during the duration of your trip.

Let me give you an example...

We did a split stay in December of 2023. We stayed at the Contemporary, a deluxe resort, for the first three nights and then transferred over to Pop Century, a value resort, for the last three nights. Basically, we had two separate reservations within our Disney World stay. It didn't effect our park tickets, dining reservation or overall experience...if anything it elevated our Disney experience! We were able to get the best of the both worlds. The reality is, we wouldn't have been able to afford a stay at the Contemporary for an entire week and doing a split stay is how we got our deluxe resort stay while staying in budget!

Our balcony view from the Contemporary in December 2023.

Here are some benefits to booking a split stay...

1. If you really want to experience a moderate/deluxe resort, but it's not in the budget to stay there for the entire length of your trip. Booking at two separate resorts can help you stay within that budget.

2. There are certain benefits of staying at a deluxe resort and if you time your stay right you can take advantage of them! Deluxe resorts receive extended evening hours at Magic Kingdom and Epcot on certain nights of the week. So, if you make sure your deluxe stay is on those nights you'll receive extra time at these parks with less crowds and shorter wait times.

3. In 2025 Walt Disney World is giving free entry to a water park on your check-in day. The thing is, with a split stay, you have TWO check-in days. That means you can go to the water park two days during your trip for free. Yes, free. Want to make it three free days? You could book 3 different resorts during your stay, or 4, or 5.

4. You can enjoy Disney World from two different locations. You could spend a few days a monorail ride away from Magic Kingdom and a few days a Skyliner ride away from Epcot. Sometimes the Disney transportation is part of the fun of a Disney trip. Staying at different resorts could give you the opportunity to use different types of transportation on Disney property.

5. A split stay is giving you the best of both worlds. Often times, when it comes to theming, the value resorts are a little more appealing to young children. Whereas the moderate/deluxe resorts are more appealing to adults. You'll get both if you split your stay. That being said, all Disney resorts are fun for children (and adults) so don't ever let theming deter you!

Now let's talk about why this might sound intimidating and why I get it. I was never into a split stay, we always chose our resort and just stuck to it for the duration of our trip. Until that trip in December 2023 when I realized it doesn't change much about your trip, and what it does change is for the better.

The main reason I never wanted to have this type of vacation is that I didn't want to unpack, repack and unpack again in two different rooms at two different resorts. Then my whole life changed when I discovered packing cubes and this problem didn't seem like as much of a problem. I'm not one to unpack into drawers anyway, but the packing cubes...they're like having your own set of drawers inside your suit case. This kept things organized and easy to repack when it was time to switch resorts. But then, what about getting that luggage from one resort to the other. That sounds like a real pain. Which it could be, but it's not. Disney will transport your luggage for you through bell services at each resort. It truly can be a seamless transfer.

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Another reason I was skeptical was I didn't want to be without a room for an entire day. This was a silly fear because the reality is the max amount of time you could be without a room is about 6 hours and 99% of the time it's WAY less than that. In reality, you now have two resorts to enjoy on check-out/check-in day. Also, you have 4 Disney parks that you can spend time in while "waiting" for that other room to be ready. Don't forget, in 2025 you also get that free entry to a water park on your switch day so you can spend your time waiting in the lazy river.

Don't be afraid of split stays! They could elevate your Disney World vacation and they're honestly easy peasy to navigate. Disney is so great at accommodating split stays and helping you along the way.

View more on split stays here!

If you'd like more info about a Disney vacation or a want to see what a split stay would look like for you, I'd be happy to help! Check out the "Get Vacation Info" tab on our site and I'll be in touch.