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We’re enormous followers of cut up stays at Walt Disney World. We’re fairly passionate and advocate often it to trip planners. Break up stays are proper up there with the excellence of the family-style meal at Sebastian’s Bistro, wondrousness of Wilderness Lodge at Christmas, and Dino-Rama’s suckiness by way of issues about which we received’t shut up.

Our cut up stays at Walt Disney World had been borne of necessity. We purchased a small Disney Trip Membership contract on the resale market with the intention of seldom utilizing it at our residence resort, Saratoga Springs. As a result of we didn’t have many factors or the 11-month reserving window, we needed to be strategic in our reservations. That was our inadvertent introduction to separate stays.

We cherished it. From that, we started increasing our cut up keep eventualities–not utilizing factors in any respect for weekends, doing single-night stays if we may rating an elusive Kilimanjaro Membership factors reservation, reserving an inexpensive arrival keep and hitting ‘reset’ on day two. And far of this was pre-blog. Our method acquired extra elaborate as soon as we began “needing” to check completely different room sorts…and simply desirous to expertise extra resorts. We’ve discovered what works (and doesn’t) for us within the course of.

Loads of readers have requested us about cut up stays, whether or not they’re well worth the effort, and find out how to leverage them strategically. We reply all of these questions and share far more than you most likely wish to know in Methods to Do a Break up Keep at Walt Disney World Resort Resorts. Amongst different issues, that covers what we predict works and doesn’t, a number of cut up keep eventualities, and extra.

I don’t wish to rehash all of that since (hopefully!) you’ve already learn that put up in your planning course of. In case not, I’ll make a condensed model of our “pitch” for cut up stays. First, resorts assist set the tone of the journey and altering lodges can thus change the vibe.  You’ll be able to journey to each the tropics and the Pacific Northwest throughout your Walt Disney World trip with stays at Caribbean Seaside or the Poly and Wilderness Lodge.

Second, cut up stays can allow you to stretch your trip finances and splurge on a resort you won’t be capable to afford (or justify) for the total journey. You might begin at Pop Century for 4 nights, ending with 2 on the Polynesian–checking it off your bucket record within the course of.

Our third and fourth factors are strategic extensions of this–timing that keep proper on the Poly opens the door to Prolonged Night Hours not simply as soon as however doubtlessly twice. Likewise, the Poly is handy to Magic Kingdom and Pop Century is right for attending to EPCOT or Disney’s Hollywood Studios. Nice for Early Entry or noon breaks.

Lastly, there are the extra advanced-level cut up keep eventualities. These contain reserving Membership Degree stays, utilizing the Disney Eating Plan, renting Disney Trip Membership factors, and extra. These intersect (to a point) with why it is best to do a cut up keep throughout your 2025, so we’ll circle again to them.

Let’s begin with the cut up keep situation for 2025 that breaks the Disney bubble–a cut up between Common Orlando and Walt Disney World. With Epic Universe debuting subsequent yr, Common goes to be competing for vacationers’ time–and being the homebase for Central Florida holidays.

For anybody doing multi-day visits to the Common parks, our suggestion is staying on-site there. That is nothing new–it’s what we’ve all the time suggested. Common Orlando and Walt Disney World aren’t as shut as you would possibly suppose, every supply invaluable perks, and transportation (or strolling!) from Common’s on-site lodges to its perks is much simpler than driving and parking. All of that is triply true in 2025 when Epic Universe opens.

Anybody who has complained about digital queues, upcharges, or convoluted entry with regards to Walt Disney World is perhaps in for a impolite awakening with Epic Universe. We’ve achieved the 2 current variations of Tremendous Nintendo World (only one land within the new park) in California and Japan. It’s unbelievable. It additionally attracts nightmarish crowds, and it’s essential do the whole lot in your energy to beat them.

On condition that Epic Universe is a brand-new theme park that can attract free-spending vacationers, my expectation is that Common pushes the upcharges so far as attainable. Paid Early Entry and Categorical Cross are apparent candidates, together with who is aware of what else. Each of the at present current variations of Tremendous Nintendo World additionally use digital queues when attendance is excessive simply to enter the land.

A few of you would possibly assume staying in Laborious Rock Lodge, Royal Pacific, or Portofino Bay for a number of hundred bucks per evening is the straightforward answer, as that’ll supply Limitless Categorical Cross to Epic Universe, simply because it does with the prevailing gates. That is perhaps wishful considering. I’d be shocked if the legacy Loews Premier Resorts will get Categorical Cross at Epic Universe. Possibly I’m mistaken; possibly it can.

However in case you solely have someday for Epic Universe, I’d most likely plan on staying at Common Helios Grand Lodge, the flagship in-park resort at Epic Universe. No matter the very best entry is for the brand new park and its hottest lands, it’ll most likely be supplied to visitors of Helios Grand.

These perks–whether or not they be Early Entry or Categorical Cross or one thing else–will most likely be essential to expertise the whole lot at Epic Universe in a single day. In fact, that’s all only a guess, but when I had been planning a 2025 Florida trip now and had the finances for one fancy resort and one common one, I’d allocate the cash to Common’s Helios Grand Lodge over Disney’s Grand Floridian Resort.

