Club Level: BWI or Beach Club??

[ErinsMommy]

Which would you choose and why??

My first instincts without ever having stayed at either is -

Beach Club:
- will be ALOT more crowded overall (no specific time period selected yet) because it shares with Yacht Club; not sure if that's the case or not?
- the sand bottom pool may be a problem because of my daughter's sensitivity issues stepping in sand - (does the big slide come out into the sand bottom pool?)
- Is Beach/Yacht Club similar to that of GF - atmosphere wise?
- It looks like the hallways to/from the rooms to the dining areas/front desk go on, and on....
- how does the walk compare to Epcot/HS from that of BWI?

BWI:
- I can get past the creepy clown side
- nervous about noisiness of the boardwalk crowds; does the sound travel to the rooms?
- again very long hallways to/from the rooms to the dining areas/front desk go on, and on...
- how does the walk compare to Epcot/HS from that of BWI?

 

[Babsy]

BC

I didn't notice the BC as more crowded than the BWI. Did you mean in the lounge itself? I haven't been to the BC CL in a while (not since the new CL lounge) but the area seemed small before. Now I understand that it is expanded and much nicer. The lounge itself isn't shared with the YC. Or did you mean the pool? The pool ( Storm Along Bay) is very busy, but fun. There is sand all over the bottom of the pool.
I find the atmosphere very different at the BC form that of the GF. The GF is Victorian, The beach club is a much less formal, New England seaside atmosphere.
Yes, the hallways are long and meandering.
The walk to Epcot is anywhere from 2 - 5 minutes depending upon where your room is located. (you feel almost like you are staying in WS at the closest end) The walk to HS is more like 25 minutes. We usually take the boat from the BC to DHS (although you can easily walk it just as fast).


BWI

The BWI CL lounge is one of our favourites. We have always enjoyed our interactions with the CM's there.
I never use the creepy clown pool. We do like the 'quiet' pool at BWI.
Rooms facing the BW can be noisy if you face the BW and are looking down on the buskers. We were in a deluxe room and could hear the noise even with the patio doors closed. Other standard rooms are very quiet however.
Yes, again, the hallways can be quite long.
The walk to Epcot is slightly longer and the walk to DHS is less. I haven't timed it, but I am thinking about 5 - 10 minutes to Epcot (depending upon where your room is) and 15 - 20 minutes to DHS (again, depending upon room location). We often take the boat from BWI to both Epcot and DHS, although if the boat isn't at the dock or nearby, we will walk.

Which would I choose? Probably the BC since I haven't been in a while now and would like to see the 'new' CL lounge.

Which I would recommend would depend upon the person asking - the ages of the children (if any), personal likes/dislikes, amount of time spent in the parks, mobility etc.

Both are great resorts!

 

[ErinsMommy]

Thank you so much for the great input! BC crowds - I meant overall/in general. Like dining, pool, activities, etc.

 

[DisneyWishes14]

Personally, I would pick BW CL, but that's because I just prefer BWI over BC in general. The walk to the BWI CL rooms really isn't bad as you simply go to the 4th floor, head down a fairly short hallway and then you are in the CL section. I would recommend booking a standard view room as I have found them much quieter than the Boardwalk view rooms and cheaper!! The walk from BWI to EP really isn't very long and, as PP pointed out, you are closer to DHS. My DS9 actually LOVES the clown pool and the slide is pretty awesome. Yes, the BC pool slide exits into the sand bottomed pool. We just stayed at BC a few weeks ago and it's lovely, but my heart is with BWI. And the entertainment at night is super fun!!

 

[sfbank]

We have only stayed at the BWI so can't compare for you but the CMs are awesome and the resort itself is heavenly We love our stay at the Innkeepers with a Boardwalk view every year.

 

[ErinsMommy]

Personally, I would pick BW CL, but that's because I just prefer BWI over BC in general. The walk to the BWI CL rooms really isn't bad as you simply go to the 4th floor, head down a fairly short hallway and then you are in the CL section. I would recommend booking a standard view room as I have found them much quieter than the Boardwalk view rooms and cheaper!! The walk from BWI to EP really isn't very long and, as PP pointed out, you are closer to DHS. My DS9 actually LOVES the clown pool and the slide is pretty awesome. Yes, the BC pool slide exits into the sand bottomed pool. We just stayed at BC a few weeks ago and it's lovely, but my heart is with BWI. And the entertainment at night is super fun!!

Thank you so much for your input as well! What 'view' is from a standard room? I've seen pics on the BWI thread that has pics of the water and dolphin/swan hotels and it looks pretty nice!

