Why We Love Split Stays at Disney World And Why You Might Love Them Too!
Planning a Disney World vacation can feel a bit like choosing your favorite child — how do you pick just one resort to stay at when they all have something magical to offer? That’s exactly why my family has come to love split stays at Disney World.
If you’re not familiar, a split stay simply means staying at more than one Disney resort during your vacation. And while it may sound like extra work, Disney actually makes it super easy — and the benefits have been totally worth it for our family.
Here’s why we do it (and how you might want to try it too!)
The Best of Both Worlds: Favorite Resort + Something New
When our kids were younger, I really wanted to try all the resorts. But I was always afraid I’d regret not staying at our favorite — Animal Kingdom Lodge. So we came up with the perfect solution: We’d stay the first few nights at a new-to-us resort, then end the trip at Animal Kingdom Lodge, our home away from home.
It gave us the excitement of something new, with the comfort of knowing we’d end the trip in our favorite place. Plot twist? We’ve ended up loving every Disney resort we’ve tried! Each one has its own unique magic, and now we look forward to discovering new favorites.
Budget-Friendly Planning
Let’s be honest — Disney Deluxe resorts are dreamy, but they can be pricey. By staying longer at a Value or Moderate resort, and moving to a Deluxe for the final nights, you will be able to enjoy that luxury experience without blowing the budget.
It’s a great way to splurge on the deluxe touches (like resort proximity, bigger rooms, and extra perks) without paying for them the entire trip.
Dining Plan Strategy
Another reason we love split stays? The Disney Dining Plan.We’ll often add the dining plan to the shorter first stay, which makes it easier to get our money’s worth — especially if we have big character meals or signature dining planned.
And here’s a fun perk: the refillable mug that comes with the Dining Plan is good for 14 days, even if you’re switching resorts. That means we can keep using it throughout our entire trip!
Two Chances for Free Water Park Fun
Disney has brought back an exciting perk: in 2025 and summer 2026, guests receive a free water park ticket on their check-in day.
With a split stay, you get two check-in days — which means two days of free water park fun! You can spend your transfer day at Typhoon Lagoon or Blizzard Beach while you wait for your new room to be ready.
Deluxe Resort Perks
Another hidden gem of split stays? If you schedule your Deluxe resort stay to include a Monday or Wednesday, you can take advantage of Extended Evening Theme Park Hours — an exclusive benefit for Deluxe guests. We’ve used these evenings to enjoy lower crowds, shorter wait times, and more time soaking up the magic without rushing.
Disney Makes Transfers Easy
Worried about the logistics? Don’t be. Disney takes care of everything. Just drop your bags at Bell Services, tell them where you’re headed, and they’ll deliver your luggage to your next resort. Meanwhile, you can head to a theme park or water park while your room gets prepared. Easy peasy!
One of Our Favorite Split Stays
In 2021, we spent 3 nights at Disney’s Grand Floridian Resort and then moved to Disney’s BoardWalk Resort for 5 nights. We were able to walk to 3 out of the 4 parks!
We could Monorail, boat or walk to Magic Kingdom from Grand Floridian
We could walk or take the Friendship boats to EPCOT and Hollywood Studios from the BoardWalk.
It felt like two vacations in one — and we loved every minute of it!
Potential cons of a split stay:
While we love a split stay, there are some reasons they are not for everyone.
Packing and unpacking multiple times: A split stay means you'll be packing up your belongings and unpacking them more than once during your vacation. This can be time-consuming and disruptive, especially if you have a lot of luggage or are traveling with young children who have more travel gear.
Luggage transfer delays: While Disney's Bell Services can transfer your luggage between Disney-owned resorts, it can take several hours for it to arrive at your new resort. You might not receive your luggage until later in the afternoon or evening. It's advisable to pack a day bag with essential items like medications, swimwear, or anything you'll need for the park day in case your luggage doesn't arrive as quickly as you'd like.
"Homeless" for a portion of the day: You will need to check out of your first resort by 11 am, but your room at the new resort may not be ready until after 4 pm. This gap in the middle of the day can be challenging, particularly if you need to return to your room for a rest or if you have young children who need naps.
Impact on dining reservations: Historically, split stays have created separate booking windows for dining reservations, meaning you'd book dining 60 days before the start of each individual stay. This adds extra planning and effort, and you might miss out on the advantage of booking harder-to-get reservations further in advance. However, there have been recent reports from a guest indicating that they were able to book dining for their entire split stay when the first 60-day window opened. It's unclear if this reflects a policy change, a temporary allowance, or a workaround this guest had found.
Exclusions for luggage transfer: Disney Bell Services will not transfer refrigerated or frozen perishable items, or medications. You'll need to make arrangements to transfer these items yourself, possibly using a ride-share service if you don't have your own car.
Adjusting to new surroundings: Young children might find it challenging to adjust to a new sleeping environment when switching resorts, potentially disrupting their sleep patterns.
Final Thoughts
Whether you want to stretch your budget, explore new resorts, or just add some extra magic to your vacation, a split stay might be the perfect fit.
For our family, it’s been a way to experience more of what Disney has to offer — while still holding onto the places we love most.
Have you ever done a split stay at Disney World? Would you try it on your next trip?
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