Beach Club Resort VS. Caribbean Beach

[cindycviper]

Hi, we have been to Disney World once and stayed at Beach Club Resort. We loved it!! We are currently planning a vacation for this July and are debating on staying at Beach Club again or trying Caribbean Beach or possibly French Quarter. There is a HUGE price difference. I don't mind spending the money if Beach Club is really better than the "Moderate" resorts. If anyone has stayed at both could they please give me their opinion. Any information would be greatly appreciated.

 

[MickeysMommy]

I've only stayed at CBR and I am definitely biased. However, we love love love CBR. It's your own tropical paradise. And, the price is right for us. The tropical settings are the best and we don't want to stay anywhere else. We have seen BC and if that is your preference I say go for it. I am just a CBR addict.

 

[stinkerbelle]

wow Cindy - guess you ARE a CBR addict!

DH and I have stayed at the CBR twice...and I personally loved it each time! The rooms are actually the largest of all the moderates if you are looking for more breathing room.

It is very tropical there and, in my mind, a great place to relax. We've never had a problem with that resort.

The ONLY drawback of the place is the multiple bus stops...the resort is very spread out. But...I personally loved the 'quiet pools' for relaxing and the hammocks for snoozing the afternoon away.

Of course, we are now AKL addicts...but I wouldn't hesitate to go back to CBR!

 

[HookdonWDW]

We've stayed at both moderates and deluxes, and we own at BCVs. Although all of the WDW hotels are nice, we definitely prefer the Deluxes if given a choice. I like the indoor hallways and lobbies (especially on a rainy day!). Love being able to have access to SAB, and it's great to be able to just walk over to Epcot or the Boardwalk. You are also close to a ton of dining options. If you have children, and use the kids clubs, it's so nice to be able to have the club in your resort, and not have to pick the kids up and then transport them back to your resorts.

Lastly, we are very partial to the CB at Cape May - although I guess you could go to that no matter where you stay!

 

[robinb]

It all depends on what you want from a resort. I have stayed at both resorts and both are great. The advantages of the Beach Club for me is Storm-along Bay and the resort's proximity to Epcot and MGM. The advantage of CBR for me is the totally relaxing atmosphere and the food court for quick meals. Also, I think the outdoor hallways can be quieter than indoor hallways.

I would suggest that you try one of the moderates on your upcoming trip and save a little cash in the process. That's really the only way to know if a deluxe is better for you.

 

[leighe]

We love both the moderate and deluxe resorts. The CBR is great. We usually decide to stay moderate or deluxe based on what we want to do on the trip. If it's a short trip and we plan to go, go, go and stay in the parks all day and night then we chose a moderate - it seems silly to us to pay for features we won't have time to enjoy. If, however, we plan to take it easy and relax more, then we definitely chose a deluxe. We are sooooo excited about AKL for Spring Break and plan to spend a lot of time at the pool and exploring the resort. What about splitting your stay? That would cut down on cost and still give you lots of diverse experiences.

 

[10drum]

Cindy,

We are faced with the same problem. We love the BC/YC and have stayed there twice, but last spring we stayed at CSR because it was peak season and there were no rates available, so we stayed at CSR on a DC discount.

We stayed POR in 2000 and didn't like it, but CSR was so nice, now I find it hard to justify the extra cost for BC/YC. I'm thinking about AKL or WL for this July.

What I've decided is, if we can stay BC for around $200/night, then we'll stay BC, if not I'll have to decide WL/AKL or CSR.

 

[fabwallsmom]

I stayed at CB 8 years ago. It was very nice! We really liked it a lot. It's very quiet and the pools are very nice. We stayed at CS 5 years ago, and I found that comporable to CB. Both very nice moderates. I haven't stayed in a deluxe yet, but we've recently decided on the YC for this summer and are making our plans now. My reasons for choosing YC are Stormalong Bay and the proximity to Epcot and MGM. My kids are older now, and can go off to Epcot or MGM on their own, and I can hang back with the youngest in the pool. I guess I'll find out if it's worth the price difference this summer.

Anyway, I'm sure you won't be disappointed at the CB resort. It's very nice.

