Advice Needed: Epcot Area Resorts Vs MK Area

[mrsclark]

For the last four years DH and I have stayed at BC/YC. DH really likes the using the back door of Epcot and we both like walking to DHS and Epcot. We are considering where to stay for our trip this year and thinking about WL, GF, Poly and CR in addition to YC/BC and BWI/BWV.

What has been others experiences with transportation times from MK resorts to MK, Epcot, and DHS? Do you think giving up the ability to walk to Epcot and DHS is worth the trade off for you of being on the monorail and close to MK? How do you like the pools at GF, CR, WL, and Poly (we know nothing will come close to SAB, but are interested in how the other pools stack up)?

 

[dkrauss]

We stayed at WL in September............what a beautiful location! The boat to MK is a nice trip........never had an issue. Also can access Fort Wilderness and CR(and then monorail) via boat right from WL. The theming at WL is unreal........the lobby is amazing. The pool is beautiful (although under construction when we were there ). Love Whispering Canyon too................. Only took bus to HS which we found not to be bad. Did taxi for AK due to early ADR.

If you're looking for a change you can't go wrong with WL...........rooms can be smaller for a deluxe but the cost is less too!

Have a great vacation.

Doug

 

[mickeynut1]

For the last four years DH and I have stayed at BC/YC. DH really likes the using the back door of Epcot and we both like walking to DHS and Epcot. We are considering where to stay for our trip this year and thinking about WL, GF, Poly and CR in addition to YC/BC and BWI/BWV.

What has been others experiences with transportation times from MK resorts to MK, Epcot, and DHS? Do you think giving up the ability to walk to Epcot and DHS is worth the trade off for you of being on the monorail and close to MK? How do you like the pools at GF, CR, WL, and Poly (we know nothing will come close to SAB, but are interested in how the other pools stack up)?

We've stayed at WL, BC, Poly, and GF and while we enjoyed our stay at the BC, we prefer the MK area resorts. Out of the Poly, GF and WL, the Poly is our favorite, but we also love the others and wouldn't hesitate to return to any of them. The Poly pool is our favorite pool on property (yes, even over SAB as we weren't wow'd by SAB), but we have had a great time at both the WL and GF pools as well. With that said, you really can't go wrong with any of your choices, so if you want to try something new, I'd choose the one that the theme/decor appeals to you the most. Good luck.

 

[Hi Pluto]

I've stayed at all of them, but with the exception of WL, each stay was when I was a child. I would think any one of them would be a great choice. CR would give DH that walkability into MK that he likes so much with BC into epcot. WL has a VERY lovely boat ride to MK, and would save some money over others.

I suggest picking the one with the theming you like the best and go with it.

~Cari~

 

[beccasmom]

I think it depends which park you think you'll spend the most time at. All of the monorail resorts are obviously very convenient to the MK, but also to Epcot with a monorail transfer. The WL is a tad less convenient IMHO, but not by much and it is a lovely resort with a serene atmosphere. You can't really go wrong with any of them!

 

[patty57]

I've stayed at all the monorail resorts, and WL this past December. Liked them all, but nothing says Disney to me like the Epcot resorts. Each time I've stayed somewhere else, I realize that I'd rather be around Epcot for the same reasons you like. Walking in and out of Epcot for food and drinks, and walking to DHS. Plus...love the whole vibe around the Boardwalk.

 

[ocalla]

I've stayed at BC, YC, Poly and WL. Love them all!! Having said that have you considered a split stay? We split BC then Poly one year. It was the BEST of both worlds!!! If not, then like a PP said, think about where you will spend most of your time.

We Love WL, but it was a winter time vacation. Perfect for the theme there!!! Poly is a tie for my favorite with BC/YC!!! What we love about Epcot resorts is strolling over to Epcot in the evenings after swimming for dinner or drinks, and I did miss that when we spent the whole week at WL.

This year we really wanted to split with GF/BC or Poly/BC again, but we decided that our Kid Free week would be spent more at Epcot and wanted to make it convenient!

 

[MatzoBelle]

I concur with the suggestion to do a split stay.

 

[Kevin355]

Doesn't really make a difference to me. We like CBR which is Epcot area, and the bus ride to MK isn't that big of a deal. Like the fact that we can go to Epcot, then go to the Transportation Center and go to MK, GF, Contemporary as well.