 

[ktlm]

Which would you choose and why??

My first instincts without ever having stayed at either is -

Beach Club:
- will be ALOT more crowded overall (no specific time period selected yet) because it shares with Yacht Club; not sure if that's the case or not?

The Beach Club level lounge is not shared with Yacht Club. They are entirely different buildings. The Beach Club lobby is typically more crowded than the Yacht Club lobby because of the character breakfast and CS there. Yacht Club lobby is pretty mellow. I can't compare the lobby areas to BWI because while we have been over there while staying at BC/YC we have not stayed threre.


- the sand bottom pool may be a problem because of my daughter's sensitivity issues stepping in sand - (does the big slide come out into the sand bottom pool?)

The big slide does not end in the sand bottom pool. The sand bottom pool is separate from the other pools and the lazy river. I can't recall how shallow the non sand bottom pool is. I know it is not zero entry like the sand bottom pool. There is definitely plenty of pool space without a sand bottom

- Is Beach/Yacht Club similar to that of GF - atmosphere wise?
We've stayed at all 3. To me, the atmosphere is not really similar to GF, but I guess if you are comparing it to all the other deluxes, they are probably the most similar? Still, I wouldn't really say they are similar- no live music- not all the stores GF has- no Princess meal with a ton of little princesses in the lobby

- It looks like the hallways to/from the rooms to the dining areas/front desk go on, and on....
We have only stayed club level at YC--- I'm guessing BC might be the mirror image. On club level at YC, even the farthest rooms do not feel that far away from the elevators
We have also stayed in regular rooms at YC/BC. At YC we weren't that far from the lobby, but at BC we were almost at the end of the hall and it felt like a very long hike to and from the lobby-- (but there was an exit down on our end of the hotel you could use to get to EPCOT)



- how does the walk compare to Epcot/HS from that of BWI?

BC is significantly closer to EPCOT, but will be farther from HS
Having made the walk between EPCOT and HS multiple times, I would say that BW is the half way point between the two.

I will let someone else answer your BW questions, since our experience there is limited to stopping in places on the BW, and walking into the lobby a few times[/QUOTE]

 

[ErinsMommy]

Which would you choose and why??

My first instincts without ever having stayed at either is -

Beach Club:
- will be ALOT more crowded overall (no specific time period selected yet) because it shares with Yacht Club; not sure if that's the case or not?

The Beach Club level lounge is not shared with Yacht Club. They are entirely different buildings. The Beach Club lobby is typically more crowded than the Yacht Club lobby because of the character breakfast and CS there. Yacht Club lobby is pretty mellow. I can't compare the lobby areas to BWI because while we have been over there while staying at BC/YC we have not stayed threre.


- the sand bottom pool may be a problem because of my daughter's sensitivity issues stepping in sand - (does the big slide come out into the sand bottom pool?)

The big slide does not end in the sand bottom pool. The sand bottom pool is separate from the other pools and the lazy river. I can't recall how shallow the non sand bottom pool is. I know it is not zero entry like the sand bottom pool. There is definitely plenty of pool space without a sand bottom

- Is Beach/Yacht Club similar to that of GF - atmosphere wise?
We've stayed at all 3. To me, the atmosphere is not really similar to GF, but I guess if you are comparing it to all the other deluxes, they are probably the most similar? Still, I wouldn't really say they are similar- no live music- not all the stores GF has- no Princess meal with a ton of little princesses in the lobby

- It looks like the hallways to/from the rooms to the dining areas/front desk go on, and on....
We have only stayed club level at YC--- I'm guessing BC might be the mirror image. On club level at YC, even the farthest rooms do not feel that far away from the elevators
We have also stayed in regular rooms at YC/BC. At YC we weren't that far from the lobby, but at BC we were almost at the end of the hall and it felt like a very long hike to and from the lobby-- (but there was an exit down on our end of the hotel you could use to get to EPCOT)



- how does the walk compare to Epcot/HS from that of BWI?

BC is significantly closer to EPCOT, but will be farther from HS
Having made the walk between EPCOT and HS multiple times, I would say that BW is the half way point between the two.

I will let someone else answer your BW questions, since our experience there is limited to stopping in places on the BW, and walking into the lobby a few times

[/QUOTE]

Thank you so much!

 

[ErinsMommy]

On more question:

On touring plans for the BWI, it has two categories: standard club level/deluxe queen and standard club level/queen. What's the difference?? Also when I select "quiet" for the sound level option, no rooms were selected??

Also on touring plans for BC, it has ALOT of club level categories to choose from. Are the 1 and 2 bedrooms DVC? Or are there just that many choices? I hate lots of choices. LOL. Also same thing with "quiet" for sound level option, no rooms were selected??

