Beach Club or Grand?

[LMO429]

Hi Our last trip we stayed at the Grand Floridian and while the hotel is beautiful and we enjoyed our stay. It was not as easy to get back from the MK to the hotel. Even sometimes in the morning the monorail was on a delayed schedule and the boats they run do not fit that many people. It was very frustrating when the park is right there that it took long amount of time to get to it or return to the hotel from mk. I am considering the beach club this time and dealing with the buses since it lets you off right in front of the MK and taking cabs back from the contemporary when need be.

Which do you prefer I really can not make a decision on where we should stay this trip. We will have a 2 year old son with us.

Wish you could walk to the MK from the Grand it truly would be a home run!

 

[Paula Sedley-Burke]

We have stayed at both ( DVC owners ) and like both resorts. I know what you mean re the monorail. Quick getting to MK but getting back the line at peak times! Plus one of the last stops. The BC we found great for transport. The buses were good, boat to HS and you can walk. Access to EPCOT. Def worth a stay.

The other consideration is Contemporay or Bay lake. You can walk from MK to there.

 

[LMO429]

We have stayed at both ( DVC owners ) and like both resorts. I know what you mean re the monorail. Quick getting to MK but getting back the line at peak times! Plus one of the last stops. The BC we found great for transport. The buses were good, boat to HS and you can walk. Access to EPCOT. Def worth a stay.

The other consideration is Contemporay or Bay lake. You can walk from MK to there.

I have stayed at the Contemporary while I agree the walk can not be beat I do not like the theme at the Contemporary or the pool so I would not stay there again.

I guess not having to deal with buses to 2 parks is a big plus for the beach club

 

[Mousemommy1]

We have stayed at both and much prefer the GF. Now, understand that transportation issues can pop up at any resort, and our transportation issues from BC to MK were pretty bad.

The bus picked up from YC first, every time, and the bus was often full by the time it got to BC which meant that we had to wait for the next bus to come.

 

[riddlemethis]

The GF is nice but Beach club is so fun imo. Any time I visit my family in the area we always do a Disney loop and hang out at the resorts for a while. BC is always my go-to as the Boardwalk area is fun to be in.

Your 2yo might enjoy the sand-bottom zero entry pool as well!

 

[Paula Sedley-Burke]

I have stayed at the Contemporary while I agree the walk can not be beat I do not like the theme at the Contemporary or the pool so I would not stay there again.

I guess not having to deal with buses to 2 parks is a big plus for the beach club

It also had storm along bay and the pirate ship for your DS. We are big fans of the BC I think you will like it.

 

[LMO429]

It also had storm along bay and the pirate ship for your DS. We are big fans of the BC I think you will like it.

I have stayed at the beach club many times. I am just so torn on what to do for this upcoming trip

 

[Paula Sedley-Burke]

I have stayed at the beach club many times. I am just so torn on what to do for this upcoming trip

Difficult isn't it. How many nights are you coming for? We often do a spilt stay.

 

[Wood Nymph]

We stayed at the Grand in December and hated using the monorail to get to Epcot. We much prefer the Beach Club. The MK bus from the BC is a direct ride that takes about 15 minutes. Having two parks that you can walk to is a real plus when staying at the BC.

 

[Shellyb84]

Those are my two favorite resorts! I prefer BC over GF slightly though. The pool is way better, I like everything under one roof, and I love the location. Being able to walk to two parks is so convenient. It's so great to just be able to pop over to Epcot for a drink or bite to eat.

 

[TCRAIG]

It also had storm along bay and the pirate ship for your DS. We are big fans of the BC I think you will like it.

I'm not sure SAB is really 'worth' it for a 2 year old

 

[Shellyb84]

I'm not sure SAB is really 'worth' it for a 2 year old

The sand area though would be great for a 2 year old!

 

[mickeynut1]

Hi Our last trip we stayed at the Grand Floridian and while the hotel is beautiful and we enjoyed our stay. It was not as easy to get back from the MK to the hotel. Even sometimes in the morning the monorail was on a delayed schedule and the boats they run do not fit that many people. It was very frustrating when the park is right there that it took long amount of time to get to it or return to the hotel from mk. I am considering the beach club this time and dealing with the buses since it lets you off right in front of the MK and taking cabs back from the contemporary when need be.

