beach club pool really worth it?

[neville04]

currently we have the beach club booked.. my kiddos are 8/6/ 2 - the only reason i booked the beach club is b/c of the pool- we have never been there before - so my question is ... is the pool really worth it to book at the beach club or would it be better to save some extra money and stay at POR? it saves us about $1300 to stay at POR... is $1300 really worth it for the pool???

 

[luv2sleep]

currently we have the beach club booked.. my kiddos are 8/6/ 2 - the only reason i booked the beach club is b/c of the pool- we have never been there before - so my question is ... is the pool really worth it to book at the beach club or would it be better to save some extra money and stay at POR? it saves us about $1300 to stay at POR... is $1300 really worth it for the pool???

I've heard the pool can be a nightmare in terms of safety and keeping up with your kids. If you have multiple hands and eyes to help then it should probably be fun! I don't have that so we haven't stayed there for this reason.

 

[dansdad]

it saves us about $1300 to stay at POR... is $1300 really worth it for the pool???

IMHO, SAB alone is not worth the $$ to upgrade. But when you add in the ability to walk to 2 parks, being able to walk to the Boardwalk area restaurants and bigger rooms it becomes easier to swallow the extra cost.

 

[eangel12]

We stayed at Beach Club out last trip and the pool is NOT worth $1300!! I would do a day or two at the water parks and move to the another hotel. We didn't like the sand bottom, the pool area was just TOO big and we ended up going to the quiet pool area after the first day.

If your kids were older I would say go for it but with their ages I would switch in a minute!!

 

[Mousemommy1]

We have stayed at YC. We are staying at BC again this summer. Stormalong Bay is neat, but not $1300 worth of neat!!!

We love the Epcot resorts and there are many reasons why the extra cost over moderates is worth it to us, however, the pool does not factor into those reasons at all.

If you're doing it just for the pool, I would say don't do it.

 

[PeanutButterMom]

IMHO, SAB alone is not worth the $$ to upgrade. But when you add in the ability to walk to 2 parks, being able to walk to the Boardwalk area restaurants and bigger rooms it becomes easier to swallow the extra cost.

That, exactly. If you only care about the pool, then not worth it. But not having to bus back and forth Epcot and DHS (especially after Illuminations, etc), THAT would be more worth it.

 

[Kimberle]

The BC is "worth" the ability to walk to Epcot. We always took the boat to Studios as that was a long walk. The pool is very nice. However, the POR pool is also very nice. We found getting to the parks took much longer during our POR stay than from our Deluxe resort stays. The bus loop around the resort (4 stops) took about 20 minutes. (I timed it. Maybe it's changed, but that was our experience.)

It really depends on how you want to vacation.

 

[Fivesacharm]

currently we have the beach club booked.. my kiddos are 8/6/ 2 - the only reason i booked the beach club is b/c of the pool- we have never been there before - so my question is ... is the pool really worth it to book at the beach club or would it be better to save some extra money and stay at POR? it saves us about $1300 to stay at POR... is $1300 really worth it for the pool???

It's a nice pool, there's no doubt about that, but it's a BIG pool and can be very very hard to keep an eye on all the kids, especially younger ones...

 

[suemom2kay]

Yes, SAB is big, but you're kids don't need to be all over the place at all times.

The sand bar area is excellent for little ones. There is a large area of sand in the middle for digging and playing. It is shallow in the are of the sandbar.

When facing the pool from the hotel, the sand area is to the right. Straight in front of you is the main are where they have pool games and the slide dumps in to the left of that area. There is also a whirpool (not a hot tub a whirl pool). That was a personal favorite of my daughter's.

The lazy river is DEEP so definitely want to be supervising there. We have an only child and LOVE SAB because she never gets bored at that pool.

I think the pool is amazing. And as others have said, you're not paying $1300 just for the pool. Nicer rooms, walking/Boat proximity to 2 parks. And someone correct me if I'm wrong, you don't have to fold up the stroller on the boats.

If it were up to me and I could afford it, I would just Beach Club over POR/POFQ every time.

 

[kenly777]

I would suggest POR for your family for a few reasons. The money saved would be awesome. Your children will probably be just as happy with the pool there and with their ages, you will be happier with the pool there, as SAB is very large hard to relax at if you are watching small children. My kids (10, 7) loved POR and just recently asked to go back there even though we have DVC @ BWV because they loved all the activities and the pool at POR. Saving $1300 would allow you to do a whole lot of other things! Enjoy your trip!

 

[nickc50]

I'm in the same dilemma. I booked YC and found I could save 1100 at POR. However my kids are 17 yr old twins so proximity to BW Epcot and SAB would be big for them. We stayed at POR when my kids where little and they loved it.So I say save the money and go for POR.

 

[ArwenMarie]

The premium is worth it for the proximity to Epcot IMO. It's not worth it for the pool.

 

[jenrose66]

currently we have the beach club booked.. my kiddos are 8/6/ 2 - the only reason i booked the beach club is b/c of the pool- we have never been there before - so my question is ... is the pool really worth it to book at the beach club or would it be better to save some extra money and stay at POR? it saves us about $1300 to stay at POR... is $1300 really worth it for the pool???

I would say the location to the parks is more of a draw than the pool, but that's just my opinion. I stayed at Yacht Club last April and while the pool was cool it's not worth $1300.

I really enjoyed walking to Epcot and Hollywood Studios, but I found the bus service to the other parks lacking..

 

[jennyjinx3]

Yes, SAB is big, but you're kids don't need to be all over the place at all times.

The sand bar area is excellent for little ones. There is a large area of sand in the middle for digging and playing. It is shallow in the are of the sandbar.

