Board Walk vs. Beach Club

[twinsr241]

Does anyone know how convenient each of these resorts is to MGM and Epcot?
Could you provide estimated walking times to each? (assuming two fit adults pushing strollers)
Any suggestions about which would be better for preschoolers?
How long is the bus trip to MK?

Thanks in advance for any information you can share.

 

[spiceycat]

Epcot is 5 minutes

Studio 20 to 25 minutes (maybe less)

studio has more little kid stuff.
http://www.wdwinfo.com/wdwinfo/guides/mgm/st-playhouse.htm

but Epcot has nemo.
http://www.wdwinfo.com/wdwinfo/guides/epcot/epfw-livingseas.htm

so both are okay. Mk is still preferred for little kids.

buses - depends - sometimes you would not share or only share with YC - then around 20 to 25 minutes. but at other times (starting around 10 am to 3 pm) you will be sharing with all the epcot resorts - so an hour during those times.

 

[ElizabethB]

We prefer the Boardwalk because although it is a little further from Epcot, it is closer to MGM. We like to walk to both Epcot and MGM and Boardwalk is the most centrally located between the two.

 

[Skroops]

They are both very nice resorts. BC is closer to Epcot, but not by much. They are both a nice walk or boat ride from MGM. I prefer BC for the pool, but I'd go with whichever has the better deal unless they are priced the same which is usually the case!

Good luck!

 

[mtemm]

we love the bwi, but honestly our kids (age 4, 2, 2) loved sab when we stayed at the yc last fall so much, not sure we could go back to the bwi while they are young. the sand bar area is sooo much fun!

 

[trivial]

BoardWalk and Beach Club are roughly the same distance from all the parks. I really enjoyed BoardWalk myself and want to go back, but my wife is pushing for Beach Club next time because we'll have our 4-year-olds with us then (and I'm sure they'd have a blast in the water at Beach Club, although BoardWalk is nice too).

 

[AlDubya]

The Boardwalk to Epcot is approximately a 5-7 minute walk. Very close. The Beach Club is a bit closer, and is probably only a 3-4 minute walk.

The Boardwalk to MGM is an 11 minute walk.* The Beach Club is a little bit farther, and is probably a 15-16 minute walk.

* 11 minutes sounds weird, but there's an interesting -- to me, anyway -- story behind it. A few years back, my buddy and I had just missed the boat to go back to the Boardwalk from MGM. We didn't feel like waiting and asked a CM how long of a walk it was back to the Boardwalk. The CM responded that it was 11 minutes. The bit of precision kind of surprised us, and we had a good laugh ("it's 11 minutes, huh? Not 10? Not 12? 11?".... "Yep, 11 minutes."). So, off we walked (with stop watch started) and, when we got to the Boardwalk, lo and behold, 11 minutes. Granted, I do walk at a faster than average pace, but I was by no means speed walking or attempting to walk faster in anyway... just a normal walking pace for me. The time might be a bit longer for someone with a stroller, but it's still a fairly easy walk. If you leave to walk there at the same time the boat does, due to the stops the boat makes, you'll more than likely beat it to MGM.

 

[Dancemom03]

We had booked BWI last month and were so disappointed in the pool size/depth that we ended up transferring to YC after just 2 days.

There's nothing like Stormalong Bay - especially for that in-between 3-7 age when kids might not be tall enough for the main pool. DD6 is 44" tall. At BW's luna pool the entry depth started at 3'4" or 40" (that left 4 inches of her above water and her head is bigger than that!) and most pool areas were deeper.
The baby/toddler pool was very small and very busy in comparison to many I've seen. Overall, we thought CSR's pool areas where we'd been the week before, were larger and more accomodating for all ages. I know the dig site main pool and hot tub was larger at CSR - a fact which really suprised me when we left CSR and checked into BWI which is a deluxe supposedly comparible with YC/BC/Poly.

We usually stay at the BC or YC so I admit that we're spoiled but there really is no better pool on property -especially for the younger set. There's plenty of soft sand, lots of room and enough buckets and shovels to keep small beach go-ers busy for hours while adults have a variety of choices to enjoy too.

 

[trivial]

There's nothing like Stormalong Bay - especially for that in-between 3-7 age when kids might not be tall enough for the main pool. DD6 is 44" tall. At BW's luna pool the entry depth started at 3'4" or 40" (that left 4 inches of her above water and her head is bigger than that!) and most pool areas were deeper.

I didn't think to check the entry depth at BWI/BWV... that's not good news for me. Looks like BCV might be where we end up staying then. Thanks for that info!

 

[Cool-Beans]

Beach Club is 5-10 minutes to Epcot, BWI is 10-15...walking. I don't know about walking to MGM because we drove.

Other than that, I'm not piping up. I don't like the BWI because I had the stay from hell there and it colors my opinions of the place.

 

[twinsr241]

The Boardwalk to Epcot is approximately a 5-7 minute walk. Very close. The Beach Club is a bit closer, and is probably only a 3-4 minute walk.

The Boardwalk to MGM is an 11 minute walk.* The Beach Club is a little bit farther, and is probably a 15-16 minute walk.

