Beach Club or Wilderness lodge?!

[CrissyR]

We have booked our trip at Disney from the 2nd-10th of January at Beach club but with a pin code for free dining (and playing around with pricing with the various resorts) if we change to Wilderness lodge it ends up being about $400 less. Money aside, which would you prefer to stay at? We will have three kids with us (all under the age of 4) so the convenience of the Beach club was a definite plus for us as far as location but WL is closer to MK. Any advice, input you can give would be great!

 

[june@imsarc.com]

Love both, but BC for the pools!

 

[letsgoreds]

We historically have stayed at either MK (BLT and WL) resorts or AKL (Jambo and in Dec, Kidani). I'm hoping for BC next December as we have never stayed at an Epcot resort. I'm looking forward to the pool and being able to walk to Epcot and the Boardwalk area.

I don't think you can go wrong with either. WL feels like my home away from home, and we have so many wonderful memories from when DS7 was a little nugget.

Some BC rooms have daybeds (can also request cot for free) which might be appealing to you with the youngings, but I also heard they don't have a traditional quick service restaurant, which was always convenient at WL when the kids are young and hungry NOW!

 

[Me!Thatswho]

We've never stayed at WL, so I can't speak to it as a choice, but we have stayed at BC for first time after spending our last 5 visits to WDW on the monorail loop. We choose the BC because we wanted to do something different. We were so happy with the BC that we are going to try the YC during our upcoming Jan visit (looks like we'll miss you by a week). My kids, however, are older (DS12 & DD9) and they prefer either DHS or EP to the MK. If you are planning on touring MK the most, you may want to stay closer. But, if you plan on a lot of pool time, SAB, with its sandy bottom and shallow kiddie play-sand area, is by far the best pool on sight.

Either way, I am sure you'll be pleased.

 

[fla4fun]

The rooms at WL are a little smaller than most of the rooms at BC (BC has rooms of various sizes, and there are a few that are as small, or maybe a little smaller than the WL rooms - as a solo I get assigned to them pretty often).

The pool complex at BC is a lot bigger than the pool at WL, and I have read posts by parents who said it can be hard to keep an eye on kids there. With the ages of yours though, I am not sure that the pool would be the biggest draw.

It would be more convenient to stay at WL if you are spending a lot of time at MK. You can even leave your stroller open on the larger transportation boats.

The big thing to me would be which theme appeals to you more. WL is very cabin-like, with lots of wood tones and a darker overall feel (think cozy). BC is very pastel and light. I like them both (stayed at BC in September and WL in May) so you can't really make a bad choice between them.

 

[pepe of ohio]

Wilderness Lodge without a doubt, based on the ages of the children.... We always went by location, where we would spend the most time and seeing the MK as your prime target, boating there and back multiple times a day, WL suits the bill perfectly...

Don't get me wrong, Y&B are fantastic resorts but for children that young, SAB can be quite daunting, plus the lack of an interest draw in EPCOT and most of HS makes busing to the MK a hassle, I'd use the Y&B for a later on life trip... Again we base most of our stays by park of most interest locations...

 

[mickeynut1]

We've stayed at both and they are both great places to stay. With that said, the room at the BC would be a little bigger than at the WL, but the WL is a quick ride to MK via boat and also has great CS. You can also take the boat to the CR where you can shop, dine, or just visit and then hop on the monorail to visit the Poly and GF. The BC, on the other hand, is within walking distance to Epcot and DHS which is nice, but CS is very limited as the Marketplace doesn't have near the variety that is at the WL. You can't go wrong with either resort as they are both great, but if a variety of CS options and being close to MK is important to you, the WL would be the better choice, IMO. Good luck.

 

[IMGONNABE40!]

I am 2 resorts away from completing my quest to stay at all of the resorts. Once that mission is complete I will probably stay mainly at my 2 favorites... Beach Club and Wilderness Lodge.

I told my husband the other day that BC would be my summer resort and WL would be my winter resort. I have stayed in WL during January of 2010...when the temps were in the 20s and I gave up on the parks in favor of reading a book by the fireplace. . Believe me, it was nice to have the lodge be a one building resort.

