Where to stay for kids first visit

[interstate70s]

I'm sure this question has been asked a lot, but I just can't figure out which would be best. Our family is looking at going wdw the first week of May, DH and I have been, him on vacations, me on daytrips, but never on property, and this will be our kids (7 and 10) first trip to wdw. They have been to DLR 3 times and the last two, we've stayed at the Grand Californian, needless to say we are spoiled for hotel amneties and convience.
Anyway, I like the Beach Club's look the best, and it seems to have the most central location, but I think the Poly would be good as well, although the rooms aren't as appealing to me(not a fan of those bed spreads) I also really like the style and lower price of the Wilderness Lodge, but am worried that it would be to similar to Grand Californian. We'll probably only have 4 park days, maybe 5. What would be best for first timers on property?

 

[tinacaplan]

Personally, I'd go Beach Club! But EPCOT is our favorite park. I love the beds at the BC, we've always had amazing service there, and the pool is not to be believed. EPCOT is a quick walk and there is boat service to DHS, which is also nice. The Boardwalk area, overall, is just beautiful.

We stayed at the Poly and we were very dissapointed that the rooms had been allowed to get as run down as they are. They are scheduled to be rehabbed over the course of the next year or so. Wilderness Lodge holds zero appeal to me. In my opinion, the Poly is a great resort to visit for dinner (Kona is one of my faves), but not to stay. Plenty of other people disagree with me, though!

 

[AJKMOM]

I voted for the Beach Club because I think your kids are old enough to enjoy the pool. Plus, they are old enough to probably like going to Epcot and Hollywood Studios.

 

[cmdg]

WL is our favorite resort (next to the Poly) but it is really similar to the Grand Californian. Kids love the pool at the Beach Club!

 

[Sue M]

I couldn't vote! I love all 3!!! We love WL, it's lobby is amazing, and all rooms have balconies. Rooms have just finished a refurb. We were there last January, and were just starting the refurb, so I haven't seen the new rooms. Boat to MK is nice. WL has the smallest size room of the 3.

Love Poly too, has the largest rooms. It was magical being able to walk along the beach seeing the Castle. We really enjoyed being able to watch Wishes from the beach. Also great transportation to 2 parks, monorail or boat to MK, and a quick walk to the TTC for Epcot monorail. Grounds are beautiful, and Volcano pool is fun.

BC is fantastic too! The best pool on property! Pretty lobby. Nice rooms. Epcot is in your backyard, and a 20 min walk to DHS or boat ride away. Lots of dining options in the area.

No bad choices here! Have fun deciding . I like the resort photos on Allears.net in the Accomodations section. Just be sure you are looking at the new photos. They also have old room photos too. This would be ESP. True of WL that has recently been refurbed

 

[interstate70s]

Ive read that the Beach Club is a short walk to epcot, I think I read 10 min? But its hard to visualize that without a frame of reference. Would it be close enough that you could take a afternoon break w /o wasting a lot of time getting there? Close enough to grab something you forgot? Or same question using monorail at the poly. Thanks!

 

[tinacaplan]

Ive read that the Beach Club is a short walk to epcot, I think I read 10 min? But its hard to visualize that without a frame of reference. Would it be close enough that you could take a afternoon break w /o wasting a lot of time getting there? Close enough to grab something you forgot? Or same question using monorail at the poly. Thanks!

You're literally five minutes from the International Gateway, or so-called back door of EPCOT. How long it takes for you to walk from there to your destination in EPCOT is another matter, however. It really is incredible, though, especially after Illuminations, to be five minutes away from your room, with no waiting for a bus or a boat or a monorail.

We take afternoon breaks no matter what and we've never felt like we were wasting a lot of time in terms of transportation, regardless of where we've stayed. We really enjoyed going to a park in the morning and then being able to go to EPCOT in the evening to enjoy World Showcase.

 

[calngavinsmom]

I voted for the Beach Club because I think your kids are old enough to enjoy the pool. Plus, they are old enough to probably like going to Epcot and Hollywood Studios.

ITA This would be my choice. If your kids like swimming you can't beat the pool there and Epcot has some fantastic restaurants as well.

Have fun

 

[nursie]

Although OKW is not as flashy, it is a beautiful resort. The rooms are spacious, can't beat the Florida Key West vibe for fun, relaxation and a real vacation feel.
Nice views from balcony, easy boat access to DTD. Quick bus trips to the parks. Great food at Olivia's onsite.
Fun Sandcastle themed beach theme pool area, 'think Jimmy Buffet', lol
We stayed 3 weeks there in Sept.and our kids ages range 4-17. They LOVED it and requested we go back there in June, we are!
Good luck!