* 11 minutes sounds weird, but there's an interesting -- to me, anyway -- story behind it. A few years back, my buddy and I had just missed the boat to go back to the Boardwalk from MGM. We didn't feel like waiting and asked a CM how long of a walk it was back to the Boardwalk. The CM responded that it was 11 minutes. The bit of precision kind of surprised us, and we had a good laugh ("it's 11 minutes, huh? Not 10? Not 12? 11?".... "Yep, 11 minutes."). So, off we walked (with stop watch started) and, when we got to the Boardwalk, lo and behold, 11 minutes. Granted, I do walk at a faster than average pace, but I was by no means speed walking or attempting to walk faster in anyway... just a normal walking pace for me. The time might be a bit longer for someone with a stroller, but it's still a fairly easy walk. If you leave to walk there at the same time the boat does, due to the stops the boat makes, you'll more than likely beat it to MGM.

Thanks so much for all the info!
I should mention that we are planning to be at WDW for 3 night in early December. We decided to stay after a 7 day Disney Cruise. We were hoping for a monorail resort, but as of now there is only availability at CR concierge level.
Since we can't be right by MK I thought it might be nice to be close to Epcot and MGM. We have never spent evenings in those parks.
I'm not sure how much the pools will matter because of the weather in December. But if the weather is nice -- the kids will LOVE to go swimming.
Any other info or advise would be greatly appreciated.
I don't k

 

[tidblgrrer]

We have had difficulty returning from MK to both via the bus system with the strollers. The buses seem very overloaded and we had to wait forever every time we stayed late at the MK. (Forget about staying until the MK closes -- then you will wait forever and a day ).

We have had better luck with both WL and WKL when having to rely on buses and get strollers on board. Obviously the monorail is much easier --- but as you said not available.

Enough of the negatives --- we love BC and BWI. The pool is great at BC, but it is difficult to keep track of the little ones there since it is very spread out. (You will get plenty of exercise!) My kids did not mind the pool depths at BWI -- if they were too short they just wore a life jacket which was available for free. Kids say the slide is better at BWI -- but the sand is really awesome too.

Soooo I don't actually think you can go wrong either way as long as you are prepared for the bus issue and of course the limited CS. We don't miss the CS --- but I do read some people finding issue with it.

ENJOY!!!!

 

[twinsr241]

Could you please tell me what CS is??

I am terrible keeping all the abbreviations straight!!

 

[trivial]

Lil bit off topic, but is pool hopping discouraged, or is it perfectly okay?

 

[Dancemom03]

DVC members used to be able to pool hop from BWV across the lake to Stormalong Bay. That's been discountinued now though and pool hopping is not allowed for anyone at all. It's a pretty controversial issue on these boards from what I've seen so let me just say that we tried everything without success this last trip to be able to use SAB (with permission) for DD6 as she was not only a petite non-swimmer but the BWI/BWV Luna Park pools were positively packed each day making them seem even smaller and adding waves from the splashing of older children.

We did get her a life vest for the stay. She enjoyed wearing it in the room and on the pool deck. I'd like to say that did the trick but after the initial novelty, which may have lasted all of 15 minutes, she decided she didn't like bobbing out there getting splashed and not being able to touch bottom.

I'm zipping up my flame suit here, but it did not escape my attention that despite the baby pool being packed, very few of the tots were wearing swim diapers.
I mentioned it to a life guard the first day and he just sort of shrugged his shoulders. Apparently the swim diaper rule is not something that the resorts have the power to enforce. It's a health issue but it's also a matter of tact. What do you say to let a forgetful parent or someone from another culture know without offending them? I personally don't know how I'd manage it myself so I'm not criticizing here as much as relaying my surprise.
One little girl dropped her swim suit right there on the edge of the pool to tinkle before her frantic mom could make it to her side. I haven't had any diaper age children in years but one amenity I wouldn't mind paying extra for is a supply of swim diapers to be handed out on the pool deck or available in the rest rooms for those who just don't think little Johnny will have an accident today.
I wish the resorts would keep the shower caps or the hand lotion or whatever else we find in our rooms but never use and instead put those hotel $$ into a supply of swim diapers for parents of toddlers. They could even be left in the toddler's room on the sink or with the pack n' play perhaps. As the 10 yr old with us joked "the baby pool is that warm for a reason..."

Anyway, it took us two days and some dedicated CM friends at the BC working with room assigners to finally find us two rooms across the lake at the YC and a pool where we could all enjoy the water.
I know it may sound like a petty thing but you really have to consider that we only entered the parks a handful of times that week, mostly for meals, after experiencing the crowded atmosphere and incredibly long wait times for rides so the majority of our time was spent at the resorts.
If you're 6 and on a vacation in the summer sun where you can't enjoy the pool and you don't go to the parks, time moves very slowly - for you and for your parents...

 

[SpoonfulofSugar]

The BC is our favorite with little ones (stroller age) mainly because of SAB's sand bottom pool. It's huge and only 2 feet deep.

CS is counter service meals, which are limited at both BC and BW -- although Hurricane Hannahs at BC offers close to standard CS meals

Pool hopping is next to impossible at SAB, they check room keys and issue wrist bands.

 

[trivial]

Gah... looks like I might have to bite my lip and pass up a return visit to the BoardWalk for a stay at the Beach Club, based solely on the pool.

Pool hopping is next to impossible at SAB, they check room keys and issue wrist bands.

I didn't realize that. While staying at the BoardWalk, I walked over to SAB one evening to check it out... there were only a few people around, and no one approached me, but perhaps that's because I wasn't actually in the water.