Clearly there are nonetheless loads of unknowns with Common on-site perks and Epic Universe, however our preliminary plan is to do Common first. The explanation for it’s because it supplies flexibility on the checkout day, which may grow to be one other park day at Epic Universe if essential to knock out the whole lot–or it could possibly be the beginning of a go to to Walt Disney World.

This opens the door to utilizing the new-for-2025 on-site perk at Walt Disney World, which is arrival day admission to one of many water parks, Storm Lagoon or Blizzard Seaside. That is included in all room-only reservations, trip packages and Disney Trip Membership stays on factors for check-in day.

The one “little” drawback with this perk is that the water parks sometimes shut at 5 or 6 p.m. relying upon the season, which means that the common visitor would have 2-3 hours to take pleasure in them on their precise arrival day. And that’s most likely the very best case situation assuming you land at MCO round midday, aren’t cursed with the final cease on the Mears route, and so forth.

A cut up keep sidesteps all of these issues. It doesn’t must be a cut up keep between Common Orlando and Walt Disney World–it could possibly be a Disney-only one. We’re simply utilizing the instance right here as a result of it really works out that approach for this versatile situation between the 2.

Even on as a part of a cut up keep, we most likely would make the most of that free day within the water parks by arriving late. Assuming you’ve a pleasant resort for the primary half of your journey or have simply had whirlwind days within the parks, you would possibly wish to calm down within the morning. And that’s completely advantageous! The wonderful thing about this water park day being free is that you just shouldn’t really feel the stress to be there from opening till shut (a feat only a few individuals handle, anyway).

As an alternative, intention to reach round 3 hours or so earlier than the water parks shut. That is when the early-arrivers begin getting their fill of enjoyable within the solar and head for the exits. The water parks have a really comparable dynamic to Animal Kingdom (too dangerous they’re not providing free arrival day tickets there!), which has a mass exodus in mid-afternoon. That leaves the tip of the day as a good time to go to, as crowds are decrease and solar hopefully isn’t fairly as shiny.

The water parks have altering areas, so you possibly can arrive in avenue garments and alter into swimwear. You too can change again into regular apparel previous to leaving. From Blizzard Seaside, take into account a go to to close by Animal Kingdom Lodge or Coronado Springs Resort for dinner. Sanaa, Jiko, Boma, Three Bridges, and Toledo are all wonderful eating places which can be often ignored. Should you’re doing Storm Lagoon, head to Disney Springs for dinner and dessert.

This water park day affords a chance for a brand new riff on considered one of our favourite cut up keep choices, which is a Membership Degree keep paired with pool days. That’s nonetheless fully attainable right here, even when the resort pool is much extra handy to the lounge than a water park. It really works as a result of you possibly can nonetheless check-in early, do a giant breakfast on the lounge, head to the water park, after which return and proceed utilizing the lounge.

You’re eligible to make use of the concierge lounge and all the perks that include staying Membership Degree on each your check-in and take a look at days, which means that one evening primarily lets you entry that lounge over the course of two days. Doing Membership Degree for an evening or two, arriving early and leaving late offers you essentially the most bang in your buck, and is an effective option to get a style of the Membership Degree life with out breaking the financial institution.

This would possibly seem to be quite a bit of transfers (and presumably is relying upon the way you pack/unpack), however we like placing a Membership Degree ‘break’ for rest and rejuvenation between parks days. So you would simply begin at Common (park days), transfer to a Membership Degree room at Walt Disney World (no-park days), and switch once more to a daily room at Walt Disney World (park days). For our favourite concierge lounges and proposals, see our Information to Membership Degree at Walt Disney World.

One possibility that we significantly love for that is Chronos Membership at Gran Destino Tower, which affords far and away the very best bang for buck out of all of the Membership Ranges at Walt Disney World. And, in case you’re actually reticent about one other switch, you would merely go from Gran Destino over to the common rooms at Coronado Springs. As a double bonus, the resort is a stone’s throw away from Blizzard Seaside!

The one draw back is that transportation from Coronado Springs to all the parks is by bus, which is lower than ultimate from a strategic perspective. So this isn’t the place I’d wish to keep for my park days at Walt Disney World (although I do it usually–it’s a kind of ‘do as I say, not as I do’ kinda offers).

(As soon as advance-booking of Lightning Lanes debuts later in 2024, it’s additionally attainable that Membership Degree visitors may have entry to extra or higher experience reservation choices. See When Will Pre-Arrival Lightning Lane Bookings Begin at Walt Disney World?)

As an different to the Membership Degree keep, an alternative choice is doing the Disney Eating Plan (DDP) for one a part of a cut up keep at Walt Disney World. (Don’t do each Membership Degree and the DDP on the similar time–full overkill and a waste of cash.) As lined in our Information to the Disney Eating Plan, we predict the DDP supplies an excessive amount of meals and might take an excessive amount of time.

