which Epcot hotel and why?

[mtquinn]

Hi all. We are trying to decide which hotel to stay at from Feb 6-13 2010. We are two families with kids aged 5-8 each. We were going to go with the GF, but now we are thinking we'd be better located at a hotel near Epcot. We really love the restaurants there.

Now, we can't decide which is best location-wise and amenity-wise. I see that the YC is gorgeous, but I am not sure we will be able to utilize the pool in Feb, and I think that is the main attraction, right? WL is nice, but we have a Pocono, PA house and get that rustic feel year round so we don't need to stay at a hotel themed that way. What about the Boardwalk hotel?

We need some expert opinions! Thanks.

Michele

[bleeps]

We have 6 WDW trips under our belts, and 3 of those have been at YC. When we plan our next trip, it'll be YC again.

The easy walk to Epcot is a huge draw. We've gone at times of year when it was pretty chilly, so even if you don't use the pool it's still a great resort (and don't forget about the hot tubs!). (WL isn't near Epcot, it's near MK, btw.)

The reason we don't go for Boardwalk is that the atmosphere is more geared (in our opinion) to the club-going set (esp. now that DTD has changed so much). We enjoy walking the boardwalk itself, but it's a more buzzing nighttime atmosphere than we care for with our family.

[airhead]

Swan/Dolphin. LOcation,atmosphere,heavenly beds,location,and great discounts(if you qualify)!

[RMulieri]

Beach Club ...Yes the pool is a major draw, BUT you are literally a 5 min stroll to Epcot.BW is also nice

[Ginny]

We have stayed at multiple Resorts and DVC Properties and our favorite is the Yacht Club. Because the Yacht Club and Beach Club are "conjoined" and the entire Epcot Resort area is expansive, you have a much larger property with more amenities and activities: bigger selection of restaurants from which to choose, a kid's club, character breakfast on property, the yacht basin (fast boats, fishing, illuminations cruises, surrey rides all available), miniature golf nearby, easy access to Epcot Hollywood Studios, the Boardwalk Resort and the Swan/Dolphin, and a nice walking/biking route around the boardwalk. And, if the weather surprises you...........the best pool.

My daughter and I were just there in August for a Mother/Daughter trip before high school started and they were refurbishing the Yacht Club. While our room hadn't been refurbished yet, it was still beautiful with a balcony view of the lake and of the Illuminations Fireworks every night. It was really special!

We prefer the slower, less crowded pace of the Yacht Club over the Beach Club so while the amenities are the same, we'd opt for the Yacht Club.

Wherever you decide to stay, have a great time

[abubu919]

I have stayed at all of the Epcot resorts. I will say my favorite is the BC and BW. I like the BW just because I love strolling around by the stores, etc, but it is geared toward adults than children. Pool is great. BC is awesome though. They have the character breakfast at Cape May which is great and the pool is awesome! Closest walk to Epcot as well. Yacht Club shares same amenities so it is basically the same as BC but little different environment. Swan and Dolphin are a great hotel as well, but if you are looking for the Disney Magic then probably shouldn't stay there because rooms, etc are not decorated with Disney stuff like other on property resorts. Good Luck with your decision.

[wwaleye]

I'm sure I am in the minority, but, I didn't care for the Swan/Dolphin all that much. It is beautiful, but the rooms are nothing special, the available food was nothing special, the walk to epcot is quite long, if that was the draw, and it was just too big. Maybe because we were about as far as you can get from the pool, and I had smallish children at the time that would inevitibly forget a must have for swimming! Have stayed at the BCV too, Love it!!

[PoohsFan1]

We are staying at BC in December for the first time (this is one of my favorite/dream resort to stay in). The location is smack dab in the middle of everything (mind you so is YC because they are right next to each other)...you can easily walk from BC to Epcot, take a ferry over to DHS, and bus to MK and AK. The Boardwalk is right across the bay and is very easy to walk to (very nice to walk along at night). Even though we are staying there in December, we probably will not be using SB at all, unless the weather is going to be really warm there, so it is not a draw for us. We just love the look and feel of BC, especially if we have a lakeview room (which is what we are paying for). Also like one of the PPs have already mentioned, you have Cape May Cafe Breakfast there which is a character breakfast with Minnie, Donald, and Goofy in their beach attire...and this is our favorite character breakfast on property. Good luck with whatever you decide with...the Epcot resorts are all so beautiful

FYI--you had mentioned WL as one of your Epcot resort choices....just wanted to let you know that WL is not an Epcot resort, it actually sits right next to the Contemporary Resort by the MK .

[rie'smom]

We have 3 favorites and 2 never agains:

BW- our home DVC resort
Swan- great room price, love the location, fabulous pool
Dophin-great room price, love the location, fabulous pool, sentimental favorite
Both the S&D have wonderful restaurants! Both add 2 minutes to the walk to Epcot and DHS.

YC and BC were not impressive excpet maybe the lobbies. The SAB pool is ok but too crowded. We didn't like the food choices at the resorts.

For the price, you cannot beat the S/D. They're much cheaper than any of the WDW deluxe resorts and as nice or nicer.

[WDWTeri]

Originally Posted by mtquinn

Hi all. We are trying to decide which hotel to stay at from Feb 6-13 2010. We are two families with kids aged 5-8 each. We were going to go with the GF, but now we are thinking we'd be better located at a hotel near Epcot. We really love the restaurants there.

Now, we can't decide which is best location-wise and amenity-wise. I see that the YC is gorgeous, but I am not sure we will be able to utilize the pool in Feb, and I think that is the main attraction, right? WL is nice, but we have a Pocono, PA house and get that rustic feel year round so we don't need to stay at a hotel themed that way. What about the Boardwalk hotel?

We need some expert opinions! Thanks.

Michele

We love the Boardwalk area. It is really nice to walk over to Epcot, just have dinner and a low key end to busy ride filled days. We have stayed at the BWI and BWV. The BWV one bedroom is our favorite. It is really nice to be able to have two rooms with little kids who need more sleep. The kids will like the pool(Keister Coaster) and the whole Boardwalk experience is fun.

[francie57]

We love the BW. I would disagree with those that said it is geared for the club set and families with kids. We are two over 50s that travel with our kids (23 and 27) plus their friends. We love the BW for its pools and shops. There is always things going on at night on the BW but it doesn't cause any noise in the rooms that we have had. We love the pools and the short walks to Epcot and the Studios. We find it to be very relaxing and will be returning again on our next trip.

[tony67]

I always recommend the Swan and the Dolphin.
You can get rates as low as $169 depending on dates (The AAA rate in September was 109!!!) and the hotel is equivalent to a Disney deluxe.
The heavenly beds are far superior to any of the beds in Disney.
It is run by Starwood (Sheraton \ Westin) so if you are a SPG member you can sometimes upgrades depending on your status.

The disadvantage is you can not get the dinning plan or magic express.
They charge to park and there is a resort fee, but the resort fee includes internet access.

Personally, I was not impressed with Yacht Club AT ALL.

[MMrules]

I stayed at the BC in Feb. 2003 and it was wonderful!!! I will say that it was an unusually warm week that week and we used the pool alot . Even better, while we were swimming we were hit at home (MA) with a snowstorm!!! We usually walked to Epcot each evening for dinner and were able to use the restaurants at Boardwalk as well!!! I absolutely loved the BC!!

[Scott MC]

I loved my stay at the Dolphin and a good friend of mine has stayed there twice this year and loves it.

[MickeyNicki]

We have stayed at all of them and like the YC best because it is so quiet and relaxing, the BWI is our second fave for the same reason, the BC is our last resort "resort" because it is way too busy, loud and chaotic