Need reinforcement about Beach Club!

[mickeynut1]

We have stayed at the BC, Poly, and WL and out of the 3, the Poly is our favorite, followed by the WL then BC. BC is a beautiful resort and we loved our stay, but one important factor for us is good CS. The Epcot resorts, IMO, are lacking in this area. Yes you can walk to Epcot for a variety of options, but we don't find that convenient. The Marketplace at the BC is good for grab-n-go items, but their options are nothing like that of the other deluxe resorts. With that said, there are great TS options as we love Cape May for both breakfast and dinner and Yachtsman Steakhouse at the YC is awesome, but for CS options, the BC just doesn't have the variety (IMO). SAB is a fun pool, but we like the volcano pool at the Poly over SAB. Like others have said, it's all in personal preference when it comes to resorts, pools, etc. BC is a great resort and you can't get any more convenient than being a 5 minute walk from Epcot, but if MK is the park you will be spending alot of time at, I think the WL or Poly would be a better choice as the bus transportation from the Epcot resorts can be hit or miss, with the buses sometimes sharing among all 5 resorts (which was the case when we stayed at the BC). Good luck.

 

[Kona65]

When are you going? Because if it's spring or summer, BC is one of the best locations! Yes, there's the pool. And being able to walk into Epcot. And all the great food choices in the hotel/across at Boardwalk/in Epcot/at the Swan and Dolphin. Boats to DHS (or walk). Did I mention the pool? Did I mention walking to Epcot?

WL, I agree, is great, but I reserve that experience for the cooler times of the year, when it feels like being up in the great northwest.

Just go and enjoy!

What he said....TDBIASWS.

 

[SarahJN]

We stayed at BC in August with our 5 year old triplets, who are not strong swimmers and need arm floaties. We all LOVED it. While the SAB pool complex itself is large, there are several smaller areas, which we found perfect for the kids. The water was shallow enough for them to stand up and we could easily see them if we weren't in the pool with them.

There's this smaller pool behind the big water slide.


sept26l by 4forSarah, on Flickr

My kids LOVED that the little water slide. Here's another spot that was perfect for them. (That's 2 of my 3.)


sept16h by 4forSarah, on Flickr

Before our arrival, we were a bit concerned with food options too but it was never an issue. We ate breakfast at Cape May one morning, Beaches & Cream for dinner one night and a few meals from the counter service area in the gift shop.

We found the theming and service to be excellent as well.


sept16j by 4forSarah, on Flickr

 

[MMrules]

The Beach Club has many strong aspects that I like....
1)The pool is amazing for parents with children (even though intially I was fearful it would be too big and hard to watch the kids). The kiddie pool is the best one for kids IMO.
2)Cape May Cafe has a wonderful character breakfast and seafood buffet in the evening. Also the Yacht Club has the Captain's Grill which is also good for an evening meal (and I have heard the breakfast is great). There is counter service at the BC and the pool area with a limited selection. There are also other restaurant choices at the Boardwalk and a walk to Epcot's world showcase makes dining options unlimited.
3) The CM"s at the BC are wonderful, knowlegeable and make the check in and question process very smooth. I have heard the POly is very, very slow with check in's.
4)The boats will take you to both Epcot (even though we walk there) or to Hollywood studios. You are able to take an open stroller on them which is helpful with sleeping children. I know that people say the monorail is better, but everytime it seems I need to take a monorail, one side seems to be down, and the line is tremendously long (which I know can happen with buses and boats too).
5)The bus service at BC is not the best I will agree. The resort shares with YC (Which would be fine in and of itself) but also shares with swan/dolphin and Boardwalk. The rides can be very long and crowded. When I went in August, I complained about it on the surveys they ask you. I think the only way it can be improved is for guests to say how long it does take for the buses. WE really had long, crowded waits for DTD and Animal Kingdom.

If you like Epcot then I think you will love the convenience of the BC. Personally, my favorites are WL and AKL (Which we own at AKV through DVC) but the BC is my summer favorite resort. I love the lodges for the homey, laid back and escape from the world feel. I love the BC for the happy, light, toes in the sand feeling you get from it. I haven't stayed at Poly and would like too, but I don't like the outdoor walkways when it is bad weather, which at the BC there are indoor walkways.

Also depending on your children's ages the YC offers a pirate cruise several days a week that my boys loved both times they went on it. They also liked the sandcastle club babysitting service too.

 

[mericletwins]

You're going to LOVE IT!!! We LOVE the BC! And the dining is wonderful there. We love Cape May, both the breakfast with characters and the clambake dinner. Also Captain's Grille in YC is so delicious and so few people talk about it. Plus its a short walk into Epcot for all you care to eat. Its closer to Epcot than to BW for food too. Your kids are going to love SAB as well, we love it. Plus if your kids are like mine you'll be at the MK a lot. I know its not quick, but we love walking through Epcot and riding the monorail to MK. I know the bus is much faster, but its more fun for us to walk through a quiet Epcot and my kids love the monorail.