 

[Babsy]

Thank you so much for your input as well! What 'view' is from a standard room? I've seen pics on the BWI thread that has pics of the water and dolphin/swan hotels and it looks pretty nice!

The Standard rooms that we were in were past the CL lounge and on down at the end of the corridor. It isn't far compared to some rooms not in CL, but they did feel like a long walk to us. LOL! However, the views were very nice facing toward Epcot and and looking directly at an area of foliage. If you looked left from the balcony you could glimpse the lake/waterway to Epcot. Very quiet and nice. I was surprised to like the standard view much better than I had expected.

Pictures of the water and the Swan Dolphin from standard views would be from the BWV side of the BW. The CL portion of BWI is located closer to Epcot. The Villas are located closer to DHS. If you want a view of the waterway to DHS/Swan then you want to book a villa.

 

[Babsy]

Deluxe CL rooms at the BW are larger than the regular rooms with a large sitting area as well as the bedroom. Some are on the same floor as the CL lounge and some are located on a different floor. Those located on the same level as the lounge have smaller balconies than the ones that are one floor down. Some face the Boardwalk and are BW views. The others face the courtyard area and have full size balconies. I believe that these would be standard views. These deluxe rooms are larger and more expensive than the regular standard rooms. They do come with 2 queen beds and a pull out sofa. We have only stayed in the deluxe queen CL rooms with the BW view so I can't say much about the others. If I were booking a deluxe room again, I would book the ones facing the courtyard/with full balconies. The small balconies facing the BW were uncomfortably small and the noise from the BW was a little annoying in the evening.

 

[ErinsMommy]

If you want a view of the waterway to DHS/Swan then you want to book a villa.

A villa is DVC so then i'll technically be having to travel on points correct? or is there cash villa rooms through Disney? sorry for all the questions - the Epcot resorts are totally new to us.

 

[ErinsMommy]

Deluxe CL rooms at the BW are larger than the regular rooms with a large sitting area as well as the bedroom. Some are on the same floor as the CL lounge and some are located on a different floor. Those located on the same level as the lounge have smaller balconies than the ones that are one floor down. Some face the Boardwalk and are BW views. The others face the courtyard area and have full size balconies. I believe that these would be standard views. These deluxe rooms are larger and more expensive than the regular standard rooms. They do come with 2 queen beds and a pull out sofa. We have only stayed in the deluxe queen CL rooms with the BW view so I can't say much about the others. If I were booking a deluxe room again, I would book the ones facing the courtyard/with full balconies. The small balconies facing the BW were uncomfortably small and the noise from the BW was a little annoying in the evening.

We would likely prefer to be on the same floor as the lounge - and not facing the BW is just as important on our list as being on the same floor due to daughter's sensitivities aka winding down after a long day would be impossible for her with loud sounds coming in or over her head. So would our chances for these requests be better with a deluxe CL room or a standard? Again sorry for all the questions! Much appreciate your help and input =)

 

[Babsy]

A villa is DVC so then i'll technically be having to travel on points correct? or is there cash villa rooms through Disney? sorry for all the questions - the Epcot resorts are totally new to us.

Sometimes there are villas available for cash rental from WDW. Otherwise, you are correct, you need to rent points for DVC properties.

 

[Babsy]

We would likely prefer to be on the same floor as the lounge - and not facing the BW is just as important on our list as being on the same floor due to daughter's sensitivities aka winding down after a long day would be impossible for her with loud sounds coming in or over her head. So would our chances for these requests be better with a deluxe CL room or a standard? Again sorry for all the questions! Much appreciate your help and input =)

Standard CL rooms would most likely be quieter than BWV rooms - or at least that has been our experience. I would suggest booking a standard view CL room and request close to the lounge.

 

[ErinsMommy]

thank you so much!!

 

[Babsy]

thank you so much!!

You are welcome!

 

[DisneyWishes14]

When we stayed BWI CL standard view, we were right over the cottages with a view of the quiet pool. It was really nice! I would suggest requesting "quiet room" "no connecting door". All of the rooms in the CL section are close to the CL lounge.

We've also found BWV to be very quiet if a villa is of any consideration to you. You can book a DVC villa directly through WDW without having to rent points. We've stayed in BWV (and BCV) a few times and always book through WDW. Though it's more expensive than renting points, I like the flexibility you get with WDW's cancellation policy. We've stayed in both 1-bedroom and studios at BWV and typically have a view of the Swan or the villa's quiet pool. I've never had any noise issues in any of the villas we've stayed in.