Is anyone else’s for you page on social absolutely filled with deluxe Disney resorts, or is that just me? It seems like week long stays at the Grand Floridian are the new normal for folks! And while I love living in the lap of luxury once in a while – these fancy resort rooms can cost more than $1,00 per night!

What is a Split Stay at Disney World?

Simply put, a split stay is when you stay at more than 1 hotel during your Disney trip. That can mean a few days at Pop Century and a few days at Art of Animation. It could be a split between the Poly and Boardwalk.

Recently we spent a full week at All Star Sports and finished our trip with 2 days at Animal Kingdom Lodge – club level. Now did those last couple days cost more than the week prior, absolutely. But they cost a lot less than if we had stayed there the whole time.

Why Consider a Split Stay

There are so many reasons to consider a split stay, it’s actually more difficult to think of reasons against it.

Budgeting

The biggest reason, of course, is the cost! Staying at a moderate or deluxe hotel at Disney World can cost anywhere from $400 to well over $1,000 – and that’s for a standard room. Even the newest “value” resort, Art of Animation, is regularly around $200 per night. A

A split stay allows you to experience and enjoy these amazing locations (because they are amazing) when you’ll actually be able to enjoy them. Most of the time on a Disney trip is spent in the parks. Your hotel room, usually, is just the place to store your souvenirs and sleep. Instead of booking a full trip at The Contemporary, stay at All Star Sports and add a day or two at the end to unwind and actually relax at a fancy hotel.

Pixie Pointer: For an extra budget friendly hack check out our guide to renting DVC points, for HUGE savings.

You can even stay (gasp) off-property for the bulk of your trip, and move over for a celebration day.

Location, Location, Location

Disney World is the same size as Manhattan or San Francisco. There is a LOT to see and do, and it’s all spread out across 47 acres. The bus ride from the Animal Kingdom are to the Magic Kingdom area can be more than an hour at times.

Split stays let you spread your time across the entire resort. I find it especially useful for Magic Kingdom days. It’s the most isolated park, especially if you are driving yourself. If you are taking the bus, you’ll quickly see how crowded they can get! Planning an MK day at the start or end of your trip, let’s you stay nearby and take the resort boat or monorail.

Variety and Experience

Even if you’ve won the lottery and have the ability to teleport to park entrances, a split stay can offer you a whole new experience.

There are more than 20 hotels at Disney World. Each of them with unique theming and a variety of amenities. I love the charm and community of the original value resorts. The entire place is bustling by 8:00 am because everyone there means business! We are rope dropping and park hopping till the sun goes down.

But I also love the quiet calm of a slow resort morning. Filling a plate in the Kilimanjaro club lounge and taking it back to watch the zebras and antelope from the comfort of my savannah view balcony. Or a full pool day at the Beach Club complete with water slide and lazy river, followed by a night out at Jellyrolls across the Boardwalk.

Planning Your Disney Split Stay

Now that you are fully persuaded, let’s talk about how to actually book a split stay at Disney World. And don’t worry, it’s actually pretty easy!

• Check Availability: Visit the Disney World Website and see which resorts are available during your stay.
• Research Resorts: Check out the rooms and amenities at each to see which stands out
• Write it Down: Split stays can get complicated if you book the wrong dates or place by accident, so write it down to keep track
• Book Away: Book each stay for the dates and hotel you’ve chosen.

Words of Caution

Split stays at Disney can be the best opportunity to experience more of the resort while sticking to a budget, but there are a few things to consider.

Each hotel that you book is considered, by Disney, to be a separate trip. If you are purchasing a ticket package, you will need to do so for each hotel. Unfortunately, this could prevent you from fully realizing multi-day ticket discounts. Rather than purchasing an 8-day ticket, you would need to purchase a 6-day ticket and a 2-day ticket. Or however your trip is split.

The same applies to the Disney Dining plan. This additional package must be purchased separately for each hotel.

Making the Most of Your Split Stay

From packing, to transportation, pricing discounts, and more! Here’s our top tips to maximize your next split stay!