We also love to walk through Epcot and hop the monorail to get to the MK.

 

[maxiesmom]

We also love to walk through Epcot and hop the monorail to get to the MK.

You got to make sure you have park hopper tickets if you want to do this! We did it too, just for fun. But it is no quicker than waiting for the bus. So it is a strictly for fun to ride the monorail thing.

 

[clanmcculloch]

It's important to understand what it is that's important to you in a hotel and what you don't want in a hotel. While I think BC is a wonderful hotel, I'll probably not stay at YC/BC again because it's not right for us. We're early birds and REALLY disliked that we couldn't get into SAB until 10am (and on our resort/break day, the quiet pool was closed as well so no morning swimming at all). We like a more compact resort and this was more spread out than we like. We eat a lot at our resort and disliked the lack of QS options (with our allergies there wasn't a single thing we could get QS) though I had planned for that and booked ADRs at the resort every day. Being an early to bed/early to rise family, the proximity to all the stuff going on over at the Boardwalk was wasted on us. Just in general, it's not the resort for us even though it really is a wonderful resort.

As I said, know what it is that you want and don't want in a resort and choose from there.

 

[mericletwins]

You got to make sure you have park hopper tickets if you want to do this! We did it too, just for fun. But it is no quicker than waiting for the bus. So it is a strictly for fun to ride the monorail thing.

Yes you definitely need park hoppers. In addition to the "fun to ride the monorail" part, it is also fun to pick up a margarita as you cruise through WS.

 

[Missyrose]

We are going in Feb. We stayed at Swan last yr to try the Epcot area and liked it but didn't like the Swan. But we spend most of our time at MK and I love the coziness of the Lodge. But I'm sure we'll love BC. Worried about balcony.

We stayed at BC in October and loved the resort (and the entire Epcot resorts area). The pool is amazing, the restaurants are incredible and all of the resorts over there are gorgeous.

The only real negative about staying there is the bus service to MK. Unless your trip is Presidents' Day weekend, you're going at a very slow time at the parks. So BC would likely share a bus with BW, Swan and Dolphin, which could make for many long rides on crowded buses if you spend most of your time at MK. If you're not going to take full advantage of the access to Epcot and DHS, you might find yourself frustrated with the location.

We loved BC and will definitely go back, but I worry it may not be the best location for your plans if you plan to spend "most" of your trip at MK.

 

[AlohaAnnie]

How about a split stay?

Beach Club is a wonderful resort, it is one of our favorites! It is a beautiful area, love SAB, close to EPCOT wonderful!



But If you really want to enjoy the Wilderness Lodge, why not add a night or two on the beginning or end of your current stay?

Then, you can decide which one you like better and you get to try both out in the same trip. We have done this before, it is a great option when you can't decide where to stay.

 

[disnmooner2013]

Everyone we know stays at the Beach Club and LOVES IT. I was leaning more towards the WL (have stayed there before) or Poly (dreaming!) but DH really wants to try Beach Club and we both want to see what the hype is about. I don't see many good dining options there (but know we can walk around Boardwalk area, etc.) and afraid it won't have the character/charm we love. Help, get me excited! We are mainly staying there for the pool - we have three young kids.

DisneyJanFeb2008 if you love WL and are curious about BC why not start your stay at BC and do Epcot, DHS, and the Baordwalk complex. Then finish your trip at WL and do MK. This way you can compare the two resorts both fresh in your mind on the same trip. I would do BC before WL since you know you like WL. This way incase you do not like BC you have WL to look forward to.

 

[mericletwins]

DisneyJanFeb2008 if you love WL and are curious about BC why not start your stay at BC and do Epcot, DHS, and the Baordwalk complex. Then finish your trip at WL and do MK. This way you can compare the two resorts both fresh in your mind on the same trip. I would do BC before WL since you know you like WL. This way incase you do not like BC you have WL to look forward to.

This is a great idea. That is how we started branching out from the BC. We would do a split stay and end at BC, since we knew, no matter what, we would end at a hotel we liked.

 

[lsenquiz]

Yes you definitely need park hoppers. In addition to the "fun to ride the monorail" part, it is also fun to pick up a margarita as you cruise through WS. ��

Or a Grand Marnier Slushy in France

 

[DisneyJanFeb2008]

OP--How young are your kids? Storm Along Bay is a great pool area, but it is huge! There is no way to see the whole pool area from any one spot. If your kids are very young, that could be more stress than you want to deal with. Also, in order to get on the big slide you have to leave the pool and cross a public sidewalk. If your kids are really young it can be more work than relaxation for you and your hubby. There is no way to just let your kids go off and swim and you enjoy a good book, unless your kids are very good swimmers.

