HELP!!!! POR vs. YC or BW?????

[jfoster]

Just when I thought I had it all figured out, I called Disney today to check the price of The Poly. We are booked to go the 2nd week of May with our 3 boys, ages 4, 7 and 9; we are doing park hoppers and are at POR as of now. I couldn't get a monrail resort out of my mind, but it is $1500-$1900 more for the Contemporary and the Poly. The CS rep suggested YC or BW...both would be $1,000 more for the week. This is our 2nd trip and previously stayed at AKL. We loved it there, but since our youngest is now over 3, we cannot stay there. So, thoughts and opinions about these three resorts? It might be worth mentioning that we HAVE to stay in Alligator Bayou because the mansion section only accomodates 4. Just trying to weigh in the convenience to HS (which we LOVE) and Epcot...Is it worth $1,000??? HELP!!!! Thanks!

 

[kapoof]

Well when you can walk back to the parks after the firework shows from both dhs and epcot instead of waiting for a packed bus, I'd say yes if you can afford it. The epcot resorts are very nice and if you can swing it, sooo worth it.

 

[pamkat1820]

It is totally worth it. POR is a large resort. WithBW & YC you have balcony and so much to do in the area. It's worth every penny

 

[jfoster]

Between YC and BW is either one more appropriate for our family of 5 (three boys 4-9 yrs)? We don't spend a ton of time at the resorts...and we eat all of our meals outside of resort....We take breakfast with us and are on the DDP for the duration.

 

[wdwlver]

I love them both. You can't go wrong although something tells me you'll spend more time at resort this time than in years past.

 

[WDW1979]

Port Orleans Riverside (I often refer to it using its original name, Dixie Landings) is my favorite Disney resort hotel. I have stayed at all of the monorail resorts (and I love each of them), and I have stayed in Wilderness Lodge, Beach Club, and some Disney Villas, all great for various reasons.

Riverside is my favorite due to its beautiful grounds, which include many trees and other well-placed vegitation and walkways throughout, a large river that runs through it plus several little streams with walking bridges. Riverside is a beautiful, relaxing resort. The Alligator Bayou section sounds rustic but it is wonderful.

Riverside is a large resort but that is one reason why it feels so relaxing; you won't feel cramped when you walk outside. If you are concerned about distances, book a "preferred view" room and you will be close to the restaurant area and the main pool.

The walk from the Beach Club to Epcot is such a great convenience as it is great to be able to walk to Epcot, walk back anytime you need to, and then there is that short walk back after the Epcot fireworks. On the other hand, in my opinion Riverside is more beautiful than the Beach Club and Riverside is much less expensive if that is a factor being considered. And note that the Beach Club can be a bit of a walk from your room to the main pool area, depending on where your room is.

If you do want to go with either the Beach Club or the Yacht Club I would suggest Beach Club as the walk is a little shorter to Epcot.

Regarding the Polynesian, it is hard to beat the Magic Kingdom monorail at the Polynesian and the short walk from the Polynesian to the Epcot monorail. So it comes down to a choice between that and saving money, but Riverside is beautiful and relaxing so aside from no monorail it is a great place to stay.

 

[FantasiaMagic]

Staying at an EPCOT resort it amazing. Besides the amazing location to EPCOT/HS to be able to walk, the actual BW entertainment is amazing. BC also has the best pool on property - SAB. If you can afford it - I would go for it!

 

[Dis703]

We were having a similar dilemma. We are a family of 6 with 3 adults a 4 year old and an infant so as for moderates Alligator Bayou at POR was our only choice. I am in love with the pics though so I really would like to try it out. I was playing around looking at the price differences for various deluxe resorts and found the Beach Club was only $800 more for the week we were going. Mind you we were looking to take advantage and save more not spend more but the more I read about it and the more I think about the location we just had to do it.

But I also decided to stay at POR for the first two days which saves us $330 so I get to experience POR and save a little but the majority of my trip will be at BC with a super convenient location.

Good luck with your decision!

Heather

 

[ChristineOH]

I just spent a LOT of time on the same choices... Epcot resort, monorail resort, or POR. We are also a family of five, kids about the same ages. I booked POR.

Our background... first trip two years ago. First ever family vacation, so we went all out and stayed at the Poly. Loved it, but I want to try different resorts, and for this trip I am trying to keep costs lower so we can go back more often than once every five years.

These were my thoughts. The POR rooms are small, and eventually it may feel too crowded as my kids get older. I figured it would be better to try it while the kids were still fairly small. I can't put a teen in the Murphy bed. There is a lack of quick service restaurants at the Epcot resorts. Right now, that is important to us. Storm Along Bay looks awesome, but it is large. I will be more comfortable with a smaller pool until my kids are a bit older. We are still planning to be pretty MK focused. I plan to try the BC for a visit in a few years, when we will probably be more HS/Epcot focused. Like when we ALL can ride RnR. . I decided to save the money now by staying at POR, and put it toward the next trip.

Plus, despite the small rooms and less convenient location, I am pretty excited about POR.

That is just how I came to my decision. Everyone raves about the Epcot resorts, so whatever you decide is best for you will work out.

 

[jfoster]

Thank you all so much for the terrific feedback! We are still so torn....POR, YC or BW or now we are considering a split stay.....lots to consider. But thank you; you are all really helping with this decision....having only been once, and not to these resorts, your feedback is priceless!

