Boardwalk vs Beach Club vs Yacht Club???

[lindsroc]

Ok so i am totally new to Epcot area resorts. Last year we stayed at the Poly and loooooved it, our next trip we are going with my brother and his kids and my mother. He will have 6 people in his party so we are looking at options that have 1-2 br villas. I have never stayed in the Epcot area and I think it will be nice to try somethng new (husband wants to stay at the Poly again). Can someone give me the pros/cons of these resorts? I think being able to walk to Epcot and DHS would be awesome, but how is the ride to MK? Any info, good or bad is appreciated. My brother is going to be retiring from the Army next year and this is going to be a celebration trip so i want it to be really special. We have been to Disney several times, but none of his kids have been.

Thanks in advance!!!!

 

[40-Something Kid]

I have stayed at every deluxe several times, except for AKL, which is too far away from the action, IMHO.

I am also a DVC member with BW as my home resort.

Whenever I stay at a monorail resort, I can't help but think about how beautiful the BW area is at night. And, when I stay at BW/YC/BC, I long for the convenience of the monorail. Go figure!!!

That said, the BW area is special and worthy of your vacation because it is gorgeous, especially when lit up at night, and so special to walk "home" to after the Epcot fireworks. They do have live "old timey" jugglers and magicians in front of BW, too, and incorporate the kids into the acts.

You can also walk to and from Hollywood Studios, or take the boat directly from the hotel dock.

1-BR Villas (up to 4 people) and 2-BR Villas (up to 8 people) are pricey, but so convenient, but if 2 rooms at the Poly is your other choice, you may actually save money. BC Villas are a lot newer than the BW Villas, but have similar layout. BC Villas are harder to get, too.

Travel to MK (and AKL), as you point out, is the drawback. These are the little kids' favorite parks after, all. We always get a car. The drive is easy, and parking is free for resort guests. Taking the bus is really not that bad a wait, as long as everyone is patient.

 

[KonaKaiTom]

Ok so i am totally new to Epcot area resorts. Last year we stayed at the Poly and loooooved it, our next trip we are going with my brother and his kids and my mother. He will have 6 people in his party so we are looking at options that have 1-2 br villas. I have never stayed in the Epcot area and I think it will be nice to try somethng new (husband wants to stay at the Poly again). Can someone give me the pros/cons of these resorts? I think being able to walk to Epcot and DHS would be awesome, but how is the ride to MK? Any info, good or bad is appreciated. My brother is going to be retiring from the Army next year and this is going to be a celebration trip so i want it to be really special. We have been to Disney several times, but none of his kids have been.

Thanks in advance!!!!

Having done similar vacations with family and friends -- if possible, try to get rooms near each other but don't try to get everyone into 1 villa. There might be enough bedding and "room" for each other, but trust me -- you will want your own "space" after a while. I love my in-laws to death but want my own quiet space to have my alone time at night. We've done trips where we've stayed in the same resort and got together for parks and meals, or one or the other, and we've done trips where we got a villa for 9 of us -- and by day 3, really wished we hadn't -- it is just too much time, too close, together. And, the nieces and nephews enjoyed "sleeping over" at the other suite or hotel room on a rotating basis.

Tom

 

[Smile&Nod]

Depending on the ages of the kids, Stormalong Bay is fabulous - and much better than the scary clown pool at BWV! If you are going when swimming will be a daily occurrence then BC or YC may be a better bet on that front. I own DVC at both BWV and BCV and we prefer BCV for the pool and access to Epcot - the nightlife (jugglers, etc) out at BW are really fun for the kids but you can walk over one night for that if staying at BC/YC.

 

[lindsroc]

Having done similar vacations with family and friends -- if possible, try to get rooms near each other but don't try to get everyone into 1 villa. There might be enough bedding and "room" for each other, but trust me -- you will want your own "space" after a while. I love my in-laws to death but want my own quiet space to have my alone time at night. We've done trips where we've stayed in the same resort and got together for parks and meals, or one or the other, and we've done trips where we got a villa for 9 of us -- and by day 3, really wished we hadn't -- it is just too much time, too close, together. And, the nieces and nephews enjoyed "sleeping over" at the other suite or hotel room on a rotating basis.

Tom

I'm with you on this. My brother keeps mentioning getting a 2br together...no thanks! I dont want to squish into a 2br first of all, and i dont think i could handle 24/7 with all of us together.

We are leaning towards the Boardwalk Inn, and maybe he will get a 1br in the villa section. How far is it of a walk if we did that???

 

[heidijanesmith]

Ok so i am totally new to Epcot area resorts. Last year we stayed at the Poly and loooooved it, our next trip we are going with my brother and his kids and my mother. He will have 6 people in his party so we are looking at options that have 1-2 br villas. I have never stayed in the Epcot area and I think it will be nice to try somethng new (husband wants to stay at the Poly again). Can someone give me the pros/cons of these resorts? I think being able to walk to Epcot and DHS would be awesome, but how is the ride to MK? Any info, good or bad is appreciated. My brother is going to be retiring from the Army next year and this is going to be a celebration trip so i want it to be really special. We have been to Disney several times, but none of his kids have been.