Solely doing the Disney Eating Plan for one portion of the journey permits us to do an attractions-oriented half of the journey, and a food-oriented half. This works particularly effectively for the laid-back resort day(s), as you possibly can deal with good dinners, snack crawls, or no matter. It additionally helps that most of the greatest makes use of of DDP credit are resort eating places. So with this selection, you’ve the chance to discover different resorts–one other nice option to have enjoyable with out park admission.

Truthfully, the DDP shouldn’t be actually obligatory to do that, and it’s usually not even advantageous. However in case you’re going throughout Free Eating dates and even when the eating present card is being supplied (two particular affords it’s secure to imagine are returning in 2025), this is usually a higher possibility than reserving Membership Degree. Even when it’s “free,” the Eating Plan continues to be overkill when paired with Membership Degree–so don’t do each concurrently.

Lastly, use cut up stays to assist not bust your finances. If you’d like each Membership Degree and Free Eating, for instance, do a cut up keep and take the room-only low cost for the Membership Degree portion of your journey after which Free Eating for the rest. (As famous above, each on the similar time is overkill–but in addition, room-only reductions are nearly all the time higher for Membership Degree.)

A extra frequent instance of utilizing cut up stays to economize is by being aware of resort charges on completely different days of the week. Within the Least expensive Instances to Go to Walt Disney World, we cowl seasons in addition to days of the week. Reducing to the chase, Sunday via Thursday nights which have the decrease costs than Friday and Saturday nights, with Mondays via Wednesdays having absolutely the least expensive charges.

Throughout sure occasions of the yr, the variations are fairly pronounced. For instance, the Polynesian has a typical rack charge of $738 per evening on October 1, 2025 and the weeknights earlier than and after that date. Now, you would possibly suppose that’s insanely costly; no argument from me there. Nevertheless, it’s truly the cheaper of the charges on this situation. Weekend costs on the Poly for October 3-5 are $917 per evening.

This isn’t a cherry picked instance to magnify the purpose. Weekends are normally significantly costlier than weeknights, which means it can save you significantly by doing a less expensive resort on the weekends and fancier one on weeknights. This doesn’t keep away from the difficulty solely–the All Stars are additionally costlier on weekends, however the unfold isn’t as massive.

Along with that, there are some dates when reductions are solely supplied for Sunday via Thursday nights. Even when that isn’t the case (and it usually shouldn’t be), availability beneath particular affords usually improves in case you’re prepared to do a cut up keep and have flexibility in your resort/room preferences.

I do know this can be a firehorse of data and potentialities, however my mind instantly started gaming out attainable cut up keep eventualities and find out how to greatest leverage them for 2025 when the brand new water park perk was introduced and room/package deal pricing was launched. I’ll minimize this off right here, as I do know cut up stays are sometimes complicated, and that is already quite a bit.

In the end, I hope that this helps you perceive the strategic aspect of cut up stays and how one can leverage them to your benefit when visiting Walt Disney World and/or Common Orlando in 2025. In case you possibly can’t inform, we love cut up stays. There’s one thing actually particular about sleeping within the rustic seclusion of Wilderness Lodge for an evening, after which flipping a swap to the isles of the Poly the following. Or going easy with All Star Sports activities to save lots of up for a splurge at Coronado Springs’ Chronos Membership.

There are limitless permutations for cut up stays, and we’ve achieved lots of them over our years as Walt Disney World followers and resort fans. With Common opening Epic Universe and Helios Grand presumably being fairly dear (however providing wonderful entry), we assume the door goes to be opened to much more strategic eventualities for cut up stays between Common and Disney.

With that mentioned, we all know all of this may be complicated and never tailor-made to your get together’s wants, preferences, and so forth. If you’d like extra thorough steering or help navigating the ‘cut up keep’ planning waters, we’d extremely advocate contacting an Approved Disney Trip Planner. These journey brokers are free-to-use as long as they deal with your reserving, and so they can supply personalised planning that takes into consideration your priorities and preferences. No Disney planning recommendation is one-size-fits-all, and that features our methods for cut up stays!

Planning a Walt Disney World journey? Study lodges on our Walt Disney World Resorts Critiques web page. For the place to eat, learn our Walt Disney World Restaurant Critiques. To save cash on tickets or decide which kind to purchase, learn our Ideas for Saving Cash on Walt Disney World Tickets put up. Our What to Pack for Disney Journeys put up takes a novel take a look at intelligent objects to take. For what to do and when to do it, our Walt Disney World Experience Guides will assist. For complete recommendation, the very best place to begin is our Walt Disney World Journey Planning Information for the whole lot it’s essential know!

Your Ideas

Have you ever achieved a cut up keep at Walt Disney World? What about one between Common Orlando and Walt Disney World? Planning on doing one (or a number of) in 2025 to benefit from the free water park day at WDW or on-site benefits for Epic Universe? Should you’ve achieved cut up stays previously, are there any resort combos you significantly like? Do you agree or disagree with our recommendation? Any questions we may also help you reply? Listening to your suggestions–even once you disagree with us–is each attention-grabbing to us and useful to different readers, so please share your ideas under within the feedback!