• Consider a travel agent. They’ve seen it all and can help navigate package options and discounts.
• Save your hotel upgrade for rest and resort days, plan to actually spend time where you’re spending all that cash!
• Transfer at the beginning or end of your trip. It just works out better for ticket pricing and dining plans
• Pack like a planner. Consider a separate suitcase, or packing cube, for the shorter stay. No need to unpack and repack repeatedly.
• Try the dining package for your upgraded hotel. With fewer days the cost is less, and if you’re going to be lounging anyway – might as well plan to take full advantage!

What are your top tips and reasons for booking a Disney World Split Stay?

The post Disney Split Stays: Unlock Luxurious Magic On A Budget Adventure appeared first on .

Water fountains are scattered throughout each Disney park and resort area, providing an accessible option for guests. And water bottles can be purchased from nearly every restaurant, cart, and snack kiosk.

But with the cost of each water bottle between $3 and $6 – it adds up quickly.

The Benefits of Brining a Reusable Water Bottle to Disney World

The biggest benefit of bringing your own reusable water bottle to Disney World is certainly the money that you will save. We used to spend, on average, $20+ per day on water and non specialty beverages. That’s more than $100 for a 5-day trip!

Plus, there’s really nothing quite like having your own property with you. The familiarity of your favorite Stanley, covered in Disney stickers and accessories (of course), can not be overstated.

And it’s 20204, bringing a reusable water is a simple way to help reduce waste for our planet.

Understanding Disney World’s Water Bottle Policy

Wondering if Disney will even allow re-usable water bottles in the parks? The answer is ‘yes!’ In fact, they’ve been rolling out specific water bottle refill stations all over the place!

The only rule is that you can’t bring any glassware or glass bottles. So you can bring pretty much anything, but just remember you will be carrying it with you. I like to bring something durable, portable, and lightweight.

Where to Find Disney World Water Bottle Refill Stations in Every Park

Fun fact: there are 23 water bottle refill stations just within the four Disney World parks. There’s 57 more throughout the resort area.

Magic Kingdom

• Near Tron Restrooms
• Inside Pinocchio’s Village Haus
• Inside Cosmic Ray’s Starlight Cafe

Hollywood Studios

• Near Black Spire Market Restrooms
• Near Bus Loop Restrooms
• Near Grand Ave Restrooms
• Near Restrooms inside ABC Commissary
• Near Blue Milk Stand Restrooms
• Inside the Millennium Falcon: Smuggler’s Run Exit Queue
• Sunset Blvd
• Outside Guest Relations
• Outside of Security

Epcot

• Near the Lockers at International Gateway
• Near the Restrooms inside Connections Cafe
• Near Rose Walk Restrooms
• Inside the Odyssey Building
• Outside Guest Relations
• Outside the Journey of Water

Animal Kingdom

• Inside the Avatar Flight of Passage Queue
• Inside the Na’vi River Journey Queue
• Near the Flame Tree Barbecue
• Near Mombasa Marketplace
• Near Satu’li Canteen

Additional Disney World Water Bottle Refill Stations

Spending time outside the parks, resort hopping or exploring Disney Springs? There’s nothing to worry about for your next monorail bar crawl!

Disney has installed water bottle refill stations at each resort and through common areas like Disney Springs and the Boardwalk near Epcot. A full list of all Disney World water bottle refill stations is available on Disney‘s website.

You can also access a full list of refill station locations (with a map!) on the Disney World app.

• Open the Disney World App
• Click the magnify glass (search icon)
• Type ‘water’
• Select ‘water bottle refill stations’
• Ta-da!

Don’t Forget to Hydrate

Wherever you’re spending your day at Disney, make sure you are taking care of yourself, your body, and your group. Drinking water is a big way to accomplish this!

Bringing your own reusable water bottle is a great way to save money and help save the planet. But whether you bring one, buy single use water bottles in the park, or ask for complimentary water at any quick service location. Take care!

The post Disney World Water Bottle Refill Stations Locations and More! appeared first on .

We finally know exactly when these two lands will open, and it’s a lot sooner than we thought. But (ugh, why is there always a but) not everything will be fully operational. Bummer.

What to Know About Galaxy’s Edge

Before we dive into the tips about how to get into Galaxy’s Edge, let’s talk about what we know. Aside from just how amazing it’s bound to be.

Opening Dates

Galaxy’s Edge will open on May 31, 2019, at Disneyland.