Thanks in advance!!!!

We loved our Poly stay too and it is still our favorite resort. We did like our stay at the YC, but found getting to anywhere except the IG of EPCOT to be a major pain. We took many taxi's this year and have never done so before at AKL or the Poly.

We took a couple taxi's to get to EPCOT's main gate, as we could not get thru IG for a couple of AM tours. We took a taxi to and from DTD, after waiting 35min for a bus to come. We also took a taxi to TL as we waited for a bus, at least 30min.

We either had bad luck the entire trip with buses coming to YC or the bus service at YC/BC/BW/Swan/Dolphin is very, very lacking. We always seemed to wait at least 25-30 min for a bus to come to YC and then when it did, we stopped at BC,Swan, Dolphin and sometimes BW too. This made for an additional 15-20min of resort stopping before we even got on our way to MK or AK or a waterpark. It look at 1 hour to get to MK, from when our bus left to when we arrived at MK.

We really liked the area and enjoyed walking around the BW, watching the higher fireworks of Illuminations from our patio, walking to IG, taking a boat to DS and SAB was awesome (much better than the Poly pool).

Our room at the Poly was steps away from the lobby and pools, the huge layout of YC/BC area made it quite a trip to go anywhere. Our room was pretty far away from the YC lobby.

I am glad I tried YC, but will go back to the Poly next time.

 

[lindsroc]

I have stayed at every deluxe several times, except for AKL, which is too far away from the action, IMHO.

I am also a DVC member with BW as my home resort.

Whenever I stay at a monorail resort, I can't help but think about how beautiful the BW area is at night. And, when I stay at BW/YC/BC, I long for the convenience of the monorail. Go figure!!!

That said, the BW area is special and worthy of your vacation because it is gorgeous, especially when lit up at night, and so special to walk "home" to after the Epcot fireworks. They do have live "old timey" jugglers and magicians in front of BW, too, and incorporate the kids into the acts.

You can also walk to and from Hollywood Studios, or take the boat directly from the hotel dock.

1-BR Villas (up to 4 people) and 2-BR Villas (up to 8 people) are pricey, but so convenient, but if 2 rooms at the Poly is your other choice, you may actually save money. BC Villas are a lot newer than the BW Villas, but have similar layout. BC Villas are harder to get, too.

Travel to MK (and AKL), as you point out, is the drawback. These are the little kids' favorite parks after, all. We always get a car. The drive is easy, and parking is free for resort guests. Taking the bus is really not that bad a wait, as long as everyone is patient.

Thats a lot of good info! Can you tell me how far it is if one family stayed in the villas at BW and the other stayed in the Inn?

 

[Orreed]

At the Boardwalk, The inn and villas are separated by a central check in building. Distance really just depends on your room.

 

[Pakey]

Thats a lot of good info! Can you tell me how far it is if one family stayed in the villas at BW and the other stayed in the Inn?

It could be a short walk or it could be a long walk depending on if the hotel room is located at the end of one of those long BWI hallways and the villa is clear down past the Luna pool. It's definitely more spread than BC/BCV is.

I own at BCV and almost always stay in the Epcot area hotels because Epcot is where I spend 90% of my park time. I don't think the bus rides to MK and AK are particularly bad other than it seems that we are always standing on the buses.

 

[Marionnette]

I stayed in the BWV this past June. Love the convenience to HS and Epcot. Hated the bus system! A trip to MK felt like it took forever. Once an MK bus finally arrived, it went from BW to Swan, then Dolphin, then YC and then BC before finally heading to the MK. At each stop, we waited for space to open up before the bus could discharge or pick up passengers. At the Dolphin, we waited almost 5 minutes to pull up to the curb. Nobody got on. Nobody got off. Very frustrating when you've already waited 20 minutes for the bus. I almost felt as if it would have been faster to walk to HS and take an MK bus from there!

But even after dealing with the frustration of the Disney buses, I still have to say that I think the BW area is the coolest resort area to stay in. Even though BC's pool is more attractive to most people, I think the vibe of the boardwalk at night cannot be beat. The restaurants are top notch. It's an easy walk over to the Dolphin to pick up a rental car. And you have Jellyrolls, ESPN and Atlantic Dance to keep the adults happy in the evening.

One thing about the BWV 2-bedrooms is that they are all lock-offs. This means that they are actually a studio and a 1-bedroom unit that connect through a inside door. You can actually have one family stay in the studio and the other one stay in the 1-bedroom and lock the doors between the two so that you have 2 separate spaces. The studio has a refrigerator, sink, microwave, coffee maker and toaster in it. This can help if you need to get away from each other for a little bit. To get together, just open the doors between the two and gather in the larger living space in the 1-bedroom unit. However, I don't think that you would be able to do a 2-bedroom at BWV if you have 9 people. Unless one of the children is under the age of 3?

 

[lindsroc]

Thanks for all the info! Seems like it could be a little bit of a walk if they are in the villas and we are in the Inn. Hmmmm. I really dont want a studio, the couches arent the most comfortable usually.

Why do the buses stop at S&D??? So bizarre. I thought they werent considered "Disney properties"??

