Any regrets switching from MK resort to Epcot area? (yacht club specificially)

[mi*vida*loca]

My only negative to the Epcot area is the below average QS dining (especially DDP) at the Epcot area vs MK resorts...so plan on going into Epcot as your QS food court.
Otherwise, walking back to YC after Illuminations is much more magical than waiting for any transportation.

Sooooo true. The first time we watched Illuminations and walked back to the BC was completely amazing.

 

[ErinsMommy]

i have to admit as we're getting closer to our stay, im a bit nervous about the BWI and are happy we're splitting the stay. im hoping i love the epcot resort area as much we do the mk area. was out of the ordinary for us to get our luggage tags last night and see EC instead of MK. lol

 

[vinotinto]

I really like the convenience of being able to walk all around to Epcot, DHS, and all around the 5 Boardwalk resorts. To me, that makes the Epcot resort area special. I really missed that the two times I stayed at the Poly. You can walk to GF, but you can't really walk around a loop to MK and all the resorts. If you could, then that would be fab.

Now, if MK is your favorite park, you may miss it.

 

[meggiebeth]

I actually prefer the Yacht Club area to the Magic Kingdom Resort area. It has more of an intimate, community feel as it’s kind of nestled between DHS, the Boardwalk, Epcot and Beach Club. You have two parks in close proximity to your resort rather than one. That said, I’d probably say the MK resorts are more magical. It really depends what parks you’d like to be close to. If you’re mainly MK visitors, I’d stay there, but if not, I’d stay at Yacht Club.

 

[Spunky946]

We did a split stay this summer. We did a pop/contemporary/yacht club stay and while I’m glad I got to experience all three, I wish I had stayed at the contemporary the whole time. Love, love the contemporary and we really didn’t love the yacht club. It’s big, spread out and mk is my favorite park so I missed being so close to mk.

 

[mommyrosa2]

As much as we love the GF and really liked CR, we give a slight edge to the BC & YC! The location can't be beat and like others have said being so close to two parks is awesome. We also enjoy walking around the Boardwalk in the evenings when we have our downtime.

 

[cinnaminny]

We did a split stay this summer. We did a pop/contemporary/yacht club stay and while I’m glad I got to experience all three, I wish I had stayed at the contemporary the whole time. Love, love the contemporary and we really didn’t love the yacht club. It’s big, spread out and mk is my favorite park so I missed being so close to mk.

This is my worry. I really want to do a split stay like this sometime, but honestly, I love the Contemporary. I love the location, I love the modern architecture. I have tons of time to decide before we start really planning our next trip. But its going to be tough.

 

[FSU Girl]

I definitely prefer the Magic Kingdom resorts. I love being able to take the monorail around and watching the fireworks from my room. But I have a lot of upcoming stays at Epcot resorts and I'm doing it for the convenience to the two parks. It is definitely a different vibe over there, but it's not a bad one. It has a more beachy feel to it with the boats and the way the hotels are designed. If my trip is long enough I like doing a split stay between both.

 

[twodogs]

I regret that I didn't start staying in the EPCOT area resorts sooner! We stayed at BLT when our girls were little for the ease of walking to MK and having the monorail. We have later stayed at AKL, which was lovely but felt isolated. Last year and again this year, we have stayed at the BC. I booked it last year because the MK resorts were either full or astronomical (I'm talking to you Poly) since it was around Christmas, and I was hesitant about it... We LOVED it, and so much so that we just stayed there again in August. We love walking to two parks (I hate the buses). My kids are now 11 and 13, and they are plenty capable of that walk (not sure how little kids would do with the walk to DHS, as it is longer than EPCOT). We can watch EPCOT fireworks from resort or bridge nightly. Love the boat transportation option. We loved walking over to the Boardwalk area on arrival night, getting an ice cream, watching Illuminations from the bridge and getting in the Disney spirit! I feel it is very magical in that area! The Christmas decor, especially at BC with the gingerbread carousel, was stunning.

My parents came on this most recent trip and had never stayed in the EPCOT area (they did stay with us at BLT and AKL). They absolutely loved it. They loved walking on the Boardwalk in the mornings when it was really quiet, before we headed to the parks. There are many restaurants that don't need reservations there for dinners. We love Ample Hills Creamery (even better than the ice cream at Beaches and Cream at BC to me). My girls loved SAB pools, and since they are not little and they are great swimmers, it didn't bother me that I couldn't see them every minute (so if you have younger kids, this might bother you). The vibe is fun and very Disney to me!

We head back on Saturday, and will be trying WL for the first time, so back in the MK area. I will have to see if I miss that area or not after this stay!

 

[Chrislovesdisney]

I’d always prefer the EPCOT area resorts. I feel like I’m more in the middle of everything, love popping out of the hotel and being in the middle of somewhere, and the accessibility to two parks. The MK resorts are nice, but the monorail to Epcot is a pia imo, and I feel generally more isolated there.

 

[holden]

IMHO you can’t go wrong with either area. Each has its advantages/disadvantages.

 

[Brian Noble]

I've stayed at BLT, VWL, BCV, and BWV.

There's a lot to like about the Epcot area. It's easier to get between all the resorts (and restaurants!) in the area, and Epcot becomes a viable "let's just go in and get dinner" option as well. As a bonus, they are all connected by walking routes that don't go anywhere near traffic, so it's just one continuous resort area. (That's not true of DS, IIRC, but I only walked there a handful of times.)

In contrast, you have to monorail or boat between the MK area resorts (boat only, in the case of WL), and that's cool, but somehow it make them feel ou can walk between Poly and GF, but I've never done it, so can't comment on how that "feels."

Now, if the castle and only the castle is "magic," then I can imagine it would be a little disappointing. But I'm a pretty equal-opportunity guy when it comes to finding cool vacation moments around the WDW area.

Personally, my very favorite of those four is VWL. I love the theme of the resort. I really love the way it feels like it is completely somewhere else, even though MK is just around the corner. I can make do with the less-accessible restaurant landscape in exchange for the overall vibe of VWL.

But, if you are just talking about area (rather than specific resort) I'd choose EP-area over MK-area.