Robin

 

[SAWYERMAW1]

We stayed at BC in May. It was very nice and we enjoyed our stay but would pick POFQ over BC. We love POFQ!! The convenience of the Food Court, the boat to DTD and the size of POFQ make it more appealing than the BC to our family. We like being able to get up and go to the Food Court for a hot breakfast and not spending the Character Breakfast charge at BC or having the cold breakfast offered in the lobby. Also, there is a considerable difference in the cost and do not think BC is worth the extra money. We also found eating there to be real problem. Beaches and Cream was always crowdred with a long wait. The kids like to use the refillable mugs and it is not easy to do at the BC.

 

[Nasi]

We've stayed at several deluxes and moderates. I really enjoyed my stays at each. If money were no object I would stay at BC because of Stormalong Bay and location. Sometimes its hard to justify the cost of the deluxes when the mods are just as nice for more than half the price. We liked POFQ because it was smaller and more compact but we liked CBR's tropical theming. We stayed in Martinique which was close to the main pool and food court. We never had trouble with transportation at any of the resorts we stayed in. Nasi

 

[Kaitysmom]

I stayed at both this year in December. I like CB OK. I know that some people are huge fans though.

Some of the pros and cons to Beach Club for us:

Pros: Stormalong Bay, proximity to Epcot/MGM/Boardwalk, queen sized beds.

Cons: distance to self parking (we always drive when there), no food court.

We really liked French Quarter when we stayed there a few years ago. They just had a major refurb so you know that the rooms should be in good shape. You can also take a boat over to the Marketplace which is nice if you plan to go to Pleasure Island, or just out to dinner or shopping. It is also a "small" resort unlike CB. It is also a sister resort to Riverside, so you can take a short walk over to use their amenities.

For me, the queen sized beds in the deluxes are a big plus, you might want to check out Wilderness Lodge or Animal Kingdom Lodge as they are deluxe resorts at a not-quite deluxe rate.

Have fun!

 

[PamNC]

Caribbean Beach and Beach Club and absolutely YES the Beach Club is worth the money. Unless it'll really mess up up financially. That's no fun. We like CBR but you can't beat the convenience of walking to Epcot and MGM. Plus, you get the best pool in the World...Stormalong Bay. I say spend the money as long as you can afford it.

PamNC
2 days and counting and I'll be at the Poly.

 

[DNBois]

CBR ALL THE WAY!!!!

We absolutely love CBR and actually enjoyed it more than Contemporary in May of 2000 (our honeymoon) and since it is much cheaper, it makes the choice so much easier. We have not stayed at the Beach Club but if we were to stay at any other Deluxe it would be the Grand Floridian - although I visited there when I was younger and with my family, it left a very positive impression. . . we tried to make ressies this March/April for POR but we just couldn't do it as you can see. If it is worth the extra $$$ for the deluxe, go for it but we feel with the $$ you can save staying at a moderate, you can go all out for other things - like more meals at some great restaurants or booking some Disney tours or even taking in some shows at DD. Good luck with your decision.

 

[sullins5]

CBR for me too!

We always stay at cbr. Luv it , Luv it, Luv it.... But it really depends on your wants. Like to save where you can spend elsewhere, stay at cbr, have plenty for everything stay at b&yc.

My kids love everything at cbr. And tho some don't like the bus stops, or walking, its never been a problem for us.

Try it and see what you think!

Looking forward to May!

CBR 93,
CBR 94
CBR 98
CBR 2001
CBR - 2004 - not soon enough!

 

[wdwphanatic]

Someone said that the only breakfast options are the character breakfast or the lobby's cold offerings... While that is technically true, I just wanted to let you know that you could easily walk to the Yacht Club's restaurant next door and get a very similar buffet to the one offered at Cape May, but without the character breakfast price! Whenever we stay at BCV we always go to the YC for breakfast and then hop on the bus there when heading to MK or AK (the bus stop is less crowded and you have a better chance of getting a seat, too!)... Works out great!

The other thing about BC is that the rooms are bigger than the moderates and some come with daybeds (if you have more than 4 people, this would be a big plus!)...

Happy planning,
Sarah