So, for your purposes with the little ones and it being January, my vote is WL.

 

[Marthasor]

I have stayed at both. A split-stay at BC and WL when DS was 3 and back to YC this past summer (I know, not BC, but same location and amenities). I, personally, would never stay at WL again with a young child. The transportation, entertainment and dining options are far too limited. Everyone keeps mentioning proximity to MK as a pro for WL. It may be close, but you still have to take a bus or a boat and I found the transportation to the other parks to be incredibly slow - when I was there the bus was shared with FW - it took FOREVER to get to DHS and EP.

If you were considering a monorail resort - I would say it is a toss-up. But WL's proximity to parks and dining and entertainment options simply do not compare to what is available to you in the BC area. Especially if you are considering taking your children back to the resort to rest or nap in the afternoon. If you do that at WL, then you are either stuck at WL post-nap with three dining options (AP, WC and a CS) OR you have to get back on a bus, boat or take a cab to get anywhere else.

If you go back to BC to freshen up or nap, you can then simply put the children in their strollers and have a myriad of restaurant and entertainment options just a walk away.

DS and I had so much fun when staying in the EP area - we would walk back into WS post-nap or post-afternoon swim for a walk, dinner and Illuminations. Go over to the Boardwalk to play the games, take a surrey bike ride, have a nice dinner. Explore the Swan/Dolphin, etc.

I vote BC with younger children HANDS DOWN!

 

[Ninja Mom]

Although my boys are not little anymore I'm in the BC/YC/BWI area for children that age simply because the transportation is easier IMO. It's an easy walk to 2 parks for folks with strollers or you can roll the stroller onto the boat to float to DHS if that walk is a little too far for you. From the WL you are only close to one park. If you stay in the EPCOT resorts area you are close to 2 parks.

As far as quick service dining options in the EPCOT resorts area and specifically the BC/YC are concerned, you can check out the BC/YC FAQ thread page 1, located here http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=2970473. This link will take you to a page containing comprehensive information about this resort. The folks that post there are also very nice and can help you with any questions you may have that aren't covered by all the info on that first page.

Using this link will give you the info on all the options that you really have at the BC/YC. In addition to the BC/YC area there are close quick service options at the Boardwalk and the international area at EPCOT, which is just a hop, skip and a jump away.

Finally the sandy, shallow area at the pool at the BC/YC looks like a dream come true for parents of little ones. The sand keeps the little ones occupied for hours and the water is not too deep in that area. From what I can tell on the map it doesn't look easy for the little ones to get into the deeper areas of this resort pool because of a concrete divider separating the different areas of the pool. There is a great map of the pool labeling all the sections on page one of that BC/YC thread link I gave you.

Good luck with your decision and have a great trip. Be sure to drop by the BC/YC FAQ thread I linked you to and say hi. We'd be happy to help with any additional questions about the BC/YC.

~NM

 

[wiigirl]

Love both, but BC for the pools!

Would be my vote also!

 

[summerrluvv]

January isn't that warm, so I would pick WL over the BC to be honest.

 

[darkwing818]

The convenience of the Beach club to EPCOT & it's fabulous pool, make the Beach club our 1st choice . We just love being able to walk into the back entrance of EPCOT or take a quick boat ride to the Studios. After the Beach club or Boardwalk, the Wilderness Lodge is #2. Just our 2 cents worth.

Tuff Choice, really can't go wrong either way.

 

[CrissyR]

Thanks all for the feedback! Its nice to hear pros and cons of each from those with experience. I think we will stick with our Beach Club ressie since my husband made a good point that if we want to go out solo after bedtime (we each plan to have a night to go out on our own) it will be much easier to have the boardwalk and parks right there. He needed a pretty good reason for me to convince him to change and it sounds like WL may be in the cards in the future but not for this trip!

 

[herb102211]

Great choice! We have stayed at BC several times and it is our favorite! We love the close proximity to Epcot and HS and the Boardwalk can be fun for something to do at night, with or without the kids. Fantasia mini golf is also within walking distance, too.