Which do you prefer I really can not make a decision on where we should stay this trip. We will have a 2 year old son with us.

Wish you could walk to the MK from the Grand it truly would be a home run!

We've stayed at both and while the BC is a nice resort, my choice would be the GF. The BC is convenient as you can walk to 2 parks, but we like the GF theme/decor/atmosphere more than BC. We also prefer the MK area over the Epcot area.

 

[TJA]

The sand area though would be great for a 2 year old!

Indeed! Besides it being mega fun for the kids, it was reassuring for us to know there was sand padding all around (and at bottom of pool) for the little ones. My kids couldn't get enough of the sandy section of SAB for many, many years.

 

[Wood Nymph]

There's a little pool and small slide on the lagoon side of the big pirate slide at the Beach Club.

 

[Donna M]

Since you were at GF last time and weren't too happy, I'd say go with BC. What does your dh say. Let him, or make him decide, then if it isn't as good as you hoped, you can blame him!!

 

[AMusicLifeForMe]

I have stayed at GF, but I have not stayed at the Beach Club. For that reason, I stayed at a resort last week that only has bus service from the parks. I quickly remembered why I don't like staying at resorts that just have bus service. I like to stay at the parks until close, and there were a couple times when I had to wait for 5+ busses to come and go before I got on a bus. For that reason, whenever I possibly can, I will stay at a monorail resort. Now, I don't have experience staying at a boardwalk area resort, but I will this coming May.

I would choose the GF if you plan on spending more time at MK. If you plan on being at EP or HS more, I would choose BC. Hollywood Studios and EPCOT are an easy walk from BC and there is the boat transportation.

 

[CynBeth]

We have never stayed at the BC but were at the YC for the first time in Dec and loved it! It was great to walk or take the boat to and from Epcot and HS. The bus service to MK and AK were pretty good. We had breakfast at Cape May for the first time and it is now a favorite we must do every trip.

 

[Farro]

We have stayed at both and much prefer the GF. Now, understand that transportation issues can pop up at any resort, and our transportation issues from BC to MK were pretty bad.

The bus picked up from YC first, every time, and the bus was often full by the time it got to BC which meant that we had to wait for the next bus to come.

I have to agree about the buses at Beach Club. We stayed 9 nights and we just did not have good luck with the buses to Magic Kingdom or Animal Kingdom. Early morning, to make EMH or rope drop, it was okay but we leave at pretty much the first bus! Anytime after that we would wait and wait and wait! Disney Springs buses used to come so often we wanted to bribe the driver to take us to AK.

That said, we love it there, have stayed 3 times.

 

[rosiebean]

It's a hard decision. If you're spending most of your time at MK, GF is the place to stay, even with it's transportation issues. But if you're going to spend equal time at other parks, BC is a great option too...great sandy area for little ones, the character meal at Cape May, being *really* close to Epcot's world showcase, etc.

I've stayed at YC, BC, and BCVs each once. The buses were good at YC, ok at BCV...but we did have a few issues with buses from BC to other parks. One morning, after waiting 20 plus minutes for a bus to AK, a large crowd had gathered: add two people on scooters and their family, and there weren't enough seats on the bus for the crowd. My family ended up not getting on the bus (even though we were among the first at the stop), and after 10 more minutes and no indication on the electronic board that another bus from AK was on its way, I just paid for a taxi. We learned that trip that we have very little patience waiting for buses (and we're without little kids), so we simply budget for other transportation now. Taxis aren't that expensive and Uber is even cheaper. But transportation issues aside, I'd stay in the BC/YC area again easily. Being so close to two parks is really convenient, I really enjoy SAB, and having the Boardwalk and its entertainment options right there is great too.

That said, if I were spending the bulk of my time at MK, I'd stay at the GF or consider Poly or maybe WL in your case (WL isn't my cup of tea, so I haven't stayed there...but many people love it).