Rise of the Resistance will NOT be running, no additional information has been released yet about when this will open.

Things to Know

At Disneyland, you will need a reservation just to enter the new land, at least for the first few months, and it will not be available during magic morning hours.

Now let’s get to the good stuff.

How to Access Galaxy’s Edge at Disneyland

If you’ve been to Disneyland in the last year you’re probably familiar with where the entrances to this area will be. They are down a small pathway next to the Hungry Bear restaurant in Critter Country and off to the side of Big Thunder Mountain Railroad in Frontierland.

But knowing where the entrances are won’t be enough to get you in. From what I’ve seen and heard the new Galaxy’s Edge in Disneyland will not be much bigger than Toontown, which means there isn’t much room for the hordes of crowds that are bound to be there.

I honestly can imagine that for the first month, at least, the line to enter Galaxy’s Edge at Disneyland will wrap back all the way to the park entrance. When the Aladdin show closed at California Adventure a few years back, the wait for tickets was 8 hours (boy was that ever fun). Galaxy’s Edge is going to blow that out of the water.

So How do I Get in??

Disney is publishing some conflicting information about the reservation system, so please take this with a grain of salt and I’ll try to keep it updated as new announcements are made.

When Galaxy’s Edge opens at Disneyland May 31, it will employ a unique system reservation system we haven’t seen before. You’ll actually need to reserve a window of time to enter into the new land. At this time there is only 1 way of getting a reservation.

Stay on Site

All on-site property guests (that means you’re staying at the Disneyland hotel, Paradise Pier, or the Grand Californian) will be assigned a reservation to Star Wars Land during their stay. One reservation per guest, so be sure everyone in your party is listed in your hotel reservation.

*Disney is also saying, though, that entry is not guaranteed even to hotel guests. Which I imagine will depend on how long each guest stays in the area. There is obviously a capacity issue, so a reservation may be pushed or canceled if enough people haven’t left yet.

I’ve looked into reservations at Paradise Pier, which is the least expensive on site hotel, and I still don’t know if I can justify the cost. It’s over $400 per night during the first few weeks of June, and you have to stay 2 nights. Between the cost of the stay, tickets, food, and transportation – that’s easily reaching into $1,500.

And keep in mind that entry isn’t guaranteed. Even if you do get in only 1 of the 2 attractions will be open.

Oh. And no fastpasses.

Stay Alert

Now Disney is also saying that off-site guests will have an opportunity to make reservations for Galaxy’s Edge as well, but have not disclosed when or how.

If you’re a risk taker you could go ahead and book a good neighbor hotel and hope for the best. I’ll be e-mailing by subscribers the second I know that the reservation system is available (so, you probably want to sign-up for that list).

Personally, I’m taking this route. As soon as public reservations are available to book I’ll be trying to save my spot. You run the risk here that A) you may not get a reservation at all and B) even with a reservation you may not get in.

There’s a bit more risk than if you stay on site, but there’s also a much smaller price tag. And if it doesn’t work out, you can still enjoy a day at Disney and hope to snag a reservation while you’re there.

Special Events

There are numerous ticketed special events at Disneyland this year, and any one of those could prove to be your best option. Traditionally these events have a very limited number of tickets and guests still have access to all of the park.

Disney has not announced whether Galaxy’s Edge will be open for any these special events. But I’d bet on it, and I’m not much of a gambler.

Disneyland After Dark

This Spring Disney has put on a two Disneyland After Dark events, that were amazing. Last year they even had a Star Was themed After Dark event. 

A third Disneyland After Dark Event was just announced earlier this month, it’s slated to occur before Galaxy’s Edge opens. So i’m keeping my fingers crossed for another event after May 31.

Mickey’s Halloween Party

You can also snag a ticket to one of the Disneyland Halloween Parties in hopes of entering Galaxy’s Edge. Again, no confirmation yet that the land will be open during this ticketed event, but I think it’s likely.

Tickets go fast and run over $100 dollars. If you are only interested in Galaxy’s Edge, don’t rush to purchase this. But it’s a fun event all on it’s own, so still worth every penny if you can fit it into your budget.

The post How to Get in to Galaxy’s Edge at Disneyland appeared first on .