Picking arrival and departure days of the week

[kristenk]

We're planning a trip for April or May. DD will miss 3-4 days of school for the trip. Is any day of the week better to arrive than any other, in your opinion? What time of day do you like to arrive?

I'm also toying with the idea of splitting the stay between two resorts. Would a split stay be worth it for a relatively short trip? (We might rent points and stay at a DVC property instead of the split stay.)

[hillview]

I wouldn't do a split stay. I would consider arriving on a Sunday so you have several week days to do all the fun stuff (check the crowd calendar) and then you have the weekend to hang or do a few other things.

[kristenk]

I wouldn't do a split stay. I would consider arriving on a Sunday so you have several week days to do all the fun stuff (check the crowd calendar) and then you have the weekend to hang or do a few other things.

If we arrived on Sunday, we'd have to leave on Wednesday or Thursday. Is Saturday so bad that it's worth one less day at WDW just to avoid being their on Saturday?

[keh602]

If we arrived on Sunday, we'd have to leave on Wednesday or Thursday. Is Saturday so bad that it's worth one less day at WDW just to avoid being their on Saturday?

I would say no, definitely not. Saturdays may be more crowded, but especially that time of year I don't think you'll have trouble doing the things you want to do.

[pharmjenn]

If you are not going during a traditional Easter/Spring break time, or Memorial Day, I would think any day for arrival would work fine. I would not recommend a split stay for such a short trip. You have to pack up your stuff before you head out in the morning so they can transfer it for you; do you really want to have to pack twice to "leave?"
I have only stayed on-property once, and we stayed at the Boardwalk Villas. If you have the option of staying DVC vs a hotel room, it is well worth it. You do need to commit though, as the owners don't usually allow you to cancel once you have rented the points from them. For April/May, rooms would be available with DVC now, or in October (7months and 11months prior)