 

[ChristineOH]

Btw, I am jealous that you got a visit in at AKL before your youngest "aged out," lol! Our youngest had just turned four when we went for our first trip, so it has never been an option for us. I recently discovered that renting DVC points for a 1 bedroom might make AKL a possibility for us down the road.

 

[jfoster]

Btw, I am jealous that you got a visit in at AKL before your youngest "aged out," lol! Our youngest had just turned four when we went for our first trip, so it has never been an option for us. I recently discovered that renting DVC points for a 1 bedroom might make AKL a possibility for us down the road.

What?! I am not familiar at all with the whole DVC points system!

 

[Mickey'sApprentice]

What?! I am not familiar at all with the whole DVC points system!

Look at David's DVC rental.

We like POR, BW, and BC.

I really like the grounds at POR and find the food court to be very convenient for young families. Riding the boat to DtD is really neat, and my husband insist that we spend one evening in the river roost lounge listening to Bob Jackson. The main pool looks pretty neat and laundry is convenient. Using busses to all of the parks can be a pain. Plus, if you get a bad room location, you will do a lot of working just getting from your room to the primo food court or to a bus stop.

DH own DVC at Boardwalk Villas and absolutely love the resort. We love being able to take the boats or walk to Epcot or DHS. (The walk to DHS is a bit long.) There are cool activities on the boardwalk, and lots of restaurants available between boardwalk, Y&BC complex, S&D, and Epcot. The pool is whimsical but some people are creeped out by the clown pool. We also love spending time in the lobby and the Belle Vue Lounge. Boardwalk and Beach Club are very similar in their feel, but Boardwalk has a bit more of a gilded (loud) elegance.

We have stayed at BC Villas and enjoyed the stay. Beach Club has better parking and is a closer to walk to Epcot. Keep in mind if you have mobility issues when it comes to walking 6-10 miles per day it is actually easier to take the boat from BW than to walk from Beach Club. There are more nooks and crannies to hang out at Beach Club. Cape May Cafe has a great character breakfast and a pretty good seafood buffet at night. The BIG draw for Beach Club is the 3 acre pool. I hear that the pool is not as great for really small kids because its hard for the parents to keep up with the kids. One thing to keep in mind...
Staying at Beach Club negates the need to get Water Park passes. Its not the same thing but its a dandy substitute.

Beach Club has a lot more kids hanging around in their bathing suits than at Boardwalk. The resort has a much more reserved elegance than Boardwalk.

Keep in mind the food court at POR is much more kid friendly than BW or BC.

 

[lbv7]

Beach Club has a lot more kids hanging around in their bathing suits than at Boardwalk. The resort has a much more reserved elegance than Boardwalk.

Since when does kids hanging around in their bathing suits at the BC give that hotel "more reserved elegance" than an other resort? Shouldn't it be just the opposite? If anything the BC lobby is so crowded that it certainly can't be called reserved.

 

[Mickey'sApprentice]

Since when does kids hanging around in their bathing suits at the BC give that hotel "more reserved elegance" than an other resort? Shouldn't it be just the opposite? If anything the BC lobby is so crowded that it certainly can't be called reserved.

The architecture is more reserved. Its a good thing too cause there are a lot of kids around in there bathing suits.

More adults go to Boardwalk with the loud architecture. - There are chairs next to the fireplace that looks like people. There are miniature roller coasters and carousels. There is a huge light fixture with several seahorses, lots of mirrors. The outside of the resort has lots of red, yellow, and blue paint with stripes too.

 

[tcherjen]

So great to see your post. I am having the same dilemas myself. I don't where to stay.

 

[jfoster]

Well, it's official. We switched from POR to YC today. BC is booked; only Lagoon Rooms were available the 2nd week in May, and they were quite pricey. I think the YC pool won us over in the end between it and BW. We really were torn...but in the end, I think the convenience factor triumphed. Last year at AKL we would leave and not return until late at night bc a simple return trip to the room would have taken forever in travel time. I thought we would be in the same situation with POR and the buses, where we would be in a position where we would not feel the added travel hassle would be worth the trip. I think we will be happy..I like the thoughts of being closer to all of the action!!!! Thank you all so much for your valuable insight!

 

[jfoster]

So great to see your post. I am having the same dilemas myself. I don't where to stay.

Oh no! Where are you thinking of staying??

 

[ChristineOH]

Well, it's official. We switched from POR to YC today. BC is booked; only Lagoon Rooms were available the 2nd week in May, and they were quite pricey. I think the YC pool won us over in the end between it and BW. We really were torn...but in the end, I think the convenience factor triumphed. Last year at AKL we would leave and not return until late at night bc a simple return trip to the room would have taken forever in travel time. I thought we would be in the same situation with POR and the buses, where we would be in a position where we would not feel the added travel hassle would be worth the trip. I think we will be happy..I like the thoughts of being closer to all of the action!!!! Thank you all so much for your valuable insight!

Yay! Have a great trip!

 

[tcherjen]

Oh no! Where are you thinking of staying??

I was originally thinking POR, but have since thought it over and think BC. I am like you they all look so nice. I think BC will be better with EPCOT so close, I love that park.