FAQ: How Does a Split Stay Work?

What is a split stay?  A split stay is when, during a single vacation, you stay at more than one Walt Disney World Resort hotel.

GF Resort

Why would you do a split stay? There are multiple reasons why you might consider a split stay. One big reason is experiencing more than one resort.  Maybe you have always wanted to try out Port Orleans French Quarter but the Polynesian is really calling your name.  Cost is another big factor, the deluxe resorts can be expensive and to still get the experience of staying there without committing to the entire vacation you can spread out the costs by staying for a few nights.  Pro tip: always go from less expensive to most expensive in order of stay.  So if you are staying at Pop Century and Contemporary make sure the Contemporary portion is the last part of your stay.  It will be really hard to go from the Polynesian to All Star Sports.

How does a split stay work with tickets?  The easiest way is to make your first room reservation include the tickets for the length of your entire visit.  This will save you money and save you the headache of linking multiple tickets. Any additional resort reservations will be room only.

How does a split stay work with FastPass?  This does not affect FastPass because it is linked to number of days on a park ticket.


How does a split stay work with MagicBands?  You will get a MagicBand for each room reservation you make.  You can choose to customize each reservation and get a MagicBand for each member of your party.  Or you can also choose to decline a set of MagicBands, meaning you will only get one MagicBand for your entire stay.

How does a split stay work with the dining plan? The dining plan expires at midnight the day you check out so you will need to use any credits at the end of each stay.  If you do a split stay you will have the book the dining plan for each room reservation or package.

How do I get from one resort to the next?  You will want to call Bell Services and ask to have your bags picked up and moved to your next resort.  If you only have Disney transportation you will go one of the theme parks and from there you can either enjoy your day at the park, or if you want to go right to your new resort hop on the Disney transportation to the new resort to check in.  Your bags will be unavailable for at least 4 hours, so be sure that anything you need right away or within the next 6 hours that you have with you.  Alternatively, you can check any bags yourself such as carry on luggage or backpacks at luggage services at the new resort.


How to Allocate Park Days at Walt Disney World

Planning a vacation to Walt Disney World is very subjective because each family will have their favorites.  Family dynamics and ages are going to vary.  As travel planners we all get asked by our clients, how to allocate the number of park days over your vacation.  Granted having a Park Hopper ticket option will help you get to all the parks, but you have to factor in travel time from park to park and see if it is worth it to park hop.  A Park Hopper ticket option allows you to visit more than one park a day.  If you are short on time this might be a good options.  It is also a great option for couples and solo travelers.

Here is a breakdown of how I would use my days at Walt Disney World.

1 day ticket: (I know the horror!) but you will have to choose ahead of time if it will be at Magic Kingdom or Epcot, Hollywood Studios, or Animal Kingdom because the pricing is slightly different.  But this is a no-brainer for me: Magic Kingdom


2 day ticket:  Magic Kingdom & Epcot.  Unless you have a person who is into Star Wars than I would suggest Hollywood Studios.  But with Magic Kingdom and Epcot having the most attractions these will give you the most bang for your buck.

3 day ticket: Magic Kingdom, Epcot and Hollywood Studios.  Sure you may prefer to hit up Animal Kingdom but I feel that Hollywood Studios still has more to experience on a short trip.


4 day ticket:  Visit each park one time for first time visitors.  If you have been before or aren’t interested in Hollywood Studios or Animal Kingdom I would suggest 2 days at Magic Kingdom, 1 at Epcot and then 1 and either Hollywood Studios or Animal Kingdom.

5 day tickets: With 5 days I would check out Magic Kingdom twice and all of the other parks once.  I believe this a fairly common arrangement for many people taking a 5 day vacation and it gives you plenty of time in Magic Kingdom plus a visit to each other park.


6 day tickets: Magic Kingdom and Epcot twice with a single day spent at both Animal Kingdom and Hollywood Studios.

7 day tickets: Here is where it gets tricky.  I would go with 3 days at Magic Kingdom (taking it easy), 2 at Epcot and again 1 at both Hollywood Studios and Animal Kingdom

8 day tickets: You could visit each park twice, or go to Magic Kingdom 3 times, Hollywood Studios and Epcot twice and Animal Kingdom once.


9 day tickets: Magic Kingdom and Epcot 3 times each, Hollywood Studios and Animal Kingdom get the rest so I would probably go with 2 Hollywood Studios days and 1 Animal Kingdom day.

10 day tickets: So many days to use up here!  Magic Kingdom, and Epcot 3 times each, then Hollywood Studios and Animal Kingdom twice.  What a fun vacation that would be!

You may find having the Park Hopper is also a great advantage especially with longer trips.  You may want to pop over to Animal Kingdom in the morning and then finish the evening with fireworks at Magic Kingdom.  And of course if the weather isn’t cooperating a Park Hopper is really handy.

Do take into consideration when planning your park days special events like hard ticket parties, events like a runDisney race.  Or if it is near a holiday or school break the parks can get very crowded so it is important to look ahead for what is going on at Walt Disney World before planning your park days.  And of course a great travel agent can help you with this!

Do you have a favorite combination of parks to visit on a vacation?  We would love to hear it!

Walt Disney World Park Tickets

There are a few choices you can make when purchasing tickets for your next Disney vacation if you are not doing a package. All tickets can be bought from a single day up to 10 days in a single ticket. All tickets must be used within 14 days of first use.

The first is the Base Ticket. This is a ticket that allows you to get into a single park per day. If you are doing a one day base ticket and wish to get to Magic Kingdom this park is slightly more expensive than Animal Kingdom, Epcot or Hollywood Studios.

A step up from the Base Ticket is the Park Hopper. The Park Hopper allows you to visit more than one park in a day. You can use it to visit all four in a single day or to just visit one. This ticket affords a lot of flexibility in your vacation. You can plan to visit one park in the morning and then go to another in the evening for dinner. Or if you aren’t sure which park your children or you will enjoy most this ticket is very helpful. If you keep finding yourself wanting to go to Magic Kingdom for a dole whip and a spin on the Haunted Mansion this ticket can make that happen.

Another option is the Water Parks Fun and More. This ticket option allows you access to Disney’s Blizzard Beach and Typhoon Lagoon Water Parks, Disney Quest, Winter Summerland and Fantasia Gardens Miniature Golf Course, Disney’s Oak Trail Golf Course, and ESPN Sports Complex in addition to your theme park visits. If you purchase a 5 day Park Ticket with Water Parks Fun and More option you can have up to 10 days of fun. Or if you want to visit Blizzard Beach and Disney Quest in the same day this will use 2 allotments of the 5. For a little bit more of a fee you can combine the Park Hopper with the Water Parks Fun and More for a fun-filled visit.

Disney will run specials on Military Salute Tickets. Generally these are a 4 day Park Hopper ticket discounted and have to be purchased on base or at Shades of Green. These do have an expiration date as well.

Another way to get discounted tickets is by being a Florida Resident. Details can be found by signing into your Disney account for more information.

And lastly if you are planning a vacation that is over 10 day or more than one vacation within a year of each other an Annual Pass might be the correct ticket for you. With Annual Passes there may be black out dates and exclusions so it is always best to check your options before making this purchase.

Lastly if you feel you didn’t purchase the correct ticket for you there is always the option of upgrading your ticket at Guest Services in the a parks. You will pay the difference if you choose to add days or the Park Hopper option or even if you are going to upgrade all the way to an Annual Pass it is all possible so you don’t feel stuck with what you have.