 

[jlk806]

Im a Beach Club person! Havent stayed at the other two though have visited them every trip. The Beach club is awesome. We were in the Villas, not the main building as we are DVC, but the room was nice. The pool is just amazing. We spent an ENTIRE day in/at the pool and would have spent more entire days there but we were meeting people at various parks/restaurants throughout the stay. Loved the sand bottom part, perfect for our 4 year old to explore. Walking to Epcot in less than 5 minutes was awesome too!

 

[jlk806]

Ive read that the Beach Club is a short walk to epcot, I think I read 10 min? But its hard to visualize that without a frame of reference. Would it be close enough that you could take a afternoon break w /o wasting a lot of time getting there? Close enough to grab something you forgot? Or same question using monorail at the poly. Thanks!

The walk from our room (in the villas) to sliding our tickets in the ticket machine at the gate to epcot was less than 5 minutes. We honestly couldnt believe it was that quick. The villas are slightly closer than the rest of the resort though, so depending on which side of resort your room is on could be closer to 10 minutes.

 

[Hooked On The Mouse]

I'm going to vote for Beach Club over Poly, for 2 reasons: your kids are old enough that they may get as much or more from Epcot than from MK, in which case being able to walk right in to Epcot and also have easy access to HS is great. The main reason though is that Poly, despite having gorgeous grounds and imo at least one of the top 2 most convenient locations, is in bad need of a rehab. We enjoyed it last year but it was a split stay with Kidani, with Poly at the end, and it was a bit of a let-down due to the condition of the interiors. Grand Californian sets the bar high. I don't even really consider WL because it is relatively similar in style to Grand Californian, and maybe it's time for something different? Also WL is much less convenient in location than either Beach Club or Poly.

 

[Wood Nymph]

I'm voting for the BC, too. Depending on where your room is located, it is truly just a few minutes walk into Epcot. We would walk in all the time for Illuminations or to grab a meal, or just to hang out. Your kids are the perfect age for SAB. And May is a wonderful time to be there.

I'm not a big fan of the Polynesian. I hate the noisy lobby and the long walk from some of the buildings.

 

[interstate70s]

Thanks for all the imput everyone! Lots of great points. It does sound like the Beach Club would be the right choice for us for the location alone, not to mention the pool. I do think the kids will really enjoy being closer to Epcot, as well as Hollywood Studios, and since they've been to DL so recently and fairly frequently, we probably won't spend as much time in MK due to time constraints. Id love walking if possible, that's one of the things we love about the Grand Cali in DLR.

 

[GrandCalifornian]

We love the Grand Californian (we got married there) and at WDW we stay at WL. While it has a lot of similarities to GC, WL is so massive and beautiful that it impresses us each time. For location though, I think you are on the right track, since Beach Club has the location that location that allows you the opportunity to walk to two parks, and with older kids that should be great. It isn't quite as close as GC is to DL and CA Adventure, but it is pretty nice. Then the added benefit of the SAB pool probably pushes it over the top. When you are in the area though it might be worth swinging by WL to check it out. It is a short boat ride from MK, and might be worth a visit.
Enjoy your trip!

 

[interstate70s]

We love the Grand Californian (we got married there) and at WDW we stay at WL. While it has a lot of similarities to GC, WL is so massive and beautiful that it impresses us each time. For location though, I think you are on the right track, since Beach Club has the location that location that allows you the opportunity to walk to two parks, and with older kids that should be great. It isn't quite as close as GC is to DL and CA Adventure, but it is pretty nice. Then the added benefit of the SAB pool probably pushes it over the top. When you are in the area though it might be worth swinging by WL to check it out. It is a short boat ride from MK, and might be worth a visit.
Enjoy your trip!

Thanks! I realize the distance won't be quite comparable, but sounds pretty manageable. I definately will check out the WL though... and maybe next time...

 

[winthropf]

Note that most rooms at BC do not have a full balcony. Next door at the YC almost all rooms have a balcony. You may want to consider YC also.

 

[ktlm]

When we go to DL, we stay at DLH not GC because we have stayed at WL several times, and to us GC is just a scaled down version of WL. It is beautiful, but we'd rather stay someplace "different" at DL. If you love GC you will really love WL (except for the lack of a theme park entrance right there), but in my opinion you should try something different. Being used to walking into parks at DL, I think BC is a good choice for you since you are right by Epcot, and in walking distance of DHS. If you only have 4 days ( I would recommend 5 if you can), you probably won't have much, if any, time for the pool, but it supposedly is the best on property. We've stayed at WL and the Poly, but not BC. We love the Poly, it is right next to the TTC (travel and transportation center), so you can easily walk over there and grab the express monorail to either MK or Epcot. We loved that! I have heard rumors the Poly is scheduled for a refurbishment next year though. Honestly, I don't think you can go wrong with any of those choices.