The Boardwalk really does seem cool. My kids will be 9 and 10 and my brothers kids will be 5,9,13,17 so it seems like theres a lot to do over there and will keep everyone busy.

 

[Marionnette]

Thanks for all the info! Seems like it could be a little bit of a walk if they are in the villas and we are in the Inn. Hmmmm. I really dont want a studio, the couches arent the most comfortable usually.

Why do the buses stop at S&D??? So bizarre. I thought they werent considered "Disney properties"??

The Boardwalk really does seem cool. My kids will be 9 and 10 and my brothers kids will be 5,9,13,17 so it seems like theres a lot to do over there and will keep everyone busy.

S&D are on Disney property but are not owned by Disney. For reasons only known to the powers that be, Disney provides transportation to the parks for those resorts. The boats that go to HS and Epcot also stop at S&D on their way to and from YC/BC and BW.

My brother slept on the sofa bed in the studio part of our 2-bedroom this summer. He didn't complain about the comfort of it, although I think it would have made more sense for his 12 year old daughter to have it instead. Most kids don't seem to have a problem with the sofa beds but some adults find them to be uncomfortable.

 

[francie57]

We have stayed at all of these and have loved everyone. We are heading back to the BCVs in Jan. and then again next Aug. The walk from the BWVs to the lobby isn't too bad and that would be a great common area to meet in. As far as the buses, for all the times we stayed at BWVs we have never had a problem. Most of the time in the morning when heading to MK we were the first stop and then S/D, but we also had several days when we went right from the BW to MK. As far as the bus on the way back, we just got off at the first stop at the S/D and took the few minute walk over the bridge to the BW and in the back door of the villas and were back in our villa in about 5 min. One thing we have learned with all the villas, we just find the nearest stairway and take it and it leads out to the pool, the path to MGM or out to the Boardwalk area. We aren't ones to use the elevator so the farther away from that the better. You won't be disappointed with any of the the Epcot resorts - we have also stayed at all the monorail resorts and the Epcot area is by far our favorite area.

 

[lindsroc]

S&D are on Disney property but are not owned by Disney. For reasons only known to the powers that be, Disney provides transportation to the parks for those resorts. The boats that go to HS and Epcot also stop at S&D on their way to and from YC/BC and BW.

My brother slept on the sofa bed in the studio part of our 2-bedroom this summer. He didn't complain about the comfort of it, although I think it would have made more sense for his 12 year old daughter to have it instead. Most kids don't seem to have a problem with the sofa beds but some adults find them to be uncomfortable.

So weird, just makes no sense why they would make guests paying premium to stay at deluxe resorts have to wait extra time for a hotel thats not even Disney owned. Im all for people staying there having transportation of course, just seems like it should be seperate. I did read somewhere that sometimes its just easier to take a cab which is probably what we would do on our MK days.

 

[lindsroc]

We have stayed at all of these and have loved everyone. We are heading back to the BCVs in Jan. and then again next Aug. The walk from the BWVs to the lobby isn't too bad and that would be a great common area to meet in. As far as the buses, for all the times we stayed at BWVs we have never had a problem. Most of the time in the morning when heading to MK we were the first stop and then S/D, but we also had several days when we went right from the BW to MK. As far as the bus on the way back, we just got off at the first stop at the S/D and took the few minute walk over the bridge to the BW and in the back door of the villas and were back in our villa in about 5 min. One thing we have learned with all the villas, we just find the nearest stairway and take it and it leads out to the pool, the path to MGM or out to the Boardwalk area. We aren't ones to use the elevator so the farther away from that the better. You won't be disappointed with any of the the Epcot resorts - we have also stayed at all the monorail resorts and the Epcot area is by far our favorite area.

Thanks for your reply!!!!!! You made me feel better about straying from the Poly.

 

[tiggerfied]

My two cents: the resort pool is very important to our family and nothing beats Stormalong Bay at YC/BC. The BW pool can be a little disappointing especially if youre not a fan of 50 feet high clown faces

 

[jlh512]

I also recommend the BW vs. the BC/YC because the BW busses are the first on the line. Last year we were at the BW and we would fill the bus for MK. So they would have to skip the other resorts. I am sure they waited a long time. Why we decided to stay at the BC on our next trip I cannot figure out.

 

[padawans]

I have stayed a all three. We just returned from the BC. I thought the resort was looking very run down, and its just to noisy for me. I love the YC and the BW. It would be hard for me to pick a favorite. The Yc has a better pool, but the BW pool is great too. Both pools are better than any of the Mk resorts. I love the Poly also, but I prefer the epcot area. I don't think you can go wrong with any of the resorts.

 

[lindsroc]

My two cents: the resort pool is very important to our family and nothing beats Stormalong Bay at YC/BC. The BW pool can be a little disappointing especially if youre not a fan of 50 feet high clown faces

Ok, that made me laugh.

 

[chimo2u]

But I think that 50 ft. high slide looks like soooo much fun!!! I don't have an aversion to clowns, and don't think looking at that slide would put me off at all -- it's actually one of the pools I've been dying to try!!!