As of January 1, 2019, we have closed our forums. This is a decision we did not come to lightly, but it is necessary. The software our forums run on is just too out-of-date and it poses a significant security risk. The server software itself must be updated, and it cannot be without removing the forums.
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There are other changes as well.
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We're going to the F&WF and MNSSHP Weds-Sun Oct 8-12. I already booked our home resort BLT at the 11-month window as a back up but want to switch to BoardWalk. Checking availability at the moment, I can only get Boardwalk for the Wed-Thu as there is no weekend availability. I was going to waitlist the weekend nights.
Now we're trying to decide if it's worth being at BWV for only 2 nights, or if we should just keep our BLT ressie. We've never been to BWV before and like to stay in one resort to really explore and get a feel for it. And we especially want to be close to Epcot. However ...
We will be attending MNSSHP Fri. We'll be there very late and it would be nice to head straight to BLT afterwards ... or would it? Will they text us our room number so we can go straight there, or will we have to go through check-in? I know WDW will move our luggage for us - but we will also have groceries in the fridge. Will that be an issue? Will the luggage be in the room or will we have to wait for bell services? We won't have a car.
Is switching resorts worth the trouble?
I guess I should add that my question about bell services is because at our last BLT stay they took more than an hour to deliver our luggage. I hope that was an isolated incident? I don't want to be waiting that long very late after a full day at MK ...
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Last edited by Lumieregirl; 03-04-2014 at 10:01 AM..
If you do go with the BoardWalk, you want to check in earlier in the day before the Party I'd say, as they'll presumably need to activate your MagicBands. We did a split stay in October/November and every time we checked into a resort, we got a new set of MagicBands (we ended up with quite a collection! ).
You'll have to ring bell services to get your luggage brought up to the room and that can take a while, depending on how busy they are and how well staffed they are. If you're looking to do it when you get back from the Party, I don't know how long it will take. We found valet parking at the Contemporary after the Christmas Party and we had quite a wait, as there was literally only one person on - this would've been around 12:10am.
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If it's just my wife and I...and minimal possessions to transport...not a huge deal. But I wouldn't re-pack for 4 people--plus a pile of groceries--just to stay in a different location. Time spent dealing with that hassle sort of defeats the purpose of the move, IMO.
As for the bell services issue, there can be delays at any resort & any point in time. They don't have unlimited staff available and you never know when they will get backlogged due to a high number of arrivals or departures.
I'm going to echo everyone and say don't split for such a short trip. BUT you could waitlist the entire BWV stay if you really are set on staying near Epcot for F&W. That way you have one or the other, instead of 2 days at each!
Thanks for the ideas. I hadn't thought about checking in in the afternoon. That would actually be great because we could change into our Halloween costumes and have a little down time before the party.
It's just me and DH and our groceries are just a few breakfast things.
We just had the boardwalk image in out minds - Kinda hard to give up once you get it in your mind - ya know? The primary focus of the trip is F&WF.
I'll pop back and let y'all know how it played out. I appreciate your input.
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Thanks for the ideas. I hadn't thought about checking in in the afternoon. That would actually be great because we could change into our Halloween costumes and have a little down time before the party.
It's just me and DH and our groceries are just a few breakfast things.
We just had the boardwalk image in out minds - Kinda hard to give up once you get it in your mind - ya know? The primary focus of the trip is F&WF.
I'll pop back and let y'all know how it played out. I appreciate your input.
By the sounds of it, if you can check in in the afternoon, that will help you a lot. I hear you about the BoardWalk, especially if you want to spend time at Food and Wine. I hope it all works out for you.
The benefit to BWV is the walking home from Epcot. I hate the feeling of rushing with the crowds to get the last monorail or to wait for the bus when you're tired. If it's just the two of you, and you have minimal luggage, I'd do the split stay. We used to do split stays with BLT and BCV but with four of us I found I was the one doing the repacking for the "move" and I missed out on family pool time. Now we just alternate each year since both are our home resorts.
If it was just me and hubby I'd do the move to BWV for the ease of traveling from F&W, but BLT for the ease of MNSSHP
yeah I'm leaning toward the split ... either way one evening we'll either be super close to Epcot and a bit away from MK or vice versa. But I think we'll be more beat after MNSSHP where BLT will be more important.
I do understand about bell services - DH reminded me that when we pulled up, they told us it would be about 20 minutes. So I suppose that expectation made the hour + wait feel unreasonable. We had an ADR looming too - so I was anxious at the time. This time it won't really matter as we won't be obligated anywhere at a certain time.
Now, I've never switched at 7 months before. Am I correct in understanding that I need to be online at 8am and first cancel my Wed-Thu at BLT and then book BWV? So there is that slim chance for a moment that I'll be homeless? I have plenty of points - will the system allow me to book BWV before canceling BLT?
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Now, I've never switched at 7 months before. Am I correct in understanding that I need to be online at 8am and first cancel my Wed-Thu at BLT and then book BWV? So there is that slim chance for a moment that I'll be homeless? I have plenty of points - will the system allow me to book BWV before canceling BLT?
In my opinion, it is always a good idea to be online at 8am Eastern Time when booking at 7 months. You just never know what will happen to availability after those first few minutes, so better to be safe than sorry.
If you have the points, you can certainly book your BWV reservation without touching your BLT reservation. However, if you want to use the exact points that you are currently using to "hold" your BLT reservation (e.g., banked points), then I think you will need to first cancel so those points are available for booking. I have heard that in certain cases they will let you "swap" points with an existing reservation, but I have never tried it and wouldn't count on being able to do it.
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I booked my DME yesterday and the DVC rep told me that I should only need 1 set of MagicBands. She said at this point if both resort stays are linked to the band from the beginning, we shouldn't need to get new ones. I told DH the bands are a work in progress and we will see what happens, but thought I'd pass on that at least that is WDW's goal.
Oh, we ended up with the first 2 nights at BWV and the next 2 at BLT, waitlisted for BWV. So, we will just see what happens.
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Don't let your heart be filled with sorrow, for all you know, tomorrow, the dream that you wish will come true.
We love split stays (Tim - we even do them with groceries and kids )
That said, we would not do a spit stay for fewer than 4 nights per resort. As much as we love split stays, personally I would not find it worth it for a shorter trip.
Cool, thanks! I'm kinda excited about it now.
The Magic Band saga continues ... right now on MDE, DH's login shows 2 sets of bands, while my login shows one set. Interesting ...
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Don't let your heart be filled with sorrow, for all you know, tomorrow, the dream that you wish will come true.
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I hear you about the BoardWalk, especially if you want to spend time at Food and Wine. I hope it all works out for you. 
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