Sorry, but I can't help you get excited about the Beach Club. I thought I would love it, but once we stayed there I found I was wrong. There is a lack of food options, I think in part because you are so close to Epcot and on the boardwalk. They seem to think there is no need for a lot of choices in the resort. Also the bus service was pitiful. You share with the other boardwalk area resorts. Which means long bus rides on a bus packed to the gills. Keep in mind too that if you want to swim in SAB you can't do so once the parks close. They shut SAB down at night, you are not allowed in at all. Unlike the rest of the resorts that only shut down the pool slide. I get why they do it, but it was very disappointing for us.

We have stayed at the Poly too, actually during the same trip we stayed at the Beach Club. And we were all disappointed that we left the Poly for the Beach Club. The Poly has a great location so close to the Magic Kingdom. Plus you can sit by the pool and watch your kids swim and see Wishes all at the same time. It is awesome!

Wow, "Maxiesmom" - great feedback and inline with how I think I'll feel. Plus, the BC is low on theming. I looked at pics of Cape May Cafe online and it has booths/so basic like anywhere restaurant vs. WL and Poly!! Our kids are 7, 4 and 2 so the pool considerations I didn't think of - we hoped to sit and relax!!! (as much as we can w/three little ones). Would not want a split stay - too much to pack/unpack with a family of five.

 

[goofy4prez]

OP--How young are your kids? Storm Along Bay is a great pool area, but it is huge! There is no way to see the whole pool area from any one spot. If your kids are very young, that could be more stress than you want to deal with. Also, in order to get on the big slide you have to leave the pool and cross a public sidewalk. If your kids are really young it can be more work than relaxation for you and your hubby. There is no way to just let your kids go off and swim and you enjoy a good book, unless your kids are very good swimmers.

Sorry, but I can't help you get excited about the Beach Club. I thought I would love it, but once we stayed there I found I was wrong. There is a lack of food options, I think in part because you are so close to Epcot and on the boardwalk. They seem to think there is no need for a lot of choices in the resort. Also the bus service was pitiful. You share with the other boardwalk area resorts. Which means long bus rides on a bus packed to the gills. Keep in mind too that if you want to swim in SAB you can't do so once the parks close. They shut SAB down at night, you are not allowed in at all. Unlike the rest of the resorts that only shut down the pool slide. I get why they do it, but it was very disappointing for us.

We have stayed at the Poly too, actually during the same trip we stayed at the Beach Club. And we were all disappointed that we left the Poly for the Beach Club. The Poly has a great location so close to the Magic Kingdom. Plus you can sit by the pool and watch your kids swim and see Wishes all at the same time. It is awesome!

IMHO your assessment hit the nail on the head; I could not have said it any better. Only difference is that I stayed at the YC instead of the BC. While I loved the area and overall the resort, I hated not having a legitimate QS in either resort. As for the buses; IT WAS TERRIBLE!!! I hate to complain but we stayed at the end of January beginning of Februrary and the buses shared with YC/BC/BWI/Swan/Dolphin.j They were always and I do mean always dangerously full. There was no sense waiting for the next bus because it was the same way. Let's just say it was so packed I got to know many a person a little more intimately that I'm sure they or I cared to experience.

 

[Sweettears]

Yes you definitely need park hoppers. In addition to the "fun to ride the monorail" part, it is also fun to pick up a margarita as you cruise through WS. ��

Or a Stella in England. Its on the way. I also like the walk in the a.m. before WS is open. i love Epcot and its wonderful to take a leisurely walk through the park when it is virtually empty. Sort of the same feeling others express about getting an early ADR for MK before the park opens.

 

[kerri0616]

We just booked 5 nights BC and 2 nights WLV. We've never stayed at either, so we are so excited to try them both out! We always drive, so split stays aren't a problem for us.

I booked standard view BC, but I think I'll bump us up to a garden view. Not much difference in the price.

K

 

[max'sdad]

We did a split stay last August at the DVC villas at Wilderness and Beach Club. Really enjoyed both, but I have to say Beach Club was my favorite because of the pool and the short walk to Epcot, which is my favorite park.

The pool is the best we've been to at Disney by far. There is nothing like relaxing in the sand-bottom area. Your kids will love that.

As far as food goes at Beach Club, we only ate at the Marketplace once, but I had a really good roast beef sandwich that was their special that day. We also ate at Beaches and Cream, which was great. You're also close enough that you can walk to Epcot for fish and chips in the UK or a ham and cheese croissant in France.

Of course, with that, you're talking about a lot of walking, and I don't know that you would want to do that with thee small children. We just have one 10-year-old.

The deciding factor may be which park you want to spend the most time at. If it's the Magic Kingdom, Wilderness is your best bet, being a short bus or boat ride away. If it's Epcot, then stay at Beach Club. Either way, both are wonderful resorts.

And I agree with PP that if you stay at Beach Club, park hoppers are a must, just to be able to enjoy Epcot nearby.