A Whole New Meaning To “Split Stay” | Where I’m Staying In 2021
We’ve been talking a lot about Walt Disney World Resort hotels this week! From the types of hotels available, what we like about them, what we dislike and what you might want to take into consideration if you’re planning to stay on property during your next Walt Disney World vacation, we’ve covered it all over on the 2 Foolish Mortals Podcast! In fact, if you’re at all curious about the hotels at Walt Disney World, I encourage you to go check out the WDW Resort Hotel Vacation Planning Special that went up on Spotify and YouTube this week.
Of course, the Vacation Planning Special isn’t the only reason Walt Disney World Resort hotels have been on my brain this week! With my upcoming trip, I spent some time both deciding where I want to stay and making my reservations. Now, I want to tell you all about the Walt Disney World Resort hotels that have made my list.
Generally speaking, my trips to Walt Disney World are fairly predictable. I’m always staying on property in a Deluxe resort and I don’t do split stays. It’s just not the way I usually vacation. However, we’re all about trying new things here and that means that I’m going in head first to what is going to be a Disney trip like no other. Oh yeah! For my solo trip to Walt Disney World, I’ll be staying at 6 different Walt Disney World Resort hotels over the course of 14 days. It’s gonna be. . . . magical!
Now, before we move on from here, let’s address the big pink elephant in the room. Yes! Staying at 6 different Disney hotels in the space of 2 weeks is a bit much. Honestly, I’d go so far as to say that no one in their right mind would [or should] do what I’m going to be doing here. That said, this isn’t 2 “Reasonable” or “Rational” Mortals. . . . . this is 2 Foolish Mortals.
All joking aside, though I did want to try a split stay during this trip, the actual number of splits in this particular stay came about for some reasons that we’re going to discuss further in the future. So be sure to stay tuned for that if you’re wondering. . . why. . . how. . . or even seriously? I did not originally intend to move around on this trip as much as I’m going to. It just ended up this way.
Like I mentioned earlier, I’ll be staying at a total of 6 different resorts during my solo trip to Walt Disney World. Each of the resorts I’ll be staying at during this trip is what Disney refers to as Deluxe, which means that they are the highest tier hotels at the Walt Disney World Resort. If you’re wondering how I can manage such a long trip in such expensive hotels, which start at something like $500 to $700 per night, the simple answer is Disney Vacation Club. We’ll talk more about Disney Vacation Club [DVC] later, but for now, that’s the short answer to your question.
Ok! With all of that out of the way, let’s get to the good stuff!
The resorts that I’ll be staying at during my solo trip to Walt Disney World include Disney’s Boardwalk Villas, Disney’s Old Key West Resort, Disney’s Polynesian Villas & Bungalows, Disney’s Saratoga Springs Resort & Spa, Disney’s Beach Club Villas and Bay Lake Tower at Disney’s Contemporary Resort. Though I’ve stayed at a couple of these resorts before, I’ll be experiencing the majority for the first time, which I’m very excited about and I’m very excited to share my experience with you also!
Now that you know where I’ll be staying, let’s take a second to talk a little bit about the resorts. After all, there’s a lot to say when it comes to Disney’s Deluxe resorts [and all resorts really. . . . as was illustrated by our 5 part series this week] and some of them are rather iconic. Let’s start with some of the places that I’ll be revisiting.
As I mentioned earlier, the long list of resorts I’ll be staying at during this trip includes a couple that I’ve stayed at before; Disney’s Boardwalk and Saratoga Springs. One of these, Disney’s Boardwalk Villas, is actually my current favorite resort in all of Walt Disney World. Not only is the resort a fun place to be in and of itself, but the proximity to pretty much everything is just perfect. On the other hand, Disney’s Saratoga Springs Resort & Spa is one of my absolute least favorite places to stay in all of Walt Disney World. This is the resort I stayed at during my 2019 visit and it was less than impressive. That said, the reason I decided to put it in my list for this trip is because I think it deserves a second chance. With parts of the resort currently having been renovated, I’m hoping that this will be an experience that changes my mind about Saratoga Springs. . . . . but the realist in me isn’t holding my breath.
Next up we have some classic Walt Disney World Resorts that I’ve had on my radar for a long time, but never got around to staying at; Polynesian, Bay Lake Tower and Old Key West. First and foremost, I have to say I’m very excited to stay at the Polynesian. This is one of those places that has been around since the beginning and has a lot of history as well as some great theming. Believe it or not, I’ve never so much as step foot in the Polynesian before and so when I saw that I had the opportunity to stay I jumped on it! On the other hand, Bay Lake Tower is one of the hotels at Walt Disney World that was definitely not on my radar, but I’m excited to give it a try anyway. Located next to Disney’s Contemporary, Bay Lake Tower is the Disney Vacation Club extension. I’ve heard some good things about Bay Lake Tower and some complaints; all of which seem valid, but I’m not letting that impact my opinion. We’ll just have to see what I think on check-in day!
The third resort that I have mentioned as a classic is Old Key West and before you say anything. . . . I realize that it’s not everyone’s definition of a classic. However, this is the first Disney Vacation Club resort at Walt Disney World and it holds a place in the heart of many members. I’m not one of them, but we’ll see if that changes by the time I check out. Old Key West is another one of those resorts that seems to have mixed reviews. Themed to Key West and lacking lost of Disney influence, Old Key West is accused of feeling like a retirement community by some. On the flip side, there are others who absolutely love the resort. Personally, at least right now, I don’t have much of an opinion at all. I am, however, looking forward to staying here.
Last, but certainly not least, we have Disney’s Beach Club Villas. This is another one of those resorts that sits right in the middle of the action as it’s walking distance from EPCOT and Hollywood Studios with access to Disney’s Skyliner and Friendship Boats to get you where you want to go fast! It’s also walking distance from all the fun at Disney’s Boardwalk. This is a resort that is themed to New England, where I’m from, and so I was never really impressed with the theme of the resort itself. However, it’s been some time since I’ve been back east and so I’m wondering if it will give me warm fuzzy feelings of “home”. Either way, we will find out here in a couple weeks!
Honestly, even though there’s a lot of moving around that will happen during this trip, I’m looking forward to it! All of the hustle and bustle will allow me to experience a lot of different places and share them with you. To me, that makes the whole thing worth the trouble.
Have you ever stayed at any of these Walt Disney World Resorts before? What were some of your favorite things, what did you not like and is there anything I should keep an eye out for or try? Let me know in a comment down below!