When facing the pool from the hotel, the sand area is to the right. Straight in front of you is the main are where they have pool games and the slide dumps in to the left of that area. There is also a whirpool (not a hot tub a whirl pool). That was a personal favorite of my daughter's.

The lazy river is DEEP so definitely want to be supervising there. We have an only child and LOVE SAB because she never gets bored at that pool.

I think the pool is amazing. And as others have said, you're not paying $1300 just for the pool. Nicer rooms, walking/Boat proximity to 2 parks. And someone correct me if I'm wrong, you don't have to fold up the stroller on the boats.

If it were up to me and I could afford it, I would just Beach Club over POR/POFQ every time.

I agree with all this. We have stayed at both, most recently at POR. BC was a far better experience in terms of convenience, travel with little ones, more relaxing, and less walking. The shallow area at SAB is great as the little ones can play safely and you can relax either in the water with them or in a chair.

We will not be back to POR anytime soon, the quiet pool didn't even have towels, you will have to lug your stroller up the stairs if you get a second floor room, and the crowds in the food court and on the buses were staggering. I believe the word my husband used several times was "barbaric" . Glad my kiddos were older this trip.

And PP is right, you do not have to fold stroller on the boats.

 

[thisismyusername]

We're staying at POR for our arrival night on our upcoming trip, so I have no experience with the pros and cons of actually staying at the resort other than what I've extensively researched, but YC is one of our favorite resorts, and to me, that $1300 is worth it, but not just for the pool alone:

Reasons why we like it:

The pool (yes, it's hard to keep track of different-ability kids--I've complained about it before, but we do keep going back because the kids keep asking to return since they love it so much. Thankfully, we all love the quiet pools too for the nights when we want to relax…)

The resort is one building. For all of the rain that falls in Florida, it's so nice to be able to get from your room to get a cup of coffee or a small snack without running outside.

Location, location, location. There's nothing quite like being able to walk into World Showcase in 5 minutes--or walk to Hollywood Studios in 15. The Boardwalk provides a whole other area to explore with fun entertainment during the evening. The whole Epcot resort area is beautiful and so very relaxing.

Good bus service (no complaints from us, and we've stayed at YC/BC during multiple trips).

But to answer your question, those reasons cumulatively make me spend more to stay there. SAB alone? No.

 

[kapoof]

I think the bc is a wonderful resort, the pool is the added bonus. I wouldn't book a resort for the pool I book it for theming, and location. But the pool is awesome, and yes your kids will enjoy it. You do have to leave the pool area to use the slide though.

 

[jessily]

IMHO, SAB alone is not worth the $$ to upgrade. But when you add in the ability to walk to 2 parks, being able to walk to the Boardwalk area restaurants and bigger rooms it becomes easier to swallow the extra cost.

I agree with this. The pool alone is definitely not worth $1300, but there are other benefits to the Beach Club location. The pool is awesome though and if you do stay you will enjoy it!

 

[aprincessatlast]

1300 is a lot so it really depends on what type of vacation you are looking for.

Is this a Disney vacation where you are looking to visit a theme park? or Is this more of a resort vacation where you are looking to relax at a resort that has a theme park? Sounds silly but really there is a difference. Neither are wrong.

We have stayed at both resorts. Yes there is a difference in how the vacation was played out. BC was more about hanging out at the pool and strolling over to world showcase for dinner and hitting the parks here and there. Layed back and relaxing but no rush so plenty of time to enjoy the pool etc. POR vacay was more about Disney and staying somewhere in a nice setting but hitting the parks hard and swimming maybe 1 afternoon.

 

[maxiesmom]

I agree with all this. We have stayed at both, most recently at POR. BC was a far better experience in terms of convenience, travel with little ones, more relaxing, and less walking. The shallow area at SAB is great as the little ones can play safely and you can relax either in the water with them or in a chair.

We will not be back to POR anytime soon, the quiet pool didn't even have towels, you will have to lug your stroller up the stairs if you get a second floor room, and the crowds in the food court and on the buses were staggering. I believe the word my husband used several times was "barbaric" . Glad my kiddos were older this trip.

And PP is right, you do not have to fold stroller on the boats.

Wow, I don't agree with this post at all. Funny how 2 posters can have such a different view, isn't it?

I've stayed at both, and the only thing the Beach Club has over POR in my opinion is location. There is barely any quick service food, and no food court. So I'd take a resort with a busy one over not having one at all.

The location next to Epcot is great. But the bus service to MK and AK flat out stinks. Packed buses that made multiple stops made for looooong bus rides. We timed it once, and it was 45 minutes from getting on the bus to arriving at MK.

I would never sit in a chair and watch my child at SAB, unless they were teenagers. It is way too easy to look away and lose sight of them. The pool area is massive, and it is easy to be out of sight in a flash.

Also, at POR the only buildings without an elevator are the Bayou Buildings. All of the Mansions have elevators.

I don't think the Beach Club is worth that much more money over POR. I've stayed at the Beach Club once. POR 5 times. Love POR.

 

[kjcs618]

Short answer... no
MY opinion... yes

We stayed just last year at BC, with a 8, 4, and 3 (similar to yours), and they Absolutely Loved staying at BC. They really liked POR too, don't get me wrong. And 1300 really IS a lot to debate about.

AND, my DW and I did like the tranquility and southern charm of POR. and it's a great resort for a family of 5

BUT, my DW and I REALLY LOVED the walk to Epcot, the boat ride to HS, the Boardwalk right there, the pool (truly a mini water park), the beauty of the Epcot resort area, easy bus rides to AK and MK.

It's hard to put a price on all that

Good luck in your decision... but know, that if you pick POR, you will love it, and you will be glad you saved the 1300. And if you pick BC, you will love it, and be glad you splurged.