 

[kastoney]

We've done both and for me it's really about proximity to MK for my daughter or proximity to Epcot for us adults ; ) We are firmly planted in the MK resorts until she get s bit older, but as soon as she does I can't wait to be able to walk to Epcot and MGM again. All that is a long way of saying, if it was just 2 adults I'd stick to an Epcot area resort. The monorail and buses from MK resorts are nice, but the walk to fabulous drinking and dining destinations is all the better.

 

[Dano13]

I have stayed in many of these at both MK area and Epcot's crescent lake. I greatly prefer crescent lake, but epcot is our favorite and we enjoy DHS quite a bit too. Aside from the MK getting to other parks isn't very easy from the monorail resorts. To get to epcot is 2 monorails and could be 30-45 minutes depending on the time if the day. There were many days where we would boat between DHS and epcot which is awesome.

 

[TJA]

I do think it's worth the trade-off because you'll get to have a totally different type of vacation. Our favorite MK resort is the Poly. We love having the TTC right there so we can have direct monorail service to both MK and Epcot. You'll be able to view the Castle and Wishes right from Poly. We do love the Epcot resorts too, so we tend to stay in the Epcot area one trip, then next trip the MK area, then back to Epcot area next time, etc. It mixes things up and gives us different options.

As far as the pools...you obviously won't have anything as large and spread-out as SAB. But we thoroughly enjoy the Poly pool. There are chairs in the sand too if you want to lounge with a Castle view.

 

[Babsy]

For the last four years DH and I have stayed at BC/YC. DH really likes the using the back door of Epcot and we both like walking to DHS and Epcot. We are considering where to stay for our trip this year and thinking about WL, GF, Poly and CR in addition to YC/BC and BWI/BWV.

What has been others experiences with transportation times from MK resorts to MK, Epcot, and DHS? Do you think giving up the ability to walk to Epcot and DHS is worth the trade off for you of being on the monorail and close to MK? How do you like the pools at GF, CR, WL, and Poly (we know nothing will come close to SAB, but are interested in how the other pools stack up)?

MK resorts give the quickest access to the MK. They do not give as good access to Epcot or DHS as the Epcot resorts. It is a longer bus ride from MK resorts to the AK than from the Epcot resorts to the AK.

We think that it is worth giving up being able to walk to Epcot and DHS to have the monorail / boat / walk to the MK. There is a special magic to being able to see the castle and wishes from your resort.

Which area is better depends upon which theme park you plan to visit the most, or if you have small children in your group.

The pools at the GF and the Poly are extremely nice. The CR pool is very plain and ordinary, but does have a good slide.

 

[Nancyg56]

I have stayed in all the monorail resorts, and like the proximity to the MK. My family stayed a the BC, and while we likes walking to Epcot, that area was just not for us. I think that unless you actually stay in an area, it is hard to decide if that area is apapropriate for you.

I would say that the MK resorts are really amazing, and convenient to Epcot as well as the MK. WE tend to plan more MK and Epcot time when we are on a monoail resort, and also find that we use our hoppers more as well. It is so easy to jump on th monorail and have dinner in a different park than we visited that morning, or head over to a neighboring resort for te kids to use a diffeent arcade.

 

[fla4fun]

My favorite MK resort is WL. However, from a convenience standpoint, CR wins hands down. You can walk to MK. You can also utilize the MK bus depot to make connections to any other resort you want to visit (great for dining!). Poly comes in a close second, because you can walk to the TTC for easy access to the Epcot monorail, as well as access to the express monorail and ferry boat if the resort monorail is down or very busy (I really enjoy taking the ferry boat over early in the morning). GF would be my last choice convenience wise as far as MK resorts go.

It really depends on which parks you want to spend the most time in. If I'm spending more time at MK, I stay at an MK resort. If I'm spending more time at Epcot (F&G or F&W) I'll stay at an Epcot resort.

 

[mrsclark]

Thanks everyone for your very thoughtful replies! Currently we booked a BCV room, but we are continuing to consider our options - I think this will make sense to everyone on the Dis Boards, but even though I like to go to WDW every year, I have a slight feeling of wanting to do something different WITHIN WDW - ie try a different resort.

We eat lunch a lot at Epcot - DH loves the nachos and I love the cheese empanadas at the Mexico CS and we love Via Napoli and we always eat dinner at The Garden Grill at least once on our trip. BUT we spend a lot of evenings at MK - for MNSSHP and to watch the MSEP. MK is our favorite park at night and part of me thinks it would be nice to hop a quick monorail or walk back to our resort rather than waiting for and then riding a bus back to YC/BC.

Also, BCV will be undergoing a refurb while we are there so even if we stay at YC/BC, we may switch to YC CL.

And WL is not totally out of the running yet...